Can Japan Compete? is a major new development of Michael Porter's theory of competitive positioning, in which he examines the 'two Japans' - one highly competitive and one highly uncompetitive. Porter draws upon previously unseen research to set the record straight on what did and did not happen during the 'Japanese Miracle'. This book represents a major contribution to the understanding of Japan and a major new strategic analysis from the world's leading thinker on strategy.

The modern industrial states desperately need more competition in order to generate growth and employment. Although the European Union pushed its member states to open several sectors to competition, there is much left to be done. At the same time powerful interest groups try to avoid or to reduce competition on European labour markets, in the health systems, in the transport and energy sector, in public services, and in many other areas. This book shows that there is much to be gained from intensifying competition and that especially consumers would benefit. One task is to lay a sound basis for the application of competition. The other task is to implement and guarantee competition. The authors cover both issues.

The need to examine and challenge a host of critical, taken-for-granted assumptions is one of the most important tasks facing managers and leaders daily. Beyond recognizing the need to examine and challenge key assumptions, managers and leaders must develop a systematic way of surfacing and critiquing important assumptions, let alone keeping track of them over time so that key business strategies can change as important underlying assumptions change. Using current business examples and academic research, Tools for Systematic Problem-Solving educates managers and executives on how to systematically examine key assumptions to ensure survival and success for their organizations.

While economic globalization benefited Southeast Asia, especially during the 1990s boom, the region now seems to be caught between two emerging economic giants - China and India. What challenges and opportunities does the rise of China and India pose for Southeast Asia and how should policy-makers respond? Are bilateral free trade arrangements and bilateral economic partnerships a boon or bane for competitiveness? In identifying approaches and strategies to coping with these challenges and leveraging on the opportunities available, this book also links the quest for competitiveness with the necessity of social protection. The link comes in the form of the people who work for firms as human resources, and as users and innovators of technology. The book acknowledges and discusses the problems of inadequate technological and innovative capacity and the problems of managing labour productivity in Southeast Asia. However, the book also cautions against focusing on people solely as productive labour, whether in production or the knowledge sector. By highlighting the adverse social, economic and political consequences of ignoring social protection issues and challenging the myth that addressing social protection undermines competitiveness, the book emphasizes the social responsibilities incumbent on governments and firms in this age of growing economic insecurities.

The main thrust of Part 1 is to give some understanding of the concept of 'global competition'. In doing so, the chapters rely heavily on industrial studies. Part 2 deals with two different aspects of this change viewed from two different perspectives. The one is economic and more macro: the other political and social and more micro, being concerned with the way in which companies have to utilize their various organisational units and integrate information on a fragmented environment into a strategic whole. Part 3 deals specifically with technology, as the particular segment of the environment which often has the largest impact on future strategies. In Part 4 the perspective of global competition is applied at industry, country and company levels and it is shown that this perspective adds new dimensions to old problems. The final parts address the problem of management in global competition.

The history of policymaking has been dominated by two rival assumptions about markets. Those who have advocated Keynesian-type policies have generally based their arguments on the claim that markets are imperfectly competitive. On the other hand laissez faire advocates have argued the opposite by claiming that in fact free market policies will eliminate "market imperfections" and reinvigorate perfect competition. The goal of this book is to enter into this important debate by raising critical questions about the nature of market competition in both the neoclassical and Kaleckian traditions By drawing on the insights of the classical political economists, Schumpeter, Hayek, the Oxford Economists' Research Group (OERG) and others, the authors in this book challenge this perfect versus imperfect competition dichotomy in both theoretical and empirical terms. There are important differences between the theoretical perspectives of several authors in the broad alternative theoretical tradition defined by this book; nevertheless, a unifying theme throughout this volume is that competition is conceptualized as a dynamic disequilibrium process rather than the static equilibrium state of conventional theory. For many of the authors the growth of the firm is consistent with a heightened degree of competitiveness, as the classical economists and Schumpeter emphasized, and not a lowered one as in the conventional 'monopoly capital' and imperfect competition perspectives. Contributions by Rania Antonopoulos, Serdal Bahce, Cyrus Bina, Scott Carter, Benan Eres, Jason Hecht, Jack High, William Lazonick, Andreis Lazzarini, Fred S. Lee, J. Stanley Metcalfe, Jamee Moudud, John Sarich, Anwar Shaikh, Persefoni Tsaliki, Lefteris Tsoulfidis, and John Weeks.

The aim of this book is to tackle the question of what the European territory will look like over the next fifteen years by providing quali-quantitative territorial scenarios for the enlarged Europe, under different assumptions on future globalisation strategies of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and East and West European countries. The approach is as neutral as possible vis-a-vis the results, leaving to a new forecasting model, the MASST model, built by the authors, to produce the tendencies and behavioural paths of regional GDP and population growth in each individual European region under alternative assumptions on the competitiveness strategies of different blocks of countries. The results are accompanied by strong policy messages intended to encourage long-term strategic thinking among a wide range of actors, scientists and policy makers in response to the risks and opportunities that the European territory will face."

Following World War II, the U.S. manufacturing sector emerged as the dominant industrial force in the world in virtually all areas, including productivity, market share, innovations, and capital investments. Though other countries have caught up with and surpassed the United States in many industries, Romesh Diwan and Chandana Chakraborty argue that America can recapture its dominant role by moving forcefully into high-technology industries. In this work, they examine competitiveness in a range of high-technology enterprises, analyzing the industries as an aggregate as well as through three specific examples: semi-conductors, telecommunications, and computers. The authors provide a complete understanding of the technical changes and developments that are taking place in U.S. high technology, and offer guidance to policy makers in promoting competitive strength. Their work defines and quantifies the high-tech industrial sector of the U.S, economy, and analyzes the productivity of this sector by utilizing a translog cost function, which provides information about the structure of the input-output relations in a particular industry. Using these functions, Diwan and Chakraborty answer quantitatively a number of questions relating to the growth of various inputs, productivities, and outputs, which lead to conclusions regarding the structure of production, costs, and capacity in U.S. industry. Their conclusions--that technical change is biased in the main in favor of capital and material, and that capital and skilled labor are complements--are consistent with new ideas and theories in the field. This work will be a valuable reference source for professional economists and policy experts, as well as for scholars and students in international trade, finance, and development.

Hardbound. The convergence of telecommunications, mass media and computer technologies has brought spectacular developments of ubiquitous intelligent interconnected systems. In the course of these evolutionary changes, debate and policy has swung again towards privatization, deregulation and increased reliance upon competition. Nevertheless, the underlying and powerful role of new information continues to bring so much restructuring and organizational change, that a reassessment of ideas about competition in this dynamic context, is essential. The aim of this volume is to provide an update of research and policy debates in this important field. An international perspective is provided with contributions from academic, business and governmental communities. The volume will be invaluable to researchers in telecommunications and information activities; decision-makers in industry, government and regulatory fields; consultants; and information service provide

Managers in developing countries, whether operating in the private or public sectors, are constantly aware of the problems of underdevelopment. Effective management of international business activities in developing countries can improve the competitiveness and development prospects of these countries and, in turn, the companies operating within them. But to do so, managers need a developing country perspective on international trade agreements, international finance, foreign exchange, and national financial management. These topics, as well as practical chapters on the management of export production, financing exports, government export programs, and international investment make this very valuable reading for executives and those interested in international business.

Hella Engerer analyzes the emergence, evolution, and theory of property rights and establishes the limits for privatization of state-owned enterprises in the transitional economies of Eastern Europe. She counters the assumption that reduction of the state sector helps to create the basis for a private property system, showing that privatization presupposes a stable framework for property. This is a major contribution to the understanding of the emerging economic order of Central and Eastern Europe.

In business, there is a moment when everyone has to make a pitch; it might be your own personal OK Corral, when the consequences of failure are too painful to even contemplate, but it will always be an occasion where the outcome really matters. Brilliant Pitch will equip people to tackle pitch situations (however tough), improve their own skills and, importantly, leave them enthused about the idea of pitching and looking forward to the next one. It will do so first by outlining how to approach any pitch, then how to tailor the approach in different situations. There are secrets from the masters. There are pitch stories. (Such as the agency which pitched to British Rail, and deliberately kept them waiting in reception for an hour, with bad refreshments and no explanation for the delay...) The book brings the process to life, rather than simply listing things to do. It shows readers how they, too, can become great at pitching. Brilliant outcomes: It eliminates the possibility of doing a 'bad' pitch It will help readers get the content and preparation spot on by focusing on the needs of the audience. It will help give readers tons of confidence so they'll not only deliver brilliant pitches, but they'll be eager to pitch time and time again.

Environmental quality management is seen as a competitive strategy that could help a firm improve its bottom line. It is argued that being environmentally correct is good business that can provide competitive advantage to the firm in the long term and help it to survive and remain in business. To achieve environmental quality, top management must take the lead and refocus its objectives by redefining its customers. Rather than a focus only on direct customers who are consumers of the product, emphasis should be on the stakeholders of the environment since they can potentially influence the cost of doing business.

The book starts by tracing the relationship between technology and the environment. Clearly, the quality of life we enjoy today is, to a large extent, a result of technological advances. However, environmental pollution is a byproduct of such advances and has contributed in declining the quality of life. Sustainable development is increasingly seen as a way of both maintaining technological advances and environmental quality. However, many have argued against sustainable development without looking at its long-term goals and its potential of helping a business improve its bottom line and competitiveness. Clearly, there is a need for strategic planning in order to remain competitive through environmental quality planning. A corporate environmental quality model is, therefore, needed. Environmental quality management can also benefit from developments in the total quality management area. A great deal of attention is focused on how this could be achieved by adopting tools from total quality management, establishing environmental quality award programs, and conducting environmental quality assessment. The book concludes by focusing on the needs to conserve the earth's limited natural resources and discussing some of the major environmental laws in the United States designed to protect the environment.

This book shows how the hybrid model, which uses both market and committee mechanisms, explains standard setting and firm competition in the mobile communications industry. The hybrid model explains why certain mobile communication standards like GSM have become global standards while others, for example digital standards supposed by US firms, have not become global standards. The hybrid model also explains why Nokia is the leading producer of mobile phones and Ericsson the leading producer of mobile infrastructure.

The Competitive Advantage of Nations is one of the most influential business and management books of all time. Michael Porter's research identified the fundamental determinants of national competitive advantage in an industry and how they work together to give international advantage. The findings are rich in implications for firms and governments and set the agenda for discussions of global competition. The book was an extraordinary achievement and had a profound effect upon management, policy-makers and academics worldwide. The core ideas of the book remain very relevant today and this new edition includes the original text in full with a new introduction by the author, which reviews the key themes and issues of the book in the light of subsequent developments. This book represents one of the very few must buys in business and management.

This book looks at the experiences of six Asian countries in terms of developing and implementing domestic competition policy. It analyzes how the choice of development policies impacts on the state of competition in each country and how competition contributes to development. The considerable variation in policies and experiences across the countries provides a rich source of information from which lessons and best practices can be drawn.

This authoritative book, bringing together the reports of the Competitiveness Advisory Group, identifies actions to improve European competitiveness politically, economically and socially. The objective is to raise living standards and maintain social cohesion. The Competitiveness Advisory Group has the mission of advising the European Commission and the Heads of State and Government of the European Union. The members of this independent group, which includes leading industrialists, trade unionists, politicians and academics, have adopted a 'bottom-up' approach, seeking to draw lessons from the experience of countries, industries and firms: they rely on 'benchmarking' in order to identify best practice. In the context of increasing interdependence of world trade and consequent globalization of the international economy new policy prescriptions are required for growth and employment, greater efficiency and higher standards of living. In relation to this, the Group discusses the need to close the worldwide technology gap, for Europe to develop deeper relations with the fast growing Asia Pacific region and argues for greater European solidarity in international trade negotiations. Within the European Union itself, it emphasizes the need to achieve the internal market for the free flow of goods, services and people. In addition, it stresses that Europe needs to catch-up, construct and eventually lead the development of the information society in which workers are recognized as a major asset to be invested in. The Group concludes that, although unemployment remains high, European competitiveness now has a brighter future with the movement towards economic and monetary union, and the enlargement of the European Union eastwards. This book will be essential reading for policymakers, government advisers, industrialists and academics concerned with the future of European economies and societies.

You can sell anything you want and targets are always achievable – Brilliant Selling will show you how. Whether you’re new to selling or want to take yourself to the next level, Brilliant Selling will show you how to instantly improve your sales performance. Packed with practical tips and advice from sales professionals who know what works, and what doesn’t, you’ll discover trade secrets to guarantee your success. As well as learning all the key skills, you’ll find out how to use your personality to perfect your technique and understand customer’s needs so that you’re always one step ahead. Get ready to succeed!

High unemployment rates in the period of an internationalization of economies and an intensified technological competition are the main problems that exist in most EU countries. Taking stock of unemployment patterns, technological trends and employment opportunities in the EU and the US is crucial for the reform debate in Europe. In continental Europe, major problems are an insufficient creation of new firms in innovative technology fields, inadequate labor market developments and inconsistent R&D policies. Founded on new data evaluations, the book presents an innovative analysis of these topics and shows opportunities for reforms.

Merchants of Truth by Jill Abramson, former editor of The New York Times, is the gripping and definitive in-the-room account of the revolution that has swept the news industry over the last decade and reshaped our world. 'A cracking, essential read ... [Abramson] knows where most of the bodies are buried and is prepared to draw the reader a detailed map' Guardian 'A masterwork ... vastly useful' Financial Times Drawing on revelatory access, Abramson takes us behind the scenes at four media titans during the most volatile years in news history. Two are maverick upstarts: BuzzFeed, the brain-child of virtuoso clickbait scientist Jonah Perretti, and VICE, led by the booze-fuelled anarcho-hipster Shane Smith. Their viral technology and disregard for the long-established standards of news journalism allow them to build game-changing billion-dollar businesses out of the millennial taste for puppies and nudity. The two others are among the world's most venerable news institutions: The New York Times, owned and run for generations by the Sulzberger dynasty, and The Washington Post, also family-owned but soon to be bought by the world's richest merchant of all, Jeff Bezos. Here Abramson reveals first-hand the seismic clashes that take place in the boardrooms and newsrooms as they are forced to choose between their cherished principles - objectivity and impartiality - and survival in a world where online advertising via Facebook and Google seems the only life-raft. We are with the deal-making tycoons, thrusting reporters and hard-bitten editors, the egomaniacs, bullshitters, provocateurs and bullies, as some surf and others drown in the breaking wave of change. And we watch as the survivors confront the horrifying cost of their success: sexual scandal, fake news, the election of President Trump, the shaking of democracy. Exposing the people and decisions that brought us to now, Merchants of Truth is a major book that breaks the ultimate news story of our times.

This book employs a variety of economic and philosophical methodologies in order to discover the philosophical implications of creative destruction, competition regulation, and the role that businesses or market agents play. Instead of discussing these relations in a purely abstract manner, Schneider uses Uber to illuminate important matters in economic and philosophical thought. Schneider tells the following story: While creative destruction and disruptive innovation change the entrepreneurial landscape, regulation--especially the regulation of sectorial markets and competition regulation- delay this change or even bring it to a halt. Uber, as an agent in the market, is not just an object moved by these two opposing forces. Rather, it plays an active role, first as an agent of creative destruction and then in championing regulations on its own terms.

The nineteenth century was a time of rapid change in forms of organization of economic activity. A central feature of such change was, inevitably, the development of new types of finance adapted to the radically new environment.
An appreciation of the history of these developments makes a substantial contribution to the understanding of the growth and development of the British economy in one of its most dramatic phases.
Philip Cottrell has written an impressively documented full-scale survey of this crucial period, discussing finance in the context of sweeping reforms of company law, unprecedented technological change and economic expansion, and the institutional effects of all of these. He is primarily concerned with English manufacturing industry but frequently refers, by way of comparison, to extractive industry, Scottish and Welsh developments and the economies of other West European countries. As well as providing a comprehensive overview, the book pays particular attention to coal, iron and textiles amongst the industries and, at the level of organization, to the emergence of the joint stock limited liability company and its gradual adoption by industrialists. The relationship between commercial banks and manufacturing receives detailed consideration and the role of internally accumulated funds and trade credit is discussed. this classic book was first published in 1980.

Continuing the (neo-)classical tradition of von Th nen, Launhardt, Weber, Palander, and L sch this book offers a fresh approach to the location of industries and other economic activities, of market areas, spatial price distribution, locational specialization, urban and transportation systems, and spatial interaction in general. It uses elementary economic reasoning supported by simple mathematical models, some classical, some new. The mathematical methods are presented in numbered Mathematical Notes. The author has been active in this field since 1950.

The key to retaining competitive advantage in a volatile business world is agility. The third edition of The Agile Organization shows how to develop capabilities across the organization to adapt. With helpful checklists, tips and advice, this is a practical blueprint to building both agility and resilience at individual, team and organizational levels. It covers how to design agile organizations as well as how to implement agile models into existing organizations and people practices. There is guidance on how agility can be applied to talent management, flexible working patterns and the importance of mobilizing and energizing employees for change. This edition contains new material on agile mindsets and enterprise agile planning, alongside how hybrid forms of working can enhance resilience. There is also extended material on how inclusion and wellbeing initiatives can support individual resilience and innovation to improve performance across the organization. Case studies include ING, the University of California, Berkeley, the UK National Health Service (NHS) and SNC-Lavalin's Atkins business. This book is an essential read for HR and OD specialists, senior leaders and managers who want transform their organization and build an agile business.

This comprehensive text provides a novel approach to business policy and strategic management for both undergraduate and advanced courses. While there are numerous theoretical and practical works on the design of a firm's strategy, sources of competitive strength, and the processes of strategic planning, this book focuses on the implementation of a firm's competitive strategy throughout all levels of the organization. William Forgang presents strategic analysis from the operations level of the firm, using a cohesive case study to highlight key themes throughout the book. He provides students with the tools to assess the choices that result in a unified implementation of a firm's strategy, and the realization of financial goals. Strategy-specific decision making is an essential tool for students who are engaged in case study analysis or managing a firm in computer-based simulation, and the text features an instructor's and student's simulation guide with sample questions and assignments as well as end-of-chapter and in-chapter exercises and discussion questions.