Business opportunity is defined as the deriving force that creates entrepreneurship, change and growth in both SMEs and multinational firms. Business networks provide opportunities and competitive advantage but they also impose constraints on firms. This volume connects opportunity detection with business networks to explore the impact of this combination on the competitive strategies of firms. It will be of use to researchers and PhD candidates working in the field of entrepreneurship, networks, and competitive strategies and advantages.

This text evaluates the validity of a key proposition of public choice theory: that competition is associated with superior performance by governmental organizations. Three forms of competition in local government are identified: competition between local authorities; competition between councils and private contractors; and competition between parties for political power. The extent and consequences of competition are assessed in both the UK and USA. The analysis is used to draw conclusions on the effects of competition and the validity of public choice theory.

Since 1984, relaxed federal guidelines have allowed the natural gas industry to become far more flexible and competitive. Once gas pipelines were given the option of open access, the barriers to markets and competition dissolved. The success of open access points to the emergence and evolution of a fluid and informationally rich network of regional markets that form today's single national market for natural gas. A broad range of specialists and academics in economics, regulatory economics and economic modeling, industrial organization, and energy and natural resources will find the implications of this work important reading.

This work considers the potential effects of competition in the natural gas pipeline industry. Contrary to published studies and government reports, this study concludes that federal regulation in the industry is no longer necessary to limit the market power of current pipeline suppliers. Rather, potential entry by nearby suppliers--a competitive factor largely ignored in most economic analyses--will promote competition in most major markets. The purpose of the work is two-fold: to quantify the competitive effect of potential market entry by natural gas suppliers; and to demonstrate that any industry analysis which fails to consider this competitive factor is likely to be in error.

This compilation and analysis of market-by-market data on current deliveries by pipeline, location of nearby deliveries, and location of nearby pipelines which make no deliveries will be of interest to scholars, policymakers, and industry analysts concerned with competitive, antitrust, and regulatory issues.

This book criticizes the static marginalist equilibrium method of analysis of the individual firm.

The first edition of Spatial Divisions of Labour rapidly became a classic. It had enormous influence on thinking about uneven development, the nature of economic space, and the conceptualisation of place arguing for an approach embedding all these issues in a notion of spatialised social relations. This second edition includes a new first chapter and an extensive additional concluding essay addressing key issues in the debates and controversies which followed initial publication.

The electric power sector operates under an archaic regulatory system that is ill-equipped to oversee a competitive, restructured, regionally-organized industry. This book offers the first systematic discourse on regional aspects of regulatory reform, sharing topical perspectives from leading actors and regional case studies that show how the debate plays out on the ground. It frames the policy debate, applies economic and political theoretical lenses to federalism issues, and outlines options for regulatory reform, modes of cooperation, and an analytical basis for decisions. Most important, it provides a strategic road map for the industry over the coming decade. Contributors include current and former regulators at the State and Federal levels, senior utility executives, leading advocates, government policy makers and academics, including Michael Danielson, Michehl Gent, Kenneth Gordon, Kevin Kelly, Raymond Maliszewski, Richard O'Neill, Jackie Pfannensteil, Mary Sharpe Hayes, Charles Stalon, and many others.

European manufacturing industries are changing fast. Amid the pressures of globalisation, emerging markets and shifting geographical patterns of consumption and production, competition and collaboration need to be redefined. The book contains roadmaps for survival in the emerging global competitive arena by and for practitioners, as well as concrete examples and theoretical studies across industries. New forms of cooperation are analysed which combine intensive collaboration with high competition in networks of excellence among suppliers, manufacturers and customers. The success factors for such industrial networks are described in detail, as well as their benefits and potential risks. In a multidisciplinary approach, the book draws on parallels from other fields and disciplines in order to explore the many facets of competition and collaboration.  

In 'Competitiveness and Development', the author explains the confusion surrounding the concept of competitiveness in the context of developing countries; proposes policies for achieving competitiveness at a high level of development; examines its possibilities and constraints; and suggests policy changes necessary at the national and international levels. Shafaeddin illustrates how developed countries impose restrictive policies on developing countries through international financial institutions and the WTO, as well as regional and bilateral agreements, which limit their policy space for promoting dynamic comparative advantage in order to achieve competitiveness at a high level of development. Ultimately, such policies lock developing countries that are at early stages of development in specialization based on static comparative advantage and competitiveness at a low level of development.

Central and Eastern European countries are entering the development race at a crucial juncture in EU enlargement and the wider phenomenon of globalization. In the face of hesitant and controversial EU policy, these countries need to engage sound development strategies. International production networks are expected to be decisive in helping them strengthen their competitiveness and establish knowledge based economies. Julie Pellegrin looks at whether and how production networks develop in Central and Eastern European countries and assesses their chances of catching up with the rest of Europe.

In competitive markets the quality of the competitive strategy is now as important as the customer strategy in determining customer performance. All strategies require information and competitive strategies are no exception. As a result there is an existing and growing requirement for competitive intelligence. This book shows how to collect and analyze competitive intelligence, including the use of electronic resources, as part of a competitive strategy.

This selection of papers from "Long Range Planning - The International Journal of Strategic Management" examines the evolution of competitive advantage over the past decade, setting out areas of major change and areas which have been less subject to change. It begins by examining how strategic management has been influenced by the transformation of industries and the changes in the rules for success, and the dramatic rise in the strategic importance of information technology. In many industries, the established rules of the game no longer apply, and their continued use will most likely lead to failure, even for firms which appear to have unassailable positions of strength. It is not that strategic planning has failed, but rather that in a previous era of greater certainty and clearer boundaries, the unquestioning application of established strategic rules often worked. In the new era of competitive uncertainty and uncertain boundaries, many of the rules of strategy still apply, but they can only have utility when applied in an appropriate context. The book concludes that when clarity exists about business definition, industry definition and competitor definition and how strategic techniques or measures should be applied, then the strategic fundamentals which have obtained for many years are likely to continue to do so.

Expanding Competition in Regulated Industries reviews the changing regulatory environment, notably incentive regulation and competition in regulated industries. Some of the major changes in electricity, gas, and telephone utilities allow for competition in local service through unbundling. This book is of interest to researchers, utility managers, regulatory commissions, and the Federal Government.

Economic activities are becoming increasingly globalised. One result being that for companies in developed market economies price-based competition is being replaced or supplemented by other forms of competitiveness. This book explores the shift towards design-based competitiveness and the escalation in the design-intensity of goods and services.

"Negotiation is a key part of daily lives, but learning how to negotiate successfully is a valuable skill. The author provides a tool kit for negotiation, demonstrating new methods and giving practical advice"--

This volume contains chapters by different authors describing the development of competition policy in 10 European Union Member States, as well as the interaction of those policies with EU competition policy. The convergence of Member State competition policy to the EU approach is put in evidence, as is the influence of Member State practice on EU competition policy. The chapters are rich in institutional detail, but also analyze the functioning of competition policy from an economic point of view.

Luxury is booming. The rise of emerging-market luxury brands and the digital revolution are reshaping the industry, but what's next and what trends will the future bring?
The rise of emerging market luxury brands, digital and online innovations, and growth in consumption globally has opened the doors for seasoned luxury houses and new players to expand their horizons. This book charts the trends that are shaping the luxury industry, particularly the rise of the luxury industry in Asia and emerging markets.

Regulation Under Increasing Competition brings together practitioners, regulators, and economists to examine the important policy and regulatory issues facing the telecommunications and electricity industries. This volume reviews such topics as competitive entry, stranded costs, pricing and market mechanisms. It provides a unique perspective on problems in a newly deregulated environment.

This book provides the know-how that is required to successfully respond to counterfeit trade. It constitutes a unique combination of in-depth insights into the counterfeit market, best-practice strategies, novel management tools, and product protection technologies. The book thereby aids the definition and implementation of market monitoring, reaction, and prevention strategies. Key benefits are the unbiased analysis of the supply- and demand-side of the illicit market, the strong focus on assisting practitioners to deal with the challenge, as well as the high standard of research that supports the presented findings.

Competition, Power and Industrial Flexibility assesses the varying ways in which automobile assemblers in several countries of East and Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas have sought to enhance their efficiency and flexibility in response to heightened global competition during the 1980s and early 1990s. It then explores the implications of such managerial strategies for workers and trade unions, and the responses of unions in seeking to preserve or enhance worker welfare and voice under industrial restructuring.

This book focuses on East Asia, which has been attracting FDI and a centre of industrial agglomeration, and because of this, the production structure in the world has been dynamically transforming. This book analyzes this world trend and provides a framework for strategy that is required not only for Japanese local governments to implement industrial cluster policy, but also for firms to survive the global competition.

The world of business has undergone unparalleled change in recent years as a result of dramatic social, economic and political events. Senior managers are faced with a business landscape that bears little resemblance to the world in which they began their careers and are challenged with more risks than ever before.
A new model for management in a new time, this book introduces the Risk-Based Performance Management methodology. This pioneering and practical framework enables senior management to understand, manage and control the risks facing their organizations while exploiting emerging opportunities to gain and maintain competitive advantage. By establishing the wider context of change within business, from the Credit Crunch, the upheaval of the Arab Spring, the uncertainty created by the Euro-zone Crisis and the increasing global influence of social media, the authors explain how and why a revolution is taking place in how organizations are structured, regulated and go to market. This results-focused guide to embedding risk management into strategic and operational decision-making gives executive teams the tools to align their risk-taking to strategy, enabling them to drive sustainable success while operating within appetite.

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.

Hardbound. This volume provides a collection of papers at the cutting edge of competitive strategy, analyzing and assessing the role and value of strategic moves and groups in industry. Theoretical models are supplemented by empirical studies on the dynamics of competitive moves and the link between strategic groups and performance.Linking commentaries and extensive reviews of research issues make this a comprehensive survey of the subject. The book will be of value to corporate strategists, consultants, senior managers, as well as academics concerned with research into competitive strategy.