In today's globalised and digital world, consumers can move from one retailer to the next across the world at the click of a button. Online access and social media mean that consumers are more market savvy, more informed and more discerning than ever before. What brings them back is an enhanced shopping experience, and key to this is good customer service. More and more marketers are focusing on retaining their customer base or trying to erode their competitor's customer base through better customer service. After all, happy customers are repeat customers and become advocates for the business.

Operational risk management is fast becoming an independent management discipline in its own right. As such, it is crucial for risk managers to understand the concept and make use of available management methods to ensure a streamlined management process. It is therefore imperative to implement a framework for the development of a risk management culture, the introduction of a strategic risk management process and an effective risk management governance structure. Operational risk management effectively identifies and evaluates operational risk exposures, as well as the development and implementation of control measures, the costs of risks and the continuous monitoring of processes within the business environment from a risk management perspective - communicating the relevant concepts and the implementation of a practical approach to operational risk management. Contents include the following: Recognising operational risk exposures; Formulating mitigating action plans; Allocating responsibilities for the management of action plans; Improving control measures on a proactive basis; Reducing operating losses; Improving insurance management; Ensuring accurate risk reporting and disclosure; Improving shareholder value; Becoming a risk stable organisation; Ensuring a realistic risk appetite. Operational risk management is aimed at banking, financial management and economics students, as well as organisations interested in the management of operational risk.

A practical guide, from the basic techniques, through to advanced applications, showing you what operational risk is, and how you can manage it.

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"Mastering Operational Risk" provides a step-by-step guide from the basic elements of operational risk through to advanced applications of operational risk management. Focusing on practical applications, it gives you the knowledge needed to understand what operational risk is and puts in place a workable way of managing it.

For one-semester, undergraduate and graduate level courses in Organizational Behavior. Unique and current insight on the everyday processes and phenomena of OB. Behavior in Organizations shows students the real world of OB through its blend of cutting-edge research and practical applications. This text then challenges students to take theory one step further by having them put the concepts into action. The many changes in the tenth edition reflect the authors' never-ending mission to present a balance between knowledge and application, while including coverage on the latest advances in the field.

Today it is clear to managers and entrepreneurs that the business environment can change at any given time. Strategic management is an important and ongoing process of formulating and implementing strategies that help an organisation to position itself optimally and so maintain a competitive advantage that results in profit. It creates harmony between any organisation, big or small, and its environment. All stakeholders are affected by strategic decisions. In the South African context, strategic management is crucial for all profit-seeking as well as non-profit-seeking organisations as a result of an ever-changing, turbulent and competitive environment. It is therefore important for students and practitioners of management at every level and in every organisation to understand the vital role of strategic management in the life of an organisation. The strategic management process: a South African perspective is a new South African handbook with a fresh and exciting perspective. Its four parts follow an understandable and practical approach, making use of numerous figures and "strategy in action" cases to support the theory. The strategic management process: a South African perspective should prove invaluable both to students in strategic management and to organisations, from corporate and public companies with management training programmes, to small business ventures that are trying to gain a competitive advantage in a cut-throat environment.

This practical, student-focused text shows how to focus all of an organization's resources on continuous and simultaneous improvement of quality and productivity - thereby continually improving both performance and competitiveness. QUALITY MANAGEMENT FOR ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE: INTRODUCTION TO TOTAL QUALITY, 7/e coherently addresses all elements of quality management, including Lean, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, and many topics that competitive books overlook (e.g., peak performance, partnering, manufacturing networks, culture, and crucial "people" aspects of quality). Direct and straightforward, it links "big picture" theories and principles to detailed real-world strategies and techniques. Throughout, critical thinking activities, discussion assignments, and research links promote deeper thinking and further exploration. This edition adds all-new cases, plus new information on topics ranging from supervision to certification, QFD and SPC to benchmarking and JIT.

Development of supply chain strategies has become a major growth industry in its own right; most organizations now see managing their supply chain as a key strategic issue. The main tenet of this book is that supply needs to be thought about as a dynamic strategic process, and not as a bureaucratic business function.

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"Strategic Supply Management: principles, theories and practice" traces the development of purchasing and supply management from its origins as a tactical commercial function into a key strategic business process. Integrating conceptual models, including the strategic supply wheel, with a host of practical examples, the authors illuminate the philosophy, concepts and techniques of supply management. They also contrast the traditional, conventional concepts of purchasing and supply management with new ideas, radical concepts, and examples of interesting practice.

Designed to provide a comprehensive course structure for teaching and studying this wide-ranging and constantly developing topic, this book guides the reader through the subject with clarity and logic. Whether used as a course textbook or a source of reference, students and practitioners will find the authors' comprehensive overviews of the topics indispensable.

"Cousins et al have drawn from their extensive experience in industry, and crafted a book that provides deep contextual insights into why supply chains are the foundation for competitive strategy, the dynamics that drive economic change, and most importantly, the importance of relationships as the glue that keeps supply chains functioning properly. Executives and students will benefit from the frameworks, examples, and discussions inthis book, which should be on everyone who has an interest in global competitiveness' bookshelves."

Rob Handfield

Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management

North Carolina State University

About the Authors

Prof. Paul Cousins is Professor of Operations Management and CIPS Professor of Supply Chain Management at Manchester Business School, The University of Manchester, and also Director of the Supply Chain Management Research Group.

Prof Richard Lamming is Director of the School of Management at the University of Southampton.

Dr Benn Lawson is a lecturer in operations management at Queen's University Belfast, and is Visiting Senior Fellow at ManchesterBusiness School.

Dr Brian Squire is a lecturer in the Decision Sciences and Operations Management Group at Manchester Business School.

For marketing courses that focus on creating a marketing plan. A step-by-step guide to creating a customized marketing plan. The Marketing Plan Handbook is the only planning handbook to guide readers, step-by-step, through the complete development of a realistic, customized marketing plan.

Entrepreneurship - a South African perspective provides an overview of entrepreneurship and important related topics in the field of entrepreneurship. In addition it is a guide to becoming a successful entrepreneur. It describes and illustrates new venture creation within a South African context: the start-up process, the growth stages and the challenges in the maturity phase of the business. It provides exercises, activities and numerous case studies based on the latest research in South Africa. In this third edition of Entrepreneurship all the chapters have been updated, and some chapters, including those on corporate entrepreneurship, e-business and the resource requirements of legal and related aspects, have been substantially revised. To provide a more practical context, profiles of typical entrepreneurs are also included. Contents include the following: Seeing, locating, measuring and opening the window of opportunity; Developing the business plan; Determining the resources required; Fair trade, competition and consumer protection; The role of national government in developing and enabling the small business environment; Controlling and planning for growth; Key issues of business success or failure; E-commerce opportunities; Corporate entrepreneurship in South Africa. Entrepreneurship is aimed at undergraduate students at all higher education institutions in South Africa, as well as managers, management consultants and trainees, developers and presenters of in-house business courses.

FAMILY BUSINESS provides the next generation of family business owners with the knowledge and skills needed for the successful management and leadership of the family enterprise. The author, Ernesto Poza, uses both text and cases to explore a diverse set of family firms, examining the interrelationships between the owners, the family, and the management team. FAMILY BUSINESS, at its core, is a practical book that presents management and family practices to model success as well as an honest look at the advantages and challenges facing family enterprises. With an emphasis on leadership and positioning for the future, FAMILY BUSINESS illustrates how the family enterprise can achieve sustained growth and continuity through generations. Available with InfoTrac (R) Student Collections http://gocengage.com/infotrac.

This student-centred guide to front office operations in the hotel industry employs a user-friendly approach to encourage self-access and enable students to progress at their own pace independently of the lecturer. Activities are provided throughout to help students move from an understanding of the basic principleds to thinking like a front office person. The chapters follow a typical guest from check-in to check-out, with small detours to other areas and departments. Each chapter includes an end-of-chapter summary, review and discussion questions. there is a detailed glossary of useful terms. The book is suitable for those taking Hotel, Catering and Institutional Operations/Management examinations and undergraduates on hotel and catering management courses.

For undergraduate and graduate level courses that combines introductory statistics with data analysis or decision modeling. A pragmatic approach to statistics, data analysis and decision modeling. Statistics, Data Analysis & Decision Modeling focuses on the practical understanding of its topics, allowing readers to develop conceptual insight on fundamental techniques and theories. Evans' dedication to present material in a simple and straightforward fashion is ideal for student comprehension.

Did you know that, in South Africa, 70% to 80% of small businesses fail within the first five years of their establishment? Research indicates that this failure is often due to a lack of understanding of basic business concepts by the entrepreneur. In the competitive South African business environment, it is essential that aspiring entrepreneurs and new business owners have a solid foundation of knowledge on which to build sustainable businesses.

Entrepreneurship and how to establish your own business (6th edition) is a foundational book covering the key areas of entrepreneurship and small business development.

Over the last five years the principles and practices of organisation development have evolved so rapidly in South African organisations that practitioners and consultants in this field are increasingly employed to facilitate specialised processes and interventions. This book is an attempt to present a clear and comprehensive picture of the theory and practice of organisation development and transformation.

This introductory textbook provides a thorough guide to the management of food and beverage outlets, from their day-to-day running through to the wider concerns of the hospitality industry. It explores the broad range of subject areas that encompass the food and beverage market and its main sectors - fast food and casual dining, hotels and quality restaurants and event, industrial and welfare catering. It also looks at some of the important trends affecting the food and beverage industry, covering consumers, the environment and ethical concerns as well as developments in technology. New to this edition: New chapter: Classifying food and drink service operations. New international case studies throughout covering the latest industry developments within a wide range of businesses. Enhanced coverage of financial aspects, including forecasting and menu pricing with respective examples of costings. New coverage of contemporary trends, including events management, use of technology, use of social media in marketing, customer management and environmental concerns, such as sourcing, sustainability and waste management. Updated companion website, including new case studies, PowerPoint slides, multiple choice questions, revision notes, true or false questions, short answer questions and new video and web links per chapter. It is illustrated in full colour and contains in-chapter activities as well as end-of-chapter summaries and revision questions to test the readers' knowledge as they progress. Written by a team of authors with many years of industry practice and teaching experience, this book is the ideal guide to the subject for hospitality students and industry practitioners alike.

This updated and exciting fourth edition of Managing People: A Practical Guide for Front-Line Managers addresses the growing needs of front-line managers who are not themselves specialists in personnel management but whose roles require them to have these skills. A growing trend over the last two decades has given these managers an increasing amount of responsibility of direct line management, which can be extremely challenging especially if the correct training is not given. This book examines how the different parts of managing people fit together, whilst acknowledging that different contexts require different approaches and recognizing ongoing organizational, environmental and legal changes that affect the employment framework. It recognizes the rapidly changing context in which modern front-line managers have to operate and acknowledges the increasing expectations of good leadership as a necessity. However, the book also emphasizes the need for front-line managers to understand themselves, their own management styles and attitudes, together with the importance of empathy in appreciating the perspectives of the staff that work under them. Managing People: A Practical Guide for Front-Line Managers is designed for both new managers and for NVQ/SVQ Level 4 students. It is also appropriate for the first stages of Foundation Degrees and for HND courses combining academic study with workplace learning.

The seventh edition of Sociology, Work and Organisation is outstandingly effective in explaining how we can use the sociological imagination to understand the nature of institutions of work, organisations, occupations, management and employment and how they are changing in the twenty-first century.

Intellectual and accessible, it is unrivalled in the breadth of its coverage and its authoritative overview of both traditional and emergent themes in the sociological study of work and organisation. The direction and implications of trends in technological change are fully considered and the book recognises the extent to which these trends are intimately related to changing patterns of inequality in modern societies and to the changing experiences of individuals and families.

Key features of the text are:

• clear structure;
• ‘key issue’ guides and summaries with each chapter;
• identification of key concepts throughout the book;
• unrivalled glossary and concept guide;
• rich illustrative snapshots or ‘mini cases’ throughout the book.

This text engages with cutting-edge debates and makes conceptual innovations without any sacrifice to clarity or accessibility of style. It will appeal to a wide audience, including undergraduates, postgraduates and academics working or studying in the area of work and the organisation of work, as well as practitioners working in the area of human resources and management generally.

An in-depth guide to preparing accurate nursing budgets, this book will help you improve your financial skills and contribute to your organization's strategic planning. It discusses the different types of budgeting, the budgeting process, forecasting, variance analysis, and costing out nursing services. A variety of settings are included: hospitals, long-term care, home health, community health, managed care, and others. With this guide, you'll learn how to communicate effectively with financial managers, succeed in your role in the budgeting process, and assist in the delivery of high-quality patient care at the lowest possible cost. Each chapter includes Learning Objectives to focus your study and a Summary and Implications for Nurse Managers to reinforce what you've learned. Additional Suggested Readings provides helpful resources for further research and study. An appendix includes numerous sample budget forms and instructions, allowing you to see firsthand the various types of budgeting forms used in day-to-day practice. New "Budgeting for Information Systems" chapter describes how to budget for information technology (IT), what kind of personnel you should consider hiring to support the nursing IT function, and how to evaluate IT products. New "Budgeting for the Operating Room" chapter covers key stakeholders in the budget development process, developing the prioritization process, and specialized aspects of the operating room budget. A discussion of magnet hospitals has been added, including the cost implications of applying for "magnet" status. Coverage now includes different delivery care models and their potential budgetary impact to a health care organization, along with Clinical Ladders and the budgetary implications of nurses "testing-up" the ladder. Budgeting for clinics and same-day surgery facilities is described. Updated and expanded content discusses budget variance analysis and interpretation of budget reports that differ from the planned budget. Includes the budget implications of outsourcing, and how to determine whether outsourcing is cost-effective for a particular service.

This revised and updated fifth edition of Accounting for Managers builds on the international success of the previous editions in explaining how accounting is used by non-financial managers. Emphasizing the interpretation rather than the construction of accounting information, Accounting for Managers encourages a critical, rather than an unthinking acceptance of accounting techniques. Whilst immensely valuable for planning, decision-making and control, users of accounting information need to recognize the assumptions behind, and the limitations of particular accounting techniques. As in the previous editions, the book links theory with practical examples and case studies drawn from real business situations across a wide range of manufacturing, retail and service industries.

MAKING HARD DECISIONS WITH DECISIONTOOLS (R) is a new edition of Bob Clemen's best-selling title, MAKING HARD DECISIONS. This straightforward book teaches the fundamental ideas of decision analysis, without an overly technical explanation of the mathematics used in decision analysis. This new version incorporates and implements the powerful DecisionTools (R) software by Palisade Corporation, the world's leading toolkit for risk and decision analysis. At the end of each chapter, topics are illustrated with step-by-step instructions for DecisionTools (R). This new version makes the text more useful and relevant to students in business and engineering.

Even though corporate clients continue to spend millions of dollars on consultant-based solutions, the success rate of these high-priced remedies is far from what it should be. No matter how wise and creative the input of a consultant, says Robert H. Schaffer, it will pay off only if the client does what is necessary to benefit from the advice. But often there's a big "implementation gap" between what client's must do to make a project succeed and what they are actually able and willing to do.
In this new and revised edition of the landmark book "High-Impact Consulting," Robert H. Schaffer reveals how senior managers unwittingly collude with their consultants to perpetuate the great waste inherent in "the five fatal flaws of conventional consulting." Drawing on his own work with companies-- Motorola, Rio Tinto, IBM, General Reinsurance Corporation, The World Bank, and other successful organizations-- Schaffer offers a field-tested approach to working with consultants that has proven to get results. He identifies the key elements of an effective project design?particularly that project objectives are defined in terms of client results rather than just consultant deliverables. The process enables clients to be certain that the work is carried out in ways that ensure success.
The author explains the importance of accomplishing results quickly and then using these "rapid-cycle wins" as vehicles for sharpening management skills, strengthening work disciplines, and introducing new technology. In addition he tells managers and consultants how they can build on these early successes and tackle larger accomplishments and organization wide improvements.
This thoroughly updatededition features valuable new insights and illustrative cases. It also includes a wealth of practical new tools that make the book a user-friendly, quick reference for both client managers and their consultants.

Textile quality assurance is the process of designing, producing, and evaluating products to determine whether or not they meet the quality level desired by a company's target market." Quality Assurance for Textiles and Apparel, "2nd Edition, reflects the industry's best practices for providing products of a consistent quality that meet customers' needs. With updated information on technological advances and globalization, this 2nd Edition emphasizes the importance of incorporating product quality measures from the merchandising and design stages all the way through production, delivery, and retailing.

Good management of inventory enables companies to improve their customer service, cash flow and profitability. 'Best Practice in Inventory Management' outlines the basic techniques, how and where to apply them, and provides advice to ensure they work to produce the desired effect in practice.
The book shows how inventory management techniques can be used in a wide variety of situations, particularly in stores where the inventory can be anything from fast moving products to slow moving spares. The discussion extends across distribution warehousing and manufacturers' operations.
The text is based on best theory and practice, which has been gradually developed by the inventory management profession over the years. It covers the inventory control aspects included in the courses for the DPIM, COM, DLM, CPIM and other professional and academic qualifications.
Readers develop their understanding of stock control by seeing the techniques explained logically and learn how inventory structuring, individual item control, forecasting and co-ordination provide the base for logistics management. This new edition has been up-dated throughout and the final chapter, The Future - Inventory and Logistics, has been re-written to reflect the developing applications of technology and changes in focus.
Explains how inventory management techniques achieve low stocks and improved customer serviceActs as a practical manual for making improvements in stock control and for saving moneyCovers the syllabi of the DPIM, COM, DLM and other professional and academic qualifications

Information is at the heart of everything we do as humans. We generate it, we consume it, we share it and we sell it. The careful management of information is therefore key to success in business. An Introduction to information management and technology in business provides a solid overview of the role of information and technology in a business. It gives guidelines on collecting the right information and how to use it wisely and share it with the right people to support the firm's strategic objectives and `oil' the everyday operations of the business.

Full-color, completely current, and packed with practical applications, RETAILING, 8E, International Edition puts students on the inside track to success in the fast-moving retail industry. RETAILING, 8E, International Edition is written by a seasoned author team whose expertise informs every page and whose innovative approach has earned this market-leading text endorsement by the National Retailing Federation. While others may focus on lackluster descriptions of retailers and their most mundane tasks, Dunne, Lusch, and Carver bring retailing to life, covering the latest developments in the field and detailing behind-the-scenes stories in a conversational style enlivened by full-color pictures and illustrations. RETAILING, 8E, International Edition emphasizes the impact of technology and the Internet, as well as giving solid coverage to international topics and issues unique to service providers. The text also includes a thorough, integrated study guide with review questions, writing and speaking exercises, cases covering diverse retail operations, a computer spreadsheet case, and more. In addition, "Planning Your Own Retail Business" exercises focus on problems small business managers and owners face in day-to-day operations, helping students appreciate the financial impact of retail decisions. This engaging, reader-friendly text vividly illustrates how fun, exciting, challenging, and rewarding a career in retailing can be, even while helping students hone their skills and creativity to stay ahead of the competition and navigate an ever-changing economic environment.