Innovative businesses and startups contribute to job creation, economic growth, and technological advancement in most countries. Finance helps nurture innovative firms like startups. Unfortunately, most startups and innovative projects cannot secure finance through the usual and conventional methods. This book goes beyond traditional financing to explore innovative ways to help finance startups and novel businesses. The book covers institutional innovation, innovation in products and processes, and the recent progress in financial innovations in various countries through empirical and case studies. It gives an in-depth look at regulatory, policy frameworks, and risk assessments for financial innovations. It also assesses the role of various innovations, including Fintech, machine learning, big data, scoring models, credit databases, digital platforms, credit guarantees in funding startups, and novel technologies. This book offers valuable insights into how policymakers can nurture a more conducive ecosystem for startups and technologies through innovative finance.

The 2nd Digital Revolution communicates the essence of business technology management in ways that are seldom discussed in public. This is a no-nonsense look at how to optimize a relationship that's been driven more by sellers than buyers, more by hype than substance. This book identifies a unique flash point in history, a point where there are serious problems - high project failure rate, remnants of the dot.com crash, and persistently low capital IT spending - and major opportunities. The 2nd Digital Revolution tells readers how technologies and business models are converging, and looks at technology and business holistically, arguing that it's no longer possible to think about business or technology without simultaneously thinking about the other. This book offers technology that will take business to the next level.

Personal Branding for Entrepreneurial Journalists and Creative Professionals outlines and describes the complete process of building and growing a successful personal brand. Focused on the independent journalist or creative professional in the new digital marketplace, Sara Kelly gives readers the ability to create the sort of personal brand that not only stands out, but remains relevant for years to come. Features such as exercises and worksheets will guide readers in creating the various components of their personal brand, and case studies of real-world branding scenarios will allow readers to analyze the practical aspects of implementing a personal brand. Covering theory and practice, this text is a powerful resource for modern journalists, multimedia storytellers, and content creators hoping to ply their talents online and beyond.

In a world where entrepreneurial success often seems deceptively accessible, it is not always clear what makes a person entrepreneurial. In this book, Dimo Dimov offers a reflective insight into the entrepreneurial journey, striking up a conversation about entrepreneurship in order to challenge and untangle existing preconceptions. A discussion of challenges and tensions such as idea versus opportunity, genius versus lunatic, and skill versus luck forms the foundation of the book, while the second part offers actions and considerations which can help the reader to seek opportunities in a fractious environment. The final part of the text focuses on the collective spirit in entrepreneurship, arising from the interplay between participation and outcomes. The author brings a succinct diversity to the field, making this book essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students on entrepreneurship courses, as well as scholars, researchers, and practitioners looking for a new perspective on entrepreneurship.

Strategic Information Management In Hospitals: An Introduction To Hospital Information Systems is a definitive volume written by four authoritative voices in medical informatics. Illustrating the importance of hospital information management in delivering high quality health care at the lowest possible cost, this book provides the essential resources needed by the medical informatics specialist to understand and successfully manage the complex nature of hospital information systems. Author of the book's Foreword, Reed M. Gardner, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Medical Informatics, University of Utah and LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah, applauds the text's focus on the underlying administrative systems that are in place in hospitals throughout the world. He writes, "These administrative systems are fundamental to the development and implementation of the even more challenging systems that acquire, process, and manage the patient's clinical information. Hospital information systems provide a major part of the information needed by those paying for health care." Chapter highlights include: significance of information processing in hospitals; information systems and their components; health information systems; architectures of hospital information systems; and organizational structures for information management.

This book challenges the practice or organizational change programmes. It uses two case studies in depth to illustrate that consulting companies can often get it wrong. Senior managers often do not know enough about managing change. The text is arranged around eight deadly sins to avoid in the practice of change: self-deception of the change agents rather than self-awareness; destruction of the identity of the organization caused by arrogance; especially of the large consulting companies; destruction of cohesion; gobbledygook language; concentrating on structural change, not behavioural change; making the organization worse, not better; the intelligence in resistance; and the deep trauma of redundancy. The author's main objective is to get academics and practitioners to stop and think about what they are doing when they work with organizations. Organizational Change in Practice will be of interest to business professionals seeking to understand how change can impact their organization as well as organizational consultants.

This book examines the complex roles that texts serve as parts of an organizational cognitive infrastructure. Texts make knowledge and experience tangible and durable. They help shape interactions between people. As professions have become more writing-centered in recent decades, many organizations have instituted writing review practices to help newcomers produce better writing and thus become more effective organizational citizens.Dr. Swarts examines those writing review practices and questions whether available supportive technologies adequately prepare professional writers and professionals who write to appreciate the complex functions their texts serve. He reports on a study of the impact of two technologies (paper text and textual replay) on writing review. Unlike paper, which presents texts in a static form, textual replay presents texts as the products of writing practices. Textual replay records onscreen writing activity and creates a video that writers and reviewers use to supplement their discussion of revisions.

Territorial Development and Action Research examines the role of action research within fields such as territorial development and innovation. Most researchers analyse these fields from the outside, developing a theoretical understanding of what should be done, but not of how to do it. Based on their own experience of territorial development processes from the inside out, James Karlsen and Miren Larrea argue that filling the gap regarding social relations in the innovation process makes it possible for researchers to engage in the processes taking place in the territory, thereby revealing how to make things work. This book will help researchers face the pressure to engage and play a useful role in the development of their host regions. It will help policy makers to continuously learn and redefine policy approaches and bring about collaboration through networks, programs and projects where researchers and practitioners in regional, local and urban development work together to construct territorial development. Readers will acquire a better understanding of micro-territorial development processes and the roles played by individuals and coalitions in endogenous development processes.

While technology advances at a high pace in the age of machine learning, there is a lack of clear intent and framing of acceptable ethical standards. This book brings together the complex topic of "good" technology in a cross-functional way, alternating between theory and practice.The authors address the ever-expanding discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ethics by providing an orientation. Pragmatic and recent issues are especially taken into account such as the collateral effects of the COVID19 pandemic. An up-to-date overview of digitization - already a very broad field in itself - is presented along with an analysis of the approaches of AI from an ethical perspective. Furthermore, concrete approaches to consider appropriate ethical principles in AI-based solutions are offered. The book will be appealing to academics, from humanities or business or technical disciplines, as well as practitioners who are looking for an introduction to the topic and an orientation with concrete questions and assistance.

Public concern over issues such as urban sprawl, the conversion of agricultural land and the management of public lands has never been greater. Presenting a novel synopsis of the economics of land-use this book examines the critical issues involved, such as transportation and technological change, and the economic principles behind them. Chapters are specifically designed to demonstrate the types of land-use questions economic analysis can answer; the types of methods that might be employed to answer the questions; and the potential uses of economic analysis in policy-making. The book is a key contribution to contemporary land-use studies, highlighting the main methodological and public policy issues that will be central to research on the economics of land-use change in the future.

The modern consumer is no longer attracted by single-minded, predictable and one-benefit-focused brand promises. The old-fashioned FMCG communication strategies based on television, radio and print with constant repetition have become outdated. From Great to Gone shows that what's needed are 'Lego' strategies, whereby the marketing and communication strategies are built up by many key facets (like building blocks) and delivered to the consumer through a mix of various touch points. Most importantly, you need to leave consumers to put all of that together themselves. There are major internal and external hurdles to transforming FMCGs successfully into FICGs - Fast Innovating Consumer Goods. It requires new brand strategies and flatter, more top-down than bottom-up, decision-making organisations and a 21st-century model for advertising agencies. Externally these companies need a new route to market through transformation of their old retail dependencies. Changes are also required in all communication delivery, reflecting modern consumers' connectivity and unlimited access to information. In the book the authors showcase what the winners of the 21st century have in common that has enabled them to become FICGs. New, unimagined models continue emerge, to which, with the authors' guidance producers and retailers may develop their own sustainable responses.

Statistics for Business explains the fundamentals of statistical analysis in a lucid, pragmatic way. A thorough knowledge of statistics is essential for decision making in all corners of business and management. By collecting, organizing and analyzing statistical data you can express what you know, benchmark your current situation, and estimate future outcomes. Based entirely on Microsoft Excel, this book covers a spectrum of statistic fundamentals from basic principles, to probability, sampling, hypothesis testing, forecasting, statistical process control and six-sigma management. This second edition is packed with features to aid understanding and help ensure that every aspect of your knowledge of statistics is applicable to practice, including: Icebreakers introducing each chapter that relate statistics to the real world, drawn from management and hospitality situations Detailed worked examples in each chapter Over 140 case-exercises complete with objective, situation, requirements, and answers A complete glossary of key terminology and formulas, mathematical relationships, and Excel relationships and functions A brand new companion website containing slides, worked-out-solutions to the case-exercises, and a test bank [coming soon] With a clear and accessible style this book makes statistics easier to understand. It is ideal for business, management, tourism and hospitality students who want to learn how to apply statistics to the real world.

The purpose of this book is to introduce novice researchers to the tools of meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis and to summarize the state of the art for existing practitioners. Meta-regression analysis addresses the rising "Tower of Babel" that current economics and business research has become. Meta-analysis is the statistical analysis of previously published, or reported, research findings on a given hypothesis, empirical effect, phenomenon, or policy intervention. It is a systematic review of all the relevant scientific knowledge on a specific subject and is an essential part of the evidence-based practice movement in medicine, education and the social sciences. However, research in economics and business is often fundamentally different from what is found in the sciences and thereby requires different methods for its synthesis-meta-regression analysis. This book develops, summarizes, and applies these meta-analytic methods.

There is more to setting up a successful business than just a good idea. Creating a Business examines concisely all the relevant aspects: the excitement and satisfaction that business entails, the challenges that face the entrepreneur, the risks that lie in wait. The textbook is organized around a practical example: a company setting out to launch a new line of clothing. Aspects of setting up a business, including management, marketing, legislation, and financial management are examined. Including pedagogical features, such as end-of-chapter questions and illustrations, Creating a Business will interest students of small business and entrepreneurship.

TC8 is one of IFIP's most active committees. This book focusses on information systems support for organisations looking particularly at business process reengineering, co-operation between organisations and support for improved work flow in organisations. These are topical subjects and will appeal to both business and research communities.

Directors and government ministers across the world are increasingly being held accountable for failed IT systems, data loss and poor decisions about their organisation's data. The answer lies in IT professionals working in parallel with their governing body to create an environment where information and information systems can be accessed and used by the appropriate stakeholders. Written in two halves, this valuable book is designed to bridge the gap between the governing body and CIOs/ IT managers. It will help them to create a safe and robust governance framework for their organisation by applying the principles of the ISO IT Governance Standard 38500 on directing, evaluating and monitoring IT activity. A practical approach to best practices in IT governance Shows how to govern, protect and manage information and technology assets Reduces the risk involved in delivering business information systems Written by a leader of the group that developed the ISO/IEC 38500 standard

This book provides a first-hand account of business analytics and its implementation, and an account of the brief theoretical framework underpinning each component of business analytics. The themes of the book include (1) learning the contours and boundaries of business analytics which are in scope; (2) understanding the organization design aspects of an analytical organization; (3) providing knowledge on the domain focus of developing business activities for financial impact in functional analysis; and (4) deriving a whole gamut of business use cases in a variety of situations to apply the techniques. The book gives a complete, insightful understanding of developing and implementing analytical solution.

This book describes the intrinsic factors of IT Operation and its set-up during the software implementation phase. Based on the author's long-term experience in managing IT for more than 100 clients over nearly 25 years, the book examines the needed knowledge and execution management capabilities to implement and run IT environments successfully for all sizes of enterprises. Many real-world examples provide insight into typical IT challenges and recipes to turn common pitfalls of implementation and operation into best practices. In order to dominate information technology and not be dominated by it, readers will understand how to identify the most common risk factors during implementations and how to initiate successful risk-mitigation measures. The goal of this book is to arm the reader to completely prevent The 5 Pitfalls of Software Implementation by using the right programmatic design and execution. After an introduction to the book, individual chapters examine the vision of a Perfect IT and how Design Thinking and innovation contributes to it. The core chapters conveys The Five Pitfalls of Software Implementation, including Underestimation of System Performance Issues, Weak Program Governance and Leadership, and Operational Un-Readiness. The challenges surrounding implementations of cloud applications, are presented separately. Final chapters describe the preparation of the IT Operation along with a number of dos and don'ts (i.e. 'Best Practices' and 'Worst Practices'). The book concludes by presenting some Digital Strategies of companies, to dominate information technology.

The challenges and opportunities that are presented to both small and medium-sized enterprises have changed dramatically in recent decades as the world's economy becomes more globalised. The policies of open borders, a decrease in protectionism and the demise of the nation-state, have enabled small and large firms to engage in international activity from the outset. Understanding the Born Global Firm, combines the many different theoretical perspectives on born globals that have been previously researched, providing a unified framework to connect the antecedents, types and outcomes of entrepreneurial activities pursued by such new ventures. A central case study of an international fashion firm which operates in over nine countries, runs through the text, highlighting the formation and success of born globals and the importance of cultural competence. This book will be invaluable to post-graduate students in the field of international business; entrepreneurship; ethnic entrepreneurs; global entrepreneurship, and international networks.

'Managing Information' describes how successful organizations make best use of information and knowledge - the key resources in business. It explains why information technology is essential for the management of business processes, and should be central to any business strategy. This updated edition provides a compelling rationale for organizations to use appropriate systems, and for individuals to acquire the skills to manage and use the systems. It describes how computer systems continue to evolve to meet business needs, and provides examples and exercises to help readers develop their skills. There is a new emphasis on the Internet - how to use it to keep up to date with the latest business issues, and how teams can communicate and collaborate with intranets. All of the most common sub-systems are described and explained, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Business-to-Business (B2B), Business-to-Consumer (B2C), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Application Integration (EAI). The latest developments are described, including services available through the Internet from Application Service Providers (ASP), collaborative commerce and Business Process Management (BPM). There are introductory and more advanced computer exercises to consolidate learning and demonstrate how to acquire, store, organize and present information, using Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Explorer.

Deconstruct the history of patterns of innovation in business and connect them to existing and failed attempts in management consultancies, engineering, web technologies and academic institutions. This book shows you how to create an optimal environment at work for growth and innovation. Many large-scale organizations eventually invest in research and innovation as a dedicated part of their businesses. In doing so, they are faced with two choices: build their own practice of innovation or enact patterns of innovation created before them, ones they perceived as "tried and tested." In this book, you will see how patterns of innovation touch many aspects of a worker's life: from how their work is presented to others, job titles, working environment, and expectations around output. Every chapter will offer a history of these patterns and examples of how they have succeeded and failed within organizations. What You Will Learn Identify how innovation is named and highlighted in organizations Reveal ways to champion innovation to clients and the outside world, from trade shows and conferences inside the office Uncover ways companies acquire innovation, including incubators or mergers Discover the conditions for innovation to happen every day, including office layouts, time management, communication structures, and expectation management Who This Book Is ForTech start-up/scale-up founders, management consultants, managing directors, innovation managers and heads of R&D, academic researchers, interior designers, and architects

Small businesses make up some 90-95 percent of all global firms. Many undervalue the importance of information and communication technology (ICT). Within the small business segment there can be significant differences amongst the avid early adopters of ICT and the laggards. Research on early adopters tends be more prevalent as they are perceived to have a more interesting and positive story. However, late adopters and 'laggards' also have their own interesting stories that are under-reported. Small Business and Effective ICT draws on research undertaken over several years and documents the adoption/use of ICT across 'better' users of ICT (Leaders), typical ICT users (Operationals) and late adopters (Laggards). The findings are presented using a re-formulation of the LIASE framework which addresses a number of areas that include ICT literacy (L), information content/communication (I), Access (A), Infrastructure (I), Support (S) and Evaluation (E). Some 60 businesses were investigated in Australia and the UK, with each business presented as a concise vignette. The vignettes serve to show that small businesses are not as conservative in their use of ICT as the literature suggests, with examples of innovative uses of ICT in small businesses provided. Lessons for the effective use of ICT by small businesses are presented. The research design, methods adopted, presentation of findings through the vignettes, and 'take away' lessons have been written in manner to appeal to a broad range of readers including academics, researchers, students and policy makers in the discipline.

Information technology has come to play an important role in organizations over the last few decades. Though it began as an entity dealt with by specialists, IT has evolved to become an everyday tool with both operational and strategic impacts. Most modern organizations have adopted different forms of IT, and become dependent on their computer-based information systems and their peripherals for everyday operations. Information technology offers opportunities to increase efficiency, customer value, and competitiveness. Given the financial investment in IT required by organizations to remain competitive, IT has become a resource that needs to be managed. Management and Information Technology evaluates organizations' utilization of IT including knowledge management and e-learning, accounting, and business relationships. Presenting theories to help the reader understand the varying roles IT can occupy in different organizations, this volume illustrates the ways in which IT has become a key strategic tool.

This open access book explores the global challenges and experiences related to digital entrepreneurial activities, using carefully selected examples from leading companies and economies that shape world business today and tomorrow. Digital entrepreneurship and the companies steering it have an enormous global impact; they promise to transform the business world and change the way we communicate with each other. These companies use digitalization and artificial intelligence to enhance the quality of decisions and augment their business and customer operations. This book demonstrates how cloud services are continuing to evolve; how cryptocurrencies are traded in the banking industry; how platforms are created to commercialize business, and how, taken together, these developments provide new opportunities in the digitalized era. Further, it discusses a wide range of digital factors changing the way businesses operate, including artificial intelligence, chatbots, voice search, augmented and virtual reality, as well as cyber threats and data privacy management. "Digitalization mirrors the Industrial Revolution's impact. This book provides a complement of perspectives on the opportunities emanating from such a deep seated change in our economy. It is a comprehensive collection of thought leadership mapped into a very useful framework. Scholars, digital entrepreneurs and practitioners will benefit from this timely work." Gina O'Connor, Professor of Innovation Management at Babson College, USA "This book defines and delineates the requirements for companies to enable their businesses to succeed in a post-COVID19 world. This book deftly examines how to accomplish and achieve digital entrepreneurship by leveraging cloud computing, AI, IoT and other critical technologies. This is truly a unique "must-read" book because it goes beyond theory and provides practical examples." Charlie Isaacs, CTO of Customer Connection at Salesforce.com, USA "This book provides digital entrepreneurs useful guidance identifying, validating and building their venture. The international authors developed new perspectives on digital entrepreneurship that can support to create impact ventures." Felix Staeritz, CEO FoundersLane, Member of the World Economic Forum Digital Leaders Board and bestselling author of FightBack, Germany

It. is well known that t.he introduction of a new technology in one organization not always produces the intended benefits (Levine, 1994). In many cases, either the receivers do not reach the intended level of use or simply the technology is rejected because it does not match with the expectations (true or false) and the accepted psychological effort to use it. The case of formal methods is a paradigmatic example of continual failures. The published cases with problems or failures only constitute the visible part of a large iceberg of adoption cases. It. is difficult to get companies to openly express the problems they had; however, from the experience of the author, failure cases are very common and they include any type of company. Many reasons to explain the failures (and in some cases the successes) could be postulated; however, the experiences are not structured enough and it is difficult to extract from them useful guidelines for avoiding future problems. Generally speaking, there is a trend to find the root of the problems in the technol ogy itself and in its adequacy with the preexistent technological context. Technocratic technology transfer models describe the problems in terms of these aspects. Although it is true that those factors limit the probability of success, there is another source of explanations linked to the individuals and working teams and how they perceive the technology."