This book argues that by integrating effective knowledge management (KM) with project management (PM), the overall project success rate can be improved significantly. It brings together the latest ideas and research on shared approaches to improve performance based on the research and experience of academics and practitioners. The structured collection of articles presents novel theoretical approaches and clear empirical evidence of the value of integrating the two distinct fields. It enables readers to better understand the need to merge KM with PM and appreciate the benefits. It also offers researchers an idea of what lies ahead and how to get there, and helps practitioners develop more suitable KM solutions for successful project outcomes.

This book attempts to capture innovation outcomes. The intent is on a holistic assessment of value creation by innovation - the societal value that it delivers to humanity, the economic value that it has the potential to endow to nations, and the monetary value that it provides to innovating firms. With a range of anecdotal examples and empirical analysis, the book endeavours to answer the question: Have investments in innovation paid off? Big data and analytics underpin the development of the book material. The coverage is truly global, accentuating the economic value created by innovation in the technology and pharmaceutical sectors, the two largest bastions of innovation. In addition, it includes numerous examples of successful innovation in global companies while analyzing its economic/financial impact.

In the rapidly changing business world, only a small percentage of firms are able to survive and prosper despite recessions, industrial evolutions and economic changes. An often-asked question is: What determines a firm's sustainable competitive advantage? One of the most popular competitive strategies is partnering with other firms. So: How do firms make intelligent and informed decisions when it comes to selecting business partners, to utilizing available resources and capabilities in partnerships, and to managing relations to maximize partnership benefits? This book studies 300 firms across various industries, providing readers with a comprehensive view of how firms develop sustainable competitive advantages by establishing business partnerships. Young academics and experienced researchers alike will find solid theoretical foundations and fresh business insights.

An organization's brand is its most distinctive feature - it is a mechanism for coordinating resources around its vision or mission. Organizations in the Face of Crisis offers a new and unique approach to the treatment of threats to an organization and its brand. In this volume, key concepts associated with crisis events are presented and analysed. Examination of ' brand trauma, ' the potentially debilitating effects of a crisis on an organization, reveals the pervasive nature of a crisis' effects and offers why these effects can haunt a brand and its stakeholders long after the crisis has passed. Tafoya also illustrates ways an organization's core network can be shaken by the emergence of a new network brought on by a crisis. This network, a 'stakeholder swarm', functions to meet its own needs often by challenging the make-up, control and flow of information, and even threatening the effected organization's very existence. Case studies and diagnostic tools are used to demonstrate the effects of a crisis on an organization and its brand, and to provide insight and strategies on managing the crisis at hand as well as the long-term effects that may be linked to the crisis and its occurrence. This volume will appeal to stakeholders on all sides of a crisis: from an organization's managers, employees, customers or clients and to diverse fields of study including law, medicine, religion, military, law enforcement and regulation.

This book addresses synergy management, which poses an important challenge for firms, advisors and practitioners involved in mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Synergy plays a key role in M&A contexts, both in the decision-making process and, subsequently, in the integration phase. However, despite the fact that synergy value is commonly regarded as one of the key success factors in M&A, research shows that firms generally fail to achieve the expected synergy. The extant literature is characterized by a lack of comprehensive models of synergy management: the assessment of synergy value remains a "black box" for scholars and practitioners alike. The authors provide a comprehensive framework for synergy management by integrating findings from prior research and various disciplines. The framework highlights the main dimensions of synergy management in mergers and acquisitions, common pitfalls, and new models and tools for avoiding them. As such, the book enriches the M&A literature, offers new insights for scholars, and provides valuable guidelines for practitioners involved in synergy management.

Today, innovation is a key driver for performance and growth in business. It provides a strong competitive advantage and is one of the best ways to speed up the rate of change and adaptation to the global environment. Concurrently, the innovation topic is also regaining more and more visibility and interest among the academic communities worldwide.
However, some of the challenges of innovating are remarkably consistent and recent times have shown the emergence of new ways for stimulating and managing the innovation process, especially from an international perspective. Even if these processes are taking place in very different industries, there are many parallels in successfully managing them.
Thsi voluem explores these new routes and assesses their value both for markets and companies. More specifically, the book is organized around three themes:
- How to stimulate and nurture innovations
- How to commercialize innovations
- How to lead and manage the innovation process

Global Solutions for Teams is a strategy-packed resource essential for multinational organizations or any company that is considering going global. The book's cultural guidelines and case examples of leading multinational corporations demonstrate how cross-cultural teams can overcome a disjointed state of cultural collision...and progress to the more productive stages of coexistence and finally, collaboration. As workplace borders expand and the mobility of the workforce increases, new techniques are needed to manage transnational teams. Global Solutions for Teams shares these concepts, as well as the approaches that can position a company more competitively now - and well into the 21st century.

Towards a Sustainable University tackles the challenge of sustainability in universities. As educational, research centres, universities should deeply contribute to building a new paradigm based on sustainability. Research on sustainable issues and teaching 'more sustainability' should become goals for the future, yet universities are also a working environment and an organization in which sustainability can be experienced. This book shows how a sustainable university can shape future citizens and future managers following the sustainable paradigm.

Uncertainty in Entrepreneurial Decision Making fills an existing gap in understanding three key concepts of business management: entrepreneurship, uncertainty, and strategy. By extending the impact of uncertainty on entrepreneurship and the role of strategy in reducing uncertainty, Petrakis and Konstantakopoulou emphasize that uncertainty can be converted into creative advantage. Given that the business environment is changing both very quickly and very often, any wrong decisions taken can lead to devastation. This exciting new volume explains the reasons why we cannot see the complete the future and our position in it. This uncertainty affects entrepreneurship and how it can be turned into a competitive advantage for businesses sustainability.

This book identifies and discusses the main challenges facing digital business innovation and the emerging trends and practices that will define its future. The book is divided into three sections covering trends in digital systems, digital management, and digital innovation. The opening chapters consider the issues associated with machine intelligence, wearable technology, digital currencies, and distributed ledgers as their relevance for business grows. Furthermore, the strategic role of data visualization and trends in digital security are extensively discussed. The subsequent section on digital management focuses on the impact of neuroscience on the management of information systems, the role of IT ambidexterity in managing digital transformation, and the way in which IT alignment is being reconfigured by digital business. Finally, examples of digital innovation in practice at the global level are presented and reviewed. The book will appeal to both practitioners and academics. The text is supported by informative illustrations and case studies, so that practitioners can use the book as a toolbox that enables easy understanding and assists in exploiting business opportunities involving digital business innovation.

Capitalism is criticized as both the cause of, and the main barrier to, effective mitigation of climate change. Yet, from the earliest days of the international negotiations, states have agreed that technological innovation, believed to be a primary strength of capitalism, is crucial to prevention of a dangerous accumulation of atmospheric greenhouse gases. Nations prefer to rely on innovative technologies to reduce emissions than to use regulations to constrain markets and limit social choice. The contributors to this volume show that the strengths of the system that creates ever new consumer products and industrial processes actually prevent the generation of technological innovations that would most effectively mitigate climate change. Through comprehensive research of the US innovation system and how companies respond to its supporting institutions, they demonstrate that liberal capitalism's perceived strengths are also its weaknesses. They also show that current theories of technological innovation are incomplete and suggest the institutional changes needed to generate climate innovations.

The increasing use of innovative technologies by global businesses has sparked debate about their application in crisis resolution. Resolution tools can be used by global businesses to manage various types of crisis situations, such as natural disasters, information security issues, economic downturns, health crisis situations, and sustainability issues in education, among others. Further study and consideration of the uses of technology in the areas of crisis and change management and intra-company communication practice in the context of global business must be done to ensure successful and sustainable businesses. Future Role of Sustainable Innovative Technologies in Crisis Management raises awareness of the multifaceted field of new technology in crisis management that has resulted in a paradigm shift in the way contemporary industries and global businesses communicate and conduct their daily business operations. This book defines the scope of innovative technologies as the application of new technologies to support the resolution of various types of crisis situations to achieve regulatory compliance and improved risk management in an effective and automated manner. Covering topics such as sustainable business and disaster scenarios, this reference work is ideal for managers, entrepreneurs, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.

SMEs are significant job creators and drivers of innovation and competition in most economic sectors. Furthermore, the traditional constraints of small and medium enterprises, such as geographic operations, are now being dissolved by technological developments. This means that there are new opportunities for SMEs, and their fundamental principles are being redefined: the aims, competencies, strategy, management, practice, and scope of these businesses are changing, with wide-ranging implications. This is the second part of a two volume work that incorporates scientific chapters on SME business theory and practice. Authors provide a balanced perspective of the present and future of SMEs across all business disciplines, for example management, strategy, marketing, economics and finance. While Volume I focuses on the individual SME and internal issues such as innovation, quality, and digitization, this second volume explores external issues such as contextual forces, the effects of the financial crisis, and macro-economic effects.

Doing business in China requires attention to a broad range of issues. While many executives focus on local conditions, others train their eyes on regional and national developments. By painting a picture of the entire Chinese landscape, this book provides western corporate decision makers with tools for crafting a sustainable China business strategy. The comprehensive analyses presented herein will not only enable business executives to rationalize their China investment but also help them communicate their China business plan to stakeholders, building corporate consensus and support.

"China Investment Environment & Strategies" could be used to: Identify strategic options for the China market. Conduct comprehensive site selection analysis. Evaluate the viability of a China strategy. Convince skeptics of a China operation. Secure stakeholders' commitment to China business. Improve communications with Chinese partners and consumers.

Companies owned by Chinese in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the U.S. capitalize on cultural and historical affinity with China to build successful businesses there. By understanding the rules of engagement that these overseas Chinese follow, the odds of success for western companies in the China market will be improved.

This volume fills a gap in the international business literature, offering the perspectives of researchers who are deeply embedded in one key emerging market, India. With the global economy changing dramatically, firms from emerging markets are playing increasingly important roles in both outward and inward internationalisation. International Business Strategy offers profound insights into international business activities in this rapidly-evolving environment, in which multinational corporations from emerging markets are now influential players. Reflecting the complex nature of India itself, the chapters employ a variety of theoretical lenses to shed light on a wide range of issues encountered by Indian businesses, from some of the world's largest corporations to small, entrepreneurial firms.

Systemic Entrepreneurship focuses on creating an awareness of systemic entrepreneurship and illustrates the fact that one needs to approach entrepreneurial support activities from many different angles.

Social franchising represents a third generation form of franchising development, after trade-name and business-format franchising. At the intersection of social enterprise and micro finance literatures, this book reviews a variety of social franchising formats across a number of developing countries.

This book explores green innovation and future technology skill development within regional small to medium sized enterprises. Notwithstanding the goals of a greener Europe, there has been little debate as to how the skills required to fulfil the goals of sustainable development can be imparted within regions and within rural business communities.

Entrepreneurial Challenges in the 21st Century analyses the traditional and contemporary issues of entrepreneurial innovation potentials for stakeholder value co-creation, and structures the entrepreneurial co-creation concept to reinforce co-creation.

The groundbreaking follow-up to the international bestseller­­a hands-on guide to putting McKinsey techniques to work in your organization

McKinsey & Company is the most respected and most secretive consulting firm in the world, and business readers just cant seem to get enough of all things McKinsey. Now, hot on the heels of his acclaimed international bestseller The McKinsey Way, Ethan Rasiel brings readers a powerful new guide to putting McKinsey concepts and skills into action­­The McKinsey Mind. While the first book used case studies and anecdotes from former and current McKinseyites to describe how the firm solves the thorniest business problems of their A-list clients, The McKinsey Mind goes a giant step further. It explains, step-by-step, how to use McKinsey tools, techniques and strategies to solve an array of core business problems and to make any business venture more successful.

Designed to work as a stand-alone guide or together with The McKinsey Way, The McKinsey Mind follows the same critically acclaimed style and format as its predecessor. In this book authors Rasiel and Friga expand upon the lessons found in The McKinsey Way with real-world examples, parables, and easy-to-do exercises designed to get readers up and running.

There is no denying the global economy is changing at a rapid pace. Competition is increasing in intensity, technology is increasing in complexity, and innovation is increasing in importance, but approaches to managerial decision-making have not kept pace. This rigidity explains such corporate disasters as the blowout, explosion, and fire at the BP drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the total collapse of the residential mortgage industry that started in 2006, and the use of lead paint on children's toys revealed in 2007. Managers today face 21st century problems, and Avoiding Corporate Breakdowns provides the means of solving these very problems.

This is the third of a series of research volume of papers from the Business and Information Technologies global research network. The group includes 20 partners from 16 countries, who conduct studies on the impact of new information and communication technologies on business practice, industry structure, and economic change. The book presents a unique longitudinal and cross-sectional view of technology adoption and business practice across a diverse set of countries and economies. It appears that there are some commonalities with respect to patterns of technology adoption , but also significant differences across countries. Furthermore, innovative practices can arise in every country, and have the potential to be applied in other countries. The identical survey carried out in different countries enables benchmarking and accurate comparisons across those markets. It is also extremely broad in its coverage of business practice in terms of functions and performance.

This book offers an insight into the complications higher education is currently facing in the Arab world. It discusses whether governance in international higher education is of particular importance in Arab countries when considering their difference in political systems, cultures, interests, concerns and numerous conflicts. Arab society needs more than ever to strengthen its higher education governance in order to meet current challenges and demands. Higher Education Governance in the Arab World includes insights from the real world and is written by international professionals with the aim of providing a spark of hope for a better future with a clearer understanding on how to move forward.