In today's multipolar world economy, strategic alignment is a key determinant of competitive advantage. Coca-Cola, Danone, Diageo, DuPont, Lufthansa and Tata are some of the companies that strive for a pragmatic approach to balancing competitive strategies with political and social obligations. Aligning for Advantage argues that to build and sustain corporate success, companies must synchronize business objectives and market positions with political and regulatory activism and social and environmental engagement. Moreover, to be credible and realizable, these external market and nonmarket strategies need to be equally attuned with corporate vision, values, and culture. The book advances a managerial process and conceptual framework for aligning corporate strategy. In some cases alignment may mean deep, strategically embedded partnerships with governments, NGOs, or other stakeholders. In others, alignment may take the form of looser, temporary collaborations with outside organizations. No matter the approach, the relationship between nonmarket and market strategies should be deliberate and genuine, not accidental or artificial. Truly aligned strategies should reconcile and modulate sometimes conflicting external demands in a way that is appropriate for the corporation's geographic and market positions. In the end, companies must leverage their overall nonmarket strategy as a source of competitive advantage.

The ultimate success or failure of a business, in modern society, depends on a variety of factors across all levels of the organization. By utilizing dynamic technology and management techniques, businesses can more efficiently reach their goals and become successful in the growing market. Management Strategies and Technology Fluidity in the Asian Business Sector is a critical scholarly resource that examines the collaboration in business, management, and technology in Asia. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as business ethics, entrepreneurship, and international trade, this book is geared towards academicians, students, and managers seeking current research on business in Southeast Asia.

What can you learn from the world's most successful companies? Marvel characters have been shaping pop culture for decades and when comic books were no longer keeping the company afloat, Marvel Studios was born. Marvel Studios is the multibillion-dollar home to iconic franchises. They are known for creating brilliant multilayered worlds and storylines that allow their audiences to escape into a fantasy and inspire the creative side of every viewer. But, behind those visionaries is a well-oiled storytelling machine dedicated to getting the Hulk's smash fists in the hands of every child and a sea of Spiderman costumes deployed every Halloween. The Marvel Studios Story educates you on how one of the largest creative companies in the planetary universe runs their business and keeps their fans and their parent company, Disney, counting the profits. Through the story of Marvel Studios, you'll learn: How to recognize and pursue additional revenue streams. How a company can successfully balance the creative with business to appease investors and fans alike. And how to keep a decades-old superhero franchise new and exciting without losing sight of its roots. The Marvel Studios Story will help you understand and adopt the competitive strategies, workplace culture, and daily business practices that enabled a struggling comic book publisher to parlay the power of myth and storytelling to become one of history's most successful movie studios.

"The Challenge of Remaining Innovative" explores innovation as a complex phenomenon that may be organizational as well as technological, that operates both within firms and across the broader economy, and that involves matters not only of research and development, but also of marketing, design, and government relations. The contributors explore two main themes: the challenge of remaining innovative and the necessity of managing institutional boundaries in doing so.
The collection is organized into four parts, which move outward from individual firms; to networks or clusters of firms; to consultants and other intermediaries in the private economy who operate outside of the firms themselves; and finally to government institutions and politics. This scheme delineates a variety of ways in which entrepreneurship has persisted across the 20th century--and accentuates how ongoing organizational re-arrangement has contributed mightily to its sustained vitality.

Within the IT-related business domain, it is important to advance theory building and practices regarding management and governance issues. Business Strategy and Applications in Enterprise IT Governance emphasizes how organizations enable both businesses and IT people to execute their responsibilities in support of business/IT alignment and the creation of business value from IT enabled corporation investments. This publication distributes leading research that is both academically executed and relevant for practice in the professional IT and business community.

One of the most powerful tools available to an organization is its ability to create, maintain, and share knowledge and information vital to the success of the organization. From Manufacture to Mindfacture: A Relational Viable Systems Theory explores the concept of the organizational structure through the lens of the viable systems approach. Focusing particularly on human interaction and collaboration within a business setting, this research-based publication is ideally designed for use by business managers, social theorists, upper-level students, and researchers. Topics Covered The many academic areas covered in this publication include, but are not limited to: Cybernetics Human Capital Intellectual Capital Knowledge Management Management Science Organizational Development Relational Viability Value Creation

While the US has traditionally been successful in commercialising new technologies, Europe is confronted with an increasing dependency upon fast developing technologies like biotechnology or ICT, despite having some of the best universities in the world. This book will explore the key attributes of commercialising academic knowledge, focusing on spin-offs. Bringing together the visions and best practices used by leading academics and professionals across Europe, Sven H. De Cleyn and Gunter Festel offer new and practical insights on technology transfer in an attempt to resolve the European Paradox. Innovative contributions provide new insights into the special approaches used by European institutes when it comes to fostering and supporting technology transfer activities and the creation of new academic spin-off ventures. This book illustrates the tools they have developed via compelling examples of successful corporate alliances with academic institutes and public research organisations. Practical and insightful, this book will appeal to researchers, policy-makers and educators interested in technology transfer and high-tech entrepreneurship. Investors will also gain from a greater understanding of the benefits of academic spin-offs and technology transfer offices will find a wealth of information to help improve operations for their creation. Contributors include: J. Bauer, M. Brandkamp, M. Cantamessa, S.H. De Cleyn, G. Festel, F.K. Fink, F. Gielen, V.A. Gilsing, M.L. Justesen, M. Keckl, M. Klofsten, F. Kirschenhofer, J. Kratzer, T. Lambertus, H. Lebret, E. Lundmar, U. Mahr, K.V. Moltzen, M. Mrozewski, I.M.M.J. Reymen, A.G.L. Romme, B. Schmalfuss, H. Schoenenberger, R.V. Basaiawmoit, E. van Burg, A. von Matuschka

Ideal for business students, business managers, and corporate senior executives, this book distills the lessons learned from the disasters that have befallen companies that were unable to cope with disruptive technologies. In recent decades, technology has changed rapidly to the point that it can very quickly affect a seemingly impregnable company or industry. Unexpected technological developments enable innovators to offer new products and services that threaten incumbents. In order to survive, existing firms must be able to see a disruption on the horizon and figure out how to respond. The Search for Survival: Lessons from Disruptive Technologies examines organizations that failed to develop a strategy for coping with a technological disruption and have suffered greatly or even gone out of business. The first chapter presents a model of how firms can respond to and hopefully survive a disruptive technology. Each following chapter focuses on firms that have failed to survive or whose future is in doubt, accompanied by an extensive, detailed discussion of the lessons learned from each company or field's failings, covering examples from industries such as recorded music, book publishing, video, newspaper, and higher education.

In interaction with their environment, firms change constantly; in trying to reduce uncertainties, they influence both their markets and the wider socio-political environment. Dynamics of the Firm addresses theoretical, empirical and policy issues concerned with the changing structure of firms. This book seeks to develop a theory of the dynamics of the firm which contrasts with the neoclassical view of the firm as a static production function in a world of given technology and institutions. Papers discussing new institutional theories of the firm in relation to sociological approaches, in which power and trust play an important role, are followed by contributions which focus on empirical issues such as pricing strategies, industrial groups and networking. The public policy implications are discussed extensively. Offering an original analysis of the organizational structures of firms operating in changing environments, this volume of essays by a distinguished group of economists will be welcomed by students, teachers and researchers in the areas of industrial organization and organizational economics.

Organizations are increasingly relying on electronic information to conduct business, which has caused the amount of personal information to grow exponentially. Threats, Countermeasures, and Advances in Applied Information Security addresses the fact that managing information security program while effectively managing risks has never been so critical. This book contains 24 chapters on the most relevant and important issues and advances in applied information security management. The chapters are authored by leading researchers and practitioners in the field of information security from across the globe. The chapters represent emerging threats and countermeasures for effective management of information security at organizations.

A business model basically describes the way a company makes money. Yet, often we use digital services for free (e.g. Facebook, Google or WhatsApp) or for what seems to be a relatively minor price (e.g. Blablacar, Airbnb, and Amazon). Digital business models are different to traditional business models. Digital Business Models explains the key challenges and characteristics of the various business models that are used by digital businesses. These companies can be a source of inspiration for traditional bricks-and-mortar companies that aim to go digital and/or revamp their traditional business model. Most businesses rely on some form of digital technology for their marketing communication, customer relationship management, supply chain or distribution, yet digital transformation entails a complete reassessment of the way value is created and captured. Digital Business Models details the successful customer acquisition tactics and the development of business ecosystems by digital players. Using the relevant academic and managerial body of knowledge, the authors define the concepts, describe the various ways digital businesses create and capture value and propose some useful tools for managers to analyse a situation, formulate or implement a strategy. Different digital business types are evaluated, such as multisided platforms, digital merchants, subscription-based model, freemium, social media and sharing economy. Each chapter is illustrated with several examples and the appendix comprises four full-length case studies.

The success of any business relies heavily on the evaluation and improvement on current strategies and processes. Such progress can be facilitated by implementing more effective decision-making systems. Tools and Techniques for Economic Decision Analysis provides a thorough overview of decision models and methodologies in the context of business economics. Highlighting a variety of relevant issues on finance, economic policy, and firms and networks, this book is an ideal reference source for managers, professionals, students, and academics interested in emerging developments for decision analysis.

In this book, an expert in business strategy shows how to create and evaluate a strategic plan and execute that plan successfully. When it comes to strategic planning, B. Keith Simerson knows from experience what works and what doesn't. Strategic Planning: A Practical Guide to Strategy Formulation and Execution weaves that knowledge into a roadmap for anyone charged with creating a strategic plan, evaluating a strategic planning process, or executing resulting strategies in an effective and efficient way. Not a one-size-fits-all solution, the book offers a menu of information and options based on a broad view of strategic planning and offers correspondingly broad applicability. The guide focuses on two major aspects of the planning process: the multitude of factors contributing to an effective strategic planning framework and the multitude of drivers and enablers of successful execution. Armed with concrete information, readers will learn to create and execute a business strategy, a personal strategic action plan, or strategies for any kind of for-profit or nonprofit organization. Specific methodologies, tools, and techniques will guide readers to successful strategy formation-and execution. Concrete examples and case studies Templates and samples of materials used in various public- and private-sector strategic planning efforts A bibliography of resource materials about strategic thinking, strategy formulation, strategic planning, and strategy execution

Over the past decade, putting public services on-line has been a focus of huge policy and financial investments aimed at providing more joined-up service delivery. For some this is part of a transformation that is bringing about a new era of integrated digital government. For others digitalization means threats to privacy and security and a strengthening of bureaucracy. In the UK and beyond, front-line service providers and citizens have been slow to take up digital services whilst major projects have floundered. This book takes a fresh look at this vital area for public policy and practice. Informed by over ten years of original research on the 'inside' of projects to put local services on-line, the authors combine cross-disciplinary insights to provide a new social informatics perspective on digital government. Experiences in areas such as health and social care are used to illustrate the dangers of 'over-integration' when key decisions are left to system designers, as they seek to integrate information in centralized systems. The authors argue for a new 'architectural discourse' to change the way that systems are deployed, evolve, and are governed. This leads to the conclusion that increased coordination of public services in a digital economy is better achieved through federated rather than integrated services that recognize the infrastructural nature of information systems and the essential role of co-production in their future evolution

This work critically examines diversity, discrimination, and inclusion in the English-speaking Caribbean nations, with a specific emphasis on persons with disabilities. The chapters include an evaluative analysis on the extant theoretical and empirical literature on persons with disabilities in employment, exploring the nature of their disability, the role of information technology in gaining and retaining employment, and an analysis of the laws and relevant policies which prohibit the discrimination against persons with disabilities in the Caribbean region. Though the enactment of legislation outlawing the discrimination of persons with disabilities is not widespread in the Caribbean, a few select territories have taken positive steps towards recognition of the need to achieve inclusion of persons with disabilities and accept the diversity of the Caribbean populace. After exploring the general state of disability and discrimination in the Caribbean region, the authors analyze workplace accommodations provided to persons with disability, particularly as relations to IT and assistive devices, before focusing on workplace stigmas related to mental health disability and employment law. In addition to literature-based analyses, the book includes qualitative case studies, with the goal of providing benchmarks in organizational responses to employees with disabilities. Further, the authors highlight lessons to be learned from other countries in addressing inequality in the workplace for disabled persons. With its analysis of employment as well as socio-economic and legal issues, this interdisciplinary text will serve as a useful resource in not only understanding the organizational challenges faced by persons with disabilities in the region but also the necessary legislation needed to address discriminatory practices on a wider scale.

Through John Canavan's unique insights into the day-to-day office/work challenges that effect leaders and potential leaders alike you are given an opportunity to grasp the potential pitfalls of not managing and/or assessing situations correctly that may hinder your professional growth. Navigating these challenges is critical in your ability to approach for the benefit of your growth and fulfillment. In this new economy with generations X, Y - Millenniums, baby-boomers and up and coming Z generation all vying for their part... this requires a prospective and preparation for the competitive work challenges ahead for all. Managing and dealing with these challenges is critical to not only success, but fulfillment in that success.

Despite its often mismanaged economy, Africa remains the third largest continent in land mass and population. It continues to offer unexploited business opportunities for entrepreneurs, global corporations, and institutions. Emerging Business Opportunities in Africa: Market Entry, Competitive Strategy, and the Promotion of Foreign Direct Investments presents the basic business modelling for developing appropriate strategies in exploiting these business opportunities in the emerging economy in Africa. This book offers insight into the challenges and successes aiming to encourage researchers and students of business in creating a value for doing business in Africa.