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Books > Business & Economics > Business & management > Business strategy
This edited volume builds on the previously published Self-Initiated Expatriation: Individual, Organizational, and National Perspectives, which served to give in-depth insights into the concept and the processes of self-initiated expatriation and presented different groups undertaking self-initiated foreign career moves. While more than a hundred articles on self-initiated expatriation (SIE) have been published in the meanwhile, an examination of the research questions and samples of SIEs in published SIE research shows that the role of context and its impact on SIEs' career-related decisions and behaviors has not been explored sufficiently. This raises the question in how far existing research results are comparable. The aim of this follow-up volume is to deepen the understanding of SIEs' careers, focusing on the contextual influences of space, time, and institutions on the heterogeneous SIE population. More specifically, the editors aim to shed light on spatial conditions in terms of the home and host country conditions on the self-initiated expatriation experience and examine developments over time in terms of temporality of conditions and SIEs' life-course. Moreover, the influence of the institutional context in terms of occupational, organisational, and societal specificities will be analysed. All chapters are based on strong theoretical foundations that serve to conceptualise "context" and are written by both established and emerging global academics and researchers. Self-Initiated Expatriates in Context contributes to conceptual clarity in the burgeoning field of SIE research by drawing attention to the importance of exploring context and, thus, boundary conditions to careers. It offers specific guidance for an improvement of future SIE-related research in order to enhance the validity of future empirical studies as well as for an improvement of managerial practice. It will be of interest to researchers, academics, practitioners, and students in the fields of international business, human resource management, organisational studies, and strategic management.
Social finance and social investment are not challenging concepts to grasp. They use commercial-style investment tools to create a social as well as a financial return. The application, however, is not always as straightforward. This book begins in the wider field of social finance but focuses primarily on social investment as a tool. The reader is helped to understand this from different angles: introducing social investment, discussing social investment and taking a "deep-dive" into it to bring it to life. This unique book takes the reader on a journey from first principles to detailed practical application. This book examines the policy context and asks why social investment has only recently become so popular, when in reality this is a very old concept. This is linked to the agenda of making charities more "business-like", set against the changing face of investment, as charities can no longer rely on donations and grants as guaranteed income. The work they do is more important than ever and social investment, used with care, offers a new opportunity that is further explored in this text. Mark Salway, Paul Palmer, Peter Grant and Jim Clifford will help readers understand how a small amount of borrowing, or a different business model focused away from grants and donations, could be transformational for the non-profit sector.
What is internal communication? What role does it play in contemporary organizations? What are the consequences of malfunctioning internal communication? There are many aspects of internal communication - work related, social, formal, informal, vertical, horizontal, between coworkers, between coworkers and managers, communication before and under organizational changes, internal crisis communications and so forth. We think of different forms of communication channels such as intranet, staff magazines, electronic billboards and internal television. This book interconnects these different parts and emphasizes the strategic value and importance of internal communication. We understand internal communication as an unused capital with a large potential for organizational success. Further, we understand internal communication as a basic prerequisite of organizations that is performed by all members of an organization - managers, coworkers and communication professionals. Traditionally, there has been too much emphasis on the work and function of communication professionals when internal communication is discussed, but most of the communication value is actually produced by managers and coworkers. However, communication professionals are the communication experts in organizations that strategically facilitate the organization. This book is based on a cooperation between Susanne Dahlman, senior communication consultant, and Mats Heide, Professor in Strategic Communication at Lund University. Hence, this book has a unique approach that covers both practical and academic aspects of internal communication. This book is a response to the demand for a book that covers the strategic aspects of internal communication in practice, and as such is ideal reading for both practitioners and advanced students.
What do business organizations do? The results of business behaviour can be observed and experienced in the form of the goods that are produced. However what goes on within organizations is often hidden from the outside world. This reader enables the student to make sense of business behaviour by offering an understanding of what organizations do. The book is underpinned by a systems perspective and takes a process view of organizations. This enables it to demonstrate that any business is a number of interrelated business processes and that success is determined by the extent to which these activities add value whilst minimising cost. Specifically the book focuses on: activities through which the organization interacts with its customers including marketing and sales; how organizations process materials including purchasing and manufacturing; and forms of business organization, with a critical account of new paradigms including business process re-engineering. The book features articles by leading business gurus including Michael Porter, Philip Kotler and John Kay.
This illuminating new book presents a series of in-depth case studies from around the world based on numerous personal interviews with organizational leaders and focusing on their journey towards sustainability. The aim is to provide visions of a more sustainable future, and shed light on the path, milestones and solutions - in particular the management processes these organizations employed - to provide a reliable compass that others can follow. Although each organization must take steps to fit its particular circumstance, business conditions and culture, Mapping the Journey proves that valuable lessons can be learned by setting aside critique as to where these organizations may yet make progress and instead focusing on the guidelines, targets, measures of success, tools and techniques and valuable wisdom about how pioneer organisations are travelling toward a prosperous, sustainable future. Each organization included has crafted its own unique strategic responses to an identified need for increased sustainability. While none can be said to have reached the end-point of a sustainable development strategy, all have found that, by addressing the challenge of sustainable industrial practices, they have found innovative solutions, new opportunities for revenue generation, better relationships with customers, new business and product opportunities and a boost to morale from the executive ranks to front-line employees. Mapping the Journey examines both public and private organizations worldwide: SJ Rail of Sweden; Sony Corporation; SC Johnson; TransAlta Corporation; Patagonia; Henkel; Volvo; ASG; Interface Flooring Systems; Suncor; DaimlerChrysler; AssiDoman; Germany's Centre for Technology Assessment and the Dutch National Environmental Policy Plan. These case studies provide an inspiring framework of effective processes for defining a sustainable development strategy and transforming it successfully into actions and results.
Design Journeys for Complex Systems is a designer's handbook to learn systemic design tools to engage stakeholder groups in collaborative design to address complex societal systems. Systemic design uses systems thinking and service design to address large-scale societal contexts and complex socio-technical systems. These are contexts characterized by social and technological complexity, high uncertainty, and often problematic outcomes. Using a tour guide metaphor, the book trains people's mindsets and provides tools for dealing with hyper complexity, to enable understanding of systemic problems, and to build capacity to collaborate in teams to produce action proposals.
Healthcare is on a critical path, evolving with the introduction of Obama Care and now COVID-19. How will healthcare and specifically healthcare security adapt over the next few years? What tools will be necessary for healthcare security professionals and all security professionals to meet the demands of the transforming security environment? Security professionals need new tools and programs to adapt security services to the "New Normal." As healthcare emerges from pandemic threats, active shooter and workplace violence will re-emerge and new threats related to civil unrest, fraud, mergers, and further financial struggles will change how healthcare security will function. Healthcare Security: Solutions for Management, Operations, and Administration provides a series of articles related to the management and operations of healthcare security which will assist healthcare security professionals in managing the "New Normal" now and into the future. It is a collection of previously published articles on healthcare security and general security covering various topics related to the management of healthcare security and provides information on general security operations. It also includes unconventional topics that are necessary in the administration of healthcare security such as auditing principles, fraud prevention, investigations, interview and interrogation techniques, and forensics.
Addressing 21st-century issues, threats, and opportunities with time-tested principles, this book empowers corporate communications professionals to protect, inspire, and energize organizations in the face of a crisis. Whether due to an external incident or an internal misstep, every major company or institution will find itself scrutinized, its normal operations disrupted, and its reputation and business continuity threatened at some point-and how it prepares for, and reacts to, a crisis can make a critical difference in the ultimate outcome of events. This book focuses on strategic crisis communication as a function of three elements: 1. crisis preparation-establishing a robust and nimble infrastructure and plans, in advance of any crisis 2. crisis management-rapidly gathering information, activating and adjusting plans, making decisions, and relentlessly monitoring outcomes 3. crisis communication-reaching multiple audiences, on multiple platforms, with clear, consistent, and purposeful messages that tell the truth and defend the organization. Bringing together best practices gleaned from hundreds of recent case studies, this book is an unmatched resource enabling corporate communications and PR professionals, and the organizations that employ them, to understand how to weather any reputational storm that may threaten their enterprise.
As Information Technology continues to evolve as a key strategic enabler, many establishments feel the need to think more holistically about how IT can support corporate sustainability efforts. This book aims to recognize these efforts and best practices in numerous business settings. Sustainability is expensive, and requires collaboration between many different areas of the business. The solution to growing burden of carbon emission lies within the technology innovation as continued advancements in processes make businesses lean and smart. The multidisciplinary approach the book uses will be appreciated by students, academics and researchers in Information Technology, Management, Corporate, and Sustainability Champions. Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)
***BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS - FINALIST 2021*** An inspirational success story that shows how anyone can be a champion, overcome challenges and create a better world for yourself and others 65 Roses and a Trunki: Defying the Odds in Life and Business, is the extraordinary success story of entrepreneur Rob Law, designer and inventor of Trunki, the award-winning children's ride-on suitcase that's sold millions of units worldwide. Born with cystic fibrosis, Rob watched his twin sister die from the same illness at sixteen. Told he could not expect to live into his twenties, he made a promise that he was going to defy the odds and live a long and successful life. Despite being humiliated in Dragons Den where his business was described as "worthless", Rob went on to create a new category of consumer product, build a global business brand, become an accomplished athlete, get an MBE from the Queen, bring joy to millions of children all over the world and become a father to three children after being told he would die childless. After beating overwhelming odds on the road to success in his personal and professional life, Rob wrote this memoir to help anyone facing difficult challenges in life and business. From brand-building and harnessing your creativity to managing a chronic health condition and facing your demons, you'll learn how to defy the odds, follow your passion, keep fighting when experts are telling you to quit and overcome every challenge you face. 65 Roses and a Trunki is a life-affirming book. Drawing on key insights from personal and business psychology, it tells an inspirational story that can be your story too.
Revised and updated for the second edition, the Handbook of Strategic Management provides a set of broad-based bibliographic essays on strategic management. It covers synoptic approaches, complexity theory, organizational capacity, financing strategy, networks, and chaos theory and offers an in-depth look the use of strategic management in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. The National Institute of Personnel Management called this book "a ]the most comprehensive single-source treatment of strategic management." New topics discuss the role of strategic management in political decision making, uncertainty, the absence of strategy, productivity, teamwork, leadership, and change.
In this book, Edosa explores common challenges which limit the value that organisations can get from data. What makes his book unique is that he also tackles one of the unspoken barriers to data adoption-fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the intangible, fear of the investment needed and, yes, fear of losing your job to a machine. With his talent for distilling clarity from complexity, Edosa tackles this and many other challenges. -Tim Carmichael, Chief Data Officer, Chalhoub Group This book offers fresh insight about how to solve the interactional frictions that hamper the flow of data, information and knowledge across organisations. Yet, rather than being stuck with endless polarising debates such as breaking down silos, it shifts focus back towards the ultimate "to what end." -Jacky Wright, Chief Digital Officer (CDO), Microsoft US If you care about AI transformation, empowering people or advancing organisational success in an increasingly digital world, then you should read this book. -Yomi Ibosiola, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Union Bank A retail giant already struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic was faced with a disastrous situation when-at the end of a critical investment in an artificial intelligence project that had been meant to save money-it suddenly discovered that its implementation was likely to leave it worse off. An entire critical service stream within an insurer's production system crashed. This critical failure resulted in the detentions of fully insured motorists for allegedly not carrying required insurance. Making Data Work details these two scenarios as well as others illustrating the consequences that arise when organizations do not know how to make data work properly. It is a journey to determine what to do to "make data work" for ourselves and for our organisations. It is a journey to discover how to bring it all together so organisations can enable digital transformation, empower people, and advance organisational success. It is the journey to a world where data and technology finally live up to the hype and deliver better human outcomes, where artificial intelligence can move us from reacting to situations to predicting future occurrences and enabling desirable possibilities.
Environmental and social performance measurement and reporting by business has become a high-profile issue during the 1990s. It is increasingly being requested by stakeholders and required by governments. Companies too are finding that they need better environmental and social performance data for effective internal management. And there are a growing number of standardisation initiatives - such as the ISO 14031 guidelines on environmental performance evaluation or the CERES Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) template for sustainability reporting - that are aimed at making it easier for more companies to take action, and for stakeholders to compare their progress. Sustainable Measures collects together most of the key work and individuals concerned with the topic from around the world. Contributions include: environmental and social reporting by John Elkington and colleagues at SustainAbility; the GRI discussion draft; Roger Adams and Martin Houldin on the FEE study of environmental reporting; Janet Ranganathan of the World Resources Institute on sustainability measures; and Martin Bennett and Peter James on ISO 14031 and the future of environmental performance evaluation. There are also chapters examining current practice in Austria, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands and South Africa, developments in electronic reporting, as well as case studies of Baxter, Kunert, Niagara Mohawk, Unox, The Body Shop and the UK water industry, and an analysis of leading social reports. The book is essential reading for all academics, campaigners, policy-makers and practitioners with an interest in issues such as: The standardization and comparability of environmental and social performance measures Measuring and reporting on sustainable business Eco-points and other means of evaluating product impacts The implementation of measurement and reporting Best practice in corporate environmental and social reporting New means of communicating environmental data Environmental performance evaluation in developing countries
The world continues to develop at an astonishing speed - socially and technologically. Human behavior is continually influenced by this ever-changing environment. Is it possible to predict what those new behaviors will be? And what are their implications for our future societies? Thimon de Jong's Future Human Behavior is a unique and accessible examination of our thrilling, challenging and unpredictable world and how we respond, react and shape it. Using insightful and original examples aligned with pertinent analysis, the author takes the reader on a compelling journey through future behavioral dynamics. He engages with a wide variety of topics, from digitalisation to trust, from ethics to mental health. Future Human Behavior is your inspirational guide to a number of possible futures, and the book you need to be ready for them all.
European economies are becoming increasingly integrated, and at the same time, the world economy is becoming global. This has raised questions about the specific strategies followed by transnational companies. It also raises the issue of whether the drive towards integration is compatible with that towards globalization strategies; whether, and to what extent, they strengthen each other. "European Integration and Global Corporate Strategies" explores the links between the options of world-wide globalization and European integration which are open to today's corporations, highlighting whether there are conflicts or complementaries between them. The book is divided into two parts: the first part looks at specific mechanisms and trends of globalization in the context of changes due to European integration. The second part considers the role of innovation and technology diffusion as part of the integration and globalization strategies. All the contributors are experts from Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. This book should be of particular interest to students and researchers in the fields of business, economics, politics and European studies.
As challenges to the era of globalisation emerge, international business grows in importance and complexity as a field of study. This shortform textbook introduces learners to the frameworks within which international business occurs and to the range of actions that companies might undertake in these environments. Owing to an emphasis on cross-border interactions, international business is a politicised field, and this book provides readers with the tools to deepen their understanding not only of the actions that companies might take but also of the economic, societal, cultural and political frameworks affecting how decisions are made. With a refreshing realism in its approach, this book will be perfect brief reading for students required to understand the obstacles that global business practitioners must overcome to succeed.
A readable and structured guide for the increasing numbers of
people each year who consider setting up a small business or
becoming self-employed.
Despite the astonishing technological developments in our times, it is surprising how little has changed in the way organizations are structured and managed. However, organizations are finally changing as they embark on agile transformations. Agility concepts emerged from the dynamics of project management and have evolved as they are being applied to organizational structure and operations. This phase of the agile evolution is known as enterprise agility. Filled with real-world scenarios and company case studies, Enterprise Agility: A Practical Guide to Agile Business Management covers the evolution of agility, including applied processes, lessons learned and realized outcomes. The book starts with the initial phase of the agile evolution, project agility and describes how waterfall project management is transformed into scrum, which can have positive effects on project timelines, scope and budget, as well as team motivation. The second phase of agility, organizational agility, is the evolution of the agile principles from temporary projects to permanent organizational structures. The book explains the main components of organizational agility, including structures, roles and ways of organizing work. It emphasizes the advantages of transitioning from traditional organizational management to agile. Finally, the latest phase, enterprise agility, transforms each function of the organization. The book acts as a guide and describes the change through the lens of each managerial domain (sales, marketing, HR, finance etc.) and by presenting the positive impact generated on the company's overall performance based on case studies. The last chapter illustrates the enablers of this transformation and how they can help the change to be internalized so that the enterprises realize improvements. The book is based on the author's over 15 years of experience of supporting more than 25 companies in varied sectors on their transformational journey, with the last 5 years concentrating on agility. By combining business management trends and principles of agile business development, it shows managers how to lead the transformation to enterprise agility by following the path from project agility to full enterprise agility.
This book tells the story of how the convergence between corporate sustainability and sustainable investing is now becoming a major force driving systemic market changes. The idea and practice of corporate sustainability is no longer a niche movement. Investors are increasingly paying attention to sustainability factors in their analysis and decision-making, thus reinforcing market transformation. In this book, high-level practitioners and academic thought leaders, including contributions from John Ruggie, Fiona Reynolds, Johan Rockstroem, and Paul Polman, explain the forces behind these developments. The contributors highlight (a) that systemic market change is influenced by various contextual factors that impact how sustainable investing is perceived and practiced; (b) that the integration of ESG factors in investment decisions is impacting markets on a large scale and hence changes practices of major market players (e.g. pension funds); and (c) that technology and the increasing datafication of sustainability act as further accelerators of such change. The book goes beyond standard economic theory approaches to sustainable investing and emphasizes that capitalism founded on more real-world (complex) economics and cooperation can strengthen ESG integration. Aimed at both investment professionals and academics, this book gives the reader access to more practitioner-relevant information and it also discusses implementation issues. The reader will gain insights into how "mainstream" financial actors relate to sustainable investing.
Cultural proximity consists in shared language, codes ,and norms of communication and exchange between actors. It is generally considered important for organizations, enhancing communication and facilitation interaction between actors. In such situation, diversity is often seen as a source of richness and originality. However, high levels of proximity might create some risk, leading to lock-in and inertia, with a negative impact on the innovativeness of the organization. While the role of cultural proximity is subject to much debate within organizations studies, a comprehensive understanding of cultural proximity remains elusive. This book explores the organizational implications of the concept of cultural proximity, delving into the managerial challenges posed by diversities and similarities in culture within a business environment using different levels of analysis. The key messages of the present book, grounded on original empirical evidence, can be summarized as follows: cultural proximity is a key factor for managing innovation in present times; innovation requires a deliberate orchestration of the dichotomy between cultural proximity/cultural diversity; there are specific circumstances where proximity can be beneficial for managers and entrepreneurs. The book will be of value to researchers, academics, managers, and students in the fields of management science, human resource management, innovation studies, and organizational studies.
The book provides an analytical exposition of the law concerning directors' liability for the losses sustained by their companies' creditors, when the directors' companies are in financial distress or become insolvent. It is a detailed one-stop resource for obtaining a good understanding of the law which has developed from legislation and case law. In particular, there is a detailed consideration of what needs to be proved, what defences there are, and what might be the issues of concern for all parties. A doctrinal method is adopted and there is extensive analysis of the relevant legislation and case law. Rather than merely referring to cases to support propositions the discussion considers many of the cases in context and in depth and their relevance to the aim of the book. The book also endeavours to provide views, in a practical way, on aspects of the law and it identifies problems and how they may be addressed. Of interest to legal practitioners and insolvency practitioners alike, the book will in addition be useful to directors, government officials and academics.
Strategic Alliance Management presents an academically grounded alliance development framework, detailing eight stages of alliance development with consideration for specific management challenges. For each stage, readers are presented with theoretical insights, evidence-based managerial guidelines and a business case illustration. Other chapters consider alliance attributes, alliance competences, and alliance challenges, and cover topics such as innovation, co-branding, co-opetition, business ecosystems, alliance professionals, alliance capabilities, societal alliances and a tension-based alliance mindset. This fully revised 3rd edition leverages the book's strengths in marrying theory with practical insight. All the chapters have been updated to reflect the current academic literature, whilst new international case studies are incorporated throughout. Two new chapters feature in this edition, considering the importance of the mindset required to successfully navigate alliance arrangements, and emerging alliance practices, exploring how new technologies, sustainability and the external environment have disrupted alliance management. In-chapter text boxes discussing emerging themes provide opportunity for discussion and analysis. The textbook remains highly valuable core and recommended reading for postgraduate students of Strategic Management and Corporate Strategy, MBA and Executive MBA, as well as reflective practitioners in the field. Online resources include chapter-by-chapter lecture slides, two long case studies and short interviews with alliance executives.
Digital Pricing Strategy provides a best practice overview of how companies design, analyse and execute digital pricing strategies. Bringing together insights from academic and professional experts globally, the text covers essential areas of the value and pricing of data, platform pricing, pricing of subscriptions and monetization of the global environment. Case studies, examples and interviews from leading organizations, including Zuora, Honeywell, Relayr, Alcatel Lucent, ABB, Thales and General Electric, illustrate key concepts in practice. To aid student learning, chapter objectives, summaries and key questions feature in every chapter, alongside PowerPoint slides and a test bank available online for lecturers. Comprehensive and applied in its approach, this text provides postgraduate, MBA and Executive Education students with an understanding of the capabilities, processes and tools that enable executives to effectively implement digital transformations and capture value from digital innovations.
Market globalization is changing the way companies do business. It is now necessary for businesses to use mergers, joint ventures, and research consortia if they want to stay competitive and increase returns. The problem is that venturing into such partnerships has a substantial failure rate. In many cases, failure is due to poor preparation, inability to manage conflict, and simply being overwhelmed by the complexity of the partnership issues.The Nature of Chaos in Business offers answers to why such partnerships fail and how successful partnerships can be fostered through the complexity and supposed chaos of the situation. Based on models of complexity formulated and studied at the esteemed Santa Fe Institute, this guide demonstrates how complexity in business, as in nature, eventually falls into patterns. Through the recognition and use of these patterns, today's businesses can leverage each other's strengths into powerful alliances. The Nature of Chaos in Business is a fascinating, cutting-edge treatise on the application of complexity theory in business. The "war stories" throughout the book offer insight and wisdom from the real-life experiences of some of the world's largest, high-profile corporations and individuals. |
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