In recent years, a new spectacular group of entrepreneurs in China called Chinese Returnee Entrepreneurs (CREs) has emerged. Not only have they contributed enormously to the rapid growth of the Chinese economy, but they also have connected China to the outside world in today's globalized economy. This book examines the literature on the returnee phenomena and assesses the impact and influence of Chinese Returnee Entrepreneurs. This is the first major empirical study to evaluate the impact of CREs in the Chinese globalization process. It also examines the roles, drivers, strategies, and performances of CREs on environment-strategy linkages in a strong emerging economy. The research highlights the significance of strategies, drivers, constraints, and performance relations for CREs success in shaping their operational framework in China. The findings of this study suggest that CREs have become a driving force in Chinese globalization, dominating the internet, IT and media industries. They have become leading players in the Chinese hi-tech industries, as well as the best team players and social capital users of international guanxi. The study reveals that CREs' competitive advantages lie in their strategies utilizing technology, team work, market approach, social connections, professional qualifications, and international working experience.

Changing business environments challenge established management ideas and practices. This volume draws on competence-based theory to identify and elaborate some important ways in which organizational competences are evolving - or should evolve - to respond to some fundamental forms of change in business environments. Part I of the volume examines some key elements of emerging business models and strategies, including the impacts of cloud computing on international business models. Part II examines the kinds of new capabilities firms will need to develop to become competent in their new business models and strategies. Part III suggests how the challenges of rapidly evolving environments call for further development of competence-based management theory.

Big business is often painted as the villain when it comes to the environment or social wellbeing. There is certainly good evidence of what some businesses have done wrong in the past. But times are changing. Leading businesses are often now the visionaries: leaders in the fight against climate change, protectors of human rights and supporters of international development.
"Big Business, Big Responsibilities" shares the inside track on why some of the world's best known brands are doing this not as philanthropy but as a core part of business strategy: protecting the environmental systems they depend on, building consumer trust and creating new markets to ensure long term success.
This book describes the surprising speed with which business is recognizing that it will thrive best in societies that succeed and identifies the major challenges that still need to be overcome for business to make its full contribution.

Previous generations enjoyed the security of lifelong employment with a sole employer. Public policy and social institutions reinforced that security by producing a labor force content with mechanized repetition in manufacturing plants, and creating loyalty to one employer for life. This is no longer the case. Globalization and new technologies have triggered a shift away from capital and towards knowledge. In today's global economy, where jobs and factories can be moved quickly to low-cost locations, the competitive advantage has shifted to ideas, insights, and innovation. But it is not enough just to have new ideas. It takes entrepreneurs to actualize them by championing them to society. Entrepreneurship has emerged as the proactive response to globalization.
In this book, award-winning economist David B. Audretsch identifies the positive, proactive response to globalization--the entrepreneurial society, where change is the cutting edge and routine work is inevitably outsourced. Under the managed economy of the cold war era, government policies around the world supported big business, while small business was deemed irrelevant and largely ignored. The author documents the fundamental policy revolution underway, shifting the focus to technology and knowledge-based entrepreneurship, where start-ups and small business have emerged as the driving force of innovation, jobs, competitiveness and growth. The role of the university has accordingly shifted from tangential to a highly valued seedbed for coveted new ideas with the potential to create not just breathtaking new ventures but also entire new industries. By understanding the shift from the managed economy and the emergence of theentrepreneurial society, individuals, businesses, and communities can learn how to proactively harness the opportunities afforded by globalization in this new entrepreneurial society.

Written for financial and management executives, this volume provides a comprehensive and detailed examination of the restructuring of American business which has resulted from a spate of large-scale mergers, acquisitions, takeovers, and buyouts. As Alkhafaji notes at the outset, mergers and acquisitions are not new to the American business scene. However, the huge dollar value of recent transactions, such as the RJR/Nabisco buyout and the fact that large corporations once thought to be safe from takeover attempts are now potential targets, has given the process heightened impact. Alkhafaji explores the reasons for the increasing popularity of takeovers, mergers, and buyouts; who benefits from and who is affected by these strategies; who loses and who wins in the process; the international aspects of corporate restructuring; and the future implications for financial and senior managers.

In addition to examining the impact of corporate restructuring on the economy, the corporation, and the individual employee, Alkhafaji provides a wealth of practical information for the executive involved in the buyout process. He explains the various characteristics of companies that prompt merger and takeover actions, provides a rationale for the rapid increase in such activities, presents strategies that management should use before, during, and after the buyout, offers a comprehensive guide to what is involved in the restructuring process, and discusses the stages of mergers, takeovers, and buyouts to help managers understand the process better. The author also shows why buyouts have now become popular in the international marketplace. An extensive review of the available literature includes many illustrative realworld examples, and the author's own empirical studies are included to demonstrate management perceptions toward different aspects of the restructuring process. Both current and future managers will find this book enlightening and provocative reading.

This book presents readers with the opportunity to fundamentally re-evaluate the processes of innovation and entrepreneurship, and to rethink how they might best be stimulated and fostered within our organizations and communities. The fundamental thesis of the book is that the entrepreneurial process is not a linear progression from novel idea to successful innovation, but is an iterative series of experiments, where progress depends on the persistence and resilience of the individuals involved, and their ability and to learn from failure as well as success. From this premise, the authors argue that the ideal environment for new venture creation is a form of "experimental laboratory," a community of innovators where ideas are generated, shared, and refined; experiments are encouraged; and which in itself serves as a test environment for those ideas and experiments. This environment is quite different from the traditional "incubator," which may impose the disciplines of the established firm too early in the development of the new venture. Featuring case examples of start-ups across a wide spectrum of industries, from Wikipedia to Ryanair, the authors explore the qualities of successful innovation, including a high tolerance of risk and unpredictability and commitment to building knowledge enterprises that value intangible assets. This volume is a clarion call to those in academia, enterprise, and government who seek to work together to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, with a stark message for academic institutions: engage or be left behind.

This book presents a collection of studies that have applied analytical methods to improve preparedness, planning, and a faster response to A&E and public health emergencies like epidemic and disease outbreak. It explores the application of quantitative Operational Research techniques such as Mathematical Modelling and Optimization, Maximum Likelihood Estimation, Multiple-Criteria Decision Analysis, Discrete-event Simulation, Data Mining, and Bayesian Decision Models. These techniques have been used for better management of emergency care, including first responders, ambulance services, A&E departments, and mass immunisation centres. This volume focuses on planning at the operational level whereas volume 2 focuses mainly on planning at the strategic level. The OR Essentials series presents a unique cross-section of high quality research work fundamental to understanding contemporary issues and research across a range of Operational Research (OR) topics. It brings together some of the best research papers from the highly respected journals of the Operational Research Society, also published by Palgrave Macmillan.

The Handbook of Experiential Learning In International Business is a one-stop source for international managers, business educators and trainers who seek to either select and use an existing experiential learning project, or develop new projects and exercises of this kind.

Globalized marketing strategies continue to increase the development of global business through its latest advances in technology. The adoption of new technologies for businesses and organizations fluctuate throughout different regions of the world. Global Diffusion and Adoption of Technologies for Knowledge and Information Sharing provides diverse insights from researchers and practitioners around the world to offer their knowledge on the comparisons of international enterprises. This book is useful to managers and practitioners to improve business practices and keep an open dialogue about global information management.

Break new ground in problem-solving and decision-making by learning from AI.

A well-paid executive feels trapped in her very respected but unsatisfying job. A startup founder has paying customers, but knows that unless he ‘fires’ them and pivots the business, his startup won’t make it. A senior government planner is tasked with undoing the nation’s reliance on outdated infrastructure.

These are all examples of individuals stuck in a Local Maximum; we’ve reached a peak, but not the one that fulfills the highest potential. In order to move up in our pursuits, we must first move back down - a realization which can lead to frustration, decision-making paralysis and lost opportunity.

In How to Move Up When the Only Way Is Down: Lessons from Artificial Intelligence for Overcoming Your Local Maximum, Judah Taub draws from his perspective guiding early stage AI startups, his years serving in military intelligence, and various experiences leading innovation throughout his career. With his off-the-beaten path perspective, Judah shares insights into how humans can achieve better decision-making by learning how AI overcomes local maximums.

What tech engineers already know is that with the rise of AI, we’ve developed new ways of addressing these limitations. These techniques, employed to save billions of dollars for global giants like Amazon and Google, are equally applicable to each of us.

To show how, Judah shares a variety of real world examples, involving Olympic high jumpers, the transition of Ethiopian immigrants from gas station attendants to high tech engineers, the evolution of playing cards into Nintendo, the development of ChatGPT, the link between wildfires and hedge fund managers - and much more.

Explore:

• How to anticipate and identify Local Maximums
• How to overcome psychological Local Maximum blocks and biases
• How to build skills and apply strategies to succeed in complex decision-making
• How Local Maximum thinking can help overcome major global challenges

The book is equipped to benefit anyone facing complex decisions, or obstacles to their personal or professional goals. How to Move Up When the Only Way is Down is designed to transform readers’ decision-making by recognizing Local Maximums and skill building based on lessons from AI.

"This volume brings together various emerging perspectives in strategy research for further interaction and debate. Contributions address a range of issues related to the globalization of strategy research. Some chapters present perspectives that challenge the historically dominant North American tradition in strategy research, from both outside as well as within North America. Others examine the historical development of strategy research, viewed either as a convergent normal science process, or as a divergent process destined to generate disparate perspectives. Specific chapters include: Globalization or Colonization?; Building a Business on Ethnic Ties; Rhetorical History as a Source of Competitive Advantage; and Organizational Selection in Context. The volume examines strategy theory, methods and research, and strategy as practice, discourse and reflexive design. By creating a forum for discussing issues at the interface of emerging perspectives and long-standing traditions, this volume provides a compendium that contributes to cross-fertilization among them, as well as a catalyst for future research countering the separatist logic that threatens to partition the field".

The main focus of the book is institutional change in the Scandinavian model, with special emphasis on Norway. There are many reasons to pay closer attention to the Norwegian case when it comes to analyses of changes in the public sphere. In the country's political history, the arts and the media played a particular role in the processes towards sovereignty at the beginning of the 20th century. On a par with the other Scandinavian countries, Norway is in the forefront in the world in the distribution and uses of Internet technology. As an extreme case, the most corporatist society within the family of the "Nordic Model", it offers an opportunity both for intriguing case studies and for challenging and refining existing theory on processes of institutional change in media policy and cultural policy. It supplements two recent, important books on political economy in Scandinavia: Varieties of Liberalization and the New Politics of Social Solidarity (Kathleen Thelen, 2014), and The Political Construction of Business Interests (Cathie Jo Martin and Duane Swank, 2013). There are further reasons to pay particular attention to the Scandinavian, and more specifically the Norwegian cases: (i) They are to varying degrees neo-corporatist societies, characterized by ongoing bargaining over social and political reform processes. From a theoretical perspective this invites reflections which, to some extent, are at odds with the dominant conceptions of institutional change. Neither models of path dependency nor models of aggregate, incremental change focus on the continuous social bargaining over institutional change. (ii) Despite recent processes of liberalization, common to the Western world as a whole, corporatism implies a close connection between state, public sphere, cultural life, and religion. This also means that institutions are closely bundled, in an even stronger way than assumed for example in the Varieties of Capitalism literature. Furthermore, we only have scarce insight in the way the different spheres of corporatism are connected and interact. In the proposed edited volume we have collected historical-institutional case studies from a broad set of social fields (a detailed outline of contents and contributors is attached): * Critical assessments of Jurgen Habermas' theory of the public sphere * Can the public sphere be considered an institution? * The central position of the public sphere in social and political change in Norway * Digital transformations and effects of the growing PR industry on the public sphere * Institutionalization of social media in local politics and voluntary organizations * Legitimation work in the public sphere * freedom of expression and warning in the workplace * "Return of religion" to the public sphere, and its effects

Independence isn't doing your own thing, it's doing the right thing on your own. The same can be said for raising children or for managing employees. your business needs to have people you can rely on to 'do the right thing-on their own;' otherwise, you spend more time babysitting than managing. The people, process and leadership demand of building a business are, in fact, a lot like the demands of raising children. By looking at your business activities through a child development lens, you quickly can identify the things that will help you (or hold you back) as your business grows. You approach a four year old differently than a fifteen year old-this book explains how to use age-appropriate tactics to be most effective as a business leader. No one grows up overnight. Growing Up provides a simple and easy way to look at the maturity of specific business activities, providing an effective tool for planning and managing growth. Growing Up helps you answer questions such as: * As an entrepreneur positioning for a major growth program, how do you make sure that your people, process and leadership can keep up? * As an experienced leader looking for your next career opportunity, how do you test against your expectations? * As a parent who knows how to manage the kids effectively, how do you apply that intuitive strength to be more effective in your day-to-day work?

Most of us worry that we're not very good negotiators - too quick to concede or too abrupt in our approach. But negotiation is present in almost every social interaction - we cannot avoid it. Neale and Lys present a practical new approach that will help you master this crucial everyday skill in every situation. Instead of focusing on reaching agreement at any cost, Neale and Lys reveal how to overcome our psychological biases and assess the hidden value in any negotiation. They explain how to know what a good deal is; when to negotiate and when to walk away; why keeping a straight face can prevent you from getting the best deal; when to make the first offer and when to wait; and why meeting in the middle can result in both sides being worse off. Drawing on three decades of ground-breaking research into behavioural economics, psychology and strategic thinking, Getting (More of) What You Want will revolutionise the way you approach negotiation. Whether you're looking for a better deal on your new car, asking for a pay rise, selling your company or just deciding who does the washing up, this book will help you become a more successful, more efficient negotiator - and get more of exactly what you want.

We live in a 'bimoral' society, in which people govern their lives by two contrasting sets of principles. On the one hand there are the principles associated with traditional morality. Although these allow a modicum of self-interest, their emphasis is on our duties and obligations to others: to treat people honestly and with respect, to treat them fairly and without prejudice, to help and care for them when needed, and ultimately, to put their needs above our own. On the other hand there are the principles associated with the entrepreneurial self-interest. These also impose obligations, but of a much more limited kind. Their emphasis is competitive rather than cooperative: to advance our own interests rather than to meet the needs of others. Both sets of principles have always been present in society but in recent years traditional moral authorities have lost much of their force and the morality of self-interest has acquired a much greater social legitimacy, over a much wider field of behaviour, than ever before. The result of this is that in many situations it is no longer at all apparent which set of principles should take precedence. In this book John Hendry traces the cultural and historical origins of the 'bimoral' society and explores the challenges it poses for the world of business and management. The developments that have led to the 'bimoral' society have also led to new, more flexible forms of organizing, which have released people's entrepreneurial energies and significantly enhanced the creative capacities of business. Working within these organizations, however, is fraught with moral tensions as obligations and self-interest conflict and managers are pulled in all sorts of different directions. Managing them successfully poses major new challenges of leadership, and 'moral' management, as the technical problem-solving that previously characterised managerial work is increasingly accomplished by technology and market mechanisms. The key role of management becomes the political and moral one of determining purposes and priorities, reconciling divergent interests, and nurturing trust in interpersonal relationships. Exploring these tensions and challenges, Hendry identifies new issues for contemporary management and puts recognized issues into context. He also explores the challenges posed for a post-traditional society as it seeks to regulate and govern an increasingly powerful and global business sector.

Transformation and change are not the same. Innovations like TQM, reengineering, the learning organization, and benchmarking are certainly changes, but they require the fundamental revisions that can only be found in true organizational transformations--that is, in leadership style and organizational culture. Dr. Alkhafaji makes clear that change must be planned and have a clear purpose, and that managers must develop the special skills that are needed to prepare their organizations for change. His book presents a framework to assess corporate performance and thus to enhance long-term competitive advantage. It takes another look at the buzzwords and trends in light of the organizational transformation concept. Real world examples support theoretical research into strategic developments in global environments, laying out the essential components of transformation and the massive administrative changes required to implement it. The result is an important presentation of a crucial topic and an essential management-oriented guide.

Among the several themes that Dr. Alkhafaji discusses are the current challenges to any business created by global competition, changing technology, environmental demands, and demographic shifts. He points out that organizations must continually improve the quality of their products and services, and that to do so, often requires massive change--transformations in the organization itself. He shows that these are not one-time events but ongoing revisions that require constant strategic management. To illustrate his argument he covers TQM, reengineering and other innovations and approaches, and shows clearly how they all require a deep, pervasive commitment to true organizational alteration. Dr. Alkhafaji examines leadership style, organizational culture, and specific topics such as building effective teams, the technical and personal competencies that need to be identified before teams can be selected, and the implication of restructuring for corporate performance. Also examined in the new light of organizational transformation are mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and the effect that globalization is having on today's organizations.

Leadership and strategy are intricately connected--one of the primary responsibilities of leaders is to formulate strategy. In an organization, only the leader has the power to implement strategic change. Thus strategic thinking is a necessary and fundamental cognitive ability of a leader. Strategic thinking requires both an idealism (to imagine a better world) and a realism (to acquire the resources, skills and organization to get there). However, most organizations focus on short-term thinking for their employees and leave long-term strategy to the executives. But no high-level executive in any organization is fully knowledgeable about the details of operations. Thus for realistic strategy, there is a need for good top-down and bottom-up communication. When organizational communication is only top-down, high-level strategy can become only wishful thinking by the CEO. The purpose of proper strategic thinking is to eliminate wishful-thinking from organizational strategy. Strategic thinking is necessary at every level of an organization, not just at the top. This book uses actual histories of business successes and failures to illustrate theoretical concepts in strategic thinking.

This book is intended to spark a discourse on, and contribute to finding a clear consensus in, the debate between conceptualizing a knowledge strategy and planning a knowledge strategy. It explores the complex relationship between the notions of knowledge and strategy in the business context, one that is of practical importance to companies. After reviewing the extant literature, the book shows how the concept of knowledge strategies can be seen as a new perspective for exploring business strategies. It proposes a new approach that clarifies how planned and emergent knowledge strategies allow companies to make projections into the uncertain and unpredictable future that dominates today's economy.

In an age where knowledge is so easily disseminated, the modern-day workplace, and roles as we know them, are beginning to transform. As ideation establishes itself as a concept, if put into action, it could help to create and form a more transformative entrepreneurial future generation. It will be the actions of many ideators that will motivate and contribute to the post-pandemic economy, and this becomes even more tangible as fewer people occupy predetermined and fixed positions in companies. By moving from the economy of mass production to knowledge-driven entrepreneurship, value creation is embedded in the lifeblood of ideas in action (the 'ideation'), combined, shared with investors, disseminated territorially, and adapted to the conditions of individual communities. Ideators: Their Words and Voices presents the concept of ideation and its applications in a thorough yet accessible format, focusing on the process of idea creation, and also presents a series of protagonists of creativity and innovation who will reflect on their own career changes.

Demystifying Talent Management questions the explanation of talent, that anyone who has 'more' has a talent, and demonstrates how the term 'talent' has become an empty signifier. The book asks if talent exists at all, and reflects on what the consequences for talent management within business and sports would be if this were the case.

It is increasingly being accepted that there is a benefit to both parties when a relationship is established between an NGO and a company. Consequently a considerable number of strategic alliances have been established. It must be accepted that such alliances are not necessarily mutually beneficial but little research has been undertaken to determine the factors which facilitate or mitigate against such mutual benefit. Indeed it is only recently that such relationship shave started to be examined at all. The contributions in this volume seek to redress this by researching various aspects of such relationships in order to arrive at some conclusions regarding the potential benefits and pitfalls of such relationships. The various contributors speak from different perspectives and different locations around the world and have different experiences and interpretations to offer. The results therefore present a diverse but balanced picture of the potential of any relationship between NGOs, companies and corporate social responsibility.

This guide for aspiring entrepreneurs provides expert advice on every aspect of launching a new business. It is designed to be of particular value for academics wishing to exploit the commercial value of a new technology or business solution. Inspiring and readable, it shows how to evaluate the strength of a business idea, how to protect inventions, reviews legal steps and responsibilities, shows how to position products in the market, how to create a business plan and raise initial capital. Case studies, exercises and tips demystify the process of starting a business, build confidence and greatly increase the chances of success.

Economic globalization and the application of information and communication technologies have offered firms the opportunity to develop and distribute new knowledge. Open Innovation in Firms and Public Administrations: Technologies for Value Creation analyzes open innovation in a global context and proposes business models and institutional actors that promote the development of open innovation in firms, institutions, and public administrations worldwide. This book provides insights and supports executives concerned with the management of open innovation and organizational development in different types of open innovation communities and environments.