This book is about innovation ecosystems, Clusters of Innovation (COI) and the Global Networks of Clusters of Innovation (GNCOI) they naturally form. What is innovation and why is it important to us? Innovation is nothing less than the ability for constructive response and adaptation to change. The cause and catalyst for that change is frequently identified as technology and its unceasing pressure to improve on existing solutions and address unmet needs. The last decade has painfully demonstrated that exogenous environmental shocks are also sources of change that call for innovative responses, ranging from the obvious challenges such as global warming and Covid-19 to the more subtle social and political perturbations of our time. Entrepreneurs, in collaboration with venture investors and major corporations can create a flywheel of constructive engagement, a cluster of Innovation, that helps build the resiliency of our communities to adsorb and rebound from these shocks. The process is enhanced when actively supported by government, universities, and other elements of the ecosystem. This book provides the tools for understanding this value creation process and the means to enhance it, in both emerging and mature innovation ecosystems. This book provides a framework for understanding innovation in mature and emerging innovation ecosystems to a wide swath of professionals and academics, from senior executives of major corporations, government leaders, public policy makers, and consultants, to academics, researchers, and educators.

Offering an in-depth overview of the field's past, present, and future, this Handbook provides a comprehensive analysis of the current topics, methodologies, findings, and breakthroughs in research conducted with the help of experimental finance methodology. Suggesting innovative ways of navigating and structuring financial markets, it also showcases the diversity and promise of using experiments in finance. With contributions from leading experts, the Handbook begins with a series of investigations into human behavior in financial decision-making, asking methodological questions regarding subject pool choice, cognitive finance, physical and physiological measurement, and research directions. Stressing the dual nature of experimental finance, chapters then relate to market experiments by exploring applied topics, including bank runs, financial accounting and nudging. Finally, it examines experimental tools and methodologies, critical perspectives, roadmaps for implementation, and empirical testing of finance theories. With examples of experiments that test the fundamental theoretical constructs in finance, this Handbook will prove a vital resource to students and scholars of finance, financial economics, and experimental methodology. It will also prove useful to practitioners and policymakers looking to innovate and experiment with their approaches to financial decision-making.

Students and instructors are living through a pandemic that has changed how and what they teach, and how and where they learn. The COVID-19 Update of Principles of Economics, Third Edition, provides the information that students need to make sense of the impacts COVID-19 has had on the economy. The Update Edition has been completely revised to include new examples, new data, new policies, and more. All of Norton's digital resources fully integrate with most learning management systems, providing the flexibility instructors need in this changed world.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business, and law, expertly written by the world's leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. This Advanced Introduction to Social Capital provides an overview of cutting-edge research on social capital. Karen Cook highlights the networks, norms, and trust involved in social capital that facilitate cooperation, strengthen civil society, and contribute to social order, indicating how each contributes to the collective good and provides resources of value to individuals, organizations, and institutions. Key Features: Cross-cultural comparisons of the role of social networks in a number of domains of activity A critical focus on the importance of tolerance and the reaffirmation of democratic principles and practices An understanding of current social and political challenges related to polarization, such as inequality and trust limitations This timely Advanced Introduction is crucial reading for students and researchers in sociology and political science who are looking for an overview of social capital. It will also be an inspiring read for scholars of public policy, particularly those concerned with public management and its impact on social capital.

This comprehensive book synthesizes research from the past 50 years of innovation studies, addressing the main elements and providing a connected perspective on innovation within organizations. It explores the generation and adoption of both technological and nontechnological innovations, offering a coherent and systematic view of the process. Fariborz Damanpour examines innovation activity and internal mechanisms and processes in both business and nonbusiness organizations, providing an overview of key concepts, terms, and theory. Insights from behavioral, economic, and structure-based perspectives are used to explain existing findings and help the reader navigate current research on the management of innovation, as well as offering ideas and frameworks to guide new studies. Organizational Innovation will be an invaluable resource for researchers and graduate-level students of management and organization studies, particularly those working on the management of innovation and technology. It will also prove useful to educators in the field as a reference work for students.

Our Elgar Concise Introductions are inspiring and considered introductions to the key principles in business, expertly written by some of the world's leading scholars. The aims of the series are two-fold: to pinpoint essential principles of business and management, and to offer insights that stimulate critical thinking. Examining the psychological and social drivers of unsustainable and sustainable consumption, this Concise Introduction provides an insightful overview of the causes of unsustainable consumer behaviour and the instruments and interventions needed to create a sustainable consumption pattern. Key Features: Outlines how policy interventions can contribute to a transformation in the consumption pattern Based on a comprehensive model of the causes and consequences of (un)sustainable consumer choices Provides a precise account of how the structure and distribution of consumption are responsible for environmental problems Maps the roots of unsustainable consumption in human nature as well as in economic, institutional, social, and structural contexts Highlighting a variety of ways to promote sustainable consumption, from sustainability labelling to carbon taxes and infrastructure investments, this Concise Introduction will be essential reading for students and researchers in behavioural sciences, business and management, economic psychology, environmental sociology, and sustainable development.

A landmark reference work in the field, this Elgar Encyclopedia presents over 60 entries from scholars that have shaped the economics of innovation as a distinct and specialised field of investigation. Comprehensive and accessible, it further elaborates the relationship between the economics of knowledge and the economics of innovation. The Encyclopedia offers an overview of the classical origins of the early economics of technical change, and the role of Schumpterian legacies and the Arrovian economics of knowledge as indispensable ingredients to understanding innovation. The entries demonstrate that the analysis of the full array of feedbacks, interactions and transactions that take place within economic systems show how and why out-of-equilibrium conditions in both factor and product markets are the cause and consequence of the introduction and diffusion of innovations. This will be a critical read for economics scholars, particularly those focusing on knowledge and innovation as it offers an understanding of the definitions of key terms in the field, the founding tenets of the topic, and the economics of knowledge and innovation in more specific contexts. It will also be a useful reference tool for business school students. Key Features: Contributions from 67 scholars in the field of the economics of knowledge and innovation Informative table offering thematic groupings of the entries in a thorough introduction Provides readers with the framework to elaborate innovation policies and firms' strategies

Our Elgar Concise Introductions are inspiring and considered introductions to the key principles in business, expertly written by some of the world’s leading scholars. The aims of the series are two-fold: to pinpoint essential principles of business and management, and to offer insights that stimulate critical thinking. Examining the psychological and social drivers of unsustainable and sustainable consumption, this Concise Introduction provides an insightful overview of the causes of unsustainable consumer behaviour and the instruments and interventions needed to create a sustainable consumption pattern. Key Features: Outlines how policy interventions can contribute to a transformation in the consumption pattern Based on a comprehensive model of the causes and consequences of (un)sustainable consumer choices Provides a precise account of how the structure and distribution of consumption are responsible for environmental problems Maps the roots of unsustainable consumption in human nature as well as in economic, institutional, social, and structural contexts Highlighting a variety of ways to promote sustainable consumption, from sustainability labelling to carbon taxes and infrastructure investments, this Concise Introduction will be essential reading for students and researchers in behavioural sciences, business and management, economic psychology, environmental sociology, and sustainable development.

This crucial Handbook investigates an urgent area for policy-makers, academia and industries alike: the circular economy. International experts on the subject bring together the latest thinking on this critical global issue. Providing a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms and consequences of the circular economy, as well as its limitations, it raises important questions concerning how the world should proceed when non-renewable resources, such as fossil fuels and minerals, are being depleted and the environment is struggling to cope with the waste and emissions of unsustainable production and consumption systems. Contributors explore a broad range of themes, such as new sustainable production and consumption systems, new design requirements, recycling systems, new business models and the social impacts of the circular economy, while also consolidating the many ways in which the topic has been dealt with in research, business and policy-making. Shedding light on a concept that has become increasingly relevant during the last decade, the Handbook of the Circular Economy is essential reading for students, academics and policy-makers trying to make sense of the plethora of ways in which the term has been applied and interpreted.

Investigating the changing forms, dynamics and trajectories of the artisan and craft sector, this timely book considers the opportunities, challenges, and uncertainties associated with artisanal businesses in new economic times. Exploring how artisanal and craft products remain vibrant embodiments of tradition, heritage, authenticity and creativity, the book explores how these qualities are being harnessed and transformed to enable artisanal businesses to exploit the opportunities presented by technological innovation and evolving consumption patterns for their future viability and vitality. Revolutionary advancement in digital technologies offer 'game-changing' possibilities for artisanship and craft, across a spectrum ranging from production practices to e-commerce. But such technological advancements also present challenges to how artisanship sustains its important 'traditional' associations, and how it builds on its relationship with the ethical, the sustainable and the local. Featuring an international range of case studies, chapters exemplify how artisanal organisations can revitalise their business models, using innovative branding and marketing strategies, and entrepreneurship, to utilise the best of both the past and the future. This cutting-edge book will prove invaluable to students and scholars of marketing, business studies and sociology who are interested in contemporary innovation in artisanship and craft. With practical advice from industry experts, it also serves as a useful resource for practitioners and stakeholders within the artisanal and craft sector who might be concerned with the impact of digitalisation on the field.

Identifying customer loyalty as a crucial success factor in contemporary marketing thinking and practice, this innovative Handbook incorporates a rich collection of perspectives on the current topics and research-driven practices in the field. Leading scholars offer an insightful reimagining of the research methods, metrics, and designs for the future of measuring and predicting customer loyalty. The Handbook recognises loyalty as a strategic asset, and analyses incentive structures such as loyalty-based learning, gamification, and automaticity to track the evolution of customer loyalty programmes. Examining the impacts of globalization and cutting-edge technologies on the customer loyalty journey, it identifies an increase in customer defection and a rapid erosion of single-brand loyalty. Forward-thinking, it concludes by reflecting on how trends like voice technology, augmented reality, and influencer marketing will shape the domain of customer loyalty in the future. Gathering together contemporary concepts, practice, measures and challenges to inform future research, this Handbook will prove an enlightening read for students and scholars of marketing, business and management, and psychology. Its illustrative case studies will also prove invaluable for practitioners in a diverse range of fields looking to future-proof and reimagine their loyalty strategies.

Timely and invigorating, this book explores how blockchain technology is disrupting economies and transforming societies. It offers detailed insights into the synergistic and complementary effects of blockchain and other new and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, satellite imagery and digital twins. The Rise of Blockchains highlights how the developments of ecosystems around blockchain are helping to realize the potential of this technology to act as a 'trust machine' across more contexts and settings. Multidisciplinary in both scope and perspectives, the book looks at blockchain's potential for impacting challenges in supply chain management, security, privacy and compliancy issues, and transforming payment and settlement systems. It further provides insights into the opportunities, barriers, and enablers of blockchain adoption by organizations. With a focus on both theoretical and practical knowledge related to blockchain, this will be an important read for business and management scholars, particularly those focusing on organization studies, information systems, and supply chain management. It will also be a useful book for economics students and economists working with cryptocurrencies.

Witty economists are about as easy to find as anorexic mezzo-sopranos, natty mujahedeen, and cheerful Philadelphians. But Steven E. Landsburg...is one economist who fits the bill. In a wide-ranging, easily digested, unbelievably contrarian survey of everything from why popcorn at movie houses costs so much to why recycling may actually reduce the number of trees on the planet, the University of Rochester professor valiantly turns the discussion of vexing economic questions into an activity that ordinary people might enjoy.

-- Joe Queenan, "The Wall Street Journal"

"The Armchair Economist" is a wonderful little book, written by someone for whom English is a first (and beloved) language, and it contains not a single graph or equation...Landsburg presents fascinating concepts in a form easily accessible to noneconomists.

-- Erik M. Jensen, "The Cleveland Plain Dealer"

...enormous fun from its opening page...Landsburg has done something extraordinary: He has expounded basic economic principles with wit and verve.

-- Dan Seligman, "Fortune"

Policy makers give a lot of attention to business creation and entrepreneurship, but they do not have a good resource for understanding The Truth about Entrepreneurship. The extensive media coverage of Wall Street entrepreneurship provides an incomplete portrayal of most business creation. While both high profile and everyday new firms provide major contributions to economic growth, the ongoing, bottoms-up activity pursued by over half a billion around the world is not widely recognized. This book reviews some of the most salient features of grass roots business creation, such as the total amount of activity, differences related to national economic development, the relationship to business churning and job creation, the impact of national context, the mixed contributions of high growth firms, the modest effect of external financial support, the unequal distribution of sunk costs related to successful payback, importance as an option for the most desperate in poor countries, and the tendency to overlook the continuing incremental impact of Main Street business creation. Entrepreneurial scholars, faculty, policy analysts and graduate students interested in economic development, entrepreneurship and public policy will find clarity and gain a depth of knowledge about policymaking and business creation with The Truth about Entrepreneurship.

Properly conceived and executed mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have the potential to unlock value for a wide range of corporate stakeholders. However, many of these transactions fail to deliver the expected outcomes.

In this fourth edition of Mergers and Acquisitions: A South African overview, the most important factors that contribute to M&A failure are identified. Suggestions are also provided on how to avoid the identified pitfalls in future endeavours.

The book fills an important gap in the academic literature on M&As in South Africa post-2020. Not only is considerable attention given to the strategic objectives prompting business combina- tions and restructurings, but several valuation techniques are also presented to determine the fair value of a target. Numerous case studies are included to highlight the implications. Focus is furthermore placed on the importance of due diligence investigations and post-intergration analyses.

Real-life examples, practical exercises, quick quizzes, multiple choice questions and long questions are included to enhance the reader's understanding of key concepts and calculations.

All four authors are Professors in the Department of Business Management at Stellenbosch University.

Developed for the new International A Level specification, these new resources are specifically designed for international students, with a strong focus on progression, recognition and transferable skills, allowing learning in a local context to a global standard. Recognised by universities worldwide and fully comparable to UK reformed GCE A levels. Supports a modular approach, in line with the specification. Appropriate international content puts learning in a real-world context, to a global standard, making it engaging and relevant for all learners. Reviewed by a language specialist to ensure materials are written in a clear and accessible style. The embedded transferable skills, needed for progression to higher education and employment, are signposted so students understand what skills they are developing and therefore go on to use these skills more effectively in the future. Exam practice provides opportunities to assess understanding and progress, so students can make the best progress they can.

This timely Handbook provides a conceptual discussion and a wide empirical presentation of new disruptive forms of innovation producing appropriate technologies, addressing the needs of low-income populations, and providing alternative solutions for sustainable development. The Handbook of Innovation & Appropriate Technologies for International Development expertly analyses and compares contributions of appropriate technologies in developing, emerging and industrialized economies, including China and India, and their global development impacts. Additionally, it covers the transversal role of new international communication technologies, open access, digital tools as well as entrepreneurship and innovation from within emerging economies and in industrialized nations. Using empirical analyses of cases and experiences in manufacturing sectors and services, it covers both the formal and informal economy, and provides an insightful focus on differences and similarities across borders and sectors. NGO and private sector practitioners, public sector officers as well as academics specialized in development economics, entrepreneurship and engineering or management studies will find this Handbook to be illuminating and very informative. Science and technology producers and entrepreneurs will appreciate the global look into more sustainable development as related to appropriate technologies, and how they can be used across all economic backgrounds.

Utilizing extensive research in economics, psychology, political science, neuroscience and evolutionary theory, Ananish Chaudhuri provides a critical perspective on the role of cognitive biases in decision-making during the Covid-19 pandemic. The extensive use of, and support for, stringent social distancing measures in particular is explored in depth. Nudged into Lockdown? provides clear explanations of complex scientific information regarding Covid-19, vaccines, and policy responses, to highlight issues at the center of policy-making during the pandemic. With a comprehensive overview of the policy debates around Covid-19, the book offers an alternative thought-provoking perspective on the topic, as well as suggestions for policy-making during future pandemics and other crises. It further highlights applications of a range of concepts from heuristics and biases literature, including priming, framing, anchoring, Prospect Theory, and loss aversion. Providing directions for future research in the area, this book will be an invigorating read for established academics, as well as postgraduate students looking to undertake research in Covid-19 related decision-making. It will also be a critical read for economics, political science, and public policy scholars seeking a deeper understanding of the topic.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

With twenty-two chapters written by leading international experts, this volume represents the most detailed and comprehensive Handbook on electricity markets ever published. It covers all dimensions of electricity markets: wholesale and retail; renewable electricity sources; the electrification of mobility, heating and cooling; and recent innovations such as distributed generation, electrical energy storage, demand response and digital platforms that are disrupting the industry. The benefits, as well as the limits, of open markets and competition are assessed at the level of underlying principles and with reference to specific cases, including the UK, PJM Interconnection, Texas, Australia, Scandinavia, continental Europe and China. The details of electricity market designs are analysed and discussed. The book also considers new emerging business models, as well as the impact of electricity sector policy priorities such as universal access and deep decarbonization. This Handbook is intended to be used and useful. Students and young professionals will find the information they need to enter the field. Researchers, experienced professionals and public decision-makers will get a comprehensive update on the topical issues in electricity markets that will guide them through the important developments the sector is witnessing.

This timely Research Handbook examines the evolution of smart growth over the past three decades, mapping the trajectory from its original principles to its position as an important paradigm in urban planning today. Critically analysing the original concept of smart growth and how it has been embedded in state and local plans, contributions from top scholars in the field illustrate what smart growth has accomplished since its conception, as well as to what extent it has achieved its goals. Providing an overview of the history of smart growth, the book further examines its changing governance over time, and the new horizons for smart growth, exploring ways to confront contemporary challenges in urban planning. Illuminating key issues in the field, from urban sprawl to gentrification, that the original principles failed to address, this insightful Handbook advocates for the expansion of smart growth principles to meet the emerging challenges of the modern world, concluding with an agenda for a "smart growth 2.0". Informative and comprehensive, this Handbook will prove to be essential reading for researchers, academics and students of urban planning. Its proposals for the future evolution of smart growth will also serve as an accessible and up-to-date reference point for urban planning professionals, activists and policymakers.

This original book examines the experiences cities and urban areas have had with two principal concerns that confront them today: sustainability and competitiveness. Focusing on major cities in East Asia, North America, and Western Europe, Towards a Competitive, Sustainable Modern City illuminates the ways in which cities differ not only in their course and stages of development, but in the nature of their economies and their administrative structures. Featuring a wide-ranging set of contributions from top researchers, this book discusses and analyzes the issues that different cities face, such as social cohesion, tolerance and cultural diversity, and how this will determine their developmental trajectories through the coming decade. These issues are explored in relation to contemporary topics including the growing economy of robotics, the rising importance and use of artificial intelligence and the information and communications economy. Towards a Competitive, Sustainable Modern City will be an invaluable read for scholars and professors in urban economics and urban studies more broadly, particularly those who are focusing on the importance of sustainability in both areas. Its stimulating, yet accessible, approach to the topic and key case studies will also greatly benefit urban planners and economic policy makers looking to improve contemporary cities.

Law and economics has become a central course in U.S. legal education and for students majoring in topics like economics, political science, and philosophy. Cooter and Ulen provide a clear introduction to economic analysis and its application to legal rules and institutions that is accessible to any student who has taken principles of microeconomics. The book's structure is flexible, beginning with an introductory overview of economic tools followed by paired chapters in five core areas of law: property, contracts, torts, legal process, and crime. Students leave the course understanding how microeconomic theory can be used to critically evaluate law and public policy.