This eleventh volume derived from the Annual International High Technology Small Firms (HTSFs) Conference, and the edited book series of which it forms part, is a detailed testimony to the progress of academic research on this specialist, but highly important, area of industrial activity. In particular, research from this series is intended to provide a basis for new "evidence-based" government policy, although governments in many developed economies have often been seduced by "fads," in circumstances where policy solutions are crudely adopted without convincing evidence of their efficacy. None the less, it is most important for academics, although they may be occasionally ignored, to continue to pursue independent research of the type contained within this series in order to provide research-based policy options, and commentary on the quality of the current policy environment for HTSFs in different national contexts.

As in the case of previous volumes in this series, the current collection of papers inform many issues important to policy as governments seek to promote HTSF formation and growth. In this volume individual papers are grouped into three main sections; these are "Theory," "Strategy" and "Clustering and Spin Off Firms." Regarding Theory, all five papers grouped under this heading are concerned, either with high technology entrepreneurship in general, or academic high technology small firm entrepreneurship in particular, with four of the five papers strongly focussed on academic entrepreneurial examples. The Strategy section is again comprised of five papers, which broadly explore how diverse business ideas are operationalised in terms of strategy.

A longstanding interest in academic spin-offs in this book series has been more recently re-invigorated by a sudden interest in clustering which, through the related topics of incubation, science park formation and sub-regional high technology clustering has prompted linked research on the formation and growth of HTSFs in specialist locations, mainly through spin off. In the final Clustering and Spin Off section, the four individual papers are either concerned with how "spin offs" can contribute to HTSF cluster growth in industrial districts, or in the environs of major core regional universities.

In contemporary global capitalism, the most powerful corporations are innovation or intellectual monopolies. The book's unique perspective focuses on how private ownership and control of knowledge and data have become a major source of rent and power. The author explains how at the one pole, these corporations concentrate income, property and power in the United States, China, and in a handful of intellectual monopolies, particularly from digital and pharmaceutical industries, while at the other pole developing countries are left further behind. The book includes detailed empirical mappings of how intellectual monopolies develop and transform knowledge from universities and open-source collaborations into intangible assets. The result is a strategy that combines undermining the commons through privatization with harvesting from the same commons. The book ends with provoking reflections to tilt the scale against intellectual monopoly capitalism and arguing that desired changes require democratic mobilization of workers and citizens at large. This book represents one of the first attempts to capture the contours of an emerging new era where old perspectives lead us astray, and the old policy toolbox is hopelessly inadequate. This is true for the idea that the best, or only, way to promote innovation is to transform knowledge into private property. It is also true for anti-trust policies focusing exclusively on consumer prices. The formation of global infrastructures that lead to natural monopolies calls for public rather than private ownership. Scholars and professionals from the social sciences and humanities (in particular economics, sociology, political science, geography, educational science and science and technology studies) will enjoy a clear and all-embracing depiction of innovation dynamics in contemporary capitalism, with a particular focus on asymmetries between actors, regions and topics. In fact, its topical issue broadens the book's scope to those curious about how innovation networks shape our world.

Replacement Models with Minimal Repair is a collection of works by several well-known specialists on the subject of minimal repair in replacement policies. It gives an exhaustive list of minimal repair models for the effective planning of minimal repair and maintenance actions. Written in an engaging style, Replacement Models with Minimal Repair balances complex mathematical models with practical applications. It is divided into six parts that cover: mathematical modeling of minimal repair; preventive maintenance models and optimal scheduling of imperfect preventive maintenance activities; a new warranty servicing strategy with imperfect repair; mathematical models combining burn-in procedure and general maintenance policies; methods for parameters' estimation of minimal repair models; and product support. Replacement Models with Minimal Repair is for anyone with an interest in minimal repair and its impact on maintenance policies and strategies. It is a particularly useful resource for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students.

This work goes beyond recent analyses of African development to present a post-dependency framework for the study of Africa's political economy. The author argues that, although the contributions of the modernization and dependency frameworks cannot be ignored, recent economic and political adjustments and realignments require a more penetrating analysis--one that takes into account such factors as the overall growth of the economy, the role of the state, parallel markets, and capitalist development in general. An ideal supplemental text for courses in comparative politics, international political economy, and African development, the volume is comparative in approach and covers the countries of sub-Saharan Africa.

The author begins by discussing the various dimensions--agricultural, environmental, industrial, population--of Africa's continuing crisis condition. He then closely examines the African development experience since independence and explores the evolution of development theory and its application to Africa. Arguing for a new mode of production approach to the study of Africa's political economy, the author attempts to determine whether Africa is indeed predominantly capitalist and raises questions regarding prevailing theories of capitalist development. Finally, Nyang'oro looks at the state in Africa, pointing to some fundamental weaknesses that contribute to the ongoing crisis and offering a perceptive assessment of development options open to Africa.

With its unique mix of theory, historical discussion, case studies, and contemporary analysis, this book provides a complete and detailed comprehension of the business environment in Central America, with a focus specifically on Guatemala. Identifying the key drivers of Central America economic growth and development, it outlines what must be done to take advantage of the opportunities as Guatemala moves into the future. This book will serve as a valuable resource for IB scholars and students seeking to learn more about the changing focus and interests of Central America, and the implications and opportunities this poses for global business interests.

This book supports companies in the transport sector, political decision-makers, transport engineers, planners and scientists doing fundamental research who are confronted by growing challenges in transport. These challenges arise from a number of powerful socio-technical trends, including: digitalisation, globalisation, urbanisation, and the requirements of individual users and the increased need to reduce environmental impact of transport. Providing the innovations required to cope with these challenges is not a simple matter. Towards Innovative Transport Systems structures and compiles theoretical foundations from evolutionary economics, the sociology of technology and innovation research in a way that provides a broad understanding of innovation processes without demanding prior knowledge. Using the Concept of Transport System Evolution (CTSE), it explains in depth the economics of innovation in the transport sector, thus contextualising processes, drivers and obstacles at work in current practice; among such processes are the changeover to electric mobility, the realization of autonomous cars, the revival of railway by innovations and dealing with disruptive innovations in transport. The CTSE is an approach to making concrete the multi-level perspective for the transport sector introduced by Frank Geels. On the basis of the CTSE, the author proposes principles for a novel innovation policy in transport that can serve the reader as a guide when making strategic decisions.

Herbert Blumer wrote continuously and voluminously, and consequently left a vast array of unpublished work at the time of his death in 1987. This posthumously published volume testifies further to his perceptive analysis of large-scale social organizations and elegant application of symbolic interactionist principles.

Blumer's focus on the processual nature of social life and on the significance of the communicative interpretation of social contexts is manifest in his theory of industrialization and social change. His theory entails three major points: industrialization must be seen in processual terms, and the industrialization process is different for different historical periods; the consequences of industrialization are a function of the interpretive nature of human action and resembles a neutral framework within which groups interpret the meaning of industrial relations, and the industrial sector must be viewed in terms of power relations; industrial societies contain inherently conflicting interests.

The editors' introductory essay outlines Blumer's metatheoretical stance (symbolic interactionism) and its emphasis on the adjustive character of social life. It places Blumer's theory in the context of contemporary macro theory, including world systems theory, resource dependence theory, and modernization theory.

"Herbert Blumer" (1900-1987), formerly Chairperson, Department of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, was the theoretical and methodological leader of "symbolic interactionism" and was identified as its foremost proponent for a half-century. His publications include works on industrial relations, research methods, mass society, collective behavior, race relations, and social movements.

"David R. Maines" is chairman of the department of anthropology and sociology at Oakland University. He has worked to articulate an interactionist approach to the study of social organization as well as the fundamental relevance of temporality and communication for sociological analysis.

"Thomas J. Morrione" is Charles A. Dana Professor of Sociology at Colby College and he is currently Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the college. He was a Research Associate (1977, 1985) and Visiting Professor (1984) at the University of California, Berkeley.

This study chronicles the unique relationship between the Federal government and the American multinational corporation, integrating it into the mainstream of American political history. It is a record of continuous adjustment on the part of both parties as each side navigated the unchartered waters of this unconventional partnership. What makes it so relevant historically is that while the Federal government was adjusting to its postwar global responsibilities, corporate America in its multinational dimension was taking on new roles which redefined the international political economy. It involved international oil companies impacting our relations with the volatile Middle East, an economic Watergate of global dimensions, and an unresolved debate on public versus private responsibilities toward the Third World and its multiple economic and social problems. Objectively presented, " America and the Multinational Corporation" provides the historical context for tracking the various presidential perspectives from Truman to Bush as well as the various congressional initiatives to redefine business-government relations in terms of corporate America's most aggressive offspring--the multinational.

Professor Reardon moves beyond the initial assessments of the multinational corporation vis-a-vis the Federal government, refusing to view it as a threat to the continued survival of the nation-state or as a force that the Federal government must tame at all cost. Rather, the partnership is a complex and continuously evolving relationship that may well be acquiring a new configuration as the world's economy becomes global rather than international. His study will be of interest to all students of contemporary American history as well as scholars in international political economy.

The Move to the Market? brings together recent contributions that critically review and examine the role that trade and industry policy reforms have played in the transitional economies. It relates trade and industry policy to the wider set of reforms being implemented as part of the process of moving from a predominantly centrally planned to a more market-oriented economy. The book highlights the different and complex patterns of development that are emerging between the transitional economies of Europe, Africa and Asia.

This book addresses the latest organizational, regulatory, and governance issues of main port systems, linking them to the financial aspects that are currently in use regarding investments in the port industry. A general review of port management and operations is complimented by analysis of country specific systems and a look at how ports could develop in the future. This book aims to examine how different port organizational and regulatory contexts affect port investment practices and related financial tools. The book is of use to researchers and practitioners interested in maritime economics and transportation studies.

This book provides quantitative evidence on the issues in fiscal and monetary policies in Mongolia and presents necessary policy recommendations for policymakers and academic circles. Mongolia belongs to a natural resource-based, transition economy and thus has faced the risk of the so-called resource curse-including the "Dutch Disease" and immaturity in market-based systems, particularly in financial markets. Consequently, reformations of resource allocation and policy governance in fiscal and monetary fields have been required. So far, however, there have been only a very limited number of quantitative studies in the Mongolian economy among the vast literature of Asian studies. This book applies scientific approaches to address fiscal and monetary issues, such as data-oriented and econometric methods (a structural vector auto-regression model, a spatial econometric model, and panel estimation with fixed effects, among others). In this manner, the book enriches empirical evidence in academic literature and also contributes to evidence-based policymaking. All the authors are young leaders of government officials in the Ministry of Finance, Financial Regulatory Commission, and National Statistics Office in Mongolia, who have been trained in academic research methodologies at Saitama University, Japan, on JICA-JDS scholarships. Thus, academic researchers and policymakers will be prominent members of the target audience for this work.

Industrial innovation is essential for national and corporate competitiveness. Understanding the nature, determinants and consequences of innovation is a key task of managers, public policymakers and all students of industry and business. This major new reference book brings together specially commissioned contributions by many leading world experts on a wide range of issues concerning innovation. The first section provides an introduction to the significance and process of industrial innovation, and to the contexts or 'systems' within which it occurs. A series of sectoral and industrial studies is followed by assessments of the key issues affecting innovation. Another section examines one of the main constraints on successful innovation: the strategic management of technology in both products and processes. As well as the benefits of innovation, the problems and challenges of the processes, management and outcomes of innovation are raised throughout the book. Select bibliographies chosen by international experts are included to ensure that this comprehensive reference tool is an indispensable guide for students, scholars, innovators and policymakers.

In this volume the leading scholars and practitioners in the field provide a comprehensive, in-depth examination of trends in privatization throughout the world. Focusing primarily on the experiences of seventeen countries--including developing countries, advanced industrial nations, and socialist states--the book explores theoretical approaches toward the issues inherent in privatization and deregulation, specifies techniques for successful privatization, and examines the cost-benefits and limits of privatization policies. The contributors then present a series of twenty detailed case studies which assess the actual problems and prospects associated with privatization and deregulation policy choices across varied sociopolitical systems and a range of economic sectors. The result is the most extensive comparative public policy analysis yet published on the subject of privatization and deregulation.

Following an introductory overview which addresses the interaction between privatization, deregulation and market liberalization within both developed and developing country policy environments, the contributors discuss the philosophical bases of privatization policies, examine the seminal experiences of Britain and the United States, and identify factors responsible for successful privatization efforts. This is followed by case studies of privatization in such sectors as finance, transportation, health care, housing, and telecommunications around the world. After special sectoral studies of developing country finance, debt-equity conversions, and international air transport, the authors successively survey the experience of privatization in selected Latin American, Caribbean, West African and Asian developing nations; in the advanced industrial nations of Canada, France, New Zealand, and Sweden; and in the socialist countries of China, Hungary, and Poland. In their conclusion, the editors discuss the immediate implications of the contributors' findings and suggest research directions for the future. Numerous explanatory tables and figures are included, making this an ideal supplemental text for courses in business, government, and public policy.

Cultural entrepreneurship uses culture as a way to understand innovative business ventures. Culture in this edited book involves the beliefs and values associated with certain forms of behaviour. This means the way individuals are involved in business ventures is based on their cultural ideas. This edited book focuses on how cultural entrepreneurship is an important way to understand how cultural products and services such as art, food, music and literature influence the development of business ventures. Thereby highlighting the interesting and unique way cultural ideas are embedded in entrepreneurial activities.

Acclaim for previous editions: 'The International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics 2011 provides comprehensive statistical data on world manufacturing. . . The Yearbook represents a massive effort in data collection, data harmonization, and tabular presentation - well beyond the constraints of time and resources available to the average researcher or investigator. Therefore, the Yearbook presents a vast amount of information in a convenient form.' - William C. Struning, American Reference Books Annual 2012 'The UNIDO International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics is now a classic reference. . . The different editions of the Yearbook provide a unique statistical tool for analyzing the world industry.' - Revue d'Economie Industrielle / Industrial Economics Review 'This annual publication seems to be the only international publication providing worldwide statistics on current performance and trends in the manufacturing sector. In terms of comprehensiveness, accuracy, and cross-country comparisons this volume is unparalleled . . . If you are looking for an authoritative source for comparative international statistics on industrial information, this is it.' - Andrea Meyer, Business Information Alert 'This is a unique and massive effort by UNIDO providing comparative statistics on current performance and trends in the manufacturing sector worldwide . . . There is no doubt that the volume is a most important source book for economists, planners and policymakers.' - Pradosh Nath, Journal of Science and Industrial Research 'UNIDO has done well to bridge gaps in information noticed so far in industrial statistics worldwide and its companionship and usefulness will be realised by all users of this documentation in governmental, industrial and academic circles, as a must on every working desk. Its reliability is fully backed up by authoritative analysis.' - Rajinder Kunmar, Marketing and Management News A unique and comprehensive source of information, this book is the only international publication providing economists, planners, policymakers and business people with worldwide statistics on current performance and trends in the manufacturing sector. The Yearbook is designed to facilitate international comparisons relating to manufacturing activity and industrial development and performance. It provides data which can be used to analyze patterns of growth and related long term trends, structural change and industrial performance in individual industries. Statistics on employment patterns, wages, consumption and gross output and other key indicators are also presented.

A growing number of organizations are meta-organizations; rather than individuals they have other organizations as their members. This comprehensive book explains, in-depth, the unique way in which meta-organizations function, how they differ from organizations with individual membership, and how they are crucial agents in the process of globalization. The book opens a whole new area for organizational research. It will be essential reading for researchers and postgraduate students interested in organization theory, globalization, politics and organizations, or international organizations.

This book deep dives into emerging consumer trends in the food and beverage industry in Italy, particularly in light of the COVID-19 crisis, and explores how firms have evolved to meet consumer needs and succeed in this challenging context. Through a series of case studies, the authors explore the food and beverage industry's defining characteristics and how each particular sector has become so important to the Italian economy. Drawing on cases that feature small, medium and large enterprises, the authors reveal how firms have adapted their business strategies to meet new customer demands and market trends, highlighting the winning characteristics of the ever-evolving 'Made in Italy' brand, concluding with a recommended strategy of best practices for future implementation. Providing examples that can be studied, applied and analyzed by researchers, students, and practitioners, this unique book offers a detailed understanding of the different innovations and adaptations that companies in the food and beverage sector have put in place in response to ever evolving markets and trends, and how innovation becomes the key to success.

China has used industrial policies to try to build large corporations that can challenge those based in more advanced countries. By the late 1990s the operational mechanism of China's large firms had seen large advances. Simultaneously, a revolution has taken place in global business systems, and China's large firms are even further behind the global leaders than when they began their reforms. The WTO will require China to operate rapidly on the "global playing field" in competition with the world's leading corporations, and this increased gap presents a deep challenge for China's business and political leaders. Peter Nolan presents here the first in-depth case studies of China's large corporations under economic reform, combined with systematic benchmarking of these firms against the world's leading corporations. The book is an unrivalled resource of information on Chinese businesses, and also leads the reader to consider the impact of China's response to its current challenges not only on China itself, but on the wider global economy.

This book is concerned with the unprecedented involvement of the French state in the industrial sector of the country's economy during the First World War. That war was a great forcing-house for change, and one of the traditional relationshps of French society which was radically altered during this period was that of the state to private industry. Professor Godfey's study is unique as far as France is concerned: it is the only full study of the workings of the French war economy from 1914 to 1918 and on the politics of businessmen.

This book focuses on traditional fields of business studies and economics and how digitalization has affected them. It provides an overview about the lessons learned from academic research and highlights implications for practitioners. Digitalization has not only changed the ways business administration and economics are taught, but also the substance at the core of the two disciplines. Chapters from expert contributors define and carefully evaluate the developments that have occurred over the last decades. The authors further provide an assessment of how industry branches have adapted and in which form regulators have engaged. Attention is given to the theoretical and empirical findings from recent scholarly literature. Furthermore, the authors provide some novel insights from their own research at the University of Bremen. This book appeals to business administration, economics, and entrepreneurship scholars and practitioners alike.

This unique book examines conceptual, empirical, and practical issues associated with corporate reputation. Emphasizing the importance of the roles of corporate social disclosure and organizational effectiveness, the authors emphasize the need for an integrative framework in explaining the nature of corporate reputation. Utilizing valuable data provided by Fortune magazine, the book provides both a historical evaluation of reputational rankings of Fortune 500 firms for the period 1987-1991 and insights as to the market reaction to disclosure of these rankings. These can be utilized by firms in building reputation, investors in evaluating their strategies, and public policy officials in dealing with corporations.

Following an extensive review of the conceptual foundations of corporate reputation, namely corporate social performance and disclosure and organizational effectiveness, the authors present explanatory and predictive models of corporate reputation. They then examine the potential relationship between corporate reputation and shareholders' wealth--the market reaction to reputation signals. Their findings suggest that a firM's benefit from the disclosure of reputation signals will depend on size and expectations, and that such disclosure appears to lead to a significant, lagged market reaction. Based on a detailed analysis of the 1987-1991 performance of U.S. firms on eight key attributes of reputation, the authors conclude with insights that can be utilized by corporations and investors alike.

This edited book explores how stakeholders play a key part in any entrepreneurial endeavour because of their investment in the outcome. This book highlights that it is important to understand the reason and rationale for stakeholder engagement in entrepreneurship. Furthermore, this book showcases how there are different kinds of stakeholders from businesses directly linked to an entity to others that have a more policy influence on the industry segment. This book demonstrates that it is useful to understand to what extent stakeholders influence entrepreneurial decision making. This book states that most stakeholders tend to take an indirect role in the governance of a business in terms of what strategic decisions are made. This can change in times of crisis or change depending on the nature of the relationship. This book makes the case that stakeholders can take positive action in the form of advice or help. This book asserts that stakeholders who have an ongoing direct role are likely to invest more time and effort in an entrepreneurial endeavour. This book uncovers that it is important to re-evaluate on a continual basis whether the relationship is working and what needs to be done in order to increase efficiency. This edited book focuses on the role of stakeholders in an entrepreneurial context thereby being amongst the first research books to place specific attention on stakeholder management through public and private partnerships.