Much of the literature on corporate reputation examines the topic from a narrow perspective--for example, from a marketing or public relations point of view. However, reputation is really a topic that spans multiple fields of endeavor--economics, finance, management, marketing, and public relations, among others. Clearly an interdisciplinary approach is needed and is provided by this volume written by two university professors and a public relations specialist. Shaping the Corporate Image discusses how a corporate reputation is acquired, maintained, and nurtured. The authors conclude that corporate leaders possess the power to mold investor perceptions and evaluations of their firms, and the authors provide the latest information on the issues.

Central to the analysis of corporate reputation are numerous examples of drastic changes in reputation ranking as reported in Fortune magazine. Discussions of these articles combine with an academic look at past trends and commentary collected from interviews with current CEOs and public relations executives to yield a valuable review of strategies that were either spectacular successes or dismal failures. "Shaping the Corporate Image" provides the reader with valuable input for the future--for developing reputation building in the 1990s and beyond. This volume should be of particular interest to CEOs and public relations specialists concerned with defining, enhancing, and nurturing the corporate image. It is also suitable for supplemental reading in courses in advertising, public relations, business strategy, and marketing, as well as a valuable resource for academics interested in the latest theoretical and practical developments in this field.

This book presents the cooperative economy as a viable alternative to the neoliberal capitalist and authoritarian socialist models currently in use around the world. The authors contend that the cooperative model is based on principles essential to building a more just and equitable society. The democratic decision making process is indispensable for advancing towards a society that can better fulfil material and spiritual needs, helping to motivate workers and promoting solidarity. It is argued that the cooperative model would not only be of great use for the economic reform currently taking place in Cuba, but would radically transform other societies as well.

This book contains a series of studies of the regulation under English law of the range of business organisational structures available to entrepreneurs. It analyses the commonest of these structures,including limited companies (public and private), groups of companies, privatised enterprises, and partnerships, as well as the more specialised forms such as industrial and provident societies, banks, building societies, insurance companies, joint ventures, franchise agreements, limited partnerships and overseas companies. Set within the context of a period of considerable actual and proposed legal change, the contributions (from recognised authorities in their respective fields) analyse the broad regulatory structure adopted for each of the above business forms, outline the changing patterns of regulation and consider likely future developments. Several broad themes run through the work, including the relationship between the economic desirability of facilitating enterprise and the need to regulate against possible abuse; stakeholder protection; pursuit of risk management strategies and the implications of European harmonisation in the business sector.

This book is one of the first fully-fledged studies to examine the next world-class industrial leaders emerging from China and India; exploring the domestic and international factors that have led to their rise, and comparing their experiences with other East Asian late-comers such as Japan.

"This volume is one of the first books to consider the impact of tripartism across the developing world. It covers 8 case studies from Afrcia, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America, focusing on developments since the 1990s. These studies show that tripartism has the effect of reducing the social impact of neo-liberal economics reforms"--Provided by publisher.

This volume highlights the importance of interactive, practice-based learning as a means to promote more thorough innovation dynamics in regional and national economies. Successful experiences in Scandanavia and southern European countries are examined, with insightful policy lessons extracted from each case.

This volume is the second book based on comparative and comprehensive data from the 2003 representative European Union Company survey of Operating hours, Working times and Employment (EUCOWE) in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. The EUCOWE project is the first representative and standardised European company survey which covers all categories of firm sizes and all sectors of the economy. This volume complements and builds on the first book published in 2007, in which the methodology and the descriptive national findings as well as some first comparative analytical results were presented. In this second book the EUCOWE research team presents in-depth cross-country analyses of the relationship between operating hours, working times and employment in the European Union. Six empirical chapters of this volume provide detailed comparative analyses of the determinants and consequences of the duration and flexibility of opening hours and operating times.

Corporate governance, namely the relationship between the ownership and control of firms, takes on new dimensions in the case of international joint ventures operating in the special context of China. The present study contributes a new examination of this relationship, firstly through its conceptual refinement, and secondly through original empirical research. It develops the concept of ownership as suited to joint ventures, in which account is taken of non-capital resourcing by foreign and Chinese partners.

This state-of-the-art collection of papers on the theory of Cournotian competition focuses on two main subjects: oligopolistic Cournot competition and contests. The contributors present various applications of the Cournotian Equilibrium Theory, addressing topics such as equilibrium existence and uniqueness, equilibrium structure, dynamic processes, coalitional behavior and welfare. Special emphasis is placed on the aggregative nature of the games that are relevant to such theory. This contributed volume was written to celebrate the 80th birthday of Prof. Koji Okuguchi, a pioneer in oligopoly theory.

"Private Equity in Poland" focuses on the evolution of private equity in Poland. Poland represents the most developed private equity industry in Central and Eastern Europe and is one of the leaders in emerging markets worldwide. There is a growing interest in private equity in emerging markets around the world which has been fuelled by the extraordinary economic growth, attractive investment opportunities, exciting exit choices, and handsome returns; Poland is one of these markets. The development of private equity in Poland may serve as a blueprint for other emerging market countries like India and China.

In this day and age, it is unfortunate that the economic prosperity and development leads to disruption of the dynamic balance of the environment. The philosophy of sustainable development has been presented for a long period of time but it has not been able to bring about a substantial change in our society. The transformation of this philosophy into a practical reality seems to be far away - at least in the foreseeable future. In my opinion, the only way I see the revolution taking place is for us to incorporate 'sustainability' in our daily living and to keep pushing for a sustainable society. Meanwhile, we also need scientists to work on technologies that would lead us to that goal at a faster pace. Technologies that are 'completely' environmentally friendly are needed urgently. And if such technologies or ideas of one exists, a platform is required that showcases such ideas to the scientific and non-scientific audience. Through this book, I am happy to present the thoughts of seven different research groups whose work may lead us to the doorsteps of sustainable society. As scientists, most of us specialize in a sub-topic that may be related to one of the three environmental components - air, land, or water. Over a period of time, we become so engrossed with the sub-discipline of our specialization that we only have glimpses of what is happening in other disciplines.

This text blends a coherent overview of the most important theories and insights in the field of business ethics with a range of practical contexts to explore the important issue of corporate responsibility and accountability. It should be be widely used on courses and training programmes in corporate social responsibility and business ethics. The book is supported by a website containing further information about the cases and questions for discussion.

Although IT outsourcing is nothing new, it remains surprisingly challenging for professionals. This book assists the IT professional in several areas of the outsourcing process: establishing outsourcing relationships, maintaining and managing the relationship, and finally governing outsourcing projects successfully.

This tells the story of the development of the private equity industry in Germany. It is the first comprehensive history of the private equity industry for any country, revealing the vicissitudes of private equity investing, warts and all. It is an engaging chronicle for anyone interested in the industry or the modern German economy.

The theory of path dependence continues to attract great interest in a range of disciplines. An increasing number of scholars have started to explicitly use this theory for studying organizational inertia and institutional rigidities. This volume presents a collection of papers from various international conferences that address these issues.

Productive transformation requires seizing the opportunities available and opening new ones in a competitive world. Rethinking Productive Development examines the market failures impeding transformation and the government failures that may make the policy remedies worse than the market illness. To address market failures, the authors propose a simple conceptual framework based on the scope and nature of the policy approach. They then systematically analyze country policies through this lens in key areas such as innovation, new firms, financing, human capital, and internationalization to show the power of this way of thinking. Still, the book warns that policymakers cannot be sure what the right policy interventions are and must set up a process to discover them that calls for public-private collaboration. Recognizing that the risk of capture needs to be checked and that even the best policies will fail without the technical, organizational, and political capacity to implement them, the book concludes with ideas on how to design institutions fostering the right incentives and how to grow public sector capabilities over time.

Acquisitions and joint ventures can be difficult, costly, and risky, but if a company uses the right teams and processes and is adequately prepared, the chance of success can be significantly increased. Dr. Triantis, a practitioner with extensive experience in M&A planning and implementation and business strategizing, discusses the resources and preparation that are needed before an acquisition or joint venture should even be started, and the various roles and responsibilities of project participants once it is underway. His book examines the sequence of steps, and the events involved in conducting an acquisition or joint venture and shows how the screening and opportunity assessment process, along with proper planning and transfer of responsibilities, can go a long way toward creating the conditions necessary for success.

The book provides guidelines, advice, and recommendations that project teams in key areas must focus on, and by doing so it introduces much needed discipline into the M&A decision making process. It treats important issues and ingredients in project financial analysis, valuation, risk management, negotiations, due diligence and legal agreements. In addition, by examining M&A and joint venture project financing, implementation, the creation and harnessing of synergies, and the need for monitoring and control, the book gives readers greater confidence in their own M&A decision making. Readers will find instruction on how to obtain corporate approvals, deal with project impediments, assess the performance of project teams, distill lessons learned in conducting acquisitions and joint ventures, and how to institutionalize their knowledge after the project is completed. Highly detailed, with a unique viewpoint that challenges prevailing orthodoxies of M&A management, Dr. Triantis's step-by-step approach will be valuable not only for corporate M&A staffers but also for college-level teachers and students.

Organizational Identity presents the classic works on organizational identity alongside more current thinking on the issues. Ranging from theoretical contributions to empirical studies, the readings in this volume address the key issues of organizational identity, and show how these issues have developed through contributions from such diverse fields of study as sociology, psychology, management studies and cultural studies. The readings examine questions such as how organizations understand who they are, why organizations develop a sense of identity and belonging where the boundaries of identity lie and the implications of postmodern and critical theories' challenges to the concept of identity as deeply-rooted and authentic. Includes work by: Stuart Albert, Mats Alvesson, Blake E. Ashforth, Marilynn B. Brewer, George Cheney, Lars Thoger Christensen, C.H. Cooley, Kevin G. Corley, Barbara Czarniawska, Janet M. Dukerich, Jane E. Dutton, Kimberly D. Elsbach, Wendi Gardner, Linda E. Ginzela, Dennis A. Gioia, E. Goffman, Karen Golden-Biddle, Mary Jo Hatch, Roderick M. Kramer, Fred Rael, G.H. Mead, Michael G. Pratt, Anat Rafaeli, Hayagreeva Rao, Majken Schultz, Howard S. Schwartz, Robert I. Sutton, Henri Taijfel, John Turner, David A. Wherren, and Hugh Willmott. Intended to provide easy access to this material for students of organizational identity, it will also be of interest more broadly to students of business, sociology and psychology.

Organizational restructuring and corporate downsizing can have a significant impact on the perceived social responsibility and responsiveness of any firm. This book analyzes the phenomenon by identifying the nature and types of structural or functional relationships that exist between downsizing and organizational performance variables, on the one hand, and organizational social responsiveness on the other. It looks at changes in the use of various restructuring techniques to improve efficiency and effectiveness and the effects of these changes on the organizational citizenship standing in the community. It goes on to add to the understanding of the general phenomenon of downsizing by examining its relationship to the level and pervasiveness of corporate social responsibility.

Karake-Shalhoub addresses three questions. First, is corporate downsizing related to improvement in organizational financial performance? Second, is there any relationship between downsizing and corporate social responsibility? Third, what is the nature of this relationship? The book will be attractive to management theory scholars, social responsibility and ethics researchers and practitioners, organizational development researchers and practitioners, and human resource scholars.

This book addresses major issues facing postal and delivery services throughout the world. Worldwide, there is currently a considerable amount of interest in postal and delivery economics. The industry is reacting to a state of near crisis and is implementing different drastic changes. The European Commission and member States are still wrestling with the problem of how to implement entry liberalization into postal markets, how to address digital competition, and how to maintain the universal service obligation (USO). The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 in the U.S. has perhaps created and exacerbated the problems faced by USPS. Digitalisation, technological development and online platforms are strongly affecting both the way postal and delivery operators are managing their services as well as their role on the market. Strong emphasis was attributed to the assets of Postal Operators (POs) and their added value in the digital age as well as on new business strategies. This volume presents original essays by prominent researchers in the field, selected and edited from papers presented at this year's 26th Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics held in Split, Croatia, from May 30- June 2, 2018.Topics addressed by this volume include quality of service, last mile solutions, and competition in the liberalized market. This book will be a useful tool not only for graduate students and professors, but also for postal administrations, consulting firms, and federal government departments.

Quality control is a constant priority in electrical, mechanical, aeronautical, and nuclear engineering - as well as in the vast domain of electronics, from home appliances to computers and telecommunications. Quality Control Applications provides guidance and valuable insight into quality control policies; their methods, their implementation, constant observation and associated technical audits. What has previously been a mostly mathematical topic is translated here for engineers concerned with the practical implementation of quality control. Once the fundamentals of quality control are established, Quality Control Applications goes on to develop this knowledge and explain how to apply it in the most effective way. Techniques are described and supported using relevant, real-life, case studies to provide detail and clarity for those without a mathematical background. Among the many practical examples, two case studies dramatize the importance of quality assurance: A shot-by-shot analysis of the errors made in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster; and the engineering failure with new technology due to the absence of quality control in an alternative energy project. This clear and comprehensive approach makes Quality Control Applications an essential reference for those studying engineering as well industry professionals involved in quality control across product and system design.

This book addresses some of the major issues facing postal and delivery services throughout the world. Postal operators worldwide have been slow to address the threats from and opportunities created by electronic competition. The European Commission and member states are wrestling with these issues, while at the same time continuing to deal with the interrelated issues of implementing entry into postal markets and maintaining the universal service obligation. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 in the U.S. exacerbated financial and managerial problems faced by USPS that result in part from electronic substitution for letter delivery. Comprised of original essays by prominent researchers in the field, this book addresses the new reality of the postal industry and proposes ways in which postal operators might reinvent themselves. Issues discussed include cross-border parcel delivery, e-commerce, the transformation of postal networks, and the effects of postal liberalization. This book will be of interest to postal operators, regulatory commissions, consulting firms, competitors and customers, experts in the postal economics, law, and business, and those charged with the responsibility for designing and implementing postal sector policies. Researchers in regulatory economics, transportation technology, and industrial organization will also find useful information in this volume.

This book presents an empirical investigation into the relationship between companies' short-term response to capital and labor market frictions and performance. Two different kinds of performance measures are considered, namely innovation performance and firm performance. The author focuses on two major topics: first, on the relation between innovation performance and the use of trade credit. Second, on the relation between firm performance and the use of temporary employment. The use of in-depth firm-level data and state-of-the-art microeconometric methods provide the scientific rigor to this important investigation to answer the questions currently being confronted by many companies in different economies.