This volume examines the controversy surrounding the use of competition law to combat excessive pricing. While high or monopolistic pricing is not regarded as an antitrust violation in the US, employing abuse of dominance provisions in competition laws to fight excessive pricing has gained popularity in some BRICS jurisdictions and a number of EU-member states in recent years. The book begins by discussing the economic arguments for and against the prohibition of excessive or unfair prices by firms with market power. It then presents various country studies, focusing on developed countries (such as the UK and Israel) and on the BRICS countries, to highlight various practical challenges involved in recognizing excessive prices as abusive conduct on the part of dominant firms, including how to define, measure and identify excessive prices. The contributors also discuss other policy options that can be used to fight excessive prices in order to protect consumer welfare.

This book brings together original research on the role of networks in regional economic development and innovation. It presents a comprehensive framework synthesizing extant theories, a palette of real-world cases in the aerospace, automotive, life science, biotechnology and health care industries, and fundamental agent-based computer models elucidating the relation between regional development and network dynamics. The book is primarily intended for researchers in the fields of innovation economics and evolutionary economic geography, and particularly those interested in using agent-based models and empirical case studies. However, it also targets (regional) innovation policy makers who are not only interested in policy recommendations, but also want to understand the state-of-the-art agent-based modeling methods used to experimentally arrive at said recommendations.

The comprehensive guide to all the essential legal and business considerations in structuring domestic and international strategic business alliances. Readers are provided with a clear and concise introduction to the various domestic and international laws and regulations that impact strategic business relationships, including intellectual property law, antitrust law, commercial law, tax law, agency and distribution laws, and foreign investment laws. An indispensable resource for consummating sales representation arrangements, licensing arrangements, research and development arrangements, manufacturing and distribution arrangements, joint ventures, equity investment, and negotiated acquisitions. The book is intended for entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals. Entrepreneurs, executives, lawyers, accounts, and others involved in structuring cooperative business arrangements will benefit from the step-by-step approach to each strategic business relationship. The book provides guidance on each of the crucial steps in the negotiation process, including the selection of the prospective strategic business partner, the protection of trade secrets and confidential information, the due diligence process, representations and warranties, and dispute resolutions. Readers will gain an understanding of the essential bodies of law that might affect a relationship, such as intellectual property law, antitrust and competition law, laws relating to the sale of goods, agency and distribution laws, tax laws, export controls and antiboycott laws, and foreign inbound investment and technology transfer laws. The book covers each basic strategic business relationship that a firm might enter into to facilitate the development, manufacture, and distribution of products and services, including long-term functional contracts and joint ventures, minority investments, and negotiated acquisitions.

The author describes the property rights that exist in different organizational forms and explains how these establish incentives for managerial decision behavior. She compares the rights, incentives, and corresponding decision behavior in for-profit, nonprofit, and public organizations under conditions of unbounded rationality. She shows that managerial responses to regulation, tax, and industrial organization policies may differ from the usual predictions when property rights are considered. She also shows how property rights link economic and organization theory.

The family business has a far-reaching influence on economies throughout the world, and in many countries they account for over half of the Gross National Product. This text considers: how to define a family-controlled business and the significance of this form of privately-held enterprise; how a board of outsiders can add value to a family business; how to handle intra-business tensions; and how to gain control at the highest level.

Vertical Markets and Cooperative Hierarchies comprises a selection of sixteen newly written essays that provide clarification to issues pertinent to contemporary cooperatives. Twenty three internationally recognized scholars of agricultural cooperatives, from a variety of disciplines such as industrial organization, finance, sociology, networks, and political theory, contributed theoretical work and empirical observations from different countries. The book is divided into five Parts: I. Cooperatives: between markets and hierarchies; II. Governance; III. Internal organizational issues; IV. Conduct of cooperatives; and V. Cooperative performance.

This timely volume offers a comprehensive assessment of the dynamics of firms' behaviour and organization, providing an essential outline of the ways in which our understanding of firms and markets is evolving. Key topics, such as the interplay between labour and capital, the choice of the optimal product range and the dynamics of capital accumulation and innovation are investigated. All of these aspects of the evolution of a market are evaluated in connection with the manifold issue of information, be that related to demand uncertainty, accountancy data, the diffusion of technological knowledge, or the nature of strategic interaction among firms in market games. Technology, Information and Market Dynamics is an extensive and detailed book, offering useful indicators for both theoretical and applied research. It will appeal to economists and researchers of industrial organization and innovation.

"Breaking Free" is about making the transition from working for the man to working for yourself by starting your own business or freelancing. By focusing on the personal experiences, ideas, and actions of a variety of self-employed people--including freelance writers, contractors, service providers, store owners and franchisees, sales reps, and others--this book offers readers deep insights into the ideas and decisions required to make self-employment a reality. Along the way, author and self-employed professional Chris Lauer offers a wealth of practical small-business insights and tips. "Breaking Free" thus offers would-be entrepreneurs and freelancers something priceless--both the skills and encouragement required to shake free of corporate shackles and take the leap into small-scale entrepreneurship.

Featuring real stories about the initial spark that motivated individuals to pursue independence and entrepreneurship, "Breaking Free " follows a variety of entrepreneurs as they move from their jobs as employees to the ranks of the self-employed. It also covers the nuts and bolts of self-employment--pricing and marketing services, keeping an eye on the bottom line, and growing the business, among other topics. In addition, Lauer focuses on the advances in technology that make self-employment easier today than ever before. Unlike most books on self-employment, Lauer uses vivid, real-life stories and tips to help would-be entrepreneurs decide the route that is best for them. Experienced entrepreneurs describe how they came up with ideas for their businesses, how they kept their ventures in motion during the early days and over the long term, how they grew, and when they recognized it was time to call it quits and sell or shutter the business. This is not a book for the next Bill Gates, but for the majority of new business owners and those dreaming of creating their own jobs: people ready to take a few risks to make a decent living on their own terms and gain some independence. Both descriptive and prescriptive, "Breaking Free" presents the latest ways to capitalize on today's many opportunities for self-sufficiency and financial autonomy.

The authors show that the sucess of a joint venture in the People's Rebublic of China, to a considerable extent, depends on understanding the Chinese perspective. They not only offer this perspective, but mingle it with the Western view. This book provides information not readily available in Western literature. The authors help the reader develop a feel for Chinese ideology, culture and infrastructure. Chapter by chapter, they show that successful joint ventures in the PRC are definitely feasible.

This unique Handbook examines the impacts on, and responses to, economic geography explicitly from the perspective of the behavior, mechanics, systems and experiences of different firms in various types of industries. The industry studies approach allows the authors to explain why the economic geography of these different industries exhibits such particular and diverse characteristics. The sectors and industries covered include:- traditional heavy industry and engineering - creative and cultural industries - knowledge sectors - natural resource-based and environmental sectors - knowledge, networks and communications issues. The Handbook of Industry Studies and Economic Geography will strongly appeal to students, scholars and researchers interested in all aspects of industrial location and economic geography. Contributors include: Y. Aoyama, D. Bailey, F. Bellusi, G. Bentley, M. Bokhorst, F. Bruinsma, K. Buzard, G. Carlino, M.C. Carroll, J. Cooper, L. de Propris, P. Doeringer, E.L. Echeverri-Carroll, C. Forman, P. Foster, A. Gadwa Nicodemus, F. Giarratani, N. Green Leigh, G. Gruver, G.J.D. Hewings, H. Izushi, R. Jackson, T. Klier, S. MacNeill, R. Madhavan, S. Manning, A. Markusen, C. Martinez, H. Mayer, P. McCann, R. Mudambi, R. Ortega-Argiles, L. Oxley, R. Rama, N. Reid, A. Reynolds-Feighan, J. Rubenstein, H. Shangqin, S. Sheppard, D. Terkla

All companies which reach a critical size are faced with outsourcing decisions that can increase the value of their products and services primarily through lower costs, greater reliability and improved efficiency. Successful outsourcing decisions have an important knowledge dimension, where the outsourcing professionals need to be supported by historical and contextual knowledge regarding their own products performance but also the performance of suppliers. "Outsourcing in Manufacturing: the Knowledge Dimension" explains in detail how a manager can acquire, create, transfer and use knowledge that optimizes their outsourcing decisions and improves the changes of marketplace success.

"Outsourcing in Manufacturing: the Knowledge Dimension" gives examples of the key decisions that needs to be taken by managers regarding effective outsourcing. Decisions are divided around the structural and infrastructural aspects of outsourcing and the key knowledge that needs to be managed to support good decisions. The book contains illustrations and examples of key processes throughout and concludes with a section dedicated to case studies. These case studies represent a variety of manufacturing system types and sizes focused on supply chain integration, and which deploy various manufacturing paradigms including craft, mass, lean, adaptive, and sustainable manufacturing.

"Outsourcing in Manufacturing: the Knowledge Dimension" covers many theoretical and practical examples of critical outsourcing decisions, their knowledge aspects and how knowledge challenges can be dealt with in a systematic way. It provides a key resource for students, lecturers and industry managers looking to solidify their understanding and application of outsourcing decision making strategies.

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This book introduces readers to a powerful method for cross-cultural due diligence in mergers and organizational collaborations. It employs the context of joint ventures between local communities and companies in the domain of hospitality in emerging tourism destinations. The book first analyzes the impact of cultural diversity in mergers between local communities and the private sector, revealing the characteristics and functions of culture and paying specific attention to the roles of organizational and community cultures in hospitality. In two subsequent methodological chapters the book presents a theoretical framework for cultural due diligence and identifies the principal actors, technical aspects and core principles. On the basis of a separate case study from northern Thailand, the book provides an example of cultural context analysis and presents the findings and results. In a concluding chapter the book presents an outlook on further research and development in this field.

Family firms account for a large proportion of firms in most countries. In industrialised countries of North America and Western Europe, they generally account for a large share of small and medium sized enterprises. In emerging market economies such as India, they also account for the majority of the large firms. Their importance for factors such as employment creation notwithstanding, relative to the widely held Anglo-Saxon firms, which are ubiquitous in the economics, finance and management literatures, family firms have historically received much less attention from scholars of these disciplines. However, in part owing to increased focus on emerging markets, there is a growing literature on family firms. In How Family Firms Differ, the authors explore important aspects of family firms, drawing on the existing literature and their own research on these firms.

The control of corporations is a subject that will appeal to a broad readership. How are the giant corporations that affect our lives controlled? Which individuals and institutions command the vast proportion of economic resources controlled by corporations? How do patterns of corporate control differ across European countries? This book answers these questions by providing a detailed analysis of corporate control in nine European countries - Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Get an insightful, expert look at the inner workings of China's business world, highlighting the country's attempts to develop the scientific and technological base for a greener economic model. Business and Technology in China offers a perceptive look at China's economic wonder and the science/business partnership that is pointing the way to its future. In a series of narrative chapters, the book marks China's astonishing transformation into a global manufacturing powerhouse, with specific coverage of the devastating human and environmental impact of that growth, the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis, and China's new Initiatives for creating a more sustainable economic model. Business and Technology in China shows why China's renewed focus on scientific and technological innovation as an economic driver is so important. Drawing on extensive research, author Jing Luo makes the case that China's new model can still produce significant growth, even as it sets the stage for improved living standards and smarter environmental stewardship. Charts and tables provide the most recent statistics on China's economy from a variety of authoritative sources Provides a list of online resources for further exploration of China and its economy

It is beyond any doubt that East-Central European countries such as Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia has dramatically changed its shape through its radical transition from centrally planned to the market economies in last 7 years. Many economists divide the process of economic transformation into areas of Stabilization, Liberalization, and Privatization/Restructuring. The traditional view is that stabilization and liberalization can be achieved rather quickly-by balancing budgets, balance of payments, tightening money supply, freeing prices and liberalizing trade-but that the area of privatization is one that could be moved to the future and will require much more time. Until 1991, none of the post-communist nations except former East Germany (which had a large decree of support from West Germany) had succeeded in privatizing large numbers of enterprises, even though more than two years had passed since the changes in government in these nations. The privatization has been, however, seen as an extremely important part of reform package together with stabilization and liberalization especially in the Czech Republic from the very beginning. The Czechs originally as a part of the Czechoslovak Federal Republic embarked on an unprecedented path that should have lead not only to stabilization and liberalization, but also to very rapid, mass privatization of its sector of large enterprises that have dominated its economy to an extreme extent.

The LGBT+ community has experienced a stunning development in a short period of time: yesterday marginalized, stigmatized, and criminalized, now champions of creativity, diversity and innovation in a highly competitive world. In addition, corporate social responsibility and ethical demands for inclusivity have become economic directives that every organization would like to attain. The struggle of recognition is not over yet, but in workplaces and markets, gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual and queer individuals have become symbols of diversity and economic power - true GaYme Changers developing the global economy faster and for the better. Illustrated by fascinating stories around individuals, companies, nonprofits and a fast-growing cohort of organizations, Jens Schadendorf has traced the LGBT+ community and an increasing number of their allies from across the globe to discover the start of a revolution. Supported by up-to-date research, he shows that investment in LGBT+ inclusion delivers a powerful return. Always - even in times of hostility, resistance and crisis - it is economically and ethically beneficial for companies and societies and every human being, to let LGBT+ members develop into dynamic forces, rooted in new forms of cooperation and learning for ga(y)me changing results.

This book explains how and why the state-socialist regime in Hungary used technology and propaganda to foster industrialization and the conservation of natural resources simultaneously. Further, this book explains why this process was ultimately a failure. By exploring the environmental pre-history of communist Hungary before analyzing the economic development of the Kadar regime, Pal investigates how economic and environmental policies and technology transfer were negotiated between the official communist ideology and the global economic reality of capitalist markets. Pal argues that the modernization project of the Kadar regime (1956-1990) facilitated ecological consciousness - at both an individual and societal level - which provoked great social unrest when positive environmental impact was not achieved. Today, global issues of climate change, urban pollution, resource depletion, and overpopulation transcend political systems, but economic and environmental discourses varied greatly in the twentieth century. This volume is important reading for all those interested in economic and environmental history, as well as political science.

* New chapter specifically on electric vehicles * Increased international focus, with more examples from outside the USA * Pedagogical features including learning objectives at the start of each chapter, in-chapter questions and end-of-chapter suggested online activities * Student companion website material: multiple choice questions and homework exercises * Instructor companion website material: lecture slides, solution files for instructors; suggested questions for discussion forums to increase engagement; and activities to achieve the chapter learning objectives, including quizzes with answers, that instructors can use to assess student attainment

This book illustrates the decline of the state-encouraged revival and legitimization of private enterprises in 1980s China. Chen argues that the rapid growth of private enterprises strengthened the fiscal power of the state, leading the Chinese government to take an increasingly interventionist stance.

The goal of this book is to assess the efficacy of India's financial deregulation programme by analyzing the developments in cost efficiency and total factor productivity growth across different ownership types and size classes in the banking sector over the post-deregulation years. The work also gauges the impact of inclusion or exclusion of a proxy for non-traditional activities on the cost efficiency estimates for Indian banks, and ranking of distinct ownership groups. It also investigates the hitherto neglected aspect of the nature of returns-to-scale in the Indian banking industry. In addition, the work explores the key bank-specific factors that explain the inter-bank variations in efficiency and productivity growth. Overall, the empirical results of this work allow us to ascertain whether the gradualist approach to reforming the banking system in a developing economy like India has yielded the most significant policy goal of achieving efficiency and productivity gains. The authors believe that the findings of this book could give useful policy directions and suggestions to other developing economies that have embarked on a deregulation path or are contemplating doing so.

This book attempts to link some of the recent advances in crowdsourcing with advances in innovation and management. It contributes to the literature in several ways. First, it provides a global definition, insights and examples of this managerial perspective resulting in a theoretical framework. Second, it explores the relationship between crowdsourcing and technological innovation, the development of social networks and new behaviors of Internet users. Third, it explores different crowdsourcing applications in various sectors such as medicine, tourism, information and communication technology (ICT), and marketing. Fourth, it observes the ways in which crowdsourcing can improve production, finance, management and overall managerial performance. Crowdsourcing, also known as "massive outsourcing" or "voluntary outsourcing," is the act of taking a job or a specific task usually performed by an employee of a company or contractors, and outsourcing it to a large group of people or a community (crowd or mass) via the Internet, through an open call. The term was coined by Jeff Howe in a 2006 issue of Wired magazine. It is being developed in different sciences (i.e., medicine, engineering, ICT, management) and is used in the most successful companies of the modern era (i.e., Apple, Facebook, Inditex, Starbucks). The developments in crowdsourcing has theoretical and practical implications, which will be explored in this book. Including contributions from international academics, scholars and professionals within the field, this book provides a global, multidimensional perspective on crowdsourcing.

The Growth of Chinese Electronics Firms outlines the way firms grow in China at an organizational level. Kimura uses China's electronics industry as a case study for measuring technology-fuelled growth and provides a way to understand diversified the growth process systematically.

After the Second World War, the economics of the western capitalist countries were based on a production system called fordism, but in the mid 1970s this system began to break down, and it has been in crisis since. But does resolving this crisis imply a complete break with the past, notably with the principles of Taylor and Ford?;Based on an analysis of the transformations currently taking place in several international companies, this book reveals the complexities and subtleties of today's transitions.