This book engages in the debate on evolution and change of family capitalism. Based on historical analysis and a conjoint effort by management scholars and social scientists, it is a treasure trove of thoroughly researched and prominently recounted stories on the basic components, origins and dynamics of family capitalism. It offers an interdisciplinary perspective on the multifaceted and complex sector of private enterprises in Latin America and Spain.' - Alfredo De Massis, Lancaster University, UK'An impressively original book which provides a wealth of new empirical evidence on the evolution of business and management in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world. It challenges past generalizations by demonstrating the heterogeneity in the family businesses and business groups of different Spanish-speaking countries.' - Geoffrey Jones, Harvard Business School, US Family businesses are everywhere, but there is little information regarding their growth and development. This book is one of the few to analyse the identity and evolution of the largest family businesses in Latin America and Spain. With contributions from 20 scholars from 12 different countries, the book compares the relationship of families in business within their national economies, foreign capital, migration, and politics. The authors deny the existence of a 'Latin type' of family capitalism in their countries, and highlight diversity, and national and regional differences. This interdisciplinary book will be useful for students and scholars of economics, management, history, sociology, and anthropology. Politicians, family business consultants, family businesses, and international institutions will also benefit from insights within this book. Contributors: M.I. Barbero, L. Casanova, M. Cerutti, A.D. Costa, Carlos Davila, P. Diaz Morlan, A. Discua Cruz, C.E. Drumond, P. Fernandez Perez, L. Fortin, E. Guillen Miranda, J.M. Las Heras, J.C. Leiva, A. Lluch, J. Martinez Echezarraga, M. Monsalve Zanatti, N. Puig, C.Ramos Rodas, C. Raudales, J. Vidal Olivares

The Economics of Electricity Markets provides a cutting-edge analysis of the critical issues involved in the design and operation of electricity markets, as well as an assessment of alternative institutional arrangements that have either been implemented or are under discussion in Europe and the US.The book illustrates how a sound market design can render electricity trading and retailing very much like that of other commodities. Social and political concerns, rather than engineering or economics, are what make electricity markets 'special'. The expert contributors address a wide set of issues that arise when competition is introduced to the electricity industry, ranging from the design of spot and real-time power markets to alternative approaches to congestion management, from competition policy in wholesale electricity markets to the benefits and costs of retail competition, and from regulatory measures to ensure generation capacity adequacy to the politicization of generation investment decisions as a way of pursuing sustainability targets. This highly informative book will appeal to academics, students and researchers in the field of advanced energy economics, and will prove essential reading for energy regulators, professionals and executives wishing to explore the theoretical foundations underpinning their day-to-day activities. Contributors: G. Cervigni, A. Commisso, A. Creti, D. Perekhodtsev, C. Poletti, P. Ranci

CEOs can build up a business from nothing or turn around a company that is on the verge of bankruptcy. Inspiring with their relentless drive, strong leadership and innovation that can turn whole industries on their heads, they are the dynamos of our economy.

What is the X factor that ensures a CEO’s success?

KC Rottok Chesaina seeks to uncover the unique personality traits, business acumen and leadership values that have turned CEOs into captains of industry. Based on extensive research and focused interviews with the leaders of some of South Africa’s top companies, including Vodacom, Bidvest, Capitec Bank, RMB, Dis-Chem, Discovery Health, Nedbank, Sanlam, Momentum, Curro, Exxaro, Harmony Gold and MTN, Chesaina’s book takes you to the heart of corporate South Africa.

With real-life examples, The CEO X factor shows that reaching the top is about much more than money – it requires a very specific kind of character, straightforward strategies, a true focus on people and a value-driven approach.

Innovation and standardization might seem polar opposites, but over many years various scholars have noted close connections between the two. This Handbook assembles a broad range of thinking on this subject, with contributions from several disciplinary perspectives by over 30 leading scholars and experienced practitioners. Collectively, they summarize and synthesize the existing body of knowledge - theory and evidence - pertaining to standards and innovation, and provide insights into how this knowledge can be useful to scholars, industrial strategists, policy-makers and standards practitioners. Drawn from leading experts in several social science disciplines, this Handbook provides new insights into innovation processes and systems using theoretical, empirical and applied approaches. By situating standards and standardization as specific factors which play distinctive roles in innovation-driven growth, it establishes that standardization (doing things the same way) is an essential component of innovation (doing things differently). The book also provides novel and practical insight into how standards are incorporated into innovation strategies and policies. Comprehensive and original, this collection will be a vital resource for all students and academics of social, natural and engineering science communities. Policy-makers and practitioners will also find a wealth of experience and knowledge within its pages.

Productivity remains the critical determinant of long-term national growth and prosperity. The effects of today's globalism on productivity demands the need for business organizations to sustain their competitive advantage and remain profitable over time. Foreign Business in China and Opportunities for Technological Innovation and Sustainable Economics is a collection of research used to demonstrate state-of-the art approaches of international business and innovation management that shows how new, advanced, international business models and adoptive strategies can expand the sustainability frontiers. This publication serves as a leading reference source on Chinese business, technology, economy, and innovation, and facilitates necessary skills needed to engage with business in or with China. While highlighting topics including e-commerce, foreign trade, and global business, individuals such as students, educators, international business experts, and innovation experts can expand their technical knowledge in the global economy.

Ronald H. Coase, one of the most innovative and provocative economists of the twentieth century, has had a lasting influence in economics, law and economics, organization theory, management and political science. In this comprehensive Companion, 31 leading economists, social scientists and legal scholars, including two Nobel Laureates, offer the first global assessment of the initial impact of Coase's work and the continuing inspiration that researchers and policy makers find in his contributions.The book presents a review of the continuing power of Coase's work, including the reshaping of public policies with particular respect to public utilities and network industries. Further chapters explore research programmes that he initiated including the concept of transaction costs and the analysis of property rights, especially in terms of the regulation of the communications industry and the creation of markets for the right to pollute. The book clearly demonstrates the originality of Coase's work and the challenge that it posed to conventional perspectives which has been a hallmark of his research throughout his life, from his initial view on the nature of the firm to his recent analysis of the development of capitalism in China. Less well-known features of Coase's research going beyond his famous papers on 'The Nature of the Firm' and 'The Problem of Social Cost' are also explored in detail. From economics to public policy, this complete and thorough assessment of Coase's vast contribution will be an invaluable reference to all those interested in the many areas influenced by this great economist. Contributors: D.W. Allen, K.J. Arrow, B. Arrunada, Y. Barzel, E. Bertrand, R.R.W. Brooks, J.N. Drobak, G.W. Evans, W. Farnsworth, J. Farrell, K. Foss, N.J. Foss, R.F. Freeland, J. Groenewegen,R. Guesnerie, F. Gul, T.W. Hazlett, P.G. Klein, G.D. Libecap, S.G. Medema, C. Menard, M.W. Moszoro, J.H. Mulherin, J.V.C. Nye, S. Pratten, M.M. Shirley, P.T. Spiller, J. Thomas, P. de Vries, N. Wang, O.E. Williamson

The emergence of platforms is a novel phenomenon impacting most industries, from products to services. Industry platforms such as Microsoft Windows or Google, embedded within industrial ecosystems, have redesigned our industrial landscapes, upset the balance of power between firms, fostered innovation and raised new questions on competition and innovation. Annabelle Gawer presents cutting-edge contributions from 24 top international scholars from 19 universities across Europe, the USA and Asia, from the disciplines of strategy, economics, innovation, organization studies and knowledge management. The novel insights assembled in this volume constitute a fundamental step towards an empirically based, nuanced understanding of the nature of platforms and the implications they hold for the evolution of industrial innovation. The book provides an overview of platforms and discusses governance, management, design and knowledge issues. With a multidisciplinary approach, this book will strongly appeal to academics and advanced students in management, innovation, strategy, economics and design. It will also prove an enlightening read for business managers in IT industries.

Countries that need industrial policy the most typically have the worst governance. This terrific book explicitly recognizes this difficulty, and provides a rich discussion of how it can be overcome. It presents a valuable series of country studies that focus on both successes (such as Ethiopian cut flowers) and failures (such as Namibia's export processing zones). The authors show that weak capacity is not necessarily a hindrance to effective industrial policy, just as strong capacity does not guarantee it.' - Dani Rodrik, Princeton University, US'This is the book our students have been waiting for.' - Hubert Schmitz, Institute of Development Studies and Founder of Sussex MA course Competing in the Global Economy 'A green transformation holds the potential to sustain a healthy planet where ecosystems are well-managed and human well-being is secured for future generations. This book makes a compelling case for the design of industrial policies that support a green economy. Being at the crossroads of their development pathways, developing countries have the unique opportunity to define their industrial policies in a resource-efficient, low-carbon and socially inclusive manner in the context of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.' - Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Industrial Policy in Developing Countries offers an in-depth assessment of both the potentials and perils of designing and implementing policy in countries at early stages of economic development. The range of insightful case studies illustrates the key dilemma: directing economic and social development through what are often incipient and weak institutions. This realistic, evidence-based assessment will appeal to both development researchers and industrial policy practitioners, particularly those working in developing countries.

What do Goggle, Facebook, mobile phones and creative commons have in common? The answer is: economics! Stefano Comino and Fabio Manenti have written a crisp and thorough treatment of the economics of information and communications technologies. This valuable book fills a real gap in the market.' - Professor Tommaso Valletti, Imperial College Business School'I enjoyed reading this book immensely. So will students, as they will be able to see lucidly the economics behind their inseparable electronic companions. Researchers keeping a copy at hand will have a rich reference source of the ways in which good economic theory has captured the behaviour of sophisticated firms and their customer.' - Gianni De Fraja, The University of Nottingham, UK This text rigorously blends theory with real-world applications to study the industrial organization of the ICT sector. Each of the self-contained chapters, which can be studied in isolation, contains theoretical models that are presented in a clear and accessible way. Throughout, a series of useful boxes complements and elucidates the theories with additional empirical/anecdotal evidence. This text will be of great interest to advanced undergraduate students with a background in microeconomics and game theory, particularly those taking courses in industrial organization, innovation economics and the economics of networks. The authors address the most important issues and are able to explore and explain complex theories and concepts in a clear, logical and coherent manner. Some of the topics covered include: - the economics of innovation - digital markets - network externalities - two-sided networks - imitation, open source and file sharing - antitrust in high-tech sectors. Contents: 1. Industrial Organisation of High-Tech Markets 2. Digital Markets 3. Network Externalities 4. Two-Sided Networks 5. Access and Interconnection in Telecommunications 6. Cumulative Innovation in Dynamic Industries 7. Imitation, Open Source and File Sharing 8. Antitrust in High-Tech Sectors References Index

The context for this book is the increasingly complex relationship between economic theory and competition law which gives rise to lively political and academic debate on the direction competition law should take in a more global and innovation-oriented market place. The authors adopt a comparative, research-orientated approach, taking into account different situations in the US, Europe, Japan and transition and developing countries. They investigate the impact of economics on the objectives of competition law in various fields - restrictive agreements, unilateral restraints and merger control - and on the effectiveness of enforcement in a given legal and judicial system. Economic Theory and Competition Law is an insightful resource for law and economics scholars. Legal practitioners in the field of competition law will also value this book.

Agility in business has become one of the most important management topics of recent times. The ability to create and respond to change in order to succeed in an uncertain and turbulent business environment is the essence of agile. But being agile starts with the leader, who has to make the shift from traditional "command and control" to "enabling people". This book is a practical workbook for leaders on their journey to achieving agility. It moves the conversation over agility into practice; exercising measures and techniques that will encourage leaders to adapt with changing times. To help and encourage leaders to make that personal shift, it offers ideas and tools to master agility in their organizations. Designed to be sensible and self-reflecting, the book also includes an appendix of over 20 exercises that have been tried and tested with executives all over the world in their successful pursuit of agile.

The UK model of incentive regulation of power grids was at one time the most advanced, and elements of it were adopted throughout the EU. This model worked well, particularly in the context of limited investment and innovation, a single and strong regulatory authority, and limited coordination between foreign grid operators. This enlightening book demonstrates how the landscape has changed markedly since 2010 and that regulation has had to work hard to catch up and evolve. As the EU enters a wave of investment and an era of new services and innovation, this has created growing tensions between national regulatory authorities in terms of coordinating technical standards and distribution systems. This is being played out against an increasingly disruptive backdrop of digitization, new market platforms and novel business models. Electricity Network Regulation in the EU adopts a truly European approach to the complex issues surrounding the topic, focusing on the grey areas and critical questions that have traditionally been difficult to answer. Incentive regulation and grids are addressed simultaneously at the theoretical and practical level, providing the reader with fundamental concepts and concrete examples. This timely book is an invaluable read for energy practitioners working in utility companies, regulators and other public bodies. It will also appeal to academics involved in the world of electricity regulation. The book utilizes language that would make it suitable for interdisciplinary students, including engineering and law scholars. Contributors include: P. Bhagwat, J.-M. Glachant, S.Y. Hadush, L. Meeus, V. Rious, N. Rossetto, T. Schittekatte

Tourism economics is a rapidly expanding field of research and interest in the subject has been growing steadily over the past decade. As a field of study it is one of the small band of areas, such as energy and transport economics, that draws on, and applies, developments in general economics.This highly accessible and comprehensive Handbook presents a cutting edge discussion of the state of tourism economics and its likely directions in future research. Leading researchers in the field explore a wide range of topics including: demand and forecasting, supply, transport, taxation and infrastructure, evaluation and application for policy-making. Each chapter includes a discussion of its relevance and importance to the tourism economics literature, an overview of its main contributions and themes, a critical evaluation of existing literature and an outline of issues for further conceptual and applied research. Larry Dwyer and Peter Forsyth have assembled a fascinating Handbook that will be an invaluable and much welcomed reference book for tourism economics scholars and researchers at all levels of academe. General economics scholars will also find much to engage them within the book.

The past three decades have seen a remarkable rise of Afrikaners in business. In light of the government’s comprehensive black economic empowerment programme this has been one of the unexpected features of the South African economy.

Today many of these Afrikaner tycoons are competing internationally. With Koos Bekker at its helm, media group Naspers began dominating the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and was turned into a global consumer internet group. Johann Rupert strongly extended Richemont’s share internationally in the upper-end market of luxury goods, while Christo Wiese and Whitey Basson at Pepkor and Shoprite became Africa’s largest clothing and food retailers.

Fortunes describes how these and other business leaders, such as Jannie Mouton, Michiel le Roux, Douw Steyn, Roelof Botha, Hendrik du Toit and a number of commercial farmers, built their empires. It looks at their life and business philosophies and what makes them such successful entrepreneurs.

Recent years have also seen the sensational collapse of Steinhoff International, the furniture retailer led by Markus Jooste that destroyed some of these fortunes. While Jooste is the topic of one of the chapters, another looks at the philanthropic projects most of these tycoons are involved in.

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. In recent years, an explosive rise in computing power and the digitization of data has allowed researchers in new institutional economics (NIE) to investigate questions that could never before be systematically analysed. This book explores key issues for future research in the field, analysing both traditional areas of focus in NIE and more recent areas of interest. Consisting of 30 concise chapters written by top NIE scholars, this Research Agenda probes issues at the forefront of NIE, including government, contracts, property rights, norms, culture, and beliefs. Analysing rapid changes in technology and the environment, such as the rise of social media and the effects of climate change in agriculture, this book offers unique insights into key contemporary issues. Written in non-technical terms, this book will inform and inspire students and those starting their careers in economics, law and political science. NIE scholars will also find the book invaluable in updating their understanding of crucial research questions and seeking new areas to explore. Contributors: J.S. Ahlquist, J.E. Aldy, D.W. Allen, J. Bednar, J.C. Cardenas, P. Castaneda Dower, R. Fernandez, S. Gehlbach, R. Gil, M.A. Golden, C. Guerriero, S. Iyer, P. Keefer, K. Kosec, R. Kunneke, C. Long, R. Macchiavello, K.J. Mayer, C. Menard, T. Mogues, M.W. Moszoro, B. Mueller, S. Oh, D. Parker, J. Prufer, P. Prufer, M. Servatka, M.M. Shirley, E. Simison, F. Sobbrio, J. Teorell, T. Terpstra, M. Vatiero, S. Voigt, S. Wallsten, G. Zanarone, D. Ziblatt

For too long, researchers have regarded local dynamism as the result of the actions of certain entrepreneurs. If this were the case, how could we explain the simultaneous presence of 'winning', stagnating or declining areas with very similar socioeconomic profiles within the same region? Departing from this restrictive and somewhat inadequate approach, Pierre-Andre Julien considers entrepreneurship as a collective behaviour specifically related to the dynamism of the milieu in which it develops. The author introduces a complex, innovative theory of local entrepreneurship, demonstrating that the emergence of new ventures and the development of existing enterprises cannot be understood without taking into account certain factors: locale, social capital, networking and entrepreneurial culture within a given area are all crucial to entrepreneurial growth. Expanding upon this theory, the book demonstrates how entrepreneurship can be fostered in order to support collective development. Various forms of partnership among socioeconomic actors are then analysed to highlight the social conventions and entrepreneurial culture that connect and intensify the energies at the root of local dynamism. This highly original book represents a departure from entrepreneurship literature that is largely limited to the study of entrepreneurs' behaviour. Its dynamic presentation of holistic theory will prove an extremely absorbing read for those with an academic or professional interest in business and management, entrepreneurship and regional development.