This book examines the complex roles that texts serve as parts of an organizational cognitive infrastructure. Texts make knowledge and experience tangible and durable. They help shape interactions between people. As professions have become more writing-centered in recent decades, many organizations have instituted writing review practices to help newcomers produce better writing and thus become more effective organizational citizens.Dr. Swarts examines those writing review practices and questions whether available supportive technologies adequately prepare professional writers and professionals who write to appreciate the complex functions their texts serve. He reports on a study of the impact of two technologies (paper text and textual replay) on writing review. Unlike paper, which presents texts in a static form, textual replay presents texts as the products of writing practices. Textual replay records onscreen writing activity and creates a video that writers and reviewers use to supplement their discussion of revisions.

This edited book delves into important current issues and trends in internal communication from a strategic communication perspective. It presents recent research findings, theories, best practices, and cases in internal communication on a global scale. The book discusses emerging and important long-standing issues in-depth, including topics such as employee advocacy, internal social media, internal issue management and crisis communication, employee activism, purposeful communication, leadership communication, internal CSR communication, cross-cultural/global internal communications, internal communication, and employee well-being. Within these topics, the chapters address the function of internal communications in contemporary times, the role of leaders, how to integrate emerging technologies, building an internal brand, and measuring the effectiveness of internal communication. This book will be a comprehensive source on internal communication, especially on its new theoretical development related to the emerging issues and trends, best practices, and future directions for research and practice.

This book provides a set of integrated frameworks-capital, systems, and objects-that transcend managerial or technology hype by focusing on the long-term fundamentals that sustain organizational success, and it contains cases from South East Asia to elaborate this concept. Many organizations are currently addressing two important transformational issues: ecological sustainability and digitization. Sustainability is a goal, an end, and digitization is a process, a means to achieve a goal. This book introduces a flexible model that can be applied to current and future organizational challenges, including sustainability and digitization, because the fundamentals are constant. This book is designed to serve two purposes for the readers: first, to present three conceptual foundations for designing and operating organizations (capital, systems, and objects (section 1)); and second, to provide a reference source for implementing these ideas in your organization (sections 2 and 3). The first section of the book, chapters 1 through 7, sets forth the conceptual foundations. The chapters mix concepts and practical examples to give a new way of thinking about the setting in which one may work many days each year. The second section provides details and associated examples of every one of the thirty-six forms of capital conversion. It also illustrates how the five foundational systems support capital conversion in a variety of ways. Finally, the third section is about measuring capital and systems. The book covers measurement of all types of capital and systems performance and has been written for current and future organizational leaders to change the game and play it more effectively. The book will thus resonate with students of organizational behaviour and leadership strategy, organizational leaders, industry experts, and general readers.

Statistics for Business explains the fundamentals of statistical analysis in a lucid, pragmatic way. A thorough knowledge of statistics is essential for decision making in all corners of business and management. By collecting, organizing and analyzing statistical data you can express what you know, benchmark your current situation, and estimate future outcomes. Based entirely on Microsoft Excel, this book covers a spectrum of statistic fundamentals from basic principles, to probability, sampling, hypothesis testing, forecasting, statistical process control and six-sigma management. This second edition is packed with features to aid understanding and help ensure that every aspect of your knowledge of statistics is applicable to practice, including: Icebreakers introducing each chapter that relate statistics to the real world, drawn from management and hospitality situations Detailed worked examples in each chapter Over 140 case-exercises complete with objective, situation, requirements, and answers A complete glossary of key terminology and formulas, mathematical relationships, and Excel relationships and functions A brand new companion website containing slides, worked-out-solutions to the case-exercises, and a test bank [coming soon] With a clear and accessible style this book makes statistics easier to understand. It is ideal for business, management, tourism and hospitality students who want to learn how to apply statistics to the real world.

There is more to setting up a successful business than just a good idea. Creating a Business examines concisely all the relevant aspects: the excitement and satisfaction that business entails, the challenges that face the entrepreneur, the risks that lie in wait. The textbook is organized around a practical example: a company setting out to launch a new line of clothing. Aspects of setting up a business, including management, marketing, legislation, and financial management are examined. Including pedagogical features, such as end-of-chapter questions and illustrations, Creating a Business will interest students of small business and entrepreneurship.

The purpose of this book is to introduce novice researchers to the tools of meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis and to summarize the state of the art for existing practitioners. Meta-regression analysis addresses the rising "Tower of Babel" that current economics and business research has become. Meta-analysis is the statistical analysis of previously published, or reported, research findings on a given hypothesis, empirical effect, phenomenon, or policy intervention. It is a systematic review of all the relevant scientific knowledge on a specific subject and is an essential part of the evidence-based practice movement in medicine, education and the social sciences. However, research in economics and business is often fundamentally different from what is found in the sciences and thereby requires different methods for its synthesis-meta-regression analysis. This book develops, summarizes, and applies these meta-analytic methods.

This book is especially relevant to undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers studying quantitative techniques as part of business, management and finance. It is an interdisciplinary book that covers all major topics involved at the interface between business and management on the one hand and mathematics and statistics on the other. Managers and others in industry and commerce who wish to obtain a working knowledge of quantitative techniques will also find this book useful.

Territorial Development and Action Research examines the role of action research within fields such as territorial development and innovation. Most researchers analyse these fields from the outside, developing a theoretical understanding of what should be done, but not of how to do it. Based on their own experience of territorial development processes from the inside out, James Karlsen and Miren Larrea argue that filling the gap regarding social relations in the innovation process makes it possible for researchers to engage in the processes taking place in the territory, thereby revealing how to make things work. This book will help researchers face the pressure to engage and play a useful role in the development of their host regions. It will help policy makers to continuously learn and redefine policy approaches and bring about collaboration through networks, programs and projects where researchers and practitioners in regional, local and urban development work together to construct territorial development. Readers will acquire a better understanding of micro-territorial development processes and the roles played by individuals and coalitions in endogenous development processes.

Public concern over issues such as urban sprawl, the conversion of agricultural land and the management of public lands has never been greater. Presenting a novel synopsis of the economics of land-use this book examines the critical issues involved, such as transportation and technological change, and the economic principles behind them. Chapters are specifically designed to demonstrate the types of land-use questions economic analysis can answer; the types of methods that might be employed to answer the questions; and the potential uses of economic analysis in policy-making. The book is a key contribution to contemporary land-use studies, highlighting the main methodological and public policy issues that will be central to research on the economics of land-use change in the future.

The modern consumer is no longer attracted by single-minded, predictable and one-benefit-focused brand promises. The old-fashioned FMCG communication strategies based on television, radio and print with constant repetition have become outdated. From Great to Gone shows that what's needed are 'Lego' strategies, whereby the marketing and communication strategies are built up by many key facets (like building blocks) and delivered to the consumer through a mix of various touch points. Most importantly, you need to leave consumers to put all of that together themselves. There are major internal and external hurdles to transforming FMCGs successfully into FICGs - Fast Innovating Consumer Goods. It requires new brand strategies and flatter, more top-down than bottom-up, decision-making organisations and a 21st-century model for advertising agencies. Externally these companies need a new route to market through transformation of their old retail dependencies. Changes are also required in all communication delivery, reflecting modern consumers' connectivity and unlimited access to information. In the book the authors showcase what the winners of the 21st century have in common that has enabled them to become FICGs. New, unimagined models continue emerge, to which, with the authors' guidance producers and retailers may develop their own sustainable responses.

Increasingly, information technology governance is being considered an integral part of corporate governance. There has been a rapid increase in awareness and adoption of IT governance as well as the desire to conform to national governance requirements to ensure that IT is aligned with the objectives of the organization. Information Technology Governance and Service Management: Frameworks and Adaptations provides an in-depth view into the critical contribution of IT service management to IT governance, and the strategic and tactical value provided by effective service management. A must-have resource for academics, students, and practitioners in fields affected by IT in organizations, this work gathers authoritative perspectives on the state of research on organizational challenges and benefits in current IT governance frameworks, adoption, and incorporation.

This book provides a first-hand account of business analytics and its implementation, and an account of the brief theoretical framework underpinning each component of business analytics. The themes of the book include (1) learning the contours and boundaries of business analytics which are in scope; (2) understanding the organization design aspects of an analytical organization; (3) providing knowledge on the domain focus of developing business activities for financial impact in functional analysis; and (4) deriving a whole gamut of business use cases in a variety of situations to apply the techniques. The book gives a complete, insightful understanding of developing and implementing analytical solution.

For graduate and executive level MIS students, and practicing IS managers. A thorough and practical guide to IT management practices and issues. Managing Information Technology provides comprehensive coverage of IS management practices and technology trends for advanced students and managers. Through an approach that offers up-to-date chapter content and full-length case studies, this text presents a unique set of materials that educators can customize to their students' needs. The sixth edition has been thoroughly updated and streamlined to reflect current IS practices.

The challenges and opportunities that are presented to both small and medium-sized enterprises have changed dramatically in recent decades as the world's economy becomes more globalised. The policies of open borders, a decrease in protectionism and the demise of the nation-state, have enabled small and large firms to engage in international activity from the outset. Understanding the Born Global Firm, combines the many different theoretical perspectives on born globals that have been previously researched, providing a unified framework to connect the antecedents, types and outcomes of entrepreneurial activities pursued by such new ventures. A central case study of an international fashion firm which operates in over nine countries, runs through the text, highlighting the formation and success of born globals and the importance of cultural competence. This book will be invaluable to post-graduate students in the field of international business; entrepreneurship; ethnic entrepreneurs; global entrepreneurship, and international networks.

The Advanced Planner and Optimiser (APO) is the software from SAP dedicated to supply chain management. This book addresses the question of how to implement APO in a company. It is written from a long years' experience in implementation projects and provides project managers and team members with the necessary know-how for a successful implementation project. The focus is on introducing modeling approaches and explaining the structure and interdependencies of systems, modules and entities of APO. Another concern is the integration with the R/3 system(s), both technically and from a process point of view. Since APO projects differ significantly from other SAP projects, some key issues and common mistakes concerning project management are covered.

This volume brings together a multidisciplinary group of scholars from diverse fields including computer science, engineering, archival science, law, business, psychology, economics, medicine and more to discuss the trade-offs between different "layers" in designing the use of blockchain/Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) for social trust, trust in data and records, and trust in systems. Blockchain technology has emerged as a solution to the problem of trust in data and records, as well as trust in social, political and economic institutions, due to its profound potential as a digital trust infrastructure. Blockchain is a DLT in which confirmed and validated sets of transactions are stored in blocks that are chained together to make tampering more difficult and render records immutable. This book is dedicated to exploring and disseminating the latest findings on the relationships between socio-political and economic data, record-keeping, and technical aspects of blockchain.

'Managing Information' describes how successful organizations make best use of information and knowledge - the key resources in business. It explains why information technology is essential for the management of business processes, and should be central to any business strategy. This updated edition provides a compelling rationale for organizations to use appropriate systems, and for individuals to acquire the skills to manage and use the systems. It describes how computer systems continue to evolve to meet business needs, and provides examples and exercises to help readers develop their skills. There is a new emphasis on the Internet - how to use it to keep up to date with the latest business issues, and how teams can communicate and collaborate with intranets. All of the most common sub-systems are described and explained, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Business-to-Business (B2B), Business-to-Consumer (B2C), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Enterprise Application Integration (EAI). The latest developments are described, including services available through the Internet from Application Service Providers (ASP), collaborative commerce and Business Process Management (BPM). There are introductory and more advanced computer exercises to consolidate learning and demonstrate how to acquire, store, organize and present information, using Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Explorer.

This book describes the intrinsic factors of IT Operation and its set-up during the software implementation phase. Based on the author's long-term experience in managing IT for more than 100 clients over nearly 25 years, the book examines the needed knowledge and execution management capabilities to implement and run IT environments successfully for all sizes of enterprises. Many real-world examples provide insight into typical IT challenges and recipes to turn common pitfalls of implementation and operation into best practices. In order to dominate information technology and not be dominated by it, readers will understand how to identify the most common risk factors during implementations and how to initiate successful risk-mitigation measures. The goal of this book is to arm the reader to completely prevent The 5 Pitfalls of Software Implementation by using the right programmatic design and execution. After an introduction to the book, individual chapters examine the vision of a Perfect IT and how Design Thinking and innovation contributes to it. The core chapters conveys The Five Pitfalls of Software Implementation, including Underestimation of System Performance Issues, Weak Program Governance and Leadership, and Operational Un-Readiness. The challenges surrounding implementations of cloud applications, are presented separately. Final chapters describe the preparation of the IT Operation along with a number of dos and don'ts (i.e. 'Best Practices' and 'Worst Practices'). The book concludes by presenting some Digital Strategies of companies, to dominate information technology.

Publisher's Note: Products purchased from Third Party sellers are not guaranteed by the publisher for quality, authenticity, or access to any online entitlements included with the product. Use machine learning to understand your customers, frame decisions, and drive value The business analytics world has changed, and Data Scientists are taking over. Business Data Science takes you through the steps of using machine learning to implement best-in-class business data science. Whether you are a business leader with a desire to go deep on data, or an engineer who wants to learn how to apply Machine Learning to business problems, you'll find the information, insight, and tools you need to flourish in today's data-driven economy. You'll learn how to: *Use the key building blocks of Machine Learning: sparse regularization, out-of-sample validation, and latent factor and topic modeling*Understand how use ML tools in real world business problems, where causation matters more that correlation*Solve data science programs by scripting in the R programming language Today's business landscape is driven by data and constantly shifting. Companies live and die on their ability to make and implement the right decisions quickly and effectively. Business Data Science is about doing data science right. It's about the exciting things being done around Big Data to run a flourishing business. It's about the precepts, principals, and best practices that you need know for best-in-class business data science.

Information technology has come to play an important role in organizations over the last few decades. Though it began as an entity dealt with by specialists, IT has evolved to become an everyday tool with both operational and strategic impacts. Most modern organizations have adopted different forms of IT, and become dependent on their computer-based information systems and their peripherals for everyday operations. Information technology offers opportunities to increase efficiency, customer value, and competitiveness. Given the financial investment in IT required by organizations to remain competitive, IT has become a resource that needs to be managed. Management and Information Technology evaluates organizations' utilization of IT including knowledge management and e-learning, accounting, and business relationships. Presenting theories to help the reader understand the varying roles IT can occupy in different organizations, this volume illustrates the ways in which IT has become a key strategic tool.

Small businesses make up some 90-95 percent of all global firms. Many undervalue the importance of information and communication technology (ICT). Within the small business segment there can be significant differences amongst the avid early adopters of ICT and the laggards. Research on early adopters tends be more prevalent as they are perceived to have a more interesting and positive story. However, late adopters and 'laggards' also have their own interesting stories that are under-reported. Small Business and Effective ICT draws on research undertaken over several years and documents the adoption/use of ICT across 'better' users of ICT (Leaders), typical ICT users (Operationals) and late adopters (Laggards). The findings are presented using a re-formulation of the LIASE framework which addresses a number of areas that include ICT literacy (L), information content/communication (I), Access (A), Infrastructure (I), Support (S) and Evaluation (E). Some 60 businesses were investigated in Australia and the UK, with each business presented as a concise vignette. The vignettes serve to show that small businesses are not as conservative in their use of ICT as the literature suggests, with examples of innovative uses of ICT in small businesses provided. Lessons for the effective use of ICT by small businesses are presented. The research design, methods adopted, presentation of findings through the vignettes, and 'take away' lessons have been written in manner to appeal to a broad range of readers including academics, researchers, students and policy makers in the discipline.

While technology advances at a high pace in the age of machine learning, there is a lack of clear intent and framing of acceptable ethical standards. This book brings together the complex topic of "good" technology in a cross-functional way, alternating between theory and practice.The authors address the ever-expanding discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ethics by providing an orientation. Pragmatic and recent issues are especially taken into account such as the collateral effects of the COVID19 pandemic. An up-to-date overview of digitization - already a very broad field in itself - is presented along with an analysis of the approaches of AI from an ethical perspective. Furthermore, concrete approaches to consider appropriate ethical principles in AI-based solutions are offered. The book will be appealing to academics, from humanities or business or technical disciplines, as well as practitioners who are looking for an introduction to the topic and an orientation with concrete questions and assistance.

Managers need access to some statistical advice from time to time to help in solving business problems. Students need access to statistical methods to support work in non-statistics courses, case studies and projects. What is needed will depend on the demands of the problem and how much statistics the manager or student already knows. The requirement is for flexible decision support.This unique book presents statistical ideas and models in easily accessible form describing both methods and issues of application.statsNotes are organized as a set of over one hundred notes rather than as a number of chapters. This enables managers and students to locate just what they need for the problem they have. Each note consists of a description of what to do, an example, the rationale, links to other notes.Managers and students can choose to use as many notes as necessary, which might be just one note or a set of linked notes.Deciding which method will be helpful depends not just on finding an appropriate statistical method but on the business context too. statsNotes provide advice at three levels: While the range of topics covered is similar to those in introductory textbooks and courses, the focus is on management decision and the methods for dealing with risky decisions and management judgment in this book are usually found in more specialist texts.

In this book, leading CEOs, CIOs and experts from international corporations explore the role of digitalization and cloud-based processes as the main business drivers of the 21st century. Focusing on how to get started with digitalization and how to handle the technologies involved, they employ analyses and practical case studies to demonstrate how to unleash the potential offered by the cloud, and how to achieve the most critical success factors - quality and security - through the right partnerships. Readers will discover why the cloud will soon take over the driver's seat in cars, and why Heineken CIO Anne Teague claims that innovation is impossible without high-quality IT. The book reveals what IT managers can learn from Silicon Valley and China today, and why Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges believes Europe's future depends on successful digitalization. In a closing strategic assessment, the editor Ferri Abolhassan presents the cloud as the essential backbone of digitalization. In short, the book provides readers the first comprehensive, high-level assessment of cloud-based digital transformation in the era of Industry 4.0.

Valuable software, realistic examples, clear writing, and fascinating topics help you master key spreadsheet and business analytics skills with SPREADSHEET MODELING AND DECISION ANALYSIS, 8E. You'll find everything you need to become proficient in today's most widely used business analytics techniques using Microsoft (R) Office Excel (R) 2016. Author Cliff Ragsdale -- respected innovator in business analytics -- guides you through the skills you need, using the latest Excel (R) for Windows. You gain the confidence to apply what you learn to real business situations with step-by-step instructions and annotated screen images that make examples easy to follow. The World of Management Science sections further demonstrates how each topic applies to a real company. Each new edition includes extended trial licenses for Analytic Solver Platform and XLMiner with powerful simulation and optimization tools for descriptive and prescriptive analytics and a full suite of tools for data mining in Excel.