This book provides retail managers with a practical guide to using data. It covers three topics that are key areas of innovation for retailers: Algorithmic Marketing, Logistics, and Pricing. Use cases from these areas are presented and discussed in a conceptual and comprehensive manner. Retail managers will learn how data analysis can be used to optimize pricing, customer loyalty and logistics without complex algorithms. The goal of the book is to help managers ask the right questions during a project, which will put them on the path to making the right decisions. It is thus aimed at practitioners who want to use advanced techniques to optimize their retail organization.

Since 1925, import substitution programs have diverted South Africa's mineral revenues away from efficient investments and into the creation of an uncompetitive manufacturing sector. Protection has recently been augmented by a General Export Incentive Scheme that was designed to increase manufacturing exports. A multisector general equilibrium analysis shows the export scheme is highly complex with unusual and undesirable structural effects, seeming little more than a continuation of social engineering of the past. This work provides a definitive analysis of past and present South African trade policy, using a methodology of interest to other trade and development researchers operating in similarly spare informational environments.

Managing productivity and profitability in retailing has taken on a particular role since the onset of the recession of the late 1980s. Productivity can be improved simply by rationalising low performing stores, merchandise ranges and by reducing the number of suppliers and employees. However, this is not necessarily a long term solution. The purpose of this text is to propose a means by which a more proactive approach may be taken to improving both productivity and profitability. The book develops a model based upon management ratios typically used in retailing businesses for planning and control purposes. The model encourages the use of existing performance data to evaluate overall company productivity and profitability together with performance characteristics of individual functions. An additional feature of the approach is the facility to explore the impact of changes to the retail offer suggested by customer research responses. To facilitate the use of the concepts and the model used, a disk is also available, containing the application of the model to a number of the case studies and a facility for the user to input their own data.

Drawing from extensive archival work and long-term ethnographic research, this book focuses on the so-called Bhotiyas, former trans-Himalayan traders and a Scheduled Tribe of India who reside in several high valleys of the Kumaon Himalaya. The area is located in the border triangle between India, the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR, People's Republic of China), and Nepal, where contestations over political boundaries have created multiple challenges as well as opportunities for local mountain communities. Based on an analytical framework that is grounded in and contributes to recent advances in the field of border studies, the author explores how the Bhotiyas have used their agency to develop a flourishing trans-Himalayan trade under British colonial influence; to assert an identity and win legal recognition as a tribal community in the political setup of independent India; and to innovate their pastoral mobility in the context of ongoing state and market reforms. By examining the Bhotiyas' trade, identity and mobility this book shows how and why the Himalayan border region has evolved as an agentive site of political action for a variety of different actors.

Michael Strobel worked for several years as a software engineer and consultant in the German IT industry before joining IBM Research in Switzerland, where he developed his interest in support for negotiations in electronic markets. During his career in research, he has published several articles on this topic in major international conferences and journals and received a PhD from the University of St.Gallen, Switzerland.

Based on his experiences and contributions, the author discusses electronic negotiation technologies - key ingredients for the next generation of electronic markets - from a scientific as well as a practitioner's perspective. He reviews the state-of-the-art and then introduces novel support mechanisms and design elements, which are applied in a number of case studies. This book is geared towards technicians interested in E-Commerce application development but also offers extensive background reading for educational purposes. "

Modern warehouses are capitalizing on cutting-edge technologies, new operating models and innovative practices to maximize their role in the wider supply chain. Understand how to successfully manage these warehouses with this bestselling guide. The fourth edition of Warehouse Management is fully updated to include up to date information across the board. The latest technologies in warehousing, such as robotics, cobots and AI, are explained and their impact is situated alongside discussions on the future of warehousing. There are new case studies from companies who have achieved improvements and cost savings through the introduction of new technology and equipment, leaner processes and environmental initiatives. Gwynne Richards provides expert advice with clear and easy to grasp solutions. Warehouse Management guides the reader through all aspects of successfully managing a warehouse, its operations and distribution. This bestselling book covers an extensive range of key topics from defining the modern warehouse, detailing management processes, strategies and practices to outlining how to tackle environmental challenges to ensure a sustainable supply chain. With practical insights into how to improve operating costs, increase efficiency and reduce costs, this is a must read for optimizing warehouse performance. New and updated online resources include PowerPoint slides and a bonus chapter on outsourcing.

This book is devoted to establishing a completely new concept within economics referred to as "trading economics" which is a reconstructed economic system in theory that seeks perfect harmony between micro and macro elements in a structured way, hence making the economic theory a rigorous system supported by internal logical continuity. Representing a revolution of the existing theoretical framework, trading economics has changed the logic of mainstream economics. Specifically, it deduces the "macro whole" from the "micro individuals", and it introduces a systematic and comprehensive analysis approach. It stresses that within an interconnected world, the interaction between trading agents is the fundamental driving force behind the operation, development and evolution of the economic system.

In the mid 1990s, the widespread adoption of the web browser led to a rapid commercialization of the Internet. In addition, initial success stories were reported from companies that learned how to create an effective direct marketing channel selling tangible products to consumers directly with the World Wide Web. By the end of the 1990s, the next revolution began called business-to-business electronic commerce. Business to Business Electronic Commerce will provide researchers and practitioners alike with a source of knowledge related to this emerging area of business. The audience for this book includes students, scholars, researchers and practitioners. Any currently engaged in the utilization and management of electronic commerce technologies will be interested in Business to Business Electronic Commerce to learn about the latest issues and challenges facing businesses throughout the world.

This anthology is an attempt to make sense of conferences and trade fairs as phenomena in contemporary society. The authors describe how these large-scale professional gatherings have become key sites for making and negotiating both industries and individual professions. In fact, during the past few decades, conferences and trade fairs have become a significant global industry in their own right. The editors assert that large-scale professional gatherings are remarkable events that require deeper analysis and scholarly attention.

In the world of e-commerce, security has quickly become of paramount importance. This unique book provides an in-depth understanding of basic security problems and relevant e-commerce solutions. From designing secure Web, e-commerce, and mobile commerce applications to securing internal networks to providing secure employee/user authentication, this cutting-edge book gives professionals the tools they need to solve their e-commerce security problems.

This volume undertakes the important task of envisioning a regional history of Asia based on its unique internal characteristics, going beyond the usual West/non-West dichotomy. The "regional trade zone of modern Asia" was debated in the 1980s. Since then, Japanese historians of the socioeconomic history of Asia have explored how the traditional trade relations that had developed over the centuries in Asia responded to the so-called Western impacts in the mid-nineteenth century, including the opening of ports and tariff reduction under free trade regimes and the advance in transportation technology. Against this academic background, the four chapters in this volume examine how overseas Chinese, some of the key actors in regional and local trade, dealt with their Western counterparts, and how Asian commodities penetrated other parts of the world through the newly created web of global commerce. The book reviews discuss theoretical issues to explore various connections among and comparisons of the economies in the region. This volume provides readers with critical insights into the Asian region in the past and present by investigating the long-term trajectory of its linkages to the global economy.

Highlighting an important emerging trend in FDI to Africa, this book consists of important contributions focusing on an increase in trade and investment between African countries. An area that until now has received little attention, this volume aims to define the key issues and explores the challenges and outcomes that have characterized Africa-to-Africa internationalization, providing guidance on directions for future research. Africa-to-Africa Internationalization includes both conceptual and empirical contributions, illustrating the practical issues in intra-African trade and investment. Providing readers with a deep sense of the realities and challenges of cross-border investments within the region, the cases included in the book are useful pedagogical materials for faculty members interested in teaching international business in the African context.

Trade and the Environment presents the most important published articles and papers which are essential to an understanding of the complex interrelationship between trade and the environment - an area which reflects the increasing concern about the protection of the earth's environment and natural resources. The book examines the subject from three perspectives. The first section offers an economic analysis of the trade and environment relationship, including the problems of cost and the methodological approaches to analyses of trade and environment; and exploration of how international and national trade and environment policies affect each other and an investigation of how firms and corporations adjust their strategies to respond to environmental regulation. The second section, which is devoted to the legal aspects of the conflict between trade and environmental policies, explores the implications of existing international trade agreements for good environmental practice and investigates the effects of national environmental laws on international trade. The final section is concerned with government policy and the way in which national governments construct international 'regimes' which affect the interplay between trade liberators and environmental regulators. Trade and the Environment provides a clear insight into an area of current concern and points to future issues in the rapidly emerging trade and environment regime.

This book presents a series of studies analyzing critical factors that promote and constrain textile & clothing (T&C) production and trade in the Belt & Road (B&R) countries, and forces that drive the restructuring and transforming of global T&C supply chain and operations in the B&R context. The book also offers insights into the challenges and opportunities for T&C manufacturing in B&R countries through interviews with T&C experts, and also examines how Hong Kong can strengthen its "super-connector" role by facilitating sustainable trade and development in the T&C industries, as well as discussion on the impact of global trade wars on T&C trade. In the studies presented in this book, they offer topics ranging from the macro-economy, international business environment and strategies, logistics and supply chain, policy changes, to sustainability. The studies offer descriptive, theoretical and empirical analyses that explore T&C business and management related opportunities and challenges that are derived from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Econometric analysis with the gravity model is applied to T&C trade and extended to cover other areas that have not been considered in previous studies, such as production costs, export supply chain costs, technologies, demographical factors, and factors related to the business environment and policies, including qualitative variables. Studies using in-depth interviews and linear regression analysis are also present to explore new factors for T&C trade and production relocation to B&R countries.

Companies and policy makers are prioritizing environmental, social, and governance goals as part of their strategies. Academic research has started to focus on these issues, but many important matters require deeper investigation and reflection, especially in specific sectors. This book focuses on the sustainability issues within the retailing and services sectors. Starting the discussion around research-knowledge on CSR, the authors discuss the strategic aspects of managing sustainability in retailing and service companies and offer recommendations to effectively manage the marketing levers for sustainability. Readers will benefit from an in-depth analysis of the social responsibility practices of major retailers and their strategies. The authors also take an inside view of CSR by studying the angles of employee perception and job satisfaction, financial performance, and the more recent impact of COVID-19. Using this approach, they highlight the system of relationships existing between stakeholder-related concepts and organizational factors and how they affect sustainability strategy.

The ability to collaborate, particularly in new manufacturing technology development, is becoming a corporate competence that will determine which companies survive in the next decade. With the advent of the telecommunications and information infrastructure realized in the 1990s, companies that can effectively collaborate to get new technologies applied will stand a greater chance of remaining competitive in today's market.

Collaborative R&D offers the methods and metrics for developing collaborative technology programs and partnerships, both within the industry and between major competitors. R&D experts Allen and Jarman provide a complete map for collaboration, taken from their collective years of experience in creating, promoting, and managing many collaborative R&D initiatives over the past decade. They include the guidelines for determining what technology development areas are appropriate for collaboration, and what ingredients need to be in place for it to be successful.

The authors' experiences are detailed in a format that walks the reader through the process of identifying, starting, and managing collaborative R&D programs. Having developed these programs with companies like Ford, Texas Instruments, Boeing, AT&T, and Kodak, Allen and Jarman include numerous real-world examples, which show how to choose collaborative partners, how to use the government in establishing R&D programs, successful management techniques, means of addressing intellectual property, and how to address accounting concerns.

The book also illustrates the significant benefits of collaborative R&D, helping managers and technology professionals realize its value by enabling them to make the most knowledgeable decisions and take the best actions possible, in any given situation. Among some of the benefits that have resulted from the authors' collaborative programs:

• Pratt & Whitney developed software tools that enabled them to keep one of their plants from closing.
• Ford reduced a two-week design process to four hours.
• An acceleration by at least a year in 32 key Printed Wiring Board research tasks resulted in research savings of about $35.5 million.

  Collaborative R&D is valuable reading for any business that plans to thrive in a new global economy where all available financial and human assets will need to be leveraged for the greatest return—and with minimal risk.

  "R&D means innovation, productivity, and growth—the three things our economy needs the most. This important new book explains how and why the R&D revolution is transforming American industry, a theme everyone who cares about the future of our economy should understand." —Jerry Jasinowski, President, National Association of Manufacturers.

  "Allen and Jarman provide the definitive pathway to competitive advantage through collaborative R&D, the new tool for cost-effective innovation in the twenty-first century." —Leo Reddy, President, National Coalition for Advanced Manufacturing.

  "Collaboration among companies is very new in American industry. Most companies are still striving to have their own employees collaborate with each other. This book portrays the strength and power of intercompany collaboration." —Jack E. Swindle, Senior Vice President, Texas Instruments.

  "This is a must read for any entrepreneur thinking of becoming involved in cross-organizational collaboration, for any corporate executive concerned about how cross-organizational R&D collaboration will help his company to remain competitive in the future, and for any manager who is responsible for managing people involved in cross-organizational collaborative efforts." —Dr. Ann Majchrzak, Professor of Information Systems, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California

  "Collaborative R&D is mandatory reading for any enterprise leader looking to expand and leverage market influence." —Mike McEvoy, Vice President, Advanced Engineering and Design Center, Baxter Healthcare Corporation.

This book provides a solid overview of trade and business opportunities in the Pacific Alliance, focusing on the key drivers of economic growth and development in Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Mexico. It addresses the political, economic, and social benefits that accrue when commerce and markets are made freer, and implications this poses for American businesses. Further, it surveys how key economies of Latin America have learned from past failures and are poised to capitalize on them in the future. It will offer a detailed understanding for business scholars, practitioners, and entrepreneurs looking to explore new business ventures in dynamic trade union.

This book analyzes the food revolution that has occurred in Russia since the late 1980s, documenting the transformation in systems of production, supply, distribution, and consumption. It examines the dominant actors in the food system; explores how the state regulates food; considers changes in patterns of food trade interactions with other states; and discusses how all this and changing habits of consumption have impacted consumers. It contrasts the grim food situation of 1980s and 1990s with the much better food situation that prevails at present and sets the food revolution in the context of the wider consumer revolution, which has affected fashion, consumer electronics, and other sectors of the economy.

Digitalisation and Organisation Design aims to address key topics related to organisation design and knowledge management in the digital economy with organisational context, particularly in Asia. Asian nations are moving fast toward the digital economy. Doing business in the digital economy is different from the old way, and the role of organisation design and knowledge management is crucial to support innovative and creative ideas for tapping the huge market opportunities in which people are ready for digitalisation. Chapters in the book cover important topics related to organisation design and knowledge management for organisations, especially business organisations in Asia, to prepare and cultivate necessary means for advancing in the digital economy. This book offers readers a unique value, bringing new perspectives to understanding emerging business opportunities and challenges in Asia. It will present a valuable collection of chapters with empirical studies from leading researchers on the related topic within the main theme (Asian economies, digitalisation, knowledge management, organisational design). The collection of chapters will be conceptually and practically beneficial for academics, students and policy makers interested in the latest developments in organisation design and knowledge management in the digital economy in Asia. This book can be used as a main or supplementary resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students in business and related areas.

Focusing on global value chains and their importance to trade, this edited collection explores the strategic role of logistics and supply chain infrastructure in the development of Africa. Skilled authors present critical analysis of the current state of logistics in Africa, and suggest improvements to policy and practice which address the issue of poor trading relationships. This book will engage entrepreneurs, academics and policy-makers interested in international business, raising awareness of the need for better trade infrastructure in Africa in order to ensure the continent's economic development.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Other Restructuring Activities: An Integrated Approach to Process, Tools, Cases, and Solutions, Eleventh Edition presents the most current and comprehensive M&A information available. Organized according to the context in which topics normally occur in the M&A process, the book covers M&A environments, M&A processes, M&A valuation and modeling, deal structuring and financing strategies, and alternative business and restructuring strategies. Covering industries worldwide, this new edition illustrates the most germane strategies and tactics in today's marketplace. It includes substantially more ancillary materials than previous editions, including an extensive test bank, chapter summaries, and instructor and student PowerPoint slides. More than 100 new references to relevant academic research published since 2018 make the 11th edition a balanced, comprehensive guide to the complex and dynamically changing world of M&A.

This book provides an overview of evolving patterns of trade partnership with historical perspective. It presents changing requirements of industry competitiveness and explains the vital relationships between trade partnerships and industry competitiveness. As well, it further examines the interactive relationships between trade partnerships and industry competitiveness. In recent years, with decreasing strategic alliances among nations and less visibility of international governance mechanisms (e.g., WTO) and counter to globalization, preferential trade agreements and free-trade agreements have proliferated among nations. At the same time, industrial competitiveness is becoming a serious strategic policy priority of nations-both advanced and emerging economies. Theoretical discussion focuses on the practices of global network capabilities for the top of the pyramid (ToP) and base of the pyramid (BoP). Special focus is on trade partnerships and industry competitiveness in the Asian economies (China, Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia), three ASEAN nations (Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia), and Mexico. Extensive industry and firm-level case studies discuss ToP and BoP interface capabilities in the form of manufacturing and services life-cycle management, which extends value creation and delivery of manufacturing and services. This extension integrates the cloud ecosystem, such as timely data/information/knowledge flows via the virtual world; and ground value chains, such as the flow of complex real goods and services in the visible world.

By 1760, with the alleviation of the French threat to the western frontier, colonial fur traders headed west to reap the bounty of trade with the local tribes. However, when dissatisfied French interests conspired to instigate a revolt, the resulting Pontiac Uprising would force the British to rethink colonial trade policy. The fur traders, who had considered the British government their ally in exploiting the west, now saw the British allying themselves with the French and local tribes to keep the colonists out of the region. The prominent merchants who suffered financially and received no compensation would soon come to oppose British rule.

The fur trade and land speculation were two driving forces in the westward spread of merchant interests, but the promise of such riches would remain unfulfilled. Regulation of the trade would prove an enormous expense for the British; thus, to avoid the financial burden as well as to remove ill-treatment of the Native Americans as a cause for conflict, the Proclamation of 1763 prohibited settlement west of the mountains. The resulting dissatisfaction among the traders and speculators cost the British the support of colonial merchants. This book is an informative account of the interaction of economic, political, and social concerns on the western frontier.