This book analyzes the impact of the digital economy on customer satisfaction, shopping experience, resistance to change, script theory, and loyalty. The model introduced assumes that online markets have led to a redefinition of the concepts of loyalty and shopping scripts as a way to reduce customers' cognitive effort, by optimizing purchase time and increasing the speed and satisfaction of the shopping experience. It describes the utility function of the script by retaining customer loyalty and making the customer more reluctant to abandon his regular supplier. It also explores the difficulty faced by the higher churn rate on the Internet and the minimization of search costs, by integrating more functionality to achieve the ultimate goal of behavioral and cognitive loyalty. The authors provide an analysis in a "digital" view of the economic theory of switching costs and the resulting lock-in mechanisms which, in a classical economy, are often a barrier to disloyalty. It is a useful and effective tool for online businesses, their main managerial and strategic implications, and the adaptability to existing contexts.

How do managers and leaders know what to do when they are caught off guard or taken by surprise? How do they create when they do not know what to do next? These are challenges of an organizational world of existential uncertainty; one where the future does not conform to but challenges our expectations and assumptions. Steven Segal demonstrates that creating in a world of existential uncertainty requires a new understanding of the relationship between management inquiry and the lived experience of organizing. Using existential philosophy he demonstrates how moods of concern serve as a framework to integrate management theory and practice, thereby providing a framework for managers, management educators, and consultants to share a common framework. In a globalized free market characterized by unexpected disruptions management inquiry is not a science conducted from an objective distance. The book advocates an existentially reflexive and participant observer perspective to management inquiry. By participating in managing, a felt sense of being a manager develops. Through existential observation new ways of organizing are made possible. It is inquiry from within rather than from an objective distance. Such inquiry opens new doors and opportunities. Existential hermeneutic phenomenology and the free market phenomenon of creative destruction are linked to each other. The former provides a framework to work through the breakdown in conventions of organizing that occur in creative destruction.

This book is designed to assist industrial engineers and production managers in developing procedural and methodological engineering tools to meet industrial standards and mitigate engineering and production challenges. It offers practitioners expert guidance on how to implement adequate statistical process control (SPC), which takes account of the capability to ensure a stable process and then regulate if variations take place due to variables other than a random variation. Powerful engineering models of new product introduction (NPI), continuous improvement (CI), and the eight disciplines (8D) model of problem solving techniques are explained. The final three chapters introduce new methodological models in operations research (OR) and their applications in engineering, including the hyper-hybrid coordination for process effectiveness and production efficiency, and the Kraljic-Tesfay portfolio matrix of industrial buying.

This book offers an advanced introduction to the models of credit risk valuation. It concentrates on firm-value and reduced-form approaches and their applications in practice. Additionally, the book includes new models for valuing derivative securities with credit risk, focussing on options and forward contracts subject to counterparty default risk, but also treating options on credit-risky bonds and credit derivatives. The text provides detailed descriptions of the state-of-the-art martingale methods and advanced numerical implementations based on multi-variate trees used to price derivative credit risk. Numerical examples illustrate the effects of credit risk on the prices of financial derivatives.

Creativity directly impacts results and productivity, yet few of us understand how it happens or how to put it into practice. This book shows you not only how to get things done, but how to do them better and more creatively. The Creative Thinking Handbook provides the correct application for creative thinking and action, by offering clear, practical tools and strategies so that you can develop creative thinking skills and help find brilliant solutions for any professional challenge. Based on research and proven-to-work creative thinking models, Chris Griffiths and Melina Costi present a clear introduction to what creative thinking is, explain why we all need to do it and will help you generate ideas and make better decisions. The Creative Thinking Handbook gets you to think differently by thinking creatively.

Comparative Causal Mapping: The CMAP3 Method, by Mauri Laukkanen and Mingde Wang, is an introduction to the conceptual backgrounds of causal (cognitive) mapping and to the typical methods in comparative and composite causal mapping, based on either interview or questionnaire primary data or on secondary documentary data. The discussed CCM research is supported by CMAP3, a freely downloadable (www.uef.fi/cmap3) Windows software platform for CCM studies. The book has three parts. The first discusses the theoretical underpinnings and methodological issues in causal mapping including the target phenomena and different interpretations of causal maps/mapping, the motives for using CCM methods and the criteria of method selection. The second part focuses on the technical aspects of using CMAP3 in typical CCM research. The third part presents three CCM study cases: a classical document-based study; a semi-structured interview-based (SIM) study; and a methodological study comparing SIM with an electronically administered structured hybrid CCM approach. In addition to demonstrating CCM practices, they suggest that different methods produce divergent results and are thus not substitutable. The research task should determine which CCM approach is appropriate. The book will appeal to both academic and professional audiences, in particular to doctoral students and experienced researchers looking for new topics and method approaches, but also to practitioners in fields such as management and organization studies, organizational development, public policy and education, and knowledge management.

This book aims to assess what the changes of the Treaty of Lisbon envisaged and whether these ambitions have materialised since the Treaty entered into force. It offers analyses of the past, as well as what might be the future (because some provisions will only enter into effect in the years to come). To what extent has the current decision-making process been able to address the shortcomings and challenges of the past? What has been the impact of aspects of the Lisbon Treaty that clarified pre-existing norms and structures, in some cases formalizing them, rather than introducing new changes? The authors of this book look at the interaction between formal rules and informal practices, seeking to point to the interaction between the two. They find that informal practices to date typically still dominate formal rules. This book was published as a special issue of West European Politics.

This book tells you everything you need to know, everything you need to think about, and everything you need to do to be a successful manager. It covers all aspects of management, giving you the confidence to tackle things thoroughly and help develop your own managerial competence. Every one of the checklists in this book is fast, focused and has been specially written for busy managers like you. Quickly access hundreds of essential tips and tricks, discover vital insider knowledge and winning strategies, and learn everything you need to know to be a brilliant manager. * Make the best informed decisions every time * Understand the problems that you might face every day * Become a more systematic and thorough manager "Had I not seen it and read it, I would not have believed it was possible to reduce all those fine-sounding theories to such straightforward lists - you are a genius, even if you are doing me out of a job." Charles Handy

The effectiveness of a good strategy well implemented determines a business' future success or failure. Yet history is full of strategic decisions, big and small, that were ill-conceived, poorly organised and consequently disastrous. This updated guide looks at the whole process of strategic decision-making - from vision, forecasting, and resource allocation, through to implementation and innovation. Strategy is about understanding where you are now, where you are heading and how you will get there. There is no room for timidity or confusion. Although the CEO and the board decide a company's overall direction, it is the managers at all levels of the organisation that will determine how the vision can be transformed into action. In short, everyone is involved in strategy. But getting it right involves difficult choices: which customers to target, what products to offer and the best way to keep costs low and service high. And constantly changing business conditions inevitably bring risks. Even after business strategy has been developed, a company must remain nimble and alert to change, and view strategy as an ongoing and evolving process. The message of this guide is simple: strategy matters, and getting it right is fundamental to business success - this book will show you how.

Run every project smoothly, successfully and on time This book contains a range of essential checklists for busy project managers, each one of which has been developed, tested and proven to work. Brilliant Checklists for Project Managers quickly provides hundreds of practical tips, techniques and strategies, based on proven insider knowledge and expertise to help you to deliver brilliant projects. Complete your projects successfully, on time and within budget Understand and master all aspects of any project Run any type of project, no matter what size Quickly find the answers you need just when you need them Everything you need to know, think about and do to run your project successfully and efficiently.

As we get caught up in the quagmire of Big Data and analytics, it remains critically important to be able to reflect and apply insights, experience, and intuition to your decision-making process. In fact, a recent research study at Tel Aviv University found that executives who relied on their intuition were 90 percent accurate in their decisions. Bursting the Big Data Bubble: The Case for Intuition-Based Decision Making focuses on this intuition-based decision making. The book does not discount data-based decision making, especially for decisions that are important and complex. Instead, it emphasizes the importance of applying intuition, gut feel, spirituality, experiential learning, and insight as key factors in the executive decision-making process. Explaining how intuition is a product of past experience, learning, and ambient factors, the text outlines methods that will help to enhance your data-driven decision-making process with intuition-based decision making. The first part of the book, the "Research Track", presents contributions from leading researchers worldwide on the topic of intuition-based decision making as applied to management. In the second part of the book, the "Practice Track," global executives and senior managers in industry, government, universities, and not-for-profits present vignettes that illustrate how they have used their intuition in making key decisions. The research part of the book helps to frame the problem and address leading research in intuition-based decision making. The second part then explains how to apply these intuition-based concepts and issues in your own decision-making process.

On the basis of fuzzy sets and some of their relevant generalizations, this book systematically presents the fundamental principles and applications of group decision making under different scenarios of preference relations. By using intuitionistic knowledge as the field of discourse, this work investigates by utilizing innovative research means the fundamental principles and methods of group decision making with various different intuitionistic preferences: Mathematical reasoning is employed to study the consistency of group decision making; Methods of fusing information are applied to look at the aggregation of multiple preferences; Techniques of soft computing and optimization are utilized to search for satisfactory decision alternatives. Each chapter follows the following structurally clear format of presentation: literature review, development of basic theory, verification and reasoning of principles , construction of models and computational schemes, and numerical examples, which cover such areas as technology, enterprise competitiveness, selection of airlines, experts decision making in weather-sensitive enterprises, etc. In terms of theoretical principles, this book can be used as a reference for researchers in the areas of management science, information science, systems engineering, operations research, and other relevant fields. It can also be employed as textbook for upper level undergraduate students and graduate students. In terms of applications, this book will be a good companion for all those decision makers in government, business, and technology areas.

Businesses often find themselves trapped in a competitive dogfight, scratching and clawing for market share with products consumers view as largely undifferentiated. Conventional wisdom suggests that dogfights are to be expected as marketplaces mature, giving rise to the notion that there are "bad" industries where it is unlikely that any company can succeed. But there are notable exceptions in which enlightened executives have changed the rules to grasp the holy grail of business: long-term profitable growth. Rather than joining the dogfights raging within their industry, companies such as Apple, FedEx, and Starbucks have chosen to become metaphorical cats, continuously renewing their distinctive strategies to compete on their own terms. In If You're in a Dogfight, Become a Cat, Leonard Sherman draws on four decades of experience in management consulting, venture capital, and teaching business strategy at Columbia Business School to share practical advice on two of the most vexing issues facing business executives: why is it so hard to achieve long-term profitable growth, and what can companies do to break away from the pack? Sherman takes the reader on a provocative journey through the building blocks of business strategy by challenging conventional wisdom on a number of questions that will redefine management best practices: * What should be the overarching purpose of your business?* Do you really know what your strategy is?* Is there such a thing as a bad industry?* Where do great ideas come from and how do I find them?* What makes products meaningfully different?* What makes and breaks great brands?* How and when should I disrupt my own company?* What are the imperatives to achieving long-term profitable growth? Filled with dozens of illustrative examples of inspiring successes and dispiriting falls from grace, this book provides deep insights on how to become the cat in a dogfight, whether you are a CEO, mid-level manager, aspiring business school student, or curious observer interested in achieving sustained profitable growth.

Struggling to motivate your staff?

Looking for ways to make your meetings more effective?

Battling to get a decision from colleagues?

Every manager, every day, at every level takes on challenges and problems that can be tricky to solve.

You're busy and you want quick answers that are guaranteed to work.

"The Top 50 Management Dilemmas "provides help on the most common hurdles that managers face. It will help you understand every situation better so you know exactly what to do, fast.

Whatever your challenge - an individual, your team, external clients, conflict, change or power - you'll discover how to: Get things done quicker, better and right - quickly understand what you need to do to get the best results Develop stronger relationships - get the best from others, manage your team better and transform your dealings with clients Build your problem-solving toolkit - avoid getting stuck and develop a powerful set of skills Boost your reputation - be known as an adaptable, flexible and forward-thinking manager who always delivers

This incredibly handy book has been specially written to ensure you can get to the best solution, in the quickest time, whatever the scenario.

This book examines discourses of knowledge and innovation in post-industrial societies and knowledge-based organizations. The author investigates the value of knowledge and the question of innovation management in a fully commercial environment for a technology company.

In contrast with most of the mainstream approaches to knowledge and innovation management this volume chooses as its starting point a critical examination of these assumptions before proceeding with further suggestions on how to manage knowledge. Using brand new empirical research, the author argues for the significance of addressing the political games and power struggles enacted in managing innovation processes, which result from the opportunity certain groups seek to acquire or extend their control over valuable resources. Again, in contrast to mainstream approaches that reduce power to the ability of individuals to negotiate in order to promote their ideas, the analysis adopts an extended view on power, and seeks to reveal the ambiguities and challenges of innovation management.

This work will be of most interest to researchers and students of knowledge and innovation management, namely postgraduates and second degree students, as well as managers in knowledge-based organisations.

Decision makers interested in going beyond their own personal and professional interests and involving themselves in humanising their organization, community and society should read Remaking Ourselves, Enterprise and Society. This book is about adherence to human values at an institutional level, and its starting point is the belief that human beings have basic goodness, which in turn is reflected in the desire to be of help to others and to do good. Professor Rao introduces the Indian concept of 'Spandan' (Heartbeat). Spandan is operationalized through a process of diagnosis, discovery and development enabling organizations to achieve an optimal balance between what are defined as transactional, transformational, and terminal human values. This leads to management and organizations developing sensitivity to the needs of others, which they come to understand. When such sensitivity becomes integral to its work ethic and culture, an organization is able to temper its commitment to task with humanity and it becomes functionally humane. Experience suggests, not surprisingly, that organizations that can achieve this optimal balance between results and relations achieve higher employee commitment and productivity and increased accommodative spirit that better equips them to deal with difficult times. This exciting addition to Gower's Transformation and Innovation Series will enlighten business leaders, governmental and non-governmental policy makers, management educators, organization developers, and researchers.

In this present internet age, risk analysis and crisis response based on information will make up a digital world full of possibilities and improvements to people's daily life and capabilities. These services will be supported by more intelligent systems and more effective decisionmaking. This book contains all the papers presented at the 4th International Conference on Risk Analysis and Crisis Response, August 27-29, 2013, Istanbul, Turkey. The theme was intelligent systems and decision making for risk analysis and crisis response. The risk issues in the papers cluster around the following topics: natural disasters, finance risks, food and feed safety, catastrophic accidents, critical infrastructure, global climate change, project management, supply chains, public health, threats to social safety, energy and environment. This volume will be of interest to all professionals and academics in the field of risk analysis, crisis response, intelligent systems and decision-making, as well as related fields of enquiry.

RISK MANAGEMENT APPROACHES FOR FIXED INCOME MARKETS

"Golub-Tilman will, I believe, become an absolutely essential reference text for fixed income portfolio managers, traders, issuers, and scholars. It is comprehensive and clearly written. While rigorous, it is easy to understand because of its many practical examples."— Richard Roll, The Allstate Chair in Finance and Insurance, The Anderson School at UCLA, Past President, American Finance Association

"Outstanding and unique! A thorough discussion of the theoretical underpinning of risk management combined with keen insights from a practitioner’s perspective. This text will rank among the most essential readings for both market professionals and academics." –Gregory J. Parseghian, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer, Freddie Mac

"The most systematic and comprehensive overview of fixed income risk management."–Philippe Jorion, Professor of Finance, University of California—Irvine, Author, Value at Risk: The New Benchmark for Controlling Derivatives Risk

"An inside look at approaches to fixed income risk management developed at a leading investment firm. The rigorous presentation covers both theoretical and practical considerations as well as their applications to portfolio management. Very interesting and highly recommended."–Charles W. Grant, Managing Director of Fixed Income, Virginia Retirement System

"Few, if any, financial studies have managed to reconcile practical market experience and scientific discipline within such an original approach and with such elegance! An absolute must for anyone in the world of fixed income."–Michele Donegani, Head of Asset Allocation and Manager Selection, European Investment Managers (EIM).

The best way to learn how to navigate change successfully is to look at practical examples of change management programmes. Organizational Change Explained shares stories and insights from experienced change practitioners so professionals can reflect on their own work, respond critically to what others have done, and take away new tools and techniques to apply to their own change management practice. The book includes a range of cases from different sectors and countries including GlaxoSmithKline and the NHS to offer insights no matter the scale of the change management programme. Organized around central themes such as shaping and design, change leadership, and communication and engagement, Organizational Change Explained presents each case alongside an introduction, conclusion, list of key learning points, questions for reflection and sources of further reading. The book is invaluable to anyone tasked with leading or managing change within their teams, projects, departments or divisions, whether at local level or across geographic locations, countries and cultures.

Making decisions is a critical part of every executive's job. However we know so little about the often subliminal processes that shape the decisions we make. The Secret Life of Decisions exposes the unchallenged myths and distortions that impact our reasoning ability, raising our awareness of the many traps we can fall into. Meena Thuraisingham and her collaborator, Wolfgang Lehmacher, have drawn from decades of work with leaders showing that even the most talented leaders and teams can end up making sub-optimal decisions. This is rarely because they had poor critical thinking faculties but rather because they did not pay enough attention to the often invisible traps hardwired into our thinking processes, letting through only information that conforms with our current beliefs, mental models and expectations. This leaves many leaders and businesses exposed. Rather than being the rational output of our reasoning abilities, the authors show decision making to be a highly imprecise process. As decision makers we come to the table armed with our own perspectives, preferences, filters, heuristics and biases, influenced by a broad range of social influences many operating subliminally. The Secret Life of Decisions is an essential read for developing and seasoned executives who have to work through increasingly complex and high stakes decisions. It treats choosing wisely and the thinking involved as a skill, which as with many other skills, can be improved with the guided practice and supporting tools provided here. The journey however starts with awareness that comes from outing the 'secret' forces that can sabotage the quality of our decisions.

How did Bill Clinton get his party to take him seriously again after the sex scandal story broke? Who was the manager behind Edmund Hillary's ascent of Mount Everest? Why could taking a nap after lunch be your route to a more productive day? This engaging and entertaining book takes a fresh, honest approach and explores what it's really like to be a manager. It addresses the kinds of issues managers face on a daily basis, from prioritising their time and balancing a team, to recruiting new staff and managing the numbers. Written by Philip Delves Broughton, FT journalist and bestselling author of What They Teach You at Harvard Business School, this book is jam packed with titillating case studies and anecdotes from the very best and worst managers, including everyone from Bill Clinton and Mark Zuckerberg to Alex Ferguson and Roger Federer. "for most of us, our days are more like splat-the-rat, flailing at problems as they emerge, hoping that one good wallop does the trick, but fearing that nothing is ever well and truly solved" Management Matters, Philip Delves-Broughton

Peter Bregman, author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller 18 Minutes, offers strategies to replace energy-wasting, counter-productive habits that commonly derail us with truly effective ones. The things we want most-peace of mind, fulfilling relationships, to do well at work-are surprisingly straightforward to realize. But too often our best efforts to attain them are built on destructive habits that sabotage us. In Four Seconds, Peter Bregman shows us how to replace negative patterns with energy boosting and productive behaviors. To thrive in our fast-paced world all it takes is to pause for as few as four seconds-the length of a deep breath-allowing us to make intentional and tactical choices that lead to better outcomes. Four Seconds reveals: * Why listening-not arguing-is the best strategy for changing someone's mind * Why setting goals can actually harm performance * How to use strategic disengagement to recover focus and willpower * How taking responsibility for someone else's failure can actually help your team Practical and insightful, Four Seconds provides simple solutions to create the results you want without the stress.

With the influence of operations research and management science, business and administration methods have made significant strides in advancing the effective application methods for decision-making processes. Management Science, Logistics, and Operations Research examines related research in decision, management, and other behavioral sciences in order to exchange and collaborate on information among business, industry, and government. This book presents innovative theories and practices in operations research and is essential for practitioners, educators, and researchers for improving business functions and decision making.