The book introduces the Constructionist Research Design Process as a framework for research that is creative, transformative and innovative. It can be used by any professional and researcher who wants to develop creative inquiry and to promote social change. It integrates the theory of social construction with the tools of design thinking, challenging the concept of dualisms in research such as quantitative/qualitative and subjective/objective. The focus is on the complex relational achievement required to construct a worldview where different relational (research) processes construct different realities (knowledge). In this sense, all truths are contextual truths, co-created in a specific time and useful to a specific context.

Straightforward advice for navigating the challenges facing professionals who are underrepresented in the leadership of today's organizations Michael Hyter is one of the nation's highest regarded executives of color, and a widely respected thought leader in the area of talent development and leadership succession. To get there, he worked hard and made his work count through Efficacy. In The Power of Choice he reveals the lessons he learned along the way—putting you on the fast track to career success. This book provides answers to the questions you might face as you immerse yourself in an often confusing and challenging workplace culture. It is about how to take informed personal responsibility for your career. Inside, you'll find an open and frank discussion of how you can—and must, if you want to succeed!—make deliberate choices about who you are and how to represent yourself in your career. You'll learn how to open doors for yourself (rather than waiting for others to open them for you), choose what’s important to you, and decide how you will achieve your goals. Learn how to choose greatness by embracing efficacy to make the most of your time and energy Take your career into your own hands with inspiration from others who have made it Discover how embracing personal responsibility can create the opportunities you've dreamed of Gain deep insights into your own mind and make the right decisions to get where you're going Yes, for those of us who are underrepresented talent, there are tradeoffs to finding success in today's workplace culture. If you rise to the challenge, you stand a good chance of reaching your full potential—both professionally and personally.

The era of globalization saw China emerge as the world's manufacturing titan. However, the "made in China" model—with its reliance on cheap labor and thin profits—has begun to wane. Beginning in the 2000s, the Chinese state shifted from attracting foreign investment to promoting the technological competitiveness of domestic firms. This shift caused tensions between winners and losers, leading local bureaucrats to compete for resources in government budget, funding, and tax breaks. While bureaucrats successfully built coalitions to motivate businesses to upgrade in some cities, in others, vested interests within the government deprived businesses of developmental resources and left them in a desperate race to the bottom. In Manipulating Globalization, Ling Chen argues that the roots of coalitional variation lie in the type of foreign firms with which local governments forged alliances. Cities that initially attracted large global firms with a significant share of exports were more likely to experience manipulation from vested interests down the road compared to those that attracted smaller foreign firms. The book develops the argument with in-depth interviews and tests it with quantitative data across hundreds of Chinese cities and thousands of firms. Chen advances a new theory of economic policies in authoritarian regimes and informs debates about the nature of Chinese capitalism. Her findings shed light on state-led development and coalition formation in other emerging economies that comprise the new "globalized" generation.

Paulina Tenner presents a unique perspective on emergent social change in the world of work, and a method to achieve a balance of wholeness and profitability in a commercial organisation. As the #metoo movement has swept over the globe, it's time to begin a discussion of how feminine and masculine principles can be integrated together safely, in organisations of all kinds, and in commercial organisations in particular. This books begins that conversation.

This book is well documented, well written, well researched and is up-to-date. It is non-sexist. It is more than a manual for business communicators.' It is more than a book of how to's.' And it is more than a book of do's and don'ts. The authors and contributors skillfully draw upon a broad range of social sciences literature and their personal communication experience, both of which make this book invaluable in our understanding of the relationship between communication theory and practice. Beyond that, they offer clear guidelines for effective public communication. "Public Relations Review"

This book discusses the strategy of targeted communication and explains the steps necessary to plan and implement an effective information program. Selnow and Crano both place their recommendations in a communication theory and research perspective and show them to have practical application in real-world programs. They deal not only with the how to's, but with the why's as well.

Significance of 'How to Master the Art of Interviewing' in the present job market? Preparing for an interview in a befitting manner is truly a mammoth task both for an employee and an employer. An interview is the only ploy to get an employee enrolled in his dream job, and enable the employer find the best employee for his organization. However a single mistake can snap the thread and make both lose a prospective option. This is where How to Master the Art of Interviewing penned by Mr. Ramzi Karim comes in. The book is a must as it covers the needs of a job aspirant, the high school students aiming to prepare themselves for the job market, mid terms career changers and experienced professionals as well as recruiters who are frantically in the look out for deserving candidates. Written in lucid language, this book would serve as a readymade tool for successful hiring for both the employer and the job aspirant. Essential features of the book Different interview formats Key qualities of success Successful resume & cover letter writing secrets 30 open and close ended questions with answers Using the right body language How to make use of references properly Guidelines for parents How to prepare for an interview

This book places special focus on the importance of trust building, particularly in economies where formal legal arrangements are lacking. Taking the case of Africa, the author provides a framework of how indigenous institutions specify and define the rules, thereby allowing entrepreneurship to thrive. In particular, the book delves into the distinct evidence of institutional rivalry within Africa where competing institutions co-exist, leading to the emergence of dominant hybrid institutional forms. By placing enforcements at the heart of the issue, the author makes a convincing case for trust in a range of indigenous institutional arrangements. Based on an investigation of entrepreneurs operating across West Africa, the book explores how indigenous arrangements are sufficient in enforcing credible commitments to agreements. In the process, the author argues that trust is essential in stimulating entrepreneurial incentives in Africa. The book brings the real-world situation of local actors in live situations that almost every African entrepreneur can identify with. In a bold new step, the book attempts to show how African entrepreneurs have been able to respond to the specific socio-economic challenges of their environment and raises questions about the role of alternative indigenous institutions. For those interested in African studies, the book’s chapters and readings capture fresh insights and renewed enthusiasm for African entrepreneurship.

Increasingly, scholars view reliability—the ability to plan for and withstand disaster—as a social construction. However, there is a tendency to evoke this concept only in the face of catastrophes, such as the British Petroleum oil spill or the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. This book frames reliability as a fundamental issue in the study of organizations—one that can also improve day-to-day operations. Bringing together a diverse cast of contributors, it considers how we can account for the ability of some organizations to maintain high reliability and what we can learn from them. The chapters distinguish reliability from related lines of inquiry; take stock of relevant research from different disciplinary perspectives; highlight implications for practice; and identify directions, questions, and priorities for future research. The first of its kind in over twenty years, this volume delivers a dynamic base of shared knowledge and an integrative research agenda at a time when organizational reliability has never been so important.

Robotic Process Automation will continue its exponential growth over the next five years. With more than 54 vendors, different kinds of tools, generic applicability and as a cognitive and AI platform, RPA has fast become an opportunity that is too good to miss. So, how do you leverage the massive potential business value? Based on four years of research into over 420 business deployments, this book identifies the distinctive leading practices of front-runners, and a Total Value of Ownership (TVO) framework to drive out value across the RPA life-cycle. This book brings a new focus on RPA's strategic potential: the innovations made possible and how to deliver through effective sourcing stakeholder-buy-in, governance, change management, and capability development practices. RPA as a platform, linking with cognitive and AI technologies as part of digital transformation is highlighted. The central messages - think and behave strategically, start right, institutionalize fast, and innovate continuously - are demonstrated, with multiple client experiences, trials and lessons. From dealing with old world process and IT challenges, RPA is now being applied towards building the new digital world and becoming strategic in its application. * Based on extensive new research by world renowned authors * Comprehensive market overview * A systematic set of action principles across the RPA life-cycle * Challenges, and where value is being left on the table * A focus on metrics and Total Value of Ownership * Multiple client case studies * RPA as a foundation for cognitive and AI

Explore the latest industry trends and issues as you examine services marketing from a unique, broad perspective with SERVICES MARKETING: CONCEPTS, STRATEGIES AND CASES, 6e. Fifteen streamlined chapters present services marketing as both an essential focus for service firms as well as a competitive advantage for companies that market tangible products. The latest examples and interesting end-of-chapter cases address current global issues, such as environmental, societal and governance (ESG) issues and changing consumer markets. New content introduces you to technological advancements like robotics and artificial intelligence in services marketing and recent challenges, such as the consequences of the pandemic, stressed employees and disruptive customers. You gain valuable insights for business success with this comprehensive, current approach to services marketing and this edition's practical global perspective.

This book considers the tensions and complementarities between two different attitudes towards social relationships - on the one hand, the attitude aspired to in the West, which emphasises individualism, institutional probity, and the rule of law, and which regards social relationships as ideals or absolutes; and, on the other hand, the attitude often found in Asia, where loyalties based on kinship, local networks, and places of origin are vitally important, and where social relationships, institutions and practices are often material for manipulation and the pursuit of ambition. The book explores the nature of these different attitudes, discussing the different attitudes as they are found in practice in the Philippines. It considers how they are bound up with material progress, and how they have a crucial impact, on business, politics and region-centre relations.

"A terrific read for the new generations rising in the workforce—and for their leaders." — Stephen M. R. Covey, The New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Speed of Trust and Trust & Inspire   STOP SPINNING YOUR WHEELS AND TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR CAREER FUTURE TODAY. Building a successful career in the world of remote work, hybrid schedules, and a lack of work/life balance is not easy. In fact it’s difficult and often seems impossible. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. By confronting the lies we are told about building a career, this book will bring you one step closer to the epiphany that will change your life. This workplace manual lays out the truth behind the lies that are fueling the most common career frustrations, including: The truth about pay. Hard work doesn’t always lead to more money. Learn how to leverage your position to maximize your salary. The truth about promotions. If you want to be considered for a better job title with better pay, you need to be better than your job description. Understand how to build the skills you need to be considered for a promotion. The truth about loyalty. Companies are not designed to return the loyalty you give them. Stop waiting for the praise you’ve earned and start focusing on your future. The truth about burnout. Work/life balance doesn’t have to mean taking a step back. Learn to work with your brain and not against it. The truth about office politics and power. You may hate office politics, but they are in every company in every industry. Learn to use the political landscape of your workplace to your advantage.      Master these unspoken truths for greater recognition, increased opportunities for pay and promotions, and to provide a path to greater influence and power. The truth can indeed set you free.  

A unique, practical guide to the power of simulation in the art of logistics management. Authors show better ways to manage complex logistics systems than seat of the pants decision making, and argue that information systems people must provide management with simulations that are timely and easily understood. In doing so, Nersesian and Swartz demonstrate the inadequacy of conventional quantitative methods in dealing with complex logistical systems, and show how simulation can address various logistics management issues. Important reading for logistics managers and computer staffs and for educators seeking better ways to make logistical decisions.

Does your organization support creativity&#8212or squash it? If you read nothing else on cultivating creativity at work, read these 10 articles. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you ignite the creative spark across your organization. This book will inspire you to: Discover the elements of creativity and learn how to influence them Harness the creative potential of a diverse team Encourage curiosity and experimentation Avoid breakdowns in creative collaboration Overcome the fear that blocks your innate creativity Bring breakthrough ideas to life This collection of articles includes "Reclaim Your Creative Confidence" by Tom Kelley and David Kelley; "How to Kill Creativity" by Teresa Amabile; "How Pixar Fosters Collective Creativity" by Ed Catmull; "Putting Your Company's Whole Brain to Work" by Dorothy Leonard and Susaan Straus; "Find Innovation Where You Least Expect It" by Tony McCaffrey and Jim Pearson; "The Business Case for Curiosity" by Francesca Gino; "Bring Your Breakthrough Ideas to Life" by Cyril Bouquet, Jean-Louis Barsoux, and Michael Wade; "Collaborating with Creative Peers" by Kimberly D. Elsbach, Brooke Brown-Saracino, and Francis J. Flynn; "Creativity Under the Gun" by Teresa Amabile, Constance Noonan Hadley, and Steven J. Kramer; "Strategy Needs Creativity" by Adam Brandenburger; and "How to Build a Culture of Originality" by Adam Grant. HBR's 10 Must Reads paperback series is the definitive collection of books for new and experienced leaders alike. Leaders looking for the inspiration that big ideas provide, both to accelerate their own growth and that of their companies, should look no further. HBR's 10 Must Reads series focuses on the core topics that every ambitious manager needs to know: leadership, strategy, change, managing people, and managing yourself. Harvard Business Review has sorted through hundreds of articles and selected only the most essential reading on each topic. Each title includes timeless advice that will be relevant regardless of an ever-changing business environment.

This book is for all those who strive for customer satisfaction as if it were a holy grail; one that could provide everlasting success. It is for those who want to do more than plaster billboards with seductive slogans, print logos on the pages of newspapers, broadcast slick TV commercials, or babble empty promises over the radio.

The fundamentals of Team Quotient (TQ) is based on a 10-year study with 108 teams from Fortune 500 and other global companies, on the essential elements of High Performance Teams. Using numerous case studies from the companies with which he has worked, Douglas describes how he helped to turn mediocre and even dysfunctional teams into High Performance and WINNING teams with measurable results.

Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work you need to accomplish? Being pulled in different directions by competing priorities? Getting Work Done runs you through the basics of being more productive at work. You’ll learn to: Align your schedule with your prioritiesFocus your attention and avoid distractionsCreate effective daily routinesSet boundaries and learn to say no Don't have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR's 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic. Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives--from the most trusted source in business. Also available as an ebook.

Provides a complete and unified approach to discrimination testing in sensory evaluation Sensory evaluation has evolved from simple “taste testing� to a distinct scientific discipline. Today, the application of sensory evaluation has grown beyond the food industry—it is a sophisticated decision-making tool used by marketing, research and development, and assurance in industries such as personal care, household care, cosmetics, fragrances, automobile manufacturing, and many others. Sensory evaluation is now a critical component in determining and understanding consumer acceptance and behavior. Sensory Evaluation: Discrimination Testing provides insights into the application of sensory evaluation throughout the entire product life cycle, from development to marketing. Filled with practical information and step-by-step guidance, this unique reference is designed to help users apply paired comparison tests, duo-trio tests, triangle tests, similarity tests, and various other discrimination tests in a broad range of product applications. Comprehensive chapters written by leading experts provide up-to-date coverage of traditional and cutting-edge techniques and applications in the field. Addresses the theoretical, methodological, and practical aspects of discrimination testing Covers a broad range of products and all of the senses Describes basic and more complex discrimination techniques Discusses the real-world application of discrimination testing in sensory evaluation Explains different models in discrimination testing, such as signal detection theory and Thurstonian modelling Features detailed case studies for various tests such as A- not AR, 2-AFC, and Ranking among others to enable practitioners to perform each technique Sensory Evaluation: Discrimination Testing is an indispensable reference and guide for sensory scientists, in academia and industry, as well as professionals working in R&D, quality assurance and control, and marketing. It is also an excellent textbook for university courses and industry vocational programs in Sensory Science.

From technologist and strategist Brian Evergreen, a bold new agenda for the role of organizational leaders in creating a more human future with technology Social good initiatives are incompatible with the current network of systems that make up and support the private and public sectors. Millions of dollars have been invested in bringing leaders together from organizations around the world to design solutions for global challenges such as the climate crisis, child labor, racism, war, and many more. Despite executive buy-in, alignment of core capabilities and resources, passionate leadership, and well-designed strategies, these initiatives inevitably fail (with a few, notable exceptions). The dawn of the Internet ignited a global redesign and rebuild of the interlocking systems that make up and support the private and public sectors today. The era of Digital Transformation extended this further through the adoption of cloud technologies and distributed computing. With a recent wave of technological advancements, organizations have arrived at another global redesign and rebuilding of the network of systems that make up society: Autonomous Transformation, revealing an opportunity for leaders to create Profitable Good through systemic design in combination with emerging autonomous technologies and surprising and remarkable partnerships. Autonomous Transformation provides a blueprint for leaders and managers who have aspired or attempted to harness artificial intelligence and its adjacent technologies for the betterment of their organization and the world, weaving strategy, business, economics, systemic design, and philosophy into four actionable steps with accompanying frameworks: Clear the Digital Fog See the Systems Choose a Problem Future Design Inevitability

In sales, it's not just about convincing a client to pay the highest price, selling the highest volume, generating the highest profit, or obtaining the highest client satisfaction. It is about integrating all of these elements to contribute to the company's value creation mission in a sustainable way. Value Creation Selling takes the reader through a number of essential areas: Sales & negotiation training Decision-making Building key competencies in negotiation, sales and revenue management The value creation mindset In this new book, Jean-Claude Larreche explores how we create value in sales and negotiation - and explains that value selling is always followed by value creation. The book will be made up of four key parts: Corporate Strategy for Value Creation Sales Efectiveness for Value Creation The Salesperson as a Leader Customer Satisfaction for Value Creation Only when all four of the above are understood and incorporated into the sales strategy can true value creation selling be successfully implemented.

Could a mindset that works for a former NFL player work for a teacher? How could the CEO of a successful snack food company inspire a teacher? If the dedication of a teacher works for students, can it work for a city-based construction company? Discover the seemingly unparalleled connections between classrooms and Greater Philadelphia businesses! Leaders in both arenas find common ground and identify the approaches that best serve the game plan of success. In this unique collection of classroom-business mindsets for personal growth, relational growth, and service growth, you will be powerfully encouraged to maximize who you are so you can be and give your best to others. Teachers improving classrooms and influencing students; business leaders stimulating companies and motivating employees . . . with the same strategies and the same perspectives! The two realms have finally merged in a book that will ignite your heart to live with fire, passion, and purpose. As if there is any other way!

Project Management Planning explores the science and art of handling planned responsibility and unexpected conditions. The processes of planning contents (initiating, planning, executing, controlling, closing) and the attributes of planning contents (scope, time, resources, cost, quality, risk, benefit, others) are generally common. For that reason, comprehensive project management planning applies across all types of projects and all kinds of planning situations, including, for example, the Agile sequence of shortterm investments or in Critical Chain Buffer management. Evidence shows two massive gaps in project management planning across the field, which this book hopes to address. The first gap is between current project management planning and its potential as a practical discipline. The second gap is between project management system knowledge and its potential as an applied research discipline. This book first explains how a project management plan develops from project management contents, before using the same tools to explain how project management system logic develops from project management system contents. Finally, it shows how project management system contents and its logic improve project management contents. By understanding how a project management plan develops into a project management systems logic, we can implement strong plans across programs, businesses and corporations, organizations, and any entity for which managing plans is an integral part.

Think tanks and research organizations set out to influence policy ideas and decisions--a goal that is key to the very fabric of these organizations. And yet, the ways that they actually achieve impact or measure progress along these lines remains fuzzy and underexplored. "What Should Think Tanks Do? A Strategic Guide for Policy Impact" is the first practical guide that is specifically tailored to think tanks, policy research, and advocacy organizations. Author Andrew Selee draws on extensive interviews with members of leading think tanks, as well as cutting-edge thinking in business and non-profit management, to provide concrete strategies for setting policy-oriented goals and shaping public opinion. Concise and practically-minded, "What Should Think Tanks Do?" helps those with an interest in think tanks to envision a well-oiled machine, while giving leaders in these organizations tools and tangible metrics to drive and evaluate success.