Understanding and Managing IT Outsourcing explains and illustrates how uncertainty and trust interact with each other, and how an understanding of this interaction is critical to success in IT outsourcing. A partnership approach that is built on trust can be the determinant of success but this book explains in which particular outsourcing context this approach is likely to pay dividends.

Recently, rapid technological advances have been influencing the global business operations strategies at companies of all sizes like never before. At the same time, there has been a shift in business cultures due to the rising prevalence of matrix organizations and innovative thinking. This book investigates the role of these factors in shaping the business operations of tomorrow. To address the topic comprehensively, the editors have gathered expert contributions exploring the following dimensions: the business and organizational environment, strategic design, innovativeness and risk management. Discussing aspects ranging from customer selection to understanding regional, national and supranational market dynamics, the contributions will help readers understand both the complexity of and opportunities presented by designing operations.

A Comparative History of Commerce and Industry, Volume II offers a subjective review of how the cultural, social and economic institutions of commerce and industry evolved in industrialized nations to produce the institution we now know as business enterprise.

Over the last decade, international entrepreneurship has become a key emerging issue in international business studies. A growing number of recent contributions has made the subject topical and lively but it lacks a common framework. This book starts from the foundations of the subject, rooted in entrepreneurship, strategic management and international business studies, and proposes an innovative and integrated interpretative framework. The approach is applied to case studies, in order to reconcile theories and practices of international entrepreneurship.

The technological revolution linked to high speed rail (HSR) has been accompanied by myths and claims about its contribution to society and the economy. Although HSR is unquestionably a technological advance that has become a symbol of modernity, this review and analysis of the international experiences shows that the conditions necessary to have a positive impact, economically, socially and environmentally, are enormously restrictive. The Economics and Politics of High Speed Rail: Lessons from Experiences Abroad, by Daniel Albalate and Germa Bel, introduces the main questions policy makers and scholars should examine when considering and studying HSR implementation, with particular emphasis on the US's recent interest in this technology and possible application in California. Albalate and Bel then review the experiences of the most significant implementations of HSR around the globe. This in-depth international perspective includes chapters on the pioneers of HSR (Japan and France), the European followers (Germany, Spain and Italy), as well as Asian experiences in China, Taiwan, and Korea. Albalate and Bel's study provides a clear distinction between the myths and realities associated with this transportation innovation. Among the most relevant findings, this study highlights how HSR projects that do not satisfy highly restrictive conditions-on mobility patterns, measured costs, and economically rational designs-that make it desirable have been the source of huge financial debacles and the economic failure of HSR in most cases, which result in unfortunate consequences for taxpayers. The Economics and Politics of High Speed Rail is a rigorous investigation of the economic and political challenges and ramifications of implementing new public transportation technology.

This book presents key insights about the challenges and the approaches they applied. All companies are featured in 15 teachable case studies - ready to use in entrepreneurship and strategy courses - that represent a broad level of diversity with regard to countries, industries, topics, growth phases, challenges and internationalization strategies.

The papers in this volume cover three major areas of International Business: Developments in Theory, The Foreign Market Servicing Strategies of Multinational Firms and Asia-Pacific Issues. The theory section examines the internationalisation process, the role of management in international business theory, approaches to Japanese foreign direct investment and the contrast between the approach taken to international business by internalisation theorists and that of international strategic management. The choices between exporting, foreign licensing of technology and direct investment abroad are examined in Part II. The foreign market servicing decisions are examined both at the level of the firm and in aggregate at the level of an economy (the UK). The impact of these decisions on competitiveness is evaluated and the role of international joint ventures is examined for the case of the UK. The final section examines current issues in the Asia-Pacific economies. The impact of the Single European Market on Pacific Futures and Government-Business relations (Japan versus UK) are the focus of attention and the taxation implications of joint ventures in China are examined in detail.

One of the major obstacles, if not "the" major obstacle, unions face in building their influence in the workplace is the opposition and resistance from those that own those workplaces, namely, the employers." Global Anti-Unionism" examines the nature and form of this anti-unionism, and in doing so explains the ways and means by which employers have successfully maintained their right to manage. The role of the state is also considered at length as part of the process by which employer domination has been maintained. Set in the context of the global north and south, this volume provides an introduction to the key theories and concepts, followed by historical and contemporary sections examining different countries.

In recent years an extensive range of new research has been revisiting the topic of the location of international business activities, from a variety of different perspectives and background interests. This work has been inspired in part by two apparently quite different but actually related contemporary trends: on the one hand, an emergence or revitalization of clusters of activities co-located in or around selected global city regions or fast growing metropolitan areas; and on the other hand, an increased global dispersion of activities conducted within the value chains managed or coordinated by many large multinational enterprises and their business partners. The former trend has given rise to discussions of how the elite of the cultural-cognitive economy of the 21st century (in Allen Scott's terminology) or the creative class (Richard Florida's term) are now being drawn or brought back to major urban centers; while the latter trend is associated with debates over outsourcing, and the economic and social consequences of shifts in the ownership and location of distinct nodes of value chains once production systems become more fragmented and the component parts of such systems become more geographically dispersed. An increased interest in the subject of international business location has been shown by scholars in Strategic Management, in Economic Geography, and in Regional Science, as well as in our own interdisciplinary field of International Business Studies. However, as is often the case in academic research communities, these bodies of scholarship have tended to develop at something of a distance from one another, each conversing internally more than they have with one another. Location of International Business Activities aims to promote a greater conversation between those interested in the topic of Location from various different backgrounds or starting points. The articles are taken from a special issue on the theme of the Multinational in Geographic Space which was published by The Journal of International Business Studies in 2013.

Few nations have internationalized their business operations as successfully as the Swedes. This book, first published in 1989, looks at the process in detail, examining the international operations of Swedish firms since 1970, including acquisitions of foreign firms. The international dimension of business is becoming increasingly important for firms of all sizes, and this analysis of what happens when companies enter and then sustain a presence in the international arena will be of great value to students and teachers of international business and management.

This book reveals how the Japanese national ministries can exploit their Special Status Corporations (public corporations, supported primarily with public funding from a state-run banking agency) in order to intensify their administrative power over industries and local governments and to perpetuate the interests of elite civil servants by facilitating the migration to post-retirement positions in the private sector. The book explains why the existence of these organizations inhibits the Prime Ministers efforts to implement structural reforms.

Using the findings from data analysis of fifty-one developing countries, this bookanalyses several national and international factors that have resulted in uneven development of the textiles and clothing industry inthe developing world. The findings are further substantiated by case studies of major players in this industry, such as India and China. While international trade rules have played a critical role in the growth of the textiles and clothing industry, country- and industry-specific policies and capacity building initiatives have also resulted in the present scenarioin several countries. There is no common recipe for all developing countries for sustaining market share in the domestic and international markets.Regional and local factors need to be taken into consideration while formulating policies for the industry.

This volume describes the most salient changes faced by key Chinese industry sectors as defining components of global and domestic macroeconomic performance. Set within the context of the Global China 2049 initiative, which aims to transform the country into a fully advanced and developed nation, chapters focus specifically on industrial policies that are considered to be one of the main determinants of Chinese growth. Covering sectors such as healthcare, aerospace, microprocessors and other data driven industries, chapters highlight the pitfalls and anticipated successes of Chinese firms operating in the global competitive market. Importantly, the book fosters debate on how Chinese industries will achieve competitive growth in the post-pandemic era. Ultimately the book discusses the likelihood of China achieving a leading position in terms of processes and innovation and suggests a road to future research on China's industrial trajectory. Francesca Spigarelli is Associate Professor of Applied Economics, at the University of Macerata and Director of the China Center. She is Vice Rector for Entrepreneurship and Technological Transfer and for European research policy and is member of the board of Chinese Globalization Association (www.chinagoesglobal.org). John McIntyre has been Director of the Georgia Tech Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), a national center of excellence, since 1993 and a full Professor of International Business Management and International Relations with joint appointments in the College of Management and the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia.

Corporate governance is an area of key importance for students of comparative management and international business. This is particularly relevant in analyses of the post-socialist economies of the East, where both governments and enterprises have undergone major structural transformation. This title was first published in 1994, following the Centre for Organisational Studies' (COS) third Round Table, which discussed East-West business collaboration in relation to the management of organizations. As a result, the edited collection is designed to provide guidance for managers, in the East and West, to the kind of governance issues they might face when working together in the post-Soviet business world. Utilizing a series of case studies, the chapters represent a genuine dialogue between managers, consultants and academics who have worked on both sides of the former ideological divide.

We have witnessed a revolution in the way consumers relate to a product; increasingly tending to reject brands which offer over-extensive lines in favour of those which are able to offer a lifestyle. "Brand Storming" sets out to provide a guide for business people to meet consumer expectations.

This work examines the factors that drive the success of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in their pursuit of regional strategies. The author develops a comprehensive regional success factor model, by which the effects of regional management autonomy and regional product and service adaptation on the regional success of MNCs as well as the interaction effects of regional orientation and inter-regional distance are investigated. The model is evaluated by means of the partial-least-squares (PLS) method on the basis of a survey-based inquiry of the Fortune Global 500 firms with success indicator data for a period of nine years. The findings highlight the importance of considering the different degrees of contextual influence in the design of regional strategies, where low degrees of regional management autonomy and high levels of regional product/service adaptation are found to be appropriate for MNCs to be regionally successful.

'In the Research Handbook of Expatriates, Yvonne McNulty and Jan Selmer have created a seminal work that should be on the bookshelf of all social scientists who work in the field of expatriation. More senior scholars will appreciate the ''deep dive'' each chapter takes into the literature, each one acting as a reservoir they can draw from to powerfully inform their future research efforts. Doctoral students and newly minted PhDs will find this book to be especially valuable - the final chapter of the book alone provides inestimable career and ''how-to-publish'' guidance for them in the field of expatriation. The coverage of the history, construct, milieu, research methodologies, and issues is the best I have come across in a single volume in over 30 years of working in the field. In short, this is a monumental contribution to the study of expatriates and global mobility.' - Mark E. Mendenhall, University of Tennessee 'McNulty and Selmer's edited volume does a wonderful job of consolidating and integrating everything we know about expatriates and their different types. This long-overdue Handbook, featuring chapters by top researchers, lays a trail for scholars to further advance the study of expatriates.' - Joyce Osland, San Jose State University 'McNulty and Selmer's edited book of readings on virtually all aspects of expatriates deserves a prominent place in the library of researchers and practitioners interested in this subject. The Handbook provides a historical overview as well as the latest trends in expatriate studies and concludes with useful guidelines on how to conduct as well as improve the quality of research in this field.' - Rosalie L. Tung, Simon Fraser University, Canada Constituting a comprehensive and carefully designed collection of contributions, the Research Handbook of Expatriates provides a nuanced and up-to-date discussion of expatriates. Theoretically broad and groundbreaking, it offers important and contemporary insights into emerging areas of research warranting future consideration. Drawing upon a range of perspectives from the field?s most distinguished academics, contributions review the history of the literature in relation to expatriates, from the development of the expatriate construct through to the current state of research on business expatriates. Subsequent chapters progress into detailed examinations of the various types of business expatriates including LGBT, self-initiated expatriates, female assignees, inpatriates, international business travellers and commuters, and millennials. Other themes include expatriate performance, adjustment, expatriates to and from developing countries, global talent management, and expatriates? safety and security. The Research Handbook also covers expatriates in diverse communities such as education, military, missionary, sports and ?Aidland?, and provides additional commentaries relating to methodological issues, research with practitioners, case studies, biculturals and ATCKs, and global families. The Research Handbook concludes with publishing advice for PhD and early career researchers. Stimulating insightful new areas of study, this collection is a must read for academics and scholars in the field of expatriate research, international management, global human resource management and business administration. It also offers a wealth of guidance for executives and recruiters along with expatriates and professionals who may expatriate. Contributors: M. Andresen, C. Brewster, L. Care, J.-L. Cerdin, L. Clarke, D.G. Collings, M. Collins, A. Corbin, M. Crowley-Henry, M. Dickmann, H. Dolles, R. Donohue, C. Doss, B. Egilsson, A. Fee, K.L. Fisher, K.J. Hanek, A. Haslberger, T. Hippler, K. Hutchings, M. Isichei, J. Lauring, L. Makela, R. McPhail, S. Michailova, M. Moeller, B. Oberholster

The book proposes a monetary policy regime that is suitable for the European Periphery on the road to the euro. The first part examines the relation between the eleven founding members of the EMU and countries staying out of the EMU - paying particular attention to the European Periphery that includes Greece and all those CEE transition countries which have recently applied for EU membership. The second part of the book argues against ERM-II participation for those countries. It stresses the limits in efficiency of an ERM-II arrangement in a world of increased international capital movements, fiscal imbalances, and asymmetric real shocks. The third part offers a consistent and credible monetary framework for the achievement of price stability at the European Periphery: adoption of explicit and formal inflation targets together with political and economic independence of the central bank.

This title, first published in 1993, was one of the first books to analyse the forces behind the increasing globalization of professional business services. Based on contributions from leading authorities in international business, both academics and members of organizations such as GATT and UNCTAD, it looks at the opportunities for growth, environmental and regulatory problems, and the major problems of managing the international expansion of professional firms. Crucially, it discusses such issues from the point of view of managers of such organizations, and the role of governments in negotiating multinational agreements. This highly international and timely reissue will be of interest to students of international business, as well as managers of professional business firms and policy makers involved in international trade issues.

This book presents a new look at the leadership of Greek shipowners in world shipping in the second half of the twentieth century. The authors examine the fundamental factors of the dynamism of Greek entrepreneurship in family businesses and provides evidence for the organization, management and strategies of Greek family shipping companies.

As potentially the largest retail market, China has attracted a great number of foreign retail operations. Based on case study research, this book provides valuable insights international retailers need for success in China. The newly developed theoretical model helps to extend the body of knowledge on firm internationalization.