Although largely unseen, the industrial revolution taking place before us is picking up steam dramatically. Dissolution of traditional global trading partnerships, the effect of COVID-19 on supply chains and the formation of new trading blocks, such as China's Belt and Road initiatives, are creating turmoil and rapid change in the international business domain. Continual advances in technology, health treatments, political and societal change are underpinning these transformations. It is unclear just how this revolution will unfold or what the role of the corporation will be in the long run. This book helps us navigate through these challenging times by identifying areas where opportunities will develop. Written by highly qualified experts from a diverse range of backgrounds, the book takes a novel backcast view to present more critical arguments. The book has been set in the not-so-distant future, reflecting back on the changes that have led to a new type of corporation and the conditions that have led to it. Each chapter presents a complimentary view about the nature of and context for the 2040 Future Corporation. The back casting perspective will provide a very effective discipline for readers to analyse contemporary trends while presenting an integrated and balanced future perspective.

This book provides a comprehensive examination of the many factors that influence the internationalisation of SMEs into China. SMEs represent more than 50 percent of the economic activity and employment in China. This book explores the experiences of SMEs that have internationalised to China from Australia. Australian SMEs are at the forefront of foreign SMEs in China with over 5000 Australian SMEs currently operating in China and a long history of association. The book is unique in that it presents a multidisciplinary perspective of the subject, considering seven different discipline perspectives (internationalisation, innovation, entrepreneurship, networks, resources, human resource management and barriers and liabilities). This makes the book one of the most comprehensive treatments of internationalisation to China so far. Each chapter in the book deals with a different perspective and includes own separate analysis. The chapters commence with a consideration of the current knowledge on internationalising to China for each perspective, analyse the interviews of representatives of 35 SMEs operating in China and then draw conclusions which are relevant to students, scholars and professionals. Each chapter includes extensive examples from the interviews. This integrated book is particularly useful for small business owners, international business management consultants, instructors and students.

Water is a resource under increased stress, with its management now cited as one of the greatest risks to business continuity and growth. This concise guide for professionals offers strategic steps for developing a corporate water stewardship strategy. It will enable you to: * define business water risks, and the opportunities associated with those risks * explore, through sector-specific profiles, risks associated with regulation, reputation, external response and engagement, and physical incidents * develop a clear plan and process for creating, managing and mainstreaming a corporate water strategy * identify several initiatives and new risk tools that your company can use to stay on top of best practice in water management. With the advent of risk tools, and a growing list of testaments around business risk from water, we are now able to respond more appropriately to how this resource is impacted by and impacts upon business. Use this book as your guide as you begin to build your company's strategy around water.

This book provides a comprehensive examination of the many factors that influence the internationalisation of SMEs into China. SMEs represent more than 50 percent of the economic activity and employment in China. This book explores the experiences of SMEs that have internationalised to China from Australia. Australian SMEs are at the forefront of foreign SMEs in China with over 5000 Australian SMEs currently operating in China and a long history of association. The book is unique in that it presents a multidisciplinary perspective of the subject, considering seven different discipline perspectives (internationalisation, innovation, entrepreneurship, networks, resources, human resource management and barriers and liabilities). This makes the book one of the most comprehensive treatments of internationalisation to China so far. Each chapter in the book deals with a different perspective and includes own separate analysis. The chapters commence with a consideration of the current knowledge on internationalising to China for each perspective, analyse the interviews of representatives of 35 SMEs operating in China and then draw conclusions which are relevant to students, scholars and professionals. Each chapter includes extensive examples from the interviews. This integrated book is particularly useful for small business owners, international business management consultants, instructors and students.

The tangible value of increased water efficiency, reuse and recycling and improved social license to operate are moving more companies to adopt water stewardship strategies. This book frames an expanded strategy for water stewardship and business value creation, including brand value, that benefits a range of stakeholders including consumers, customers, investors and employees. The book shows that until recently the linkage between full business value and water stewardship has been missing from the corporate agenda. This linkage and value creation from a leading water strategy is increasingly important to socially responsible investors and "aspirationals" who value companies that have a social mission or focus to their overall business strategy. In general the largest portion of a company's market capitalization is intangible value and understanding how a water strategy contributes to this intangible value is essential. The authors include cases studies and a framework or path forward to guide companies as they seek to build leading water strategy that goes beyond water stewardship to drive full business value from this investment. The book establishes the linkages and value from an integrated water and business strategy and an approach for companies to follow.

The tangible value of increased water efficiency, reuse and recycling and improved social license to operate are moving more companies to adopt water stewardship strategies. This book frames an expanded strategy for water stewardship and business value creation, including brand value, that benefits a range of stakeholders including consumers, customers, investors and employees. The book shows that until recently the linkage between full business value and water stewardship has been missing from the corporate agenda. This linkage and value creation from a leading water strategy is increasingly important to socially responsible investors and "aspirationals" who value companies that have a social mission or focus to their overall business strategy. In general the largest portion of a company's market capitalization is intangible value and understanding how a water strategy contributes to this intangible value is essential. The authors include cases studies and a framework or path forward to guide companies as they seek to build leading water strategy that goes beyond water stewardship to drive full business value from this investment. The book establishes the linkages and value from an integrated water and business strategy and an approach for companies to follow.

This book presents the findings of three projects investigating the experiences of Australian companies operating in China. The findings are based on information collected from companies in the manufacturing industry and a range of other industries. The dimensions of international business in China addressed in this book include supply chain behaviours in China, skill issues and the main barriers to success in establishing Chinese operations. Over the course of eight chapters the book examines the supply, cultural, human resource, political and financial issues that relate to these dimensions of international business. This book also presents many recommendations and conclusions of interest to researchers and managers alike. A number of important themes emerge as the reader progresses through the chapters, such as the importance of accessing appropriate skills for successful Chinese/Western business operations. Successful internationalisation to China requires the company to possess both cultural and internationalisation skills and to deal with the limited availability of applied management and technology skills in China.

This book presents a multidimensional process for developing a manufacturing strategy for wine producers. This process can be applied to any national industry engaged in wine, goods or service production. The book will be of interest to managers, industry consultants and agriculture and business researchers. The process focuses on the competitive priorities (bases of competition) and key decision areas (business features over which the organisation has control) across the industry. The process commences with a review of prior research, followed by in-depth interviews, an industry expert workshop, a national level survey and follow-up interviews. It determined that 30 different groups existed in the Australian wine industry for whom the priorities and decision-making areas differed significantly. It also found that a larger number of decision areas (23) applied to the industry than were normally considered in the literature (7); suggesting that the decision-making process is not normally sufficiently broad in its consideration of decision areas. The book also presents several strategy decision-making process models incorporating the perspective of priorities and decision areas.

This book is about Australia's businesses internationalization in China. The audience for the book includes executives, administrators; people interested in international business in China, as well as MBA students and academics who wish to study and learn business internationalization to China. China maintains rapid economic growth and is currently the second largest economy in the world. Australia's recent economic growth is tightly related to Chinese economic growth and China has been Australia's number one trading partner since 2006. The book is based on research conducted by the authors who recently interviewed 40 business executives from organizations, which range from large multinational mining and banking organizations to SMEs, including a range of industries, and utilizing various entry modes. The book offers insights from these Australian businesses. The book takes the reader through the preparations that need to be made for doing business in China. It focuses on opportunities that are available in the Chinese market and presents the obstacles that organizations can face, supported by data of real businesses internationalizing to China. The book examines the following key areas: the foreign direct investment and trade framework, Chinese culture, business in China, the political and legal frameworks, intellectual property, market entry strategy and human resource management issues. The reader will benefit from the knowledge developed in this book, and especially from the experience that the business executives interviewed for this book have to share.