As economic growth in Western countries shows signs of fatigue, companies are battling hard to discover how to generate and sustain corporate growth. The restructuring and reengineering processes of the early 1990s, and the massive lay-offs they brought about, have only given an additional boost to the need for expansion. Corporate efficiency is indispensable, but is not a sufficient condition for corporate survival. Firms need to think about their future growth.

Corporate innovation and entrepreneurship are more important than ever to create and sustain growth opportunities. This book deals with the challenge of how to speed up innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives to sustain corporate growth, by focusing on developing the necessary leadership competencies.

In the wake of the drastic changes that have occurred in the world banking industry over the past two decades, Professor Canals's new book addresses several important questions: are universal banks bound to disappear? What is the role of universal banks and financial markets in the context of deregulation and disintermediation? What should banks' strategic reactions be to changes in the industry such as diversification, internationalization, and restructuring? And what role do banks play vis a vis modern financial markets? Canals draws on up-to-date case studies from Europe, Japan, and the US to provide a provocative reassessment of universal banking.

The current business context of disruptive, accelerated change requires a new framework for understanding how boards of directors can best support their organizations. In this book, Professor Jordi Canals presents a new model of effective governance, positioning the board of directors as the steward of the firm's future development, and focusing on the notion of corporate purpose. Canals argues that boards of directors should focus on strategy and corporate transformation, CEO and senior management development and succession, the board and the firm's culture, the board as a team, the engagement of shareholders and critical stakeholders, and the firm's overall impact. Moreover, for boards to be effective, directors must develop new competencies. Drawing on well-grounded theory and international case studies, this book outlines a new, holistic model of boards of directors, offering a pathway to effective governance that will enhance companies' reputation and success.

The current business context of disruptive, accelerated change requires a new framework for understanding how boards of directors can best support their organizations. In this book, Professor Jordi Canals presents a new model of effective governance, positioning the board of directors as the steward of the firm's future development, and focusing on the notion of corporate purpose. Canals argues that boards of directors should focus on strategy and corporate transformation, CEO and senior management development and succession, the board and the firm's culture, the board as a team, the engagement of shareholders and critical stakeholders, and the firm's overall impact. Moreover, for boards to be effective, directors must develop new competencies. Drawing on well-grounded theory and international case studies, this book outlines a new, holistic model of boards of directors, offering a pathway to effective governance that will enhance companies' reputation and success.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is redefining the nature and principles of general management. The technological revolution is reshaping industries, disrupting existing business models, making traditional companies obsolete and creating social change. In response, the role of the manager needs to urgently evolve and adjust. Companies need to rethink their purpose, strategy, organisational design and decision-making rules. Crucially they will also need to consider how to nurture and develop the business leaders of the future and develop new ways to interact with society on issues such as privacy and trust. Containing international insights from leading figures from the world of management and technology, this book addresses the big challenges facing organisations, including: * Decision-making * Corporate strategy * People management and leadership * Organisational design Taking a holistic approach, this collection of expert voices provides valuable insight into how firms will discover and commit to what makes them unique in this new big data world, empowering them to create and sustain competitive advantage.

The current financial crisis has deep macroeconomic roots, but the dominant view of the firm has made the crisis deeper and more devastating. Over the past few decades, maximizing shareholder value has become the main objective of the firm. Chief executives have been keen on this objective because their economic incentives have been clearly associated with stock market performance. Unfortunately, this has driven many CEOs to make terrible decisions based on short-termism and greed. In this way, the firm has become the object of anger, criticism and cynicism. In Building Respected Companies, Jordi Canals argues that we must address this problem by developing companies that serve society, not just their shareholders. This requires a new perspective of what a firm is, what the purpose of the firm in society should be and what the role of the board of directors and senior executives should be.

In the wake of the drastic changes that have occurred in the world banking industry over the past two decades, Professor Canals's new book addresses several important questions: are universal banks bound to disappear? What is the role of universal banks and financial markets in the context of deregulation and disintermediation? What should banks' strategic reactions be to changes in the industry such as diversification, internationalization, and restructuring? And what role do banks play vis a vis modern financial markets? Canals draws on up-to-date case studies from Europe, Japan, and the US to provide a provocative reassessment of universal banking.