The globalization and the associated development of truly global product and financial markets has led to a severe change of the corporate environment. New products and markets now evolve faster than ever, and new competitors, technologies and substitution products impose additional competition. These developments have led to an increasingly uncertain and dynamic competitive situation. This book discusses the impact of this changing environment on the role and responsibilities of the CFO. To manage the consequences of this changing environment, the CFO requires a more holistic view that integrates business and financial decisions. By mastering this new role, he becomes vital for a firm's value creation. The book details this management approaches and gives examples how this new "strategic" CFO-role be implemented

Research and development (R&D) as well as innovation are the drivers of change and the key determinants of growth in many industry and service sectors. In spite of the financial turmoil and restructuring of the world economy after 2008, investment in R&D is expected to grow further. Innovation competence will continue to be a major success factor for internationally operating companies.

The book presents a state-of-the-art account of innovation management and the role of R&D and innovation strategy for corporate growth and renewal. It follows a top-down approach starting from corporate strategy, and describes the effective integration of corporate R&D, business unit projects and operational performance improvements. The book offers portraits of leading innovators and high-performing corporations and provides a rich collection of best-practice examples.

Dealing with all aspects of risk management that have undergone significant innovation in recent years, this book aims at being a reference work in its field. Different to other books on the topic, it addresses the challenges and opportunities facing the different risk management types in banks, insurance companies, and the corporate sector. Due to the rising volatility in the financial markets as well as political and operational risks affecting the business sector in general, capital adequacy rules are equally important for non-financial companies. For the banking sector, the book emphasizes the modifications implied by the Basel II proposal. The volume has been written for academics as well as practitioners, in particular finance specialists. It is unique in bringing together such a wide array of experts and correspondingly offers a complete coverage of recent developments in risk management.

Employing the most comprehensive sample of European carve-outs to date, Nikolas Pojezny analyzes the performance of carve-outs along various dimensions: Both the reaction of parent firms to the announcement of a carve-out as well as share price and operating performance in a multi-year window around the event are examined in detail.

Karoline Jung-Senssfelder presents the first augmented contracting analysis, focusing on the interaction of both, financial instruments and covenants, in the creation of incentives to the contracting parties. With a focus on the German market, she integrates the findings of her model-based theoretical and survey-based empirical analyses to derive value-adding implications for an incentive-compatible contract design in the German venture capital market.

The role of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) has substantially changed in a world characterized by globalized financial markets and truly global products. The accelerated development of new technologies, products, and markets has led to an increasingly dynamic and uncertain competitive situation. The book demonstrates and discusses the impact of this changing corporate environment on the role and responsibilities of the CFO. A more holistic view that integrates business and financial decisions is required in order to manage these challenges of globalization. The book shows how the CFO can adopt and implement this management approach and thus play a vital role in the firm's value creation.

Damit traditionelle Investitionsbewertungsverfahren nicht zu unternehmerischen Fehlentscheidungen fuhren, losen immer mehr Unternehmen dieses Problem mit Hilfe des Realoptionsansatzes. Dieser Ansatz erfasst die Bewertung von Investitionsprojekten erstmals mit einer bisher nicht zu erzielenden Genauigkeit. Das Buch vermittelt kompetent die Grundzuge der Realoption und gibt konkrete Hilfestellung bei der Umsetzung im Unternehmensalltag."

Marc Schuhmacher testet mehrere auf Jahresabschlussdaten basierende Ratingsysteme unter Berucksichtigung mittelstandsspezifischer Modifikationen. Ziel ist die Verbesserung der Informationslage von Kreditanalysten bei der Kreditvergabe und die Erhohung des Klassifikationserfolgs bisheriger Ratingsysteme. Der Autor weist neue Wege zur Fruherkennung von Unternehmensausfallen, so dass fruhzeitig Gegenmassnahmen eingeleitet und Verluste verringert werden konnen.

Mischa Ritter untersucht die Ursachen des mangelnden Erfolgs alternativer Finanzinstrumente zur Absicherung von Naturkatastrophen-Risiken anhand unterschiedlicher Kontraktcharakteristika und Marktumfeldfaktoren.

Unternehmenswert entsteht durch Identifikation, Steuerung und Aus bung realer Optionen. In einem Dreischritt beleuchtet das Buch ein breites Spektrum von theoretischen Grundlagen, praktischen Beispielen und k nftigen Entwicklungsm glichkeiten des Realoptionsansatzes. Neben die Darstellung ausgefeilter Methoden zur Nutzung von Handlungsflexibilit t tritt eine F lle von Beispielen aus dem unternehmerischen Alltag der F hrungskr fte internationaler Unternehmen. Schlie lich werden Perspektiven er ffnet f r die weitere Durchsetzung des Realoptionsansatzes als anerkannter Entscheidungshilfe bei Investitionen in einem von Unsicherheit gepr gten Umfeld. Mit realen Optionen k nnen die Entscheidungstr ger flexibel und kompetent auf Unsicherheit reagieren und von Risiken profitieren.

In recent times, the fastest growing part of the higher education system has been business schools. With an established set of university based business schools in the USA since the early part of the 20th century, the growth since then has come in Europe between the 1960's and the 1990's, and in Australasia and Asia over the past 20 years. This has meant that, for example, in the UK by 2010 management and business studies staff made up 7% of the UK higher education sector and taught 14% of the students. In that same year, 1 in 8 undergraduates, 1 in 5 postgraduates and 1 in 4 international students were studying management business studies in UK business schools. This growth has inevitably attracted the interest of those applauding and sceptical of these developments, and more scholarly literature on business schools has also developed. The purpose of this book is to assess the character and quality of selected research themes on the study of business schools and to articulate a forward looking research agenda on the study of business schools as institutions. The book provides novel empirical findings on the change and development of business schools, the causes and consequences of the ranking, and branding wars around business schools in particular and higher education systems more generally. The book also offers a stimulating critique of some of the intellectual, professional and economic challenges facing business schools in the contemporary world. The book's authors are internationally renowned scholars from the fields of organisation theory, strategic management, management development, and higher education management and policy.

Damit traditionelle Investitionsbewertungsverfahren nicht zu unternehmerischen Fehlentscheidungen f hren, l sen immer mehr Unternehmen dieses Problem mit Hilfe des Realoptionsansatzes. Dieser Ansatz erfasst die Bewertung von Investitionsprojekten erstmals mit einer bisher nicht zu erzielenden Genauigkeit. Das Buch vermittelt kompetent die Grundz ge der Realoption und gibt konkrete Hilfestellung bei der Umsetzung im Unternehmensalltag.

Unternehmenswert entsteht durch Identifikation, Steuerung und Ausubung realer Optionen. In einem Dreischritt beleuchtet das Buch ein breites Spektrum von theoretischen Grundlagen, praktischen Beispielen und kunftigen Entwicklungsmoglichkeiten des Realoptionsansatzes. Neben die Darstellung ausgefeilter Methoden zur Nutzung von Handlungsflexibilitat tritt eine Fulle von Beispielen aus dem unternehmerischen Alltag der Fuhrungskrafte internationaler Unternehmen. Schliesslich werden Perspektiven eroffnet fur die weitere Durchsetzung des Realoptionsansatzes als anerkannter Entscheidungshilfe bei Investitionen in einem von Unsicherheit gepragten Umfeld. Mit realen Optionen konnen die Entscheidungstrager flexibel und kompetent auf Unsicherheit reagieren und von Risiken profitieren."