Business competition Books

Book SynopsisWords of wisdom from Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s longtime business partner, collected and interpreted with an eye towards investing by David Clark, coauthor of the bestselling Buffettology series.     Born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1924 Charlie Munger studied mathematics at the University of Michigan, trained as a meteorologist at Cal Tech Pasadena while in the Army, and graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School without ever earning an undergraduate degree. Today, Munger is one of America’s most successful investors, the Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, and Warren Buffett’s business partner for almost forty years. Buffett says “Berkshire has been built to Charlie’s blueprint. My role has been that of general contractor.” Munger is an intelligent, opinionated business man whose ideas can teach professional and amateur investors how to be successful in finance and life.     Like The Tao of War

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Book SynopsisThe ultimate business how-to book by the icon of American business and one of the world''s most revered and respected leaders, Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric.Winning explores the changes of recent times and the new economic realities, and more than that, it identifies the central, immutable principals of doing business right and doing it well.Winning is a book for the people in business who sweat, get their nails dirty, hire, fire, make hard decisions, and pay the price when those decisions are wrong, said Welch. I see this book as a handbook for people in the trenches, turning their companies and the economy around, not just today, but for years to come. I think it will be useful for people just starting their careers or their own businesses to seasoned managers running multi-billion dollar enterprises. I''ve learned an enormous amount about what works and what doesn''t work throughout my career and I''m very excited about sharing it in Winning.Welch will teach people how to win in business by distilling his experience in three critical areas: working within an organization, dealing with competitors, and handling matters of life and career. Critical to Welch''s writing such an accessible, useful guide is his unique collaboration with his wife, Suzy, the former editor of the Harvard Business Review, who brings expertise in management, writing talent and a woman''s sensibility to articulating the components of Welch''s success.Trade Review“Manager of the Century”— Fortune “Jack is the Tiger woods of management. All CEOs want to emulate him. They won’t be able to, but they’ll come closer if they listen carefully to what he has to say”— Warren Buffett, Chairman, Berkshire Hathaway “An American treasure, Jack Welch teaches us how a leader with keen intellect, guts, and honor can impart courage to people around him, weather unexpected storms, inspire confidence, and take an organization to greater and greater heights. His formula challenges all of us and any institution striving for excellence.”— Bernadine Healy, M.D., President and CEO, American Red Cross

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Book SynopsisJessica Zwaan is a startup and technology executive with a background in Operations, People, and Talent spanning across three continents. She is the Chief Operating Officer at Talentful, a talent recruitment company. Prior to this she was the Chief Operating Officer at Whereby, Group Head of Talent at McCann Worldgroup and VP People and Talent at Wonderbly. She is based in New York, New York.Trade Review"At last, new thinking on operationalizing HR. We needed this. If you're thinking about how to take your people team to the next level, read this! Jessica's fresh thinking is the energy we need in an often predictable domain." * Ben Branson-Gateley, CEO and Co-founder, CharlieHR *"A thoroughly enjoyable read. Built for People delivers a practical guide to unleash the true power of the People Team. Jessica lays a clear path for us to follow, and it leads to People teams delivering measurably more business impact." * Huw Slater, COO, Travelperk *"Built for People is an indispensable tool for you and your team that offers a fresh approach to solving new and old issues in the workplace. It offers a clear and concise framework for rethinking how we approach and design programmes with and for employees." * Lars Schmidt, author, Redefining HR & founder, Amplify Academy *"Jessica not only offers a more humane and durably effective approach to acquiring, growing and managing great talent, but also in the fundamentals of great product management unpacked in highly-relatable terms. People leaders will take away a fresh approach to building teams, and product managers will view their discipline through a novel lens. Rarely are these two disciplines discussed in the same place, but Jessica delivers a masterclass in both." * Andy Tyra, Chief Product and Technical Officer, Whereby *"Jessica Zwaan doesn't just tell us how important People Ops should be: she urges us to make that a reality by leveraging principles used by the world's best product teams, often the same principles that our companies are already using, right down the hall." * Michael Wolfe, Co-founder, Gladly & Advisor, Point Nine Capital *"Productivity and performance gains are guaranteed by following Jessica's powerful and deeply practical advice. Her experience in such a diverse range of organizations enables her to recommend an engaging approach to People Operations that is applicable to all, whichever sector and whether you're an established or emerging entity. It's fantastic that her innovative ideas are now accessible to a wider audience thanks to this excellent book." * Abbie Pugh, Head of Leadership Development, Kindred Capital *"Jessica's book offers strategies that will encourage current and emerging leaders to question the status quo. Change driven by COVID and economic downturn makes this book essential reading for modern leaders who are required to manage transnational companies." * Dr Jeanne McConachie, Previous Manager, Griffith Honours College *"With brutal efficiency, accessible clarity and smart framing, this book has given People Operations and HR Professionals no excuse to opt out of "productising" the things it creates. That Jessica describes herself as a terrible (but very passionate) crafter is almost poignant because this book creates craft from process, policy and protocols that are the HR hallmark. Smart, snazzy and searching you will change forever how you view the products that are necessary to enable your people to do their best work. The future of work may be human, but the future of People Operations is product management. It's the clarion call we needed." * Perry Timms, Founder, Chief Energy Officer, PTHR *Table of Contents Chapter - 01: Why change how we execute ? The need to think like a product manager; Chapter - 02: What is the product ? The employee experience; Chapter - 03: The reconsidered responsibilities of people operations; Chapter - 04: Embedding agility with two maxims of product management; Chapter - 05: User research and evidence-based decision-making; Chapter - 06: Execute like a product squad; Chapter - 07: Iteration of people practices and processes; Chapter - 08: Standing out in the marketplace of culture; Chapter - 09: Hiring and building at scale; Chapter - 10: Metrics for success; Chapter - 11: Prioritizing people; Chapter - 12: Closing thoughts on the future;

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Book SynopsisRupert Morrison is an industry leader and entrepreneur in data-driven business. He is the founder and CEO of Arahi and was previously the CEO and co-founder of Concentra Analytics. Based in London, UK, he is also an international conference speaker and industry writer, whose contributions have featured in Forbes, HR Director and Personnel Today. He is the author of Organizational Planning and Analysis, also published by Kogan Page.Trade Review"You've certainly heard the term 'digital transformation'. Yet being more 'digital' or collecting more data won't get you very far if there aren't methods and tools to better inform the management process. Data Driven Organization Design 2nd Edition renews its focus on the most important asset of any organization: its people. It covers everything you need to easily master the concepts, leverage the data, communicate effectively, and successfully make the positive changes necessary to adopt a data-driven organization design." * Stéphane Hamel, Academic Advisor, Faculty of Business Administration, Laval University *"As technology continues to automate work and radically change business models, organization design has become one of the biggest issues on the minds of CEOs. Rupert's book Data-Driven Organization Design is a comprehensive bible on this important topic, and I recommend it for all HR and business leaders." * Josh Bersin, Global Industry Analyst *"We live in a constantly changing world. The pace of change is just going to increase and is now a constant that we all need to live and work with. To be successful in this environment, businesses need to be able to adapt their own operating model, organization design and people strategy not only to respond to these changes, but to pre-empt them. Key to being able to do this is having access to live data that can help inform the changes that could be made, quickly identify the business benefit of doing so and equally the implications of not doing them. An organization then needs the tools and the culture to make the required changes at pace, taking into consideration the people impact. This book is a must-read for those looking to enhance their business (and people) performance." * Annette Andrews, Interim Group Chief People Officer, Impellam Group *"Anyone leading or planning to lead a large business, or who has led a large business in the past does eventually learn how vital to an organization it is to have clear strategy, role design and accountabilities. Rupert connects theory and practice in an accessible way. He has a unique perspective having been a student of the theory, and crucially, having lived through the practice. More important than culture, strategy, finance or marketing, is the way in which senior management in a business structure, plan, organize and effectively manage their most valuable asset, their colleagues." * Ian Kantor, Founder of Investec *"Ever wondered about how to approach designing an organization to get the right people in the right place with the right skills doing the right work in the right way? If so then this richly informative book is for you. With high energy, infectious enthusiasm and vast knowledge, Rupert Morrison shows how good data, thoughtful analysis of it, and careful implementation of the insights it yields, provide the bedrock for design success." * Naomi Stanford, Organization Design Author and Consultant *"Brilliant. There's a well-thumbed copy of the first edition of Data-Driven Organization Design on my bookshelf, and this timely update by one of the genuine thought leaders in our field provides a masterful template for HR leaders looking to drive innovation and value to their business. If you are looking to turn organizational design theory into practice - and align it to data - then this is the book for you." * David Green, co-author of Excellence in People Analytics, Managing Partner at Insight222 and host of the Digital HR Leaders Podcast *"Every organization has a Financial Planning & Analysis capability. Until Data Driven Organization Design, I had found it impossible to get ahead of the ever-changing organization. The concepts, practices, and visualizations in this book convinced me that organizational planning is possible and that we can analyze, design, and plan organizations to meet their objectives." * Ana Coronel, VP Organization, Transformation & Global Services at IGT *"In a world filled with uncertainty, Data-Driven Organization Design is a welcome resource for HR executives who care about building the right organizational structure to compete and win. Rupert offers a framework for identifying the real challenges in organizations, gives clarity to the ambiguity of aligning human behaviour, and lays out solutions that are both actionable and measurable. If you feel like your business has stagnated or your people are not bringing their best thinking to work, this book will give you new insights to reimagine your organizational structure in a way that allows it to evolve with market conditions, adapt with new talent and ideas, and ultimately thrive - a goal on every CEO's wish list." * Beau River, Partner at Vantage Leadership Consulting and Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern University’s Masters of Science in Learning and Organizational Change *"It is about time we shift our thinking from static organization structures to dynamic systems. A must-read if you are looking for a practical guide to understand how different parts of the organization continuously confluence together to drive business outcomes." * Shradha Prakash, VP, Future of Work, Org Design and Talent Enablement at Prudential Financial *"This book is the compendium of exceptional ideas with impact. By connecting the six components of an organization with data, organizations will continue to deliver value to all stakeholders. Thorough, timely, and relevant!" * Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan Partner, the RBL Group *Table of Contents Section - ONE: Introduction; Chapter - 01: Data driven organization design; Chapter - 02: Challenges; Chapter - 03: Foundations and core concepts; Section - TWO: Macro design; Chapter - 04: Strategy articulation and design criteria; Chapter - 05: Structural options and business case; Section - THREE: Micro design; Chapter - 06: The data goldmine; Chapter - 07: Objectives management; Chapter - 08: Fixed process design; Chapter - 09: Dynamic process design; Chapter - 10: Competency management; Chapter - 11: Rightsizing; Section - FOUR: Making it real; Chapter - 12: Common traps; Chapter - 13: How will it work in practice (HOWWIP)?; Chapter - 14: Implementation; Chapter - 15: Workforce planning; Chapter - 16: Talent management, succession development and planning; Chapter - 17: Organizational getting things done; Chapter - 18: Sustaining the edge

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Book SynopsisThe Wall Street Journal Top Ten BestsellerGrowth IQ shows you the 10 strategies to sustainable growth, based on a purpose-led culture for all businesses.'A worthy successor to Michael Porter, Bova's book is that rare gift: it opens doors for new ideas and new actions. No glib answers here, simply hard-won wisdom that will provoke big changes for organizations large and small.' – Seth Godin, author of LinchpinTiffani Bova, the Growth and Innovation Evangelist at Salesforce, draws on her expertise as a consultant and practitioner to devise a new framework for business leaders looking to pursue growth. We're witnessing an age of endless customization, and growth strategy is no exception. There's no one size fits all strategy; a winning strategy for one business may spell doom for another.In Growth IQ, Bova determines that there are ten simple – but easily misunderstood – growth paths, and explains how companies can get a handle on their particular business context, and use it to determine the right combination and sequence of growth paths to take them into the future. Bova breaks down the strategies deployed by a wide range of companies to show you how:* GE and John Deere have lasted over a century and continue to thrive by combining their strategy of innovative product development with a renewed focus on R&D and customer experience.* Marvel transformed from a struggling comic book publisher to a global entertainment behemoth by realigning their market penetration strategy to focus on comic book characters, instead of just comic books.* Gateway's attempt at market expansion into brick-and-mortar retail led to its failure, while the same move by Apple has accelerated its growth.Whether your company is on a growth spurt, in a worrying stall, or showing signs of decline, Growth IQ is your map to charting the course of your company's future.Table of ContentsUnit - Path 1: Customer Experience Chapter - 1.1: Sephora: A Beautiful Experience Chapter - 1.2: Shake Shack: Radical Hospitality Chapter - 1.3: Starbucks: Losing the Soul of the Past Unit - Path 2: Customer Base Penetration Chapter - 2.1: Red Bull: A Thai Pharmacist and an Austrian Entrepreneur Walk into a Bar Chapter - 2.2: McDonald’s: Ready, Set, Breakfast Chapter - 2.3: Sears: Uprooting Retail Unit - Path 3: Market Acceleration Chapter - 3.1: Under Armour: Sweaty T-Shirts Chapter - 3.2: The Honest Company: Better Living Through Chemistry Chapter - 3.3: Mattel: Toys Will Be Toys Unit - Path 4: Product Expansion Chapter - 4.1: Kylie Cosmetics: Keeping Up with Kylie Jenner (#KUWKJ) Chapter - 4.2: John Deere: And the “Beet” Goes On Chapter - 4.3: Blockbuster: “Be Kind, Please Don’t Unwind Our Business” Unit - Path 5: Customer and Product Diversification Chapter - 5.1: Marvel: Superhero Saves the Day Chapter - 5.2: PayPal: Banking on the Future Chapter - 5.3: LEGO: Coming Apart, Brick by Brick Unit - Path 6: Optimize Sales Chapter - 6.1: Salesforce: Four Men and Two Dogs Chapter - 6.2: Walmart: The Ultimate Retail Matchup Chapter - 6.3: Wells Fargo: A Rhyme Is Not a Reason Unit - Path 7: Churn Chapter - 7.1: Spotify: Winning Playlist Chapter - 7.2: Netflix: Twenty Years Old (and Counting) Chapter - 7.3: Blue Apron: Too Much on the Plate Unit - Path 8: Partnerships Chapter - 8.1: GoPro: Adrenaline Junkies Chapter - 8.2: Airlines: The Friendly Skies Chapter - 8.3: Apple: Killing Me Swiftly Unit - Path 9: Co-opetition Chapter - 9.1: Fiat Chrysler, BMW, and Intel: Joining Forces Chapter - 9.2: Wintel: Attack of the Clones Chapter - 9.3: Cisco-VMware-EMC: Better Together? Unit - Path 10: Unconventional Strategies Chapter - 10.1: TOMS Shoes: Heart and Sole Chapter - 10.2: Lemonade Insurance: When Life Gives You Lemons Chapter - 10.3: Grameen Bank in Bangladesh: On Purpose Chapter - 11: Knowing When to Jump Chapter - 12: Amazon Case Study: Staying in Day One

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Book SynopsisYou may not know it, but you are sitting on a goldmine. Your knowledge, passions, and skills can be transformed into a lucrative income stream that requires no college degree, zero employees, and less than $50 to get started. Whether it takes shape as a full-fledged business, a side hustle, or automated earnings is up to you!Before you can monetize what you know, you’ll need to learn the dynamics of the knowledge economy. There’s no one better to teach you than Graham Cochrane—business coach, YouTuber, and founder of The Recording Revolution, a once no-name blog about music turned 7-figure business that requires fewer than 5 hours per week of work. With How to Get Paid for What You Know, he provides a proven 6-step system for turning your ideas, skills, and passions into an income stream that puts money in your bank account day and night, whether you’re working or not. In this book, you’ll learn how to: Discover your idea and ensure it will be profitable,Build an audience,Package your knowledge into a highly desirable digital product,Sell online in an authentic and ethical way,Leverage simple online tools to market your product, andAutomate the entire process so that income flows to you even when you’re not working. Follow these steps and you’ll be well on your way to creating better stability in your income and finding more fulfillment in your work and, ultimately, your life. How to Get Paid for What You Know is your essential guide to a new and better way to make a living.

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Book SynopsisPeter Hill is a qualified accountant (both Chartered and Certified) with 30 years' experience. He is a partner at Mark Holt and Co Chartered Accountants and Healium LLP business growth specialists. He has worked as a business consultant for over 15 years, driving up the financial performance of businesses of all sizes. Peter is also a sought-after business speaker and runs business seminars on pricing and profit improvement across the UK and internationally, for most of the major banks (Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC), for the Ran One accountancy network, and for SWAT, the largest UK trainer of accountants.Trade Review"Like the best business books, Pricing for Profit is meant to be actionable. Chapters on creating packages, choices, and options offer new ways to think about what you're offering and how you're selling. And the entire book is filled with action steps to think through how to implement a smarter pricing strategy for your business. Unless you have the whole pricing equation nailed down, you're going to find something in this book that you can put to use in your business." * Daria Steigman, Solo PR Pro *"Hill discusses common pricing myths, explains how pricing works best and offers easy-to-implement pricing recommendations that could increase your profits. getAbstract recommends this smart, pragmatic manual to 'CEOs, finance directors, sales managers, marketing analysts, accountants and strategic planners,' and to anyone who sells a product or service." * getAbstract, Inc. *Table of Contents Chapter - 00: Introduction; Chapter - 01: Pricing in context; Chapter - 02: Why is pricing so difficult?; Chapter - 03: The remarkable benefits of getting pricing right; Chapter - 04: How most businesses price and why these methods are wrong; Chapter - 05: Understanding value versus cost; Chapter - 06: Packaging for higher prices; Chapter - 07: Customers don’t always want the cheapest; Chapter - 08: Exploding all of the myths about pricing; Chapter - 09: Using guarantees to get increased prices; Chapter - 10: Discounting; Chapter - 11: Presenting the price properly; Chapter - 12: Directional pricing; Chapter - 13: Dealing with the human factor; Chapter - 14: Getting financial clarity; Chapter - 15: Your action plan; Chapter - 16: The final word on pricing for profit

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Book SynopsisKaren Beaven is an executive coach and the founder of the HR Entrepreneur's Network. She has operated at HR Director level for a number of years at companies including River Island and AllSaints, and has been ranked as one of the most influential HR practitioners by HR Magazine in 2016 and 2017. She was also recognised as HR Director of the year in 2015 and has been listed as a Global HR superstar by HRO Today.Trade Review"Karen has an obvious passion for and commitment to the HR profession. This book does a wonderful job of chronicling her HR journey and sharing her narrative. Her insights will be helpful as a guide to other HR professionals who want to make a difference." * Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan & Partner, The RBL Group *"What Karen Beaven has created is the missing link between individual, professional, organisational and business perspectives, on the key role HR professionals can have in the fabled future of work. Packed full of quotes, references, exercises and real-life stories, this is the go-to book for those serious about their impact in the work they do, that might now be called HR Strategy. Reset and reinvent HR? You bet..!" * Perry Timms, Chief Energy Officer, PTHR #5 HR Most Influential Thinker 2018 *"This is a practical guide for HR professionals seeking to create performance-enhancing HR led by commercial goals. It is all the more powerful coming from an award-winning HRD who has been there and done it, experiencing the ups and downs and building resilience with humility and learning. A most useful handbook to progress your HR career and achieve more." * Darren Hockaday - HR Director, Gatwick Airport *"This is a must-read book, whether you are an experienced HR professional or a novice at the start of your career. It is an indispensable guide to understanding the world of work and adding strategic value by challenging you to rethink your understanding of HR. The future is really is all about the People Experience and awareness of self, business, industry and profession." * Shakil Butt, HR Hero, HR and Leadership Consultant *"This much-needed and easy-to-read book provides a fantastic guide for today's HR professional. It is a great combination of education into modern practice and terminology blended with practical advice and encouragement for how to navigate the shifting commercial landscapes that we all face." * Kim Atherton - Chief People Officer, OVO Energy and CEO, Just3Things *"Finally, a professional self-help book for HR practitioners from the 'Bouncebackability' Queen herself! As an avid fan of Karen's PX vision, I look forward to a future HR profession full of human-centric and business focused practitioners, closely collaborating with their people and leaders to build commercially successful and sustainable organisations. As Karen states - 'To be inspirational, you must first be inspired', and this book will do that for you." * Natal Dank - Chief HR Agilist at Southern Blue Consulting and co-founder of the Agile HR Community *"In a world where HR has to be as creative, agile and future-focused as any other part of the business, this book shows not only how important this is but how to make it possible. It will be the go-to resource for all my HR coachees who are looking to make their mark in business." * Paul Deeprose, Founder of The Career Gym *"This book is a massive gift not just to HR leaders but to all leaders. Karen turns fundamental concepts into extremely practical steps but most of all she conveys all of her experiences and recommendations in a truly human way. After reading this book you will look after yourself and your people differently and you will be totally confident that you are adding additional value to your organization." * David Frost, Organisational Development Director at Total Produce plc *"An excellent handbook for anyone with HR or line management responsibilities, putting the employee experience at the forefront. The chapters are well researched, providing snackable information with sections on how your thinking will be changed, toolkit essentials and reflection questions." * Julie Merritt, General Manager *"This is an inspirational guide written by a been there, seen it, done it industry specialist who knows what she is talking about and is not afraid to explain it. By learning about staff, the benefits of a personal network, the industry you work in and your aspirations, the reader can grow into a passionate leader and guide a business to become a driving force in their field." * Stu Walker, Managing Director - Integrated Sales & Marketing Solutions *"The book is a clear call to HR professionals to continue developing themselves, encourages reflection on the profession and its responsibilities, and the skills needed to succeed in Human Resources - along with guidance on how to develop them. It's great to see a book on HR stepping out of our traditional task and priorities and considering the wider organization, industry and future trends. This book is a true toolkit for the HR professional - a 'how to' guide on how to be great at what we do - whilst also encouraging us to step outside of our comfort zone." * Gemma Dale, Co-founder, The Work Consultancy *Table of Contents Section - ONE: Know your self; Chapter - 01: Continuous personal development; Chapter - 02: Drive and passion; Chapter - 03: Comfort zone; Chapter - 04: Interpersonal skills; Chapter - 05: Bravery; Chapter - 06: Your personal network; Chapter - 07: Inspirational leadership; Section - TWO: Know your business; Chapter - 08: Product; Chapter - 09: People; Chapter - 10: Productivity; Chapter - 11: Annual results; Chapter - 12: Commercial focus; Chapter - 13: Markets and channels; Chapter - 14: Technology; Chapter - 15: Culture; Chapter - 16: Purpose; Section - THREE: Know your industry; Chapter - 17: Competition; Chapter - 18: Business environment; Chapter - 19: Rules and regulations; Chapter - 20: Trends and forecasting; Chapter - 21: Where's the talent?; Chapter - 22: Workforce planning; Chapter - 23: Resources; Section - FOUR: Know your profession; Chapter - 24: Professional accreditation; Chapter - 25: Responsibilities; Chapter - 26: Advisory bodies; Chapter - 27: Career framework; Chapter - 28: Professional development; Chapter - 29: The development of the industry; Chapter - 30: The future of work

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Book SynopsisOrganization Development (OD) is key to ensuring that organizations and their people can adapt to and engage in ongoing change in today's fast-paced and competitive world. How can those responsible for managing change determine the most appropriate course of action for their organization's needs and maximize capability? Written by two of the leading experts in the field, Organization Development is an essential guide to the theories, practices, tools and techniques for achieving success. It explores the role of HR in relation to OD, and connected areas such as organization design, building organizational agility and resilience, and culture change. Alongside international case studies from organizations including Ernst & Young, Nationwide, Lockheed Martin and the University of Sheffield, UK, this revised third edition of Organization Development contains new chapters on building an adaptive culture of learning and innovation and organization health and 'use of self'. With fresh material on digitization, OD in SMEs, and competence profiles, this is an indispensable handbook to understanding, communicating and implementing organization development approaches for both experienced practitioners and students.Trade Review"This book deserves a place in every practitioner's reference library." * Robert J. Marshak, Ph.D. Author of Dialogic Process Consulting and Co-Editor of Dialogic Organization Development: The Theory and Practice of Transformational Change. *"International in scope, interdisciplinary in coverage, and linking, practice with scholarship, this third edition of a classic in organization development stands out as one of a kind." * W. Warner Burke, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University *"Practitioners everywhere are lucky to have this rich resource, full of gifts, as guide." * Glenda Eoyang, Executive Director, Human Systems Dynamics Institute *"A pleasure to read, the third edition of this renowned and respected landmark text by two gifted giants in the field offers a bright and meaningful roadmap to effectiveness. Clear, accurate, contemporary and updated with the latest advances, the book impeccably distils the tried and tested essential wisdom of seventy-five years of Organization Development in its purest form. A breath of fresh air full of actionable advice for the practitioner, a rigorous and definitive reference guide for the researcher and the academic and a delight for the curious mind, this book should be mandatory reading for anyone who cares deeply about the success of their people and their organization." * Pietro Catania, MBA, MSM, Founder at Alef Consulting and Ayros publishing House, Milan, Italy *"I feel so excited to read the third edition of Mee Yan and Linda's book for OD and HR practitioners. It offers even more detailed guidance and examples of OD cycle of work and has new added content relating to organization health, culture change, and Use of Self. As an OD practitioner in China, I can't wait to introduce it to our OD communities." * Maria Wang, Founder & CEO of Innovative OD Center, Shanghai, China *"The previous editions have been significant in upping the capability of the Singapore Government's OD community. This edition, with all its additions will continue to be a must-read reference for us in the government sector - as well as leaders and practitioners from other sectors. Its practical brilliance is backed by research that is both evidence-based and relevant to current organisation challenges. Beyond the treasure trove of updated and practical content, each chapter encapsulates the lived experiences and cumulative wisdom of two legends of our time." * Clarence Chia, Institute Director – Institute of Leadership and Organisation Development, Singapore Civil Service College, Singapore Government *"This could be the best text for OD's future, first it brings OD and HR together, which is seriously needed in this era of complex change. Second, it emphasizes the importance of developing both effectiveness and health in organizations, which was part of how the founders of the field created it. Third, the intervention discussion in Chapter 5 is so clear, grounded and practical and the best version of this concept. Fourth, it brings comparisons into focus from traditional OD to the less linear and less 'planned' complex, rapid change world. It is also well-researched and loaded with practice implications for the OD and HR fields." * David W. Jamieson, Ph.D, Editor-in Chief, Organisation Development Review *"This is my only go to book to guide me through all phases of large complex change programmes. It is as valuable as it wise and immediately applicable to real work. I have seen first-hand the tangible benefits by applying what is in this book." * Laurence Fitt Vice President, GSK *"As the unprecedented situations of recent years become the new normal, practitioners in the transformation business are looking for vital tools to help them with the task. With its coherent approach towards OD, this book will be an ideal aid. It will inspire students and practitioners who want to become transformative leaders. Its caring and supportive messages will help them and their clients navigate through the many challenges they may encounter as they bring about change. As a Vice President of IODA (International Organization Development Association and the OD Association in Japan), I know this book will inspire our members and other readers a real love for OD and courage to make the journey of change itself." * Ken Nishikawa, Konan University Center for Education in General Studies *"Organization development is needed now more than ever, and professionals in the HR function need to understand how OD works. In this practitioner-friendly book, Mee-Yan and Linda make the most of their broad experience to build out the necessary competencies and promote sustainable organization change." * Chris Worley, Research Professor of Management, Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business *Table of Contents Section - ONE: A practitioner’s guide for Organization Development; Section - Section 1: OD history and theory overview; Section - 01: What is OD? Its brief history; Section - 02: Theories and practices of OD: a theory overview; Section - Section 2: OD cycle of work; Section - 03: Theories and practices of OD - the OD cycle and the entry and contracting phase; Section - 04: Theories and practices of OD - the diagnostic phase; Section - 05: Theories and practices of OD - the intervention phase; Section - 06: Theories and practices of OD - the evaluation phase; Section - Section 3: OD and change; Section - 07: Living at the edge of chaos and change; Section - 08: Back-room and front-room change matters; Section - 09: Can behavioural change be made easy?; Section - Section 4: The Organization Development practitioner; Section - 10: The Organization Development practitioner; Section - 11: Power and politics in Organization Development; Section - Section 5: Additional thoughts; Section - 12: What is an organization? What is organization health?; Section - 13: How to build up your presence and impact on organization life; Section - TWO: HR in relation to OD: theory and practice; Section - 14: HR in relation to OD; Section - 15: Organization Design; Section - 16: Transformation and culture change; Section - 17: Building organizational agility and resilience; Section - 18: A culture conducive to innovation and learning; Section - 19: Building the context for employee engagement; Section - 20: Developing effective leadership; Section - 21: Postscript – towards a better tomorrow; Section - 22: References and further reading; Section - 23: Index

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Book SynopsisThe research featured in this volume is devoted to understanding the competitive and collaborative challenges that firms face as they manage interactions with different actors in dynamic environments, in what are coming to be referred to as business or innovation 'ecosystems'. Rapid technological change, globalization, and recent financial turbulence have brought us to a point where managers are painfully aware that 'no man [or firm] is an island.' Success in business, in both the profit and non-profit sectors, increasingly relies upon collaboration with upstream suppliers, alliance partners, and downstream complementors. This volume presents new findings of how innovation and value are created in collaborative networks, specifically 'ecosystem analysis' and the unique roles of individual actors within this systemTable of ContentsList of Contributors. Introduction: Collaboration and Competition in Business Ecosystems. Collaborating with Complementors: What Do Firms Do?. Evolving an Open Ecosystem: The Rise and Fall of the Symbian Platform. Building Joint Value: Ecosystem Support for Global Health Innovations. Business Ecosystems’ Evolution — An Ecosystem Clockspeed Perspective. Do Product Architectures Affect Innovation Productivity in Complex Product Ecosystems?. The Organization of Innovation in Ecosystems: Problem Framing, Problem Solving, and Patterns of Coupling. The Emergence and Coordination of Synchrony in Organizational Ecosystems. Open Innovation Norms and Knowledge Transfer in Interfirm Technology Alliances: Evidence from Information Technology, 1980–1999. The Origins and Dynamics of Production Networks in Silicon Valley. Networks and Knowledge: The Beginning and End of the Port Commodity Chain, 1703-1860. Towards a Network Perspective on Organizational Decline. Explaining the Attacker’s Advantage: Technological Paradigms, Organizational Dynamics, and the Value Network. Collaboration and Competition in Business Ecosystems. Advances in Strategic Management. Collaboration and Competition in Business Ecosystems. Copyright page.

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Book SynopsisThe bottom line is no longer a number. Business can be a force for good, although many companies aren't built to make it that right now. Becoming a more competitive business that is also better for the world is simpler than you might think. It's already happening across the globe. Drawing on stories from fields as diverse as human rights in Syria, the UK prison system, Brazilian psychiatric care, architecture and business, Return on Humanity provides inspiring learnings and practical strategies that prove a more human approach to leadership and business will give us all a better future. Philippa White is a global thought leader, social innovator and the Founder and CEO of UK-based company TIE. For over 20 years she has been dedicated to unlocking the potential of corporate leaders and their companies by igniting the power of a people-first approach to business.

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times and No. 1 Wall Street Journal bestsellerBlue Ocean Shift is the essential follow-up to the classic Blue Ocean Strategy, the 3.6 million copy global bestseller by world-renowned professors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne.Drawing on more than a decade of new work, Kim and Mauborgne show you how to move beyond competing, how to inspire people’s confidence and seize new growth, guiding you step by step through how to take your organization from a red ocean, crowded with competition, to a blue ocean of uncontested market space. By combining the insights of human psychology with practical market-creating tools and real-world guidance, Kim and Mauborgne deliver the definitive guide to shift yourself, your team, or your organization to new heights of confidence, market creation and growth. They show why non-disruptive creation is as important as disruption in seizing new growth.Blue Ocean Shift is packed with all-new research and examples of how leaders in diverse industries and organizations made the shift and created new markets by applying the processes and tools outlined in the book. Whether you are a cash-strapped start-up or a large, established company, a non-profit or national government, you will learn how to move from red to blue oceans in a way that builds people’s confidence so that they own and drive the process.With battle-tested lessons learned from successes and failures in the field, Blue Ocean Shift is critical reading for leaders, managers and entrepreneurs alike. You’ll learn what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid the pitfalls along the way. This book will empower you to succeed as you embark on your own blue ocean journey. Blue Ocean Shift is indispensable for anyone committed to building a compelling future.Table of ContentsSection - i: Preface Unit - 1: PART ONE: Blue Ocean Shift Chapter - 1: Reach Beyond the Best Chapter - 2: The Fundamentals of Market-Creating Strategy Chapter - 3: The Mind of a Blue Ocean Strategist Chapter - 4: Humanness, Confidence, and Creative Competence Unit - 2: PART TWO: The Five Steps to Making a Blue Ocean Shift Unit - 2.1: Step One: Get Started Chapter - 5: Choosing the Right Place to Start Chapter - 6: Constructing the Right Blue Ocean Team Unit - 2.2: Step Two: Understand Where You Are Now Chapter - 7: Getting Clear About the Current State of Play Unit - 2.3: Step Three: Imagine Where You Could Be Chapter - 8: Uncovering the Hidden Pain Points That Limit the Size of Your Industry Chapter - 9: Discovering an Ocean of Noncustomers Unit - 2.4: Step Four: Find How You Get There Chapter - 10: Reconstructing Market Boundaries—Systematically Chapter - 11: Developing Alternative Blue Ocean Opportunities Unit - 2.5: Step Five: Make Your Move Chapter - 12: Selecting Your Blue Ocean Move and Conducting Rapid Market Tests Chapter - 13: Finalizing and Launching Your Blue Ocean Move Section - ii: Epilogue: A National Blue Ocean Shift in Action Section - iii: Notes Acknowledgements - iv: Acknowledgments Section - v: Bibliography Index - vi: Index Section - vii: About the Authors

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewStucke and Ezrachi’s analysis of the nature of competition is refreshingly non-ideological and counterintuitive. Their idea that competition can be either toxic or noble—all depending on how governments structure markets—is something so clear that it’s remarkable it’s taken us decades to recognize the wisdom of it. This is a must-read for anyone interested in how to use public policy to harness the competitive drive for the public good. — Chris Hughes, cofounder of Facebook Stucke and Ezrachi show us the important differences between destructive and noble competition and what we can do to pursue a more just and prosperous world. This book changes how you will view the role of the market in our economy and society at large. — Spencer Weber Waller, director of the Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies and law professor at Loyola University Chicago Entertaining and thought-provoking, Competition Overdose fiercely articulates the raw, hard truth behind the toxic aspects of competition. — Tommaso Valletti, professor of economics at Imperial College London and Chief Competition Economist (2016–2019), European Commission Competition Overdose is probably the most important book to be published on the subject since The Antitrust Paradox hit the bookshelves in 1978. It is destined to transform how governments across the world think about the role competition in domestic and international policy for decades to come. Stucke and Ezrachi are the new rock stars of competition policy. — Ali Nikpay, partner at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher Anything, in the wrong dosage, can be poisonous. Competition Overdose takes a sacred cow of contemporary western thought—that ‘more competition is always good’—and reveals that while competition can be noble, it can also be toxic. An engaging and compelling read that will make you think differently about situations we all deal with every day. — Tim Wu, professor at Columbia Law School, contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and author of The Master Switch and The Attention Merchants A must-read for anyone concerned about the future of our economy and society, Competition Overdose provides a no-nonsense analysis of how toxic competition can be bad for competitors, consumers, workers, and society overall. The authors highlight the abuses of this ideology and remind us that we, as citizens and consumers, can exercise our power by choosing products, based on our values. — Monique Goyens, director general of BEUC, The European Consumer Organisation This beautifully written book helps us rethink economic principles from the ground up. As any good chemist knows, what can be helpful or harmless in small doses is deadly in excess. While technocrats push competition as a cure to all economic ailments, Stucke and Ezrachi deliver a dose of reality: cutthroat schemes to kneecap rivals, manipulate customers, and exploit workers harm far more than they help. Read this book for a brilliant account of the proper place of competition (and ethics) in society. — Frank Pasquale, law professor at University of Maryland and author of The Black Box Society Stucke and Ezrachi examine a multitude of perversities in today’s society—colleges striving to recruit applicants they likely will reject, supermarkets stocking hundreds of varieties of jam, travel deals stuffed with hidden fees—and provide a unifying explanation: a misalignment of competition. Their book illuminates how competition can go wrong, and how individuals, businesses, and the government can set it right. — Jonathan Levin, dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business Is more competition the solution to all our societal problems? Stucke and Ezrachi persuasively say: No, it depends; sometimes we need to rein in markets because they produce socially inferior outcomes. This book shows that the promotion of competition cannot be an end in of itself, but rather it should be used as a tool to improve overall welfare. Between too much and too little competition, the safest option is, as always, the ‘aurea mediocritas’” — Jorge Padilla, senior managing director and head of Compass Lexecon, Europe Stucke and Ezrachi ask critical questions about what types of rivalry are desirable and who benefits when all domains of society are governed by principles of unfettered competition. Countering simplistic prescriptions, Competition Overdose is a perceptive and timely read. — Lina Khan, author of Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox Competition Overdose is a courageous, timely attempt by two formidable legal scholars to unpack—and in some cases demolish—the dominant shibboleth of our age: the delusion that ‘more competition’ is the remedy for many social or economic ills. Should be required reading for every course in public policy. — John Naughton, professor at University of Cambridge and technology columnist for the London Observer The authors draw skillfully on a wide range of disciplines, from economics to psychology, to help us understand why more competition is not always all that it’s cracked up to be. They provide support for a more humane, nobler form of competition and wider corporate purpose, debunking the myths of shareholder value and blind faith in markets. This is a must-read. — Simon Holmes, UK Competition Appeal Tribunal Because competition has been sold for centuries as an unbridled positive, reading this book requires counterintuitive thinking and an open mind. Using a lucid, conversational style, the authors thoroughly explain each case study and anecdote. Does competition regularly result in a race to the bottom? Yes, the authors maintain, and they present ideas about how to achieve what they term ‘noble competition,’ in which sellers, buyers, and society at large all benefit. — Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisProvides a collection of papers, analyzing and assessing the role and value of strategic moves and groups in industry. This book contains theoretical models which are supplemented by empirical studies on the dynamics of competitive moves and the link between strategic groups and performance. It links commentaries and extensive reviews of research.Trade ReviewJohn J. Quinn This book is a collection of papers addressing three broad questions arising from the notion of strategic groups. The first question addressed is, what defines a strategic group? A number of papers deal with conceptual aspects of this question which are then admirably exemplified in Competitive Groups as Cognitive Communities: The Case of Scottish Knitwear Manufacturers, THOMAS PORAC and BADEN-FULLER... The second question...The final question addressed is whether there is a relationship between strategic group membership and performance... The answer is an overwhelming not proven...however, it is pointed out that this does not mean that the concept of strategic groups would not be useful. The argument is that one strategic group is not necessarily better than another, just different; but the strategic group with which the firm is associated would still provide the comparative frame-work for the manager to evaluate his own firm's performance and processes... Overall this is an academic book but with several well written cases that will appeal to a wider audience. Long Range Planning D.E. Hussey This is the first volume of a second series of The Best of Long Range Planning (the first ran to 12 volumes). There is a real improvement in format...the publishers are using a book-sized format which offers more utility to the reader. They fit easily into a bookshelf, and this volume contains an index to the selection from the back issues of the journal... For those who do not regularly read the journal, the book offers high quality, fairly recent articles, written by high-calibre authors, that they might otherwise never have seen and which should provoke thought about the management of strategy and change. Journal of Strategic ChangeTable of ContentsChapter headings: Models of Competition. Strategic Moves. Strategic Groups and Performance.

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Book SynopsisA selection of papers from "Long Range Planning - The International Journal of Strategic Management" that examines the evolution of competitive advantage, setting out areas of major change and areas which have been less subject to change. It begins by examining how strategic management has been influenced by the transformation of industries.Table of ContentsIntroduction (P. McNamee). Part I: What Has Changed? The Dramatic Rise in the Strategic Importance of Information Technology. Outsourcing IT: the strategic implications (L. Willcocks et al.). Innovation in banking: new structures and systems (R.E. Morgan et al.). The Transformation of Industries and the Changes in 'The Rules for Success'. Becoming a customer 'owning' company (S. Vandermerwe). Strategic change and organizational change at Hay Management Consultants (L. Heracleous, B. Langham). Operation Centurion: managing transformation at Philips (N. Freedman). The Rise in the Strategic and Industrial Importance of South East Asia. Corporate strategies for the Asia Pacific Region (P. Lasserre). Whose company is it? The concept of the corporation in Japan and the West (Masuru Yoshimori). Partnership with an Asian family business--what every MNC should know (P.N. Pant, V.G. Rajadhyaksha). Join Up or Split Up? Strategic alliances in fast moving markets (V. Newman, K. Chaharbaghi). The ICI demerger: unlocking shareholder value (C. Kennedy). Part II: What Has Not Changed? Developing Missions, Benchmarking Strategic Performance, Managing Mature Businesses and the Benefits of Adroit Strategic Planning. Creating a sense of mission (A. Campbell, S. Yeung). Strategic benchmarking at ICI Fibres (T. Clayton, B. Luchs). Parenting strategies for the mature business (M. Goold). Linking the balanced scorecard to strategy (A. Butler et al.). The return of strategic planning: once more with feeling (B. Taylor). Index.

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of QBQ! The Question Behind the Question comes a workbook to help you on your journey to embrace personal accountability.Who Moved My Cheese? showed readers how to adapt to change. Fish! helped raise flagging morale. Execution guided readers to overcome the inability to get things done. QBQ!: The Question Behind the Question, now a classic bestselling guide celebrating 15 years in print, addresses the most important issue in business and society today: personal accountability. This brand-new workbook and study guide will take you deeper into the material, allowing you to explore and absorb how to replace blame, complaining, and procrastination with personal accountability, by asking the simple question, What can I do better next time? Instead of, Who dropped the ball? Why do they keep messing up? or Why do we have to go through all these changes? you will begin to ask, How can I improve thi

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Book SynopsisBy examining these two companies and their business models in depth, Professor Nirmalya Kumar elucidates on the more general phenomenon of incumbents competing with disruptors (e.g., Volkswagen vs Tesla, Marriott vs Airbnb) as well as the move to omnichannel retail where physical stores must coexist with online retailers.

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Book SynopsisToday, mobile connections are so readily accessible that it is perhaps easy to forget the time when only the elite had access to a phone provided by the sole operator: the Government of India. It all changed in the early 1990s as liberalisation stirred the Indian economy out of its decades of complacency.

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Book SynopsisIf the defining goal of modern-day business can be isolated to just one item, it would be the search for competitive advantage. And, as everyone in business knows, it''s a lot harder than it used to be. On the one hand, competition is more intense than ever--technological innovation, consumer expectations, government deregulation, all combine to create more opportunities for new competitors to change the basic rules of the game. On the other hand, most of the old reliable sources of competitive advantage are drying up: the hallowed strategies employed by GM, IBM, and AT&T to maintain their seemingly unassailable positions of dominance in the 1960s and 70s are as obsolete as the calvary charge. So in this volatile, unstable environment, where can competitive advantage be found? As David Nadler and Michael Tushman show, the last remaining source of truly sustainable competitive advantage lies in `organizational capabilities'': the unique ways each organization structures its work and motTrade Review"Nadler and Tushman's central argument, that 'Competing by Design' is now the most reliable source of corporate advantage, is totally persuasive. They proceed to offer, by example as well as precept, the most comprehensive and sensible guide available on the art and science of organization design. This book is grounded on careful research and should be essential reading for all general managers."--Paul Lawrence, Donham Professor, Emeritus, Harvard Business School "In this fast-moving marketplace, change is not only required for continued prosperity; it's also very hard work. This book offers both thoughtful insights and explicit ideas about how to go about making constructive changes. It's easy to read, packed with information and filled with useful examples. It's a must read.--Henry Schacht, Chairman and Chief Executive officer, Lucent Technologies, Inc. "Working with David Nadler for 17 years, I've learned that there is a systematic way to look at our problems and a way to organize structure, people and culture to implement competitive strategies for success. Those principles are concisely described in this book, complete with real world examples."--William F. Buehler, Executive Vice President, Xerox Corp. "Your only sustainable advantage today may be your organizational capabilities: the ways you organize work and motivate your work force to meet strategic objectives. Competing by Design shows you how to maximize these competitive strengths by redesigning your firm."--Soundveiw Executive Book Summaries

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Book SynopsisHarvard professor, Michael Porter has been one of the most influential figures in strategic management research over the last three decades. He infused a rigorous theoretical framework of industrial organization economics with the then still embryonic field of strategic management and elevated it to its current status as an academic discipline. Porter''s outstanding career is also characterized by its cross-disciplinary nature. Following his most important work on strategic management, he then made a leap to the policy side and dealt with a completely different set of analytical units. More recently he has made a foray into inner city development, environmental regulations, and health care services. Throughout these explorations Porter has maintained his integrative approach, seeking a road that links management case studies and the general model building of mainstream economics.With expert contributors from a range of disciplines including strategic management, economic development, eTable of Contents1. Introduction ; PART I ; 2. Establishing Strategic Management as an Academic Discipline ; 3. Why Competitive Strategy succeeds - and with whom ; 4. Eclecticism and the Evolution of Strategy Research ; 5. Antecedents and Precedents to Porter's Competitive Strategy ; 6. The Strategic Management Framework: a Methodological and Epistemological Examination ; PART II ; 7. National Economic Development and the Competitive Advantage of Nations ; 8. Domestic Demand, Learning, and the Competitive Advantage of Nations: an Empirical Analysis ; 9. The Growth and Competitiveness of Nations: the Contribution of Michael Porter ; PART III ; 10. Clusters and Competitiveness: Porter's Contribution ; 11. On Diamonds, Clusters, and Regional Development ; 12. Clusters, Evolutionary Economics, and Policymaking ; 13. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisHarvard professor, Michael Porter has been one of the most influential figures in strategic management research over the last three decades. He infused a rigorous theoretical framework of industrial organization economics with the then still embryonic field of strategic management and elevated it to its current status as an academic discipline. Porter''s outstanding career is also characterized by its cross-disciplinary nature. Following his most important work on strategic management, he then made a leap to the policy side and dealt with a completely different set of analytical units. More recently he has made a foray into inner city development, environmental regulations, and health care services. Throughout these explorations Porter has maintained his integrative approach, seeking a road that links management case studies and the general model building of mainstream economics. With expert contributors from a range of disciplines including strategic management, economic development, Table of Contents1. Introduction ; PART I ; 2. Establishing Strategic Management as an Academic Discipline ; 3. Why Competitive Strategy succeeds - and with whom ; 4. Eclecticism and the Evolution of Strategy Research ; 5. Antecedents and Precedents to Porter's Competitive Strategy ; 6. The Strategic Management Framework: a Methodological and Epistemological Examination ; PART II ; 7. National Economic Development and the Competitive Advantage of Nations ; 8. Domestic Demand, Learning, and the Competitive Advantage of Nations: an Empirical Analysis ; 9. The Growth and Competitiveness of Nations: the Contribution of Michael Porter ; PART III ; 10. Clusters and Competitiveness: Porter's Contribution ; 11. On Diamonds, Clusters, and Regional Development ; 12. Clusters, Evolutionary Economics, and Policymaking ; 13. Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThe electricity market has experienced enormous setbacks in delivering on the promise of deregulation. In theory, deregulating the electricity market would increase the efficiency of the industry by producing electricity at lower costs and passing those cost savings on to customers.

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Book SynopsisDrawing out the underlying economics in business history, this text focuses on learning processes and the development of competitively valuable asymmetries. It shows that organizations learn that this process can be organized effectively, which can have major implications for how competition works.

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Book SynopsisAs globalization creates the need for leaders who transcend national borders, this book provides an insider's view of what makes them special. This is the first book to present a framework for understanding this fast-growing and influential group and it provides tools for readers to discover their own inner competitive edge.Trade Review'This is a must read book for anyone interested in globalization or, more precisely, how we can develop the 'global mind.' This book should be required reading for every MBA and anyone who would claim to be a "world citizen'. - Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business and author of the recently published Still Surprised - A Memoir of a Life in Leadership 'This book presents a whole new concept of careers and, thereby, becomes one of the most important career development books published in the last decade. If we believe in a growing globalism, then it becomes essential to understand Global Cosmopolitans. This book is a clear and powerful presentation of the many young men and women who make up this new population. This is a must read for managers and human resource professionals.' - Ed Schein, Professor Emeritus, MIT Sloan School of Management 'Global Cosmopolitans is a ground-breaking book that puts the spotlight on a very unique and important segment of the population, namely business leaders who embody multiple cultures and are uniquely qualified to lead in a multi-cultural global world. The book is a terrific blend of solid academic empirical and conceptual work, along with a handbook for helping global cosmopolitans reach their full potential.' - Noel Tichy, Professor, University of Michigan and co-author with Warren Bennis of Judgement - How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls 'Linda Brimm offers a novel and insightful investigation of the developmental experiences of people in the corporate world whose life histories cross cultures and national borders. Written in lucid and highly readable prose, this book is filled with carefully-observed stories of the people she has studied. It also considers practical means to maximize and make use of the strengths such people bring to their workplaces.' - Ruthellen Josselson, Ph.D., author of Playing Pygmalion: How People Create One Another 'It is important for today's organizations that face change and diversity at their center of management challenges to understand and maximize the value that Global Cosmopolitans can contribute. Linda Brimm's book, Global Cosmopolitans, provides the compelling frameworks and stories to address this key issue. The book is provocative and insightful. It is a must-read.' - W.Chan Kim, Professor of INSEAD and Co-director of the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute 'Crossing cultures to communicate or do business with people whose identities are different from your own is now commonplace. If you have not yet met someone who could be identified as a Global Cosmopolitans, you will in due time. Linda Brimm smartly explores the complexity that exists among people whose identities and skills have been shaped by their global experiences, making this book interesting and relevant for anyone engaged in a multicultural business environment.' - Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Renault-Nissan Alliance ' an insightful investigation of the developmental experiences of people in the corporate world whose life histories cross cultures and national borders.' - Business ExecutiveTable of ContentsPreface Outline Part I - Global Cosmopolitans: Meeting The Masters Of Complexity Introducing Global Cosmopolitans Inside The New Global Cosmopolitan Generation Learning From A Global Life: Developing The Creative Edge Of Difference Part II - The Invisible Journey: The Roots Of Strength And Resilience Life Challenges And The Road To Identity Relationship Challenges: Invisible Rules, Silent Voices Relationship Challenges: Connection And Disconnection Part III– The Invisible Journey: New Pathways to Growth Paradoxical Needs: Finding The Roots Of Challenges Two-Edged Swords: When Strengths Create New Challenges Part IV – Moving Forward: Bringing the Invisible Journey out of the Dark Moving Forward: A Portrait Of Two Crucial Decades Global Cosmopolitans: Unlocking The Power Of Stories Appendix I - Workbook Endnotes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIan Cooper is one of Europe's most experienced business development consultants, presenters and skills trainers. He is also one of the world's leading advisors specialising in business development within the professional services sector. He has advised and helped over 800 organisations of all sizes over 27 years to attract and win huge amounts of business. Ian is also a successful entrepreneur in his own right having started, developed and run several business ventures. An experienced author, Ian has written and contributed to over 10 books, on a range of topics.   http://www.iancooperfinancialtimesguidetobusinessdevelopmentbook.com/Trade Review “The Financial Times Guide to Business Development is inspirational. It is easy to read, hard to put down and there are absolute gems on every page. Read it and getfired up.” Jonathan Straight, Chief Executive, STRAIGHT plc, former winner of Entrepreneur of the Year Award "This is a game changer for any business wishing to grow and develop. Ian Cooper has a phenomenal understanding of the importance of delivering world class service to your clients and customers. I will encourage all members of the 360 legal group to purchase and treat this as their mantra!"Viv Williams, CEO 360 Legal Group “We have used Ian Cooper’s considerable skills on many occasions and he has shown us how to increase our conversion rate of enquiries to business from 30% to 75%. His new book, The Financial Times Guide To Business Development is almost a pocket book guide to his training, providing a real focus on how to get results. It not only explains what to do, but why, in an entertaining, pragmatic and anecdotal style”. Martyn Morgan, Managing Partner, QualitySolicitors Talbots “This simple no nonsense approach to business development and practical advice regarding customer service provides a recipe for success for any business regardless of size.” Wendy Atkin-Smith, Managing Director, Viking River Cruises UK Limited "It is worth getting this book for the 21 common sense business development truths alone. Painfully brutal in places, these truths should serve as a much needed wake up call, and I have never met a business that wouldn't benefit from applying them honestly to their situation. Ian Cooper has done UK Ltd a great service by spelling them out with such clarity, simplicity and power." Steve Pipe FCA, author of "The UK's best accountancy practices" and "Stress proof your business and your life" and former UK Entrepreneur of the Year "I thought I knew business development inside out. Then I read this witty, informative and practical book, and realised how much I didn't know. If you have a business that needs a boost, then it shows how anyone can become a ninja at business development". Heather Townsend, Author of 'The Financial Times Guide To Business Networking' "The Financial Times Guide To Business Development is thoroughly readable and no nonsense with immediately usable advice on every page. It is classic Ian Cooper ... clear, concise and common sense". Chris Spencer, General Counsel, EMIS Group plc “This book serves as a salient reminder that your business is failing if it doesn’t treat the customer as king in all it does. Packed with amusing anecdotes and practical tips, everyone in business would benefit from the lessons it provides. I challenge anyone to read this book and not find at least one area they can improve". Craig Holt, Chief Executive, QualitySolicitors “Ian Cooper's book is packed with jaw-dropping anecdotes of opportunities lost and custom going begging because suppliers of goods and services have forgotten who their customers are and what they actually want? Ian does not preach or hector but his insights into how business is getting it wrong are delivered with his usual gentle humour". Len Tingle, BBC Political Editor - Yorkshire, veteran BBC broadcaster / writer on business issues. "Considered, down to earth and straight to the point. This guide is a true testament to Ian Cooper's knowledgable and no nonsense approach".Brett Dennis - Marketing strategist for Every1. “Ian CoTable of ContentsContents List Introduction Chapter 1 - The 21 Common Sense Business Development Truths 1. Focus On Converting Leads, Not Just Generating Leads 2. Exceed Customer Expectations 3. Speak To Potential Customers And Clients … And Speak To Them Nicely 4. Be Open For Business 5. Don’t Let Your Administration Get In The Way 6. There’s No Job More Important Than Helping Customers or Clients Part With Their Cash 7. Don’t Let Technology Get In The Way 8. Quality And Word Of Mouth Counts For Everything 9. Actively Strive For Consistency 10. Recruitment Is Part Of Business Development 11. Keep In Touch With Your Existing Customers And Clients 12. Master Social Online Media 13. Test Your Ideas, Concepts And Prices 14. Plan, But Keep Things Simple 15. Take Complaints Seriously 16. Make Your Customer Or Client Environment Appropriate 17. Train Your People To Spot Opportunities 18. Get Out Of Your Office Or Premises And Mix And Mingle 19. Find A Niche And Specialise 20. Model What Works Best 21. Be Squeaky Clean Chapter 2 - Asking The Right Business Questions: A Toolkit For Business Development The 5 Impact Questions The 100 Business Development Questions Chapter 3 - The 20 Business Development Pricing Tools, Truths And Techniques 1. Winning Business Is Not The Most Important Thing – Being Profitable Is. 2. Price Is A Communications Issue, Not A Financial Or Accounting One. 3. Focus On Value And Service And Not Just Price. 4. Bundle In And Include As Much As You Can. 5. Unbundle And Charge Things Separately. 6. Don’t Fall Into The Price Trap. 7. Consider Increasing Your Prices. 8. Use Division And Comparison. 9. Get Others To Justify Your Prices. 10. Price With Guarantees. 11. Price For Specialisation. 12. Price For Profile And Experience. 13. Price Based On Feedback And Testing. 14. Price For Prestige. 15. Price For Know-How. 16. Price With The Competition In Mind. 17. If You Must Have A Loss Leader, Make It Count. 18. Consider Special Deals, Promotions, Sales And Discounts. 19. Price For Easy Payment. 20. Pricing With Magic Numbers. Chapter 4 – Introducing The Business Development Priorities Priority 1 – Convert Leads, Opportunities And Enquiries Into Profitable Business. Priority 2 – Develop More Business From Existing Customers And Clients. Priority 3 – Externalise Business Development Efforts To Generate New Opportunities, Leads And Enquiries. Chapter 5 - Priority 1 – Convert Leads, Opportunities And Enquiries Into Profitable Business. The 10 Commandments Of Converting Leads And Enquiries. The 5 Step Conversion System. Chapter 6 - Priority 2 – Develop More Business From Existing Customers And Clients. The Five Golden Rules: Golden Rule 1 – Know Your Customers And Clients. Golden Rule 2 &

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Book SynopsisThere is much debate regarding which countries' economies have the best economic systems to encourage economic growth and technological change. This book is a major contribution to this discussion, connecting the fields of corporate governance and finance with the field of innovation and technology and analysing the ways in which countries' systems of corporate governance affect firms' ability to meet the technological challenges of different sectors. Tylecote and Visintin combine incisive analysis with empirical studies systems of corporate governance in the US, Europe, East Asia and China, demonstrating how these systems vary and how the demands on those who control and finance industry are changing. The authors argue that while certain types of system have worked for particular sectors, the technological revolution through which we are passing demands innovation in corporate governance and finance. Indeed, this book goes some way in challenging accepted views of besTrade Review'An excellent resource for researchers, a useful reference for academic collections, and interesting reading for graduate students and practitioners...highly recommended' J. Fitzpatrick, SUNY Fredonia, ChoiceTable of Contents1. Introduction: The Role of Corporate Governance and Finance in Innovation 2. How Sectors Vary in their Requirements from the System of Corporate Governance and Finance 3. How National Systems of Corporate Governance and Finance Differs 4. Corporate Governance, Finance and Innovation in the US, the UK and Switzerland 5. Corporate Governance, Finance and Innovation in Japan, Germany and Sweden 6. Corporate Governance, Finance and Innovation in France and Korea 7. Corporate Governance, Finance and Innovation in Italy and Taiwan 8. Corporate Governance, Finance and Technological Development in Mainland China 9. Looking Forward: Current Trends, Future Prospects and Modest Proposals

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Book SynopsisFundamental to management thinking and economic theory, Competitive Strategy offers a framework for understanding the underlying forces of competition in industry and business. This book explains the ideas, theories and principles of Competitive Strategy in simple, straightforward terms.Table of ContentsIntroduction. Part I: Laying the Foundations of Competitive Strategy. Chapter 1: Gearing Up to Get Competitive. Chapter 2: Laying the Foundations of Strategy. Part II: Being Competitive. Chapter 3: Feeling the Effects of the Forces of Competition. Chapter 4: Scanning and Analysing Your Competitive Environment. Chapter 5: Looking to Leadership. Part III: Putting Strategic Management into Action. Chapter 6: Assessing Your Competition. Chapter 7: Appraising Investments. Chapter 8: Finessing Your Finances. Chapter 9: Matching Products and Services with Your Customers and Clients. Chapter 10: Putting Your Competition in Context. Part IV: Enhancing Your Competitive Strategy. Chapter 11: Pulling Together a Comprehensive Strategic Plan. Chapter 12: Defi ning and Establishing Organisation Structure and Culture. Chapter 13: Doing The Right Things: Ethics. Chapter 14: Wrangling with Risk. Part V: Looking Towards Your Future. Chapter 15: Venturing Into Mergers, Acquisitions and Takeovers. Chapter 16: Getting the Big Picture: Globalisation. Chapter 17: Pointing Your Company Towards the Future. Part VI: The Part of Tens. Chapter 18: Ten (Or So) Great Books on Competitive Strategy in Action. Chapter 19: Ten (Or So) Questions to Ask About Any Corporate Investment. Chapter 20: Ten Tips on Mergers and Acquisitions. Chapter 21: Ten (Or So) Top Ways to Manage Risk. Index.

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Book SynopsisDraws on empirical evident to illustrate how SMEs can become more innovative through the introduction of new products and services. This book discusses the effective and efficient use of information technology by broadening management skills and knowledge.Table of ContentsBiographies Preface 1 Introduction: SMEs, Policy and Competitiveness (Fiona Tilley and Jane Tonge). Section 1 General Management Issues 2 Competitive Advantage in SMEs: Towards a Conceptual Framework (Oswald Jones). 3 Strategic Management for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) (Alan Marsden and Carole Forbes). 4 Corporate Governance for Competitive Advantage in SMEs (Richard Warren). 5 Sustainability and Competitiveness: Are There Mutual Advantages for SMEs? (Fiona Tilley, Paul Hooper and Liz Walley). Section 2 Managing People 6 Human Resource Management: Managing People in Smaller Organisations (Scott Taylor, Sue Shaw and Carol Atkinson). 7 Employee Share Ownership in SMEs (Andrew Pendleton). 8 Managing Creativity and Competitive Advantage in SMEs: Examining Creative, New Media Firms (Mark Banks, Meg Elliott and Julia Owen). 9 Innovation in SMEs: Intrapreneurship and New Routines (Oswald Jones ). 10 Network Capability: The Competitive Advantage of Small Firms (David Taylor and Krsto Pandza). Section 3 Functional Management 11 The Adoption of e-business Technologies by SMEs (Paul Windrum and Pascale de Berranger). 12 Supply Chain Management: Improving Competitive Advantage in SMEs (Allan Macpherson and Alison Wilson). 13 Sustaining Viability in SMEs: Perspectives on Innovation in Financial Management (Bob Sweeting, Tony Berry and Jitsuo Goto). 14 Retail and Services Marketing (Steve Baron). 15 Conclusion: The Search for Competitive Advantage (Oswald Jones and Fiona Tilley). Index.

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Book SynopsisA complete guide for turning a relocation plan into a reality The Office Relocation Sourcebook provides relocation teams, at firms of all sizes, with the background information and practical guidance they need to pull off a relocation project cost-effectively and with a minimum of disruption to the employees being moved.Table of ContentsOrganizing the Relocation Project Team. Planning: Social Issues in Office Relocation. Planning: Communications. Planning Environmental Concerns of Office Workers. Planning: Office Planning. Planning: Workspace Design. Planning: Human Factors Considerations in the Design of SpecialAreas and Services. Implementation of the Relocation. Postproject Evaluations. Appendices. Glossary. Index.

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Book SynopsisBased on a profoundly important six-year study by the Center for the Quality of Management (CQM), "Integrated Management Systems" shows how successful organizations accomplish something unbelievably powerful: Creating their own particular ways of executing the scientific method.Trade Review"This is a thought-provoking book that will stimulate a constructive reevaluation of widespread management practices - and they badly need such reevaluation. If it does nothing else - and it does much more - it would deserve serious reading.(Russell L. Ackoff, Chairman, INTERAC, The Institute for Interactive Management) "Nothing would improve the performance of managers and organizations more than a deeper understanding of the potential and limitations inherent in management systems. This superb book, by three outstanding scholars, goes a very long way to that end." (Louis E. Lataif, Dean Boston University School of Management) "Finally, a book which offers pragmatics instead of polemics regarding the whole notion of quality and what it means to be a quality-based organization. This is no one-minute manager but a thoughtful and reflective guide to action. (Michael Lissack, Director, Organization Science-Related Programs, New England Complex Systems Institute, and Editor-in-Chief, "Emergence: A Journal of Complexity Issues in Organizations and Management") "An innovative synthesis of American systems theory and Japanese TQM practice that will become the standard reference text for researchers and practitioners everywhere." (Dr. Eamonn Murphy, Director, National Centre for Quality Management University of Limerick, Ireland)Table of ContentsThe Theory and Practice of Integrated Management Systems: Putting the Scientific Method to Work. Pioneers in Integrated Management Systems What Manufacturers Learned from Crisis. The Service Industries: Integrated Management for Radically Different Processes. Achieving Diverse Purposes: Integrated Systems in Education. Managing the Most Complex Processes: Integrated Systems in Health Care. Better Lives for Sailors and Continuous Improvement Processes: Integrated Systems in the Military. The Challenge of Intransigent Organizations: Integrated Systems in Government Agencies. Act Locally: What We Have Learned, What You Can Do. Think Globally: The State of Management Today: What Still Must Be Done. Appendices. Notes. Index.

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Book SynopsisAlthough it is impossible to include in one volume the full breadth of ideas under discussion in the area of strategic management, the editors have selected contributions that offer interesting food for thought in three currently crucial strategic conversations: Strategy - demonstrates the diversity of research topics in strategy. Structure - addresses how organizational structure can help/hinder corporate strategy. Style - management or corporate--is not often discussed directly in strategic management literature, though its presence and effects are pervasive. Strategy, Structure and Style addresses another of the Strategic Management Society''s primary concerns--how to build and maintain bridges between management theory and business practice.Table of ContentsPartial table of contents: STRATEGY. Trustworthiness as a Source of Competitive Advantage (J. Barney & M. Hansen). Excess Capacity and Global Competition: A Resource-Based Approach (J. Canals). Hypercompetition (R. D'Aveni). Developing and Deploying Corporate Resources in the Technological Race to Market (L. Wright & R. Wright). STRUCTURE. Organizing for Competitive Advantage: The Machine Adhocracy (C. Bowman & S. Carter). The Unit of Activity: Towards an Alternative to the Theories of the Firm (K. Haanaes & B. Lowendahl). STYLE. The Myth of the Global Renaissance Manager (J. Craig & P. Yetton). A Strategy for More Effective Executive Development (X. Gilbert & P. Lorange). The Study of National Strategic Management: A Methodological Discussion (T. Hafsi & P. Martin de Holan). Forms of TMT Consensus and Organizational Change: An Integrative Model (B. Wooldridge & S. Floyd). Index.

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Book SynopsisInternationally renowned experts, with worldwide consulting expertise, chart a dynamic new trend that promises to go beyond current thinking on BPR and virtual companies. Discusses the competitive advantages of holonic systems, demonstrating what enterprises must do to become viable holonic players. Includes a significant amount of international examples.Table of ContentsThe Holonics Concept. Holonic Principles. Capabilities, Competencies and Beyond Business Process Reengineering. The Dynamics of the System. The Mechanics of the System. More Systems Within the System--Outsourcing. Ways of Working Within the System. Marketing the System. Going Forward. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisMuch strategic guidance that is currently available on product and service development is still focused in the relatively short term. Companies must plan and be flexible if they are to survive and flourish in the future, but too many surrender to the necessity for a short-term healthy bottom-line in order to satisfy their shareholders. In order to satisfy and retain customer-base, organizations should not only ensure that their products and services available now are the best around, but that they will also be the best in the future. This is particularly important as product life cycles contract and organisations need to introduce replacement products and services at a faster and faster rate. The globalizing economy and advances in modern technology are also important factors. This book points that way to becoming more competitive and remaining competitive, ensuring a healthy and secure future. It will also help companies identify product and service failures, and eliminate them from tTable of ContentsTime Frame One - Survival in The Present The Organisation Tools and Techniques in this Time Frame Time Frame Two - New Products and Services Organisational Issues Tools and Techniques in this Time Frame New Product Failure and How to Avoid Them in Your Organisation The Start Specifications and Subspecifications - The Control for New Products and Services How Do You Justify the Project to the Accountant? Time Frame Three - New Products and Services and Innovations Innovation Innovation - Tools and Techniques Time Frame Four - Part I New Products and Services over the Horizon A System Rather Than a Process The Effect of New Technology Idea Generation for the Future Time Frame Four - Part II The Process How to Find the Future

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Book SynopsisThis is the first book to provide a systematic treatment of the economics of antitrust (or competition policy) in a global context. It draws on the literature of industrial organisation and on original analyses to deal with such important issues as cartels, joint-ventures, mergers, vertical contracts, predatory pricing, exclusionary practices, and price discrimination, and to formulate policy implications on these issues. The interaction between theory and practice is one of the main features of the book, which contains frequent references to competition policy cases and a few fully developed case studies. The treatment is written to appeal to practitioners and students, to lawyers and economists. It is not only a textbook in economics for first year graduate or advanced undergraduate courses, but also a book for all those who wish to understand competition issues in a clear and rigorous way. Exercises and some solved problems are provided.Trade Review'Motta brings together today's economic theory with important cases from both sides of the Atlantic. It will be a valuable resource for students and practitioners, and I look forward to using it in classes.' Joseph Farrell, University of California, Berkeley'Massimo Motta has filled a major lacuna by providing a comprehensive treatment of the modern theory of antitrust/competition policy. He masterfully blends theory and E.U. cases to produce a treatise that works at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, serves as a valuable resource for working economists, and is readable to many non-economists. In addition, by offering his own judicious views on the state of competition policy, he encourages the reader to go beyond digesting current knowledge and to think critically. A course on U.S. antitrust economics could do no better than to assign this text while complementing it with a collection of U.S. cases.' Joseph Harrington, Johns Hopkins University'This careful treatment of the economics of competition policy, from an expert who has himself made important contributions to the theory, should be an essential reference for anyone working in the field. It fills a real gap in the market, and should be useful to practitioners as well as both advanced undergraduate and graduate students.' Paul Klemperer, Oxford University'In this innovative and thoughtful volume, Massimo Motta brings the new generation of game-theoretic I.O. models to bear on a wonderfully wide ranging set of important recent cases in competition policy. This book will be of great interest, and of lasting value, to students and practitioners alike.' John Sutton, London School of Economics'The book presents a good mix of examples, simple and intuitive explanations and more demanding, formalised models as well as exercises with suggested solutions. The true value of this book lies in its level of detail'. European Competition Law ReviewTable of ContentsPart I. Competition Policy: History, Objectives and the Law: 1. Introduction; 2. Brief history of competition policy; 3. Objectives of competition policy, and other public policies; 4. The main features of European competition law; 5. Exercises; Part II. Market Power and Welfare: Introduction: 6. Overview of the chapter; 7. Allocative efficiency; 8. Productive efficiency; 9. Dynamic efficiency; 10. Public policies and incentives to innovate; 11. Monopoly: will the market fix it all?; 12. Summary and policy conclusions; 13. Exercises; 14. Solutions of exercises; Part III. Market Definition and the Assessment of Market Power: 15. Introduction; 16. Market definition; 17. The assessment of market power; 18. Exercises; Part IV. Collusion and Horizontal Agreements: 19. Introduction; 20. Factors that facilitate collusion; 21. Advanced material; 22. Practice: what should be legal and what illegal?; 23. Joint-ventures and other horizontal agreements; 24. A case of parallel behaviour: wood pulp; 25. Exercises; Part V. Horizontal Mergers: 26. Introduction; 27. Unilateral effects; 28. Pro-collusive effects; 29. A more general model; 30. Merger remedies; 31. Merger policy in the European Union; 32. Case studies; 33. Exercises; Part VI. Vertical Restraints and Vertical Mergers: 34. What are vertical restraints?; 35. Intra-brand competition; 36. Inter-brand competition; 37. Anti-competitive effects: leverage and foreclosure; 38. Conclusions and policy implications; 39. Cases; 40. Exercises; Part VII. Predation, Monopolisation, and Other Abusive Practices: 41. Introduction; 42. Predatory pricing; 43. Non-price monopolisation practices; 44. Price discrimination; 45. US v. Microsoft; 46. Exercises; 47. Solutions of exercises; Part VIII. A Toolkit: Game Theory and Imperfect Competition Models: 48. Introduction; 49. Monopoly; 50. Oligopoly I: market competition in static games; 51. Oligopoly II: dynamic games; 52. Appendix.

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Book SynopsisCompetition between companies tends to be beneficial for the general public, but is this also true for competition between States in a world with global financial markets, low transport costs, and increasing migration? In this book, Sinn provides a solid economic analysis of the competitive forces at work and addresses how we should organize competition between systems so they will enhance the efficiency of these systems, as opposed to acting destructively on them. Provides a thorough economic analysis of the competitive forces at work between nations and governments. Analyzes a wide range of state activities, including taxation, public goods provision, income redistribution, environmental policy, safety standards, and competition policy. Addresses ways to organize competition so it will enhance the efficiency of these systems. Table of ContentsList of Tables and Figures. Preface. 1 Competition among States. 2 Taxes and Public Infrastructure Goods. 3 The Erosion of the Welfare State. 4 Social Dumping in the Transformation Process? 5 Ecological Competition. 6 The Competition of Product Standards. 7 Limited Liability, Risk Taking and the Competition of Bank Regulators. 8 The Competition of Competition Rules. Index.

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Book SynopsisWhy, in the '90s, did business flourish in California's Silicon Valley but decline along Route 128 in Massachusetts? The answer, Saxenian suggests, has to do with the fact that Silicon Valley developed a decentralized but cooperative industrial system while Route 128 came to be dominated by independent, self-sufficient corporations.Trade ReviewThis is scholarship at its best—thoroughly researched, elegantly written, a compelling story that’s relevant to business executives and policymakers everywhere. -- John Case * Boston Globe *The best book I’ve seen at analyzing the secrets of Silicon Valley’s success. And it shows why the valley’s future remains bright even though costs are high. -- James J. Mitchell * San Jose Mercury News *Saxenian’s findings are important because they highlight the fundamental organizational practices behind California’s economic successes in several key sectors, a reality dangerously ignored by many of the state’s political and business leaders. -- David Friedman * Los Angeles Times *A welcome addition to the growing literature on American high technology, offering fresh insights in a thorough…account of the economic and technological evolution of America’s premier high-technology regions. -- Richard Florida * Science *Regional Advantage is an impressive demonstration of why new technologies and new markets both create and are driven by new business models and corporate structures. -- Michael Stern * San Francisco Chronicle *Over the past decade, however, there has been a growing interest in the role which territory (in the form of regions, industrial districts, or innovative milieux) plays in fostering technical change and industrial innovation… One of the many virtues of this book is the way it penetrates beneath these superficial similarities, exposing a more complex, more telling set of differences which help to explain the very different fortunes of these regions in recent years… What we have here is a well-researched, elegantly written, and provocative book on a subject which should engage a wide array of disciplines, especially those with an interest in innovation and regional development. -- Kevin Morgan * Research Review *Table of ContentsPrologue Introduction: Local Industrial Systems 1. Genesis: Universities, Military Spending, and Entrepreneurs 2. Silicon Valley: Competition and Community 3. Route 128: Independence and Hierarchy 4. Betting on a Product 5. Running with Technology 6. Inside Out: Blurring Firms' Boundaries Conclusion: Protean Places Notes Historical Data Definitions and Data Sources Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisNow nearing its sixtieth printing in English and translated into nineteen languages, Michael E. Porter''s Competitive Strategy has transformed the theory, practice, and teaching of business strategy throughout the world.Electrifying in its simplicity—like all great breakthroughs—Porter’s analysis of industries captures the complexity of industry competition in five underlying forces. Porter introduces one of the most powerful competitive tools yet developed: his three generic strategies—lowest cost, differentiation, and focus—which bring structure to the task of strategic positioning. He shows how competitive advantage can be defined in terms of relative cost and relative prices, thus linking it directly to profitability, and presents a whole new perspective on how profit is created and divided. In the almost two decades since publication, Porter''s framework for predicting competitor behavior has transformed the way in which companieTrade ReviewFortune Three overarching game plans that work in one industry after another explain how thousands of real-world competitors come out on top.The New York Times American executives are grasping for a logic to global competition. Mr. Porter...has given them one.Choice Few books warrant the too-common publisher's blurb "landmark." This one does. Highest recommendation.Strategic Management Journal Represents a quantum leap...may well be one of the most important contributions to the discipline of strategic management.Journal of Business Strategy Any manager who studies and uses the materials in this book should be able to devise more successful strategies.Philip Kotler S.C. Johnson & Son, Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Northwestern University Porter's books on competitive strategy are the seminal works in the field.Table of ContentsContentsIntroductionPrefaceIntroduction, 1980PART I General Analytical TechniquesChapter 1 The Structural Analysis of IndustriesStructural Determinants of the Intensity of CompetitionStructural Analysis and Competitive StrategyStructural Analysis and Industry DefinitionChapter 2 Generic Competitive StrategiesThree Generic StrategiesStuck in the MiddleRisks of the Generic StrategiesChapter 3 A Framework for Competitor AnalysisThe Components of Competitor AnalysisPutting the Four Components Together -- The CompetitorResponse ProfileCompetitor Analysis and Industry ForecastingThe Need for a Competitor Intelligence SystemChapter 4 Market SignalsTypes of Market SignalsThe Use of History in Identifying SignalsCan Attention to Market Signals Be a Distraction?Chapter 5 Competitive MovesIndustry Instability: The Likelihood of Competitive WarfareCompetitive MovesCommitmentFocal PointsA Note on Information and SecrecyChapter 6 Strategy Toward Buyers and SuppliersBuyer SelectionPurchasing StrategyChapter 7 Structural Analysis Within IndustriesDimensions of Competitive StrategyStrategic GroupsStrategic Groups and a Firm's ProfitabilityImplications for Formulation of StrategyThe Strategic Group Map as an Analytical ToolChapter 8 Industry EvolutionBasic Concepts in Industry EvolutionEvolutionary ProcessesKey Relationships in Industry EvolutionPART II Generic Industry EnvironmentsChapter 9 Competitive Strategy in Fragmented IndustriesWhat Makes an Industry Fragmented?Overcoming FragmentationCoping with FragmentationPotential Strategic TrapsFormulating StrategyChapter 10 Competitive Strategy in Emerging IndustriesThe Structural EnvironmentProblems Constraining Industry DevelopmentEarly and Late MarketsStrategic ChoicesTechniques for ForecastingWhich Emerging Industries to EnterChapter 11 The Transition to Industry MaturityIndustry Change during TransitionSome Strategic Implications of TransitionStrategic Pitfalls in TransitionOrganizational Implications of MaturityIndustry Transition and the General ManagerChapter 12 Competitive Strategy in Declining IndustriesStructural Determinants of Competition in DeclineStrategic Alternatives in DeclineChoosing a Strategy for DeclinePitfalls in DeclinePreparing for DeclineChapter 13 Competition in Global IndustriesSources and Impediments to Global CompetitionEvolution to Global IndustriesCompetition in Global IndustriesStrategic Alternatives in Global IndustriesTrends Affecting Global CompetitionPART III Strategic DecisionsChapter 14 The Strategic Analysis of Vertical IntegrationStrategic Benefits and Costs of Vertical IntegrationParticular Strategic Issues in Forward IntegrationParticular Strategic Issues in Backward IntegrationLong-Term Contracts and the Economics of InformationIllusions in Vertical Integration DecisionsChapter 15 Capacity ExpansionElements of the Capacity Expansion DecisionCauses of Overbuilding CapacityPreemptive StrategiesChapter 16 Entry into New BusinessesEntry through Internal DevelopmentEntry through AcquisitionSequenced EntryAppendix A Portfolio Techniques in Competitor AnalysisAppendix B How to Conduct an Industry AnalysisBibliographyIndexAbout the Author

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Book SynopsisJulian Dent is Chairman of VIA International, a specialist routes-to- market consultancy. He has over 25 years' experience in distribution throughout the world, specializing in channel strategy and implementation, working at global, corporate and regional levels. His clients have included Barclays Bank, BP, Esso, IBM, Microsoft, Nokia, Orange, Subway and Xerox.Trade Review"Anyone who thinks distribution is easy should read this book, and keep it by their bed. With a thorough experience of monitoring and advising on the business, channel consultancy VIA's chairman Julian Dent has written what is actually a manual on how the business works. He is also able to point out how it differs from other apparently similar models, and where the special nature of technology product supply kicks in." * IT Europa *"Recommended by the Global Technology Distribution Council as the reference book for anyone taking either the GTDC Certificate or GTDC Diploma accreditations." * Tim Curran, CEO, Global Technology Distribution Council *"As a distributor, we use this book to educate all our product and sales managers as to how their performance affects our business model. It also shows our salespeople how they should engage with the final tier to make a compelling case for doing business with us." * Anton Herbst, CEO, MB Technologies *Table of Contents Section - ONE: Introduction; Chapter - 01: How to get the best out of this book; Chapter - 02: The business of getting technology products and services to market; Section - TWO: Distributors and wholesalers; Chapter - 03: The role of the technology distributor; Chapter - 04: How the technology distributor business model works; Chapter - 05: Margins and profitability; Chapter - 06: Working capital; Chapter - 07: Productivity; Chapter - 08: Sustainability; Chapter - 09: Managing growth; Chapter - 10: The technology distribution landscape; Chapter - 11: How technology vendors can get the best from distribution; Section - THREE: Final-tier trade channel players; Chapter - 12: The roles of the final-tier trade channel players; Chapter - 13: How the business model of the final-tier trade channel players works; Chapter - 14: Sales and utilization; Chapter - 15: Gross margin and recoverability; Chapter - 16: Working capital management; Chapter - 17: Value creation and growth; Chapter - 18: How to sell to final-tier trade channel players; Section - FOUR: Retailers; Chapter - 19: The role of retailers; Chapter - 20: How the retail business model works; Chapter - 21: The measures that matter and how to manage with them; Chapter - 22: How to sell to retailers

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Book SynopsisOri Wiener is a strategic business development consultant and executive coach to senior executives of professional services firms. Ori founded GARA Consulting and co-founded the Møller PSF Group Cambridge, one of Europe's leading firms specialising in the support of professional services firms. He previously led global business development and marketing at Linklaters, and worked as an investment banker for S.G. Warburg/UBS and Lehman Brothers in London, New York, Frankfurt, Mexico and other locations. He has a unique combination of perspectives as a fee earner, client, insider and consultant to PSFs.Trade Review"One of the very few books that provides pragmatic guidance on how to raise assignment profitability at professional services firms" * Gareth Hughes, EMEA Head of Pricing, LPM and Analytics, Reed Smith *"This is a robust, research-grounded and above all practical guide, mixed with evidence from a seasoned professional in the field. A really useful addition for partners in any professional services firm." * Mike Mister, Partner, Moller PSF Group Cambridge *"Ori has been at the forefront of pricing and negotiation with PSFs for many years. He has a clear passion for, and understanding of, the complexity this area brings. This book will prove an invaluable guide to those seeking to navigate this increasing important area." * Stuart J T Dodds, Director, Global Pricing and Legal Project Management, Baker & McKenzie Global Services *"A thoroughly well-researched and comprehensive book that tackles the difficult issue of how Professional Service Firms and their clients can best negotiate and agree prices. Ori really understands the realities of achieving better fees and better client relationships." * Kevin Doolan, Managing Partner, Møller PSF Group Cambridge *"In increasingly challenging and competitive markets, this book provides professionals with invaluable guidance in a key - and neglected - area of their relationships with clients." * Anthony Angel, Chairman, 4C Biomed Inc, and former Executive Managing Director EMEA, Standard & Poor’s, and Managing Partner, Linklaters *"Every partner and professional in a professional services firm should have a copy of this book and read it in detail." * Hartmut Papenthin, Managing Director Operations, CMS Hasche Sigle *"A must-have for any professional serious about managing the dilemma between building relationships and charging appropriate fees. I wish I had read it years ago." * Anne Scoular, Managing Director, Meyler Campbell Coaching *Table of Contents Chapter - 00: Introduction; Chapter - 01: What is Different about Buying Professional Services?; Chapter - 02: Why Professional Services Firms are Different; Chapter - 03: The Challenge of Pricing PSF Work; Chapter - 04: Generating Value with Fee Structures; Chapter - 05: How to Deal with Procurement — The Importance of Scope; Chapter - 06: Raising the Institutional Game; Chapter - 07: Preparing for Fee Negotiations; Chapter - 08: Critical First Steps — Planning; Chapter - 09: How to Raise Your Negotiation Success – Deliver a Credible Opening; Chapter - 10: Act 2 – Managing the Flow of Concessions to Capture Value; Chapter - 11: Act 3 – Locking in Gains Through Effective Closing; Chapter - 12: Creativity – The Ultimate Negotiation Skill; Chapter - 13: Negotiating with Style; Chapter - 14: The Impact of Culture and Gender; Chapter - 15: Having Another Go at Squeezing the Lemon – Advanced Techniques and Approaches; Chapter - 16: Managing PSF Project Profitability; Chapter - 17: The Impact of Effective Veto and Target Setting – Research Results

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Book SynopsisKaren Beaven is an executive coach and the founder of the HR Entrepreneur's Network. She has operated at HR Director level for a number of years at companies including River Island and AllSaints, and has been ranked as one of the most influential HR practitioners by HR Magazine in 2016 and 2017. She was also recognised as HR Director of the year in 2015 and has been listed as a Global HR superstar by HRO Today.Trade Review"Karen has an obvious passion for and commitment to the HR profession. This book does a wonderful job of chronicling her HR journey and sharing her narrative. Her insights will be helpful as a guide to other HR professionals who want to make a difference." * Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan & Partner, The RBL Group *"What Karen Beaven has created is the missing link between individual, professional, organisational and business perspectives, on the key role HR professionals can have in the fabled future of work. Packed full of quotes, references, exercises and real-life stories, this is the go-to book for those serious about their impact in the work they do, that might now be called HR Strategy. Reset and reinvent HR? You bet..!" * Perry Timms, Chief Energy Officer, PTHR #5 HR Most Influential Thinker 2018 *"This is a practical guide for HR professionals seeking to create performance-enhancing HR led by commercial goals. It is all the more powerful coming from an award-winning HRD who has been there and done it, experiencing the ups and downs and building resilience with humility and learning. A most useful handbook to progress your HR career and achieve more." * Darren Hockaday - HR Director, Gatwick Airport *"This is a must-read book, whether you are an experienced HR professional or a novice at the start of your career. It is an indispensable guide to understanding the world of work and adding strategic value by challenging you to rethink your understanding of HR. The future is really is all about the People Experience and awareness of self, business, industry and profession." * Shakil Butt, HR Hero, HR and Leadership Consultant *"This much-needed and easy-to-read book provides a fantastic guide for today's HR professional. It is a great combination of education into modern practice and terminology blended with practical advice and encouragement for how to navigate the shifting commercial landscapes that we all face." * Kim Atherton - Chief People Officer, OVO Energy and CEO, Just3Things *"Finally, a professional self-help book for HR practitioners from the 'Bouncebackability' Queen herself! As an avid fan of Karen's PX vision, I look forward to a future HR profession full of human-centric and business focused practitioners, closely collaborating with their people and leaders to build commercially successful and sustainable organisations. As Karen states - 'To be inspirational, you must first be inspired', and this book will do that for you." * Natal Dank - Chief HR Agilist at Southern Blue Consulting and co-founder of the Agile HR Community *"In a world where HR has to be as creative, agile and future-focused as any other part of the business, this book shows not only how important this is but how to make it possible. It will be the go-to resource for all my HR coachees who are looking to make their mark in business." * Paul Deeprose, Founder of The Career Gym *"This book is a massive gift not just to HR leaders but to all leaders. Karen turns fundamental concepts into extremely practical steps but most of all she conveys all of her experiences and recommendations in a truly human way. After reading this book you will look after yourself and your people differently and you will be totally confident that you are adding additional value to your organization." * David Frost, Organisational Development Director at Total Produce plc *"An excellent handbook for anyone with HR or line management responsibilities, putting the employee experience at the forefront. The chapters are well researched, providing snackable information with sections on how your thinking will be changed, toolkit essentials and reflection questions." * Julie Merritt, General Manager *"This is an inspirational guide written by a been there, seen it, done it industry specialist who knows what she is talking about and is not afraid to explain it. By learning about staff, the benefits of a personal network, the industry you work in and your aspirations, the reader can grow into a passionate leader and guide a business to become a driving force in their field." * Stu Walker, Managing Director - Integrated Sales & Marketing Solutions *"The book is a clear call to HR professionals to continue developing themselves, encourages reflection on the profession and its responsibilities, and the skills needed to succeed in Human Resources - along with guidance on how to develop them. It's great to see a book on HR stepping out of our traditional task and priorities and considering the wider organization, industry and future trends. This book is a true toolkit for the HR professional - a 'how to' guide on how to be great at what we do - whilst also encouraging us to step outside of our comfort zone." * Gemma Dale, Co-founder, The Work Consultancy *Table of Contents Section - ONE: Know your self; Chapter - 01: Continuous personal development; Chapter - 02: Drive and passion; Chapter - 03: Comfort zone; Chapter - 04: Interpersonal skills; Chapter - 05: Bravery; Chapter - 06: Your personal network; Chapter - 07: Inspirational leadership; Section - TWO: Know your business; Chapter - 08: Product; Chapter - 09: People; Chapter - 10: Productivity; Chapter - 11: Annual results; Chapter - 12: Commercial focus; Chapter - 13: Markets and channels; Chapter - 14: Technology; Chapter - 15: Culture; Chapter - 16: Purpose; Section - THREE: Know your industry; Chapter - 17: Competition; Chapter - 18: Business environment; Chapter - 19: Rules and regulations; Chapter - 20: Trends and forecasting; Chapter - 21: Where's the talent?; Chapter - 22: Workforce planning; Chapter - 23: Resources; Section - FOUR: Know your profession; Chapter - 24: Professional accreditation; Chapter - 25: Responsibilities; Chapter - 26: Advisory bodies; Chapter - 27: Career framework; Chapter - 28: Professional development; Chapter - 29: The development of the industry; Chapter - 30: The future of work

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Book SynopsisThe advantages of airline competition to consumers are clearly apparent. Lower fares, greater choice, more frequent flights and a wider range of available services have all been evident when the entry of a new competitor has occurred. In many instances however, after an initial, relatively short-lived, period of aggressive competition the new entrant has either gone bankrupt or found a less stressful existence co-operating in some manner with the incumbent. In this wide-ranging book, the author looks at the competitive arena in the post-regulation era and especially focusses on deregulation's legacy; globalization in a bilateral world breaking the link between nationality and airlines. The book is of special interest to those members engaged in the Airline Industry, Regulatory Authorities and Government Departments of Transport and Industry. It will be of value to academic specialists in transport economics and public policy; MSc students and Institutes of Transport; pressure grouTrade Review’This volume contains a vast amount of tabular information and graphs, all of which are thoughtfully and carefully compiled and of direct relevance to the most important current issues relating to competition in the airline industry. As such it is a most valuable reference; and it should prove to be of great use, both to people researching the industry and to students reading for degrees in the air transport field.’ Dr J.P. Hanlon, University of Birmingham, UK ’...presents us with a wealth of tables and graphs...a tool for those engaged in the planning of future policies for civil aviation...clear and instructive.’ Air and Space Law ’This book is highly recommended. It is a useful addition to the literature in this field. It should find its way on to the shelves of all serious students of the industry.’ The Aerospace ProfessionalTable of ContentsContents: Introduction. Extent and impact of deregulation; Impact in European domestic markets; Impact in other regions’ domestic markets; Impact of low cost carriers in Europe; Europe - the world’s first fully deregulated region; Air transport provision in remoter regions; Competition on the North Atlantic; Prospects for global deregulation; A new role for regulators; Conclusion; Index.

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Book SynopsisOffers a look into the options available for nonprofit organizations considering consolidation as a strategic tool to enhance organizational effectiveness.Trade Review"At a time when nonprofits are developing strategic alliances at a record pace, Jane Arsenault provides a clear, straightforward road map for pursuing a variety of such alliances. Her sensitivity to the importance of corporate culture and the presentation of numerous structural options contributes to a better understanding of this important subject. Arsenault's work is instructive to both nonprofit leaders pursuing such alliances and academicians who study their development." (John A. Yankey, Leonard W. Mayo Professor, Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations, Case Western Reserve University) "This book is a 'must-read' for any nonprofit CEO or board member today and beyond. In an easy-to-read, well-organized format, it takes the reader step by step through the intricate process of forming alliances in the nonprofit sector. It explores how to best harness the power of corporate structure in keeping with the values and missions of the nonprofit. I have been wishing for such a book for years, and here it is!" (David S. Lauterbach, president and chief executive officer, Kent County Mental Health Center) "Forging Nonprofit Alliances gives me exactly the kind of help I seek: engaging, real-life examples; clear, illustrative graphs and charts; comprehensive bibliography; and practical suggestions." (Analee Wulfkuhle, chief executive officer, Old Colony Hospice)Table of ContentsWHEN MISSION MATTERS MOST. Discovering Strategic Opportunities. Preparing for Organizational Change. UNDERSTANDING ALLIANCE OPTIONS. Joint Ventures and Partnerships. Management Service Organizations. Parent Corporations. Mergers. NEGOTIATING AND IMPLEMENTING AGREEMENTS. Conducting Exploratory Negotiations with Possible Partners. Negotiating a Formal Agreement. Designing the New Governance Structure. Integrating Corporate Cultures. Finalizing Definitive Agreements and Planning the Transition. Resources. A. The MacMillan Matrix. B. Outline for a Request for Proposals: Partner Search. C. Worksheet for Constructing a Response Policy. D. Sample Letter of Intent. E. Focus Group Questions.

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Book SynopsisTourism, the world's fastest growing industry, is now entering a more mature phase. During the 1970s and 1980s mass tourism, with its rigid, standardized packages, developed rapidly and provided many consumers with their first experiences of international travel. Today, a complex and multi-faceted industry, tourism faces growing pressures - consumer demand for more individually tailored holidays, an increasingly competitive operational environment, opportunities provided by new technology and growing environmental concerns. This book analyses the major challenges facing tourism today. The author highlights the central role of information technology in creating mass tourism by the mid-1970's, and how this technology and innovation is creating a new best practice of flexibility, market segmentation and diagonal integration within tourism. The book demonstrates how companies in the industry can enhance their competitiveness in the market place. Aimed at both academics and industry practitTable of Contents1: *Tourism in crisis 2: *Mass tourism 3: *Global imperatives 4: *Global transformation 5: *New consumers 6: *Technology changes tourism 7: *Technology in action 8: *Competitive scenario 9: *Competitive strategies for industry players 10: *Strategies for tourism destinations

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisAn innovative simulation-based approach for strategic decision making when launching new products Growth Dynamics in New Markets contains a dynamic case study and simulations that reveal what it takes to successfully introduce a product into a new market. Written by experts in the field, the text and companion website include a compelling simulation game and a variety of simulation models. Using the simulation game and computer models, readers are challenged to design and put in place a strategy about product introduction and competitive behavior. The simulation models build on each other to help to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of product uptake as well as market development and competitive dynamics. The authors present different approaches for enhancing the models and offer guidance for applying them to real-world problems. This groundbreaking text clearly shows how to develop maps of dynamic systems, formulate candidate policies and evaluate Table of ContentsPreface IX Invitation to Explore IX What Will You Learn? XIII What Are the Components of the Book? XIV What Is the Structure of the Book? XV Who Is the Book for and How to Use It? XVII Before You Start XIX Acknowledgments XIX References XIX 1. Introducing a Durable Product in a New Market 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Your Briefing for the Business Challenge in Plutonia 2 1.3 Managing NewTel’s New Business in the Simplest Scenario: Business as Usual 14 1.4 A Competitive Scenario: Compete for Customers 19 1.5 Outcomes of Both Scenarios in Terms of Key Performance Indicators 27 1.6 Chapter Summary 30 1.7 Questions and Challenges 30 1.8 References 31 2. Capturing Customer Dynamics Driven by Diffusion 33 2.1 Introduction 33 2.2 Diffusion: A Regular Dynamic in Social Systems 34 2.2.1 “Going viral” 34 2.2.2 A Story about Selling Mobile Phones 36 2.1.3 Diffusion Is Based on a Network of Variables and Causal Relationships 44 2.1.4. Causal Diagrams Reveal the Causal Structure 52 2.2 Structure and Dynamics of New Product Diffusion 68 2.2.1 Your First Simulation Model 68 2.2.2 Feedback Loops 75 2.2.3 Reinforcing Feedback and Exponential Growth 77 2.2.4 Balancing Feedback and Goal-seeking Behaviour 88 2.2.5 When the Two Feedback Loops Are Interconnected 101 2.8 Chapter Summary 112 2.9 Questions and Challenges 112 2.10 References 114 3. Effects of a Limited Product Life Cycle Duration 118 3.1 Introduction 118 3.2 The Concept of Life Cycle Duration and Its Effects on Customer Dynamics 119 3.3 Tracking Accumulated Purchases and Accumulated Customer-months 146 3.3.1 Structure 146 3.2.2 Behaviour 150 3.4 Chapter Summary 152 3.5 Questions und Challenges 153 4. The Effect of advertising spending 156 4.1 Introduction 156 4.2 Turning the Attention of Potential Customers to a Product 157 4.3 The Effect of Fixed advertising spending 158 4.3.1 Structure 158 4.3.2 Behaviour 162 4.4 The Effect of Constant advertising spending with a Limited life cycle duration 173 4.4.1 Structure 173 4.4.2 Behaviour 175 4.5 The Effect of Advertising for One Month 181 4.5.1 Structure 181 4.5.2 Behaviour 186 4.6 How Many Current Customers are Won by Winning One new customer? 192 4.6.1 Structure 192 4.6.2 Behaviour 193 4.7 Chapter Summary 197 4.8 Questions and challenges 197 4.9 References 199 5. Financial Resources 200 5.1. Introduction 200 5.2. The Structure of Revenues 201 5.2.1 The Direct Influence of prices on revenues 201 5.2.2 The Indirect Influence of price and life cycle duration on Potential customers’ Purchasing Decisions 204 5.2.3 How the effective monthly price Affects new customers and total revenues 215 5.3. The Structure of Costs 220 5.3.1 The Components of total costs 220 5.3.2 Reducing Service costs by Improving Processes 222 5.4. Behaviour: Customer Dynamics and the Accumulation of Profits 229 5.5. Chapter Summary 236 5.6. Questions and Challenges 237 5.7 References 240 6. Analysing the Market Situation with the Simulation 241 6.1 Introduction 241 6.2 Planning the Search for the Highest Possible Accumulated profits 242 6.3 Searching for Optimal Values for the Decision Variables 253 6.3.1 Searching for the Best subscription rate given a Constant sales price and life cycle duration 253 6.3.2 Searching the Optimal sales price given a Constant subscription rate and life cycle duration 257 6.3.3 Searching the Optimal life cycle duration given a Constant sales price and subscription rate 260 6.3.4 Searching for the Optimal combination of sales price, subscription rate, and life cycle duration 264 6.3.5 Searching for the Optimal Pattern of Monthly advertising spending 268 6.3.6 Searching for the Optimal Pattern of Monthly process improvement spending 273 6.3.7 Combining advertising spending and process improvement spending 278 6.4 Decisions, Behaviours, and Outcomes in the Best Case Monopoly 281 6.5 Setting your Objectives 287 6.6 Chapter Summary 289 6.7 Questions and Challenges 290 6.8 References 290 List of figure captions 292 7. Market Dynamics with a Competitor 293 7.1 Introduction 293 7.2 Competing for Potential Customers: Rivalry Type I 294 7.2.1 Structure 294 7.2.2 Behaviour 301 7.2 Competing for Current Customers: Rivalry Type II 317 7.2.1 Structure 317 7.2.2 Behaviour 322 7.3 Competing for Potential and Current Customers 328 7.3.1 The Causal Structure of Diffusion with a Competitor 328 7.3.2 Evaluating Four Exemplary Policies 346 7.4 Reflecting on Rivalry 363 7.5 Chapter Summary 366 7.6 Epilogue: Your Debriefing 368 7.7 Questions and Challenges 369 7.8 References 371 8. Relaxing Assumptions and Adding Relevant Aspects of Reality 373 8.1 Introduction 373 8.2 The Population is Not Constant 376 8.3 There Are Not only Potential Customers and Current customers 377 8.4 Current Customers Care about Quality 379 8.5 Advertising Influences Word-of-Mouth and Customers Switching 381 8.6 Mobile Phones Are Not Contracts Are Not Customers 384 8.7 More Frequent Decisions and a Longer Time Horizon 386 8.8 Contracts Do Not Change Retrospectively 387 8.9 The Number of Competitors Is Higher and Varies 396 8.10 Nonlinear Relationships Replace Causal Structure 397 8.11 The Harmonic Development of Demand and Supply Capacity: A New Book 400 8.12 Chapter Summary 403 9. System Dynamics: A Methodology for Model-based Management 406 9.1 Introduction 406 9.2 Your Mental Model of Growth from Diffusion 407 9.3 System Dynamics Modelling 411 9.3.1 The Manager as Modeler 412 9.3.2 Basic Assumptions of System Dynamics 415 9.3.3 The System Dynamics Modelling Process 418 9.4 System Dynamics Competence 421 9.4.1 Skill #1: System Dynamics Language 423 9.4.2 Skill #2: Dynamic Reasoning 424 9.4.3 Skill #3: Model Analysis 425 9.4.4 Skill #4: Project Initialization 426 9.4.5 Skill #5: Model Creation 426 9.4.6 Skill #6: Model Validation 428 9.4.7 Skill #7: Policy Evaluation and Design 429 9.4.8 Your Stage of Competence Development 430 9.5 Learning and Applying System Dynamics 431 9.6 References 433 Index 435 Figures 438 Tables 443 Index of Principles 445 Index of Guidelines 446 Index of Management Insights 448 Index of Systems Insights 450 Index of Toolboxes 452 Index of DIYs 453 Abbreviations 456

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Book SynopsisAdrian Swinscoe is a customer experience consultant and advisor, and has been growing and developing customer-focused large and small businesses for 20 years. He has previously worked with Shell, FT, The Economist Group and Mowlem, as well as consulting with hundreds of smaller businesses to help them engage with their customers, build their customer retention and improve service.Trade Review“These 68 ideas aren’t effortless. Not at all. They’re effortful. They take work and it’s worth it. Worth it because your lazy competitors are just standing by waiting for you to make a difference.” Seth Godin, Author, The Icarus Deception "An engaging, lively, and intensely practical guide to help put customer experience at the very centre of your business." Nick Chater, Professor of Behavioural Science, Warwick Business School and Co-Founder Decision Technology Ltd "Truly lives up to its title. Packed with powerful, effective easy to implement tips that will transform your business into a genuine customer service champion." Dee Blick, FCIM Chartered Marketer and #1 bestselling marketing author "I love the way this book challenges management fads and lazy thinking and puts people at the heart of making businesses great." Guy Letts, Founder & CEO, CustomerSure "Full of practical ideas that show you how to transform your business by standing in your customer's shoes. Adrian has given us a road map, now we need to act on it." Bernadette Jiwa, Brand Story Strategist and Bestselling Author “Adrian writes in a highly accessible and conversational manner that draws the reader in. The book has a clear focus on what it takes to deeply understand and continuously improve the customer journey experience. Ideas are well presented as being both challenging as well as opportunities to drive customer satisfaction. The ‘How to Use’ and ‘Insight in Action’ sections are highly practical and this encourages the reader to take away ideas and apply them to real life situations. A handbook to dip in to for inspiration, it also is a potent reminder of just how important the small things as much as the big strategic initiatives”. Beverly Landais, FCMI FCIM, Marketing and Business Development Director, Saunderson House - Wealth Management "Finally! Adrian Swinscoe delivers a book jam packed with 68 actionable concepts to increase both the customer experience and the employee experience. Beyond just theory, this book will benefit any business leader who wants to move the needle on customer service." Kevin Kruse, New York Times bestselling author of Employee Engagement 2.0 “As the informed and connected realm heightens every business’ challenge to win and sustain customer share of mind, mastering customer experience emerges as the key lever. How to Wow offers a compendium of techniques deeply grounded in today’s digital context. Consider culling a selection to fit your constituency or better yet, synthesizing the whole into a timeless fabric that forms the core of success for any endeavor.” Charlie Peters, Senior Executive Vice President, Emerson “Essential and powerful insights for everyone who aspires to map out and enhance the customer journey and drive growth” Keith Lewis, COO, Matchtech Group plcTable of ContentsPublisher's acknowledgements About the author Introduction Part I: The Customer Perspective 1. Attract Introduction 1. Be at the start of your customer’s journey 2. Don’t interrupt customers 3. Develop trust at a distance 4. Are you being interesting and interested? 5. Trust drives transactions 6. Become part of your customers story 7. Customer behaviour is changing: check your assumptions8. Data insights are good but immersion and observation are better 2. Engage Introduction9. Understand the relationships you have with your customers 10. What it takes to build trust 11. Customers trust people like them 12. To really engage you must be willing to fail 13. Doing what’s right for the customer is often an article of faith 14. How to be more interesting 15. Empathy is key to engagement 16. Bad corporate behaviour impacts customer experience and engagement 17. Innovating around relationships 18. Data, privacy and the impact on customer relationships19. Design a great customer experience by including your customers 20. People will pay more for better service 3. Serve Introduction21. Every customer hates waiting but the experience can be improved 22. Speak my language 23. Nature abhors a vacuum 24. Bad reviews can be good 25. Remove the grit 26. The primacy and recency effect 27. Lots of small changes add up 28. Make it simple 29. Behavioural science and lessons for customer service 30. Identify and deal with silent complaints 31. Consistency in quality and delivery is key 32. A name not a number 33. Make your service proactive 34. Make promises, keep them but you don’t have to beat them 35. Improve your service by making it easy for customers to help each other 36. The longest lasting emotions in customer experience 37. Make sure delivery is not your Achilles' heel 38. Reduce effort 39. Is customer service going to get worse before it gets better? 40. What’s your brand’s customer service persona? 4. Keep Introduction 41. The hole in the bucket syndrome 42. Differences in perception exist and matter 43. Most loyalty schemes don’t create loyalty 44. Marginal cost but high perceived value 45. Make your customer the hero 46. What drives loyalty? 47. Complaints are key to retention48. Where you earn loyalty 5. Refer Introduction49. If you don’t ask then you won’t get 50. Proactivity drives advocacy too 51. How you can build your own customer referral community Part II: The Business Perspective 6. Communicate Introduction52. Be honest about your surveys and keep them short 53. Always feedback and report on results 54. When’s the best time to survey your customers?55. Be careful when interpreting data 7. Motivate Introduction56. Work hard and be nice to people 57. The link between customer experience and employee engagement 58. Engag

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