Business Model Design and Learning: A Strategic Guide

$21.99

So many of us have asked ourselves–what’s a business model? What’s a good business model? This book has all the answers–it explains what a business model is, what you have to do to get one, and what to do about the one you’ve already got.
So many of us have asked ourselves–what’s a business model? What’s a good business model? This book has all the answers–it explains what a business model is, what you have to do to get one, and what to do about the one you’ve already got. To be successful, your business model must be focused sharply on your customer. And you must think strategically about how to use your business model if you want to gain an advantage over your competitors. Whether an aspiring entrepreneur or a practicing manager who wants to create new business model, or a manager and leader who wants to understand, refine, and even reinvent a current model, this book will help with the creation, the delivery, and the capture of value. Business models describe the value proposition to the customer, the system that must be in place to create that value, and the logics needed to capture a reasonable share of that value for the _ rm. This book shows that the core of every business model is an agreement with your customers. If they don’t get the value they are seeking, you won’t either.

The Manager’s Guide to Building a Successful Business

$21.99

In today’s world, managers need real market examples to demonstrate the effective use of certain management and marketing principles. This book will give you just that as well as an introduction to programs developed over a 40-year career to help manage all aspects of a business and to develop and execute marketing strategies. You and other managers and executives will utilize this book as a guide to grow an established business or start a new one, and a reference book for unique management challenges as well. It differs from other business books in that it introduces certain management techniques and processes and shows how they are critical to executing successful marketing strategies. Each chapter covers a founding principle of management in Part I and a founding principle of marketing in Part II. The examples used in the book are from large and small organizations in which the author was personally involved. The techniques introduced are based on those studied at most universities, and are used in solutions applied to challenges facing these organizations.

Game Theory: Anticipating Reactions for Winning Actions

$21.99

From its beginnings in the early 1900s, game theory has been a very mathematical, technical subject. However, it also provides valuable, everyday lessons that are important for managers and executives to understand. But current books and textbooks are mostly highly mathematical, and almost all are very long. This book will deliver a focused and precise, but nonmathematical, overview of topics in game theory that are directly relevant to managing an organization. Game theory is the science of action and reaction. While most standard economic analyses embody the science of making an optimal choice, this kind of analysis is largely undertaken in a vacuum. For example, when a firm raises or lowers its price, this is rarely the end of the story–competitors are likely to react by changing their prices and quantities as well. Game theory adds in this extra layer of realism. It teaches managers to think ahead and foresee possible reactions to their actions.

An Introduction to Supply Chain Management: A Global Supply Chain Support Perspective

$21.99

An Introduction to Supply Chain Management: A Global Supply Chain Support Perspective offers an overview of supply chain management and provides a framework for subsequent, more detailed study in various aspects of supply management. The book reviews the evolution of supply chain management concepts and discusses trends in global markets and strategic competitiveness. It then focuses on the major issues involved in managing a competitive supply chain including: forecasting, inventory management, distribution, dealing with uncertainty, reverse logistics, and customer service.An Introduction to Supply Chain Management: a Global Supply Chain Support Perspective offers an overview of supply chain management and provides a framework for subsequent, more detailed study in various aspects of supply management. The book reviews the evolution of supply chain management concepts and discusses trends in global markets and strategic competitiveness. It then focuses on the major issues involved in managing a competitive supply chain including: forecasting, inventory management, distribution, dealing with uncertainty, reverse logistics, and customer service. Coverage of the dynamic, evolving issues pertaining to supply chains that affect the global business community concludes the book. Readers of An Introduction to Supply Chain Management will be better equipped to conceptualize the management of supply chains as a collection of business processes; identify primary and secondary value chain processes; distinguish between the umbrella term, ‘supply chain management,’ and its component functions; and understand the basic tools of forecasting and the need for accurate data and forecasts on which to base supply chain management decisions.

Understanding the Dynamics of the Value Chain

$21.99

In his 1985 book, Competitive Advantage, Michael Porter introduced the concept of the value chain and described it as ‘a systematic way of examining all activities a firm performs and how they interact, (necessary) for analyzing the sources of competitive advantage,’ and introduced the idea of ‘linkages,’ which was the real breakthrough in management thinking. Thinking of a firm as a series of horizontal and vertical linkages put the spotlight on the silo mentality within which firms operated and how business schools structured curriculum.In his 1985 book, Competitive Advantage, Michael Porter introduced the concept of the value chain and described it as ‘a systematic way of examining all activities a firm performs and how they interact, (necessary) for analyzing the sources of competitive advantage,’ and introduced the idea of ‘linkages,’ which was the real breakthrough in management thinking. Thinking of a firm as a series of horizontal and vertical linkages put the spotlight on the silo mentality within which firms operated and how business schools structured curriculum. The silo mentality caused business students unable to see the firm as a holistic entity, an understanding of how all of its parts fit together to develop competitive advantage. Students graduating with a silo mentality perpetuated the silo mentality in business firms. This book draws together existing knowledge to help facilitate the shift of mind necessary to effectively manage the value chain, and introduces a new conception of the value chain, one that has been copyrighted (2006) and provides a new perspective of the value chain commensurate with the demands of the 21st-century global economy.

Launching a Business: The First 100 Days

$21.99

This book focuses on the steps a new business owner must take in the first 100 days of starting a business to establish a lasting and successful enterprise.

If you’re thinking of opening up your own business, you’ll need this book. This is a hands-on book that focuses on the tasks that you or any new business owner must complete in the first 100 days of launching a business.

Think of it this way: Imagine you’ve conceived a business idea, written a business plan, raised seed capital, and are set to launch your business on October 1. Now, what would you actually do on October 1, October 2, October 3, and so forth? How would you set your priorities? How would you know which tasks are the most urgent?

Although the answers to these questions vary depending on the business, there are a set of key activities that all businesses must accomplish to get their businesses off to a good (and legally proper) start. This book provides examples that include securing proper business licenses and permits; setting up a bookkeeping system; negotiating a lease; buying insurance; entering into contracts with vendors; recruiting and hiring employees; and making the first sale. Broader issues such as developing a business model and building a brand will also be touched upon, but the primary focus of this book is getting you focused on the practical issues that you’ll need, as a new business owner, to accomplish, and accomplish correctly, and to get your business off to a good start.

To help you prioritize and track the activities that must be completed at the onset of a business, this book will teach you how to set up a “First 100 Days Plan,” with the template (titled First 100 Days Plan) included in this book.

Doing Business in China: Getting Ready for the Asian Century

$21.99

Outstanding interview and article on Doing Business in China from The Financial Review, March 28th, 2013.
More Publicity For This News — INTHEBLACK, Australia’s most-widely circulating monthly business magazine, just posted a review.
Although this book has a specific focus on Australian firms doing business in China, the important and unique contribution this book makes will help you and anyone in an organization that is considering doing business in China. China maintains a high growth economy and is currently the second largest in the world. This book, which includes results from research interviews conducted with business executives from 40 organizations, will assist in preparing to do business in China. This book takes you through the various elements associated with doing business in China, including the opportunities that are available and the obstacles that organizations can face, supported by data from real businesses internationalizing to China. It examines key areas including the foreign direct investment and trade framework, Chinese culture, political and legal frameworks, intellectual property regulations, motivations for internationalization, market entry strategy, and human resource management issues. Although this book has a specific focus on Australian firms doing business in China, the important and unique contribution this book makes will help you and anyone in an organization that is considering doing business in China. China maintains a high growth economy and is currently the second largest in the world. This book, which includes results from research interviews conducted with business executives from 40 organizations, will assist in preparing to do business in China. This book takes you through the various elements associated with doing business in China, including the opportunities that are available and the obstacles that organizations can face, supported by data from real businesses internationalizing to China. It examines key areas including the foreign direct investment and trade framework, Chinese culture, political and legal frameworks, intellectual property regulations, motivations for internationalization, market entry strategy, and human resource management issues. Although this book has a specific focus on Australian firms doing business in China, the important and unique contribution this book makes will help you and anyone in an organization that is considering doing business in China. China maintains a high growth economy and is currently the second largest in the world. This book, which includes results from research interviews conducted with business executives from 40 organizations, will assist in preparing to do business in China. This book takes you through the various elements associated with doing business in China, including the opportunities that are available and the obstacles that organizations can face, supported by data from real businesses internationalizing to China. It examines key areas including the foreign direct investment and trade framework, Chinese culture, political and legal frameworks, intellectual property regulations, motivations for internationalization, market entry strategy, and human resource management issues.

Business Models and Strategic Management: A New Integration

$21.99

Finally, a book comes along that provides a unique yet simple and powerful approach to understand the business model and the critical role strategic management has in supporting it. Its value is in business model thinking. It brings you a combination of the best contributions of academe and industry that will help build business model-centric organizations. Inside, you’ll learn about strategy from a business model perspective. What does that mean? It means that you’ll first have to think rigorously about your value proposition; your current or future competencies; and your revenue streams and cost structure before developing, adopting, or modifying your strategies. What is the difference between a business model and a strategy? A business model is how a company operates, and a strategy is how a company competes. When the basis of competition changes because a new model disrupts the economics in the industry, it requires an adjustment in business models before any new strategy can work. This book adds a business model level to the traditional strategic management process that is more consistent with current ‘real-world’ practices in strategic thinking and analysis. It takes you deeper into the intricacies of what constitutes a business model and how current strategy derives from it, and offers 7 modules that will show you the key components to manage your business model, to help conduct business model analysis, and to assess the financial viability of a business model, just to name a few.

Strategy Making in Nonprofit Organizations: A Model and Case Studies

$21.99

The leaders of business and non-profit organizations that provide social services will find a set of principles that apply specifically to their organizations. The need for better management and social innovations is critical as the demand for essential social services is growing even as the budgets available from the government and non-profit foundations are declining. How are social enterprises different and what are the management challenges unique to them? Using case-studies and theories of management, we offer some principles that are uniquely applicable to social enterprises. Such organizations provide mission critical or essential social services under severe resource constraints. They often work with volunteers in highly political contexts. They are purpose driven organizations led by people committed to their causes. They face growing demand that typically outstrips available supply. They face competition for resources in the external environment. These organizations rely on harnessing the creativity of their people through processes that are poorly understood by outsiders. These organizations focus on delivering the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental impact. This book articulates the management problems unique to such organization and offers a set of principles for addressing these.

Strategy and Training: Making Skills a Competitive Advantage

$21.99

This book explores corporate training in the context of deploying strategic initiatives within organisations. It goes beyond merely explaining strategy, to investigating how it relates to skills training, and how companies can leverage this to implement their initiatives. Drawing on real-life client examples and the inspirational stories of highly successful individuals, this book highlights approaches that have transformed organisations and re-invented training. It dispels myths that exist around traditional training paradigms and brings to light the effectiveness of new methods and approaches. Social learning, using technologies such as Twitter and video-blogs, is today revolutionising the way training is undertaken. At the same time, the age-old communication technique of storytelling is being reinvented as a way to roll out strategic programs to large multi-cultural groups on a global scale. The author presents key questions that are relevant at project and company level, and provide practical checklists and summaries complementing each chapter of the book. This text highlights how you can develop your team’s expertise through systematic coaching when cascading a strategy throughout your organisation, and explains the benefits of reinforcing strengths, identifying weaknesses and correcting failures to build competitive advantage. It also addresses the risk of ‘unlearning’ post-training, and issues that arise with maintaining performance evaluation and measuring tangible progress. Succinct and pragmatic, the book reveals how strategic projects can be successfully rolled out globally; using cost-effective training that will ensure a return on investment for your organisation.