Organizational appraisals systems are often ineffective and result in unnecessary spending on the part of a company and unnecessary anxiety on the part of employees. Written for practitioners and advanced students, this book presents an alternative approach to the performance appraisal process that focuses on communication rather than evaluation. In this communication-centered approach to performance, the appraisal process is designed to facilitate meaningful and open interaction between employees and their supervisors.
Thanks to the development of internet- and network-based information and communication systems, virtually every product and service produced today has a supply chain that extends around the globe. For the last twenty-five years, companies such as Wal-Mart, Dell, and Toyota have enjoyed strong competitive advantages in their respective markets as a result of their world-class supply chains. As the supply chain increasingly lengthens, managers at all levels of the organization must understand the unique challenges of working with suppliers and customers located around the world–and the opportunities that can build new competitive advantages. This book will introduce readers at all levels of experience to cutting-edge methods and strategies for global sourcing and global distribution through the discussion of current research and case study vignettes from companies in every corner of the world.
Read the full review from Choice Magazine Editors who ‘recommend’ this book in the June issue! Executives and managers hear or read headlines about recent economic data nearly every business day. Most important economic statistics are the products of programs designed to collect and analyze data to report summary results at regular intervals. Properly interpreted, these economic indicators provide useful barometers for different aspects of the economy and identify trends that aid better planning decisions. Economic indicators are available at the national level, state level, and even the regional and municipal level. This text focuses on economic indicators for the overall U.S. economy, identifying major categories of economic indicators and describing the key indicators in each of the categories. The text will also provide guidance for interpreting indicators expressed in terms of an index (which reports values as percentage of a base period value) or in real dollar values (which remove the impact of inflation.) Most key economic indicators are reported promptly on the World Wide Web and provided as formatted time series that can be readily downloaded and analyzed. The text will include links to the sources for key economic indicators as well as websites that maintain calendars of upcoming announcements and consensus forecasts of the indicators shortly prior to a formal announcement. This book is a companion to two other Business Expert Press by the authors that address managerial economics and time series data/forecasting. Together these books will equip the manager and the student with a solid understanding of economic indicators and how to analyze them.
The book offers an introduction to cross cultural management through an exploration of the major theories that have been developed in the fields of business anthropology and international management. An introduction to the concept of culture will be followed in subsequent chapters by the comparative description of different typologies which will be used to explain various expected behaviours in intercultural business settings. This will be followed by an introduction of the fundamental issues in cross-cultural management: what is culture, how can we describe it, to what extent is it important in international business? And we introduce the main frameworks used in the discipline for identifying and analysing cultural differences. In the second part of the book we introduce the reader to the main frameworks discussed in Part I and to real-life cross-cultural situations in the world of work. We introduce discussions on the application of previously analysed cultural frameworks as a basis for the elaboration of new ideas relating to current issues in organisational behaviour. International organisations normally deal with topics such as the relationships between the employee as a socialised individual and the culture of his/her organisation, managing in a globalised context, the development and management of cross-cultural teams, negotiating interculturally and dealing with subsequent potential conflicts, etc. The final of the book part elaborates on how the globalised economy projects its needs for inclusion and for understanding. From the ethics perspective, we describe the need to find a coherent pattern of norms that are widely accepted and shared in spite of diversity, and how to define and act under the paradox of equality in spite of difference.
Most ‘managerial economics’ textbooks are thinly disguised microeconomics texts: highly theoretical, too dependent on abstract and unproven assumptions, and simply undigestible by busy, practical-minded executives/readers. Furthermore, such texts leave it up to the reader to apply their lessons so as to gain value from the knowledge, and to reinforce that knowledge through practice. The ‘theory of the firm’ does not resonate with most corporate executives. But in fact, economic forces drive the context for all our important business decisions: When and how much to expand or contract; which markets to enter and exit; when to raise or lower prices; and how to invest surplus resources (retained earnings for companies and savings for individuals). This book is an application of economics (both micro and macroeconomics) to one of the central challenges of our age for any citizen in a developed economy: How to invest their resources in a changed economic landscape. It contends that the quarter century from the early 1980s to the late 2000s was a unique historical period, creating an exceptionally benign commercial and investing environment. It will not return once the Great Recession is firmly behind us. The core message of the book is an extended application of economic principles and reasoning, phrased in a form readily digestible to any interested layman. It can be used as a companion to a traditional economics text, or as a stand-alone application-oriented text. The main application explored is of investment decisions of corporations seeking to deploy retained earnings, and of individuals seeking to prepare for the day when they no longer rely on wage income.
The book will appeal to corporate managers who must manage issues and controversies involving outside groups and organizations The book shows practitioners how to ground their strategic advice on the kind of empirical research that reveals the socio-political dynamics of the issue. It is the first book to approach issues management from a blended application of advances in institutional theory, social movement theory, stakeholder theory and social network analysis.
This book will focus on the up-front activities required for product and service differentiation, the learning methodologies that contribute to arriving at that differentiation, and the role that technology plays in implementing the process. The book will show how technology factors into such entrepreneurial activities as engaging in business planning and utilizing creativity and innovation, and how creative innovation, in turn, is achieved and enhanced through an understanding of two different modes of learning: ‘learning about’ and ‘learning by doing’. A successful product introduction depends on an efficient supply chain, a strong brand, and the ability of a manufacturer or provider to differentiate it successfully in the marketplace. New Product and Services Development demonstrates how differentiation, this last critical component, can be secured by the strategic use of technology and by engaging in two key learning methodologies.
Family businesses are a breed unto themselves. Though they share many features in common with other business models, they possess unique traits that clearly differentiate them. Similarly, though consultation to family buisnesses is in many respects what other businesses experience when seeking assistance, those features that set family business consultation apart are so distinctive that failure to honor and understand them can (and does) too often lead to disaster. The needs of those family members seeking consultation share a portrait in some ways similar to those in non-FOBs, but in a majority of situations are so distinctive and potentially explosive that disaster lurks on the edges, ready to appear if not respected. The audience of this book are both consultants to family businesses and family members who are looking for such assistance. Both require knowledge of each other’s spheres of experience and perspective for effective consultation to occur – for the consultant, an awareness of family dynamics as intertwined with family business; for family members, a clarification of what can be expected and delivered. In addition to the interface between family dynamics and the family’s business, we will explore the key tasks in family business consultation: succession planning, selection of the successor, conflict resolution, defining the role of family members in the business, how to involve the management team in succession planning, determining what happens after succession and building a board of advisors.
The purpose of this book is to trace the history of globalization and its impact on supply chain management and to look at the problems and some of the solutions facing global supply chains in the current era. The current challenge is surviving the challenge of global competition. Good supply chain management can be a valuable tool in winning this competition.
