Competitive Advantage, Strategy and Innovation in Africa


Book Description

The competitiveness of companies plays an important role in developing their effectiveness. But technology provides a strong competitive advantage to the companies and helps in achieving the sustainable development. This edited collection discusses various methods by which a firm can create a competitive advantage in a dynamic situation. The book highlights the strategies in global decisions related to changing business models and processes in the innovation era. The contributions by authors take readers through emerging trends in innovation that can support managers in making more strategic decisions, while reducing reconciliation and report preparation. In a hyper-competitive environment, this book will assist researchers and management practitioners in appreciating new strategic sources. Radical strategies and competitive innovation, sustainable development, competitiveness, SMEs, direct and indirect investment, delocalization of businesses, and value creation will all be discussed in depth. Overall, this volume will help readers understand the importance of real-time smart business sources to gain a competitive advantage. Competitive Advantage, Strategy and Innovation in Africa provides essential information on contemporary issues and challenges in management and change strategies. It will serve as a reference for academicians, researchers, and practitioners interested in the rapid transformation in the management sector due to technological advancement and high competition between companies.




Competitive Advantage, Strategy and Innovation in Africa


Book Description

This edited collection discusses various methods by which a firm can create a competitive advantage in a dynamic situation.




Competitive Advantage


Book Description

As firms struggle in the modern era to achieve financial success, many recognize that a global economy has made their task more challenging than ever before. Universal access to the latest information and the ability to duplicate technological capabilities make it difficult for firms to sustain previously existing competitive advantages.Business leaders understand that the challenges that they face require a new and much more behavioral approach to managing their companies than has been successful in the past. In this volume, we address the quest for success in a world where innovation and constant change threaten the status quo.Today's successful leaders recognize the importance of creating organizational cultures that build trust, treat employees as valued partners, and provide those employees with the resources to constantly learn.Emphasizing a value-based and behavioral approach to managing employees, many of the chapters of this book address the importance of a strategic approach that is committed to both organizational excellence and the best interests of a company's employees.Nearly eighty years ago, Chester Barnard emphasized that successful organizations both pursue a worthy purpose that benefits society and strive to satisfy the individual needs of its membership. This volume endorses the importance that successful organizations today are committed to values that inspire others, work for the best interests of the global community, and demonstrate a commitment to constant improvement.The theme of this volume is that competitive advantage can best be achieved by leaders and companies that are constantly learning, looking for more effective and efficient ways to assist customers, and those who are dedicated to innovation and the pursuit of excellence.




Innovating Organization and Management


Book Description

The search for competitive advantage serves as the basis for organizational strategy. This book argues that there are four key sources of competitive advantage and financial success that have not been given the attention they deserve. Firstly, that organizational design and management processes may be strategic resources in their own right. Secondly, that organizational design and management processes can be deployed to create new strategic resources. Thirdly, that managers have begun to think of organizational design and management processes in a proactive way rather than seeing them more passively as necessary facilitators of success. Fourthly, that this new way of looking at organization and management requires a search for new ways of structuring organizational design and managerial processes. These points are driven home through case studies of the Danish firms LEGO Group, Vestas Wind Systems, Coloplast, Chr. Hansen, IC Companys and NKT Flexibles.




Strategic Innovation


Book Description

In today’s fast-changing business environment, those firms that want to remain competitive must also be innovative. Innovation is not simply about developing new technologies into new products or services, but in many cases, finding new models for doing business in the face of change. It often entails changing the rules of the game. Strategic Innovation demonstrates to students how to create and appropriate value using new game strategies to gain competitive advantage. The book begins with a summary of the major strategic frameworks and showing the origins of strategic innovation. Next, Afuah gives a thorough examination of contemporary strategy from an innovation standpoint, including: how to develop strategy in the face of change a detailed framework for assessing the profitability potential of a strategy or product consideration of how both for-profit and non-profit organizations can benefit from new game strategies. With a wealth of quantitative examples of successful strategies, as well as descriptive cases, Strategic Innovation will complement courses in strategy, and technology and innovation.




Design Thinking for Strategy


Book Description

The business environment is changing more rapidly than ever before, and new business ideas are emerging. This book discusses applying insights from design thinking to craft novel strategies that satisfy customer needs, make use of the available capabilities, integrate requirements for financial success and provide competitive advantage. It guides readers through the jungle encountered when developing a strategy for sustained growth and profitability. It addresses strategy design in a holistic way by applying abductive reasoning, iteratively observing customers and focusing on empathy, as well as prototyping ideas and using customers to validate them. Uniquely applying insights from design thinking to strategy, this book is a must-read for graduates, MBAs and executives interested in innovation and strategy, as well as corporate strategists, innovation managers, business analysts and consultants.




Handbook of Research on Strategic Innovation Management for Improved Competitive Advantage


Book Description

Innovation is a vital process for any business to remain competitive in this age. This progress must be coherently and optimally managed, allowing for successful improvement and future growth. The Handbook of Research on Strategic Innovation Management for Improved Competitive Advantage provides emerging research on the use of information and knowledge to promote development in various business agencies. While covering topics such as design thinking, financial analysis, and policy planning, this publication explores the wide and complex relationships that constitute strategic innovation management principals and processes. This publication is an important resource for students, professors, researchers, managers, and entrepreneurs seeking current research on the methods and tools regarding information and knowledge management for business advancement.




Developing Strategic Business Models and Competitive Advantage in the Digital Sector


Book Description

Rapid technological advancements have the ability to positively or negatively impact corporate growth and success. Professional leaders and decision makers must consider such advancements when designing and implementing new policies in preparation for the sustainable future of the business environment. Developing Strategic Business Models and Competitive Advantage in the Digital Sector focuses on the application of preemptive planning in the media and entertainment industries to combat an increasingly uncertain future of innovation and competition. With research-based examples and analysis, this book is an essential reference source for academicians, researchers, and professionals interested in learning more about the impact of technology on industry success, including the changes and challenges created by the Internet and electronic media.




Reshaping Entrepreneurship Education With Strategy and Innovation


Book Description

New small business owners are constantly pressured to play a major role in the economic growth of their respected nation. However, revitalizing how individuals think, research, teach, and implement performance strategies to improve the operations of these small businesses is critical to entrepreneurial success. Reshaping Entrepreneurship Education With Strategy and Innovation is an essential reference source that discusses strategies to overcome performance barriers as well as implementation of effective entrepreneurial processes based on a wide range of global issues. Featuring research on topics such as authentic leadership, business ethics, and social entrepreneurship, this book is ideally designed for entrepreneurs, business professionals, scholars, researchers, students, and practitioners seeking coverage on innovative performance operations of small businesses.




Strategic Information Technology Governance and Organizational Politics in Modern Business


Book Description

Individually, the fields of organizational politics and strategic information technology have soared in popularity. Studies suggest that the interaction between the two would prove beneficial to both the academic and corporate domains. This integration would serve to enable, support, and manage modern businesses. Strategic Information Technology Governance and Organizational Politics in Modern Business gives voice to fresh perspectives on the development, implementation, and practice of information systems and technology in organizations. This book is beneficial for business people, undergraduate students, postgraduate candidates, and researchers looking to gain a more in-depth understanding of the influence of socio-technical factors on ICT operations.