Global Competition and Local Networks


Book Description

This title was first published in 2002. The interest in becoming globally competitive through network strategies, particularly networks between small and medium-sized firms in local business communities, is high among academic researchers, economic development agencies and growth orientated firms. Important contributions to our understanding of the strategic use of networks are coming from a number of disciplinary and theoretical perspectives. This volume provides a unique opportunity to both synthesize this diverse literature and report the results of original research. It is particularly relevant to scholars of business and management, geography and economics




The Small-Mart Revolution


Book Description

Defenders of massive multinational chains like Wal-Mart and Fortune 500 big business argue that, like it or not, there is no alternative. Their huge scale and international reach, they claim, make them more efficient and profitable, better able to deliver value, and an uncontested boon for the job market. According to the big boys, locally owned small businesses are simply quaint remnants of the past, unable to compete in the global economy. But in The Small-Mart Revolution, Michael Shuman shows that the benefits these mega-stores and huge corporations supposedly deliver to communities are illusory. Crunch the numbers and you'll find that locally owned businesses turn out to be much more reliable generators of good jobs, economic growth, tax dollars, community wealth, charitable contributions, social stability, and political participation. Unlike their global competitors, they do this without massive tax breaks and subsidies that often put local economies in a permanent hole. Plus, contrary to popular belief, local businesses are competitive with the multinationals--and gaining ground every day. Shuman highlights numerous trends that are making the old "bigger is better" economies of scale argument obsolete, and he describes a variety of innovative strategies these businesses are using to successfully compete with their over-sized competitors. He also shows how consumers, investors, and policymakers can support their own communities by "going local." The Small-Mart Revolution offers a robust alternative to "go-go" globalization, one that nurtures the creative capacities of local businesses and enables communities everywhere to thrive.




Competition in Telecommunications


Book Description

The authors analyze regulatory reform and the emergence of competitionin network industries using the state-of-the-art theoretical tools ofindustrial organization, political economy, and the economics ofincentives.




Competition Demystified


Book Description

Bruce Greenwald, one of the nation's leading business professors, presents a new and simplified approach to strategy that cuts through much of the fog that has surrounded the subject. Based on his hugely popular course at Columbia Business School, Greenwald and his coauthor, Judd Kahn, offer an easy-to-follow method for understanding the competitive structure of your industry and developing an appropriate strategy for your specific position. Over the last two decades, the conventional approach to strategy has become frustratingly complex. It's easy to get lost in a sophisticated model of your competitors, suppliers, buyers, substitutes, and other players, while losing sight of the big question: Are there barriers to entry that allow you to do things that other firms cannot?




Growth and Innovation of Competitive Regions


Book Description

Time Time b a Space Space Time Time c d Space Space Fig. 1 Different possible scales for growth and innovation analyses spatial dimension, the sectoral dimension and the time dimension are represented. In Fig. 1a, regional developmentanalyses are revealed, where the economyis sliced vertically into regions and their dynamics are investigated. The study of the evolution of industries, typical of evolutionary industrial e- nomics, is represented in Fig. 1b, where the economy is divided horizontally into sectoral slices. This approach has progressed considerably in recent years (see Malerba 2006, for a recent survey). Modi?cations of industries have important spatial implications, which however are not normally at the core of these ana- ses even though spatial patterns of innovation differ greatly from sector to sector (Breschi 2000). Our approach operates in the manner of Fig. 1a and we will focus on regions, extending the analysis to industries only where this is regionally and structurally relevant. Hence, the approach in the book belongs to the tradition of regional development theories, but, in contrast to the more traditional analyses, we will not consider the region as an economic unit per se. Rather, interactions between and within regions are very relevant to the performance of individual regions in an integrated world and will be at the core of the analyses of the following chapters.




Technology Adoption and Social Issues: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications


Book Description

As society continues to experience increases in technological innovations, various industries must rapidly adapt and learn to incorporate these advances. While there are benefits to implementing these technologies, the sociological aspects still need to be considered. Technology Adoption and Social Issues: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is an innovative reference source for the latest academic material on the various effects of technology adoption, implementation, and acceptance. Highlighting a range of topics, such as educational technology, globalization, and social structure, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for academicians, professionals, and researchers who are interested in the latest insights into technology adoption.




The Process of Internationalization in Emerging SMEs and Emerging Economies


Book Description

This book, the fourth volume in the McGill International Entrepreneurship Series, brings together 27 top scholars to explore the structural complexities, evolving relations and dynamic forces that are shaping a new system of multi-polar, multi-level international business relations. It examines entrepreneurial efforts and relations in different national and corporate cultures, each embedded in and also constrained by country-specific socio-economic structures and each vying for consumer attentions in competitive global markets. The new millennia has experienced much rapid change, much of it implicit, intangible and not covered by the headlines of the popular press. The bipolar business system of the 20th century that prioritized the relationship between firms and consumers of developed countries is giving way to an emerging multi-polar and multi-level international system that considers consumers and companies in developing economies as well. In this book, scholars from around the world analyze the nascent architecture and relations in this quickly evolving system. They explore the structural complexities, evolving relations, and dynamic forces that are shaping and re-shaping the new system and examine entrepreneurial efforts and relations that cement its structure. The chapters in this volume portray the operating conditions of firms across 14 emerging country environments and industries ranging from basic foods and information technology to complex business processes. Students and professors of international business, entrepreneurship, marketing and management studies will find this volume an indispensable addition to the literature.




Comparative Approaches to Biotechnology Development and Use in Developed and Emerging Nations


Book Description

The development of biotechnological innovations is quickly becoming a globalized phenomenon as emerging nations are making major strides to compete with more developed economies. Though efforts to bridge the gap between emerging and developed nations have been successful, there are still many barriers that need to be overcome. Comparative Approaches to Biotechnology Development and Use in Developed and Emerging Nations evaluates the importance of manufacturing biotechnological products around the world. Highlighting a comparative analysis of public policies, technological policies, innovations, and marketing capabilities of developed and emerging nations, this publication is a pivotal reference source for government officers, policy makers, academics, and practitioners.




International Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications


Book Description

Business transactions and partnerships across borders have become easier than ever due to globalization and global digital connectivity. As part of this shift in the business sphere, managers, executives, and strategists across industries must acclimate themselves with the challenges and opportunities for conducting business globally. International Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications presents the latest research innovations focusing on cross-cultural communications and training, international relations, multinational enterprises, outsourcing, international business strategies, and competitive advantage in the global marketplace. This publication is an exhaustive multi-volume work essential to academic and corporate libraries who serve researchers, scholars, business executives and professionals, and graduate-level business students.




Biotechnology in Comparative Perspective


Book Description

With contributions from an international array of experts, this book explains why biotechnology companies in different countries are concentrated in a small number of locations and what accounts for their success.