Strategy : oso

The Handbook of Mergers and Acquisitions

David Faulkner, Satu Teerikangas, and Richard J. Joseph — 2012-09-20

Author:: DavidFaulknerDean of Magna Carta College, OxfordSatuTeerikangasLecturer, University College LondonRichard J.JosephProvost, Hult International Business School, Boston
ISBN:: 9780199601462
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Finance, Accounting, and Banking, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199601462.001.0001
Published in print:: 2012
Published Online:: 2012-09-20

Despite decades of practice and research, many mergers and acquisitions (M&A) findings remain contested and inconclusive. M&A scholars have voiced concern about this state of affairs, and have lamented the lack of integrative perspectives and theories on M&A. This book argues that the field is in need of ‘re-rooting’. The book stresses the need to reconcile the strategic, financial, and sociocultural aspects of M&A. To break the silo mentality through which scholars have traditionally approached the study of M&A, the book presents a three-dimensional model of M&A management, founded on the strategic, financial, and sociocultural dimensions of M&A. Throughout the book, eminent scholars and practitioners offer thought-provoking, state-of-the-art analyses of M&A as seen through strategic, financial, sociocultural, and sectorial lenses. Based on these findings, the book argues that the difficulty of making M&A transactions work stems from the multiplicity of drivers, disciplines, contexts, levels of analysis, and actors involved. The book concludes with a set of dynamic syntheses which portray M&A in terms of the changing characteristics and drivers of this activity since the end of the 19th century, the ways in which M&A transactions differ from one another, and a contextual phase-based framework of M&A execution. It concludes with an allusion to future trends in M&A, as well as pointers for future research.

Work and Family—Allies or Enemies?

Stewart D. Friedman and Jeffrey H. Greenhaus — 2011-10-03

Author:: Stewart D. Friedman, Jeffrey H. Greenhaus
ISBN:: 9780195112757
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195112757.001.0001
Published in print:: 2000
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

We've come a long way since the book The Organization Man first introduced the “ideal” two-person career: a full-time male breadwinner and a stay-at-home wife. What typified the '50s good life is in stark contrast to contemporary reality: in the USA 63% of all married women with children under six years old are in the workforce and 40% of all workers are part of a dual-earner couple. This book offers a new lens for viewing the real struggles that business professionals — particularly women — face in their daily battle to find ways of “getting a life” and “having it all.” Based on a study that surveyed more than 800 business professionals, this volume will help readers understand and deal with the effects of gender, professional culture, and social expectations, on the evolving roles of men and women in crafting an integrated life. In this look at how work and family affect the lives of men and women trying to manage the complexities of modern living, the authors argue that it is critical to learn how to manage the boundaries between work and family, to handle ambiguity, to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, and to build networks of support at work and in the community. The book offers a prescription for success that requires that all parties — individuals, employers, and society — clarify what is important, recognize and support the whole person, and continually experiment with new ways to achieve meaningful goals.

Universal Banking

Jordi Canals — 2011-10-03

Author:: Jordi Canals
ISBN:: 9780198775065
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Finance, Accounting, and Banking, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198775065.001.0001
Published in print:: 1997
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

The deregulation and disintermediation process, the globalisation of financial markets, the emergence of new competitors, and the introduction of new information technologies have brought about profound changes in the banking industry. Banks have lost market share and show decreasing economic performance. In the wake of this the author addresses several important questions: Are universal banks bound to disappear? What is the role of universal banks in modern financial markets? What should banks' strategic reactions be to these changes in the industry?

Strategic Human Resource Management

Lynda Gratton, Veronica Hope Hailey, Philip Stiles, and Catherine Truss — 2011-10-03

Author:: Lynda Gratton, Veronica Hope Hailey, Philip Stiles, Catherine Truss
ISBN:: 9780198782049
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, HRM / IR, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198782049.001.0001
Published in print:: 1999
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

Life is tough in organizations, both for managers and the managed. Negotiating the rapids of restructuring, downsizing, and refocusing the core business brings with it huge upheavals in job security, the smashing of traditional career structures, and a constant imperative for employees to update their skills while working in an environment of great uncertainty. Based on close collaboration with a number of high profile organizations — BT, Citibank, Glaxo, Wellcome, Hewlett Packard, Kraft Jacobs, Suchard, Lloyds–TSB Group, the NHS, and WH Smith — this book sheds light on the organizational responses to large scale changes and details the changing demands made of employees in the process. This book goes beyond fashionable management rhetoric to uncover the reality of human resource management. A team of top researchers examines: the organizational strategies pursued in the face of fast-changing circumstances, the links between what is intended and what is realized, the way in which HR interventions impact on the individual, and the influence which HR strategies have on everyday management behaviour.

Standards, Strategy, and Policy

Peter Grindley — 2011-10-03

Author:: Peter Grindley
ISBN:: 9780198288077
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Innovation, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198288077.001.0001
Published in print:: 1995
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

This book discusses how compatibility standards may be used to ensure business success. It provides a framework for standards strategy and policy, together with a series of case-studies which interpret the economics of standards in practical settings. The book considers the problems of establishing a new standard in the market and winning standards contests. It studies the questions of how to maintain the profitability of a standard and how to compete within an established standard. It combines the strategic analysis with an evaluation of standards policy, and suggests ways in which markets and policy intervention may effectively be used together. Cases include contests for standards for video cassette recorders, digital audio tapes, personal computers, open computer systems, high-definition television, and Telepoint cordless phones. Standards have long been seen as a technical problem, yet in a large number of industries they are central to business strategy and technical aspects are only part of the effort needed for product success. They imply very different strategies and policies than for conventional products.

Response

Lois K. Geller — 2011-10-03

Author:: Lois K. Geller
ISBN:: 9780195158694
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195158694.001.0001
Published in print:: 2002
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

Marketing experts know that direct marketing is the single most effective way to sell products and services. It is the only form of marketing that is testable, trackable, and, when done the right way, always profitable. This book has been updated to include the latest tips and techniques, plus expanded coverage of direct marketing in the age of the Internet. This new revised edition offers a strategy for creating and sustaining a profitable direct marketing program—both on- and off-line. Leading the reader through this program of planning, budgeting, forecasting, testing, building lists, choosing suppliers, selling overseas, and developing loyal customers, the book explains how to create profitable direct-mail packages, print ads, television and radio commercials, inbound and outbound telemarketing programs, and more. Plus, the book shows how all of these strategies can be applied to Internet direct marketing, including loyalty programs, online catalogues, fulfillment and customer service, and more. The book provides examples drawn from companies large and small, including Ford Motor Company, American Express, and 1–800-Flowers.

Reasons and Rationalizations

Chris Argyris — 2011-10-03

Author:: Chris Argyris
ISBN:: 9780199268078
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Organization Studies, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199268078.001.0001
Published in print:: 2004
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

What is the purpose of social science and management research? Do scholars/researchers have a responsibility to generate insights and knowledge that are of practical (implementable) value and validity? We are told we live in turbulent and changing times, should this not provide an important opportunity for management researchers to provide understanding and guidance? Yet there is widespread concern about the efficacy of much research: These are some of the puzzles/pressing problems which are addressed in this short book. This book questions many of the assumptions of organizational theory and research, and the investigation is not confined to academic analysis. It also scrutinizes that capacity for ‘unproductive reasoning’ (self-deception and rationalization) that is common amongst managers, consultants, and indeed generally. As well as engaging with the work of leading organizational researchers the book also ponders the work of the consultants, commentators, and accountants who endorsed Enron.

Pattern in Corporate Evolution

Neil M. Kay — 2011-10-03

Author:: Neil M. Kay
ISBN:: 9780199242115
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy, Organization Studies
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199242115.001.0001
Published in print:: 2000
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

Questions relating to the existence and nature of firms have become major issues in economics in recent years. This book provides original explanations for many individual phenomena in this area. The analysis is set in the context of an integrative framework for analysing the boundaries and structure of the firm. The book analyses the firm as a complex system in which links composed of shared resources constitute basic building blocks. The evolution of the firm from simple beginnings to a complex system is then studied in a number of areas, including vertical integration, diversification, multi-national enterprise, joint venture, alliance, network, and internal organization.

Organizational Traps

Chris Argyris — 2011-10-03

Author:: Chris Argyris
ISBN:: 9780199586165
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Organization Studies, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199586165.001.0001
Published in print:: 2010
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

This book questions why organizations often do not function effectively, focusing on leadership, cultural change, and organizational design. It considers how organizations often espouse a particular objective and yet frequently employ means of implementation that contradict that objective. The book illustrates how dysfunctional behaviour abounds in organizations and conflict is frequently avoided rather than dealt with openly, with the same arguments erupting repeatedly. It argues that people who feel like victims at work are not trapped by some oppressive regime, but they are trapped by their own behaviour; they themselves are responsible for making the status quo so resistant to change. The book reflects on the controversies that previous researchers have encountered on the subject: on the one hand, there is substantial agreement that these traps are counterproductive to effective performance, but on the other hand, there is almost no focus on how organizational traps can be reduced. The book ultimately concludes that whatever theory is used to understand such situations, should be used to implement interventions that prevent them.

Multinationals as Flagship Firms

Alan M. Rugman and Joseph R. D'Cruz — 2011-10-03

Author:: Alan M. Rugman, Joseph R. D'Cruz
ISBN:: 9780199258185
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy, International Business
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199258185.001.0001
Published in print:: 2003
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

The international dimension of business networks has remained relatively unexplored, mainly because international business writers focus upon multinational enterprises and network writers ignore international issues. This book bridges the literature on networks and multinationals by introducing the new concept of the flagship firm. In each business network strategic leadership is provided by the flagship firm, which is defined as a multinational enterprise. It has other partners: key suppliers; key customers; key competitors; and key partners in the non-business infrastructure. These business networks are usually located in the ‘triad’ regions of the European Union, North America, and Japan. There are strong cross-border network linkages within these regions, but less globalisation than regional economic integration. The theory of the flagship firm/five-partners model is applied to the telecommunications, chemicals, automotive, and electronics sectors, amongst others, and the book reports on both empirical studies and field research of the international competitiveness of these sectors.

Managing Global Customers

George S. Yip and Audrey J.M. Bink — 2011-10-03

Author:: George S. Yip, Audrey J.M. Bink
ISBN:: 9780199229833
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy, International Business
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199229833.001.0001
Published in print:: 2007
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

Multinational companies need to manage their relationships with multinational customers with a globally integrated approach. This book provides a systematic framework for developing and implementing such global customer management programmes. It draws on in-depth research at over twenty major US and European multinational companies, such as ABB, Bechtel, BP, Bosch, British Airways, Carrefour, Daimler–Chrysler, Hewlett–Packard, HSBC, IBM, Schlumberger, Shell, Siemens, Tesco, Unilever, Vodafone, Wal–Mart, and Xerox. The book teachers how to think about managing global customers in the context of their overall global strategy, develop effective global customer management programmes, overcome barriers to implementation and success, build better relationships with important customers, and get the entire company to engage with managing global customers. This book takes a strategic, total business, and not just sales, approach to managing global customers. It also takes a customer as well as a supplier perspective. The book provides guidance on both strategy and implementation. It takes a systematic and logic driven approach, yet provides many creative insights and practical advice. The book highlights the rewards of taking a step beyond global account management to create a Global Customer Management approach, integrating globally all aspects of the relationship between supplier and customer. The book gives a framework that guides international companies in using their relationships with global customers to their full potential.

Managing Corporate Growth

Jordi Canals — 2011-10-03

Author:: Jordi Canals
ISBN:: 9780198296676
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Finance, Accounting, and Banking, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198296676.001.0001
Published in print:: 1999
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

As economic growth in Western countries shows signs of fatigue, companies are battling hard to discover how to generate and sustain corporate growth. The restructuring and reengineering processes of the early 1990s, and the massive lay-offs they brought about, have only given an additional boost to the need for expansion. Corporate efficiency is indispensable, but is not a sufficient condition for corporate survival. Firms need to think about their future growth. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the phenomenon of corporate growth, offering a multi-functional, general management approach and a full discussion of main theories and approaches.

Knowledge Capitalism

Alan Burton-Jones — 2011-10-03

Author:: Alan Burton-Jones
ISBN:: 9780198296225
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Knowledge Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198296225.001.0001
Published in print:: 1999
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

This book looks at how the shift to a knowledge-based economy is redefining firms, empowering individuals, and reshaping the links between learning and work using economic, management and knowledge-based theories, supported by empirical data, illustrations, and trends. The book argues that industrial-era models of firm-market boundaries, work arrangements, and ownership and control are inhibiting firms and individuals success in the emerging knowledge economy. New models are proposed based on knowledge-centred organisation, knowledge-led growth, and knowledge supply as distinct from labour supply or flexible employment. Continuous learning is shown to be critical to firms as integrators of disparate knowledge resources, and the only practical route for individuals to become free agents. The book illuminates the new business landscape and provides a practical tool-set for business practitioners and theorists to interpret and manage change in a rapidly deconstructing economic environment.

Keeping Better Company

Jonathan Charkham — 2011-10-03

Author:: Jonathan Charkham
ISBN:: 9780199243198
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Corporate Governance and Accountability, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199243198.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

How should companies be organised? To whom should boards of directors be responsible — shareholders, or a wider group of stakeholders? In this fiercely competitive world we cannot judge our own system of corporate governance in isolation; it must bear comparison with the best. The second edition of this book aims to do just that. Since publication of the first edition interest in corporate governance has greatly increased, codes have proliferated, and principles laid down nationally and internationally. The author describes developments in the system of corporate governance — both the business environment and the particular structures of company organisation — in five major industrial countries: Germany, Japan, France, the USA, and the UK. This second edition is fully revised, updated and expanded, and includes a new conclusion looking at a number of ongoing issues in corporate governance, and an appendix discussing the role of international organisations.

Integrating Mission and Strategy for Nonprofit Organizations

James A. Phills Jr. — 2011-10-03

Author:: James A. Phills Jr.
ISBN:: 9780195171280
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195171280.001.0001
Published in print:: 2005
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

Today's nonprofit organizations face an environment characterized by higher levels of competition for funding, clients and audiences, talent, and recognition. In addition, they confront greater pressures from donors, government, and the public to demonstrate efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, and accountability, while intense social needs and problems, as well as the desire for growth, drive them to expand their programs and activities. Collectively, these challenges go to the heart of fundamental issues of mission and strategy. This book applies and adapts the core body of general management knowledge about mission, strategy, and execution to help nonprofit leaders deal with the special challenges they face. It strives to draw on this knowledge in a way that does not dilute or oversimplify, and at the same time recognizes the unique features of the nonprofit or voluntary sector. The book develops an action-oriented framework that combines rigorous analysis with the practical challenge of execution and change. In addition to helping nonprofit leaders think through important decisions and make concrete choices, the book also provides a shared language and a discipline that can serve as the basis for more productive discussions between the individuals who lead nonprofits, the business executives who serve on their boards, and the philanthropists who support their organizations and programs. This last objective is critical, because too often nonprofit leaders and board members complain that they can't reap the benefits of the expertise of their supporters, funders, and volunteers from the business sector.

Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Technological Change

Albert N. Link and Donald S. Siegel — 2011-10-03

Author:: Albert N. Link, Donald S. Siegel
ISBN:: 9780199268825
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Innovation, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199268825.001.0001
Published in print:: 2007
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

This book presents an analysis and synthesis of the key economic and management approaches to innovation, entrepreneurship, and technological change. The book provides precise definitions of key concepts, presents numerous historical examples to illustrate these concepts, outlines a framework for analyzing key topics, compares and contrasts different theoretical frameworks, and emphasizes international comparisons of innovation infrastructure and technology policy.

Environmental Regulations and Corporate Strategy

Alan Rugman, Julie Soloway, and John Kirton — 2011-10-03

Author:: Alan Rugman, Julie Soloway, John Kirton
ISBN:: 9780198295884
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy, International Business
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198295884.001.0001
Published in print:: 1999
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

For many firms, the opening up of trade barriers meant unwelcome exposure to tough international competition. In order to protect themselves, many turned to local and national environmental regulations, forming coalitions which enabled them to force out their opponents, even though they were often contravening international environmental agreements in doing so. With the recent emergence of international trade and environment regimes wielding substantial powers, however, comes the opportunity for outward-facing and innovative firms to utilize these regimes and so challenge the discriminatory obstacles which have been becoming ever more common. This adherence to environmental regulations has promoted a broad array of corporate strategies; a fact most visible in North America, where firms are making use of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This book develops a model of complex institutional responsiveness and demonstrates how this can guide firms through this new era of opportunities for international regulatory capture. Chapters apply the model within North America, identifying the implications for Europe and Asia. The research for the book is based on 300 confidential interviews with senior executives and officials in North American and European companies, national governments, and North American institutions, and it analyses twenty-four cases of firms who have either benefited or suffered from involvement with international institutions.

Corporate Governance and Chairmanship A Personal View

Adrian Cadbury — 2011-10-03

Author:: Adrian Cadbury
ISBN:: 9780199252008
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Corporate Governance and Accountability, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199252008.001.0001
Published in print:: 2002
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

Corporate governance has become a major issue in business over the last decade. The author of this book has played a central role in developing policies, good practice, and our understanding of the complex issues involved. In 1992 the author chaired the committee, sponsored by the Bank of England, whose Report on the Financial Aspects of Corporate Governance (commonly known as the ‘Cadbury Report’) put issues of corporate governance on the map. Ten years on, the author now reflects on issues of corporate governance and chairmanship drawing on his own business and policy-making experience. This book discusses and explains the central issues of corporate governance; provides practical advice to chairmen and directors on their roles and responsibilities; and surveys the major codes of practice that have been developed in the last decade. It also considers the implications of the current review of company law and speculates on the implications of electronic developments for shareholders' voice and voting, the extent of a company's social responsibility, and the changing relationship between boards, managers, and investors. This book is both an informed commentary and a practical guide.

Cooperative Strategy

John Child, David Faulkner, and Stephen Tallman — 2011-10-03

Author:: John Child, David Faulkner, Stephen Tallman
ISBN:: 9780199266241
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy, Organization Studies
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199266241.001.0001
Published in print:: 2005
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

Strategic alliances are increasingly common, as many organizations look towards various partnering arrangements. This second edition of this text extends the first edition's comprehensive survey of strategic alliances. It presents different disciplinary perspectives (economics, strategy, organization theory) and numerous examples from the corporate world. The text has been revised and updated, taking account of new theoretical models, and its coverage of case studies has been extended.

Competitive Strategies in European Banking

Jordi Canals — 2011-10-03

Author:: Jordi Canals
ISBN:: 9780198773504
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy, Finance, Accounting, and Banking
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198773504.001.0001
Published in print:: 1994
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

This book integrates both the changing structure of the commercial banking industry in Europe and the strategic implications of these changes. It begins by concentrating on the economics of banking, presenting an analysis of the principal environment forces affecting the financial sector: deregulation, internationalization, economic instability, technical change, and financial innovation. The second part offers valuable information on current trends in the five main EC countries. The analysis of each country includes a study of the recent evolution of its financial sector, in turn; each sector's inherent economic outlook in terms of profitability, costs, productivity, and competition; as well as the changes in the regulatory environment. The third part of the book is dedicated to an analysis of some of the strategic choices of European banks, such as scale, diversification, and internationalization. Finally, the pace of change within the European banking industry is evaluated, as well as how some of the banks are adapting to the new environment.

Building the Flexible Firm

Henk W. Volberda — 2011-10-03

Author:: Henk W. Volberda
ISBN:: 9780198295952
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy, Organization Studies
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198295952.001.0001
Published in print:: 1999
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

How do firms cope with changing environments? Is flexibility really the solution? How can we measure a firm's flexibility? Can a more flexible firm be created? Based on an Igor Ansoff Award-winning study this book shows how flexibility has become the new strategic challenge for contemporary firms. Although traditional organizational forms have worked well in the relatively stable environments of the past, the globalization of markets, rapid technological change, shortening product life cycles, and increasing aggressiveness of competitors have radically altered the ground rules for competing in the 1990s and beyond. Increased competition forces firms to move more quickly and boldly than before, and to experiment in ways that do not conform to traditional administrative theory. This book offers a wealth of insights into the way firms can increase their flexibility. It is based on extensive interviews with practitioners and supported by many longitudinal case studies on flexibility improvement within large corporations. The book provides a strategic framework which explains what types of flexibility are effective under different organizational conditions and environmental characteristics. It also demonstrates an integrated method for diagnosing a firm's flexibility and for guiding the transition to greater flexibility and responsiveness.

Building an International Financial Services Firm

Markus Venzin — 2011-10-03

Author:: Markus Venzin
ISBN:: 9780199535200
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Finance, Accounting, and Banking, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199535200.001.0001
Published in print:: 2009
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

A new era of global banking and insurance is emerging, with leading banks eager to serve international markets. This book explores the issues that arise for banks in their strategic choices as they move into these new international markets. This book challenges conventional assumptions from the international management literature on topics such as the limits of globalization, the importance of cultural and institutional distance, the nature of economies of scale and scope, the existence of first mover advantages, the logic behind the global value chain configuration, the speed and timing of market entry, as well as organizational architecture. It focuses on fundamental strategic decisions such as when, where, and how to enter foreign markets and how to design the organizational architecture of the multinational financial services firm. Using simple theoretical frameworks illustrated by case examples, this book provides a guide to the challenges of the international market for financial services firms.

America’s Competitive Secret

Judy B. Rosener — 2011-10-03

Author:: Judy B. Rosener
ISBN:: 9780195119145
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195119145.001.0001
Published in print:: 1998
Published Online:: 2011-10-03

The United States has a large number of well-educated, experienced professional women ready, willing, and able to move into the boardrooms and executive suites of corporate America. They represent a great, untapped economic resource and this book argues that this is America’s competitive secret. Drawing on in-depth interviews with top executives and middle managers, and the latest research on working women and organizational change, the author describes the unique contribution of female professionals. Her profiles of top women managers reveal that they cope well with ambiguity, are comfortable sharing power, and tend to empower others' leadership traits that lead to increased employee productivity, innovation, and profits. The book offers evidence that the changes that help organizations more fully utilize the talents of women are the same changes that will give them an important edge in today’s global workplace. The author explains why the glass ceiling still prevents many competent women from reaching the upper echelons of management. She analyses why women and men are perceived and evaluated differently at work, and provides new insight into the feelings of men who are asked to interact with women in new roles when there are few new rules. The book shows that removing the glass ceiling can no longer be viewed solely in terms of social equity—it is now an economic imperative.

Competition, Competitive Advantage, and Clusters

Robert Huggins and Hiro Izushi — 2011-05-01

Author:: RobertHugginsDirector, Centre for International Competitiveness, Cardiff School of Management, University of Wales Institute, Cardiffhttp://www.cforic.org/pages/robert-huggins-profile.phpHiroIzushiSenior Lecturer in Innovation, Economics and Strategy Group, Aston Business Schoolhttp://www1.aston.ac.uk/aston-business-school/staff/academic/esg/dr-hiro-izushi/
ISBN:: 9780199578030
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199578030.001.0001
Published in print:: 2011
Published Online:: 2011-05-01

Harvard 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 completely different set of analytical units from his earlier work. 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. Porter's cross-disciplinary exploration has created tensions within the various fields to which he has contributed, and his work on both strategic management and economic development has met with criticism. With expert contributors from a range of disciplines including strategic management, economic development, economic geography and planning, this book assesses the contribution Michael Porter has made to these respective disciplines. It clarifies the sources of tension and controversy relating to all the major strands of Porter's work, and provides – academics, students and practitioners – managers and policymakers – with a key and critical guide for the application of Porter's models. The book highlights that while many of the criticisms of Porter's are valid, they are almost an inevitable outcome for a scholar who has sought to build bridges across wide disciplinary valleys. His efforts have provided others with a toolbox of frameworks to explore in more depth the nature of competition, competitive advantage, and clusters from a range of vantage points, such as firm, nation, or regional levels.

Lyndall Urwick, Management Pioneer

Edward Brech, Andrew Thomson, and John F. Wilson — 2010-09-01

Author:: Edward Brech, Andrew Thomson, John F. Wilson
ISBN:: 9780199541966
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Business History, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199541966.001.0001
Published in print:: 2010
Published Online:: 2010-09-01

The book reviews the career of Lyndall Urwick, the dominant figure in British management between the late 1920s and the early 1960s, both in terms of his writings and his passion in pursuit of management as a scientific and systematic activity rather than the rule‐of‐thumb approach to decision‐making all too prevalent in Britain. He was greatly influenced by his experiences in the First World War and at Rowntree's, before becoming Director of the International Management Institute (IMI) between 1928–33 and then forming a very influential management consultancy, Urwick Orr and Partners (UOP), which he chaired for the rest of his career. He was also deeply involved with almost all the institutional developments in British management up to the 1960s, including the Management Research Groups (MRGs), the Institute of Industrial Administration (IIA), the British Institute of Management (BIM), the Administrative Staff College (ASC), and the management education side of the Anglo‐American Council on Productivity (AACP). In pursuit of what he called his ‘mission at large’, he gave hundreds of talks in his lucid and charismatic style, many of which were published as articles or booklets. These talks were not only in Britain but in Australia as well after his emigration there in 1961, in America, where he became the best‐recognized foreign exponent of management, and in a range of countries around the world. But he will probably be best remembered for his writings, not only on organization theory, where he is recognized as a great synthesizer and leader in the classical school, but also on a wide range of other topics, including the history of management, leadership, marketing, and management education and development. Truly he was a man of many parts.

Corporations in Evolving Diversity

Masahiko Aoki — 2010-05-01

Author:: Masahiko Aoki
ISBN:: 9780199218530
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy, Corporate Governance and Accountability
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199218530.001.0001
Published in print:: 2010
Published Online:: 2010-05-01

The 2008 financial crisis calls for a re-examination of the basic premise of the orthodox shareholder-oriented model of the corporate firm and its governance. This book tries to meet this challenge. It posits that the primary raison d'être of business corporations is the organization of associative cognitive and physical actions to create corporate values broader than shareholders' values. It identifies five generic modes of organizational architecture distinguished by discrete combinations of human cognitive assets among management and workers, as well as their relationships to use-control rights of physical assets that are provided by the investors. For each of those architectural modes, a particular governance structure is associated as an essentially self-enforcing agreement among the three types of asset-holders. The selection of a corporate form from the possible varieties is evolutionarily conditioned and institutionally linked to stable outcomes of social and political games in which corporations are embedded and play. The book looks at the nature of the evolving diversity of the global corporate landscape and the rising importance of CSR, which contribute to the accumulation of corporate social capital. This evolving state appears to require the redefinition of the role of financial markets as informational, and governance infrastructures that are complimentary to diverse corporate organizations, rather than as dominant principals of corporations.

The European Corporation

Richard Whittington and Michael Mayer — 2010-01-01

Author:: Richard Whittington, Michael Mayer
ISBN:: 9780199251049
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199251049.001.0001
Published in print:: 2002
Published Online:: 2010-01-01

This book traces the evolution of the large industrial corporation in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1990s. It combines long-run trends with illustrative case studies of leading companies and their managers to present a complex picture of corporate change. In particular, it highlights the paradox of increasingly similar patterns of corporate strategy and structure across advanced industrial nations with continuing marked differences in corporate ownership, control, and managerial élites. Despite strong institutional contrasts between the leading European economies, and regardless of the decline of the American model of management, big business in Europe has continued to follow a strategic and structural model pioneered in the United States during the first half of the 20th century and encapsulated long ago in Alfred Chandler's (1962) Strategy and Structure. This finding of similar patterns of corporate strategy and structure across Europe challenges recent relativist perspectives on organisations found in postmodern, culturalist, and institutionalist social science. Nevertheless, it does not endorse standard universalist accounts of convergence either. The book distinguishes between Chandlerism, with its original ideology of universalism, and the broader Chandlerian perspective, an enduring but evolving core of good sense about the corporation in certain kinds of advanced economies. Thus, the book shows how the surprising success of conglomerate diversification and the increasing adoption of a more ‘networked’ multidivisional structure simply extends the core principles of the Chandlerian perspective.

Strategic Leadership

Bert Cannella, Sydney Finkelstein, and Donald C. Hambrick — 2009-01-01

Author:: Bert Cannella, Sydney Finkelstein, Donald C. Hambrick
ISBN:: 9780195162073
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195162073.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2009-01-01

This book integrates and assesses the vast and rapidly growing literature on strategic leadership, which is the study of top executives and their effects on organizations. The basic premise is that, in order to understand why organizations do the things they do, or perform the way they do, we need to comprehend deeply the people at the top—their experiences, abilities, values, social connections, aspirations, and other human features. The actions—or inactions—of a relatively small number of key people at the apex of an organization can dramatically affect organizational outcomes. The scope of strategic leadership includes individual executives, especially chief executive officers (CEOs), groups of executives (top management teams, or TMTs), and governing bodies (particularly boards of directors). Accordingly, the book addresses an array of topics regarding CEOs (e.g., values, personality, motives, demography, succession, and compensation); TMTs (including composition, processes, and dynamics); and boards of directors (why boards look and behave the way they do, and the consequences of board profiles and behaviors). The book synthesizes what is known about strategic leadership and indicates new research directions.

One Political Economy, One Competitive Strategy?

Andrea M. Herrmann — 2009-01-01

Author:: Andrea M. Herrmann
ISBN:: 9780199543434
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy, Political Economy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199543434.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2009-01-01

This book examines how firms adapt to the pressures of increasing international competition by testing both the arguments on ‘strategy specialization’ proposed in the competitiveness literature in general, and those offered by contributors to the ‘varieties of capitalism’ debate in particular. If different economies are characterized by distinct institutional arrangements — successful firms would be the ones that exploit their comparative advantages and specialize in the competitive strategies facilitated by national institutions. The book begins with an assessment of how many pharmaceutical firms in Germany, Italy, and the UK pursue strategies facilitated by national institutions governing financial markets, antitrust activities, and the labour market. Quantitative analyses reveal that deviant firms, competing through institutionally unsupported strategies, outnumber conforming firms by far. Not only does this finding run counter to the expectations of the competitiveness literature, it brings up a whole new line of inquiry. How can firms compete through strategies that are not supported by national institutions? To address this question, the book combines quantitative analyses with qualitative insights, showing that firms do not necessarily exploit comparative institutional advantages, but that they can successfully circumvent institutional constraints. International markets and individual collaboration on a contractual basis allow firms to compete despite comparative institutional disadvantages. These findings suggest that trade liberalization tends to foster strategy diversification rather than strategy specialization, depending on the inventiveness of entrepreneurs in developing individual approaches toward competing.

Crisis Management in a Complex World

Dawn R. Gilpin and Priscilla J. Murphy — 2008-09-01

Author:: Dawn R. Gilpin, Priscilla J. Murphy
ISBN:: 9780195328721
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195328721.001.0001
Published in print:: 2008
Published Online:: 2008-09-01

Managers, business owners, public relations practitioners, and others grapple daily with issues that have the potential to radically redefine the reputation of a person, company, or industry. They confront a fundamental question about contemporary crisis management: to what extent is it possible to control events and stakeholder responses to them, in order to contain escalating crises or safeguard an organization's reputation? This book addresses this question head-on. This book operates from a strong theoretical orientation. This book pairs real-world examples from across the globe with theory-based analysis to show why simplification often fails to alleviate crises, and can even intensify them. The book proposes a complexity-based approach to organizational learning that can allow organizations to adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

Organizational Knowledge in the Making

Gerardo Patriotta — 2007-09-01

Author:: Gerardo Patriotta
ISBN:: 9780199275243
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199275243.001.0001
Published in print:: 2004
Published Online:: 2007-09-01

Knowledge is a very seductive, but elusive concept. Following the wider debate about the emergence of the information age and the knowledge society, recent years have seen an explosion of writings about organizational knowledge from different disciplinary and theoretical perspectives. Yet, theoretical development has not always been accompanied by sound empirical research. Methodologies for studying knowledge as an empirical phenomenon are still lagging behind. This book aims to fill the gap between theory, method, and practice by developing a phenomenological approach to the study of knowing in the context of organizing. The book contributes to the fields of strategy and organization in three ways. First, it provides a critical review of the concepts, debates, and epistemological assumptions underpinning existing theories of organizational knowledge. Second, it develops a methodological framework for studying knowledge processes as an empirical phenomenon that is based on three methodological lenses: time, breakdowns, and narratives. Third, drawing on the three-lens framework, the book presents a phenomenological enquiry on knowing and organizing processes within two large car-manufacturing plants at Fiat Auto, Italy. The book highlights the need to re-think organizational knowledge from an action-based perspective, and suggests a new vocabulary for understanding knowledge-oriented phenomena in organizations.

Managing Business Complexity

Michael J. North and Charles M. Macal — 2007-09-01

Author:: Michael J. North, Charles M. Macal
ISBN:: 9780195172119
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195172119.001.0001
Published in print:: 2007
Published Online:: 2007-09-01

Agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) — a way to simulate a large number of choices by individual actors — is one of the most exciting practical developments in business and government modeling since the invention of relational databases. It represents a new way to understand data and generate information that has never been available before — a way for businesses and governments to view the future and to understand and anticipate the likely effects of their decisions on their markets, industries, and territories. It thus promises to have far-reaching effects on the way that businesses and governments in many areas use computers to support practical decision-making. This book has three purposes: first, to teach readers how to think about ABMS, that is, about agents and their interactions; second, to teach readers how to explain the features and advantages of ABMS to other people; and third, to teach readers how to actually implement ABMS by building agent-based simulations. It aims to be a complete ABMS resource and also provides a complete collection of ABMS business and government applications resources.

Global Strategy

Andrew Inkpen and Kannan Ramaswamy — 2007-09-01

Author:: Andrew Inkpen, Kannan Ramaswamy
ISBN:: 9780195167207
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195167207.001.0001
Published in print:: 2005
Published Online:: 2007-09-01

This book examines the issues central to the study of strategic management in a global context. The key premise of this book is that developing an understanding of global strategic management requires analytic tools different from those of purely domestic strategies. As global integration between companies and countries continues to march forward, managers and strategy researchers will have to find new ways to deal with globalization. The various topics examined in this book are intended to provide guidance as to how to deal with the realities of globalization and strategic management. The book goes beyond the boundaries of received wisdom to examine some of the practical realities that have yet to receive theoretical scrutiny. The book blends theoretical insights that form the mainstay for strategy students with the practical relevance that international managers should find valuable. A series of issues, scenarios, and decision areas associated with global strategy choices are presented. The case study illustrations offer insights into many of the issues that both international strategy researchers and practitioners are currently grappling with.

The Business of Systems Integration

Andrea Prencipe, Andrew Davies, and Michael Hobday — 2007-09-01

Author:: AndreaPrencipeResearch Fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex, and Associate Professor of Economics and Management of Innovation at the University G. D'Annunzio, Italyhttp://www.sussex.ac.uk/bmec/internal/people/spru/person/22168AndrewDaviesSenior Fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussexhttp://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.c.daviesMichaelHobdayDirector of the Complex Products Systems Innovation Centre, University of Sussexhttp://centrim.mis.brighton.ac.uk/people/a-z/mgh1
ISBN:: 9780199263233
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263233.001.0001
Published in print:: 2005
Published Online:: 2007-09-01

In the past decade or so, systems integration has become a key factor in the operations, strategy, and competitive advantage of major corporations in a wide variety of sectors (e.g., computing, automotive, telecommunications, military systems, and aerospace). In the past, systems integration was confined to a technical, operations task. Today, systems integration is a strategic task that pervades business management not only at the technical level, but also at the management and strategic levels. This book shows how and why this new kind of systems integration has evolved into an emerging model of industrial organization whereby firms and groups of firms join together different types of knowledge, skill, and activity as well as hardware, software, and human resources to produce new products. The business of systems integration has fundamental implications for the capabilities of firms. Firms have made a transition from being vertically integrated to being the integrator of somebody else's activities. The book delves deeply into the nature, dimensions, and dynamics of the new systems integration, deploying research and analytical techniques from a wide variety of disciplines including, the theory of the firm, the history of technology, industrial organization, regional studies, strategic management, and innovation studies.

Beware the Winner's Curse

G. Anandalingam and Henry C. Lucas — 2007-09-01

Author:: G. Anandalingam, Henry C. Lucas
ISBN:: 9780195177404
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177404.001.0001
Published in print:: 2004
Published Online:: 2007-09-01

In the case of an acquisition or a merger, it is very often the case that when an individual or company perceives itself to be the winner, subsequent events will show that the victory was overvalued. Both psychological and market based forces often lead managers to greatly overestimate what they are buying, resulting in the “winner’s curse”. In an effort to grow their companies, competitive and overly confident managers with high compensation packages make rash decisions. The pressure put on values by the stock market, stock analysts, and investment bankers is coupled with the presence of a bidding psychology. When senior management experiences “buyer’s remorse”, having made overly optimistic forecasts about the future of the company, a true financial “curse” often ensues. In the event that a company does “win” by making it to the top of its industry, complacency or hubris caused by a sense of invulnerability often conspire to move the company out of the winner’s column. This book examines the phenomenon of the “winner’s curse”. It presents a number of cases illustrating the curse, and examines the reasons for it in each instance. It also looks at situations where CEOs decided to walk away from “winning” because of their sober ability to trade-off the risks of winning versus the real returns. In particular, the last chapter presents a series of “take-aways” for any manager to follow to avoid the winner’s curse.

Between Enterprise and Ethics

John Hendry — 2007-09-01

Author:: John Hendry
ISBN:: 9780199268634
Publisher:: Oxford University Press
Subjects:: Business and Management, Strategy
DOI:: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199268634.001.0001
Published in print:: 2004
Published Online:: 2007-09-01

This book explores the evolution and origins of contemporary moral culture, with a particular focus on the challenges it poses for managers and business leaders. It is argued that in today’s bimoral society, people govern their lives by two contrasting sets of principles: those associated with traditional morality and its duties and obligations, which remain powerful even though the authorities supporting them have been considerably weakened; and those associated with the pursuit of self-interest, which have escaped their traditional constraints and acquired a degree of social legitimacy unparalleled in history. The tensions arising from this situation are apparent in all areas of social life, but are especially so in business. The same developments that have led to the bimoral society have also led to new, more flexible forms of organizing that have released people’s entrepreneurial energies and significantly enhanced the creative capacities of business organizations. Working within such organizational cultures, however, is fraught with moral tensions as obligations and self-interest conflict and managers are pulled in all sorts of different directions. As the technical problem-solving that previously characterized managerial work is increasingly accomplished by technology and market mechanisms, the key tasks of management become those of political and moral leadership: determining purposes and priorities, reconciling divergent interests, and nurturing trust in interpersonal relationships. The book also explores the challenge for societies developing forms of corporate governance appropriate to the new environment.