Management for Professionals – serie

This book explores the evolution of intelligence research over the past two decades, emphasizing the development and implementation of intelligence functions in private and public organizations. A comprehensive framework for conducting intelligence analysis is presented, establishing and operating intelligence teams, and addressing the adjacent ethical questions raised by the nature of this field of study.The key themes addressed include the methodology of intelligence analysis, the establishment of effective intelligence teams, and the concept of "disruptive intelligence," an emerging term referring to the identification of innovations with the potential to transform industries, making products more accessible and affordable. The book argues that recognizing these disruptions early allows incumbents to protect their businesses and new entrants to capitalize on emerging opportunities. This book stands out by blending theoretical insights with practical applications, making it an essential read for those involved in intelligence, strategic planning, and innovation management.

This book examines the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, its varied uses, as well as its limitations for solving real-world scenarios. While the simplicity of the method compels users to find shortcuts to a real-world problem, it also leads to obtaining wrong results that do not represent reality. By alerting practitioners about the core necessities of a new scenario, this book helps solve this problem, as well as contribute to the field of Multicriteria Decision Making Method (MDCM). The authors use a demonstrative, rather than a theoretical approach, and examine 30 subjects that displays the shortcomings and drawbacks of the AHP. Each one is examined in-depth, discussed, debated and reasoned, using examples, some of them numeric. The book highlights the rationality and common sense of the subjects, and in most cases, validates the criticism by showing through numerical examples, the impossibility of the AHP method to address, let alone solve real-world projects. At the conclusion of each subject, a table is built comparing the similarities and differences between the opinions of the authors and other experts, along with the respective pros and cons.

How an organization manages its information is arguably the most important skill in today’s dynamic and hyper-competitive environment.  In Enterprise Information Management, editor Paul Baan and a team of expert contributors present a holistic approach to EIM, with an emphasis on action-oriented decision making.   The authors demonstrate that EIM must be promoted from the top down, in order to ensure that the entire organization is committed to establishing and supporting the systems and processes designed to capture, store, analyze, and disseminate information.  They identify three key “pillars” of applications: (1) business intelligence (the information and knowledge management process itself); (2) enterprise content management (company-wide management of unstructured information, including document management, digital asset management, records management, and web content management); and (3) enterprise search (using electronic tools to retrieve information from databases, file systems, and legacy systems).   The authors explore EIM from economic and socio-psychological perspectives, considering the “ROI” (return on information) of IT and related technological investments, and the cultural and behavioral aspects through which people and machines interact.  Illustrating concepts through case examples, the authors provide a variety of tools for managers to assess and improve the effectiveness of their EIM infrastructure, considering its implications for customer and client relations, process and system improvements, product and service innovations, and financial performance.

Counterfeit products represent a growing problem for a wide range of industries. There are many estimates of the size of this problem most of which coalesce around $500-billion annually on a global basis. Overall, a wide range of industries agree that there is a severe problem with the global protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), yet, there have been virtually no attempts to describe all aspects of the problem. This book aims at giving the most complete description of various characteristics of the intellectual property rights (IPR) environment in a global context. The authors believe a holistic understanding of the problem must include consumer complicity to purchase counterfeit, actions of the counterfeiters (pirates) as well as actions (or inaction) by home and host governments, and the role of international organizations and industry alliances. Only after establishing how all the actors in the IPR environment relate to one another can we describe global protection of the intellectual property rights environment and the managerial response of IPR owners and/or industry associations to combat this ongoing problem. The book concludes with pragmatic recommendations for protecting intellectual property given the recent trends discussed in the previous chapters, making it of interest to practitioners and policy-makers alike.

"In this book, Peter Bogetoft - THE expert on the theory and practice of benchmarking - provides an in–depth yet very accessible and readable explanation of the best way to do benchmarking, starting from the ground up."Rick AntleWilliam S. Beinecke Professor of Accounting, Yale School of ManagementCFO, Compensation Valuation, Inc."I highly recommend this well-written and comprehensive book on measuring and managing performance. Dr. Bogetoft summarizes the fundamental mathematical concepts in an elegant, intuitive, and understandable way."Jon A. ChilingerianProfessor, Brandeis University and INSEAD"Bogetoft gives in his book Performance Benchmarking an excellent introduction to the methodological basis of benchmarking."Christian ParbølDirector, DONG Energy"This book is the primer on benchmarking for performance management."Albert BirckBusiness Performance Manager, Maersk Oil"This excellent book provides a non technical introduction for performance management."Misja Mikkers,Director, Dutch Health Care Authority"With this very well written and comprehensive introduction to the many facets of benchmarking in hand, organizations have no excuse for not applying the best and cost effective benchmarking methods in their performance assessments."Stig P. ChristensenSenior R&D Director, COWI

​Business process reengineering (BPR) focuses on redesigning the strategic and value-added processes which transcend the organizational boundaries. It is a cross-functional approach that requires support from almost all the departments of the organization. Business Process Reengineering: Automation Decision Points in Process Reengineering offers a new framework based process reengineering and links it to organization life cycle, process life cycle, and process management. This volume describes the fundamental concepts behind business process reengineering and examines them through case studies, and should appeal to researchers and academics interested in business process reengineering, operations strategy, and organizational restructuring and design.

Valuing Intellectual Capital provides readers with prescriptive strategies and practical insights for estimating the value of intellectual property (IP) and the people who create that IP within multinational companies.  This book addresses the crucial topic of taxation from a rigorous and quantitative perspective, backed by experience and original research that illustrates how large corporations need to measure the worth of their intangible assets.  Each method in the text is applied through the lens of a model corporation, in order for readers to understand and quantify the operation of a real-world multinational enterprise and pinpoint how companies easily misvalue their intellectual capital when transferring IP rights to offshore tax havens. The effect contributes to the issues that can lead to budgetary crises, such as the so-called “fiscal cliff” that was partially averted by passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act on New Year’s day  2013. This book also features a chapter containing recommendations for a fair and balanced corporate tax structure free of misvaluation and questionable mechanisms. CFOs, corporate auditors, corporate financial analysts, corporate financial planners, economists, and journalists working with issues of taxation will benefit from the concepts and background presented in the book. The material clearly indicates how a trustworthy valuation of intellectual capital allows a realistic assessment of a company’s income, earnings, and obligations.​ Because of the intense interest in the topic of corporate tax avoidance the material is organized to be accessible to a broad audience.

Casinonomics provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic and social impacts of the casino industry. Examining the latest cutting-edge research, with a mix of theory and empirical evidence, Casinonomics informs the reader on the most important facets at the forefront of the public policy debate over this controversial industry. While the casino industry has continued to expand across the United States, and around the world, critics argue that casinos bring negative social impacts that offset any economic benefits. Casinonomics examines the evidence on the frequently claimed benefits and costs stemming from expansions in the casino industry, including the impact on economic growth, consumer welfare, and government tax revenues, as well as gambling disorders, crime rates, and the impact on other businesses. Readers will come away with a better-informed opinion on the merits of these arguments for and against public policies that would expand casino gambling.

No matter how monolithic it may appear, an organization is a collection of moving parts. Whether we are looking at building teams, providing leadership, hiring and training employees, problem solving, managing time effectively, or setting aggressive, inspiring goals, every decision can easily impact every other decision. The complexity can quickly become overwhelming.  Organizational Psychology  identifies a framework and offers key methodologies managers need to define behavioral tendencies and navigate complex organizational systems. Each chapter takes a high-level view of a particular aspect of organizational psychology, focusing on elements that shape companies and drive operational efficiency. Senior-level managers and C-Suite executives will benefit from the strategies presented in this book as they clearly indicate how to understand and leverage the psychological underpinnings of any corporate environment.  Balzac combines stories of jujitsu, wheat, gorillas, and the Lord of the Rings with very practical advice and hands-on exercises aimed at anyone who cares about management, leadership, and culture.Todd RaphaelEditor-in-ChiefERE MediaRiveting!  Yes, I called a leadership book riveting.  I couldn’t wait to finish one chapter so I could begin reading the next.  The book’s combination of pop culture references, personal stories, and thought providing insights to illustrate world class leadership principles makes it a must read for business professionals at all management levels.Eric BloomPresidentManager Mechanics, LLCNationally Syndicated Columnist and AuthorOrganizational Psychology for Managers is an insightful book that reminds the business leader of basic principles of leading a successful organization in an engaging style. As a business owner for over 25 years, I am aware of these principles; however, I need reminding of how theseprinciples work together and impact the energy and success of my company.  Throughout the book, the author demonstrates these concepts into a clear perspective  by citing examples within other companies which is always a helpful technique and is often eye opening . These are situations that  I may  not have thought about before. This book holds the reader’s interest from start to finish.  I look forward to his next book! Elizabeth BrownPresidentSofteach, Inc."Author Stephen Balzac has written a terrific book that gets into the realpolitik of organizational psychology – the underlying patterns of behavior that create the all important company culture. He doesn't stop at the surface level, explaining things we already know like 'culture beats strategy' - he gets into the deeper drivers and ties everything back to specific, actionable stories. For example he describes different approaches to apparent "insubordination" by a manager; rather then judging them, he shows how each management response is interpreted, and how it then drives response. Balzac preaches real engagement with one's own company and a mindful state of operation, especially by executives – who must remember that culture "just happens" unless and until they learn to recognize that their behaviors play a huge part in creating and cementing it. It covers the full spectrum of corporate life, from challenging bad decisions to hiring, training, motivating teams - and the secrets of keeping people engaged and learning – and/or avoiding actions which do the opposite. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to participate in creating and steering company culture."Sid ProbsteinChief Technology OfficerAttivio – Active IntelligenceI had the privilege of meeting Stephen Balzac at the 2011 International Computer Measurement Group (CMG) Conference.  He was one of our keynote speakers atthe Conference that year.  His presentation was amazing.  It was the first presentation I had seen at our Conference in which the speaker not only gave a non-technical presentation that left the audience captivated and hungry for more, but he did it without using PowerPoint, or other visuals and simply with the strength of the story and his oratory skills.  As Director of CMG Publications I asked him to contribute some articles for our publications. He has been doing so now for two years and is one of our most popular authors.  I was thrilled to learn Steve was having a book, Organizational Psychology for Managers, published, and was honored when he asked me to read it and for my opinion.  Organizational Psychology for Managers is phenomenal.  Just as his talks at conferences are captivating to his audience, Steve’s book will captivate his readers.  In my opinion, this book should be required reading in MBA programs, military leadership courses, and needs to be on the bookshelf of every Fortune 1000 VP of Human Resources.  Steve Balzac is the 21st century’s Tom Peters.  Stephen R Guendert, PhDCMG Director of Publications

​Business process reengineering (BPR) focuses on redesigning the strategic and value-added processes which transcend the organizational boundaries. It is a cross-functional approach that requires support from almost all the departments of the organization. Business Process Reengineering: Automation Decision Points in Process Reengineering offers a new framework based process reengineering and links it to organization life cycle, process life cycle, and process management. This volume describes the fundamental concepts behind business process reengineering and examines them through case studies, and should appeal to researchers and academics interested in business process reengineering, operations strategy, and organizational restructuring and design.

Counterfeit products represent a growing problem for a wide range of industries. There are many estimates of the size of this problem most of which coalesce around $500-billion annually on a global basis. Overall, a wide range of industries agree that there is a severe problem with the global protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), yet, there have been virtually no attempts to describe all aspects of the problem. This book aims at giving the most complete description of various characteristics of the intellectual property rights (IPR) environment in a global context. The authors believe a holistic understanding of the problem must include consumer complicity to purchase counterfeit, actions of the counterfeiters (pirates) as well as actions (or inaction) by home and host governments, and the role of international organizations and industry alliances. Only after establishing how all the actors in the IPR environment relate to one another can we describe global protection of the intellectual property rights environment and the managerial response of IPR owners and/or industry associations to combat this ongoing problem. The book concludes with pragmatic recommendations for protecting intellectual property given the recent trends discussed in the previous chapters, making it of interest to practitioners and policy-makers alike.

Valuing Intellectual Capital provides readers with prescriptive strategies and practical insights for estimating the value of intellectual property (IP) and the people who create that IP within multinational companies.  This book addresses the crucial topic of taxation from a rigorous and quantitative perspective, backed by experience and original research that illustrates how large corporations need to measure the worth of their intangible assets.  Each method in the text is applied through the lens of a model corporation, in order for readers to understand and quantify the operation of a real-world multinational enterprise and pinpoint how companies easily misvalue their intellectual capital when transferring IP rights to offshore tax havens. The effect contributes to the issues that can lead to budgetary crises, such as the so-called “fiscal cliff” that was partially averted by passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act on New Year’s day  2013. This book also features a chapter containing recommendations for a fair and balanced corporate tax structure free of misvaluation and questionable mechanisms. CFOs, corporate auditors, corporate financial analysts, corporate financial planners, economists, and journalists working with issues of taxation will benefit from the concepts and background presented in the book. The material clearly indicates how a trustworthy valuation of intellectual capital allows a realistic assessment of a company’s income, earnings, and obligations.​ Because of the intense interest in the topic of corporate tax avoidance the material is organized to be accessible to a broad audience.

How an organization manages its information is arguably the most important skill in today’s dynamic and hyper-competitive environment.  In Enterprise Information Management, editor Paul Baan and a team of expert contributors present a holistic approach to EIM, with an emphasis on action-oriented decision making.   The authors demonstrate that EIM must be promoted from the top down, in order to ensure that the entire organization is committed to establishing and supporting the systems and processes designed to capture, store, analyze, and disseminate information.  They identify three key “pillars” of applications: (1) business intelligence (the information and knowledge management process itself); (2) enterprise content management (company-wide management of unstructured information, including document management, digital asset management, records management, and web content management); and (3) enterprise search (using electronic tools to retrieve information from databases, file systems, and legacy systems).   The authors explore EIM from economic and socio-psychological perspectives, considering the “ROI” (return on information) of IT and related technological investments, and the cultural and behavioral aspects through which people and machines interact.  Illustrating concepts through case examples, the authors provide a variety of tools for managers to assess and improve the effectiveness of their EIM infrastructure, considering its implications for customer and client relations, process and system improvements, product and service innovations, and financial performance.

"In this book, Peter Bogetoft - THE expert on the theory and practice of benchmarking - provides an in–depth yet very accessible and readable explanation of the best way to do benchmarking, starting from the ground up."Rick AntleWilliam S. Beinecke Professor of Accounting, Yale School of ManagementCFO, Compensation Valuation, Inc."I highly recommend this well-written and comprehensive book on measuring and managing performance. Dr. Bogetoft summarizes the fundamental mathematical concepts in an elegant, intuitive, and understandable way."Jon A. ChilingerianProfessor, Brandeis University and INSEAD"Bogetoft gives in his book Performance Benchmarking an excellent introduction to the methodological basis of benchmarking."Christian ParbølDirector, DONG Energy"This book is the primer on benchmarking for performance management."Albert BirckBusiness Performance Manager, Maersk Oil"This excellent book provides a non technical introduction for performance management."Misja Mikkers,Director, Dutch Health Care Authority"With this very well written and comprehensive introduction to the many facets of benchmarking in hand, organizations have no excuse for not applying the best and cost effective benchmarking methods in their performance assessments."Stig P. ChristensenSenior R&D Director, COWI

Casinonomics provides a comprehensive analysis of the economic and social impacts of the casino industry. Examining the latest cutting-edge research, with a mix of theory and empirical evidence, Casinonomics informs the reader on the most important facets at the forefront of the public policy debate over this controversial industry. While the casino industry has continued to expand across the United States, and around the world, critics argue that casinos bring negative social impacts that offset any economic benefits. Casinonomics examines the evidence on the frequently claimed benefits and costs stemming from expansions in the casino industry, including the impact on economic growth, consumer welfare, and government tax revenues, as well as gambling disorders, crime rates, and the impact on other businesses. Readers will come away with a better-informed opinion on the merits of these arguments for and against public policies that would expand casino gambling.

No matter how monolithic it may appear, an organization is a collection of moving parts. Whether we are looking at building teams, providing leadership, hiring and training employees, problem solving, managing time effectively, or setting aggressive, inspiring goals, every decision can easily impact every other decision. The complexity can quickly become overwhelming.  Organizational Psychology  identifies a framework and offers key methodologies managers need to define behavioral tendencies and navigate complex organizational systems. Each chapter takes a high-level view of a particular aspect of organizational psychology, focusing on elements that shape companies and drive operational efficiency. Senior-level managers and C-Suite executives will benefit from the strategies presented in this book as they clearly indicate how to understand and leverage the psychological underpinnings of any corporate environment.  Balzac combines stories of jujitsu, wheat, gorillas, and the Lord of the Rings with very practical advice and hands-on exercises aimed at anyone who cares about management, leadership, and culture.Todd RaphaelEditor-in-ChiefERE MediaRiveting!  Yes, I called a leadership book riveting.  I couldn’t wait to finish one chapter so I could begin reading the next.  The book’s combination of pop culture references, personal stories, and thought providing insights to illustrate world class leadership principles makes it a must read for business professionals at all management levels.Eric BloomPresidentManager Mechanics, LLCNationally Syndicated Columnist and AuthorOrganizational Psychology for Managers is an insightful book that reminds the business leader of basic principles of leading a successful organization in an engaging style. As a business owner for over 25 years, I am aware of these principles; however, I need reminding of how theseprinciples work together and impact the energy and success of my company.  Throughout the book, the author demonstrates these concepts into a clear perspective  by citing examples within other companies which is always a helpful technique and is often eye opening . These are situations that  I may  not have thought about before. This book holds the reader’s interest from start to finish.  I look forward to his next book! Elizabeth BrownPresidentSofteach, Inc."Author Stephen Balzac has written a terrific book that gets into the realpolitik of organizational psychology – the underlying patterns of behavior that create the all important company culture. He doesn't stop at the surface level, explaining things we already know like 'culture beats strategy' - he gets into the deeper drivers and ties everything back to specific, actionable stories. For example he describes different approaches to apparent "insubordination" by a manager; rather then judging them, he shows how each management response is interpreted, and how it then drives response. Balzac preaches real engagement with one's own company and a mindful state of operation, especially by executives – who must remember that culture "just happens" unless and until they learn to recognize that their behaviors play a huge part in creating and cementing it. It covers the full spectrum of corporate life, from challenging bad decisions to hiring, training, motivating teams - and the secrets of keeping people engaged and learning – and/or avoiding actions which do the opposite. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to participate in creating and steering company culture."Sid ProbsteinChief Technology OfficerAttivio – Active IntelligenceI had the privilege of meeting Stephen Balzac at the 2011 International Computer Measurement Group (CMG) Conference.  He was one of our keynote speakers atthe Conference that year.  His presentation was amazing.  It was the first presentation I had seen at our Conference in which the speaker not only gave a non-technical presentation that left the audience captivated and hungry for more, but he did it without using PowerPoint, or other visuals and simply with the strength of the story and his oratory skills.  As Director of CMG Publications I asked him to contribute some articles for our publications. He has been doing so now for two years and is one of our most popular authors.  I was thrilled to learn Steve was having a book, Organizational Psychology for Managers, published, and was honored when he asked me to read it and for my opinion.  Organizational Psychology for Managers is phenomenal.  Just as his talks at conferences are captivating to his audience, Steve’s book will captivate his readers.  In my opinion, this book should be required reading in MBA programs, military leadership courses, and needs to be on the bookshelf of every Fortune 1000 VP of Human Resources.  Steve Balzac is the 21st century’s Tom Peters.  Stephen R Guendert, PhDCMG Director of Publications

The world of M&A has always been complex and nuanced. Corporations encounter their toughest business problems during a divestiture or a merger. At the same time, optimal execution of divestitures can also create high value for the seller as well as the buyer. This book is a collection of leading practices on Divestitures and covers end to end transaction life cycle from readiness through execution including post deal transformation. It contains the synthesis of experiences across a wide array of clients across industries, ranging from $500 million to $100 billion in revenue.Each chapter in this book can stand on its own as an authority on leading practices related to the topic it presents, and together, these chapters provide a comprehensive set of perspectives needed to successfully complete a divestiture. The highlight of the book is valuable real-life examples and references that a business can benefit from, when it is considering, analyzing or implementing a divestiture.

The world of M&A has always been complex and nuanced. Corporations encounter their toughest business problems during a divestiture or a merger. At the same time, optimal execution of divestitures can also create high value for the seller as well as the buyer. This book is a collection of leading practices on Divestitures and covers end to end transaction life cycle from readiness through execution including post deal transformation. It contains the synthesis of experiences across a wide array of clients across industries, ranging from $500 million to $100 billion in revenue.Each chapter in this book can stand on its own as an authority on leading practices related to the topic it presents, and together, these chapters provide a comprehensive set of perspectives needed to successfully complete a divestiture. The highlight of the book is valuable real-life examples and references that a business can benefit from, when it is considering, analyzing or implementing a divestiture.

Given our rapidly changing world, companies are virtually forced to engage in continuous performance monitoring. Though Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) may at times seem to be the real driving force behind social systems, economies and organizations, they can also have far-reaching normative effects, which can modify organizational behavior and influence key decisions – even to the point that organizations themselves tend to become what they measure! Selecting the right performance indicators is hardly a simple undertaking. This book describes in detail the main characteristics of performance measurement systems and summarizes practical methods for defining KPIs, combining theoretical and practical aspects. These descriptions are supported by a wealth of practical examples. The book is intended for all academics, professionals and consultants involved in the analysis and management of KPIs.

This professional book introduces marketing and luxury brand professionals to a new definition of luxury and the art of designing the ultimate luxury experience in both the physical space (e.g., in-store, hotel, restaurant) and the digital space (e.g., social media, website, e-commerce). Specifically, it offers an overview of customer experience issues and explores big five experiential strategies that can be applied by luxury houses in order to provide the best luxury experience to their customers. Themes such as quality of customer luxury experience, immersion and co-production/co-creation in luxury, creation and management, digital and immersive marketing, and innovative market research are also examined.How do consumers define luxury? Is there one luxury or several “luxuries”? What kind of luxury experiences consumers want to live? How can luxury houses design the ultimate luxury experience? More than in any other sector, luxury consumption is a response to a search foremotions, pleasure, uniqueness, consideration and greatest services. The luxury consumer wants to live luxury experiences – not just buy luxury products or services. In this way, this book presents the luxury consumption experience as a combination of symbolic meaning, subconscious processes and nonverbal cues and characterized by fantasies, feelings and fun.Featuring case studies and interviews from international luxury sectors and brand managers such as Burberry, Dior, Porsche, Breitling, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, and Louis Vuitton, among others, this book offers both a research and management perspective on luxury experience to professionals in the luxury sector (e.g., CEOs, brand managers, marketing and communication professionals), as well as marketing professors, students, and people eager to learn more about how to design the ultimate luxury experience. Praise for The New Luxury Experience“This book providesa holistic perspective on marketing of luxury brands, offering both useful practical advice as well as illustrating important cases.”-- Ravi Dhar, Director, Yale Center for Customer Insights, Yale University“Wided Batat’s book offers a fresh, insightful and comprehensive analysis of the concept of the consumer’s experience with luxury whatever that may be. The Five experiential luxury strategies proposed by Wided highlight that luxury management should go above and beyond the design and branding of luxury goods and services.  I also commend the consideration given to the younger generations’ approach to luxury and to corporate social responsibility aspects.  Luxury marketers should find this book very useful indeed.”-- Francesca Dall’Olmo Riley, Professor of Brand Management, Kingston Business School, UK

Companies across all industries are leveraging digital technologies to transform outdated processes and build new business models to compete in the information age. For all the publicity and hype, successful digital transformation has proven to be elusive. Numerous studies have found more than half of all digital transformation efforts fail. Digitally Deaf explores the obstacles and inhibitors that derail transformation efforts and outlines the steps organizations should take to establish an environment for success.  Written by a highly experienced CIO, Digitally Deaf illustrates symptoms and underlying issues through the author’s experiences at large, Fortune 250 organizations. Digitally Deaf establishes a framework for digital transformation execution beginning with the development of a common definition and language for transformation. Learn the roles of the board of directors and leadership in establishing the appropriate messaging, governance, and organizational structure to drive digital efforts. Realize how digital transformation efforts amplify common problems encountered in typical technology projects.  Discover how the IT organization must transform to enable the agility needed to fuel new digital business models. Finally, learn to spot the symptoms of issues that undermine transformation success and how to address them.“On the topic of digital transformation, Steve addresses the mind set shift that is needed to be successful, leveraging relatable examples across multiple industries.  Digitally Deaf offers a very relevant perspective on what it takes to move a traditional organization into the digital age.”  Boris Sherman, CTO Tailored Brands  “Stone, as a former CIO, accurately outlines the challenges associated with new technologies and the benefits of implementing a digital-first culture. This book helps business and technology leaders understand the landscapeand how to embrace digital to create new sources of value in their organizations.”  Jonathan Brassington, Head, Capgemini Invent North America

This book highlights research-based case studies in order to analyze the wealth created in the world’s largest mergers and acquisitions (M&A). This book encourages cross fertilization in theory building and applied research by examining the links between M&A and wealth creation. Each chapter covers a specific case and offers a focused clinical examination of the entire lifecycle of M&A for each mega deal, exploring all aspects of the process. The success of M&A are analyzed through two main research approaches: event studies and financial performance analyses. The event studies examine the abnormal returns to the shareholders in the period surrounding the merger announcement. The financial performance studies examine the reported financial results of acquirers before and after the acquisition to see whether financial performance has improved after merger. The relation between method of payment, premium paid and stock returns are examined. The chapters also discuss synergies of the deal-cost and revenue synergies. Mergers and acquisitions represent a major force in modern financial and economic environment. Whether in times of boom or bust, M&As have emerged as a compelling strategy for growth. The biggest companies of modern day have all taken form through a series of restructuring activities like multiple mergers. Acquisitions continue to remain as the quickest route companies take to operate in new markets and to add new capabilities and resources. The cases covered in this book highlights high profile M&As and focuses on the wealth creation for shareholders of acquirer and target firms as a financial assessment of the merger’s success. The book should be useful for finance professionals, corporate planners, strategists, and managers.

Social marketing has become an indispensable tool for all types of organizations worldwide. This book presents high-quality cases on the development, implementation, and analysis of different social marketing campaigns that have been created by non-governmental organizations, public administrations, and even businesses. The respective cases reflect the fact that, although social marketing was initially employed by public administrations and NGOs, the number of campaigns developed by all type of organizations, including businesses, is on the rise; in fact, Corporate Social Marketing is now considered to be one of the main CSR initiatives at businesses around the globe.Pursuing an international approach, the cases in the book explore social marketing practices from a diverse set of countries and cultures around the world.

This book provides both a broad overview of the forecasting process, covering technological and human aspects alike, and deep insights into algorithms and platform functionalities in the IBP toolbox required to maximize forecast accuracy. Rich in technical and business explanations, it addresses short-, medium- and long-term forecasting processes using functionalities available in demand planning and demand sensing.There are also several theoretical concepts underpinning the algorithms discussed; these are explained with numerical examples to help demystify the IBP forecasting toolbox. Beyond standard procedures, the book also discusses custom approaches (e.g. new segmentation criteria, new outlier detection and correction methods) and new methods (e.g. the use of Markov chains for forecasting sporadic demands), etc. It subsequently benchmarks common practices using these innovative approaches and discusses the results. As measurement is an important precondition for improvement, an entire chapter is devoted to discussing process improvement and value using the Six Sigma methodology. In closing, the book provides several useful tips and tricks that should come in handy during project implementation.

This book is an essential guide or foundational toolkit for anyone who is involved in the process of developing, offering or selling any type of product or service. Based on how to surf on the waves of innovation and the principle of “form follows function” (System Architecture), it introduces and connects concepts like Market Understanding, Design Thinking, Design to Value, Modularization and Agility. It introduces readers to the essence of these main frameworks and provides a toolkit that explains both theoretically and practically when and how to utilize which one. The methods and processes described in this book have all been successfully tested in many industries. They apply in today’s market context of high uncertainty, complexity and turbulence, where innovation and disruption are essential. Readers will find answers to two fundamental questions: How can we implement an innovation process and environment that are conducive to successful product design? And, if our products fail to appeal to customers, how can we achieve a major turn-around with regard to product development? A wealth of examples and case studies help readers to benefit from the authors’ broad professional experience. Further, lessons learned and conceptual summaries provide valuable shortcuts to the methods and tools discussed. For today’s CEOs, enabling innovation is one of THE most complex leadership tasks.But innovation is not about theory and nice buzzwords. It’s about succeeding in the real world. This ‘hands-on’ book connects the dots and introduces the reader to some of the most relevant ideas and pragmatic concepts fitting today’s business reality.Dr. Robert Neuhauser, Executive VP and Global Head People andLeadership Development, Siemens At the most fundamental level this book brings order to chaos. It sets different and highly relevant design approaches into a complementary picture, rather than presenting them as competing ways of solving the same problem. Product designers, managers, consultants, scholars and students will surely have this valuable book within reach on a daily basis.Olivier L. de Weck, Ph.D – MIT Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics andEngineering Systems, Editor-in-Chief Systems Engineering

Many people dream of starting their own business one day, but are not sure how to make it a reality, or whether they will succeed. In this book the author presents a comprehensive user guide for aspiring entrepreneurs, and provides expert advice and guidance on every major aspect of launching a new business. Step-by-step, this inspiring and highly readable book explains how would-be entrepreneurs can evaluate the strength of their business idea, protect their inventions, understand the legal steps and responsibilities involved in forming a company, position their products in the market, create a business plan and acquire financing. Featuring case studies, practical exercises and tips, the book helps to demystify the process of starting a new business, giving readers the confidence to start up, and greatly increasing the chances of their entrepreneurial dream becoming a reality. It also offers a valuable learning resource for entrepreneurship and start-up clubs atuniversities and business schools.

This book presents a rich compilation of real-world cases on digitalization, the goal being to share first-hand insights from respected organizations and to make digitalization more tangible. As virtually every economic and societal sector is now being challenged by emerging technologies, the digital economy is a highly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous place – and one that holds substantial challenges and opportunities for established organizations. Against this backdrop, this book reports on best practices and lessons learned from organizations that have succeeded in overcoming the challenges and seizing the opportunities of the digital economy. It illustrates how twenty-one organizations have leveraged their capabilities to create disruptive innovations, to develop digital business models, and to digitally transform themselves. These cases stem from various industries (e.g. automotive, insurance, consulting, and public services) and countries, reflecting the many facets of digitalization. As all case descriptions follow a uniform schema, they are easily accessible, and provide insightful examples for practitioners as well as interesting cases for researchers, teachers and students.Digitalization is reshaping business on a global scale, and it is evident that organizations must transform to thrive in the digital economy. Digitalization Cases provides first-hand insights into the efforts of renowned companies. The presented actions, results, and lessons learned are a great inspiration for managers, students, and academics.Anna Kopp, Head of IT Germany, MicrosoftUnderstanding digitalization in all its facets requires knowledge about its opportunities and challenges in different contexts. Providing 21 cases from different companies all around the world, Digitalization Cases makes an important contribution toward the comprehensibility of digitalization – from a practical and a scientific point of view.Dorothy Leidner, Ferguson Professor of Information Systems, Baylor UniversityThis book is a great source of inspiration and insight on how to drive digitalization. It shows easy to understand good practice examples which illustrate opportunities, and at the same time helps to learn what needs to be done to realize them. I consider this book a must-read for every practitioner who cares about digitalization.Martin Petry, Chief Information Officer and Head of Business Excellence, Hilti

Most business schools use case studies in their courses. However, these are typically based on past cases and assigned to students to solve. This book describes a new approach for teaching with case studies, which was developed and applied successfully at TUM School of Management. In this approach, student teams write and solve their own case study on a topic concerning current and future businesses. A case can thus be on their own startup or a strategic decision of existing companies. During the course, the students receive intensive coaching while selecting and developing the case topic by the course advisors as well as feedback by industry experts and executives for whom the case is actually a burning question. The authors present 17 cases covering strategic questions for startups and technology companies such as Deutsche Post, BMW, Ryanair, Lufthansa, Stadtwerke München, Fielmann, adidas, Siemens, Caribou Biosciences, eon, Airbus, Unicredit and UBS.

This book examines the massive changes currently taking place in the business world and commonly known under the label “digitalization.” In addition, it describes the significant impacts of technological innovations on processes, products, services and business models.The digital transformation resulting from these developments leads to disruption for many enterprises and industries. While for many years, IT departments mainly concentrated on fulfilling the requirements of business departments effectively and efficiently by means of high-quality IT services and operations, today’s IT departments are increasingly expected to actively co-design and co-create the enterprise. This book describes how information technology enables innovation for businesses, and how IT departments can proactively and in a timely manner collaborate with the business departments of their corporation to leverage these innovations. It also delineates the implications of digitalization for the structures, processes and people in today’s IT departments. IT leaders and managers who are responsible for corporate IT, as well as practice-oriented researchers, will find valuable inspirations and guidance in this book, the central mission of which is to encourage and enable a more proactive role for IT in the digital transformation processes."This book demonstrates the impact of digital transformation on IT organizations and their management. It also presents potential risks for technology availability, security and data protection. The authors develop a vision of what IT management should look like in ten years if it is to continue playing an important role in the company. The book seeks to motivate IT executives and managers with IT responsibility to actively adapt their thinking and their IT organizations before they are forced to react to external pressure. Definitely worth reading!"Sven Kreimendahl, Director Business Technology Services, Campana & Schott