Routledge Studies in Business Organizations and Networks – Serie

This monograph presents the experience in the implementation of smart specialization strategies (S3) from multilevel policy governance, as well as from the bottom-up perspectives of firms, clusters, and networks in selected European countries. The presented research focuses on relevance and feasibility of the S3 adoption, emphasizing the importance of linking policy considerations with partnerships at lower governance levels.The major contribution of the presented research rests in theoretical implications and practical recommendations relevant for the implementation of regional S3 in the European context, with the possibility of place-based adoption in other environments. The book is also valuable for synthesizing the most recent advancements in smart specialization as a policy concept and the concept of transformation and growth for territorial units and economic entities. This book aims to further diffuse and expand the academic community’s learning of the new S3 approach in Europe and beyond.The book will be of interest and useful to the academic community of researchers and doctoral students focused on regional innovation development and related policy, as well as on entrepreneurship, networks, and clusters. Public sector professionals dealing with regional development, regional innovation policies, and industrial transformation will also benefit from its content.

The integrated meta-model for organizational resource audit is a consistent and comprehensive instrument for auditing intangible resources and their relations and associations from the network perspective. This book undertakes a critically important problem of management sciences, poorly recognized in literature although determining the current and future competitiveness of enterprises, sectors and economies. The author notes the need to introduce a theoretical input, which is manifested by the meta-model. An expression of this treatment is the inclusion of the network as a structure of activities, further knowledge as an activity, and intangible assets as intellectual capital characterized by a structure of connections. The case study presented is an illustration of the use of network analysis tools and other instruments to identify not only the most important resources, tasks or actors, as well as their effectiveness, but also to connect the identified networks with each other. The author opens the field for applying her methodology, revealing the structural and dynamic features of the intangible resources of the organization. The novelty of the proposed meta-model shows the way to in-depth applications of network analysis techniques in an intra-organizational environment. Organizational Network Analysis makes a significant contribution to the development of management sciences, in terms of strategic management and more strictly resource approach to the company through structural definition of knowledge; application of the concept of improvement-oriented audit abandoning a narrow understanding of this technique in terms of compliance; reliable presentation of audits available in the literature; rigorous reasoning leading to the development of a meta-model; close linking of knowledge and resources with the strategy at the design stage of the developed audit model, including the analysis of link dynamics and networks together with an extensive metrics proposal; an interesting illustration of the application with the use of metrics, tables and charts. It will be of value to researchers, academics, managers, and students in the fields of strategic management, organizational studies, social network analysis in management, knowledge management, and auditing knowledge resources in organizations.

Networks and networking are essential concepts that transform organizational, economic, and social practices. Human capital is both a source of competitive advantage and a value that allows individual employees to develop their careers and find satisfaction in their employment. The book addresses the vital issue of changes occurring in management and employment, with the growing career individualization, focus on future professional challenges, importance of knowledge workers, and possibilities of functioning in social and organizational networks. Workers’ networking competence is the main theme of this book. Much attention is put on differentiating it from other types of competence and other network objects, and identifying its behavioral manifestations, as the frequency of such behaviors can be used as a measure of an individual’s networking competence level. Employment-related variables and characteristics that affect networking competence are analyzed in depth, as is the impact of networking competence on career success and employability — thus laying a foundation for transformation in network organization management, employee relations, and individual career development. It will be of interest to researchers and students alike, as it clearly demonstrates a way to solve research problems in management science and provides new instruments for further research on networks and networking; and to organization managers and employees, as it offers insights into management and employment-related trends as well as guidelines for managing network organizations and building one’s career within social and organizational networks.

Networks and networking are essential concepts that transform organizational, economic, and social practices. Human capital is both a source of competitive advantage and a value that allows individual employees to develop their careers and find satisfaction in their employment. The book addresses the vital issue of changes occurring in management and employment, with the growing career individualization, focus on future professional challenges, importance of knowledge workers, and possibilities of functioning in social and organizational networks. Workers’ networking competence is the main theme of this book. Much attention is put on differentiating it from other types of competence and other network objects, and identifying its behavioral manifestations, as the frequency of such behaviors can be used as a measure of an individual’s networking competence level. Employment-related variables and characteristics that affect networking competence are analyzed in depth, as is the impact of networking competence on career success and employability — thus laying a foundation for transformation in network organization management, employee relations, and individual career development. It will be of interest to researchers and students alike, as it clearly demonstrates a way to solve research problems in management science and provides new instruments for further research on networks and networking; and to organization managers and employees, as it offers insights into management and employment-related trends as well as guidelines for managing network organizations and building one’s career within social and organizational networks.

Many business-to-business (B2B) managers think that customers act rationally and base decisions mostly on price, customer loyalty isn’t considered. Companies outsource various activities, which enable them to improve efficiency, reduce costs, focus more on core competencies and improve their innovation capabilities. Supply Chain Management synchronizes the efforts of all parties—particularly suppliers, manufacturers, retailers, dealers, customers—involved in achieving customer’s needs. Despite much research, the relationship between customer loyalty and the supply chain strategy remains insufficiently explored and understood by practitioners and academics, while the theme has been extensively developed within marketing literature.Customer Loyalty and Supply Chain Management is the result of years of work by the authors on different projects concerning the overlapping areas of supply chains, logistics and marketing, drawing a connection between the literature to provide a holistic picture of the customer loyalty framework. Emphasis is given to the B2B context, where recent research has provided some clues to support the fact that investment in operations, new technologies and organizational strategy have had a significant role in understanding B2B loyalty, particularly in the context of global supply chains. Moreover, the book provides a modernized and predictive model of B2B loyalty, showing a different methodological approach that aims at capturing the complexity of the phenomenon.This book will be a useful resource for professionals and scholars from across the supply chain who are interested in exploring the dimension of customer loyalty in the challenging supplier and customer context.

Building on the work of labor historians, industrial relations scholars, and institutional labor economists, this book offers not only a comprehensive analysis of the changing nature of shopfloor labor-management relations in the large manufacturing firms of this century, it also supplies empirical evidence of the effect of these institutional changes on labor productivity growth and injury rates. No other study has dealt with the broad sweep of shopfloor governence during the twentieth century, paid as careful attention to the process by which shopfloor institutional arrangements changed over these years, or offered hard evidence on the relationship between changing shopfloor institutions and changing shopfloor outcomes.

In recent years there has been a growth in work on the organization of the firm. The same period has also seen a corresponding rise in literature dealing with the organization of the multinational firm, but the two literatures have developed quite separately, even though insights from each have much to offer the other. This unique collection of essays from respected academics aims to bridge this gap, addressing questions of the theory of the firm and international business.The material is presented in three sections:* The first section deals with theoretical issues underpinning multinational enterprise. These are the issues of information, re-engineering and change management and international trade.* The second section concentrates on the inter-firm relationships of multinationals, assessing the interplay of co-operation and adversarial behaviour.* The third section deals with applications of the principles presented in the first two sections. The applications concern the defence equipment industry, the world automobile industry and corporate governance under European Union Regulations.The Organisation of the Firm is aimed at researchers and students in the field of international business, and is likely to appeal to advanced undergraduates and postgraduates, as well as academics.

What has been the impact of deregulation and a rapidly changing socio-economic environment on the professions? The cross-disciplinary contributions to this volume examine the changing role of the professions.

This book explores a new theory of the firm produced through an exchange between management theory and economics. In the process economics is seen to provide a foundational element for strategy research whilst developing a more realistic theory of the firm with a greater emphasis on its internal features. The success of competence theories of the firm also reflects their ability to explain significant trends in the business world, notably the declining importance of conglomerates and critical features in the success of Asian and Japanese business.

The way in which industrial activities are organised among firms is a fundamental theoretical concern. In practice, firms have found these matters, referred to as make-or-buy issues, difficult to analyse. Organising Industrial Activities Across Firm Boundaries succeeds in combining an analysis of the theoretical background to such issues with an in-depth case study of the practical consequences and implications. The book is an important contribution to the literature on networks, business relationships, out-sourcing and the division of labour.

The theory of the firm has recently undergone a dramatic transformation, drawing heavily on the pathbreaking work of Armen Alchian. This volume explores his contribution to the debate, including essays by Harold Demetz, Ben Klein, Jerry Jordan and Art Devany.

This book offers a distinctive analysis of the relations and interplay between the internal activities of firms, their changing boundaries, and increasing reliance on networks and alliances with other firms.The contributors offer a blend of theoretical and empirical studies; they are based on a set of related perspectives in modern economics, including transaction cost economics, competence and resource-based theories of the firm, evolutionary economics and the theories of foreign direct investments and the multinational enterprise. The unifying concern shared by the different studies is the need to model firm behaviour and inter firm cooperative activities in terms of knowledge growth and competence building rather than merely in terms of cost-reduction; they emphasize learning processes and dynamic efficiency rather than efficient allocation of given resources.

This book brings together two of the 'hottest issues' in current management thinking: the impact of privatization on the performance and behaviour of the companies involved, and the increasingly important role of purchasing and supplier relationships. The notion that efficiency is improved with privatization is critically examined. The authors examine whether privatized organizations have recognized the importance of the procurement role and developed both their procurement functions and supplier relationships so as to enhance competitiveness. Grounded in economic theory, and providing rich case study material, this volume makes a major contribution to an increasingly important area. It will be of interest to students and researchers in economics, business and management studies.

The work of G.B. Richardson has given insights into key issues and debates such as markets versus hierarchies, price stability, the economics of information and the concept of competition based upon differentiated firms.This collection encourages further development of Richardson's themes. It will make excellent reading for students looking at the capability or competence approach to the firm, and for all those wishing to familiarise themselves with the work of this important economist.

This work examines the governance of large technical systems (LTS) at firm, imdustry and state levels and the interactions between the systems and society. In particular, international contributors explore the implications of major technological , economic and social changes during the last twenty years for traditional forms of LTS governance. Their research is centred around the following themes:* traditional forms of governance* new regulatory challenges* the governability of complex technologies* conceptual issues related to the governance of inter-organizational networks

This volume examines the nature of interfirm networks and their role in promoting industrial competitiveness. Where previous work in this area has tended to be descriptive, the distinguished contributors to this volume present a balanced theoretical and empirical approach to interfirm networking drawing on a variety of international case studies. Issues covered include:* The role of networks in regulating conflict and producing co-operation* The role of networks in developing knowledge and competences* Network governance and conflict intensive networks

This book addresses the nature of current shifts in professional and managerial knowledge and practice, particularly in relation to power and accountability. Connecting with current debates concerned with work and identity, the book will present a range of theoretical and empirical accounts of the dilemmas and issues facing specialists in various organizational arenas as they seek to adapt to the challenges of organizational and cultural transformation. Contributions offer innovative and sophisticated theoretical engagements which draw upon various perspectives, including those of post-structuralism, feminism, post-marxism and post-modernism.

How do firms live through and experience change? The authors examine four high-technology firms, providing a rich analysis of their routines, and illustrating how people are continually engaged with change. The book develops a broader concept of routine, and identifies the persistence of routine practices at a strategic level.

Mutuality has become a topic of debate recently for a whole range of academics and social commentators. The 'demutualisation' of banks and building societies has been partnered by the idea of a 'new mutualism' , forming a set of social values and beliefs, and this collection looks at the manifestations of these trends and the implications for the future.

This book provides an economic and econometric analysis of real estate investment and real estate market behaviour. Peijie Wang examines fluctuations in the real estate business to reveal the mechanisms governing the interactions between the industry and other sectors of the economy.

Managing suppliers is a complex process that is often underestimated. This book presents research carried out by a practising manager in the automotive industry, coupled with over six hundred interviews with representatives from the automotive, aircraft and white goods industries, in order to describe the tools and techniques needed to better manage suppliers. The work offers a specification perspective, and includes analysis of models for outsourcing, visions for suppliers for capacity building, meaning of specification flow and the future of managing suppliers, including systems supply and digital procurement.

Supply Chains, Markets and Power takes resource-based thinking forward by stressing the need for a dynamic and entrepreneurial conception of resource acquisition and management. This book will be essential reading for all those with a professional or academic interest in supply chain management.

This collection draws on international comparisons from the main industrialized countries in a key field - the construction industry. One only has to walk around almost any major city in the industrialized economies of the world to see how well the construction industry is doing and this study is a timely analysis of a growing field.This genuinely internationally focused book has contributions from leading experts and academics in the sphere of construction.This well-written, informative collection is a must-read book for advanced students, academics and professionals who are serious about the industrial economics and the construction industry.

This exhaustive study from an experienced and respected set of editors and authors looks at the impact that universities have on their surroundings, with particular reference to regional development. With contributions from such leading scholars as Peter Maskell and Gunnar Törnqvist, this book will be of great interest to students and academics involved in regional economics, economic geography and innovation studies.

Developed from a study commissioned by the European Capital Markets Institute, this book examines the impact of private equity and capital markets on the development of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the United States and the European Union. It also seeks to understand the nature of institutional policy towards SMEs and the extent to which it can aid development.This volume offers a strong introduction, glossary and international case-studies to aid the reader's understanding, and has a broad appeal within finance, economics and business.

Industrial issues are often inextricably linked with labour market concerns and policy approaches that attempt to consider production and employment separately are inherently flawed."This controversial statement sums up the heart of this important book. With contributions from such scholars as Keith Cowling, Malcolm Sawyer and Michael Kitson, Industrial and Labour Market Policy and Performance covers such topics as:* the increasing inequality between rich and poor* the links between innovation, competition and collaboration* education, skills formation and human resource managementThe evidence-led nature of the book will make it an important and useful read for students and academics involved in labour economics, industrial economics and industrial policy. The controversial findings of many of the chapters and its readable style will also appeal to informed policy commentators as well as policy-makers themselves.

This revealing book examines different types of network industries such as railways, telecommunications and new media, and investigates their economics with an accent on history makes it stand apart from others in the area. Hans Göttinger's accessible writing style and knowledgeable research makes this book recommended reading for all those interested in industrial, innovation and micro policy economics.

The rise to prominence of the service sector - heralded over half a century ago as the great hope for the twenty-first century - has come to fruition. In many cases, employment in the service sector now outnumbers that in manufacturing sectors, and it is accepted that in all developed countries, the service sector is the only one in which employment will grow in future. The reasons for this is the subject of much controversy and debate, the outcomes of which are not merely of academic interest but of decisive importance for economic policy and the quality of working and living conditions in future.In order to examine these various arguments, research teams from eight European countries worked together for three years on a comparative study of the evolution of service sector employment in EU member states. They also investigated working and employment conditions in five very different service industries (banking, retailing, hospitals, IT services and care of the elderly) in a number of countries, and the results of their research are presented in this informative new collection, of interest to students academics and researchers involved in all aspects of industrial economics.

Higher education rates are increasing throughout the Western world, yet at the same time, government budgets face increasing constraints. This has ensured that the importance of student support is recognized in many countries. In recent years there has been a world-wide movement towards the use of income contingent loans (ICL) for higher education. ICLs are now used in six countries following the Australian innovation of 1989, with the governments of many more countries looking very seriously at the model. This impressive new book by Bruce Chapman analyzes ICLs (particularly their use in supporting students), exploring the experiences of a number of other countries adopting them. Chapman presents analysis of a number of disparate case studies to illustrate how ICLs can aid risk management policy reforming in both progressive and administratively feasible ways.This book describes, examines and promotes an exciting new role for the public sector as a manager of risk, and argues that ICLs have enormous potential to change the extent and nature of social and economic activities. With the author's experience in the design and implementation of the Australian student financial support schemes, this is a knowledgeable, informative and enlightening book that will be useful to researchers, students and policy-makers alike.