By analyzing the practical sources of competitiveness of more than one hundred small firms in the computer, machinery, building, electrical and electronics, instruments, chemicals and food industries, the book explains the coexistence of large economies of scale and the resurgence of small firms.

Product Description: 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...read more

Product Description: A Homeowner's Guide to the Custom Home Building Process introduces the new homeowner to the paperwork and processes that it takes to build a home from the ground up. The Homeowner's Guide walks you through contractor selection, bidding and contract administration, all the way to project completion...read more

Work occupies a pivotal role in the daily activities and over the course of a lifetime of members of modern societies. In anticipation, work influ­ ences education and training; it has much to do with shaping current earned income and status in the community; and in retrospect, it influ­ ences retirement income and activities. It is a powerful force affecting personal associations. In our society work is deeply encased in moral and religious values: As Poor Richard says, A Life of Leisure and a Life of Laziness are two Things. Do you imagine that Sloth will afford you more Comfort than Labour? No, for as Poor Richard says: ... Industry gives Comfort, and Plenty and Respect. Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. But few words have as many different meanings and nuances as "work": to forge or to shape, to stir or to knead, to solve, to exploit, to practice trickery for some end, to excite or to provoke, to persuade or to influence, to toil, and the like. A need for precision in meaning is requisite with respect to work, not only in common discourse, but, even more so, in scholarly communication.

The economic literature regarding firm behaviour, market structure and their interactions within the economic system has greatly developed during recent years. Furthermore, there is no doubt that the radical changes which have occurred in the international economic picture, regarding the system of relative prices, technologies, organization, the availability of new materials and new production factors, the eruption of new production entities, the progressive 'globalization' of markets have all brought about 'genetic' changes in the way firms behave, in the structure and forms of markets and, consequently, in the economic systems themselves at a national level.In such a complex picture, it is difficult to weave together all the strands. It would certainly be over-ambitious to pretend to blend such a complex mixture of theoretical contributions and empirical experiences which ultimately touch one of the most 'sensitive' points of economic analysis: the need to unify micro- and macro-economics. This unification, although difficult to construct from a theoretical point of view, is in effect imposed by the reality of markets and economic systems in which 'the economists' themselves are in fact immersed.The book has three main objectives: to provide an up-dated analysis of the most important theoretical developments in the field of oligopoly and the economics of the firm; to present significant empirical verifications; and to assess the micro-macro debate and the relations which link the market structure to the function of the economic system.

The economic literature regarding firm behaviour, market structure and their interactions within the economic system has greatly developed during recent years. Furthermore, there is no doubt that the radical changes which have occurred in the international economic picture, regarding the system of relative prices, technologies, organization, the availability of new materials and new production factors, the eruption of new production entities, the progressive 'globalization' of markets have all brought about 'genetic' changes in the way firms behave, in the structure and forms of markets and, consequently, in the economic systems themselves at a national level.In such a complex picture, it is difficult to weave together all the strands. It would certainly be over-ambitious to pretend to blend such a complex mixture of theoretical contributions and empirical experiences which ultimately touch one of the most 'sensitive' points of economic analysis: the need to unify micro- and macro-economics. This unification, although difficult to construct from a theoretical point of view, is in effect imposed by the reality of markets and economic systems in which 'the economists' themselves are in fact immersed.The book has three main objectives: to provide an up-dated analysis of the most important theoretical developments in the field of oligopoly and the economics of the firm; to present significant empirical verifications; and to assess the micro-macro debate and the relations which link the market structure to the function of the economic system.

Product Description: "Breakthrough Partnering should be required reading for anyone involved in supply management or training." - Paul Brault, Corporate Director of Supplier/Customer Training Motorola University "Breakthrough Partnering is loaded with contemporary examples of supplier partnerships and it contrasts them with the 'old time religion' of bidding, leverage, and voluminous planning...read more

Product Description: Free to succeed . . .Whether in troubled economic times or during years of prosperity, there is a proven way for companies to boost productivity, profits, and growth. Remarkably, it costs nothing––whether cost is measured in terms of monetary resources or time– –and is simply based on the belief that, if only people can be free to act in the best interests of their company, the results will be tremendous...read more

Product Description: This book analyzes the relative importance of small firms in developed Western nations and Eastern Europe, identifying their exact role and how this role has evolved over the past fifteen years. It reveals that there has been a consistent shift away from large firms and toward small enterprises within the manufacturing sectors of all Western countries, while the role of small firms in Eastern European nations has been remarkably restricted, suggesting that a major challenge for reform in Central and Eastern Europe is to create the strong entrepreneurial sector that exists in the West...read more

Product Description: This book analyzes the relative importance of small firms in developed Western nations and Eastern Europe, identifying their exact role and how this role has evolved over the past fifteen years. It reveals that there has been a consistent shift away from large firms and toward small enterprises within the manufacturing sectors of all Western countries, while the role of small firms in Eastern European nations has been remarkably restricted, suggesting that a major challenge for reform in Central and Eastern Europe is to create the strong entrepreneurial sector that exists in the West...read more

Analyzing the performance of the world's most successful growth companies, a critical study refutes common myths and presents a host of contrarian insights, solutions, and helpful guidelines on how to transform a company from the ordinary to the elite.

"Business: An Integrative Approach, 3e", by Fry, Stoner, and Hattwick is the most integrative introduction to business book on the market. It is built around how business works. The authors start with the mission and vision, look at indicators of success, the assessment of environmental influences, the decisions business leaders must make, and the evaluation of those decisions. Thus, the book parallels how people think in business. The topics covered in the text are contemporary: cross-functional teams, customer-centered thinking, the use of technology both inside the company and between the company and its customers, the role of stakeholders in business decision-making, the need for quality. The authors have added a discussion of crisis decision-making - a compelling need in the current business and social environment. They look at the environment that business faces but treat them from the perspective of how they really affect businesses rather than from an isolated view that is unrelated to other chapters in the text. "Business: An Integrative Approach, 3e" is as integrative as possible. While the functional areas of business are discussed, they have been de-emphasized. The focus then is rather on how business leaders use those resources and the information around them to make decisions leading to successful strategies. Rather than talk about finance, human resources, and production for example, the authors discuss the acquisition of resources that allow the company to function efficiently and effectively. The entire text (its content and pedagogy) is oriented around the big picture for the company - the authors ask readers to look a business as a system that is bound together into inter-related activities.

Likening successful decentralized companies to a starfish that can survive and grow even if its parts are separated, a reference for organizational leaders draws on the examples of such companies as eBay, Sun, and GE to reveal the potential of alternate organizations. Reprint.

We wrote this book to help students learn about industrial organization. As the field of industrial organization has changed over the past two decades, the industrial organization courses we teach at Colgate University and Hamilton College have evolved as well; this book reflects much of what we have learned by teaching. Industrial organization has moved from being primarily empirically oriented to relying more extensively on sophisticated theoretical models. In keeping with this change, this text uses game theory as a unifying method of analysis of firm and industry conduct. Yet, as the transition from an empirical to a theoretical orientation has occurred, we have feared a loss of the valuable empirical tradition on which the field has been built. Over time we have become convinced that our students have learned best when we presented them with both the modern theory of industrial organization and an array of empirical examples of industry behavior and performance.

Strategic alliances are increasingly common, as many organizations look towards various partnering arrangements. This second edition of Strategies of Cooperation extends the first edition's clear and comprehensive survey of strategic alliances. Presenting different disciplinary perspectives (economics, strategy, organization theory) and numerous examples from the corporate world. The text has been thoroughly revised and updated, taking account of new theoretical models, and its coverage of case studies has been extended. It will be ideal for business students and managers alike wishing to understand the challenges of managing alliances.

Product Description: New product. Never used!