The world is always expanding with people, ideas, and technology. Global business looks to capitalize on the successes of modern society and the range of products and services people look for around the world. As people and cultures change, so do the products and services they look for. In addition to producing and marketing new products for consumers, businesses create jobs and spur local growth in infrastructure. As change goes, so do the industries surrounding it; businesses must be ready to adapt to new technologies, products, and consumers.
That is why Information Science Reference is pleased to offer this four-volume reference collection that will empower students, researchers, and academicians with a strong understanding of critical issues within global business by providing both extensive and detailed perspectives on cutting-edge theories and developments. This reference serves as a single, comprehensive reference source on conceptual, methodological, technical, and managerial issues, as well as providing insight into emerging trends and future opportunities within the discipline.
Global Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications is organized into eight distinct sections that provide comprehensive coverage of important topics. The sections are: (1) Fundamental Concepts and Theories, (2) Development and Design Methodologies, (3) Tools and Technologies, (4) Utilization and Application, (5) Organizational and Social Implications, (6) Managerial Impact, (7) Critical Issues, and (8) Emerging Trends. The following paragraphs provide a summary of what to expect from this invaluable reference tool.
Section 1, Fundamental Concepts and Theories, serves as a foundation for this extensive reference tool by laying the groundwork within the subject matter, and addressing crucial theories essential to the understanding of global business. The book opens with Marketing Strategy, Technology and Modes of Entry in Global Retailing by Rajagopal, breaking down how new businesses can enter their respective markets with proper strategy and best practices in place to allow substantive growth. The section also contains Engagement, Immersion, and Learning Cultures by Christopher Keesey, offering a guide to avoiding common pitfalls while suggesting a plan for maximum training benefit in virtual world implementations. Another among the vital chapter selections is Strategic Intellectual Capital Management in Multinational Organizations by Tomas M. Banegil Palacios and Ramon Sanguino Galvan, moving out of the fundamental concepts and into some critical theory on intellectual capital management.
Section 2, Development and Design Methodologies, presents in-depth coverage of the conceptual design and architecture of global business, focusing on aspects such as IT strategy, supply chain management, knowledge governance, and business models. Designing and implementing effective processes and strategies are the focus of such chapters as Robust Strategic Planning Employing Scenario Planning and Fuzzy Inference System by Payam Hanafizadeh, Ali Hashemi, and Esmael Salahi Parvin, or Linking Information Technology, Knowledge Management, and Strategic Experimentation by V. K. Narayanan. The section also contains such revolutionary methodological suggestions as those found in A Reverse Auction-Based E-Business Model for B2C Service Markets by Tobias Kollmann. For those in strategic planning departments of their businesses, this section provides a vital reference of the latest research in the design and development of planning and growth of your business.
Section 3, Tools and Technologies, shows how new devices and models can be implemented into the growth of global business. This comprehensive section includes such chapters as On-Line Credit Card Payment Processing and Fraud Prevention for e-Business by Wichian Premchaiswadi and James G. Williams, breaking down security measures involved in account payment and credit card processing, and Achieving Electric Restoration Logistical Efficiencies During Critical Infrastructure Crisis Response by Murray E. Jennex, Robert Judge, Eric Frost, and Teresa Durbin, an important look into crisis management and the role business infrastructure (especially within the energy sector) must play in the process. Another fantastic chapter in section 3 is Learning Organizations or Organizations for Learning? How Small Firms can Learn from Planned and Random Technical Problem-Solving by Corrado lo Storto, detailing knowledge management and learning strategies for keeping employees informed and sharp in critical thinking. The section contains a diverse selection of the latest strategies, tools, and technologies that businesses have begun to adopt around the globe.
Section 4, Utilization and Application, describes how various strategies and technologies in global business have been utilized and offers insight on important lessons for their continued use and evolution. This section is filled with case studies and research from leading industry members around the world, including selections such as The ‘Knock-on' Effect of E-Business upon Graphic Design SMEs in South Wales by Lyndon Murphy, Joanna Jones, Huw Swayne, and Brychan Thomas; Lessons Learned from the NASA Astrobiology Institute by Lisa Faithorn and Baruch S. Blumberg; and even as diverse as Exploring Organizational Learning and Knowledge Exchange through Poetry by Louise Grisoni. Section 4 has the broadest range of topics, the largest volume of chapters, and contains works from authors from over a dozen countries.
Section 5, Organizational and Social Implications, discusses the human impact on global business, and how people influence the decision making and directions that companies take, with topics including human resource management, synergy, information transfer, and many more. The section includes chapters such as Trust, Virtual Teams, and Grid Technology by Genoveffa Giambona, Nicholas L.J. Silburn, and David W. Birchall, detailing the importance of employee trust and security measures in place in networked technologies within a business. Another representative chapter is The Multicultural Organization by Tongo Constantine Imafidon, part of a group of chapters on culture in business. Closing out section five is The Benefits of Home-Based Working's Flexibility by Diana Benito Osorio, which, as the title suggests, compiles benefits of home business and strategies for growth in small and home businesses.
Section 6, Managerial Impact, presents focused coverage of global business as it relates to managerial improvements and considerations in the workplace. In Assessment Strategies for Servant Leadership Practice in the Virtual Organization, Darin R. Molnar writes about “servant leadership,” a method gaining popularity in recent decades as a management technique, and its integration into virtual organizations. Prioritizing Corporate R&D Capabilities by Hui-Ru Chi, Pei-Ju Yu, and Yuan-Chieh Chang offers strategies and lessons learnt about the importance of research and development, with surveys from managers of different industries relaying their findings. An always vital topic in management is succession, and Managerial Succession and E-Business by Anthonia Adenike Adeniji closes out section 6.
Section 7, Critical Issues, addresses vital issues related to global business, including ethics, security, digital divide, intellectual capital, the role of culture and gender, and business as social enterprise. Chapters such as An Aristotelian View of Knowledge for Knowledge Management by David Schwartz break down new theoretical insights in knowledge management, from a viewpoint not often considered within business development and management. The section has a broad range of critical, theoretical, and analytical topics, and closes out with two fascinating chapters: Against Strong Copyright in E-Business by D. E. Wittkower and The Structure of Theory and the Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Steven E. Wallis. These two chapters take sometimes marginalized or ignored topics and show their vital relevance to global business as ways of understanding how such things as intellectual property or organizational (r)evolution can inhibit or shape growth.
Section 8, Emerging Trends, highlights areas for future research within the field of global business, while exploring new avenues for the advancement of the discipline. This section holds chapters such as The Global Telecommunications Industry Facing the IP Revolution by Harald Gruber, discussing how Internet Protocols are changing, and what businesses inside and outside the telecommunications industry must do to adapt and grow. Another emerging topic is covered in Organizational Password Policy by Alex Ozoemelem Obuh and Ihuoma Sandra Babatope, wherein the authors discuss the importance of keeping strict security measures such as password protection within businesses. As technology expands, and knowledge management grows into distance learning and cultural integration, chapters such as Tailor-Made Distance Education as a Retention Strategy: The "Learning at the Workplace" Program in Thailand by Prathurng Hongsranagon become vital resources for managers of global businesses.
Although the primary organization of the contents in this multi-volume work is based on its eight sections, offering a progression of coverage of the important concepts, methodologies, technologies, applications, social issues, and emerging trends, the reader can also identify specific contents by utilizing the extensive indexing system listed at the end of each volume. Furthermore to ensure that the scholar, researcher, and educator have access to the entire contents of this multi volume set as well as additional coverage that could not be included in the print version of this publication, the publisher will provide unlimited multi-user electronic access to the online aggregated database of this collection for the life of the edition, free of charge when a library purchases a print copy. This aggregated database provides far more contents than what can be included in the print version, in addition to continual updates. This unlimited access, coupled with the continuous updates to the database ensures that the most current research is accessible to knowledge seekers.
As a comprehensive collection of research on the latest findings related to multinational and multicultural enterprises, Global Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications, provides researchers, administrators, and all audiences with a complete understanding of the development of applications and concepts in global business. Given the vast number of issues concerning usage, failure, success, policies, strategies, and applications of global business in organizations, Global Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications addresses the demand for a resource that encompasses the most pertinent research in global business development, deployment, and impact.