Innovation involves a set of processes which support the production and transformation of knowledge into new processes, technologies and products, goods and services, and provide an organization with particular strengths and value relative to other firms. In such a view, innovation is a key source of customer benefits and sustainable competitive advantage. Technological, Managerial and Organizational Core Competencies: Dynamic Innovation and Sustainable Development investigates the impact of knowledge management, information systems, finance, organizational networks, internationalization, strategic management, marketing, entrepreneurship, and sustainability on an organization that pursues dynamic innovation and sustainable advantage. This book provides research and practice for graduate and undergraduate programs, as well as business firms with different technological, managerial, and organizational perspectives. Further Description from the Editors: This book represents the culmination of an international project to compile inter-disciplinary research that most contributes to innovation. More specifically, this book is about innovation in firms, industries, nations and society. It speaks to professionals and researchers who want to improve their understanding of dynamic innovation and sustainable development. The Editors’ goal is to foster cross-pollination among researchers. To this aim, the Editors have selected and assembled 35 chapters that illustrate multidisciplinary theoretical perspectives and empiric results on innovation and the roles of Sustainability, Organizational Networks, Entrepreneurship, Knowledge Management, R&D&T (Research, Development and Technology) Management, Marketing, Finance, Internationalization, and Information Systems in the organization that pursues dynamic innovation and sustainable development. Innovation involves processes, organizational elements (or resources), and Organizational Abilities (OA) that support the production and transformation of knowledge into new knowledge, processes, structures, technologies and products, goods and services. At the firm and industry levels of analysis, innovation can provide organizations with strengths relative to other firms, clusters, and nations and it is a key source of customer benefits and sustainable development. At the collective and societal levels of analysis, innovation can provide humanity with economic, social and environmental wealth through sustainable development. The uniqueness of this book lies in the participants’ efforts to identify Organizations' Creative Areas (OCA) that can provide core competencies for the organization in pursuit of dynamic innovation and sustainable development. In this perspective, innovation is a dynamic system and it is contingent upon a set of core competencies that couple to each other. Therefore, changing of even one competence can affect the organization's ability to innovate. The book avoids the term competitive advantage and adopts a more fruitful perspective of sustainable development – “the process of achieving human development … in an inclusive, connected, equitable, prudent, and secure manner”. An inclusive perspective sees traditional competitive advantage as occupying one extreme, whereas truly sustainable development occupies the opposite extreme. Sustainable development must benefit not only the organization and its customers, but also the whole society and the future of humanity through sustainability. Most chapters of this book fall between these extremes.

This Handbook strives to enhance knowledge and application within sustainability in management education (SiME) across different academic programs, geographic regions and personal/professional contexts. Cross-disciplinary and boundary-spanning, this book focuses on specific themes and is therefore split into four distinct sections: one on theory and practice, one on transformational interventions in business programs, one on the role of external agents and the last on innovative approaches in SiME.

One of the most reprinted articles in the history of the Harvard Business Review, “The Core Competence of the Corporation” challenged and redefined traditional concepts of management strategy in an increasingly global and competitive market. Prahalad and Hamel base their 1990 argument on a comparison of case studies.

C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel’s 1990 The Core Competence of the Corporation helped redefine traditional ideas of management strategy. It did so by focusing companies on one of the key critical thinking skills: evaluation. In critical thinking, evaluation is all about judging the strengths and weaknesses of arguments – assessing their reasoning and the relevance or adequateness of the evidence they use. For Prahalad and Hamel, companies could gain a competitive edge by evaluating themselves: their own strengths and weaknesses. By sensitively evaluating core competencies – the collective knowledge inside the organization that distinguishes it from other corporations – they could target efforts and resources with strategic focus. For Prahalad and Hamel, managers need to be able to identify and evaluate their company’s unique skill sets, and the technologies that distinguish them from others businesses. How well they then coordinate these elements defines a company’s competitive strength and how quickly it can adapt to new challenges. As Prahalad and Hamel showed in their case studies, the critical thinking skill of evaluation – knowing what you do best, how well you do it, and how you might improve – is absolutely central to staying ahead of the crowd.

Due to natural factors and human activity, nature has been changing since the beginning of time. As the environment continuously undergoes such transitions, it is necessary for society to understand the complex interdependency between nature and humanity to promote global sustainability. Promoting Global Environmental Sustainability and Cooperation is a pivotal reference source featuring the latest scholarly research on the rising awareness of environmental issues and their relationships with sustainable development. While highlighting topics including global governance, international business, and sustainable consumption, this book is ideally designed for environmentalists, developers, policy makers, academicians, researchers, and graduate-level students seeking current research on the globalized world in relation to environmental issues.

Across a variety of disciplines, data and statistics form the backbone of knowledge. To ensure the reliability and validity of data appropriate measures must be taken in conducting studies and reporting findings. Innovations in Measuring and Evaluating Scientific Information provides emerging research on the theoretical base of scientific research and information literacy. While highlighting topics, such as bibliographical databases, forensic research, and trend analysis, this book explores visualization tools, software, and techniques for science mapping and scientific literature. This book is an important resource for scientific researchers, policy makers, research funding agencies, and students.

As nanoscale research continues to advance, scientists and engineers are developing new applications for many different disciplines, including environmental remediation and energy optimization. Nanotechnology Applications for Improvements in Energy Efficiency and Environmental Management combines up-to-date research findings and relevant theoretical frameworks on the subject of micro-scale technologies being used to promote environmental sustainability. Highlighting the impacts this technology has on energy production and remediation, this book is an all-inclusive reference source for professionals and researchers interested in understanding the multi-disciplinary applications of nanotechnology and nanoscience.

Business development in the contemporary world takes place in an economically, politically, and socially complex environment. Today, it is necessary to recognize the tremendous cultural diversity of the world and it is essential to consider the specific cultural values in managerial strategy and business practice worldwide. Organizational Culture and Behavioral Shifts in the Green Economy provides emerging research on the relationships between organizations in the context of culture and diversity within a sustainable economy. This book provides important insights into topics such as circular economy, green advertising, and sustainable development. Additionally, it addresses the significance of concepts such as culture, organizational culture, individual culture, and the style of leadership, which have been the concern of many management professionals and scholars. This publication is a vital resource for business managers, professionals, practitioners, students, and researchers seeking current research on the impact of organizational culture and behavioral shifts on sustaining a green economy.

Organizations and businesses are applying sustainable development concepts in their management strategies in order to improve and rethink products, processes, services, and policies which will have significant potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, excess consumption, and improve the quality of lives. Cases on the Diffusion and Adoption of Sustainable Development Practices is a collection of case studies on the concepts and theories of successful sustainable practices. It also identifies key mechanisms and strategies that have allowed the successful diffusion of these practices into communities, regions and nations around the world. This reference source is essential for professionals, researchers, educators and leaders in pursuit of innovative solutions in sustainable development.

The proliferation of entrepreneurship, technological and business innovations, emerging social trends and lifestyles, employment patterns, and other developments in the global context involve creative destruction that transcends geographic and political boundaries and economic sectors and industries. This creates a need for an interdisciplinary exploration of disruptive technologies, their impacts, and their implications for various stakeholders widely ranging from government agencies to major corporations to consumer groups and individuals. Disruptive Technology: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications is a vital reference source that examines innovation, imitation, and creative destruction as critical factors and agents of socio-economic growth and progress in the context of emerging challenges and opportunities for business development and strategic advantage. Highlighting a range of topics such as IT innovation, business strategy, and sustainability, this multi-volume book is ideally designed for entrepreneurs, business executives, business professionals, academicians, and researchers interested in strategic decision making using innovations and competitiveness.