The proposed book is intended to provide a conceptual framework of ‘Organisational Flexibility and Competitiveness’ supported by research studies in various types of flexibilities exhibited by an organisation. The need for enterprise flexibility in an era of rapidly advancing technology, increasing competition, and globalization, is apparent. Flexibility can be thought of as an ability of the enterprise to quickly and efficiently respond to market changes and to bring new products and services quickly to the market place. Beyond this definition, a truly flexible enterprise should proactively change the market through its ability to create truly new and innovative products and services. The book applies the concept of flexibility to various functional areas: strategy and competitiveness, organization and HR management, information systems, finance and risk management, operations and supply chain management.

In the past, family-owned and operated businesses contributed greatly to the economy. Now, however, these types of entrepreneurship models are almost nonexistent due to large, corporate companies taking control of the market. For the family trade to survive, those in the industry need to research strategies specifically designed for family businesses. The Handbook of Research on Entrepreneurial Leadership and Competitive Strategy in Family Business is a collection of innovative research on business and leadership strategies that can be applied to family firms in order to boost efficiency, competitiveness, and optimal use of resource allocation to compete internationally. While highlighting topics including global leadership, knowledge creation, and market performance, this book is ideally designed for business managers, management professionals, executives, researchers, academicians, and students seeking current research on the entrepreneurship role of family businesses in the modern economic age.

Contributed papers presented at a conference.

How do managers reconcile the conflicting forces of change and stability? How do they promote order and control, while having to learn to innovate and respond? This book shows how for many firms flexibility has become the new strategic challenge

Innovations in Competitive Manufacturing is an examination of manufacturing innovations - both technical and knowledge-based. Over the recent past, technology has created dramatic changes in manufacturing. As a result, the book focuses on the use of technology in gaining competitive advantage in global manufacturing. Forty topics are surveyed in the book, organized into thirteen chapters. Each topic is a carefully written account by one or more leading researchers in that area. This is the first systematic examination of the recent innovations in manufacturing strategy and technology. In addition to providing an understanding of these manufacturing innovations, the book underscores the strategic importance of creating and sustaining the technological resources to ensure a stable manufacturing economic base. The book's purpose is to examine the elements that make today's manufacturers successful. Many examples from industry throughout the book will enable the reader to appreciate and comprehend the concepts presented in the article. In addition to the technical and innovative information, implementation issues concerning new ideas and manufacturing practices are explored within the topical discussions. Four in-depth descriptions of real-life cases provide illustration of key principles. The book has been constructed as a reference tool for manufacturing researchers, students, and practitioners. Hence, after reading the introduction `Innovation in Competitive Manufacturing: From JIT to E-Business', any section or topic in the book can be consulted and/or read in any sequence the reader may choose.

Many companies refuse to face the reality that their businesses are in trouble or that their strategic positions are wrong. Whether a product line is no longer profitable, foreign competition has slowed growth, or technological changes have left them behind, many otherwise well-managed companies hang on for too long to the status quo. In this inflexible posture, managements time and talent go to waste, assets grow sterile, and technology falls behind. This book will help managers overcome the exit barriers that hamper strategic flexibility. Based on innovative studies of 192 firms within Sixteen industries, the ideas presented here are applicable to almost any industry and any type of firm. Harrigan discusses the major strategic decisions facing executives today, including guerrilla strategies of underdog competitors, entry and exit barriers, the use of joint ventures to cope with the uncertainties created by erratic growth, and the management of change. She focuses on the shortcomings of vertical integration, developing a framework for better make-or-buy decisions. The effects of exit barriers on firms' strategic flexibility are detailed, and managerial tools to cope with high barriers and declining businesses are introduced. "Strategic Flexibility" is organized to provide easy reference for managers seeking to find out what strategies have worked and why. This book offers practical, proven ways for managers to expand the flexibility and responsiveness of their companies to new competitive conditions.

The book focuses on key emerging areas concerning flexible systems management as an approach for transforming organizations. It is divided into three parts, discussing Enterprise Flexibility and Performance Management; Transformational Strategies and Organizational Competitiveness; and Supply Chain Flexibility. Part I addresses the integration aspects of learning, innovation, and entrepreneurship for organizational success, performance gains through cross-border acquisitions, flexibility measurement, and organizational competitiveness, impact of disinvestment, employability gaps and sustainable growth. Part II then examines risk governance structure, supporting culture, channel collaboration, waste management, IT-based process re-engineering, HR flexibility and adoption of big data as transformational strategies. Lastly, the third part investigates the development of a framework for a green flexible manufacturing system, measuring the effect of supply chain design on firm performance, exploring and ranking logistics service providers’ best practices, and exploring the relationship between optimism and career planning in the context of manufacturing sector, and analyzes customers’ emotional engagement and their inclinations towards the brand. The concept of flexibility is a common thread running through the three parts. The book is supported by both quantitative- and qualitative-based research as well as case applications relating to different areas of government and profit and not for profit organizations. Written by leading academics and practitioners, it is a useful resource for management students, scholars, consultants and practicing managers in both government and corporate sectors.