Business Strategies And Competitiveness In Times Of Crisis

This book focuses on the relationship between business strategy and competition among Italian SMEs in the aftermath of the economic crisis. First examining business strategy and competitive advantage in a broader sense, Business Strategies and Competitiveness in Times of Crisis goes on to analyse the strategic behaviour of SMEs and the key factors that allow them to overcome the challenges they face. The book covers wide-ranging topics such as marketing and communication strategies, internationalization process and entry modes, access to credit, networking, innovation process and human resources enhancement. Referring to insightful case studies and surveys conducted between 2011 and 2014, it reflects on managerial implications for Italian SMEs and identifies their three main competitive challenges.

As the world is currently in the midst of financial and economic crises, this collection of expert contributions focuses on strategy formation and implementation at various organizational levels to address the challenges ahead. The latest economic turmoil and its ongoing impact on business performance are compelling top managers to develop effective business strategies and redefine the boundaries of their operational and strategic activities. On one hand, tremendous challenges in the competitive business environment have become a source of global threats for many small entrepreneurs. On the other, investors faced with today’s volatile economic conditions demand more gains on their capital investments to counter-balance the growing risk of global threats. This book explores the question as to whether it is possible to efficiently and effectively address these threats and obstacles. Are managers capable of planning and implementing strategic actions? What should the major managerial strategy be in order to overcome fluctuations in a market-oriented society? The strategies and practices recommended here are aimed to design continuous development competencies and contribute to the stability, recovery and sustainability of global business operations under volatile economic conditions. This refreshingly novel book seeks to establish managerial strategies and practices for effectively responding to challenges in the competitive business environment, as global volatility and fluctuations continue to worsen.

This book is a timely guide for Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) researchers, policy makers and strategists. SMEs are the most important sources of job creation and local development especially in knowledge-based economies. As turbulence in the globalized economies expands SMEs will have to learn to sustain competitiveness by developing their ‘dynamic capabilities’. Based on the findings of a 4-year European and Latin American research project, this book provides a theoretical framework, practical instruments and cases on how SMEs in diverse economic, social and cultural contexts can develop crisis resilience, increase agility, innovate and thus successfully compete in turbulent times.

Crisis Management Strategy, first published in 1993, is an excellent introduction to the theory and practice of crisis management in modern enterprises. Simon Booth examines the conventional approaches followed by many firms in the face of change and crisis. He warns of the dangers of theories which oversimplify the causes of crisis and their possible solutions, and which overlook the individual nature of each firm and its environment. Instead, a dynamic new vision of crisis management is offered, which takes into account different kinds of crisis demanding diverse solutions. The key role of leadership is also evaluated in relation to both internally and externally generated crises. Drawing on case studies of leading firms facing crisis solutions in a variety of environments, this truly international volume will provide valuable insight into the experience of crisis, risk and uncertainty. This title will be of interest to students of business.

Strategy management has always been a crucial business aspect that a company must understand to remain successful in the business world. However, there are a number of different approaches that a company can employ in order to differentiate themselves from the competition. Knowledge Management for Competitive Advantage During Economic Crisis brings together the various approaches that affect the superiority of a company’s organizational performance and the gains they can make over their competitors. By focusing on concepts such as organizational learning and intellectual capital, this book is an indispensable reference source for researchers, practitioners, graduate students, and business managers interested in understanding what approaches are necessary to ensure superior organizational performance.

As the economy fluctuates, so does the need for resilient business practices. If organizations can remain strong and steady during difficult times, they will be more fruitful during successful periods as well. Managerial Strategies for Business Sustainability During Turbulent Times is a crucial resource that discusses successful methods and techniques for building sturdy company practices. Featuring pertinent topics such as sustainable supply chains, knowledge management, information sharing, and performance evaluations, this is an ideal scholarly reference source for CEOs, managers, business students, and researchers that would like to discover more unique and engaging ways to build a strong business foundation.

The discontinuation and turbulent nature of business environments make it crucial for organizations to adopt strategic management practices and develop key business policies to be alert to environmental changes. Organizational competitiveness has become the center of strategic management literature as an explanation for organizational success. However, in the past two decades, there has been a shift in the nature of the relationship between business organizations and society, with business organizations increasingly playing a more proactive role in wider societal issues. Strategic Management and International Business Policies for Maintaining Competitive Advantage allows executives to implement the necessary business policies and strategies in order to help the organization maintain a competitive advantage in a global complex environment. By doing this, organizations will be more proactive than reactive in shaping their own futures. This book allows organizations to initiate and influence activities. Covering topics such as ethical business marketing, leadership capabilities, and strategic management, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for business leaders and executives, managers, entrepreneurs, marketers, economists, government officials, students and educators of higher education, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

Current trends in business include recognition of a firms place as a part of an interconnecting social and business webevents such as a disaster affecting the firm have a ripple effect extending to shareholders, employees, suppliers, and consumers. During times of crisis, a firm must reestablish their business strategies and ethically provide for support of those constituents with whom it has encouraged a symbiotic relationship. The purpose of this report is to develop a means by which businesses may consider and completely address their business strategies in terms of operational, ethical, profitability, and constituent aspects in planning how to recover from a disaster or crisis that interrupts or impedes normal commerce.