Long before the pandemic, economies across the world were in trouble, with growth slowing across the board. This downturn coincided with growing inequality and social exclusion. Rising political dissatisfaction with ruling elites fuelled the rise of populism. Add to this the alarming environmental emergency and few can deny we live in a time of multiple sustainability crises.While this conclusion can lead to despair, in this broad-ranging book Raphael Kaplinsky, a leading developme...

Globalization is characterised by persistent poverty and growing inequality. Conventional wisdom has it that this global poverty is residual – as globalization deepens, the poor will be lifted out of destitution. The policies of the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO echo this belief and push developing countries ever deeper into the global economy.Globalization, Poverty and Inequality provides an alternative viewpoint. It argues that for many – particularly for those living in Latin ...

Drawing on a large number of diverse sources, How China Disrupted Global Commodities comprehensively and systematically evidences the trends in the prices of different sets of commodities, analyses the drivers of China’s demand for commodities the factors constraining global supply and in the role which the financialisation of commodities is playing in constraining commodity production. It also documents and the growing role of China as a foreign investor in the commodities sectors. All of...

Japanese industry has shown its superiority in a range of traded goods sectors. It was thought that this competitive advantage arose from the use of electronics-based flexible automation technologies, but it is now clear that the major source of this industrial strength is in the development and diffusion of new management techniques such as just-in-time production and total quality management.A number of Western firms have begun to introduce these management techniques and have beg...

This book looks at the experience of 13 leading-edge European firms and institutions, drawn from the manufacturing services and health sectors. It shows how organisation has been the key to their productivity growth. It also shows that while Europe has much to learn from Japan and the USA, it has considerable expertise on which the production sector can grow.

"Expertly synthesizes economic theory and contemporary cases to both explain the structure of the contemporary media industry and shed insight on the significant challenges and controversies confronting the sector."- Lucy Küng, Oxford University and Jonkoping University"A wide-ranging, accessible introduction to media economics and their application to a broad range of media topics from advertising and business models to copyright, audience demand a...

The majority of textbooks on HRM tend to focus on the administrative side of the subject and fail to examine its strategic importance. This book is intended to redress the balance and, taking strategy as its starting point, it looks at the overall role of HRM in the organization. The author explores strategic human resource management through chapters on managing change in strategy, structure, and culture; the role of human resource planning, and types of employment system. He also reviews...

At a time when traditional funding is diminishing and costs increasing, the need to look to new external sources of money is now central to survival for many organizations. New avenues of funding often demand a new outlook, and old ways of thinking can prove to be barriers to success. This book looks not only at methods for raising funds, providing practical steps in preparing for new funding initiatives, but also at the attitudes and mind-sets that form part of the whole picture. The volu...

International in perspective, this volume provides insights into the important problem of how to transfer Japanese practice to Western countries. It also examines key aspects of Japanese multinationals and discusses how they are developing their global strategies and how they are managing their local workforces. Topics covered include relations with suppliers, governments and competitors, leadership patterns and business philosophy. The impact of Japanese multinationals on the local econom...

While much has been written on talent management in the global context, talent management in emerging markets, and the unique challenges and opportunities it presents, has received little attention in the literature. This book explores these issues through theory, practice and case studies, with contributions from scholars and practitioners based both in emerging markets and in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.The book provides the reader with a guide to setting up a t...

"A true master class in the art of making the impossible possible." —Paul PolmanOne of the most vexing human rights issues of our time has been how to protect the rights of individuals and communities worldwide in an age of globalization and multinational business. Indeed, from Indonesian sweatshops to oil-based violence in Nigeria, the challenges of regulating harmful corporate practices in some of the world’s most difficult regions long seemed insurmountable. Hum...

Commodities permeate virtually every aspect of modern daily living, but for all their importance -- their breadth, their depth, their intricacies, and their central role in daily life -- few people who are not economists or traders know how commodity markets work. Almost every day, newspaper headlines and media commentators scream warnings of impending doom -- shortages of arable land, clashes over water, and political conflict as global demand for fossil fuels outstrips supply. The pictur...