Global Competitiveness is a combination of concepts, case studies and practical ways on how to achieve and enhance competitiveness in any organisation. Achieving and enhancing competitiveness will lead companies to achieve high level of excellence. The book attempts to answer the 'What, who, when, and how' of Excellence, i.e. 'what' is excellence, 'who' are considered as excellent companies, 'when' a company is prepared to use tools/ frameworks and models to achieve excellence, 'how' strategic competitiveness can be enhanced using one of the most widely used tools, viz., Benchmarking. Business cases from across the globe of different industries have been used to demonstrate how companies have achieved competitiveness and thus enhanced their long-term competitive advantage to become excellent companies. The book has three parts, viz., concepts, business cases and tool for competitiveness. Competitiveness has been widely used in companies, but the understanding of the concept is not consistent across industry and academia. For instance, there are many models and frameworks across the globe, which generally companies use for evaluating and enhancing their competitiveness. Companies often tend to get drifted into the ocean of various models and frameworks and on one fine day adopt a model or framework, only to repent after few quarters or years, as the case may be. It follows what is called 'operation successful, but patient died' syndrome. Although all are good, the judgment of applying 'which' model/ framework and 'when' is very critical. This book throws light on how to choose and not choose various models and frameworks, which generally depends on the company's maturity level, context, and most importantly inherent culture of the company. This book has been designed in a way that it will help a reader to first understand the concept of competitiveness, get an idea of what companies have been doing across the globe to become competitive and then how it can use tools such as benchmarking and other models/ frameworks to build and enhance their own competitiveness. It has been written in a very simple language so that it can be easily read and applied as also can serve as a direction for prompting future thought processes in companies in their journey towards excellence.

Striving for and maintaining international competitiveness is the number one challenge facing U.S. corporations of the 1990s and beyond. The new realities of increased business competition, alliances, and interdependence manifest that globalization is no longer a corporate objective, but a way of business. How to Manage for International Competitiveness is an ideal sourcebook for companies desiring a competitive edge in the global marketplace. It provides vital information for executives and managers who must understand and be able to identify and manipulate the various parts essential for developing and maintaining a competitive edge worldwide. This volume provides needed practical guidance for improving firms’performances in competitive world markets. It outlines and analyzes managerial perceptions of competitiveness, and addresses how firms create and sustain competitive advantages while still conducting domestic affairs in a competent manner. Many topics are covered in this comprehensive book, including how effective managers recognize and cope with competition, how firms can and do choose differing strategies, and how successful international firms compete with global strategies involving trade, politics, and cultural factors. In working to improve organizational performance and setting future agendas, students and professors of international business, technology, and engineering; consultants; managers of multinational firms; and policymakers will find the topics discussed in this helpful volume most useful for understanding and achieving international competitiveness.

This book provides a thorough explanation of the evolution of international competitiveness theories and their economic and strategic implications. The theories range from classical theories such as Adam Smith's theory of absolute advantage, to new theories such as Michael Porter's diamond model.

In Lives Charmed: Intimate Conversations with Extraordinary People , writer Linda Sivertsten interviews many of the celebrities she came to know through being a professional dog-walker in Los Angeles. Her intention was to find people who were experiencing success in every area of life while living a purposeful and environmentally conscious existence. She wanted to discover the common thread in those who found a happy balance. Linda Siversten asks them about their fears, insecurities, and their spiritual discipli≠ whether and how they pray, and what they do to continue the good fortune in their lives. Read how celebrities such as Woody Harrelson, Leeza Gibbons, Arnold Palmer, Lord Robin Russell, Catherine Oxenberg, Robert A. Johnson, Beatrice Wood, Robert Townsend, Paul Williams and others answer the in-depth and personal questions that Linda Sivertsen presents.