The Commonwealth development Corporation (CDC) was launched with all-party support as one of the initiatives to build a better post-war world. After a troubled start it earned its role as Britain's development agency. The chairmanship of Lord Reith in the 1950s left a legacy of robust independence within the public sector framework. Few public sector businesses escaped privatisation by the Conservative Governments of the 1980s and 1990s, yet CDC was exempted. The first privatisation announcement of the New Labour Government in 1997 was in respect of CDC and enabling legislation has since been passed to provide for a long-term public-private partnership. The compatibility of a continuing development role with meeting the requirements of investors is still controversial as CDC adapts its operations to those of a private equity fund for emerging economies. Sir Michael McWilliam has written a study of institutional transformation that reflects changing perceptions of the role of development agencies. His membership of the CDC Board and access to its records give authority to this appraisal and to the discussion of the proposed privatisation.

'Business Development' provides a readable and practical book for the growth and development of businesses. This is primarily a textbook for the NVQ4 Business Development qualification, the Institute of Management Certificate in Owner Management courses, and HND Small business modules, but the text is also an invaluable practical guide to owner-managers of small businesses. All businesses pass through several stages of growth and it occurs for a number of reasons, such as change in the commercial market, increased customer demand for services or product, higher numbers of customers. Business Development shows how to make the most of this growth and also how to deal with the different types of problems that are encountered along the way. The book is structured to follow a logical sequence of questions that makes it readily accessible: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? What resources are needed to get there? What sales and marketing policies do we need to develop? It examines the personnel and staffing implications, the efficiency of the current financial management process, and the owner's own abilities to make it all happen. Most important of all it makes the owner-manager takes a long, hard look at the business and where it is really going.

Business and Development Studies: Issues and Perspectives provides a comprehensive collection of cutting-edge theoretical and empirical contributions to the emerging field of business and development studies. Compared to more traditional business-school accounts of business in developing countries which focus on the challenges and opportunities of doing business in developing countries, this anthology explores whether, how, and under what conditions business contributes to the achievement of economic, social, and environmental goals in developing countries. The book consolidates the current status of academic work on business and development, identifies state of the art in relation to this academic field, and establishes a future research agenda for ‘business and development studies’ as an emerging academic discipline within the social sciences. The book will be of interest to researchers and students, including economists, geographers, sociologists, political scientists, corporate social responsibility specialists, and development scholars who are seeking an in-depth overview of current debates about the role of business as a development agent in the Global South. The book is also of relevance to practitioners that are engaged in work with the private sector seeking to enhance the positive effects and minimize the negative economic, social, and environmental consequences of business activity in the Global South.

Growing a small business requires more than just sales Business Development For Dummies helps maximise the growth of small- or medium-sized businesses, with a step-by-step model for business development designed specifically for B2B or B2C service firms. By mapping business development to customer life cycle, this book helps owners and managers ensure a focus on growth through effective customer nurturing and management. It's not just sales! In-depth coverage also includes strategy, marketing, client management, and partnerships/alliances, helping you develop robust business practices that can be used every day. You'll learn how to structure, organise, and execute an effective development plan, with step-by-step expert guidance. Realising that you can't just "hire a sales guy" and expect immediate results is one of the toughest lessons small business CEOs have to learn. Developing a business is about more than just gaining customers – it's about integrating every facet of your business in an overarching strategy that continually works toward growth. Business Development For Dummies provides a model, and teaches you what you need to know to make it work for your business. Learn the core concepts of business development, and how it differs from sales Build a practical, step-by-step business development strategy Incorporate marketing, sales, and customer management in general planning Develop and implement a growth-enhancing partnership strategy Recognising that business development is much more than just sales is the first important step to sustained growth. Development should be daily – not just when business starts to tail off, or you fall into a cycle of growth and regression. Plan for growth, and make it stick – Business Development For Dummies shows you how.

Business Development: A Market-Oriented Perspective is designed to help enable market-oriented business developer to conceive, craft, and execute a superior business plan. The text is divided into three modules focusing on the market-oriented business developer's mindset, on providing a state-of-the-art toolbox for careful strategic analyses and decisions, and lastly on the critical aspects of business plans and their content. The approach is focused and selective in its choice of content and provides a cumulative development of the relevant topics. Each chapter includes an ‘implications for the market-oriented business developer' at the end to enhance a student's learning. The content is applicable to any new business venture and inherently international in its scope, and includes numerous real world examples that are taken from the author's own experience, as well as from the wider global business community.

This text charts business development over the last two centuries in the UK, the United States, Japan and Australia. It addresses enduring concerns for entrepreneurs and managers and demonstrates the value of a historical perspective from which to judge present day.

Raise the skill and competency level of project finance organizations Project Finance for Business Development helps readers understand how to develop a competitive advantage through project finance. Most importantly, it shows how different elements of project finance, such as opportunity screening and evaluation, project development, risk management, and due diligence come together to structure viable and financeable projects—which are crucial pieces missing from the current literature. Eliminating misconceptions about what is really important for successful project financings, this book shows you how to develop, structure, and implement projects successfully by creating competitive advantage. By shedding light on project finance failures, it also helps you avoid failures of your own. • Offers a roadmap for successful financing, participant roles and responsibilities, and assessing and testing project viability • Considers project finance from a broad business development and competitive advantage • Provides a strategic decision-forecasting perspective • Delves deeper than existing treatments of project finance into decisions needed to create and implement effective financing plans Helping readers develop, structure, and implement projects successfully by creating competitive advantage, this book is a useful tool for project sponsors and developers, helping them structure and implement projects by creating competitive advantage.