This book argues that three powerful symbiotic forces (globalization, competitiveness, and governability) are disrupting business in the 21st century, resulting in an impact on the economic and business environment far greater than the effects of any of these three individually. Both globalization and competitiveness are governed essentially by market forces that force the introduction of significant changes aimed at increasing efficiency so that a better use may be made of the advantages of globalization (i.e., the traditional “invisible” hand). Responsibility for bringing about these changes lies not only with the private sector but also with the government (i.e., the “visible” hand). Readers will find in this book an explanation of how globalization, competitiveness, and governability define the context of global business.

This collection explores the connections between globalization, competitiveness and human security and their relevance for development studies. These issues, amongst others, are also explored in a number of case studies taken from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Globalization has been under extreme pressure in the wake of the financial crisis. Multinational firms are weighing the costs and benefits of international scale and scope, and are increasingly under pressure to hire local, to source local, and to pay taxes domestically. At the same time global competitive pressures have intensified. This book reviews international business practices from the multinational firm perspective, and provides pathways forward concerning competitiveness and sustainability in global markets. What sets this book apart from others is that the benefits and pitfalls of globalization are addressed. Chapter coverage focuses on the functional areas of the business and how they are impacted by international expansion. Practical case studies supplement chapter coverage and highlight both positive and negative developments in the global business arena. Readers should expect to be challenged on what will be the limits of the multinational firm in the future, and how multinational firms can continue to prosper while at the same time adhere to sustainable business initiatives. Equally useful to both undergraduate and graduate students of international business as well as professional development programs, Global Business: Competitiveness and Sustainability provides a necessary tonic for dealing with today’s troubled seas of globalization.

The key arguments and debates about globalization have raised searching questions about the significance of national and regional borders for the competitive strategies of individuals, firms and industries. Global Competitiveness and Innovation seeks to address these issues by exploring four key topics: The status of economic agents in the emerging global economy; the limits of path dependence and the scope of agent action; the relationship between agents' decision-making and their environments; and agents' learning capacities in a world of information and knowledge creation.

This volume is a compilation of the studies that underlie the synthesis report on global value chains, entitled Staying Competitive in the Global Economy: Moving Up the Value Chain.

This book evaluates the evolution of 'Big Business in Asia', as we enter the new millennium. It focuses on recent issues affecting large corporations, both indigenous and foreign owned, such as multinational companies and international joint ventures, as well as on key events such as the Asian Crisis and its aftermath, China's entry into the WTO, the recent downturn in the world economy and the onset of SARS. A special issue of the journal Asia Pacific Business Review.