The acquisition and management of information is central to the operation and marketing of many service-providing firms and other organizations. Their varied knowledge requirements influence approaches to organizational structure, relationships to other organizations, the location of operations, and entry into new markets. In this book, an international and interdisciplinary team of leading scholars examines the attributes of knowledge acquisition and diffusion within and across service-providing organizations. Using a variety of case examples, they pay particular attention to the processes of internationalization and the ways in which service-providing organizations affect regional economic development.

Service business accounts for more than 75 per cent of the wealth and employment created in most developed market economies. The management and economics of service business is based around selling expertise, knowledge and experiences. This Handbook co

Analyses trends in the offshoring of R&D, examines its drivers and motivations, and identifies implications for innovation policy.

Design plays an increasingly important role in the competitiveness of firms. Increasingly price-based competition is being replaced by business models based around design and added value. Given the importance of design in corporate competitiveness, this book explores the importance of industrial design within the contemporary economy.

"This book covers theoretical, thematic, and country-specific issues of knowledge cities to underline the growing importance of KBUD all around the world, providing substantive research on the decisive lineaments of urban development for knowledge-based production (drawing attention to new planning processes to foster such development), and worldwide best practices and case studies in the field of urban development"--Provided by publisher.