Process-related considerations in strategy research and approaches to managerial cognition constitute two highly valuable, yet still only limitedly integrated, fields of interest in strategic management. To fill this void, the work starts from a cognitive perspective with the overall aim of examining the emergence of organisational strategies in strategic processes. The central research object 'strategy' is thereby conceptualized as shared strategic orientations among an organisation's key actors. The existing gap between strategy process research and cognitive strategy research is closed on a conceptual level first by developing and specifying a socio-cognitive perspective on strategic processes. In recognition of the central importance of social interactions in this context, the focus is then set on a specific core forum for strategic activities, i. e. strategic decision making groups. In this, the nature and the role of social interactions for the developing strategy-related knowledge structures is examined first conceptually, leading to the development of a socio-cognitive model on strategic decision making in groups, followed by a qualitative empirical study in this kind of activity forum. With its truly interdisciplinary nature, the dissertation is of interest for strategy scholars as it enlarges the pool of knowledge in strategic management both content-wise and also method(olog)ically with the innovative empirical research approach adopted. For practitioners contributions are made by detailing the different dimensions of strategic processes and hence sensitizing to important factors for careful overall process designs. At the micro level, concrete suggestions are derived for composing and instructing strategy teams in such a way as to allow for efficient interchanges during the discussions themselves, as well as to enable the effectiveness of these efforts beyond the specific group context and for the performance of the wider organisation.

This book applies cutting-edge methods from cognitive and evolutionary theories to develop models of conflict between hierarchically-structured cognitive entities under circumstances of imprecision, uncertainty and stress. Characterized as friction and the fog-of-war by the Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, such conditions impair institutional cognition in real-time conflict and pose a real and continuing threat to organizations, such as the US military. In a linked collection of formal essays and a mathematical appendix, the book explores different aspects of cognitive and evolutionary process as conducted under the direction of doctrine that acts as a kind of genome for retention of what is learned through Lamarckian evolutionary selection pressures: armies and corporate entities learn from conflict, and incorporate that learning into their ongoing procedures. The book proposes models and policy solutions for strategic competence. A central feature of the book is a formal description of the famous OODA loop of the US military theorist John Boyd in terms of the Data Rate Theorem that links control and information theories. That description is expanded to cover more fully the impact of stochastic fog-of-war effects on tactical and operational scales of conflict. Subsequent chapters examine in more detail the role of doctrine, and the particular effect of embedding culture on cognitive and Lamarckian evolutionary processes associated with conflict on tactical, operational, and strategic scales and levels of organization. A scientifically sophisticated exercise in applied mathematics, history, evolutionary theory, and ecosystem theory, this book will be appropriate for researchers and students interested in defense, security, and international relations, as well as non-academic career professionals in government and industry.

A scholarly book in Management, this book will appeal to those interested in the subject of cognition and its impact on organizational studies. Contributors include such famous names as James March and William Starbuck.

These proceedings represent the work of researchers presenting at the 16th European Conference on Knowledge Management (ECKM 2015). We are delighted to be hosting ECKM at the University of Udine, Italy on the 3-4 September 2015. The conference will be opened with a keynote from Dr Madelyn Blair from Pelerei Inc., USA on the topic “The Role of KM in Building Resilience”. On the afternoon of the first day Dr Daniela Santarelli, from Lundbeck, Italy will deliver a second keynote speech. The second day will be opened by Dr John Dumay from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. ECKM is an established platform for academics concerned with current research and for those from the wider community involved in Knowledge Management to present their findings and ideas to peers from the KM and associated fields. ECKM is also a valuable opportunity for face to face interaction with colleagues from similar areas of interests. The conference has a well-established history of helping attendees advance their understanding of how people, organisations, regions and even countries generate and exploit knowledge to achieve a competitive advantage, and drive their innovations forward. The range of issues and mix of approaches followed will ensure an interesting two days. 260 abstracts were initially received for this conference. However, the academic rigor of ECKM means that, after the double blind peer review process there are 102 academic papers, 15 PhD research papers, 1 Masters research papers and 7 Work in Progress papers published in these Conference Proceedings. These papers reflect the continuing interest and diversity in the field of Knowledge Management, and they represent truly global research from many different countries, including Algeria, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sultanate of Oman, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, The Netherlands, UK, United Arab Emirates, USA and Venezuela.

The field of strategic management has developed significantly since its birth from "business policy" and "business planning" in the 1960s. Pioneering studies were essentially normative, prescriptive, and often based on in-depth case studies. The evolution of strategic management into a respected field of academic study resulted from the adoption of research methods previously employed in economics. Today, research in strategic management is likely to employ a mixture of methods borrowed from related and unrelated disciplines, such as politcal sciences, psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics, which can be confusing to researchers new to the field. This book provides the reader with a broad introduction to the array of qualitative and quantitative research methods required to investigate strategic management. Throughout the book, strong emphasis is placed on practical applications that transcend the mere analysis of the theoretical roots of single research methods. The underlying result is a book that encourages and aids readers to "learn by doing" – in applying the implications of each chapter to their own research. This text is vital reading for postgraduate students and researchers focused on business strategy.

This book shows that sustainable development should be analysed and managed as an innovation journey in which social, technological, political and cultural dimensions become aligned. The ‘journey’ aspect captures the open and uncertain nature of sustainable developments and highlights the agency dimension, with actors navigating, negotiating, groping and struggling their way forward (and sometimes backward). The book addresses the following research questions: What are the key processes and micro-dynamics of innovation journeys? Which policy lessons can be drawn for managing sustainable innovation journeys? To conceptualize the multi-dimensional nature of innovation journeys the book draws on insights from industrial economics, evolutionary economics, sociology of technology, political science and cultural studies. The book develops several new conceptual frameworks that make different crossovers between these disciplines. These frameworks are empirically tested with case studies on biofuels, onshore wind power, low energy housing, photovoltaic solar cells, biomass and fuel cells. The empirical studies are also used to derive several robust lessons as to how policy makers can influence sustainable innovation journeys. This book was published as a special issue of Technology Analysis & Strategic Management.

Applying Social Cognition to Consumer-Focused Strategy, a book in the Advertising and Consumer Psychology series sponsored by the Society for Consumer Psychology, focuses on the most important recent developments at the interface of social cognition and marketing, and develops integrative theoretical frameworks with rich practical implications. More specifically, the chapters offer a novel and thought-provoking perspective on consumer-focused strategy--or the effects of marketing stimuli and activities on an integrated system of consumer processes and responses. Divided into four parts, this book: *offers new perspectives on consumer information processing, selective or one sided information processing, and attribution theory; *discusses how asking questions in focus groups, surveys, and experiments leads consumers to create opinions that would not have occurred to them otherwise; *advances a new approach for modeling uncertainty and a new framework for thinking about uncertainty; *summarizes recent developments concerning the Implicit Association Test and their implications for branding strategy; *develops a new approach for analyzing the effects of intention on behavior and unplanned purchase behaviors; *discusses the devaluation effect and shows both how implementation intentions can be used to increase new product consumption and also how promotion versus prevention regulatory focus influences consumer preferences; and *focuses on consumer information processing and persuasion. The text is intended for advanced graduate students, academics, and practitioners who embrace cutting-edge paradigms and methodologies in social-cognitive consumer research.