An Alliance in the Making?

By Faizal bin Yahya

Asian interregional economic cooperation has assumed greater prominence with the rise of Asia’s two giant economies of China and India. The economic liberalization of China’s economy in 1979, followed by India in 1991, signalled the presence of business opportunities to foreign investors - including those from Asia. This book examines the growing economic relations between India and Singapore which has culminated in a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), signed by both economies in June 2005.

Using the information technology sector as the main case study of the ‘alliance’ between Singapore and India, the book examines the challenges that both have overcome to expand their bilateral trade. In the process, Singapore has become one of the top five foreign investors in India. The CECA is important as it is the first free trade agreement that Singapore signed with a developing country; and furthermore it provided a blueprint for India to conclude similar FTAs with other ASEAN members.

This book provides a competitive analysis for intra-regional foreign direct investment. Faizal Yahya demonstrates that the economic relationship between Singapore and India illuminates how both economies are attempting to meet future challenges. It will be of interest to scholars of international business studies, cross-cultural management, international trade, international relations, information management and South and Southeast Asian Studies.

ISBN: 9780415431163

Published May 15 2008 by Routledge.

Struggling to Care

By Ian Cunningham

This new book addresses the topical issues surrounding employment relations in UK voluntary organizations that operate within the quasi-market of social care. Combining an analysis of the established literature with in-depth qualitative field work, Ian Cunningham explores the nature of power relations between state and voluntary sector; implications of employment policy and subsequent pressures for change in pay and working conditions; the influence of trade unions in the sector; management’s capacity to resist external pressure and employee responses to this environment.

Cunningham’s focus on the employment relationship in this sector is unique, highlighting a complex and variable pattern of interdependence and subordination between government agencies and voluntary sector employers. The author examines the way in which financial pressures from the state coupled with weak unionization diminish working conditions, arguing that employee morale will not be sustained if the voluntary sector fails to maintain its autonomy and minimize its dependency on state funding.

ISBN: 9780415427135

Published May 12 2008 by Routledge.

Regulatory Challenges and Successful Product Development

By Smita Gopalaswamy, Venky Gopalaswamy

ISBN: 9781420064469

Published May 08 2008 by CRC Press.

Foundation of the Spatial Data Infrastructure

By Earl F. Burkholder

The GSDM preserves the integrity of three-dimensional spatial data while also providing additional benefits such as simpler equations, worldwide standardization, and the ability to track spatial data accuracy with greater specificity and convenience. This groundbreaking spatial model incorporates both a functional model and a stochastic model to connect the physical world to the ECEF rectangular system.

Combining horizontal and vertical data into a single, three-dimensional database, this authoritative monograph provides a logical development of theoretical concepts and practical tools that can be used to handle spatial data more efficiently. The book clearly describes procedures that can be used to handle both ECEF and flat-Earth rectangular components in the context of a rigorous global environment.

ISBN: 9781420063011

Published May 08 2008 by CRC Press.

Critical Success Factors from Service and Manufacturing

By Richard E. Crandall, William Crandall

Emphasizing the similarities between the two components, the book vividly describes this vanishing boundary and shows how the techniques used in one field can be adapted for effective use in the other. It describes how management and manufacturing programs can be personalized to fit individual needs and can be successfully implemented through technology innovations, infrastructure realignments, and cultural adjustments.

The authors describe the steps necessary to build an integrated supply chain. They present a novel business input-transformation-output (ITO) model that depicts the basic elements of service operations management and explains how managers use a variety of paths to aid them in the decision making and management of their companies. As a manager, you will find a wealth of practical insight that applies to your business. Stressing the need for knowledge management, this book shows that change is necessary for the future success of all types of organizations.

ISBN: 9781420051261

Published May 08 2008 by CRC Press.

On multi-actor decision making

By Hans de Bruijn, Ernst ten Heuvelhof

Getting what you want – even if you are the boss – isn’t always easy. Almost every organization, big or small, works among a network of competing interests. Whether it's governments pushing through policies, companies trying to increase profits, or even families deciding where to move house, rarely can decisions be made in isolation from competing interests both within the organization and outside it.

In this accessible and straightforward account, Hans de Bruijn and Ernst ten Heuvelhof cast light on multi-stakeholder decision-making. Shunning simplistic model talk, they reveal the nuts and bolts of decision-making within the numerous dilemmas and tensions at work. Using a diverse range of illustrative examples throughout, their perceptive analysis examines how different interests can either support or block change, and the strategies available in managing a variety of stakeholders

This insightful text provides both depth of understanding and a wealth of advice. It is invaluable reading to students working in business and management, public administration and organizational studies, plus practitioners – or actors – operating in a range of contexts.

ISBN: 9780415462488

Published May 08 2008 by Routledge.

By Susanne Tietze

Globalization processes have resulted in the emergence of business and management networks in which the sharing of knowledge is of crucial importance. Combining two contemporary and important subject areas – namely that of international management and also language and communication in multi-language contexts – the author of this book presents a wealth of ideas, examples and applications taken from international and global contexts, which show that ‘language matters’ in the pursuit of international business affairs.

The book establishes the theoretical core of its main ideas by introducing two orientations (social construction and linguistic relativity) and demonstrates how they can be drawn on to frame and understand the activities of managers. Highly innovative and topical, Susanne Tietze’s book will appeal to students of international management and international human resource management as well as those studying intercultural communication. It is also useful for managers and practitioners who work internationally.

ISBN: 9780415403931

Published May 06 2008 by Routledge.

Fifth edition

By Tony J. Watson

This popular text effectively explains and justifies the use of the sociological imagination to understand the nature of institutions of work, occupations, organizations, management and employment, and how they are changing in the twenty-first century.

With outstanding breadth of coverage, it provides an authoritative overview of both traditional and emergent themes in the sociological study of work; explains the basic logic of sociological analysis of work and work-related institutions and provides an appreciation of different theoretical traditions. It considers:

• the direction and implications of trends in technological change, globalization, labour markets, work organization, managerial practices and employment relations
• the extent to which these trends are intimately related to changing patterns of inequality in modern societies and to the changing experiences of individuals and families
• the ways in which workers challenge, resist and make their own contributions to the patterning of work and shaping of work institutions.

New features include an easy to read layout, key issues questions, mini case studies, chapter summaries, and a fantastic Companion Website which is packed full of useful resources (for students and teachers). All of these elements – and much more – provide the reader with a text unrivalled in the field.

ISBN: 9780415435543

Published April 30 2008 by Routledge.

By Christopher G. Reddick, Jerrell D. Coggburn

The Handbook of Employee Benefits and Administration provides HR managers, consultants, and students and scholars in public administration with a comprehensive overview of this critical employee component. Respected experts in government and academia delve into an exploration of all major benefits, including retirement and healthcare, with a specific emphasis on growing concerns and trends within the public sector.

Satisfying the demand for authoritative research on HR Management, this essential resource provides analysis and insight on the most pressing areas of concerns.

Public employee benefits — examines ethical principles and economic considerations; compares federal employee benefits to those of the private sector

Health and retirement benefits — explores the changing environment of state and local government pensions and retirement planning in the US and UK; compares public and private sector wage and health benefit compensation

Financial management— considers growing challenges and the trend towards outsourcing

Contemporary benefits — discusses emerging opportunities, such as higher education and domestic partner benefits

Featuring keen analysis and concise summaries in each chapter, with an emphasis on future trends, this exhaustive reference offers public policy administrators and researchers the current information and insight needed to shape future discussions of benefit packages for public employees.

ISBN: 9781420051926

Published April 28 2008 by Auerbach Publicatio.

Towards A Company of Good

By Pekka Aula, Saku Mantere

Strategic Reputation Management examines the ways in which organizations achieve "goodness" through reputation, reputation management and reputation strategies. It presents a contemporary model of strategic reputation management, helping organizations and stakeholders to analyze the business environment as a communicative field of symbols and meanings in which the organization is built or destroyed. Authors Pekka Aula and Saku Mantere introduce the eight generic reputation strategies, through which organizations can organize their stakeholder relationships in various ways. They illustrate their arguments using real-world examples and studies, from the Finnish Ski Association to Philip Morris International.

This book serves as required reading in advanced courses covering public relations practice, advanced topics in PR, corporate communication, management, and marketing. Professionals working in PR, business, management and marketing will also find much of interest in this volume.

ISBN: 9780805864250

Published April 24 2008 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.