Publication database

Decentralized energy supply increases independence from fossil resources, reduces the carbon footprint of a society and enhances local value creation. But many of the technologies deployed are still in their infancy and depend on subsidies. Entrepreneurs, representatives of energy incumbents and new entrants from Germany provide first-hand insights of how sustainability and economy can be reconciled – and how agents of change successfully develop the blueprint of a decentralized energy future.

Joint innovation between different organizations or groups has become a common practice for the many companies confronted with major shifts in customers' demand and new technological possibilities. These co-development alliances, however, are typically unstable, and regularly result in drastic restructuring as the partners learn to work together and confront unexpected difficulties. This new and innovative book takes a fresh look at the critical task of managing relationships and communication in co-development alliances. Good relational quality management will certainly not compensate for bad business strategies and poor execution of initiatives. But, at the same time, outstanding relationships will not survive when there is a lack of trust between partners and a desire for tighter control over one another. Francis Bidault presents a new framework for understanding the dynamics of alliances and for managing the relationship between partners at all levels, with practical tools to help successfully develop joint innovation initiatives."

Diagnose der globalen Wettbewerbssituation traditioneller Technologieunternehmen anhand zahlreicher Praxisbeispiele Präsentation von Erfolgsstrategien, mit denen westliche Technologieunternehmen sich erfolgreich gegen die Konkurrenz aus Schwellenländern behaupten können. Konkrete Vorschläge für die Implementierung der entsprechenden Geschäftsstrategien Die Wettbewerbssituation traditioneller Technologieunternehmen ist im Umbruch. Neue Kundensegmente in den Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländern und neue Wettbewerber aus diesen Regionen verändern die Marktlandschaft rasant. Beides stellt die etablierten Anbieter vor neue Herausforderungen. Um sich zu behaupten, müssen Unternehmen wie Siemens, General Electric, Alstom, Mitsubishi, aber auch der Mittelstand, vertraute Denkweisen aufgeben; denn über die technisch perfekten Produkte hinaus verlangen die neuen Käufer einfache, preiswerte Alternativen. Parallel dazu lassen sich durch komplexe, nicht kopierbare Dienstleistungen wirksame Markteintrittsbarrieren schaffen. Das Buch behandelt die Chancen und Probleme neuer Strategien und zeigt, wie man sie optimal umsetzt, insbesondere bei Produkt- und Preisgestaltung, Mitarbeiter- und Organisationsentwicklung, Marken- und Vertriebsmanagement.

"What effects has the so-called subprime crisis had on private equity transactions? What exactly is recapitalization and how can it be put in practice? Is private equity economically useful? The current debate provides plenty of questions about this industry, which is still in its infancy in Germany. The Private Equity Lexicon seeks to answer these questions and is also meant to be a comprehensive reference book for practitioners. Economic issues are therefore looked at from a legal and a fiscal perspective. The Private Equity Lexicon has been written to enable easy access to the wide range of pertinent topics and it also provides the reader with recommendations for further reading."

Counter Strategies explores the situation of technology-based companies in global B2B markets. New customer segments in these fast developing economies and up-coming low-cost competitors have ruptured the market landscape and challenge established suppliers. To keep their leading role, companies like Siemens, GE, Alstom, Mitsubishi, as well as many mid-sized companies in the developed countries, need to change the very characteristics -- product focus, technical sophistication, and high-end quality -- that previously made them strong. They either have to develop new products that fit the growing demand of the new customer segments or create market barriers by developing complex service solutions, or both. Given the problems regarding product development, pricing, branding, sales-force management, development of employees' skills, company organization and culture which are going to follow these changes and disruptions, Ploetner draws a new blueprint for global B2B-companies and the mindsets of those thriving there.

This groundbreaking book takes an unusually objective look at the realities of executive coaching from the coach’s point of view. This is not just any group of coaches , nor are these ordinary stories. In a departure from most books on the topic, we’ve invited coaches who work senior executives and star performers who share their insights about the difficulties of coaching. As any coach knows, coaching often gets tricky. What initially seems clear later becomes confused; the client may turn out to be someone else entirely; boundaries can easily become blurred; and the coach’s own emotions or values may influence outcomes. But the fact is that many tricky situations can be turned around if the coach stays grounded in objective coaching protocols. Responsible coaches understand the need to explore and define the boundaries of coaching – to help define coaching protocols that will help coaches in tricky situations and , more importantly, to develop their own skills and self-awareness. In this book, we draw on case notes shares with us by experienced coaches, coaching educators, and coaching researchers, and provide a body of evidence that will help the profession evolve in the direction of coherence, standard protocols, and rigorous evaluations. This rich collection includes reflections on why people become coaches (and why some people should not); advice on how to write up case notes; and an overview of common situations that lead to trickiness. Even more powerful are the open and honest stories of coaches themselves, as they share their efforts to continually seek greater understanding about the interpersonal and intrapersonal dynamics that come into play in executive coaching.

The corporate social and environmental responsibility movement, known more generally as corporate responsibility (CR), shows little sign of waning. Almost all large corporations now run some form of corporate responsibility program. Despite this widespread belief that CR can simultaneously improve societal welfare and corporate performance, most companies are largely in the dark when it comes to understanding how their stakeholders think and feel about these programs. This book argues that all companies must understand how and why stakeholders react to such information about companies and their actions. It examines the two most important stakeholder groups to companies – consumers and employees – to comprehend why, when and how they react to CR. Armed with this insight, it shows how companies can maximize the value of their CR initiatives by fostering strong stakeholder relationships to develop, implement and evaluate compelling social responsibility programs that generate value for both the company and its stakeholders.

Die Finanzmarktkrise hat das Geschäftsmodell vieler Banken in Frage gestellt. Welche Lehren müssen die Banken daraus ziehen? Welche Konsequenzen ergeben sich daraus im Umgang mit den Kunden? Diese Fragen stehen im Mittelpunkt dieses Buches, dessen Beiträge von namhaften Fachleuten sowohl aus der Praxis als auch der Theorie stammen. Das Buch beleuchtet die theoretischen Aspekte des Client Commitment und die Facetten der bislang erfolgten Umsetzung in die Praxis.

This authoritative volume brings together a critical selection of important academic articles and practitioner-oriented papers that reflect current thinking and practices in the growing field of leadership development. It offers a solid foundation for theoretical approaches to leadership development and covers the key methodologies applicable to leadership development research and practice. This indispensible collection is edited by two leading authorities in the field and features an original introduction. It will be an essential source of reference for scholars, students and practitioners in the fields of leadership, leadership development, human resource management and education. 36 articles, dating from 1952 to 2009.