The transformation of emerging markets in recent decades has generated a new, growing, and very large middle class market, also known as the middle of the pyramid. This market segment, which is middle by the standards of emerging markets yet low by the standards of advanced economies, is extremely attractive for firms, but still understood and underserved. This volume presents detailed analyses of exemplary firms that have innovated products, services, and business models to fulfil the needs and desires of these new middle classes. It provides useful insights for managers, consultants, researchers, and students interested in emerging economies, and actionable lessons on how to innovate for a new and expanding market segment.
Social entrepreneurship and social innovation both seek to improve the world through social change. Whereas social entrepreneurship revolves around the business side of change, social innovation focuses on the processes through which that change is generated. This textbook provides a comprehensive analysis of both topics, covering all the characteristics and elements of social innovation and social entrepreneurship, from a conceptual and practical perspective. The book has four sections: 1) Basics and concepts of Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship; 2) Business models and generation of value in social enterprises; 3) Social innovation within traditional companies, and 4) Definition and alignment of the impact of social innovation and entrepreneurship. Students and any practitioners that want to know about social innovation or social entrepreneurship will be exposed to contemporary topics in the field as well as a variety of cases and tools for its development. With its learning objectives, reflective questions, the definition of key concepts, and exercises, this book is the definitive text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in social innovation and social entrepreneurship.
The second edition of the Impact Evaluation in Practice handbook is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to impact evaluation for policy makers and development practitioners. First published in 2011, it has been used widely across the development and academic communities. The book incorporates real-world examples to present practical guidelines for designing and implementing impact evaluations. Readers will gain an understanding of impact evaluations and the best ways to use them to design evidence-based policies and programs. The updated version covers the newest techniques for evaluating programs and includes state-of-the-art implementation advice, as well as an expanded set of examples and case studies that draw on recent development challenges. It also includes new material on research ethics and partnerships to conduct impact evaluation. The handbook is divided into four sections: Part One discusses what to evaluate and why; Part Two presents the main impact evaluation methods; Part Three addresses how to manage impact evaluations; Part Four reviews impact evaluation sampling and data collection. Case studies illustrate different applications of impact evaluations. The book links to complementary instructional material available online, including an applied case as well as questions and answers. The updated second edition will be a valuable resource for the international development community, universities, and policy makers looking to build better evidence around what works in development.
This book contributes to the growing literature on social investment by discussing the way social investment ideas have been adopted in different countries and in various academic and professional fields, including social policy, development studies and non-profit management. Documenting the experience of implementing social investment in different communities, it encourages a One World perspective that integrates these diverse experiences and promotes policy learning between different nations.
This timely book gives an overview of the main legal issues the EU faces in negotiating, concluding and implementing so-called ‘New Generation’ free trade agreements. Featuring contributions by international specialists on EU external action, this book demonstrates why these FTAs have become challenging for the EU, as well as analysing how the EU has dealt with its institutional constraints, and addresses contemporary debates and future challenges for EU institutions and Member States.
With the growth and advancement of business and industry, there is a growing need for the advancement of the strategies that manage these modernizations. Adaptation to advancement is essential for the success of these organizations and using the proper methods to accomplish this essential adaptation is paramount. Organizational Transformation and Managing Innovation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution provides innovative insights into the management of advancements and the implementation of strategies to accommodate these changes. The content within this publication examines social engagement, cyber-journalism, and educational innovation. It is designed for managers, consultants, academicians, researchers, and professionals, and covers topics centered on the growth of businesses and how they change alongside the economy and infrastructure.
In light of deeply dynamic and challenging contexts, innovation as a driver of sustainability could provide recommendations and real solutions to achieve a better world. Sustainable technologies are a critical aspect of modern innovation, as they consider natural resources and foster economic and social development. The goal of these technologies is to drastically reduce environmental and ecological risks and to create a sustainable product. The Handbook of Research on Solving Societal Challenges Through Sustainability-Oriented Innovation emphasizes the importance of innovation and sustainability as a possible solution for the challenges of society and reflects on the trends and opportunities for the coming decades. Covering key topics such as big data, innovation, digitalization, circular economy, and artificial intelligence, this premier reference source is ideal for industry professionals, government officials, computer scientists, policymakers, researchers, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.
FinTech is encouraging various new practices, such as diminishing the use of cash in different countries, increasing rate of mobile payments, and introducing new algorithms for high-frequency trading across national boundaries. It is paving the way for new technologies emerging in the information technology scene that allow financial service firms to automate existing business processes and offer new products, including crowdfunding or peer-to-peer insurance. These new products cater to hybrid client interaction and customer self-services, changing the ecosystem by increasing outsourcing for focused specialization by resizing and leading to new ecosystems and new regulations for encouraging FinTech. However, such new ecosystems are also accompanied by new challenges. Innovative Strategies for Implementing FinTech in Banking provides emerging research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of technology inclusion in the financial sector and applications within global financing. It provides a clear direction for the effective implementation of FinTech initiatives/programs for improving banking financial processes, financial organizational learning, and performance excellence. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as artificial intelligence, social financing, and customer satisfaction, this book encourages the management of the financial industry to take a proactive attitude toward FinTech, resulting in a better decision-making capability that will support financial organizations in their journey towards becoming FinTech-based organizations. As such, this book is ideally designed for financial analysts, finance managers, finance administrators, banking professionals, IT consultants, researchers, academics, students, and practitio
Demonstrates that the success of local development strategies depends on the capacity of the government and its partners to accelerate change within the policy and governance aspects of economic and social development.
This book is the result of a unique dialogue: a workshop that took place in the heart of Slovenia brought together academics and industrial scientists, engineers and social scientists to discuss and explore the strategic implications of technology management and assessment. The wide-ranging and intense discussions explored many key issues, such as those concerning the role of academia in supporting industrial practice (and vice versa), and the emerging research agenda in the assessment and management of manufacturing technology innovation. The distilled essence of the debate is presented here as a basis for a developing wisdom of technology: a technosophy. It is only through industrial-academic and interdisciplinary research and development that such a body of wisdom can emerge.
