Over the past decade or so, systems integration has become a key factor in the operations, strategy and competitive advantage of major corporations in a wide variety of sectors (e.g. computing, automotive, telecommunications, military systems and aerospace). Systems integration is a strategic task that pervades business management not only at the technical level but also at the management and strategic levels. This book shows how and why this new kind of systems integration has evolved int...

Telecommunications in Developing Countries (1990) stresses the importance of modern, micro electronics-based telecommunications for developing economies in providing a basic communications infrastructure for economic and industrial development and the springboard for new information technology activities. Although progress in telecommunications has so far been concentrated in the most advanced regions of the world, some developing countries can bypass older, less efficient forms o...

Government information systems are big business (costing over 1 per cent of GDP a year). They are critical to all aspects of public policy and governmental operations. Governments spend billions on them - for instance, the UK alone commits £14 billion a year to public sector IT operations. Yet governments do not generally develop or run their own systems, instead relying on private sector computer services providers to run large, long-run contracts to provide IT. Some of the biggest compan...

Given the powerfully negative and ongoing impact of the Great Recession on western economies, the question of whether historically wealthy nations--the US, Western European countries, Japan--can stay wealthy has become an overriding concern for virtually every interested observer. Can their middle classes remain comfortable as more and more good and technically jobs disappear to other parts of the world? Can they support themselves as they devote more and more economic resources to an agin...

Global private regulations—who wins, who loses, and whyOver the past two decades, governments have delegated extensive regulatory authority to international private-sector organizations. This internationalization and privatization of rule making has been motivated not only by the economic benefits of common rules for global markets, but also by the realization that government regulators often lack the expertise and resources to deal with increasingly complex and ur...

Despite the increasing occurrence of policies aimed at mobilising the financial and human resources of the private sector, most urban local governments responsible for urban basic services in the South do not have the capacity to initiate and sustain partnerships. Nor do they understand how they can create partnerships that target the poor. This sourcebook provides practical information and guidance to do so.With extensive illustrative material from Africa, Asia and Latin America, ...

This book presents new research on solar mini-grids and the ways they can be designed and implemented to provide equitable and affordable electricity access, while ensuring economic sustainability and replication.Drawing on a detailed analysis of solar mini-grid projects in Senegal, the book provides invaluable insights into energy provision and accessibility which are highly relevant to Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Global South more generally. Importantly, the book situates mini-gr...

In Confronting Dystopia**, a distinguished group of scholars analyze the implications of the ongoing technological revolution for jobs, working conditions, and income**. Focusing on the economic and political implications of AI, digital connectivity, and robotics for both the Global North and the Global South, they move beyond diagnostics to seek solutions that offer better lives for all. Their analyses of the challenges of technology are placed a...

Digital technology for the production, transmission, and reception of television is expected to replace analogue transmission throughout the world. The timetable for this transition is uncertain and different projections have been made for virtually every country in the world. This book gives the exhaustive details of the issues of this changeover in Europe and elsewhere. The details are placed within the context of the massive changes, which the television industry has been subjected to o...

This book examines the national automotive policy in Malaysia to help readers gain an understanding of the country’s industrial policy-making processes. Addressing a gap in analysis of the political economy of the national automotive policy, the research presented combines the new institutional theory and the developmental state approach to provide new insights into elite policymakers’ measures to shield domestic automotive enterprises from pro-market reforms. The formation of the national...

Seamlessly blending academic rigour and practicality, this textbook provides an introduction to global business strategy. Assuming a born global perspective, Global Strategic Management is supported by ample pedagogical features, including numerous case studies and examples featuring both established multinationals and unknown SMEs from across the globe.The book takes an applied approach to global business strategy, emphasising functional parts of international business (m...

This book collects nearly forty years of articles, papers, and newspaper op-eds dealing with some of the most important issues that have affected Canada over the last four decades. The core topics include how to regulate the digital economy, how to overcome inequality, how to build a social economy, and how unions should respond to the ever-changing workplace. Drawing from a career spanning academia, politics, trade unions, and public policy, as well as his tenure as policy director for th...