Balancing Act or International Retail Marketing

Balancing Act: How Managers Can Integrate Successful Careers and Fulfilling Personal Lives

Author: Joan R Kofodimos

Examines the shifting demographic, economic, and social forces--the changing gender roles, harsher economic realities, and dual career families--that pull managers and executives out of balance. Draws on ten years of research, consulting, and training on the topic to describe the cost of imbalance to individuals and organizations and tells how to restore equilibrium. Provides numerous checklists and self-assessment tools to help determine the degree and the nature of imbalance in our lives and in our organizations. Outlines a step-by-step process for personal change that can lead to an improved quality of life and provides individuals with a blueprint for initiating organizational changes that jointly optimize personal development and organizational effectiveness.

Library Journal

Kofodimos (coauthor of Beyond Ambition: How Driven Managers Can Lead Better and Live Better , Jossey-Bass, 1991) defines the ``balancing act'' as a ``satisfying, healthy, and productive life'' that incorporates activities ``with attention to self and to personal and spiritual development.'' Writing for managers, executives, and human-resource professionals, she describes various societal, personal, and organizational forces that lead to life imbalance and workaholism. Although she emphasizes organizational costs and effects, she does include methods for achieving personal balance and exercises for self-examination. Unfortunately, most of the supporting research is based on a study of male managers, thus excluding consideration of the struggle women have also waged. Still, this book will be invaluable to anyone wanting to achieve a balanced life. Highly recommended.-- Kathy Shimpock-Vieweg, O'Connor Cavanagh Lib., Phoenix, Ariz.

BookList

An often-overlooked aspect of productivity is the role played by employees' personal well-being and job satisfaction. Building on an earlier work she coauthored, "Beyond Ambition": "How Driven Managers Can Lead Better and Live Better" (1991), Kofodimos here emphasizes the importance of balancing work and home life, as well as achieving personal well-being and job satisfaction. She argues that attempts to alleviate burnout or to deal with personal crises are piecemeal approaches that ignore the whole individual. She insists that the organization has both a stake in and an obligation to help with finding integrated solutions to managers' personal and career problems. Based on interviews with hundreds of managers, Kofodimos' advice targets both individuals attempting to balance their lives and practitioners such as human-resource managers, responsible for helping them. After analyzing the root causes of the imbalances she detects, Kofodimos offers a series of exercises aimed at self-discovery.

Interesting textbook: Windows Vista Step by Step or Learning Perl

International Retail Marketing: A Case Study Approach

Author: Margaret Bruc

Offering both a raw theoretical overview of the topic and extended demonstrations of retail strategems working in practice, International Retail Marketing: a case study approach is the ideal reference for all students and practitioners needing a comprehensive account of the field.

* Dedicated book on the dynamics and practice of international retail marketing, now a vital aspect for most undergraduate and graduate course in retail marketing.
* Learn the fundamentals of the subject in the succinct theoretical introduction, then see the key issues at work in the company cases that follow.
* International contributor team offers up a far-reaching, global perspective.

International Retail Marketing: a case study approach combines a broad thematic overview of the key issues concerning international retail marketing, with a series of incisive case studies presenting examples of industry practice from various organizations and sectors.

Part one offers an accessible and wide-ranging outline of the fundamentals of the subject, covering:

* trends in retail marketing, including the dynamics of internationalization
* strategy and logistics
* buying and merchandise management
* communications
* retail design management.

Part two, authored by academics and practitioners from Europe, North America and Asia, comprises a number of international company cases. These show the key factors working in action within such markedly different sectors as fashion, food and healthcare. Throughout the book key discussion points are highlighted and exemplars considered, giving a hands-on, applied focus.

Table of Contents:

1	Retailing within an international context	3
2	Retail logistics	39
3	The anatomy of retail buying	64
4	Retail store design	78
5	The scope of e-commerce in retail strategy	91
6	The emergence of supply chain management as a critical success factor for retail organisations	108
7	Young consumers : the influence of celebrity on clothing choices	123
8	Undressing the ethical issues in fashion : a consumer perspective	141
9	A contemporary analysis of global luxury brands	155
10	International bank retailing : identifying cross-cultural differences in consumers' service-quality expectations	170
11	Retail positioning and store image	189
12	Fashion retail trends in Hong Kong	205
13	Retail in the USA : the environment and consumer purchase behaviour	220