Since the start of the recent financial crisis, as most global firms struggle to remain competitive, an increasing number of Korean and Japanese firms have experienced an amazing rate of growth and expansion. Although academic researchers and business leaders in the United States, China, Brazil, India, and Europe seek out the secrets to these businesses’ success, little is known about their business practices.

Supplying an insider’s perspective, Building Network Capabilities in Turbulent Competitive Environments: Practices of Global Firms from Korea and Japan unveils the strategic and operational practices that have allowed these firms to catch and surpass their competitors in North America and Europe. Based on fieldwork studies and extensive interviews with senior executives, it explains how these companies have developed and enhanced their core competencies through effective integration of product architecture, supply chain management, and IT strategy.

The book provides practical insight into changing business patterns while avoiding extensive mathematical algorithms and drawn-out theoretical descriptions. It uses cutting-edge case studies to illustrate the innovative manufacturing strategies of these rapidly emerging companies. Accessible to anyone with a basic understanding of business, it reveals the organizational processes of strategy formulation and implementation that are required for success.

Providing a clear understanding of both the career implications of the changing business landscape and how to deliver products and services that meet and exceed the needs of your customers, this book will help you develop the socio-technical skills needed to succeed in an increasingly competitive and turbulent business environment.