Download or read book Investment under Uncertainty written by Robert K. Dixit and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-07-14 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How should firms decide whether and when to invest in new capital equipment, additions to their workforce, or the development of new products? Why have traditional economic models of investment failed to explain the behavior of investment spending in the United States and other countries? In this book, Avinash Dixit and Robert Pindyck provide the first detailed exposition of a new theoretical approach to the capital investment decisions of firms, stressing the irreversibility of most investment decisions, and the ongoing uncertainty of the economic environment in which these decisions are made. In so doing, they answer important questions about investment decisions and the behavior of investment spending. This new approach to investment recognizes the option value of waiting for better (but never complete) information. It exploits an analogy with the theory of options in financial markets, which permits a much richer dynamic framework than was possible with the traditional theory of investment. The authors present the new theory in a clear and systematic way, and consolidate, synthesize, and extend the various strands of research that have come out of the theory. Their book shows the importance of the theory for understanding investment behavior of firms; develops the implications of this theory for industry dynamics and for government policy concerning investment; and shows how the theory can be applied to specific industries and to a wide variety of business problems.

Download or read book Real Options and Investment Under Uncertainty written by Eduardo S. Schwartz and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 890 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of investment under uncertainty was stagnant for several decades until developments in real options revitalized the field. The topics covered in this book include the reasons behind the under-investment programme.

Download or read book Competence Governance and Entrepreneurship written by Nicolai J. Foss and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2002 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume brings together prominent voices on competence, governance, and entrepreneurship to advance and stimulate economic strategy research. By pooling and mobilizing intellectual resources of both competence and governance perspectives, the contributions show that an innovative joint venture between these two main perspectives can lead to a new avenue of future research on strategic issues such as 'corporate growth', 'interfirm cooperation', and 'corporate entrepreneurship.'

Download or read book Real Options written by Lenos Trigeorgis and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 1996-03-14 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprehensive in scope, Real Options reviews current techniques of capital budgeting and details an approach (based on the pricing of options) that provides a means of quantifying the elusive elements of managerial flexibility in the face of unexpected changes in the market. In the 1970s and the 1980s, developments in the valuation of capital-investment opportunities based on options pricing revolutionized capital budgeting. Managerial flexibility to adapt and revise future decisions in order to capitalize on favorable future opportunities or to limit losses has proven vital to long-term corporate success in an uncertain and changing marketplace. In this book Lenos Trigeorgis, who has helped shape the field of real options, brings together a wealth of previously scattered knowledge and research on the new flexibility in corporate resource allocation and in the evaluation of investment alternatives brought about by the shift from static cash-flow approaches to the more dynamic paradigm of real options—an approach that incorporates decisions on whether to defer, expand, contract, abandon, switch use, or otherwise alter a capital investment. Comprehensive in scope, Real Options reviews current techniques of capital budgeting and details an approach (based on the pricing of options) that provides a means of quantifying the elusive elements of managerial flexibility in the face of unexpected changes in the market. Also discussed are the strategic value of new technology, project interdependence, and competitive interaction. The ability to value real options has so dramatically altered the way in which corporate resources are allocated that future textbooks on capital budgeting will bear little resemblance to those of even the recent past. Real Options is a pioneer in this area, coupling a coherent picture of how option theory is used with practical insights in into real-world applications.

Download or read book Flexibility and Real Estate Valuation under Uncertainty written by David Geltner and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2018-02-23 with total page 317 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a revolutionary conceptual framework and practical tools to quantify uncertainty and recognize the value of flexibility in real estate development This book takes a practical "engineering" approach to the valuation of options and flexibility in real estate. It presents simple simulation models built in universal spreadsheet software such as Microsoft Excel®. These realistically reflect the varying and erratic sources of uncertainty and price dynamics that uniquely characterize real estate. The text covers new analytic procedures that are valuable for existing properties and enable a new, more profitable perspective on the planning, design, operation, and evaluation of large-scale, multi-phase development projects. The book thereby aims to significantly improve valuation and investment decision making. Flexibility and Real Estate Valuation under Uncertainty: A Practical Guide for Developers is presented at 3 levels. First, it introduces and explains the concepts underlying the approach at a basic level accessible to non-technical and non-specialized readers. Its introductory and concluding chapters present the important “big picture” implications of the analysis for economics and valuation and for project design and investment decision making. At a second level, the book presents a framework, a roadmap for the prospective analyst. It describes the practical tools in detail, taking care to go through the elements of the approach step-by-step for clarity and easy reference. The third level includes more technical details and specific models. An Appendix discusses the technical details of real estate price dynamics. Associated web pages provide electronic spreadsheet templates for the models used as examples in the book. Some features of the book include: • Concepts and tools that are simple and accessible to a broad audience of practitioners; • An approach relevant for all development projects; • Complementarity with the author's Commercial Real Estate Analysis & Investments—the most-cited real estate investments textbook on the market. Flexibility and Real Estate Valuation under Uncertainty: A Practical Guide for Developers is for everyone studying or concerned with the implementation of large-scale or multi-phase real estate development projects, as well as property investment and valuation more generally.

Download or read book Strategic Shifts between Business Types written by Katrin Susanne Mühlfeld and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Katrin Mühlfeld analyzes motivations and conditions for strategic changes of market offerings which can be interpreted as shifts between different business types. Transaction cost economics provide the main theoretical foundations while additional reference is made to Austrian economics and research on power-dependence relations.

Download or read book Real Options Theory written by Jeffrey J. Reuer and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2007-07-05 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the ways in which real options theory can contribute to strategic management. This volume offers conceptual pieces that trace out pathways for the theory to move forward and presents research on the implications of real options for strategic investment, organization, and firm performance.

Download or read book No regret Potentials in Energy Conservation written by Katrin Ostertag and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 411 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (2) Do existing estimates of the no-regret potential stand up to are-evaluation within this framework? As a result of this analysis the size of previous estimates for no-regret potentials may be modified - in terms ofenergy savings or in financial terms. On the basis of these findings, we will approach the overriding third research question: (3) How large is the no-regret potential and what determines its size? The following chapter will provide a fuller account of the debate on no-regret potentials. This will be complemented by a detailed theory-based definition of no regret potentials in Chapter 2. The thesis will focus mostly on the micro-level of analysis. But we will also address the implications ofour findings for the analysis ofenergy saving measures and policies at more aggregate levels, notably within a feasibility study for adapting a model which represents the level of the national economy. The debate on no-regret potentials 1 origin, context, issues The term "no-regret potentials" was coined during the debate on climate change. It designates opportunities for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ". . . that are worth undertaking whether or not there are climate-related reasons for doing so. " (IPCC 1996, p. 271). In the IPCC's Third Assessment Report (TAR), no regret potentials are increasingly equated with GHG emission reduction potentials at negative (net) costs (lPCC 2001, p. 21).

Download or read book Innovative Technology at the Interface of Finance and Operations written by Volodymyr Babich and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-06-09 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the challenges and opportunities arising from an assortment of technologies as they relate to Operations Management and Finance. It contains primers on operations, finance, and their interface. Innovative technologies and new business models enabled by those technologies are changing the practice and the theory of Operations Management and Finance, as well as their interface. These technologies and business models include Big Data and Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, IoT, 3D printing, sharing platforms, crowdfunding, and crowdsourcing. The book will be an attractive choice for PhD-level courses and for self-study.

Download or read book Strategic Flexibility written by John David North and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2007-09-11 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Argues that Stonehenge's scientific purpose was to observe the setting midwinter sun, and that astronomical observations made by the ancient Britons were as rational and methodical as they are today.

Download or read book Practical Finance for Operations and Supply Chain Management written by Alejandro Serrano and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2020-03-10 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An introduction to financial tools and concepts from an operations perspective, addressing finance/operations trade-offs and explaining financial accounting, working capital, investment analysis, and more. Students and practitioners in engineering and related areas often lack the basic understanding of financial tools and concepts necessary for a career in operations or supply chain management. This book offers an introduction to finance fundamentals from an operations perspective, enabling operations and supply chain professionals to develop the skills necessary for interacting with finance people at a practical level and for making sound decisions when confronted by tradeoffs between operations and finance. Readers will learn about the essentials of financial statements, valuation tools, and managerial accounting. The book first discusses financial accounting, explaining how to create and interpret balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements, and introduces the idea of operating working capital—a key concept developed in subsequent chapters. The book then covers financial forecasting, addressing such topics as sustainable growth and the liquidity/profitability tradeoff; concepts in managerial accounting, including variable versus fixed costs, direct versus indirect costs, and contribution margin; tools for investment analysis, including net present value and internal rate of return; creation of value through operating working capital, inventory management, payables, receivables, and cash; and such strategic and tactical tradeoffs as offshoring versus local and centralizing versus decentralizing. The book can be used in undergraduate and graduate courses and as a reference for professionals. No previous knowledge of finance or accounting is required.

Download or read book Irreversibility Uncertainty and Investment written by Robert S. Pindyck and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 1989 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Irreversible investment is especially sensitive to such risk factors as volatile exchange rates and uncertainty about tariff structures and future cash flows. If the goal of macroeconomic policy is to stimulate investment, stability and credibility may be more important than tax incentives or interest rates.

Download or read book Engineering Asset Management written by Joseph Mathew and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-02-06 with total page 1261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to the inaugural World Congress on Engineering Asset Management (WCEAM) being held at the Conrad Jupiters Hotel on the Gold Coast from July 11 to 14, 2006. More than 170 authors from 28 countries have contributed over 160 papers to be presented over the first three days of the conference. Day four will be host to a series of workshops devoted to the practice of various aspects of Engineering Asset Management. WCEAM is a new annual global forum on the various multidisciplinary aspects of Engineering Asset Management. It deals with the presentation and publication of outputs of research and development activities as well as the application of knowledge in the practical aspects of: strategic asset management risk management in asset management design and life-cycle integrity of physical assets asset performance and level of service models financial analysis methods for physical assets reliability modelling and prognostics information systems and knowledge management asset data management, warehousing and mining condition monitoring and intelligent maintenance intelligent sensors and devices regulations and standards in asset management human dimensions in integrated asset management education and training in asset management and performance management in asset management. We have attracted academics, practitioners and scientists from around the world to share their knowledge in this important emerging transdiscipline that impacts on almost every aspect of daily life.

Download or read book Handbook of Integrated Risk Management in Global Supply Chains written by Panos Kouvelis and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-10-26 with total page 497 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive, one-stop reference for cutting-edge research in integrated risk management, modern applications, and best practices In the field of business, the ever-growing dependency on global supply chains has created new challenges that traditional risk management must be equipped to handle. Handbook of Integrated Risk Management in Global Supply Chains uses a multi-disciplinary approach to present an effective way to manage complex, diverse, and interconnected global supply chain risks. Contributions from leading academics and researchers provide an action-based framework that captures real issues, implementation challenges, and concepts emerging from industry studies.The handbook is divided into five parts: Foundations and Overview introduces risk management and discusses the impact of supply chain disruptions on corporate performance Integrated Risk Management: Operations and Finance Interface explores the joint use of operational and financial hedging of commodity price uncertainties Supply Chain Finance discusses financing alternatives and the role of financial services in procurement contracts; inventory management and capital structure; and bank financing of inventories Operational Risk Management Strategies outlines supply risks and challenges in decentralized supply chains, such as competition and misalignment of incentives between buyers and suppliers Industrial Applications presents examples and case studies that showcase the discussed methodologies Each topic's presentation includes an introduction, key theories, formulas, and applications. Discussions conclude with a summary of the main concepts, a real-world example, and professional insights into common challenges and best practices. Handbook of Integrated Risk Management in Global Supply Chains is an essential reference for academics and practitioners in the areas of supply chain management, global logistics, management science, and industrial engineering who gather, analyze, and draw results from data. The handbook is also a suitable supplement for operations research, risk management, and financial engineering courses at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels.

Download or read book Building the Flexible Firm written by Henk Wijtze Volberda and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do firms cope with changing environments? Is flexibility really the solution? Based on an Igor Ansoff Award winning study, Building the Flexible Firm shows how flexibility has become the new strategic challenge for contemporary firms. Offering a wealth of insights and based on extensive interviews with practitioners, Henk Volberda provides a strategic framework which explains what types of flexibility are effective under different organizational conditions and environmental characteristics. He also demonstrates an integrated method for diagnosing a firm's flexibility and for guiding the transition to greater flexibility and responsiveness.

Download or read book Commitment written by Pankaj Ghemawat and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 1991-08-15 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To create a competitive advantage, a company must commit itself to developing a set of capabilities superior to its competitors; But such commitments tend to be costly and hard to reverse. How then, should a company decide which broad path, or strategy, to commit itself to? And how are competition and uncertainty to be accounted for in that decision? In this brilliant reassessment of how companies gain and sustain competitive advantage, Pankaj Ghemawat consolidates contemporary research in economics and other disciplines into a comprehensive yet practical framework for comparing commitments to strategically distinct options. This framework will help managers address specific strategic choices such as entry, exit, vertical/horizontal integration, capacity expansion, and innovation, as well as choices of generic strategy. Step by systematic step, Ghemawat provides managers with the tools and techniques they need to improve the quality of the choices that they make. Specifically, Ghemawat discusses: * how to identify the choices that are truly strategic -- that involve commitment -- before rather than after the fact * how to analyze the short-run and long-run competitive positions implied by a particular strategic option * how to assess the sustainability of superior competitive positions over time * how to account for the flexibility afforded by a particular option in dealing with future uncertainties * how to deal with both honest mistakes and deliberate distortions in the process of choice This pathbreaking book will help managers invest in the future. Its logic applies to choices involving disinvestment as well as those involving investment -- and to choices that embody elements of both. Its logic can be used for diagnostic purposes, such as the valuation of business, and most broadly, it win force managers to think about important issues that they may have tended to ignore. Ghemawat's discussion of these important ideas is concise, studded with detailed examples, based on rigorous research and, above all, practical. It will become required reading for thoughtful practitioners as well as practitionersto-be in the 1990s.

Download or read book Flexibility in Engineering Design written by Richard De Neufville and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2011-08-12 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide to using the power of design flexibility to improve the performance of complex technological projects, for designers, managers, users, and analysts. Project teams can improve results by recognizing that the future is inevitably uncertain and that by creating flexible designs they can adapt to eventualities. This approach enables them to take advantage of new opportunities and avoid harmful losses. Designers of complex, long-lasting projects—such as communication networks, power plants, or hospitals—must learn to abandon fixed specifications and narrow forecasts. They need to avoid the “flaw of averages,” the conceptual pitfall that traps so many designs in underperformance. Failure to allow for changing circumstances risks leaving significant value untapped. This book is a guide for creating and implementing value-enhancing flexibility in design. It will be an essential resource for all participants in the development and operation of technological systems: designers, managers, financial analysts, investors, regulators, and academics. The book provides a high-level overview of why flexibility in design is needed to deliver significantly increased value. It describes in detail methods to identify, select, and implement useful flexibility. The book is unique in that it explicitly recognizes that future outcomes are uncertain. It thus presents forecasting, analysis, and evaluation tools especially suited to this reality. Appendixes provide expanded explanations of concepts and analytic tools.