Strategic Direction

Purpose – Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach – Scans the top 400 management publications in the world to identify the most topical issues and latest concepts. These are presented in an easy-to-digest briefing of no more than 1,500 words.

Findings – Although its halo has slipped of late, Japan has always been renowned for its innovative management strategies and success at developing new, competitive products. Indeed, it seems to have spawned whole new areas of management study, and there is some new evidence that it may have invented the idea of knowledge management before it became part of the lingua franca used in the halls of business schools and Fortune 500 companies in the 1990s. In a compelling study of photocopier giant Fuji Xerox, Katsuhiro Umemoto et al. open the lid on how knowledge sharing developed within the company, adapted to new technologies and provided tangible benefits in costs, lead times and creativity.

Practical implications – Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.