Since February 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic has strained health systems worldwide. Despite several measures adopted, including the deployment of emergency funds to sustain health service transformations and investment in vaccine development, the crisis has taken over a year to be controlled. The consequences are still affecting the capacity and capabilities of health systems. In light of the ongoing pandemic, this book explores the factors determining the ability of health systems to cope with and recover from a crisis, and therefore their level of resilience. The term resilience has gained momentum in health systems research, with several scholars contributing to the definition of the concept. Providing a comprehensive health system resilience agenda, policy-makers, public health specialists, health managers, scholars and practitioners will find in this work both a grounded framework for the assessment of the level of resilience of healthcare systems and organizations, and specific actionable changes that should be pursued to consolidate and improve that level of resilience. Ultimately, this work identifies desirable paths of action through the investigation of real-world cases to improve health systems and organizations capacity and capability to face any future dramatic crisis.

A useful toolkit in the implementation of the ISO's new standard in Knowledge Management. The International Standards Organization (ISO) recently published it's first standard on knowledge management. This book looks at global examples of best practice in KM, and discusses how the Standard is helping embed these principles into successful organizations.

Why do so many organizations fail to mobilize the social networks of employees to respond to disruptions, innovate, and change? In Digital Relationships, Jason Davis argues that individual and organizational interests about networking can come out of alignment such that the network ties that individuals form are organizationally sub-optimal for achieving their most ambitious goals. Developing a new perspective about networks and organizations, he explains through network agency theory how network problems emerge, the role of digital technology adoption by organizations in amplifying misalignment, and the capacity of managers and function of the executive to resolve agency problems and mitigate their impact. Drawing on over a decade of qualitative research in US, Asian, and European "big tech" companies and new analytical and computational modeling, this book offers new interpretations and solutions to the pathologies that emerge from organizationally detrimental networking behaviors and in the face of managerial interventions.

This book highlights the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These universally agreed-upon aspirational goals for people, the planet, prosperity, and peace will not be achieved without all global and local actors - governments, the private sector, and civil society - playing their part. The SDGs offer a unique opportunity to align existing sustainability initiatives through a common framework and accelerate the industry's efforts to address important challenges in the global textile value chain. Future sourcing models will largely be redefined by how this sector addresses the underlying themes as sourcing countries prioritize the goals and integrate them into their national plans. Stimulating discussion and exploring the many different ways in which the textile and clothing industry can implement the UN SDGs, this informative book provides readers with a comprehensive understanding of the topic, and presents various approaches, including reflexive, empirical, hands-on or applied theoretical.

First published in 1998, this volume explored the recent growth in university-based commercial start-up companies as a means of applying research in industry and as an alternative method of funding. Blair and Hitchens melded the practical experiences of universities with more theoretical understandings of technology transfer to assess whether it is more effective for universities to make commercial use of their research themselves as opposed to licensing, whether this is an effective way to get research applied by industry and the economic implications of these decisions. Drawing on the experiences of 25 universities, of which 18 are in the UK and Ireland, and including a detailed study of the QUBIS Group from Queen's University of Belfast, the authors explore universities' deliberate commercial exploitation of their research through university spin-off companies, the potential stresses on staff who are simultaneously academics and entrepreneurs along with universities' attitudes to the practice and possible managerial strategies.

Technology in Context is a comprehensive and accessible analysis of technology assessment which defines and describes its role in the strategic management of firms. Subjects covered include:
* the fundamental concepts required for the management of technology
* the gathering of information in a firm to support strategic decisions on technology
* technology assessment in the United States Congress
* the wider social implications of technology
* problems associated with technology, from the danger of environmental degradation to employment and skills.
Technology in Context is a complete introduction to the theory and methods of technology assessment as a tool of strategic management. It will be a useful book for all those interested in the management and social role of technology.

This book examines the transgressions of the credit rating agencies before, during and after the recent financial crisis. It proposes that by restricting the agencies' ability to offer ancillary services there stands the opportunity to limit, in an achievable and practical manner, the potentially negative effect that the Big Three rating agencies - Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch - may have upon the financial sector and society moreover. The book contains an extensive and in-depth discussion about how the agencies ascended to their current position, why they were able to do so and ultimately their behaviour once their position was cemented. This work offers a new framework for the reader to follow, suggesting that investors, issuers and the state have a 'desired' version of the agencies in their thinking and operate upon that basis when, in fact, those imagined agencies do not exist, as demonstrated by the 'actual' conduct of the agencies. The book primarily aims to uncover this divergence and reveal the 'real' credit rating agencies, and then on that basis propose a real and potentially achievable reform to limit the negative effects that result from poor performance in this Industry. It addresses the topics with regard to financial regulation and the financial crisis, and will be of interest to legal scholars interested in the intersection between business and he law as well as researchers, academics, policymakers, industry and professional associations and students in the fields of corporate law, banking and finance law, financial regulation, corporate governance and corporate finance.

As global competition grows more fierce, companies continue to look for ways to increase their competitive edge without jeopardizing profit margins. Today's corporations are starting to realize the competitive advantage that Information Technology (IT) can bring to a company. These corporations are also realizing that staying current with technology requires a great deal of effort, risk, and expense. This is one of the primary reasons CEO's are considering outsourcing as an alternative.
Written by a CIO who has successfully maneuvered through the outsourcing process, Outsourcing: A CIO's Perspective addresses the realistic expectations and the most commonly asked questions about IT outsourcing, while reviewing it's advantages and disadvantages. This text identifies key elements that can be used to assess the feasibility of securing a profitable and manageable outsourcing agreement. It provides a convincing case that even if the final decision is to not outsource, the result of the process will identify potential business improvement opportunities.

From two pioneers in business analytics, an update of the classic book on how analytics and business intelligence are transforming competition and how leading organizations build and compete on an analytical capability.The first book to describe how analytics are changing the business landscape, updated with new information on predictive analytics, AI, and automation.Describes the specific attributes of firms that are analytical competitors and how they use business intelligence and analytics to make better decisions, execute more effectively, and optimize businesses processes.Lays out a five-stage model for becoming an analytical competitor and developing analytical capabilities.Show how companies are applying analytics across the enterprise: from finance and HR, to R&D and manufacturing.Shows how analytics transform relationships between customers and suppliers.Presents the key steps and capabilities for becoming an analytical competitor.Audience:Managers in all functional areas in organizations of all kinds (not strictly IT).Senior leaders who want to build an analytic capability in their organization and drive an enterprise-wide approach to analytics.Consultants.Vendors of analytical solutions and services.

Marketing Issues in Pacific Area Tourism exposes researchers, tourism professionals, and students to the complexities of marketing issues in the most dynamic region in world tourism today. Dispelling commonly held Western assumptions, inviting new research, and stressing the importance of tourism development in this area to the economics of world tourism, this book shows you how and why this region has experienced such tremendous growth. Some of the larger countries you learn about include China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Since many of these countries are becoming not only generators of tourist demand but also new tourist receiving areas, this book covers both inbound and outbound markets.By discussing the opportunities and challenges facing tourism marketing professionals and researchers in the Pacific area, Marketing Issues in Pacific Area Tourism helps improve your effectiveness and understanding of conducting business in the Pacific region. Some of the factors you read about include: the increasing wealth and consumerism of a rapidly growing middle class in the Pacific area the relaxation of international travel restrictions how formerly insular governments of the region are awakening to the possibility of tourism. the potential impediments to sustainable tourism development in the regionMarketing Issues in Pacific Area Tourism also helps you improve survey design and interpretation by stressing the importance of understanding the heterogenous nature of Asian culture when analyzing tourist behavior and motivation. It provides a different perspective of Pacific Region tourism, concentrating on the clash of culture between those of the region and a dominant Western way of doing business. Another valuable feature of this book is the presentation of a continuing and improving database from which to assess destination performance and visitor characteristics--thus allowing researchers to further identify important marketing opportunities and issues.

Multifaceted social problems like disaster relief, homelessness, health care, and academic achievement gaps cannot be adequately addressed with isolated and disconnected public service agencies. The Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy model addresses the limitations to traditional approaches to American public administration.

This monograph presents results originating from a research project investigating autonomous adaptation of vehicle schedules and systematically develops and evaluates innovative ideas for the management of transportation processes in volatile scenarios. Showing the progress made in the development of the methodological toolbox for decision support in dynamic process management is the major motivation behind this book. The result is a new integrated approach to dynamic decision making. Existing process planning approaches for volatile environments and their application boundaries are investigated in Part I. Part II introduces the concept of feedback-controlled adaptive decision models and proposes the required extensions of the online decision making framework and of multi-agent systems. A comprehensive evaluation of the proposed decision model adaptation framework based on computational simulation experiments is reported in Part III and demonstrates the predominance of the new approach. Distinguishing features of this book are: -It provides the first contribution to the operational management of processes in supply networks that explicitly addresses the two challenges of dynamics and distributed decision making simultaneously. -It systematically approaches the limits of model-based process planning but also proposes methods to extend the application boundaries. -Software prototypes are developed and a comprehensive evaluation within numerical simulation experiments is executed. -The observed results are discussed with an explicit focus on specific performance indicators (flexibility, stability and robustness). -The strict interdisciplinary approach merging the requirements and needs of management sciences, operations research and computer sciences is pursued throughout the book.

This title was first published in 2000: The first book which brings together and interprets both the theoretical concepts associated with the study of networks in the business world, and the policy applications being applied to the practical building and development of such networks. It maps the changes in the culture of economic development policy that occurred in the UK during the 1990s, incorporating a detailed assessment of the contribution that the Training and Enterprise Councils made to business support policies. The book is published at a time when network and cluster building has risen to the top of economic development agendas not only in UK, but in many countries throughout the world. It offers the most detailed insight so far available into the structure, motivations and processes involved in developing business networks through institutional intervention. The book is relevant to anyone with an interest in business policy and theory.

In modern countries, a company is commonly categorized as either public or privately-held, depending on whether securities are publicly traded on the open market, into a government-owned company or private company depending on government ownership, or a financial company or non-financial company depending on its main business, and so on. Of course, these categories are generally used in Indonesia as well. A unique aspect in Indonesia is that a well-settled legal practice mainly uses a dichotomy of company types that is rarely popular in foreign countries: a company with foreign direct investment (penanaman modal asing, or PMA) or company with 100% domestic direct investment (penanaman modal dalam negeri, or PMDN). Government plans concerning how to differently regulate these companies frequently becomes a national issue, as it is one of the main standards to evaluate how effectively and willingly the Indonesian government develops its economic policies. Laws, regulations, and actual legal practice also treat the two types of companies differently, based on whether a company has a foreign shareholder. Although many foreign countries are also equipped with similar regulations over companies with foreign direct investment, Indonesia distinctively applies this dichotomy for much wider uses for several reasons. This book is designed to assist students, practitioners, and researchers with clear and comprehensive treatment of key concepts in Indonesian company law. Significant business, economic, and policy issues are highlighted together with a thorough analysis of the important statutory provisions and cases used in the study of Indonesian company law. The book includes the major theoretical approaches used in current company law literature and statutory issues are covered under both the 2007 Indonesian Company Act and the 2007 Indonesian Capital Investment Act. The book will be an essential reference for investors and businesses contemplating entering the Indonesian Market.

As the field of Supply Chain Management has matured, maintaining the precise flow of goods to maintain schedules (hence, minimizing inventories) on a just-in-time basis still remains as a major challenge. This problem or challenge has resulted in a fair amount of quantitative research in the area, producing an array of models and algorithms to help ensure the precise flow of components and final products into inventories to meet just-in-time requirements.

Just-in-Time Scheduling: Models and Algorithms for Real Time Operating Systems is the first expository treatment surveying the theoretical work on computer systems models and algorithms utilized in just-in-time scheduling. With the impact of globalization and supply chains on manufacturing, there are immense amounts of material flowing through supply chains at any given time worldwide. Therefore the scheduling of all the stages of material arriving at different geographical points at precise times is a highly significant problem. Moreover, the theoretical work in this area has larger ramifications for operational scheduling in many application areas. The scheduling models and algorithms presented and illustrated in the book will be done so in the context of extensive use of computer systems in a "real time context." The "just-in-time" and "real-time" theoretical work in the book will be of value and interest to many Engineers, Computer Scientists and Operations Research/Management Science researchers, students and practitioners. The book will survey and synthesize all the research in this topical area.

The United Dutch East India Company was the first public company, preceding the formation of the English East-India Company by over 40 years. Its fame as the first public company which heralded the transition from feudalism to modern capitalism and its remarkable financial success for nearly two centuries ensure its importance in the history of capitalism. Although a publicly owned, highly complex and diversified business, and commonly agreed to be the largest and most profitable business in the 17th century, throughout its existence the Dutch East-India Company never produced public accounts of its financial affairs which would have allowed investors to judge the performance of the Company. Its financial accounting, which changed little during its lifetime, was not designed as an aid to rational investment decision-making by communicating the Company's financial performance but to be a means of promoting sound stewardship by senior management. This study examines the contributions of accounting to the remarkable success of the Dutch East-India Company and the influences on these accounting practices. From the time that the German economic historian Werner Sombart proposed that accounting techniques, most especially double-entry bookkeeping, were critical to the development of modern capitalism and the public company, historians and accounting scholars have debated the extent and importance of these contributions. The Dutch East-India Company was a capitalistic enterprise that had a public, permanent capital and its principal objective was to continually increase profit by reinvesting its returns in the business. Rather than the organisation and management of the Dutch East-India Company reflecting the perceived benefits of a particular bookkeeping method, the supremacy that it achieved and maintained in a very hazardous business at a time of recurring conflict between European states was a consequence of the practicalities of 17th century business and The Netherlands' unique, threatening natural environment which shaped its social and political institutions.

Employers Can Reduce Their Employees' Health Care Costs by Thinking Out of The BoxEmployee health care costs have skyrocketed, especially for small business owners. But employers have options that medical entrepreneurs have crafted to provide all businesses with plans to improve their employees' wellness and reduce their costs. Thus, the cost of employee health care benefits can be reduced markedly by choosing one of numerous alternatives to traditional indemnity policies. The Finance of Health Care provides business decision makers with the information they need to match the optimal health care plan with the culture of their workforce. This book is a must guide for corporate executives and entrepreneurs who want to attract-and keep--the best employees in our competitive economy.

Managing Risk: Technology and Communications is a practical guide to the effective management of technology and communications risks. Frequent high profile scares, like the Sasser worm and WiFi vulnerabilities, make a proactive approach essential and this book shows you how to put in place expedient checks, balances and countermeasures.Business networks are threatened by a host of factors, from employee abuse to non-compliance with data protection and libel laws, from hacker attacks to viruses and from extortion and terrorism to natural disaster.The costs of failing to manage systems risks can be immense and go beyond simple loss of productivity or even fraudulent losses to brand damage, theft of business secrets, expensive litigation, diminished customer confidence and adverse impacts on personnel and share value. This practical handbook includes examples, checklists and case studies to help you manage such hazards.The book covers: accessibility of information; acceptable use of information; directors legal duties; general legal compliance; protecting networks from external and internal threats; encouraging security awareness at management and employee level; reputational risk management; and national and international risk and security standards.Managing Risk: Technology and Communications is the indispensable work of reference for IT and technology managers, HR managers, IT legal advisors, company secretaries and anyone seeking practical guidance on technology risks and their management.

Americans tend to believe that their country is very different from Europe. Yet over the past half century they have imported and embraced the most transformative social idea of modern Scandinavia: egalitarianism. Today, the United States is more like Sweden than it is different, dedicated to economic redistribution and to vigorously defending its big government. What price, morally and economically, are today's Americans willing to pay to preserve their egalitarian welfare state? Are they willing to turn life into a fiscal cost item? Will they sacrifice their children's future prosperity to defend their entitlements? The Rise of Big Government: How Egalitarianism Conquered America pursues the answer to these questions by going back to the ideological origins of the modern, egalitarian welfare state. Specifically, the book asks why this unity has been able to set such deep roots in the United States, a country that is often perceived as fundamentally different when it comes to the role of government in the economy. It is shown that there are more similarities than differences between the welfare state in the United States and its Swedish "template." This book is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding how the egalitarian ideology conquered the United States, and who seeks to gain a deeper understanding of its strength, its resiliency, and the problems it faces in the future.

This book provides a systematic view of current and future research perspectives on intercultural knowledge sharing and offers a model for the growth of organizational knowledge in the digital age. The author puts forward multidisciplinary and multi-paradigmatic approaches to offer an updated view on the best practices towards international management. With insights on the opportunities and limitations of the use of digital and social media to facilitate intercultural knowledge sharing in business, the book explores the evolution of research on the topic, taking into account the consequence of "glocalization" as well as technological innovation and the evolution of organizational strategies and structures. Intercultural Knowledge Sharing in MNCs will be of use to scholars of management and organizational studies, as well as managers of international businesses interested in knowledge sharing, as it delivers an invaluable model which aims to conciliate diversity and inclusion, global and local knowledge, technological innovation and humanism.

Frequently not enough attention is given to producing a comprehensive business case or to producing an economic justification for an information systems investment. In fact many organizations are not clear as to what constitutes a sound business case and how to go about producing one. This Professional level book for the Computer Weekly Professional Series will show how to go about justification for I.T. spend. This book is designed for all those who are involved in the decision to invest in information systems. This book is especially relevant to senior business executives, senior financial managers and IT executives. Business consultants, computer and corporate advisors will also find the ideas and material addressed in this text of particular benefit as will anyone involved in corporate and strategic planning.In addition, senior students such as those working towards their MBAs will find this book of use.A business case is a statement or a series of statements that demonstrate the economic value of a particular intervention, a course of action or a specific investment. A business case is not simply a financial forecast of the hardware and software costs and the expected benefits. A business case for an information systems investment involves a comprehensive understanding of both the likely resources as well as the business drivers which will assist business managers improve their performance and thereby obtain a stream of benefits from the investment.In general there are approximately six steps in producing a business case for an information systems investment.1. Determine the high-level business outcomes that will be clearly and comprehensively expressed as a set of opportunities the organization can take advantage of, or problems that need to be rectified.2

Intranets and Extranets are the fastest growing use of internet technology and are being adopted by a large number of organizations. `Web-Weaving' is a book for managers which illustrates the benefits and pitfalls of using technology to enhance internal and external connections. The book brings together a number of the hottest subjects in IT and Organizational Development using contributions from innovative thinkers and practitioners in both areas. The first section defines what web-weaving actual is, describing the huge range of communication technology available to organizations at the moment. The second section reviews web-weaving in practice using case studies of companies using intranet and extranet technology. The third section brings together commentaries from leading players in both the IT and Human Resources fields to predict the future of web-weaving and the huge impact it will have on the way organizations and the people within them will work together in the future.

Debra M. Amidon, a worldwide pioneer in knowledge strategy, once again leads you into the future by charting the intersection of knowledge management and innovation into a new frontier called 'Knowledge Innovation.' Groundbreaking and well researched, 'The Innovation SuperHighway' provides global insights into how you can use knowledge processes and tools to sustain high levels of innovation among all stakeholders to gain a competitive positioning.'The Innovation SuperHighway' awakens the realization that information, economic infrastructures, computer and communications technology - and even knowledge management and ICT's, has been a journey toward profitable and prosperous innovation. Providing the sound rationale for knowledge strategy, Amidon defines the global vision on all levels of economy the enterprise, the national economy and societal transformation.'The Innovation SuperHighway' turns knowledge vision into innovation practice.

"Real time Collaboration Enterprise" is the new business model for market domination. Billions of dollars will be spent in this field, and by 2007 the majority of Global 1000 enterprises will be deploying real-time collaboration business processes to be a core of their business portfolios. Based on their extensive experience with cutting-edge technology, the authors discuss how to successfully implement collaboration commerce solutions, reporting lessons learned from leading companies such as P&G, Astra Zeneca, SAP, and Microsoft.

Planning is an important management function and its effective execution is crucial to ensure the success of any project. This second edition of Thomas Uher’s and Adam Zantis' textbook maintains its focus on operational rather than strategic aspects of programming and scheduling of projects, providing the reader with the practical planning skills needed to be successful.

Unlike most other textbooks that largely focus on the critical path method, Programming and Scheduling Techniques includes a comprehensive review of a range of practices used around the world. Topics covered in this thoroughly revised edition include:

deterministic scheduling techniques including the bar chart, the critical path method, the critical chain method, the multiple activity chart and the line of balance

a comparison of the critical path and critical chain scheduling techniques

options for computer-based scheduling

stochastic scheduling techniques including the critical path method based on Monte Carlo simulation and the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

risk in scheduling

work study.

By covering a broad range of scheduling techniques this book is suitable for those planning projects in any industry, particularly in interdisciplinary or international contexts.

Written for students studying undergraduate and postgraduate architecture, building, construction/project management, quantity surveying, property development and civil engineering programs.

Table of Contents

1.The Concept of Planning 2. Bar Charts 3. The Critical Path Method 4. Resource Management 5. Overlapping Network Models 6. Project Control 7. Critical Path Scheduling by Computer 8. Critical Chain Scheduling 9. Multiple Activity Charts 10. Line of Balance Technique 11. Work Study 12. Risk and Scheduling 13. The Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)