Understanding the adoption, diffusion, and transfer of technology in the marketplace is vital for the success of any organization. Knowledge and Technology Adoption, Diffusion, and Transfer: International Perspectives is filled with original scientific and quality research articles on management information systems, technology diffusion, and business systems application aspects of e-commerce, e-government, and mobile application. As a forum of multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary dialogue, it addresses research on all aspects of innovation diffusion in the field of business computing technologies and their past, present, and future use. This title serves as a vital source of information for researchers and practitioners alike.

This book identifies, analyzes and discusses the current trends of digitalized, decentralized, and networked physical value creation by focusing on the particular example of 3D printing. In addition to evaluating 3D printing's disruptive potentials against a broader economic background, it also addresses the technology's potential impacts on sustainability and emerging modes of bottom-up and community-based innovation. Emphasizing these topics from economic, technical, social and environmental perspectives, the book offers a multifaceted overview that scrutinizes the scenario of a fundamental transition: from a centralized to a far more decentralized system of value creation.

As the size and complexity of a company change in the course of its evolution it experiences predictable stages of growth. During these stages, a company discovers that what worked in the past no longer works. At such times, managers have to juggle the three variables of organizational evolution--the firM's purpose, its business and management processes, and its human resource issues--and keep them in balance as they reinvent new ways of structuring the firm. Typically, tension develops as one variable is stressed at the expense of the others. Managers need to know how to delegate decision making without abdicating overall control of the organization. The model developed here derives from the authors' understanding of how successful firms have managed these tensions.

Fletcher and Taplin deal with teamwork, leadership, and the nature of dynamic change while successfully avoiding the cliches to which many experts in those areas are prone. They discuss teamwork in the context of wider performance and process issues. They address leadership not by talking about personality traits but by examining the tensions within authority structures as senior managers attempt to reconcile organizational logics (history and past practices that have sustained the firm) and their own definition of the challenges that face the firm. The authors argue that such contradictions follow a predictable pattern. Managers can either ignore the underlying instability or confront it in ways that will ease the transition and sustain the organization's dynamic growth.

The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations is the first book to teach storytelling as a powerful and formal discipline for organizational change and knowledge management. The book explains how organizations can use certain types of stories ("springboard" stories) to communicate new or envisioned strategies, structures, identities, goals, and values to employees, partners and even customers. Readers will learn techniques by which they can help their organizations become more unified, responsive, and intelligent. Storytelling is a management technique championed by gurus including Peter Senge, Tom Peters and Larry Prusak. Now Stephen Denning, an innovator in the new discipline of organizational storytelling, teaches how to use stories to address challenges fundamental to success in today's information economy.

A volume in I.S.C.E Book Series: Managing the Complex Series Editors Kurt Richardson and Michael Lissack, ISCE Research It seems as if attempts to use knowledge to understand and manage social networks are everywhere. Millions, if not billions, of dollars are being spent in an attempt to derail terrorist networks, with much of it being invested in making sense of massive data streams. There is growing concern that much of this money is being squandered on approaches that will never deliver on their promises. Our armed forces are being prepared to combat terrorist threats by the introduction of "network centric approaches" and "digital battlefields" - basically attempts to provide warfighters with a complete picture of the battlespace. However, the experience of practitioners suggests that the "data smog" this creates is actually counterproductive. From the arena of politics, the recent invigorating battle between senators Clinton and Obama has thrown the spotlight on the deficiencies in political polling (Economist, 2008b). Changes in the structure of the situation (e.g. high turnouts) have thrown the whole industry into chaos. Complexity is being discounted and the results are stark. The conclusion formed in the media was that the situation was wildly unpredictable (so anyone's to win), and ended up having real consequences for the Democratic challenger in November 2008 (Baldwin, 2008). Turning to business, we find that Societe Generale recently lost $7.2bn as the result of a single rogue trader making a series of bogus transactions amid turbulent markets in 2007 and 2008. There has been much speculation on what was known, when it was known, and who knew it. In other words, we have speculation that this is an example of the role of knowledge in the mismanagement of social networks - with spectacular effect. At a glance, the problems highlighted above seem positively overwhelming. Where do you start? But start we must. Simple "causal and effect" thinking doesn't seem to be able to cut the mustard. There is broad agreement that even if the Kyoto targets were fully met, on schedule, by 2100 it would only delay the warming of the planet by six years (Parry et al., 1998). We need to utilize knowledge in new ways...or maybe uncover insights from old ways. It is hard to think of something more worthy of attention that the role of knowledge in the management of complex systems. In Volume 4 of the Managing the Complex Series we have brought together seventeen essays from authors around the globe to explore the complex systems view of knowledge and its role in social networks. Contributors explore such topics as: the limitations to our knowledge of complex systems, the transfer of knowledge from local to global levels, collaborative knowledge generation, decision making in complex multi-stakeholder situations, organizational learning and innovation, all through the lens of the emerging field of complexity science. The editors hope that this volume will give theorists further avenues to explore in their attempts to understand knowledge creation, maintenance and distribution, and also provide practitioners with new tools to apply in the complex and messy real world.

Utilising technologies, processes, and applications to analyse internal and structured data, business intelligence is a key aspect in the ability of an organization to gather knowledge and develop new opportunities for growth. Principles and Applications of Business Intelligence Research provides the latest ideas and research on the practices and management of business intelligence. Including original research, case studies, and analysis, this comprehensive collection aims to advance the understanding and implementation of business intelligence.

Ubiquitous Developments in Knowledge Management: Integrations and Trends depicts new technologies, approaches, issues, solutions, and cases that can help an organization implement a knowledge management initiative or provide a knowledge base for the practitioner/academic researcher. This foundational reference contributes to existing knowledge management literature by providing new insight into the continual evolution of the discipline in modern organizations.

Dr. Chisholm defines data modelers and data managers. Establishing a common understanding of financial instruments, including the nuances of their underlying contractual structure, is the very foundation of systemic oversight, business process automation, and analytical modeling.

Identifying, measuring, and valuing knowledge-based intangible assets: new perspectives highlights the importance of intangible resources in business management, the need for a strategic analysis that enables them to be identified and assessed, and solutions to these challenges. Aimed at executives, practitioners, academics and students, this book demonstrates new models and methods that allow progress to be made on the task of intangibles management, which is the fundamental source of wealth in the knowledge economy.

This book describes the setup of digital enterprises and how to manage them, focusing primarily on the important knowledge and essential understanding of digital enterprise management required by managers and decision makers in organizations. It covers ten essential knowledge areas of this field: * Foundation of Digital Enterprise * Technology Foundation and Talent Management for Digital Enterprise * Digital Enterprise Strategy Planning and Implementation * B2C Digital Enterprise: E-tailing * B2C Digital Enterprise: E-Services * B2B Digital Enterprise and Supply Chain * Digital Platforms * Digital Marketing and Advertising * Digital Payment Systems * Mobile Enterprise Overall, this text provides the reader with the basics to understand the rapid development of digitization, facilitated by the dramatic advancements in digital technologies, extensively connected networks, and wider adoption of computing devices (especially mobile devices), as more and more organizations are realizing the strategic importance of digitization (e.g., sustainable growth of the organization, competitive advantage development and enhancement) and are embarking on digital enterprise.

Knowledge Management is concerned with all aspects of eliciting, acquiring, modelling, and managing knowledge. Application of knowledge resources successfully helps the organization to deliver creative products and services. Especially in service business, service job experience and information about the customer, as well as the installed site equipment, are key factors to deliver services efficiently and with high quality. In many cases supporting information is stored in different backend systems and it needs to be retrieved, aggregated, and presented on demand. Knowledge Management and Drivers of Innovation in Services Industries provides a comprehensive collection of knowledge from experts within the Information and Knowledge Management field. Outlining areas on Knowledge Management, Innovation, Information Technologies and Systems, and Services Industry, this book provides insight for academic professors, policymakers, and students alike.

This unique book helps business executives to improve their company's business performance by showing how to build an effective and future-proof distribution channel, and adopt effective commercial policies and value-based pricing strategies. For the first time, an ex-McKinsey consultant and general manager reveals the methodology adopted by successful Fortune 100 multinationals, offering readers a concise, informative and pragmatic guide to the core principles, with an abundance of concrete examples and visual frameworks. Every good business manager needs to have a microscope on one eye and a telescope on the other eye - this practical, easy to follow book, anchored in solid analytic principles, allows for fast and solid transitions between diagnosis, long-term strategic thinking, and short-term execution. Bruno Barcelos, General Manager Sandoz, a Novartis Company

This book focuses on the use of quantitative methods for both business and management, helping readers understand the most relevant quantitative methods for managerial decision-making. Pursuing a highly practical approach, the book reduces the theoretical information to a minimum, so as to give full prominence to the analysis of real business problems. Each chapter includes a brief theoretical explanation, followed by a real-life managerial case that needs to be solved, which is accompanied by a corresponding Microsoft Excel (R) dataset. The practical cases and exercises are solved using Excel, and for each problem, the authors provide an Excel file with the complete solution and corresponding calculations, which can be downloaded easily from the book's website. Further, in an appendix, readers can find solutions to the same problems, but using the R statistical language. The book represents a valuable reference guide for postgraduate, MBA and executive education students, as it offers a hands-on, practical approach to learning quantitative methods in a managerial context. It will also be of interest to managers looking for a practical and straightforward way to learn about quantitative methods and improve their decision-making processes.

The main target of this book is to raise the awareness about social networking systems design, implementation, security requirements, and approaches. The book entails related issues including computing, engineering, security, management, and organization policy. It interprets the design, implementation and security threats in the social networks and offers some solutions in this concern. It clarifies the authentication concept between servers to identity users. Most of the models that focus on protecting users' information are also included. This book introduces the Human-Interactive Security Protocols (HISPs) efficiently. Presenting different types of the social networking systems including the internet and mobile devices is one of the main targets of this book. This book includes the social network performance evaluation metrics. It compares various models and approaches used in the design of the social networks. This book includes various applications for the use of the social networks in the healthcare, e-commerce, crisis management, and academic applications. The book provides an extensive background for the development of social network science and its challenges. This book discusses the social networks integration to offer online services, such as instant messaging, email, file sharing, transferring patients' medical reports/images, location-based recommendations and many other functions. This book provides users, designers, engineers and managers with the valuable knowledge to build a better secured information transfer over the social networks. The book gathers remarkable materials from an international experts' panel to guide the readers during the analysis, design, implementation and security achievement for the social network systems. In this book, theories, practical guidance, and challenges are included to inspire designers and researchers. The book guides the engineers, designers, and researchers to exploit the intrinsic design of the social network systems.

The revised second edition of "Measures and Metrics in Corporate Security" is an indispensable guide to creating and managing a security metrics program. Authored by George Campbell, emeritus faculty of the Security Executive Council and former chief security officer of Fidelity Investments, this book shows how to improve security s bottom line and add value to the business. It provides a variety of organizational measurements, concepts, metrics, indicators and other criteria that may be employed to structure measures and metrics program models appropriate to the reader s specific operations and corporate sensitivities.

There are several hundred examples of security metrics included in "Measures and Metrics in Corporate Security, " which are organized into categories of security services to allow readers to customize metrics to meet their operational needs. Also supplied with the book (hosted on a companion website) are PowerPoint slide decks that can help practitioners build their metrics presentations and provide ideas about what can be measured.

"Measures and Metrics in Corporate Security" is a part of Elsevier s Security Executive Council Risk Management Portfolio, a collection of real world solutions and "how-to" guidelines that equip executives, practitioners, and educators with proven information for successful security and risk management programs.
Describes the basic components of a metrics program, as well as the business context for metricsProvides guidelines to help security managers leverage the volumes of data their security operations already createIdentifies the metrics security executives have found tend to best serve security s unique (and often misunderstood) missionsIncludes 375 real examples of security metrics across 13 categories"

In an effort to increase an understanding of the relationship between information technology and the cultural and social dynamics within the workplace, we must bridge the gap between technology and social sciences. Integrations of Technology Utilization and Social Dynamics in Organizations covers all aspects of social issues impacted by information technology in organizations and inter-organizational structures; this book presents the conceptualization of specific social issues and their associated constructs. It encompasses designs and infrastructures, empirical validation of social models, and case studies illustrating socialization success and failures relating to Information technology.

In a world that is essentially digitizing, some have argued that the idea of the knowledge society holds the greatest promise for Africa s rapid socio-economic transformation. Impacts of the Knowledge Society on Economic and Social Growth in Africa aims to catalyze thinking and provide relevant information on the complex ways in which the information age is shaping Africa and the implications that this will have for the continent and the world. This premier reference volume will provide policy analysts, policymakers, academics, and researchers with fresh insights into the key empirical and theoretical matters framing Africa's ongoing digitization."

The aim of this book is to present qualitative and qualitative aspects of logistics operations and supply chain management which help to implement the sustainable policy principles in the companies and public sector s institutions. Authors in individual chapters address the issues related to reverse network configuration, forward and reverse supply chain integration, CO2 reduction in transportation, improvement of the production operations and management of the recovery activities. Some best practices from different countries and industries are presented. This book will be valuable to both academics and practitioners wishing to deepen their knowledge in the field of logistics operations and management with regard to sustainability issues."

In scheduling theory, the models that have attracted considerable attention during the last two decades allow the processing times to be variable, i.e., to be subjected to various effects that make the actual processing time of a job dependent on its location in a schedule. The impact of these effects includes, but is not limited to, deterioration and learning. Under the first type of effect, the later a job is scheduled, the longer its actual processing time becomes. In the case of learning, delaying a job will result in shorter processing times. Scheduling with Time-Changing Effects and Rate-Modifying Activities covers and advances the state-of-the-art research in this area. The book focuses on single machine and parallel machine scheduling problems to minimize either the maximum completion time or the sum of completion times of all jobs, provided that the processing times are subject to various effects. Models that describe deterioration, learning and general non-monotone effects to be considered include positional, start-time dependent, cumulative and their combinations, which cover most of the traditionally used models. The authors also consider more enhanced models in which the decision-maker may insert certain Rate-Modifying Activities (RMA) on processing machines, such as for example, maintenance or rest periods. In any case, the processing times of jobs are not only dependent on effects mentioned above but also on the place of a job in a schedule relative to an RMA. For most of the enhanced models described in the book, polynomial-time algorithms are presented which are based on similar algorithmic ideas such as reduction to linear assignment problems (in a full form or in a reduced form), discrete convexity, and controlled generation of options.

This book provides advanced analytics and decision management techniques and tools for developing sustainable competitive advantages in the studied target context. In order to achieve sustainable economy, the capacity to endure, it is essential to understand and study the mechanisms for interactions and impact from and among these perspectives.

This book examines the relationships among leadership, the quality of the management process and business results. Drawing from the pioneering contributions of Chester I. Barnard, this book defines the role and characteristics of an effective and efficient manager in the new knowledge economy. This book also examines the relevance of Barnard's work on modern studies in economics and business administration. Chester I. Barnard considered the company to be a complex socio-economic system, oriented towards general aims. A company's behavior is rational if its constituent elements and management models are planned, organized, guided and regulated in order to create and maintain a cooperative system that combines efficiency and effectiveness. In this book, the conceptual construction of Barnard's management theory is represented by a synthetic scheme in which the various components of the business process (including leadership) and their influences on the outcome variables of the company are linked as a system. This approach makes this book appealing to academics, scholars and professionals in business, management, administration and knowledge management.

This book introduces several simple analytical approaches to aid the seamless integration of renewable distributed generation. It focuses on the idea of intelligent integration, which involves locating and developing suitable operational characteristics of renewable distributed generation. After reviewing the options available, the best location should be chosen, an appropriately sized operation should be installed and the most suitable operational characteristics should be adopted. Presenting these simple analytical approaches, their step-by-step implementation and a number of cases studies using test distribution systems, the book clearly demonstrates the technical, economic and environmental benefits of intelligent integration.