Original ideas start in a persons mind, but the environment where they operate is crucial for the capture and development of these ideas. Equally important is the interaction with others in developing and evaluating ideas, as a brilliant idea only influences the world if it is put into use. This book hopes to inspire the team leader, innovation manager or research group leader. It deals with the delicate balance of managing and controlling intellectual property in a collaborative environment. Insights on how new inventions can be evaluated are offered. Following the whole cycle of innovation from a creative idea to where a product or service can be put on the market, examples illustrate how an innovative environment can be created and maintained. Strategies and solutions based on the science of team development are presented and leadership models for the different phases of group development are provided. The book will be of interest to researchers, academics, product developers, entrepreneurs, and advanced students in the fields of technology and innovation management and entrepreneurship and small business management but also for leadership.

Making use of data is not anymore a niche project but central to almost every project. With access to massive compute resources and vast amounts of data, it seems at least in principle possible to solve any problem. However, successful data science projects result from the intelligent application of: human intuition in combination with computational power; sound background knowledge with computer-aided modelling; and critical reflection of the obtained insights and results. Substantially updating the previous edition, then entitled Guide to Intelligent Data Analysis, this core textbook continues to provide a hands-on instructional approach to many data science techniques, and explains how these are used to solve real world problems. The work balances the practical aspects of applying and using data science techniques with the theoretical and algorithmic underpinnings from mathematics and statistics. Major updates on techniques and subject coverage (including deep learning) are included. Topics and features: guides the reader through the process of data science, following the interdependent steps of project understanding, data understanding, data blending and transformation, modeling, as well as deployment and monitoring; includes numerous examples using the open source KNIME Analytics Platform, together with an introductory appendix; provides a review of the basics of classical statistics that support and justify many data analysis methods, and a glossary of statistical terms; integrates illustrations and case-study-style examples to support pedagogical exposition; supplies further tools and information at an associated website. This practical and systematic textbook/reference is a "need-to-have" tool for graduate and advanced undergraduate students and essential reading for all professionals who face data science problems. Moreover, it is a "need to use, need to keep" resource following one's exploration of the subject.

This book is an outcome of the 34th International Conference EnviroInfo 2020, hosted virtually in Nicosia, Cyprus by the Research Centre on Interactive Media, Smart Systems and Emerging Technologies (RISE). It presents a selection of papers that describe innovative scientific approaches and ongoing research in environmental informatics and the emerging field of environmental sustainability, promoted and facilitated by the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). The respective articles cover a broad range of scientific aspects including advances in core environmental informatics-related technologies such as earth observation, environmental modelling, big data and machine learning, robotics, smart agriculture and food solutions, renewable energy-based solutions, optimization of infrastructures, sustainable industrial processes, and citizen science, as well as applications of ICT solutions intended to support societal transformation processes toward the more sustainable management of resource use, transportation and energy supplies. Given its scope, the book is essential reading for scientists, experts and students in these fields of research. Chapter "Developing a Configuration System for a Simulation Game in the Domain of Urban CO2 Emissions Reduction" is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) are among the most complex of all financial instruments. Analysis of MBS requires blending empirical analysis of borrower behavior with mathematical modeling of interest rates and home prices. Over the past 25 years, Davidson and Levin have been at the leading edge of MBS valuation and risk analysis. Mortgage Valuation Models: Embedded Options, Risk and Uncertainty is a detailed description of the sophisticated theories and advanced methods that the authors employ in real-world analysis of mortgage backed securities. Issues such as complexity, borrower options, uncertainty, and model risk play a central role in their approach to valuation of MBS. The book describes methods for modeling prepayments and defaults of borrowers. It explores closed form, backward induction and Monte Carlo valuation using the Option-Adjusted-Spread (OAS) approach, explains the origin of OAS and its relationship to model uncertainty. With reference to the classical CAPM and APT, the book advocates extending the concept of risk-neutrality to modeling home prices and borrower options, well beyond interest rates. The coverage spans the range of mortgage products from loans, TBA (to be announced) pass-through securities to subordinate tranches of subprime-mortgage securitizations and describes valuation methods for both agency and non-agency MBS including pricing new loans; Davidson and Levin put forth new approaches to prudent risk measurement, ranking, and decomposition that can help guide traders and risk managers. It reveals quantitative causes of the 2007-09 financial crisis and provides insights into the future of the US housing finance system and mortgage modeling. Despite the advances in mortgage modeling and valuation, this remains an ever-evolving field. Mortgage Valuation Models will serve as a foundation for the future development of models for mortgage-backed securities.

This book covers a broad range of topics related to digitalization. Specifically, it views digitalization across different organizational levels, such as the level of individuals, teams, processes, firms, and ecosystems. It includes a collection of recent research and reflections on the topic that helps to understand the technological foundations of digitalization and its impacts. It also reflects on the process of digitalization and how it changes established ways of working, collaborating, and coordinating. With this book, the editors and authors honor Professor Dr. Armin Heinzl for his enormous and ongoing contributions to information systems research, education, and practice.

Foundations of Family Resource Management uses the lenses of consumer science, management, and economics, and beyond to help students make intelligent decisions about resources, time, and energies at the individual and family level. It has a strong interdisciplinary, global, and multicultural focus. This sixth edition brings in new material on millennials, delayed marriage, household composition, neuroscience, behavioral economics, sustainable consumption, technology, and handling crises. It has been updated in line with the latest census data and academic literature. The text contains lots of features to support student learning, including chapter summaries, "Did You Know?" questions, glossary of key terms, examples and cases, critical thinking activities, and review questions for discussion and reflection. Lecture slides and an instructor manual are available as digital supplements. This textbook meets the standards and criteria for the Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) designation of the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) and will be suitable for resource management courses in family and consumer science, human ecology, and human environmental science programs.

This book provides a comprehensive and effective exchange of information on current developments in the management of manufacturing systems and Industry 4.0. The book aims to establish channels of communication and disseminate knowledge among professionals working in manufacturing and related institutions. In the book, researchers, academicians and practitioners in relevant fields share their knowledge from the sectors of management of manufacturing systems. The chapters were selected from several conferences in the field, with the topics including management of manufacturing systems with support for Industry 4.0, logistics and intelligent manufacturing systems and applications, cooperation management, and its effective applications. The book also includes case studies in logistics, RFID applications, and economic impacts in logistics, ICT support for industry 4.0, industrial and smart logistics, intelligent manufacturing systems and applications

Appropriate for one or two term courses in introductory Business Statistics. With Statistics for Management, Levin and Rubin have provided a non-intimidating business statistics textbook that students can easily read and understand. Like its predecessors, the Seventh Edition includes the absolute minimum of mathematical/statistical notation necessary to teach the material. Concepts are fully explained in simple, easy-to-understand language as they are presented, making the text an excellent source from which to learn and teach. After each discussion, readers are guided through real-world examples to show how textbook principles work in professional practice.

Shedding new light on the human side of big data through the lenses of emotional and social intelligence competencies, this book advances the understanding of the requirements of the different professions that deal with big data. It also illustrates the empirical evidence collected through the application of the competency-based methodology to a sample of data scientists and data analysts, the two most in-demand big data jobs in the labor market. The book provides recommendations for the higher education system to offer better designed curricula for entry-level big data professions. It also offers managerial insights in describing how organizations and specifically HR practitioners can benefit from the competency-based approach to overcome the skill shortage that characterizes the demand for big data professional roles and to increase the effectiveness of the selection and recruiting processes.

This book examines the shifting role of media trust in a digital world, and critically analyzes how news and stories are created, distributed and consumed. Emphasis is placed on the current challenges and possible solutions to regain trust and restore credibility. The book reveals the role of trust in communication, in society and in media, and subsequently addresses media at the crossroads, as evinced by phenomena like gatekeepers, echo chambers and fake news. The following chapters explore truth and trust in journalism, the role of algorithms and robots in media, and the relation between social media and individual trust. The book then presents case studies highlighting how media creates trust in the contexts of: brands and businesses, politics and non-governmental organizations, science and education. In closing, it discusses the road ahead, with a focus on users, writers, platforms and communication in general, and on media competency, skills and education in particular.

This open access book contributes to the creation of a cyber ecosystem supported by blockchain technology in which technology and people can coexist in harmony. Blockchains have shown that trusted records, or ledgers, of permanent data can be stored on the Internet in a decentralized manner. The decentralization of the recording process is expected to significantly economize the cost of transactions. Creating a ledger on data, a blockchain makes it possible to designate the owner of each piece of data, to trade data pieces, and to market them. This book examines the formation of markets for various types of data from the theory of market quality proposed and developed by M. Yano. Blockchains are expected to give data itself the status of a new production factor. Bringing ownership of data to the hands of data producers, blockchains can reduce the possibility of information leakage, enhance the sharing and use of IoT data, and prevent data monopoly and misuse. The industry will have a bright future as soon as better technology is developed and when a healthy infrastructure is created to support the blockchain market.

This book presents a new paradigm of software testing by emphasizing the role of critical thinking, system thinking and rationality as the most important skills for the tester. It thus approaches software testing from a different perspective than in past literature, as the vast majority of books describe testing in the context of specific tools, automation, documentation, particular test design techniques or test management. In addition, the book proposes a novel meta-approach for designing effective test strategies, which is based on recent advances in psychology, economics, system sciences and logic. Chapter 1 starts by introducing the fundamental ideas underlying software testing. Chapter 2 then describes meta-strategies in software testing, i.e. general approaches that can be adapted to many different situations that a software tester encounters. Next, Chapter 3 presents the concept of Thinking-Driven Testing (TDT). This approach utilizes the concepts discussed in the two previous chapters and introduces the main ideas that underlie a reasonable and optimal approach to software testing. Chapter 4 builds on this basis and proposes a specific approach to testing, called TQED, that makes it possible to increase creativity in the context of delivering effective, optimal test ideas. Chapter 5 provides an overview of different types of testing techniques in order to understand the fundamental concepts of test design, while Chapter 6 details various pitfalls a tester may encounter and that can originate from a wide range of testing process areas. Lastly, Chapter 7 puts all this into practice, as it contains several exercises that will help testers develop a number of crucial skills: logical thinking and reasoning, thinking out of the box, creativity, counting and estimating, and analytical thinking. By promoting critical, rational and creative thinking, this book invites readers to re-examine common assumptions regarding software testing and shows them how to become professional testers who bring added value to their company.

We are living in the middle of a Fourth Industrial Revolution, with new technology leading to dramatic shifts in everything from manufacturing to supply chain logistics. In a lively, developing field of academic, procurement is often neglected. Despite this, procurement plays a vital role, connecting the organization with its ecosystem. At a time of change and economic crisis, a new business model is called for, which this book aims to define. Based on the applications of Industry 4.0 concepts to procurement, this book describes Procurement 4.0 as a method and a set of tools, helping businesses to improve the value of their products, reduce waste, become more flexible, and address the business needs of the future. It will appeal to academics in the area, as well as practitioners.

Concise guide useful for students, researchers and practitioners. Marginalized topic from a research perspective. Includes formal theory and case studies in art history.

For graduate and undergraduate courses in IT management and IT strategy. The authors utilize their years of working with companies on IT management / strategy to provide students with a practical look at the evolution of IT in business.

Electronic Business will create changes similar to those brought about by the Industrial Revolution. It will change our business, society, and governance. It is happening now!Electronic Business is the integration of information technology (IT) and particularly the Internet into business processes. In the past 30 years IT has made processes more effective and efficient, but it has not fundamentally transformed them. Now, Electronic Business changes everything. The Internet is the catalyst: its eventual impact will be as great as or greater than that of the printing press.The aim of this book is to point out the challenges and opportunities facing Europe and its companies. It is based on the authors' joint experience of over 40 years with IT in business, industry, and government.

Business Statistics narrows the gap between theory and practice by focusing on relevant statistical methods, thus empowering business students to make good, data-driven decisions. Using the latest GAISE (Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education) report, which included extensive revisions to reflect both the evolution of technology and new wisdom on statistics education, this edition brings a modern edge to teaching business statistics. This includes a focus on the report's key recommendations: teaching statistical thinking, focusing on conceptual understanding, integrating real data with a context and a purpose, fostering active learning, using technology to explore concepts and analyse data, and using assessments to improve and evaluate student learning. By presenting statistics in the context of real-world businesses and by emphasising analysis and understanding over computation, this book helps students be more analytical, prepares them to make better business decisions, and shows them how to effectively communicate results. Samples Preview the detailed table of contents Download a sample chapter from Business Statistics, Global Edition, 4th Edition

This open access book shows the breadth and various facets of e-Science, while also illustrating their shared core. Changes in scientific work are driven by the shift to grid-based worlds, the use of information and communication systems, and the existential infrastructure, which includes global collaboration. In this context, the book addresses emerging issues such as open access, collaboration and virtual communities and highlights the diverse range of developments associated with e-Science. As such, it will be of interest to researchers and scholars in the fields of information technology and knowledge management.

Increasingly large multinationals and public sector agencies, as well as small and medium organizations, have perceived value in transferring some or most of their IT assets, leases and staff to third party vendors. This trend has been maintained by high-profile "mega-deals" based ostensibly on the logic of core competence thinking and trends towards "alliance capitalism". However, many members of the IT community have signalled the dangers inherent in relinquishing management control of a "strategic asset". In some cases these warnings have proved valid, with several "strategic partnerships" experiencing severe problems. Conversely, some of the companies adamantly refusing to countenance outsourcing have struggled to demonstrate IT value. The key question therefore is not should IT be outsourced, but where and how can business leverage be achieved through utilising the rapidly developing market for IT services. Strategic Sourcing of Information Systems answers this question by-providing a forum of current thinking by prominent scholars and practitioners from around the globe. Edited and with a lengthy Introduction by Leslie Willcocks and Mary Lacity, two internationally recognised experts in this field, the book’s coverage includes: •Selective Outsourcing •Total Outsourcing •Total Insourcing •IT department as a trading agency •Offshore Development This book has been designed for both academics and practitioners. Theoretical perspectives allow critical variables to be extracted in order to explain successful or unsuccessful decisions, while decision frameworks and case studies provide guidelines on which sourcing options to select, and how to manage outsourcing arrangements.

Cases on Information Technology Planning, Design and Implementation brings together a variety of real-life experiences showing how other companies and organizations have successfully, or not so successfully, planned, designed, and implemented different applications using information technology. Cases included in this publication present a wide range of issues related to systems development, design and analysis of modern information systems applications without pitfalls. Professionals and educators alike will find this collection of cases very useful in learning about challenges and solutions related to the planning, design and implementation of information technology applications. ""Cases on Information Technology Planning, Design and Implementation"" provides an outstanding collection of current real-life situations associated with the effective utilization of IT, with lessons learned included in each case.

This book provides comprehensive guidance on leveraging SAP IBP technology to connect strategic (to be understood as long term SC&O), tactical and operational planning into one coherent process framework, presenting experience shared by practitioners in workshops, customer presentations, business, and IT transformation projects. It offers use cases and a wealth of practical tips to ensure that readers understand the challenges and advantages of IBP implementation. The book starts by characterizing disconnected planning and contrasting this with key elements of a transformation project approach. It explains the functional foundations and SAP Hybris, Trade Promotion Planning, Customer Business Planning, ARIBA, and S/4 integration with SAP IBP. It then presents process for integrating finance in IBP. Annual planning and monthly planning are taken as examples of explain Long term planning (in some companies labeled as strategic). The core of the book is about sales and operations planning (S&OP) and its process steps, product demand, supply review, integrated reconciliation and management business review, illustrating all steps with use cases. It describes unconstrained and constrained optimized supply planning, inventory optimization, shelf life planning. We explain how to improve responsiveness with order-based allocation planning, sales order confirmation, and big deal / tender management coupled with simultaneous re-planning of supply. The book closes with a chapter on performance measurement, measurement of effectiveness, efficiency, and adherence.

For courses on decision modeling through the use of spreadsheets. The perfect balance between decision modeling and spreadsheet use. It's important that textbooks support decision modeling courses by combining student's ability to logically model and analyze diverse decision-making scenarios with software-based solution procedures. Balakrishnan offers the perfect balance of the decision modeling process and the use of spreadsheets to set up and solve decision models. The third edition has been updated to reflect the latest version of Excel.

Workflow management systems (WFMS) are enjoying increasing popular ity due to their ability to coordinate and streamline complex organizational processes within organizations of all sizes. Organizational processes are de scriptions of an organization's activities engineered to fulfill its mission such as completing a business contract or satisfying a specific customer request. Gaining control of these processes allows an organization to reengineer and improve each process or adapt them to changing requirements. The goal of WFMSs is to manage these organizational processes and coordinate their execution. was demonstrated in the first half The high degree of interest in WFMSs of the 1990s by a significant increase in the number of commercial products (once estimated to about 250) and the estimated market size (in combined $2 billion in 1996. Ensuing maturity product sales and services) of about is demonstrated by consolidations during the last year. Ranging from mere e-mail based calendar tools and flow charting tools to very sophisticated inte grated development environments for distributed enterprise-wide applications and systems to support programming in the large, these products are finding an eager market and opening up important research and development op portunities. In spite of their early success in the market place, however, the current generation of systems can benefit from further research and develop ment, especially for increasingly complex and mission-critical applications.

This volume constitutes a first approximation for the use of systems approaches and dynamic performance management as tools for collaborative governance. The chapters examine models and simulations used in some specific systems approaches, which contribute to facilitating problem focus and collective understanding of collaborative governance, especially in the area of performance management. The explicit connection between resources and outcomes promoted by this view helps managers to understand better how to improve policy and to create positive outcomes that create public value.

What makes information useful? This seemingly simple and yet intriguing and complicated question is discussed in this book. It examines ways in which the quality of information can be improved in knowledge-intensive processes (such as on-line communication, strategy, product development, or consulting). The book proposes a conceptual framework to manage information quality for knowledge-based content, presenting four proven principles to apply the framework to a variety of information products. Five in-depth company case studies show how information quality can be managed systematically in order to increase the satisfaction of knowledge workers and information consumers. The book uses frequent diagrams and tables, as well as diagnostic questions and summary boxes to make its content actionable.