This book illustrates how goal-oriented, automated measurement can be used to create Lean organizations and to facilitate the development of Lean software, while also demonstrating the practical implementation of Lean software development by combining tried and trusted tools. In order to be successful, a Lean orientation of software development has to go hand in hand with a company's overall business strategy. To achieve this, two interrelated aspects require special attention: measurement and experience management. In this book, Janes and Succi provide the necessary knowledge to establish "Lean software company thinking," while also exploiting the latest approaches to software measurement. A comprehensive, company-wide measurement approach is exactly what companies need in order to align their activities to the demands of their stakeholders, to their business strategy, etc. With the automatic, non-invasive measurement approach proposed in this book, even small and medium-sized enterprises that do not have the resources to introduce heavyweight processes will be able to make their software development processes considerably more Lean. The book is divided into three parts. Part I, "Motivation for Lean Software Development," explains just what "Lean Production" means, why it can be advantageous to apply Lean concepts to software engineering, and which existing approaches are best suited to achieving this. Part II, "The Pillars of Lean Software Development," presents the tools needed to achieve Lean software development: Non-invasive Measurement, the Goal Question Metric approach, and the Experience Factory. Finally, Part III, "Lean Software Development in Action," shows how different tools can be combined to enable Lean Thinking in software development. The book primarily addresses the needs of all those working in the field of software engineering who want to understand how to establish an efficient and effective software development process. This group includes developers, managers, and students pursuing an M.Sc. degree in software engineering.

This book focuses on the methodological treatment of UML/P and addresses three core topics of model-based software development: code generation, the systematic testing of programs using a model-based definition of test cases, and the evolutionary refactoring and transformation of models. For each of these topics, it first details the foundational concepts and techniques, and then presents their application with UML/P. This separation between basic principles and applications makes the content more accessible and allows the reader to transfer this knowledge directly to other model-based approaches and languages. After an introduction to the book and its primary goals in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 outlines an agile UML-based approach using UML/P as the primary development language for creating executable models, generating code from the models, designing test cases, and planning iterative evolution through refactoring. In the interest of completeness, Chapter 3 provides a brief summary of UML/P, which is used throughout the book. Next, Chapters 4 and 5 discuss core techniques for code generation, addressing the architecture of a code generator and methods for controlling it, as well as the suitability of UML/P notations for test or product code. Chapters 6 and 7 then discuss general concepts for testing software as well as the special features which arise due to the use of UML/P. Chapter 8 details test patterns to show how to use UML/P diagrams to define test cases and emphasizes in particular the use of functional tests for distributed and concurrent software systems. In closing, Chapters 9 and 10 examine techniques for transforming models and code and thus provide a solid foundation for refactoring as a type of transformation that preserves semantics. Overall, this book will be of great benefit for practical software development, for academic training in the field of Software Engineering, and for research in the area of model-based software development. Practitioners will learn how to use modern model-based techniques to improve the production of code and thus significantly increase quality. Students will find both important scientific basics as well as direct applications of the techniques presented. And last but not least, the book will offer scientists a comprehensive overview of the current state of development in the three core topics it covers.

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.

Optimization Tools for Logistics covers the theory and practice of the main principles of operational research and the ways it can be applied to logistics and decision support with regards to common software. The book is supported by worked problems and examples from industrial case studies, providing a comprehensive tool for readers from a variety of industries.

Information systems (IS)/Information technology(IT) has become an essential part and a major resource of the organization. IS/IT is a major resource that can radically affect the structure of an organisation, the way it serves customers, and the way it helps people in organisations to communicate both internally and externally, and the way an organisation runs its business. Managing information and information systems effectively and efficiently have become an essential part of the life of 21st century managers. This book is about Managing information and information systems and focuses on relationships between information, information systems/information technology, people and business. The impacts, roles, risks, challenges as well as emerging trends of information systems will be an important element of the book. At the same time, many strategic and contemporary uses of information systems such as implementing enterprise planning systems for improving internal operation, adopting customer relationship management systems and supply chain management systems to enhance relations with customers and suppliers/partners respectively, and establishing knowledge management systems for better managing organizational knowledge resources as well as using different information systems for supporting managers' decision making in all levels will be an integral part of the book. In addition, essential and critical information systems management skills including using information systems for competitive advantages, planning and evaluating information systems, system development & implementing information systems, and managing information systems operations will be a critical part of the book.

This edited three volume edition brings together significant papers previously published in the Journal of information Technology (JIT) over its 30 year publication history. The three volumes of Enacting Research Methods in Information Systems celebrate the methodological pluralism used to advance our understanding of information technology's role in the world today. In addition to quantitative methods from the positivist tradition, JIT also values methodological articles from critical research perspectives, interpretive traditions, historical perspectives, grounded theory, and action research and design science approaches. Volume 1 covers Critical Research, Grounded Theory, and Historical Approaches. Volume 2 deals with Interpretive Approaches and also explores Action Research. Volume 3 focuses on Design Science Approaches and discusses Alternative Approaches including Semiotics Research, Complexity Theory and Gender in IS Research. The Journal of Information Technology (JIT) was started in 1986 by Professors Frank Land and Igor Aleksander with the aim of bringing technology and management together and bridging the 'great divide' between the two disciplines. The Journal was created with the vision of making the impact of complex interactions and developments in technology more accessible to a wider audience. Retaining this initial focus, the JIT has gone on to extend into new and innovative areas of research such as the launch of JITTC in 2010. A high impact journal, JIT shall continue to publish leading trends based on significant research in the field.

The crisis caused by COVID-19 poses a major challenge for the global economy and business. It has been a test for economic resilience, and how this crisis will affect business activities will be determined by their competitiveness. Only firms that have succeeded in reorienting and quickly adapting to the emerging crisis have continued without interruption in their operations, thus demonstrating their flexibility and high level of resilience. Research shows that companies driving the gig economy celebrate the benefits: flexibility, additional income, freedom and other various opportunities for workers. They require entrepreneurial digital skills that improve their competitiveness and benefit not only themselves but the economy as well. Therefore, digital competencies are becoming a significant resource and precondition for employment, and it is essential to promote digital entrepreneurial skills, introducing them into education programs through different forms of education. This book stresses and explores the importance of synergy between industry and virtual universities. Considering the importance of these issues, this book draws together literature on globalization and small and medium enterprise development and internationalization from disparate sources into a cohesive body of work, which traces the evolution of entrepreneurship and our understanding of the topic. It investigates the impact of digitalization on creating job opportunities in the labor market. Covering social, economic and psychological approaches to the most current topics, this book will be a useful framework to new theories and practices that are emerging to challenge conventional wisdom. It will be of interest to scholars, upper-level students, and researchers involved in the field of entrepreneurship.

In the last two decades, the quest for a widely accepted definition of social enterprise has been a central issue in a great number of publications. The main objective of the ICSEM Project (on which this book is based) was to show that the social enterprise field would benefit much more from linking conceptualisation efforts to the huge diversity of social enterprises than from an additional and ambitious attempt at providing an encompassing definition. Starting from a hypothesis that could be termed "the impossibility of a unified definition", the ICSEM research strategy relied on bottom-up approaches to capture the social enterprise phenomenon in its local and national contexts. This strategy made it possible to take into account and give legitimacy to locally embedded approaches, while simultaneously allowing for the identification of major social enterprise models to delineate the field on common grounds at the international level. Social Enterprise in Central and Eastern Europe - the last volume in a series of four ICSEM-based books on social enterprise worldwide - will serve as a key reference and resource for teachers, researchers, students, experts, policy makers, journalists and others who want to acquire a broad understanding of the social enterprise and social entrepreneurship phenomena as they emerge and develop in this region.

Extensive research conducted by the Hasso Plattner Design Thinking Research Program at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, USA, and the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Germany, has yielded valuable insights on why and how design thinking works. The participating researchers have identified metrics, developed models, and conducted studies, which are featured in this book, and in the previous volumes of this series. This volume provides readers with tools to bridge the gap between research and practice in design thinking with varied real world examples. Several different approaches to design thinking are presented in this volume. Acquired frameworks are leveraged to understand design thinking team dynamics. The contributing authors lead the reader through new approaches and application fields and show that design thinking can tap the potential of digital technologies in a human-centered way. In a final section, new ideas in neurodesign at Stanford University and at Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam are elaborated upon thereby challenging the reader to consider newly developed methodologies and provide discussion of how these insights can be applied to various sectors. Special emphasis is placed on understanding the mechanisms underlying design thinking at the individual and team levels. Design thinking can be learned. It has a methodology that can be observed across multiple settings and accordingly, the reader can adopt new frameworks to modify and update existing practice. The research outcomes compiled in this book are intended to inform and provide inspiration for all those seeking to drive innovation - be they experienced design thinkers or newcomers.

This open access book provides an overview of the dissertations of the eleven nominees for the Ernst Denert Award for Software Engineering in 2020. The prize, kindly sponsored by the Gerlind & Ernst Denert Stiftung, is awarded for excellent work within the discipline of Software Engineering, which includes methods, tools and procedures for better and efficient development of high quality software. An essential requirement for the nominated work is its applicability and usability in industrial practice. The book contains eleven papers that describe the works by Jonathan Brachthauser (EPFL Lausanne) entitled What You See Is What You Get: Practical Effect Handlers in Capability-Passing Style, Mojdeh Golagha's (Fortiss, Munich) thesis How to Effectively Reduce Failure Analysis Time?, Nikolay Harutyunyan's (FAU Erlangen-Nurnberg) work on Open Source Software Governance, Dominic Henze's (TU Munich) research about Dynamically Scalable Fog Architectures, Anne Hess's (Fraunhofer IESE, Kaiserslautern) work on Crossing Disciplinary Borders to Improve Requirements Communication, Istvan Koren's (RWTH Aachen U) thesis DevOpsUse: A Community-Oriented Methodology for Societal Software Engineering, Yannic Noller's (NU Singapore) work on Hybrid Differential Software Testing, Dominic Steinhofel's (TU Darmstadt) thesis entitled Ever Change a Running System: Structured Software Reengineering Using Automatically Proven-Correct Transformation Rules, Peter Wagemann's (FAU Erlangen-Nurnberg) work Static Worst-Case Analyses and Their Validation Techniques for Safety-Critical Systems, Michael von Wenckstern's (RWTH Aachen U) research on Improving the Model-Based Systems Engineering Process, and Franz Zieris's (FU Berlin) thesis on Understanding How Pair Programming Actually Works in Industry: Mechanisms, Patterns, and Dynamics - which actually won the award. The chapters describe key findings of the respective works, show their relevance and applicability to practice and industrial software engineering projects, and provide additional information and findings that have only been discovered afterwards, e.g. when applying the results in industry. This way, the book is not only interesting to other researchers, but also to industrial software professionals who would like to learn about the application of state-of-the-art methods in their daily work.

Features: Discusses simple interest and its application to promissory notes/treasury bills. Discusses compound interest with applications to present and future values. Introduces the banking field including loans, annuities, and the spot/forward FX market. Discusses trade discounts and markups/markdowns Introduces the insurance field and the role of the actuary Introduces the fields of data analytics and operations research Discusses business metrics and problem solving Introduces matrices and their applications Discusses calculus and its applications Discusses basic financial statements such as balance sheet, profit and loss and cash account. Reviews a selection of software to support business mathematics

The concept of processes is at the heart of software and systems engineering. Software process models integrate software engineering methods and techniques and are the basis for managing large-scale software and IT projects. High product quality routinely results from high process quality.

Software process management deals with getting and maintaining control over processes and their evolution. Becoming acquainted with existing software process models is not enough, though. It is important to understand how to select, define, manage, deploy, evaluate, and systematically evolve software process models so that they suitably address the problems, applications, and environments to which they are applied. Providing basic knowledge for these important tasks is the main goal of this textbook.

Munch and his co-authors aim at providing knowledge that enables readers to develop useful process models that are suitable for their own purposes. They start with the basic concepts. Subsequently, existing representative process models are introduced, followed by a description of how to create individual models and the necessary means for doing so (i.e., notations and tools). Lastly, different possible usage scenarios for process management are highlighted (e.g. process improvement and software process simulation).

Their book is aimed at students and researchers working on software project management, software quality assurance, and software measurement; and at practitioners who are interested in process definition and management for developing, maintaining, and operating software-intensive systems and services."

The book offers a comprehensive introduction to methods for solving multiple criteria decision making and group decision making problems with hesitant fuzzy information. It reports on the authors' latest research, as well as on others' research, providing readers with a complete set of decision making tools, such as hesitant fuzzy TOPSIS, hesitant fuzzy TODIM, hesitant fuzzy LINMAP, hesitant fuzzy QUALIFEX, and the deviation modeling approach with heterogeneous fuzzy information. The main focus is on decision making problems in which the criteria values and/or the weights of criteria are not expressed in crisp numbers but are more suitable to be denoted as hesitant fuzzy elements. The largest part of the book is devoted to new methods recently developed by the authors to solve decision making problems in situations where the available information is vague or hesitant. These methods are presented in detail, together with their application to different type of decision-making problems. All in all, the book represents a valuable reference guide for graduate students and researchers in the both fields of fuzzy logic and decision making.

Drawing on the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a frame of reference, this new edition of Female Entrepreneurship - Women's Entrepreneurship - continues to challenge contemporary assumptions regarding who or what is an entrepreneur. It draws upon relevant literature and research to enable research-led teaching delivery and provides students with a comprehensive understanding of women's entrepreneurship and a solid foundation from which they can pursue further studies. Informative but concise, Women's Entrepreneurship covers key concepts, issues, themes and approaches and provides useful suggested topics for debate. Updates include a revised chapter on Emerging Technologies and Women's Entrepreneurship, which explores digital entrepreneurship and cyberfeminism. Contextualisation of Women's Entrepreneurship acknowledges the broader contextual influences on women's entrepreneurship. Finally, two new chapters have been added looking at The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Women's Entrepreneurship Policy. International case studies explore the socio-economic context for women's entrepreneurship in regional, national and international economies. Pedagogy to aid learning is incorporated throughout, including learning outcomes, boxes to highlight key research insights and best practice as well as discussion points and activities. This book is important supplementary reading on entrepreneurship, small business management and women's and gender studies courses - it will prove particularly useful to women moving towards starting their own business as well as postgraduate students researching the topic for the first time.

"The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Management Information Systems" has been updated with recent developments in the use of information systems in organizations and the information systems function that plans, implements, and operates the systems.
Focuses new applications of information technology to organization systems, new processes enabled by the Internet, and new technologies applied by managers and their business implications;
Provides coverage of technologies that are important to organization systems, including Radio Frequency Identification (RFID);
Features entries from over 90 international academics and professionals working in the field;
Edited by the pioneer of the academic field of management information systems;
Contains over 300 entries.

This book intends to theoretically conceptualize and empirically investigate upcoming and established practices of community-based initiatives in various countries in which both citizens and governments join efforts and capacities to solve wicked issues. It aims to include and compare cases from various countries, departing from the notion that community-based initiatives take place in an institutional context of governmental structures, rules, procedures, regulations, and routines. This leads to government involvement in these initiatives and sharing the public space. Furthermore, the editors take into account what kind of leadership roles, knowledge, and resources are present and how they evolve in this collaborative or coordinative effort, which in turn can enhance the capacities of community-based initiatives. This book joins excellent researchers from renowned universities all over the world, aiming for a balance between upcoming scholars and renowned scholars in the field of community-based initiatives and governance capacity. Contributors were carefully selected on the basis of their experience in the field of community-based initiatives, citizens' engagement and governance capacity approaches. Aimed at researchers and academics, this volume will be of interest to those in the fields of business, economics, public administration, political science, social enterprise, sociology and third sector studies.

One of the main challenges faced by all entrepreneurs, is the need to growth. Growth is part of all organizations, it implies continuous growth of sales, purchases, number of employees, profit and thus the growth of the enterprise. Most innovations that are part of the organizations are derived from the internal organization. Industrial Revolution 4.0 provides both opportunities and challenges to all entrepreneurs to grow their business. The rapid development of technology and all digital aspects create opportunities of innovation in organizations. These proceedings provide details beyond what is possible to be included in an oral presentation and constitute a concise but timely medium for the dissemination of recent research results. It will be invaluable to professionals and academics in the field of business, entrepreneurship and economics to get an understanding of recent research developments.

Exploring the interplay of politics and commerce in one of the most dynamic periods of British history, this book traces the fortunes of the India and Eastern Trading Company Limited, established in 1906 to finance a jute plantation in Assam, north-east India. In a watershed period for commercial culture, as family capitalism and industrial economics gave way to a predominance of speculative investment and the marketing of ideas, analysis of this London-registered company and its international management forms a lens through which to view the broader socio-political and economic environment of the late-Victorian period to the interwar. Mapping the eclectic bonds that created a network of association between a multinational cast of merchants, company promoters, mining engineers, politicians and industrialists, reveals the multiplicity of strands which coalesced to create one share company. By examining their responses to the opportunities created by colonialism: to enabling legislations and set-backs, to competition and collaboration, internationalism versus rising nationalism, an important era in British history is examined from an entirely fresh perspective. The history of the India and Eastern Trading Company Limited is a tale of cloaked agendas, of land speculation under the guise of colonial agriculture, of German and Russian interests embedded in British-empire prospects, which exposes the intrigues of some of the most infamous imperialists of the era; figures who were the subject of intense academic scrutiny throughout the twentieth century and remain at the forefront of impassioned debate in the twenty first.

The Covid-19 pandemic has induced a crisis grasping the world abruptly, simultaneously, and swiftly. As a critical juncture, it ignited a change of era for international business. This book illustrates how governments have dealt with the pandemic and the consequent impacts on international business. It also explores the disrupted operations and responses of businesses as their worldwide interconnectivity has been seriously threatened. The book discourses multidirectional aspects of the effects of Covid-19 on international business, ranging from the juxtaposing forces disrupting globalization and installing a change of era through decoupling of technological, production and knowledge flows to its stimulating aspects to the strategic response on business, industry and state level. The book contains thirty chapters that offer a multidimensional interpretation of impacts of Covid-19 on international business theory and practice. Employing the latest state of knowledge on the topic, the book is aimed at international business audience - scholars, students and managers who need to understand better the nature, scope and scale of the impacts of the pandemic on international business.

The GCBME Book Series aims to promote the quality and methodical reach of the Global Conference on Business Management & Entrepreneurship, which is intended as a high-quality scientific contribution to the science of business management and entrepreneurship. The Contributions are expected to be the main reference articles on the topic of each book and have been subject to a strict peer review process conducted by experts in the fields. The conference provided opportunities for the delegates to exchange new ideas and implementation of experiences, to establish business or research connections and to find Global Partners for future collaboration. The conference and resulting volume in the book series is expected to be held and appear annually. The year 2019 theme of book and conference is "Transforming Sustainable Business In The Era Of Society 5.0". The ultimate goal of GCBME is to provide a medium forum for educators, researchers, scholars, managers, graduate students and professional business persons from the diverse cultural backgrounds, to present and discuss their research, knowledge and innovation within the fields of business, management and entrepreneurship. The GCBME conferences cover major thematic groups, yet opens to other relevant topics: Organizational Behavior, Innovation, Marketing Management, Financial Management and Accounting, Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship and Green Business.

Stress is defined as a feeling experienced when a person perceives that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize. It can occur due to environmental issues, such as a looming work deadline, or psychological, for example, persistent worry about familial problems. While the acute response to life-threatening circumstances can be life-saving, research reveals that the body's stress response is largely similar when it reacts to less threatening but chronically present stressors such as work overload, deadline pressures and family conflicts. It is proffered that chronic activation of stress response in the body can lead to several pathological changes such as elevated blood pressure, clogging of blood vessels, anxiety, depression, and addiction. Organizational Stress Around the World: Research and Practice aims to present a sound theoretical and empirical basis for understanding the evolving and changing nature of stress in contemporary organizations. It presents research that expands theory and practice by addressing real-world issues, across cultures and by providing multiple perspectives on organizational stress and research relevant to different occupational settings and cultures. Personal, occupational, organizational, and societal issues relevant to stress identification along with management techniques/approach to confront stress and its associated problems at individual and organizational level are also explored. It will be of value to researchers, academics, practitioners, and students interested in stress management research.

Written by an author that has real world experience in launching a cyber consulting company. Comprehensive coverage ranging all the way from the legal formation to be used to which segment of the Cybersecurity Industry should be targeted. Explains how CISOs can market their services and get key customers.

Written by an author that has real world experience in launching a cyber consulting company. Comprehensive coverage ranging all the way from the legal formation to be used to which segment of the Cybersecurity Industry should be targeted. Explains how CISOs can market their services and get key customers.

After a brief introduction to the topic of business process modeling, the book offers a quick-start into model-based business process engineering. After that, the foundations of the modeling languages used are conveyed. Meaningful examples are in the foreground - each of the underlying formalisms is treated only as far as needed. Next the Horus Method is described in detail. The book defines a sequence of activities which finally leads to the creation of a complete business process model. The Horus Method, incidentally, is not bound to the use of the Horus software tools. It can be used with other tools or, if necessary, be used even without tool support. Important application fields of business process engineering are described, where the spectrum ranges from business process reengineering to the development and implementation of information systems. The book concludes with an outlook on the future of business process engineering and highlights current research activities in the area.

You're in big trouble if you rely on having "feet on the street" to generate new sales. Selling in today's economy has forever changed. Buyers today are more challenging to reach and offer less of their time to anyone in sales. So it's time to rethink how we generate sales to create a sustainable model that produces consistent results. This book addresses the shifts sales professionals, and their organizations need to make in introducing modern sales strategies. It provides insights and proven strategies for business owners, sales executives, leaders, and professionals -- anyone who desires to create a rapid and sustained increase in their sales without investing significant time or money. In a comprehensive review of the author's work with global companies, Casemore introduces a model for "Unstoppable Selling" -- capturing the strategies and tactics of how top-performing companies have continued to sell more each year, all while increasing the predictability of their sales growth. This book contains powerful models, tools, and resources, including the Hybrid Sales Funnel, Rocket Fuel Referral Process, and the Market Maximizer. In addition, the book demonstrates how you can quickly establish your Unstoppable Sales Machine regardless of the size or sector of your company. Introducing your own unstoppable sales machine will not require you to hire a bunch of experts or more employees. This book accepts you where you are and then walks you through the steps to quickly introduce and launch your very own machine. You'll find all the advice, guidance, case studies, and worksheets in this one convenient book ready for you to implement. If you intend to scale your business or want more freedom from the daily rollercoaster of your current sales strategy, this is the book for you. Selling is a noble profession and the heart and soul of every business -- Yet the continued evolution of today's customers, how they engage, select, and buy products and services, requires we rethink how we approach selling. In this book, Casemore shows you how to become an expert at sales while having the freedom and comfort of knowing that your machine will never let you down.