Most successful organizations recognize Maintenance Parts and Procurement as a critical success factor to Asset Management Excellence and their fundamental supply chain value proposition. This book works as a guide to all the stakeholders that influence the success of their Maintenance Parts Operation and their enterprise's bottom line. Maintenance Parts Management Excellence: A Holistic Anatomy defines the Maintenance Parts Managements role in Asset Management Excellence and expands on the importance of the Parts Inventory Planner role in an organization. It discusses how to create a unique Maintenance Parts Management Strategy for an organization and offers insights on the multiple strategies needed to create and maintain a Maintenance Parts inventory policy. The book also provides an organized overall approach to creating Maintenance Parts Management Excellence in an enterprise. Executives with an organization responsible for the construction, management, and disposal of all assets classes (plant, equipment, IT assets), consultants responsible for assignments associated with optimizing life cycle decisions for clients, maintenance, and reliability professionals within an organization, will benefit from this professional plus book. Upper-level undergraduate engineering students, as well as graduate students of management who focus on operations management and engineering graduate students addressing issues of maintenance and reliability engineering, may also be interested in this book.

Despite the rapid surge of new product introductions into the grocery product distribution system, relatively little is known about the process and acceptance criteria of trade buyers. In this work, Edward McLaughlin and Vithala Rao examine the crucial role played by trade buyers, and its place in the success of new product introduction. Their study integrates scholarly research and industry information as it explores the various processes used by manufacturers and trade intermediaries in developing and introducing new products.

The book begins with a background survey of the overall structure of U.S. grocery distribution, along with a discussion of the key participants in new product introduction and their standard operating procedures. A broad framework for analyzing new product introductions is presented, and various methodologies that are useful in the process are explained. This is followed by an account of the extensive research conducted by the authors, focusing on new product acceptance by trade buyers, and drawn from three sources: publicly available information, survey data of actual buyer decisions, and buyer decisions based on hypothetical descriptions of new products. The statistical results on the relative importance of decision criteria are used to develop several management tools, including an expert system. The work concludes with a discussion of the implications of these results for marketing managers, procurement executives, and public policy makers. This book will be an important reference tool for practitioners involved in product procurement, as well as for students of marketing and sales.

America has recently rediscovered its sweatshops. High profile scandals-from Kathy Lee to Nike-have brought the shocking and substandard conditions of factories to light, causing more Americans to become aware of the relationship between the American consumer and foreign laborer. Focusing on sweatshops located in the United States as well as those abroad whose products are purchased by American consumers, these essays offer a historical perspective on sweatshops and on their role in global migration and economics. They also chronicle efforts to control and eradicate sweatshops and suggest how these campaigns were and remain both national and global.

Specifically targeted at the food industry, this state-of-the-art text/reference combines all the principal methods of statistical quality and process control into a single, up-to-date volume. In an easily understood and highly readable style, the author clearly explains underlying concepts and uses real world examples to illustrate statistical techniques.
This Third Edition maintains the strengths of the first and second editions while adding new information on Total Quality Management, Computer Integrated Management, ISO 9001-2002, and The Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award. There are updates on FDA Regulations and Net Weight control limits, as well as additional HACCP applications. A new chapter has been added to explain concepts and implementation of the six-sigma quality control system.

Nearly every day brings news of another merger or acquisition involving the companies that control our food supply. Just how concentrated has this system become? At almost every key stage of the food system, four firms alone control 40% or more of the market, a level above which these companies have the power to drive up prices for consumers and reduce their rate of innovation. Researchers have identified additional problems resulting from these trends, including negative impacts on the environment, human health, and communities. This book reveals the dominant corporations, from the supermarket to the seed industry, and the extent of their control over markets. It also analyzes the strategies these firms are using to reshape society in order to further increase their power, particularly in terms of their bearing upon the more vulnerable sections of society, such as recent immigrants, ethnic minorities and those of lower socioeconomic status. Yet this study also shows that these trends are not inevitable. Opposed by numerous efforts, from microbreweries to seed saving networks, it explores how such opposition has encouraged the most powerful firms to make small but positive changes.

Globalization has become perhaps the most central--and one of the most contested--terms in the social sciences in the present day. If one wishes to understand the conditions in which different groups of people live today, it seems increasingly impossible to ignore the aspects of those conditions that are seen to be characterized, or influenced, by "global" forces, movements and phenomena. Regarding particular phenomena, no matter how apparently "local" or parochial in nature, as being located within "global" flows or systems or structures, seems today to be a very necessary component of any effective sort of social investigation. Many social scientific scholars in the last decade or so have engaged in a "global turn" in their thinking, investigating key areas and facets of human life--such as work, economy, cities, politics, and media--in terms of how these are being affected, influenced and changed by (what can be taken to be) "globalizing forces." Themes of inter-societal, trans-societal and cross-planetary connections, structures, processes and movements are increasingly central across the social sciences, including sociology, anthropology, geography, political science, economics, international relations, and many humanities disciplines too. Moreover, such themes--and the controversies and polemics often attached to them--have become common currency in many spheres outside the academy, with politicians, businesspeople, political activists and citizens of all varieties taking up ideas associated with "globalization," and deploying them both to make sense of, and also sometimes to try to change, the world around them. This book covers the issues of globalization as they relate to food. Contributors include Carole Counihan, Alan Warde, Pat Caplan, Alex McIntosh, Rick Wilk, Jeff Sobal, Marianne Lien and Krishnendu Ray.

This collection of essays comprises a number of case studies from key wine-growing regions and countries around the world. The contributors focus on the development of the wine business and its overall importance and impact in terms of the regional and domestic economy and the international economy.

Why has genetically modified food become a focal point in international conflicts over agriculture, trade and the environment? What are the chances for achieving effective global governance of new technologies such as genetic engineering? This book brings together state-of-the-art analyses of the international politics of biotechnology regulation. It presents explanations for the transatlantic biotech dispute, explores the growing North-South differences over how to ensure biosafety, and discusses the implications of the GM food battle for international trade and environmental law.

Americans seeking herbal medicines now face confusion and even danger. There is great potential for these medicines to improve the health of consumers--if current regulations can be revised!Herbal Medicine: Chaos in the Marketplace is a prize-winning critique of the regulation and business of herbal medicine in the United States. It is the first book that examines the big picture issues-it tells the story of how the present situation developed, looks at what it means for consumers, compares approaches taken in other industrialized countries, and recommends where we need to go from here. Convenient reference tables provide easy access to information.Concerns about herbal medicines are hitting the headlines regularly, yet no other book has examined the core issues in depth from a public health perspective. Herbal Medicine: Chaos in the Marketplace fills that gap. It is highly relevant today, and you'll find it will continue to be indispensable reading for years to come as the situation plays out.This balanced, unique, and insightful volume will add to your knowledge of herbal medicine regulation and its impact on consumer health by: framing the limitations of the current situation with brief examples reviewing the regulatory history of herbal medicines in the United States placing the situation in an international context by also examining regulations in Canada, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom illustrating the practical implications of U.S. regulations with six examples that demonstrate how herbal medicines could contribute more to consumer health--and the public health risks associated with the current regulatory situation analyzing the public health issues related to safety, research, clinical practice, consumer interests, business, media, and federal government offering key, high-impact recommendations for future policyConsumers, health care professionals, business people in the domestic and foreign herb industries, researchers, health plan executives, food and drug attorneys and policymakers, as well as educators and students, will all find this book essential to their understanding of the workings of the herbal medicine industry. Visit the author's website at http://www.herbalchaos.com

A case study about the work of IT IS and Sarvodaya, a Sri Lankan development charity, in establishing the local production of educational pre-school toys. Full colour photographs illustrate the production process and end results.

The current practice of communication in the nutritional economy often produces significant uncertainty in a large fraction of the population. Efficient and comprehensive publicity by entrepreneurs on the industrial production of foodstuffs needs a new concept for communication between producers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, and end users. Without overgeneralizing, the author explains what makes the consumers uncertain and which consequences this uncertainty has for their nutritional behavior. The main aim of this book is the empirical explanation of the connection between the uncertainty concerning the health value of industrially produced foodstuffs and the behavior of consumers in relation to information. It shows how consumers currently perceive the publicity activities of the food industry and what their needs are as far as information is concerned. The practical consequences derived from the empirical results are comprehensibly described.

Featuring extensive calculations and examples, this reference discusses theoretical and practical aspects of short-circuit currents in ac and dc systems, load flow, and harmonic analyses to provide a sound knowledge base for modern computer-based studies that can be utilized in real-world applications. Presenting more than 2300 figures, tables, and equations, the author explores matrix methods for network solutions and includes load flow and optimization techniques. He discusses ac and dc short-circuit systems calculations in accordance with standards set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Modern biotechnology - the controversial manipulation of genes in living organisms - has far-reaching implications for agriculture, human health, trade and the environment. Against the odds, an international treaty governing biosafety and trade in biotechnology was adopted in 2000. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety of the Convention on Biological Diversity deals with one of the most important and challenging issues thrown up by developments in biotechnology. This volume is a comprehensive review of the protocol and the process that led to its adoption. It includes contributions from many of the key players involved and analyses the commercial and political interests at stake, the operations and implications of the protocol, and prospects for the future.

Over the last two decades one of the great global emerging technological trends has been the shift from chemistry to biology in agriculture. Bitterly contested and enduringly controversial, the shift to biotechnology has nevertheless led to greater sustainability and promises even greater gains in years to come. This Handbook is an invaluable compendium of detailed case study and insight.' - Mark Lynas, Cornell University, US'This important volume analyses the current state of crop biotechnology development and regulation. It establishes a firm basis for understanding the current level of deployment of crops modified by biotechnology and also the uneven and often unscientific bases that have been used to judge their merits for particular regions. This book is an indispensable reference for anyone concerned with the development of this vital area of agriculture.' - Peter H. Raven, Missouri Botanical Garden, US 'With interest in biotechnology surging, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about the potential that advancements in modern agriculture have to offer, how they've already changed agriculture around the world and what s coming down the pipeline. Agriculture is about economics, the environment and feeding the world; so too, at the heart of it, is biotechnology, as this book so clearly demonstrates. The authors have years of experience with biotechnology and their expertise shines through on each page.' - Lorne Hepworth, CropLife Canada This book is a compendium of knowledge, experience and insight on agriculture, biotechnology and development. Beginning with an account of GM crop adoptions and attitudes towards them, the book assesses numerous crucial processes, concluding with detailed insights into GM products. Drawing on expert perspectives of leading authors from 57 different institutions in 16 countries, it provides a unique, global overview of agbiotech following 20 years of adoption. Many consider GM crops the most rapid agricultural innovation adopted in the history of agriculture. This book provides insights as to why the adoption has occurred globally at such a rapid rate. This is a rich and varied collection of research, which will appeal to scholars, academics and practitioners worldwide. An invaluable resource, this book will be a first point of reference to anyone with an interest in agbiotech and studies into agriculture, biotechnology and development. Contributors: A.A. Adenle, P. Aerni, C. Alexander, J.M. Alston, V. Beckmann, J. Bognar, C.G. Borroto, D. Brewin, G. Brookes, J. Carpenter, Y. Carriere, D. Castle, M. Chen, P. Conceicao, B. Dayananda, M. Demont, K. Dillen, D. Eaton, E. Einsiedel, J. Falck-Zepeda, J. Fernandez-Cornejo, G.B. Frisvold, C.V. Gonslaves, D. Gonsalves, M. Gouse, G. Graff, R. Gray, A. Gupta, W.O. Hennessey, J.E. Hobbs, W.E. Huffman, L. A. Jackson, C. Juma, N. Kalaitzandonakes, S. Kaplan, V.J. Karplus, W.A. Kerr, G.G. Khachatourians, E.M. Kikulwe, E. Kim, D.E. Kolady, S.P. Kowalski, J. Kruse, L. Levidow, S. Levine, K. Ludlow, X. Ma, A. Magnier, S. Malla, I. Matuschke, J.J. McCluskey, A. McHughen, J. Medlock, D. Miller, L. Nagarajan, A. Naseem, C. Oguamanam, M. Ouattarra, M. Owen, R. Paarlberg, P. W. B. Phillips, M. Qaim, T. Raney, J.M. Reeves, S.D. Rhodes, S.M.H. Rizvi, C.D. Ryan, D. Schimmelpfennig, G.J. Scoles, G. Skogstad, S. J. Smyth, C. Soregaroli, D.J. Spielman, A.J. Stein, J. Thomson, J. Vitale, G. Vognan, G. Waterfield, S. Wechsler, J. Wesseler, A. Williams, W.W. Wilson, L.L. Wolfenbarger, G. Ye, J. Yorobe Jr, D.Z. Zeng, D. Zilberman

Structure and Performance of Manufacturing in Kenya explores the factors affecting business and investment decisions by Kenya's formal and informal manufacturing firms. The analysis of panel data provides insights into the effects of the existing business environment and policy changes on enterprise performance in the context of structural adjustment. Firm structure, labor and financial markets, investment behavior, productivity, export performance, firm growth, and the impact of policy reforms and infrastructure problems are also investigated.

Cocoa & Chocolate, charts the economic consequences of the addition of chocolate to Western diets, and the consequent boom in cocoa sales, over 150 years. While the cocoa boom might have been expected to transform the economic conditions of the cocoa producers from rural poverty into prosperity, it somehow failed to achieve this.
This pioneering study examines all aspects of the history of cocoa and chocolate and the effect of these commodities globally. William Gervase Clarence-Smith looks at the effects of increased production of cocoa on the environment and on land distribution, at the coercion of labour to work the plantations, at the manufacture of chocolate, at taxation and at consumption.

eBook available with sample pages: 020346186X

Traditional Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have tremendous applications, but their performance can be limited due to the limited processing and communication power of wireless sensor nodes. Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks: Applications, Architectures, and Challenges examines how wireless sensor nodes with cognitive radio capabilities can address these challenges and improve the spectrum utilization. This premier reference work presents a broader picture on the applications, architecture, challenges, and open research directions in the area of WSN research. It serves as a reference book for graduate students in courses on topics such as wireless sensor networks, cognitive radio networks, and emerging wireless technologies.

Grain is one of the most important commodities shipped around the world and one of the most unpredictable markets to trade in. This publication combines an overview of the market, the problems of carriage by sea and the legislative environment. Analysis of grain production and consumption, trading characteristics, major producers and the role of shipbrokers is provided in the first part. The second part deals with the particulars of grain carriage by sea, discussing the types of ships used, surveys carried out, explanation of charterparty agreements, grain handling equipment at ports and onboard and arbitration which is taken a step further in the third part which deals with the legislation concerning grain carriage by sea. The book should be of value to shipowners, charterers, shipbrokers, commodity traders in grain, surveyors, port authorities, insurance companies and lawyers.

Our recent understanding of the cellular and molecular defects and the regulation of the apoptotic signalling pathways has resulted in rationally designed anticancer strategies and the development of novel agents that regulates apoptosis. A comprehensive review of all apoptotic-related anticancer therapies is not the purpose of this book. However, in the volume of this book with 11 chapters, we have described a number of novel apoptotic regulators that have shown promising value and also great feasibility for cancer treatment. These novel agents either occur naturally or are chemically synthesized. While we are excited about the discovery and development of these novel apoptotic regulators as potential anticancer agents, a degree of caution should be always borne in mind when interpreting the success of preclinical pro-apoptotic candidates since potential problems inevitably lie ahead. These problems usually include target specificity, unanticipated toxicity, compound stability, formulation issues, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles. Nevertheless, we believe that this collection of 11 chapters by established leaders in the area of apoptosis will be of great interest to not only academics working in the field of cancer research and apoptosis but also pharmaceutical and pharmacological industries that . We are looking forward to the further development to push these potential agents toward clinical stage.

Adopting a multi-disciplinary approach and using the case of the automotive industry as a starting point this volume discusses how industrial companies can remain competitive in spite of the current economic downturn.

This book provides the latest models, methods and guidelines for networked enterprises to enhance their competitiveness and move towards innovative high performance and agile industrial systems.In the new global market, competitiveness and economic growth rely greatly on the move toward innovative high performance industrial systems and agile networked enterprises through the creation and consolidation of non-hierarchical manufacturing networks of multi-national SMEs as opposed to networks based on powerful large-scale companies. Network performance can be significantly improved through more harmonious and equitable peer-to-peer inter-enterprise relationships, conforming decentralized and collaborative decision-making models.Traditional hierarchical manufacturing networks are based on centralized models, where some of the actors involved must adapt themselves to the constraints defined by those who are most dominant. Real-world experiences of such models have revealed some major problems due to the centralized vision of the supply chain and the sub-optimal performance of centralized decision-making. For the current highly dynamic markets, this generates major inefficiencies in operation throughout the supply chain.This book collects the latest research regarding non-hierarchical manufacturing networks and provides enterprises with valuable models, methods and guidelines to improve their competitiveness.

This work highlights the new challenges facing the French wine industry and the issues that arise from it. Written on the basis of academic work and field studies, conducted by a group of Montpellier academics in Economics and Management Sciences (Groupe Montpellier Vin), this book presents recent and original research results and raises the key issues related to finance, strategy, international management and marketing. Professionals in the sector, academics, students and wine enthusiasts will find up-to-date information, in-depth analyses and above all, an invitation to a stimulating debate on the prospects of this traditional, yet innovative sector.