This book sets out to provide postgraduate researchers with guidance on selecting and applying sociotechnical theories to the study of information systems, including how they can be combined to complement each other. Until now it has been difficult to source advice on the application of these theories, and there has been no single book that combines multiple theories as this does. Examining the impacts of technological developments and seeking to understand how humans interact with computers and systems is a dynamic field but can often confuse researchers with the overwhelming number of social theories that are utilised to derive insights. Instead, the author in this book breaks down some of the most popular theories used to underpin information system research, such as activity theory (AT), actor-network theory (ANT), contingency theory (CT), diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory, structuration theory (ST), and the technology acceptance model (TAM). By doing so, this book serves to enable a simpler, faster selection of appropriate theories, and a more effective and productive application that leads to richer, more rigorous research outcomes. Written for postgraduates, researchers, and academics in the fields of information technology and information systems, this book provides a valuable resource of sociotechnical research methodologies that will enable and enhance future studies.

Great Writers on Organizations presents succinctly each of the contributions made by 80 of the most prominent management thinkers to the understanding of organizational behaviour and managerial thinking. Among those included are early theorists such as Henri Fayol, Frederick W. Taylor and Max Weber, classical writers such as Alfred D. Chandler, Peter Drucker and Frederick Herzberg, through to modern thinkers such as Oliver Williamson, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, and Charles Handy. New writers included in the Third Omnibus Edition are: Lex Donaldson, Stewart Clegg, Richard Whitley, Michel Foucault and Kathleen Eisenhardt. The volume is an indispensable resource for academics, students and managers on what the great writers have to say about the key managerial tasks of how to organize and motivate.

This book develops innovative techniques from operational research and management science for the design and implementation of a reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS), and subsequently analyzes and assesses their performance. A reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) is a paradigm that can address many of the challenges posed by the modern market. Accordingly, substantial research is now being conducted on RMS, focusing on various levels of decision-making (strategic, tactical and operational). However, as a relatively new research area, there are still only very few books and articles available on reconfigurable manufacturing system design and management. In addition to filling that gap, this book provides a forum for investigating, exchanging ideas on, and disseminating the latest advances in the broad area of RMS applications in today's industry. Gathering contributions by experts from academia, industry and policy-making, it represents an essential contribution to the existing literature on manufacturing and logistics in general and industry 4.0 in particular.

This book offers an in-depth and systematic introduction to improved failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) methods for proactive healthcare risk analysis. Healthcare risk management has become an increasingly important issue for hospitals and managers. As a prospective reliability analysis technique, FMEA has been widely used for identifying and eliminating known and potential failures in systems, designs, products or services. However, the traditional FMEA has a number of weaknesses when applied to healthcare risk management. This book provides valuable insights into useful FMEA methods and practical examples that can be considered when applying FMEA to enhance the reliability and safety of the healthcare system. This book is very interesting for practitioners and academics working in the fields of healthcare risk management, quality management, operational research, and management science and engineerin. It can be considered as the guiding document for how a healthcare organization proactively identifies, manages and mitigates the risk of patient harm. This book also serves as a valuable reference for postgraduate and senior undergraduate students.

This book is the first work to conduct the emergency logistics optimization problem under the epidemic environment (whether natural or man-made), which provides a new perspective for the application of optimization theory. In this book, the research methods involve epidemic dynamics, scenario-based emergency decision-making method, big data which combines the traditional and emerging technologies. The authors take epidemic outbreak as the research object and deeply integrate the epidemic spread model with the optimization model of emergency resource scheduling, which opens up a novel application area of operations research.

The book offers a comprehensive survey of interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets. It reports on cutting-edge research carried out by the founder of the intuitionistic fuzzy sets, Prof. Krassimir Atanassov, giving a special emphasis to the practical applications of this extension. A few interesting case studies, such as in the area of data mining, decision making and pattern recognition, among others, are discussed in detail. The book offers the first comprehensive guide on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets. By providing the readers with a thorough survey and important practical details, it is expected to support them in carrying out applied research and to encourage them to test the theory behind the sets for new advanced applications. The book is a valuable reference resource for graduate students and researchers alike.

This book presents a novel approach to the formulation and solution of three classes of problems: the fully fuzzy transportation problem, the fully fuzzy transshipment problem, and fully fuzzy solid transportation problem. It points out some limitations of the existing formulations and approaches, indicating some possible, conceptually and algorithmically attractive solutions to alleviate them. In particular, the book describes new conceptual and algorithmic solutions for finding the fuzzy optimal solutions of the single-objective fully fuzzy transportation problems, the fully fuzzy transshipment problems and the fully fuzzy solid transportation problems. Moreover, based on the novel concepts and solutions proposed by combining the concept of a fully fuzzy solid transportation problem and a fully fuzzy transshipment problem, it describes a new class of problems, i.e. the fully fuzzy solid trans-shipment problem, together with its fuzzy linear programming formulation and some methods to find its fuzzy optimal solution. The book offers the readers a timely piece of literature in the field of fuzzy linear programming, and is expected to act as a source of inspiration for future research and applications.

This book presents the state-of-the-art in social simulation as presented at the Social Simulation Conference 2018 in Stockholm, Sweden. It covers the developments in applications and methods of social simulation, addressing societal issues such as socio-ecological systems and policy making. Methodological issues discussed include large-scale empirical calibration, model sharing and interdisciplinary research, as well as decision making models, validation and the use of qualitative data in simulation modeling. Research areas covered include archaeology, cognitive science, economics, organization science, and social simulation education. This collection gives readers insight into the increasing use of social simulation in both its theoretical development and in practical applications such as policy making whereby modelling and the behavior of complex systems is key. The book will appeal to students, researchers and professionals in the various fields.

Successfully delivering projects at an organization can happen with the careful utilization of a variety of methods and practices. The best approach is a hybrid framework that adapts in real time to your team and its needs. This book addresses the practical realities of project delivery in the 21st century. The agile method is well-known and well-covered. Author Shawn Belling dives deeper with his expertise into organizational management and investigates how to best execute a graceful mix of waterfall methods, agile, and phase-based approaches. Each business and goal requires flexibility for a unique journey to success, and Belling provides the practitioner with practical, real-world examples and patterns of these methodologies. Succeeding with Agile Hybrids is the answer to the diversity of needs within your team. Whether you are an aspiring or current project manager, scrum master, or mid-level manager, this book will greatly benefit you and your goals for project delivery. Hybrid agile is the future, and you will be well-equipped to tackle it with Succeeding with Agile Hybrids on your shelf. What You'll Learn See how hybrid agile is a common de facto approach to project management Review common, practical and real-world examples and patterns of hybrid agile project management Evaluate projects and organizations for using hybrid agile or agile project management Who This Book is For Aspiring or current project managers, scrum masters, or mid-level managers with responsibility for projects or professional services delivery in a technical field. Executive leaders, academic and training programs may also pick this book as a text.

The papers presented in this open access book address diverse challenges in decarbonizing energy systems, ranging from operational to investment planning problems, from market economics to technical and environmental considerations, from distribution grids to transmission grids, and from theoretical considerations to data provision concerns and applied case studies. While most papers have a clear methodological focus, they address policy-relevant questions at the same time. The target audience therefore includes academics and experts in industry as well as policy makers, who are interested in state-of-the-art quantitative modelling of policy relevant problems in energy systems. The 2nd International Symposium on Energy System Optimization (ISESO 2018) was held at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) under the symposium theme "Bridging the Gap Between Mathematical Modelling and Policy Support" on October 10th and 11th 2018. ISESO 2018 was organized by the KIT, the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS), the Heidelberg University, the German Aerospace Center and the University of Stuttgart.

The world of retailing has changed dramatically in the past decade. Sales originating at online channels have been steadily increasing, and even for sales transacted at brick-and-mortar channels, a much larger fraction of sales is affected by online channels in different touch points during the customer journey. Shopper behavior and expectations have been evolving along with the growth of digital channels, challenging retailers to redesign their fulfillment and execution processes, to better serve their customers. This edited book examines the challenges and opportunities arising from the shift towards omni- channel retail. We examine these issues through the lenses of operations management, emphasizing the supply chain transformations associated with fulfilling an omni-channel demand. The book is divided into three parts. In the first part, "Omni-channel business models", we present four studies that explore how retailers are adjusting their fundamental business models to the new omni-channel landscape. The second part, "Data-driven decisions in an omni-channel world", includes five chapters that study the evolving data opportunities enabled by omni-channel retail and present specific examples of data-driven analyses. Finally, in the third part, "Case studies in Omni-channel retailing", we include four studies that provide a deep dive into how specific industries, companies and markets are navigating the omni-channel world. Ultimately, this book introduces the reader to the fundamentals of operations in an omni-channel context and highlights the different innovative research ideas on the topic using a variety of methodologies.

This edited collection addresses the question of which capabilities and competencies enable Behavioral Operational Research to provide sustained improvement to decision processes. The aim is to show how a focus on capability and competency will not only meet short-term requirements for problem solving and decision support, but also build a solid foundation for the future. The contributors present recent advances in Behavioral OR, with a focus on the ways in which users of models deal with incomplete and imprecise information, subjective boundaries and uncertainty. These chapters are structured around three key dimensions of BOR: capabilities, cognition and aspects of practice.

This book mainly introduces the latest development of generalized intuitionistic multiplicative fuzzy calculus and its application. The book pursues three major objectives: (1) to introduce the calculus models with concrete mathematical expressions for generalized intuitionistic multiplicative fuzzy information; (2) to introduce new information fusion methods based on the definite integral models; and (3) to clarify the involved approaches bymilitary case. The book is especially valuable for readers to understand how the theoretical framework of generalized intuitionistic multiplicative fuzzy calculus is constructed, not only discrete or continuous but also correlative (generalized) intuitionistic (multiplicative) fuzzy information is aggregated based on the definite integral models and the theory with a military practice is integrated, which would deepen the understanding and give researchers more inspiration in practical decision analysis under uncertainties.

This book demonstrates that innovative ideas are systematically constructed in the creative space spanned by the dimensions of systems thinking and knowledge management. Readers will be introduced to this proposition in the final chapter, after learning about the key innovation theories, design thinking, systems thinking, and idea creation methods in systems science and knowledge science. The content provided throughout the book supports knowledge creation in various fields, the management of research and business projects, and the creation of promotion stories for products and services. Practitioners who are seeking to create innovative ideas can systematically learn the minimum theories and methods required, while graduate students will be equipped to link their research to innovation by learning the essence of systems science and knowledge science and considering selected issues. Lastly, the book includes suggestions for future research directions in knowledge science.

This book provides an essential introduction to Stochastic Programming, especially intended for graduate students. The book begins by exploring a linear programming problem with random parameters, representing a decision problem under uncertainty. Several models for this problem are presented, including the main ones used in Stochastic Programming: recourse models and chance constraint models. The book not only discusses the theoretical properties of these models and algorithms for solving them, but also explains the intrinsic differences between the models. In the book's closing section, several case studies are presented, helping students apply the theory covered to practical problems. The book is based on lecture notes developed for an Econometrics and Operations Research course for master students at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands - the longest-standing Stochastic Programming course worldwide.

This book discusses how to build optimization tools able to generate better future studies. It aims at showing how these tools can be used to develop an adaptive learning environment that can be used for decision making in the presence of uncertainties. The book starts with existing fuzzy techniques and multicriteria decision making approaches and shows how to combine them in more effective tools to model future events and take therefore better decisions. The first part of the book is dedicated to the theories behind fuzzy optimization and fuzzy cognitive map, while the second part presents new approaches developed by the authors with their practical application to trend impact analysis, scenario planning and strategic formulation. The book is aimed at two groups of readers, interested in linking the future studies with artificial intelligence. The first group includes social scientists seeking for improved methods for strategic prospective. The second group includes computer scientists and engineers seeking for new applications and current developments of Soft Computing methods for forecasting in social science, but not limited to this.

This volume showcases the presentations and discussions delivered at the 2018 POMS International Conference in Rio. Through a collection of selected papers, it is possible to review the impact and application of operations management for social good, with contributions across a wide range of topics, including: humanitarian operations and crisis management, healthcare operations management, sustainable operations, artificial intelligence and data analytics in operations, product innovation and technology in operations management, marketing and operations management, service operations and servitization, logistics and supply chain management, resilience and risk in operations, defense, and tourism among other emerging Operations Management issues. The Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) is one of the most important and influential societies in the subject of Production Engineering and, as an international professional and academic organization, represents the interests of professionals and academics in production management and operations around the world.

The book is divided into four parts: (1) foundations of qualitative research methods consisting of a chapter summarizing the various qualitative paradigms and a research methods chapter illuminating various design features such as data collection and analysis, qualitative standards and ethics; (2) frequently used qualitative methods in the study of leadership designs; (3) underutilized qualitative methods; (4) three commissioned empirical studies illustrating content analysis, narrative analysis, and mixed methods study using content analysis and case study. The book also includes a chapter on the use non-textual, image-based sources of data for qualitative leadership research. Each of the methods chapters contains a number of leadership studies that have employed a given method such as case study, interviewing or phenomenology.The book is intended for students of leadership ranging from graduate students to seasoned leadership scholars. It was written with leadership practitioners in mind who wish to broaden their understanding of new developments in leadership research.

This book focuses on the latest advances in nonlinear dynamic modeling in economics and finance, mainly-but not solely-based on the description of strategic interaction by using concepts and methods from dynamic and evolutionary game theory. The respective chapters cover a range of theoretical issues and examples concerning how the qualitative theory of dynamical systems is used to analyze the local and global bifurcations that characterize complex behaviors observed in social systems where heterogeneous and boundedly rational economic agents interact. Nonlinear dynamical systems, represented by difference and differential and functional equations, are extensively used to simulate the behavior of time-evolving economic systems, also in the presence of time lags, discontinuities, and hysteresis phenomena. In addition, some theoretical issues and particular applications are discussed, as well. The contributions gathered here offer an up-to-date review of the latest research in this rapidly developing research area.

This proceedings of the 13th World Congress on Engineering Asset Management covers a range of topics that are timely, relevant and practically important in the modern digital era towards safer, cost effective, efficient, and secure engineered assets such as production and manufacturing plants, process facilities, civil structures, equipment, machinery, and infrastructure. It has compiled some pioneering work by domain experts of the global Engineering Asset Management community representing both public and private sectors. The professional coverage of the book includes: Asset management in Industry 4.0; Standards and models; Sustainable assets and processes; Life cycle perspectives; Smart and safer assets; Applied data science; Workplace safety; Asset health; Advances in equipment condition monitoring; Critical asset processes; and Innovation strategy and entrepreneurship The breadth and depth of these state-of-the-art, comprehensive proceedings make them an excellent resource for asset management practitioners, researchers and academics, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students.

This book gathers a selection of peer-reviewed papers presented at the International Conference on Operations Research (OR 2019), which was held at Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany, on September 4-6, 2019, and was jointly organized by the German Operations Research Society (GOR) the Austrian Operations Research Society (OEGOR), and the Swiss Operational Research Society (SOR/ASRO). More than 600 scientists, practitioners and students from mathematics, computer science, business/economics and related fields attended the conference and presented more than 400 papers in plenary presentations, parallel topic streams, as well as special award sessions. The respective papers discuss classical mathematical optimization, statistics and simulation techniques. These are complemented by computer science methods, and by tools for processing data, designing and implementing information systems. The book also examines recent advances in information technology, which allow big data volumes to be processed and enable real-time predictive and prescriptive business analytics to drive decisions and actions. Lastly, it includes problems modeled and treated while taking into account uncertainty, risk management, behavioral issues, etc.

This handbook gathers state-of-the-art research on optimization problems in power distribution systems, covering classical problems as well as the challenges introduced by distributed power generation and smart grid resources. It also presents recent models, solution techniques and computational tools to solve planning problems for power distribution systems and explains how to apply them in distributed and variable energy generation resources. As such, the book therefore is a valuable tool to leverage the expansion and operation planning of electricity distribution networks.

This book covers a large spectrum of cutting-edge game theory applications in management science in which Professor Georges Zaccour has made significant contributions. The book consists of 21 chapters and highlights the latest treatments of game theory in various areas, including marketing, supply chains, energy and environmental management, and cyber defense. With this book, former Ph.D. students and successful research collaborators of Professor Zaccour wish to honor his many scientific achievements.

This book provides a guide to the elements of simulation in statistics, which will include developments and which may be used either as a teaching text or as a source of reference. It is widely used for teaching statistics in schools.

This proceedings volume presents recent theoretical and practical advances in operational research (OR). The papers focus on a number of key areas including combinatorial optimization, integer programming, heuristics, and mathematical programming. In addition, this volume highlights OR applications in different areas such as financial decision making, marketing, e-business, project management, scheduling, traffic and transportation. The chapters are based on papers presented at the 13th Balkan Conference on Operations Research (BALCOR). BALCOR is an established biennial conference. The selected papers promote international collaboration among researchers and practitioners, with a particular focus on the Balkan countries.