Risk management has become an essential issue in supply chain management, from the modeling of the decision maker's risk preference, and the studies on uncertain elements such as demand, supply, price, lead time, etc., to the consideration of more practical background including cash flow constraints, inventory financing and delayed cash payment. In this new volume, the authors provide a framework to study the interaction of various factors related to risk and their influence on supply chain management. The scope of areas covered includes operations management, decision analysis, and business administration. This book focuses on several key issues of risk management in supply chains. Specifically, an analysis framework is presented for studying the supplier selection problem and identifying the optimal sourcing strategy in a one-retailer two-suppliers supply chain with random yields. The optimal sourcing strategy of a retailer and the pricing strategies of two suppliers under an environment of supply disruption are investigated. Besides, the authors study the dynamic inventory control problems with cash flow constraints, financing decisions as well as delayed cash payment. In addition, originating from the annual international iron ore price negotiation, the authors model the bargaining process to deal with the risk of wholesale price in the game analysis context. Within the three perspectives of risk management in supply chains, the modeling of decision maker's risk preference has been extensively studied and many results have been obtained to guide the practice. However, the analysis on the other two kinds of topics is still in its infancy, and needs more efforts from academia. It is thus the ambition and innovation for this book to contribute on risk management in supply chains in the following ways: (1) characterizing the explicit sourcing strategy (i.e., single sourcing or dual sourcing) to deal with supply disruption risk; (2) introducing the concepts of financial risk measurement by incorporating cash flow constraints, inventory financing and delayed cash payment into inventory management models; and (3) providing insights for the iron ore price negotiation to help steel manufacturers handle the risk of price increase.

This book is written primarily for engineers who want to use statistical designs for quality engineering, and for statisticians who want to know the wide range of applications of experimental design in the manufacturing industry. Significantly, Robust Design and Analysis for Quality Engineering addresses the following techniques: Taguchi's quality engineering approaches, concepts of robustness in experimental designs, response surface design and its applications, Pareto-type ANOVA for analysis of parameter design, and strategies of quality improvement efforts through robust design and analysis. Through a series of real case studies, these important techniques are made readily accessible to all readers. This is also the key text for senior undergraduate and postgraduate students studying engineering and experimental design.

ERP Systems for Manufacturing Supply Chains: Applications, Configuration, and Performance provides insight into the core architecture, modules, and process support of ERP systems used in a manufacturing supply chain. This book explains the building blocks of an ERP system and how they can be used to increase performance of manufacturing supply chains. Starting with an overview of basic concepts of supply chain and ERP systems, the book delves into the core ERP modules that support manufacturing facilities and organizations. It examines each module's structure and functionality as well as the process support the module provides. Cases illustrate how the modules can be applied in manufacturing environments. Also covered is how the ERP modules can be configured to support manufacturing supply chains. Setting up an ERP system to support the supply chain within single manufacturing facility provides insight into how an ERP system is used in the smallest of manufacturing enterprises, as well as lays the foundation for ERP systems in manufacturing organizations. The book then supplies strategies for larger manufacturing enterprises and discusses how ERP systems can be used to support a complete manufacturing supply chain across different facilities and companies. The ERP systems on the market today tend to use common terminology and naming for describing specific functions and data units in the software. However, there are differences among packages. The book discusses various data and functionalities found in different ERP-software packages and uses generic and descriptive terms as often as possible to make these valid for as many ERP systems as possible. Filled with insight into ERP system's core modules and functions, this book shows how ERP systems can be applied to support a supply chain in the smallest of manufacturing organizations that only consist of a single manufacturing facility, as well as large enterprises where the manufacturing supply chain crosses multiple facilities and companies.

In this book award-winning organisations and experts from Europe and USA, including Brian Joiner (Deming medel), Hans Bajoria (ASQC Grant award), Texas Instruments Europe (1995 Quality Award winner) have contributed towards the learning and culture of world class best practice in Total Quality Management. The Proceedings of the Second Quality Conference in Sheffield, Total Quality Management in Action presents real experiences achieved by the leading multinational organisations in their quality journey. With over 40 articles this book will be a real asset to academics, researchers, senior managers, directors and quality practitioners from both public and private sectors.

Benchmarking is a powerful tool for improvement. It is one of the fastest growing techniques for quality and performance improvement and attracts massive attention. Now, more than ever there is a clear need for straightforward guidelines to help companies make the most of benchmarking. This book addresses that need. This unique text provides an excellent recipe for conducting a benchmarking study. Unlike other books on the subject it takes a systematic approach, giving the reader step-by-step instructions. The five-phase benchmarking wheel forms the framework for the book, with detailed descriptions of each phase being complemented by graphical navigation aids. This will serve as a quick and practical tutorial for benchmarking and as a handbook to be used by the team throughout the benchmarking study.

Succeed as a PRINCE2(R) practitioner with this concise overview. PRINCE2 is the leading model for effective project management methodology. PRINCE2 certification will help you implement projects across your organisation efficiently, creating a controlled and manageable environment for employees. This guide explains the fundamental principles of PRINCE2 2017, enabling you to review essential themes before taking your PRINCE2 Foundation exam. Following accreditation, it serves as a reference guide to help you manage ongoing PRINCE2 projects within your organisation. Ideal for anyone involved with implementing a new project that uses the PRINCE2 framework, whether you are a student, project board member or team manager, this guide will help you: Prepare for your PRINCE2 2017 Foundation exam; Implement PRINCE2-aligned projects; and Enhance your skills as a PRINCE2 practitioner. Key features: Concise summary of the fundamental principles and themes of PRINCE2 2017. Clear and comprehensible format. Serves as a reference guide while you manage ongoing PRINCE2 projects. New for the third edition: Updated to align with PRINCE2 2017. New diagrams to aid understanding of the framework. A succinct reference guide that summarises the key elements of PRINCE2 2017 - buy this book today to get the help and guidance you need!

Lean Organization for Excellence describes the right way to implement lean thinking inside both manufacturing and service industries. After explaining the origins of the concept and discussing 'wastes' and value added, the book aims to set out a precise path of action. To this end, the so-called Hoshin Kanri method of defining business objectives and targets is explained, and a Value Stream Mapping tool that serves to identify all wastes is described. Subsequent chapters cover each of the TPS (Toyota Production System) tools, from 5S to SMED, and special attention is devoted to the Ducati case study, in which tools such as 5S and Kanban are applied. Lean metrics and the innovative Value Stream Accounting are discussed, and the closing chapter focuses on Lean Office for the service industry. Each chapter includes illustrations and tables relating to practical cases concerning the subject under consideration, based on real consultancy experiences.

Data is an intrinsic part of our daily lives. Everything we do is a data point. Many of these data points are recorded with the intent to help us lead more efficient lives. We have apps that track our workouts, sleep, food intake, and personal finance. We use the data to make changes to our lives based on goals we have set for ourselves. Businesses use vast collections of data to determine strategy and marketing. Data scientists take data, analyze it, and create models to help solve problems. You may have heard of companies having data management teams or chief information officers (CIOs) or chief data officers (CDOs), etc. They are all people who work with data, but their function is more related to vetting data and preparing it for use by data scientists. The jump from personal data usage for self-betterment to mass data analysis for business process improvement often feels bigger to us than it is. In turn, we often think big data analysis requires tools held only by advanced degree holders. Although advanced degrees are certainly valuable, this book illustrates how it is not a requirement to adequately run a data science project. Because we are all already data users, with some simple strategies and exposure to basic analytical software programs, anyone who has the proper tools and determination can solve data science problems. The process presented in this book will help empower individuals to work on and solve data-related challenges. The goal of this book is to provide a step-by-step guide to the data science process so that you can feel confident in leading your own data science project. To aid with clarity and understanding, the author presents a fictional restaurant chain to use as a case study, illustrating how the various topics discussed can be applied. Essentially, this book helps traditional businesspeople solve data-related problems on their own without any hesitation or fear. The powerful methods are presented in the form of conversations, examples, and case studies. The conversational style is engaging and provides clarity.

The dramatic explosion of information, communication and transportation technologies in the last two decades have opened new vistas for industrial and new business development. It is widely recognized that the business paradigms that prevailed during the Industrial Revolution are giving way to new paradigms dictated by the information age, the knowledge age, and the Technology Revolution which we are currently witnessing. This will require us to examine theories and practices used for the creation of wealth and prosperity.
The International Association for the Management of Technology is the leading professional organization solely devoted to the education, research and application of Technology Management. The theme of the 2002 Eleventh International Conference on Management of Technology, held in Miami Beach, Florida, was" The Drive Towards the Internet Economy: Opportunities and Challenges for Developed and Developing Regions of the World. The intent was to provide a special focus on the explosion expected in E-commerce, supply chain logistics and other opportunities presented by the growth of Internet activities. While many may fail to predict the extent of the impact of the Internet on corporate and national economies, it is timely to explore the opportunities and challenges that such technology provides in the near and not so near future.

Technological developments in recent years have been tremendous. This evolution is visible in companies through technological equipment, computerized procedures, and management practices associated with technologies. One of the management practices that is visible is related to business intelligence and analytics (BI&A). Concepts such as data warehousing, key performance indicators (KPIs), data mining, and dashboards are changing the business arena. This book aims to promote research related to these new trends that open up a new field of research in the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) area. Features Focuses on the more recent research findings occurring in the fields of BI&A Conveys how companies in the developed world are facing today's technological challenges Shares knowledge and insights on an international scale Provides different options and strategies to manage competitive organizations Addresses several dimensions of BI&A in favor of SMEs

Kindness and leadership aren't often synonymous. Ask someone to describe "good leadership" to you and you will hear many adjectives used: authentic, bold, challenging, charismatic, decisive, empowering, fearless, goal-oriented, humble, inspiring, original, passionate, role-model, strategic and transparent, to name of a few. And though there are many more that come to mind, kindness isn't one of them. And here's the problem with that. Leaders lead. And the way a leader leads - how they do what they do - influences those they lead. From the president of the country, to the president of a company, from middle managers, right down to front-line supervisors, what a leader models - how they think, speak and act - influences the people they lead. Leaders who think, speak and act unkindly give legitimacy and permission to those they lead to think, speak, and act in exactly the same unkind ways. Today, in a world where a leaders' words and actions travel quickly through social media channels such as Twitter, their influence - unkind or kind - is amplified through repeated views and sharing. In an increasingly fragmented, polarized and divided world, we need leaders who will bring people together not divide them. Leaders who value and model cooperation and collaboration over competition. And who model ways to think kindly, speak kindly and act kindly. We need kindness to become synonymous with good leadership. So that when someone is asked to describe the traits of a good leader, kindness will be the first word that comes to mind. Essentially, the purpose of this book is to teach leaders how to lead with kindness so they can influence the people they lead to create kinder workplaces, organizations and the world. Each chapter contains a mixture of theory, case studies and reflections from leaders and the people they influence. As well, the book follows the fictional stories of Kay'La Janson and Kevin Landrell, as they become leaders in a failing organization that is ultimately turned around through kind leadership. Between chapters there are a series of practical exercises based on concepts presented in the previous chapter with space to record outcomes and reflections on the practice process. This book gives you a deep theoretical understanding of the importance of leading with kindness and also provides practical exercises for you to use to turn theory into practice. Because "change means doing things differently," and because we only really "learn by doing" to create kinder organizations, kinder communities and a kinder world, leaders must be able to begin practicing kindness right away. By the time you finish the book, you will feel confident in your ability to lead with kindness and also to address organizational problems at work, at home and in the community, with kindness.

Simulation-based Six Sigma: The Next Generation of Six Sigma Evolution

This book offers a complete roadmap to conducting and executing Lean Six Sigma and Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) projects in service and transaction environments that are conducive to simulation modeling, including mapped tools, deliverables, and methods. Readers discover how Simulation-based Six Sigma methodology reduces project cycle time, cost, and effort from conception to validation. Most importantly, the Simulation-based Six Sigma design identifies customer and business requirements, conceptualizes several solutions, selects a vulnerability-free solution, optimizes that solution, and then validates and verifies the optimum solution, leading to breakthrough performance.

All the guidance needed to take advantage of the many tools in Simulation-based Six Sigma and Simulation-based DFSS is clearly set forth. The implementation, theoretical, and practical aspects of Six Sigma and DFSS and their associated toolboxes and methods are all set forth in detail, including: Integrating Voice of Customer and the Voice of the Business Axiomatic Design Design of Experiment Quality Function Deployment (QFD) Process Mapping Discrete Event Simulation (DES) Value Stream Mapping (VSM) Lean Techniques, including JIT, kanban, SMED, Kaizen, TPM, and more

This book is ideal as a reference for corporate executives, quality control managers, and service industry practitioners including manufacturing, Six Sigma belts and champions who want to streamline processes, minimize risk, and maximize benefits. It serves as a complete training manual for Six Sigma and DFSS in a simulation environment. With its many case examples, it is alsoa superior textbook for graduate students in management, operations, industrial engineering, and quality assurance.

Business Process Management (BPM) has been in existence for decades. It uses, complements, integrates and extends theories, methods and tools from other scientific disciplines like: strategic management, information technology, managerial accounting, operations management etc. During this period the main focus themes of researchers and professionals in BPM were: business process modeling, business process analysis, activity based costing, business process simulation, performance measurement, workflow management, the link between information technology and BPM for process automation etc. More recently the focus moved to subjects like Knowledge Management, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems, Service Oriented Architectures (SOAs), Process Intelligence (PI) and even Social Networks. In this collection of papers we present a review of the work and the outcomes achieved in the classic BPM fields as well as a deeper insight on recent advances in BPM. We present a review of business process modeling and analysis and we elaborate on issues like business process quality and process performance measurement as weel as their link to all other organizational aspects like human resources management, strategy, information technology (being SOA, PI or ERP), other managerial systems, job descriptions etc. We also present recent advances to BPR tools with special focus on information technology, workflow, business process modeling and human resources management tools. Other chapters elaborate on the aspect of business process and organizational costing and their relationship to business process analysis, organizational change and reorganization. In the final chapters we present some new approaches that use fuzzy cognitive maps and a recently developed software tool for scenario creation and simulation in strategic management, business process management, performance measurement and social networking.

The audience of this book is quite wide. The first chapters can be read by professionals, academics and students who want to get some basic insight into the BPM field whereas the remaining present more elaborate and state of the art concepts methodologies and tools for an audience of a more advanced level."

From Robin Sickles: As I indicated to you some months ago Professor William Horrace and I would like Springer to publish a Festschrift in Honor of Peter Schmidt, our professor. Peter s accomplishments are legendary among his students and the profession. I have a bit of that student perspective in my introductory and closing remarks on the website for the conference we had in his honor this last July. I have attached the conference program from which selected papers will come (as well as from students who were unable to attend). You will also find the names of his students (40) on the website. A top twenty economics department could be started up from those 40 students. Papers from some festschrifts have a thematic link among the papers based on subject material. What I think is unique to this festschrift is that the theme running through the papers will be Peter s remarkable legacy left to his students to frame a problem and then analyze and examine it in depth using rigorous techniques but rarely just for the purpose of showcasing technical refinements per se. I think this would be a book that graduate students would find invaluable in their early research careers and seasoned scholars would find invaluable in both their and their students research."

Up to date with the fourth edition of PMI's Program Management Standard, PgMP (R) Practice Test Questions: 1000+ Practice Exam Questions for the PgMP (R) Examination contains more than 1,000 practice questions to help readers hone their knowledge and test their skills. It covers all five of the program management domains: Strategic Program Management, Program Management Life Cycle, Benefits Management, Stakeholder Management, and Governance. It also examines all of the sub domains of the lifecycle domain. With an easy-to-use format, this is an ideal resource for those preparing to take the PgMP (R) exam.

Forever Chemicals: Environmental, Economic, and Social Equity Concerns with PFAS in the Environment provides the reader with an understanding of the complex and interwoven issues associated with per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) in our environment. The chapters provide in-depth perspective into various issues, including health, regulation, detection, clean-up strategies and technologies, and more. Taken together or as the reader's interests lead them, the variety of topics covered in the book present a balanced perspective on this complex topic. It will address the current state of PFAS and where indicators are pointing for future developments. The book is also a deeper investigation of the regulatory challenges, analytical hurdles, and toxicological progress to date for the suite of PFAS chemicals. Features Explains the trends that will affect future policy and regulatory decisions Looks holistically at 4000+ PFAS chemicals Includes PFAS risk assessments at contaminated sites and biomonitoring insights Provides in-depth discussions on remediation technologies Illustrates quality and diversified content Provides a balanced perspective on this complex topic

This book presents scheduling with a medium- and short-term focus, which makes it possible to capitalize on fleeting market opportunities while simultaneously working to reconcile economic and environmental priorities. It introduces a new mixed-integer approach to hierarchical discrete-time and continuous-time scheduling, combining aspects of production and recycling, forward and reverse logistics as well as emissions trading for multi-stage supply chain networks. Problem-specific variants of relax-and-fix heuristics and genetic algorithms are also proposed. Given its scope, the book provides a range of practical tools and new perspectives for researchers and professionals in the field of supply chain management.

This book provides an extended overview and fundamental knowledge in industrial automation, while building the necessary knowledge level for further specialization in advanced concepts of industrial automation. It covers a number of central concepts of industrial automation, such as basic automation elements, hardware components for automation and process control, the latch principle, industrial automation synthesis, logical design for automation, electropneumatic automation, industrial networks, basic programming in PLC, and PID in the industry.

Table of Contents

Introduction to Automation. Hardware Components for Automation and Process Control. Industrial Automation Synthesis. Logical Design of Industrial Automation. Basic Components of Electro Pneumatic Automation. Industrial Networks. Basic Programming Principles of PLCs Author. PID Control in the Industry.

The fundamental motivation of this book is to contribute to the future advancement of Asset Management in the context of industrial plants and infrastructures. The book aims to foster a future perspective that takes advantage of value-based and intelligent asset management in order to make a step forward with respect to the evolution observed nowadays. Indeed, the current understanding of asset management is primarily supported by well-known standards. Nonetheless, asset management is still a young discipline and the knowledge developed by industry and academia is not set in stone yet. Furthermore, current trends in new organizational concepts and technologies lead to an evolutionary path in the field. Therefore, this book aims to discuss this evolutionary path, starting first of all from the consolidated theory, then moving forward to discuss: * The strategic understanding of value-based asset management in a company; * An operational definition of value, as a concept on the background of value-based asset management; * The identification of intelligent asset management, with the aim to frame a set of "tools" recommended to support the asset-related decision-making process over the asset lifecycle; * The emergence of new technologies such as cyber physical systems and digital twins, and the implications of this on asset management.

This book shows engineers with little or no previous exposure to experimental design how to use statistically designed experiments to improve products and processes. A prerequisite is an appreciation for the concept of random variation, gained through a typical statistics course or by using statistical process control in a manufacturing environment. Dr Taguchi has added greatly to our understanding of the importance of properly designed experiments in quality improvement and has provided a structured approach to designing quality into products and processes. His use of experimental designs to reduce variability and make designs more robust has had a major influence on perceptions of the role of experimental design in quality improvement. This book also covers other methods, such as the important work of Dr George Box and his associates on orthogonal designs.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of potential opportunities and the business value position related to implementing physics-based real-time simulation to production. The objective of real-time simulation is to provide value for all three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. By reviewing actual industrial cases and presenting relevant academic research, the book examines the topic from four interrelated viewpoints: the industrial need for sustainable production, the development of game-like virtual environments, capturing customer value and enhancing the user experience, and finally, establishing business value. It offers a framework that will enable a rethink and shift in mindset to appreciate how real-time simulation can change the way products are manufactured and services are produced. This book will appeal to researchers and scholars in areas as diverse as strategic management, manufacturing and operations management, marketing, industrial economics, and product lifecycle management.

The planning and control of the production process represents a fundamental part of modern manufacturing technology. This book provides an essential introduction to the basic principles involved and is specially written for BTEC HNC/D programmes in mechanical and production engineering. The aim is to give the reader a practical and comprehensive appreciation and understanding of the ways in which manufacturing companies are organised; the nature and diversity of engineering products; the organisation of production and the planning and control of production. Production Planning and Control covers the BTEC units Control of Manu639-5 Manufacture U38/188 and Production Planning and Control U38/189.

Cybernetics is about having a goal and taking action to achieve that goal. Knowing whether you have reached your goal (or at least are getting closer to it) requires "feedback", a concept that was made rigorous by cybernetics. The subject of Cybernetic Synergy, although emanating from a socio-economic experiment of economic control by cybernetic means in Chile in the early 1970s, has never been approached as an applied subject in its own right. Indeed, the subject of applied cybernetics has never been addressed as a separate issue, although it has been shown that the overall subject of cybernetics applies to a wide range of disciplines, from biology to business via mathematics and engineering. Cybernetic synergy is the study of relationships and controls of and between corporate entities, on an external basis, and departments within corporate entities, on an internal basis. It concerns the decision-making process, and how decisions can be made based on feedback from any part of the organization being managed. It therefore concerns the issue of input of raw material or information, the output of the transformed information and materials, and the rectification of any issue based on negative feedback related to the productive process. It investigates not only the basic theory of the subject but also its applications in the commercial and business environment, as well as touching on government and administrative issues where shortcomings have emerged owing to a lack of synergy and communication. There are already several books available on the subject to cybernetics, but they are all concerned with mathematical approaches along with very heavy technical texts, most of which are completely alien to the layman or the simple practitioner. Furthermore, other than references to business or economic practice in some books, there has never been a book published purely about the subject of applied cybernetics relating to business practices. The book covers the subjects of management and economic cybernetics, and how the theory of cybernetic control can be used to manage business and government functions, whether small, medium or large. It looks at the history of cybernetics, and how some pioneering cybernetic concepts were used in Chile in the early 1970s to manage the Chilean economy. It uses these same principles, along with later cybernetic models, to show how such concepts can be applied to the present-day economy and business practices. It examines present-day business practices and shows how weaknesses in these systems can be addressed and eliminated by the application of cybernetic practices. The aims of the book are to provide an insight into the subject of management and business cybernetics, using the principle of cybernetic synergy, to resolve intra-corporate issues and create more efficient business practices based on simple command-and-control processes. Essentially, this book provides an in-depth insight into the use of cybernetics in business and administration environments, and would explain how cybernetics is a valuable tool in resolving corporate issues concerning efficiency and overall control. It would give a detailed explanation of the various practices and functions involved in business operations and practices.

Access and Control in Digital Humanities explores a range of important questions about who controls data, who is permitted to reproduce or manipulate data, and what sorts of challenges digital humanists face in making their work accessible and useful. Contributors to this volume present case studies and theoretical approaches from their experience with applications for digital technology in classrooms, museums, archives, in the field and with the general public. Offering potential answers to the issues of access and control from a variety of perspectives, the volume acknowledges that access is subject to competing interests of a variety of stakeholders. Museums, universities, archives, and some communities all place claims on how data can or cannot be shared through digital initiatives and, given the collaborative nature of most digital humanities projects, those in the field need to be cognizant of the various and often competing interests and rights that shape the nature of access and how it is controlled. Access and Control in Digital Humanities will be of interest to researchers, academics and graduate students working in a variety of fields, including digital humanities, library and information science, history, museum and heritage studies, conservation, English literature, geography and legal studies.

This book addresses critical issues in today's logistics operations and supply chain management, with a special focus on sustainability. In dedicated chapters the authors address aspects concerning multimode logistics operations, reverse network configuration, forward and reverse supply chain integration, improvement of the production operations and management of the recovery activities, as well as carbon footprint reduction in transportation. Selected best practices from different countries and industries are presented to aid in the implementation of sustainable policies in private enterprises and at public-sector institutions. The book offers a valuable resource for both academics and practitioners who wish to deepen their expertise in the field of logistics operations and management with regard to sustainability issues. The book examines both qualitative and qualitative aspects of sustainable supply chain and logistics operations.