In this book, author Nate Furuta, former chair and CEO of Toyota Boshoku America Inc., shares the story of his decades of experience directly leading the establishment of Toyota cultures outside Japan. Furuta was the first Toyota employee on the ground at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI), Toyota's joint venture in California with General Motors, where he directly led the establishment of the most revolutionary labor-management agreement in the history of the US auto industry. In addition, Furuta was the first Toyota employee on the ground in Georgetown Kentucky at Toyota's first full-scale, wholly owned manufacturing operation outside Japan, where he led (working directly with President Fujio Cho) the establishment of Toyota's general management systems and culture there. This book tells the stories of establishing successful operations in those two iconic organizations as well as others. Furuta reveals details, both stories and process descriptions that only he can tell. He takes you along as he and others lead Toyota's intense globalization from the early 1980s to recent days. He introduces you to the critical leaders in Toyota's history, such as Taiichi Ohno and Fujio Cho as well as Kenzo Tamai, the head of the company's HRM function in the 1980s. This book is not about human-resource management (HRM) policies and procedures. It provides a deep dive into the way senior leaders embody deep awareness of HRM matters, developing and executing company strategy while at the same time developing organizational capability. The role of senior leaders isn't just a matter of directing the company to achieve objectives; it is a matter of building the capability to achieve those objectives, consistently, and further developing capability as it executes. Key to this is to develop the awareness, attitude, capability, and practice of identifying problems as progress is made toward achieving objectives, which is, in fact, attained through steadily eliminating each problem as it arises. This becomes a self-reinforcing loop of the organization, tapping in to the essence of solving problems while simultaneously developing ever better problem-solving skills and better problem solvers. This loop propels an organization toward meeting its purpose while developing capability for capability development. Essentially, this book reveals Toyota's general management systems from the firsthand experience of a Toyota Japanese senior manager and describes, with stories and process examples, the attitude, behaviors, and systems needed to successfully establish and lead in a true Lean business environment.

Sustainability, Technology and Innovation 4.0 is a holistic perception and analysis of innovation at the level of public organisations, innovation in industry and innovation in HR. Its chapters collectively present a thesis that Innovation 4.0 signals a technological revolution that has the opportunity to prevent environmental degradation and, in particular, to stop climate warming, the effects of which may disrupt the process of sustainable development. Uniquely, this edited book offers a comprehensive and multi-faceted examination of Innovation 4.0, fulfilling methodical, empirical and utilitarian goals. The methodological objective is to present tools that allow the identification, analysis and assessment of the relationship between Innovation 4.0 and inspiration that will carry society towards a new economic and social order. Its empirical aim is to enable the analysis and evaluation of the role of public organisations, innovation in industry and innovation in HR in the process of building sustainable development of the global environment. The book's utilitarian goal is a recommendation for global organisations of Innovation 4.0 as an instrument to stimulate an innovative economy. This is a high-level research book aimed at postgraduates, MBA students, researchers and academics from business colleges and universities, and may also provide a valuable strategic perspective for business executives.

This monograph presents the experience in the implementation of smart specialization strategies (S3) from multilevel policy governance, as well as from the bottom-up perspectives of firms, clusters, and networks in selected European countries. The presented research focuses on relevance and feasibility of the S3 adoption, emphasizing the importance of linking policy considerations with partnerships at lower governance levels. The major contribution of the presented research rests in theoretical implications and practical recommendations relevant for the implementation of regional S3 in the European context, with the possibility of place-based adoption in other environments. The book is also valuable for synthesizing the most recent advancements in smart specialization as a policy concept and the concept of transformation and growth for territorial units and economic entities. This book aims to further diffuse and expand the academic community's learning of the new S3 approach in Europe and beyond. The book will be of interest and useful to the academic community of researchers and doctoral students focused on regional innovation development and related policy, as well as on entrepreneurship, networks, and clusters. Public sector professionals dealing with regional development, regional innovation policies, and industrial transformation will also benefit from its content.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed world dynamics, working scenarios, as well as professional and emotional dimensions. The virus has emerged as a significant threat for the continuity of business. Keeping the gravity of the problem in mind, companies must understand the need for change and must now update their strategy to account for pandemics. The next pandemic may be more severe than the current one, meaning that organizations need to devise mechanisms and business models to fight with these situations and maintain business continuity. They should not only look forward to saving plants, machinery and infrastructure, but also concentrate on employee welfare, customer engagement and satisfaction during this crisis time. The book will not only present the evidence of various effective solutions to run a business in the time of a pandemic, but also put forward the new models and practices of business being followed by people at the time of crisis. It aims to create a bridge between existing business models and proposed business solutions, focusing on existing theories and most importantly case studies from recent happenings. This rich collection of chapters will provide insights regarding the business challenges, opportunities and practices during pandemic situations like COVID-19, making it particularly valuable to researchers, academics and students in the fields of strategic management, leadership and disaster management.

The book uses a systems-based approach to show how innovation is pervasive in all facets of endeavors, including business, industrial, government, the military, and even academia. It presents chapters that provide techniques and methodologies for achieving the transfer of science and technology assets for innovation applications. By introducing Innovation, the book and offers different viewpoints, both qualitative and quantitative. It includes the role that systems can play and discusses approaches along technical and process issues. There is a showcase of innovation applications, and coverage on how to manage innovation individually as well as within a team and it also includes how to develop, manage, and sustain innovation in various organizations. Open-ended questions and exercises are included at the end of chapters with no need for a solutions manual. Written for the advance-level textbook market as well as for the professional reader, it targets those within the engineering, business, and management fields.

Whilst only in the second decade of the 21st century, we have seen significant and fundamental change in the way we work, where we work, how we work and the conditions of work. The continued advancements of (smart) technology and artificial intelligence, globalisation and deregulation can provide a 'sleek' view of the world of work. This paradigm can deliver the opportunity to both control work and provide new challenges in this emerging virtual and global workplace with 24/7 connectivity, as the boundaries of the traditional organisation 'melt' away. Throughout the developed world the notions of work and employment are becoming increasingly separated and for some this will provide new opportunities in entrepreneurial and self-managed work. However, the alternate or 'bleak' perspectives is a world of work where globalisation and technology work together to eliminate or minimise employment, underpinning standardised employment with less and less stable or secure work, typified by the rise of the 'gig' economy and creating more extreme work, in terms of working hours, conditions and rewards. These aspects of work are likely to have a significant negative impact on the workforce in these environments. These transformations are creating renewed interest in how work and the workforce is organised and managed and its relationship to employment in a period when all predictions are that the pace of change will only accelerate.

Through a series of detailed case studies from East Asia, Arup, one of the global leaders in tall building design, presents the latest developments in the field to inspire more innovative and sustainable ideas in tall building design and engineering. This book exhibits the key design aspects of tall buildings in 20 case studies, from China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Japan. Chapters cover design and construction, safety concerns, sustainability strategies, BIM and optimisation solutions, and include contributions from the actual project engineers. The projects chosen are not the tallest buildings, but all of them have been selected for their significant engineering insights and values. Arup's engineers explain the design principles, and how they overcame various design constraints and challenges, while exceeding their clients' expectations. Unique examples include: the design and application of a hybrid outrigger system in the Raffles City Chongqing project the challenges encountered in the construction of the CCTV Headquarters, Beijing as well as Tianjin's Goldin Finance 117 Tower, Ho Chi Minh City's Vincom Landmark 81, the China Resources Headquarters, Ping An IFC, Tokyo's Nicolas G Hayek Center and the Shanghai World Financial Centre. These varied and complex cases studies draw on multi-disciplinary design and engineering challenges which make this book essential reading for architects, structural engineers, project managers and researchers of high-rise buildings. The book also provides a usual reference and link between practitioners in the industry, academia and engineering students.

In this book, author Nate Furuta, former chair and CEO of Toyota Boshoku America Inc., shares the story of his decades of experience directly leading the establishment of Toyota cultures outside Japan. Furuta was the first Toyota employee on the ground at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI), Toyota's joint venture in California with General Motors, where he directly led the establishment of the most revolutionary labor-management agreement in the history of the US auto industry. In addition, Furuta was the first Toyota employee on the ground in Georgetown Kentucky at Toyota's first full-scale, wholly owned manufacturing operation outside Japan, where he led (working directly with President Fujio Cho) the establishment of Toyota's general management systems and culture there. This book tells the stories of establishing successful operations in those two iconic organizations as well as others. Furuta reveals details, both stories and process descriptions that only he can tell. He takes you along as he and others lead Toyota's intense globalization from the early 1980s to recent days. He introduces you to the critical leaders in Toyota's history, such as Taiichi Ohno and Fujio Cho as well as Kenzo Tamai, the head of the company's HRM function in the 1980s. This book is not about human-resource management (HRM) policies and procedures. It provides a deep dive into the way senior leaders embody deep awareness of HRM matters, developing and executing company strategy while at the same time developing organizational capability. The role of senior leaders isn't just a matter of directing the company to achieve objectives; it is a matter of building the capability to achieve those objectives, consistently, and further developing capability as it executes. Key to this is to develop the awareness, attitude, capability, and practice of identifying problems as progress is made toward achieving objectives, which is, in fact, attained through steadily eliminating each problem as it arises. This becomes a self-reinforcing loop of the organization, tapping in to the essence of solving problems while simultaneously developing ever better problem-solving skills and better problem solvers. This loop propels an organization toward meeting its purpose while developing capability for capability development. Essentially, this book reveals Toyota's general management systems from the firsthand experience of a Toyota Japanese senior manager and describes, with stories and process examples, the attitude, behaviors, and systems needed to successfully establish and lead in a true Lean business environment.

This book reflects on the models of leadership espoused by ancient Indic traditions, in particular the Advaita Vedanta tradition. Focusing primarily on the Rajarshi - 'the philosopher king' - the essays in this volume showcase how using these models in contemporary society could lead to the creation of self-aware and empathic leaders and an inclusive society. The book explores examples of the Brahmarshi, or the wise scholar; Rajarshi, or the wise ruler; and Devarshi, or the visionary, to bring together all the ideal virtues of inclusive leadership in the current cultural and political space. The essays in the volume adopt a critical sociological, philosophical and management lens to analyse Indic traditions and dharmic concepts. The volume uses concepts such as dharma, karma and, yoga along with organisational psychology, technology, and management, to arrive at the concept of transcendental leadership. It theorises new definitions of the Rajarshi ideal, which can be used towards public service, social transformation and self-discovery. The volume will be useful for scholars and academics interested in Indic philosophies of leadership and governance, sociology, and social and political inclusivity. It will also be useful for readers in public administration, business and management.

Data Analytics and Visualization in Quality Analysis using Tableau goes beyond the existing quality statistical analysis. It helps quality practitioners perform effective quality control and analysis using Tableau, a user-friendly data analytics and visualization software. It begins with a basic introduction to quality analysis with Tableau including differentiating factors from other platforms. It is followed by a description of features and functions of quality analysis tools followed by step-by-step instructions on how to use Tableau. Further, quality analysis through Tableau based on open source data is explained based on five case studies. Lastly, it systematically describes the implementation of quality analysis through Tableau in an actual workplace via a dashboard example. Features: Describes a step-by-step method of Tableau to effectively apply data visualization techniques in quality analysis Focuses on a visualization approach for practical quality analysis Provides comprehensive coverage of quality analysis topics using state-of-the-art concepts and applications Illustrates pragmatic implementation methodology and instructions applicable to real-world and business cases Include examples of ready-to-use templates of customizable Tableau dashboards This book is aimed at professionals, graduate students and senior undergraduate students in industrial systems and quality engineering, process engineering, systems engineering, quality control, quality assurance and quality analysis.

Innovation has a pivotal role for companies in attaining business survival but making an organization innovative is not straightforward. By determining contextual factors, managers can help decide how to employ a portfolio of innovation management processes. This book explores how contingency influence the management of innovation. Taking the perspective of innovation managers, the authors focus on the decision-making process to demonstrate that different approaches are required depending on the business context. In breaking the process into three levels (culture, industry and company), the book helps choose an optimal innovative approach. With references to real-world innovation cases and organizations, this book will prove useful reading for students and researchers in the field of innovation studies and management.

This is a practical guide for those who do the work of maintaining and improving the reliability of mechanical machinery. It is for engineers and skilled trades personnel who want to understand how failures happen and how the physical causes of the great majority can be readily diagnosed in the field. It explains the four major failure mechanisms, wear, corrosion, overload, and fatigue and, using easy-to-read charts, how they can be diagnosed at the site of the failure. Then, knowing the physical failure mechanics involved, the reader can accurately solve the human causes. To improve the reader's understanding, all the diagrams and most of the tables have been redrawn. The number of actual failure examples has been increased, plus the last chapter on miscellaneous machine elements includes new material on couplings, universal joints, and plain bearings. Features A practical field guide showing how to recognize how failures occur that can be used to solve more than 85% of mechanical machinery failures Incorporates multiple easy-to-follow logic trees to help the reader diagnose the physical causes of the failure without needing detailed laboratory analysis Explains how the mechanics, corrosion, materials science, and tribology of components can fit together to improve machinery reliability Includes more than 150 completely redrawn charts and tables, plus almost 250 actual failure photographs to help guide the reader to an accurate analysis Contains clear and detailed explanations of how lubricants function and the critical roles of corrosion and lubrication play in causing mechanical failures

Many economically developing countries and nations without robust occupational hygiene (OH) educational programs endure a shortage of qualified occupational hygienists, resulting in higher rates of workplace injury, illness, and fatality. Damage to valuable infrastructure, environment, and public health also occurs without adequate support. Improving Global Worker Health and Safety Through Collaborative Capacity Building Initiatives outlines a broad variety of capacity building projects in OH. It also introduces detailed experiences of occupational hygienists working abroad and working on special global topics including a discussion of how global trade agreements influence the practice and policy within OH. It describes the special needs of informal workers who do not have a "typical" employer and special challenges of creating university curricular guidelines for OH, building competency, and increasing capacity. This book also informs experienced professionals in international OH-capacity building initiatives and directions. Features: Presents the global impact and importance of occupational hygienists Outlines knowledge and collaboration through networking Provides case studies on real world situations and problems This text will be useful for professionals and graduate students in the fields of occupational health and safety and public health.

The book has been tested and refined through years of classroom teaching experience. With an abundance of examples, problems, and fully worked out solutions, the text introduces the financial theory and relevant mathematical methods in a mathematically rigorous yet engaging way. This textbook provides complete coverage of discrete-time financial models that form the cornerstones of financial derivative pricing theory. Unlike similar texts in the field, this one presents multiple problem-solving approaches, linking related comprehensive techniques for pricing different types of financial derivatives. Key features: In-depth coverage of discrete-time theory and methodology. Numerous, fully worked out examples and exercises in every chapter. Mathematically rigorous and consistent yet bridging various basic and more advanced concepts. Judicious balance of financial theory, mathematical, and computational methods. Guide to Material. This revision contains: Almost 200 pages worth of new material in all chapters. A new chapter on elementary probability theory. An expanded the set of solved problems and additional exercises. Answers to all exercises. This book is a comprehensive, self-contained, and unified treatment of the main theory and application of mathematical methods behind modern-day financial mathematics. Table of Contents List of Figures and Tables Preface I Introduction to Pricing and Management of Financial Securities 1 Mathematics of Compounding 2 Primer on Pricing Risky Securities 3 Portfolio Management 4 Primer on Derivative Securities II Discrete-Time Modelling 5 Single-Period Arrow-Debreu Models 6 Introduction to Discrete-Time Stochastic Calculus 7 Replication and Pricing in the Binomial Tree Model 8 General Multi-Asset Multi-Period Model Appendices A Elementary Probability Theory B Glossary of Symbols and Abbreviations C Answers and Hints to Exercises References Index Biographies Giuseppe Campolieti is Professor of Mathematics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada. He has been Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council postdoctoral research fellow and university research fellow at the University of Toronto. In 1998, he joined the Masters in Mathematical Finance as an instructor and later as an adjunct professor in financial mathematics until 2002. Dr. Campolieti also founded a financial software and consulting company in 1998. He joined Laurier in 2002 as Associate Professor of Mathematics and as SHARCNET Chair in Financial Mathematics. Roman N. Makarov is Associate Professor and Chair of Mathematics at Wilfrid Laurier University. Prior to joining Laurier in 2003, he was an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Siberian State University of Telecommunications and Informatics and a senior research fellow at the Laboratory of Monte Carlo Methods at the Institute of Computational Mathematics and Mathematical Geophysics in Novosibirsk, Russia.

Although world-class firms like GE and Motorola have relied on Six Sigma to build their performance cultures, these processes are all too often left out of human resources (HR) functions. This lack of Six Sigma principles is even more surprising because preventing errors and improving productivity are so critical to the people management processes of hiring, retention, appraisal, and development. From the history and evolution of the Total Quality movement to initiatives for introducing a Six Sigma continuous process improvement strategy in your HR department, Achieving HR Excellence through Six Sigma, Second Edition introduces a new way to envision your role within the organization. It explains how this powerful methodology works and supplies a roadmap to help you find and eliminate waste in your HR processes. Describing exactly what HR excellence means, the book outlines dozens of proven approaches as well as a hierarchy of the exact steps required to achieve it. It illustrates the Six Sigma methodology from the creation of a project to its successful completion. At each stage, it describes the specific tools currently available and provides examples of organizations that have used Six Sigma within HR to improve their organizations. The text presents proven approaches that can help you solve and even eliminate people management problems altogether. Filled with real-world examples, it demonstrates how to implement Six Sigma into the transformational side of your organization. It also includes a listing of additional resources to help you along your Six Sigma journey. Explaining how to build a new business model for your HR organization, the book supplies the new perspective and broad view you will need to discover and recommend game-changing alternatives to traditional HR approaches in your organization. The first edition of this book was one of the first to demonstrate how HR professionals could enhance their careers by learning the language of business - it introduced the evolution of change management and the change management toolbox in a fashion that could easily be implemented in organizations. This new edition updates the first with added information on some of the early history and introduces new case study tools resulting from the author's continuing work with organizations and in academic environments.

Although world-class firms like GE and Motorola have relied on Six Sigma to build their performance cultures, these processes are all too often left out of human resources (HR) functions. This lack of Six Sigma principles is even more surprising because preventing errors and improving productivity are so critical to the people management processes of hiring, retention, appraisal, and development. From the history and evolution of the Total Quality movement to initiatives for introducing a Six Sigma continuous process improvement strategy in your HR department, Achieving HR Excellence through Six Sigma, Second Edition introduces a new way to envision your role within the organization. It explains how this powerful methodology works and supplies a roadmap to help you find and eliminate waste in your HR processes. Describing exactly what HR excellence means, the book outlines dozens of proven approaches as well as a hierarchy of the exact steps required to achieve it. It illustrates the Six Sigma methodology from the creation of a project to its successful completion. At each stage, it describes the specific tools currently available and provides examples of organizations that have used Six Sigma within HR to improve their organizations. The text presents proven approaches that can help you solve and even eliminate people management problems altogether. Filled with real-world examples, it demonstrates how to implement Six Sigma into the transformational side of your organization. It also includes a listing of additional resources to help you along your Six Sigma journey. Explaining how to build a new business model for your HR organization, the book supplies the new perspective and broad view you will need to discover and recommend game-changing alternatives to traditional HR approaches in your organization. The first edition of this book was one of the first to demonstrate how HR professionals could enhance their careers by learning the language of business - it introduced the evolution of change management and the change management toolbox in a fashion that could easily be implemented in organizations. This new edition updates the first with added information on some of the early history and introduces new case study tools resulting from the author's continuing work with organizations and in academic environments.

Over the last 50 years, the theory and the methods of reliability analysis have developed significantly. Therefore, it is very important to the reliability specialist to be informed of each reliability measure. This book will provide historical developments, current advancements, applications, numerous examples, and many case studies to bring the reader up-to-date with the advancements in this area. It covers reliability engineering in different branches, includes applications to reliability engineering practice, provides numerous examples to illustrate the theoretical results, and offers case studies along with real-world examples. This book is useful to engineering students, research scientist, and practitioners working in the field of reliability.

As engineering systems become more and more complex, industry has recognized the importance of system and product reliability and places ever increasing emphasis on it during the design phase. Despite its efforts, however, industry continues to lose billions of dollars each year because of unexpected system failures. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important for designers and engineers to have a solid grounding in reliability engineering and keep abreast of new developments and research results.

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.

The importance of good documentation can build a strong foundation for any thriving organization. This reference text provides a detailed and practical treatment of technical writing in an easy to understand manner. The text covers important topics including neuro-linguistics programming (NLP), experimental writing against technical writing, writing and unity of effect, five elements of communication process, human information processing, nonverbal communication and types of technical manuals. Aimed at professionals and graduate students working in the fields of ergonomics, aerospace engineering, aviation industry, and human factors, this book: Provides a detailed and practical treatment of technical writing. Discusses several personal anecdotes that serve as real-work examples. Explores communications techniques in a way that considers the psychology of what "works" Discusses in an easy to understand language, stories, and examples, the correct steps to create technical documents.

The importance of good documentation can build a strong foundation for any thriving organization. This reference text provides a detailed and practical treatment of technical writing in an easy to understand manner. The text covers important topics including neuro-linguistics programming (NLP), experimental writing against technical writing, writing and unity of effect, five elements of communication process, human information processing, nonverbal communication and types of technical manuals. Aimed at professionals and graduate students working in the fields of ergonomics, aerospace engineering, aviation industry, and human factors, this book: Provides a detailed and practical treatment of technical writing. Discusses several personal anecdotes that serve as real-work examples. Explores communications techniques in a way that considers the psychology of what "works" Discusses in an easy to understand language, stories, and examples, the correct steps to create technical documents.

While there are those who say manufacturing is dying, it is not and will not. Without a universal vow of poverty, growing economies will only increase demand. Manufacturing in the 21st century is not a question of if -- Rather, it is a function of why, what, who, where, and how. The nature and pace of change in those factors are overwhelming many. Fear, futile resistance, and uncertainty are common. While manufacturing will not die, individual manufacturing companies will if they do not learn to thrive in this new world. This book is a dynamic guide for manufacturing leaders who want to reduce the ambiguity and overwhelming changes and develop a realistic, progressive, and responsive thinking process that enables success. It provides a business operating system framework that is the foundation for connecting the many pieces of a manufacturing business into an effective, profitable operation. The author walks through the elements, relationships, capabilities, and mutability 21st-century manufacturing requires. Executives of manufacturing companies will be better able to think about and execute viable strategies leveraging the changing economy. Essentially, manufacturing is becoming increasingly complex, as are business and socioeconomic and political realities. Rapidly evolving technology adds to the confusing environment that precludes "more of the same, better, faster and cheaper" as a workable business strategy. The tsunami of information hitting owners and leaders is overwhelming many, and it is easy to become frozen in place. Economic growth and improving standards of living require that all of this change be broken into bite-size understandable pieces that thaw the minds of executives, allowing them to assess what is best right now, and move forward. This book does not overwhelm with details and models; rather it provides thinking and examples in small chunks that enable manufacturers to develop and master skills for high-level strategic leadership in ambiguity.

To effectively adapt and thrive in today's business world, organizations need to implement effective organizational development (OD) interventions to improve performance and effectiveness at the individual, group, and organizational levels. OD interventions involve people, trust, support, shared power, conflict resolution, and stakeholders' participation, just to name a few. OD interventions usually have broader scope and can affect the whole organization. OD practitioners or change agents must have a solid understanding of different OD interventions to select the most appropriate one to fulfill the client's needs. There is limited precise information or research about how to design OD interventions or how they can be expected to interact with organizational conditions to achieve specific results. This book offers OD practitioners and change agents a step-by-step approach to implementing OD interventions and includes example cases, practical tools, and guidelines for different OD interventions. It is noteworthy that roughly 65% of organizational change projects fail. One reason for the failure is that the changes are not effectively implemented, and this book focuses on how to successfully implement organizational changes. Designed for use by OD practitioners, management, and human resources professionals, this book provides readers with OD basic principles, practices, and skills by featuring illustrative case studies and useful tools. This book shows how OD professionals can actually get work done and what the step-by-step OD effort should be. This book looks at how to choose and implement a range of interventions at different levels. Unlike other books currently available on the market, this book goes beyond individual, group, and organizational levels of OD interventions, and addresses broader OD intervention efforts at industry and community levels, too. Essentially, this book provides a practical guide for OD interventions. Each chapter provides practical information about general OD interventions, supplies best practice examples and case studies, summarizes the results of best practices, provides at least one case scenario, and offers at least one relevant tool for practitioners.

This book provides the reader with a better understanding of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, its various projects around the world, and its consequences at a local as well as an international level. Background information on both Chinese and Greek sociopolitical history and their maritime industry is provided. The book also provides readers with the opinions of people directly involved with the Piraeus Port-China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company (COSCO) deal through interviews conducted and included in the book. OBOR, a signature initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, is currently one of the most frequently discussed enterprises worldwide. This controversial mix of worldwide projects has put both China and Xi at the center of attention, and not in a positive way. Of course, not all projects included in the initiative have been or are likely to be successful, but the initiative has far-ranging economic, cultural, and political potential. OBOR, in its essence, is an attempt by the Chinese government to secure a paramount position in global finance for the country and ensure that primacy extends far into the future. In particular, it is an attempt to ensure that there are enough natural resources for China to support itself in the long term. Therefore, the areas selected for the implementation and development of OBOR are deliberately strategic. One of the countries that China has chosen to invest in is Greece, specifically the Port of Piraeus. The OBOR initiative has many similarities with the ancient Silk Road. Although the ancient route and modern concept are in no way identical, many similarities become evident when the two are compared. To understand China's motivation to build such a network, looking back at history is required. This project was long in the making. Various discussions took place both on an international and a domestic level until all parties came to an agreement. The deal at Piraeus between Greece and China affected more people than the politicians and the shipowners-it affected everyone involved in the operations of the port as well as the residents of the area. To further comprehend the impact on their lives, one must see things through their eyes, and there is no better way than contacting individuals and conversing with them. In conclusion, the specific deal at Piraeus and the OBOR initiative as a whole have the potential of benefiting the international and local communities. However, specific measures must be taken, and governments must collaborate in order for the deal in Piraeus and the OBOR initiative to have the most beneficial and the least negative impact.

When thinking about lowering or changing consumption to lower carbon footprints, the obvious offenders come easily to mind: petroleum and petroleum products, paper and plastic, even food, but not clothes. When people evaluate ways to lower their personal carbon footprint by changing purchasing habits, they are bombarded with information to avoid petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, paper, even food, but not clothes. Most consumers do not think of clothes as a source of environmental damage. Yet, clothes are made with petroleum products through chemically-laden industrial processes that generate significant pollution. The fashion industry is among the largest organic water polluters in the world, accounting for significant greenhouse gas emissions and generating massive amounts of waste as a function of the frequent discarding of used clothing. In the Dirty Side of the Garment Industry: Fast Fashion and Its Negative Impact on Environment and Society, author Nikolay Anguelov exposed the ecological damage from the fast-fashion business model. In this book, The Sustainable Fashion Quest: Innovations in Business and Policy, the author takes this one step further by focusing on solutions. This book uses the familiar (yet complex) industry of fashion as a lens to examine how business pressures and national and international policies can have both positive and negative social and ecological impacts. It provides an analysis of extant and emerging policies to address the divergence in the ongoing quest to maximize economic development and minimize the social costs of the industrialization process. It also examines emerging technologies and innovative business models that have the potential to revolutionize how fashion is perceived, manufactured, and consumed. This book begins with an introductory letter that outlines the social and environmental issues facing the fashion industry, as well as emphasizing the seriousness and urgency of addressing them. Each chapter then focuses on a major aspect of the industry with an increasing emphasis on policy. The chapters outline the impact of global-level and business-level decisions on the industry's success, its social and environmental impact, and its relationship to consumers. The goal of the book is to define that transition, explain its challenges, and educate readers on the possibilities to become powerful drivers of change through their professional actions and their personal behavior as consumers. While the book specifically analyzes the fashion industry, it also explains the implications for other industrial sectors. It uses a product everyone is familiar with (we all buy clothes, after all) to examine the decisions, impacts, and policies shaping the industry behind the scenes. The linkages are applicable to other fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) business sectors, such as consumer electronics, which are starting to face sustainability criticism for relying on a business model of promoting a high frequency of repeat purchasing.