The demand and supply chain planning process for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers has evolved over the years. It has gone from a disjointed, unconnected, slow, inaccurate, fairly manual set of processes to an integrated, timely process enabled by the use and coordination of highly trained people, lean, agile processes, and cutting-edge technology. To make this set of processes work effectively, one has to fully understand and appreciate that there is an "art and science" aspect to the process which can take years of education and experience to fully understand. Essentially, this book will offer the reader a chance to fully understand the interconnected set of processes in a "best-practice" application. Furthermore, examples and cases will be used to illustrate its practical application in today's complex global supply chain. In addition, readers will understand and be able to apply and articulate the concepts, tools, and techniques used in the efficient supply of goods and services in today's changing global economy. It will help them to learn how businesses, through their supply chain, work both internally and with their trading partners - both upstream and downstream - to build strong relationships and integrate demand and supply planning activities across the supply chain to deliver customer value efficiently and effectively. They will learn about the tools and technologies enabling integration, and the critical drivers and key metrics of supply chain performance.

Easy to read and act on immediately, this concise guide shows how organizations can work more effectively with in-house or contracted project managers and their teams, using specific collaborative techniques to improve success rates, reduce project costs and enable organizations to benefit from common-sense, cost-effective project management approaches that work. Using a clear structure and accessible style, the book demonstrates how: Managers can create an organizational environment more naturally adapted for project work and recognition of business priorities; Barriers to project work can be removed so project managers can focus on resolving real project problems; Specific collaborative project management methods engaging business owners, users, and technical teams can be illuminated and implemented; Projects can fit within an architecture that aligns with business needs using models and workflow designs; and Standardized delivery management can unify in-house and vendor teams to create a uniform and predictable owner experience. The book is aimed at managers and executives (both IT and users) in corporations and vendor firms who are engaged in delivering projects. The book will also be invaluable to any project manager or senior practitioner who is interested a business-oriented, unified, and collaborative approach to project management.

Survival and thriving in today's business environment require companies to continuously strive for operational excellence at all levels of the organization. Simply working to maintain existing operations is not an adequate or sustainable business strategy, especially when competing in a global market. To remain relevant, companies must adopt a process control and continuous improvement mentality as an integral part of their daily work activities. These two operational disciplines form the foundation and stepping stones for manufacturing excellence. Processes must be stable, capable, and controlled as a prerequisite for sustainable improvement. Sustainable improvements must be strategic, continuous, and focused on process optimization. Modern-day manufacturing is rapidly changing in the face of technological, geopolitical, social, and environmental developments. These challenges are altering the way we think and act to transform raw materials into finished goods. Meeting these challenges requires particular attention to how we develop and engage people and apply technology for long-term sustainability and competitive advantage. This book takes you on a journey to explore the fundamental elements, management practices, improvement methods, and future direction of shop floor management. Part 1 of this five-part manuscript considers workplace culture, organizational structure, operational discipline, and employee accountability as the foundation for a robust manufacturing system. Part 2 studies the impact of process standardization, data analytics, information sharing, communication, and people on daily shop floor management. Once the management system has been adequately described, Part 3 concentrates on its effective execution, monitoring, and control with a deep look into the people, methods, machines, materials, and environment that make it possible. Like every good manufacturing text, efficiency and productivity are key topics. That's why Part 4 explores various methods, tools, and techniques associated with product and process development, productivity improvement, agile methods, shop floor optimization, and manufacturing excellence. The final section, Part 5, shifts focus to emerging technologies, engaging the reader to contemplate technology's impact on the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry.

Survival and thriving in today's business environment require companies to continuously strive for operational excellence at all levels of the organization. Simply working to maintain existing operations is not an adequate or sustainable business strategy, especially when competing in a global market. To remain relevant, companies must adopt a process control and continuous improvement mentality as an integral part of their daily work activities. These two operational disciplines form the foundation and stepping stones for manufacturing excellence. Processes must be stable, capable, and controlled as a prerequisite for sustainable improvement. Sustainable improvements must be strategic, continuous, and focused on process optimization. Modern-day manufacturing is rapidly changing in the face of technological, geopolitical, social, and environmental developments. These challenges are altering the way we think and act to transform raw materials into finished goods. Meeting these challenges requires particular attention to how we develop and engage people and apply technology for long-term sustainability and competitive advantage. This book takes you on a journey to explore the fundamental elements, management practices, improvement methods, and future direction of shop floor management. Part 1 of this five-part manuscript considers workplace culture, organizational structure, operational discipline, and employee accountability as the foundation for a robust manufacturing system. Part 2 studies the impact of process standardization, data analytics, information sharing, communication, and people on daily shop floor management. Once the management system has been adequately described, Part 3 concentrates on its effective execution, monitoring, and control with a deep look into the people, methods, machines, materials, and environment that make it possible. Like every good manufacturing text, efficiency and productivity are key topics. That's why Part 4 explores various methods, tools, and techniques associated with product and process development, productivity improvement, agile methods, shop floor optimization, and manufacturing excellence. The final section, Part 5, shifts focus to emerging technologies, engaging the reader to contemplate technology's impact on the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry.

Currently, the challenge for manufacturing organizations is how to achieve their expected profit by continuously improving productivity or reducing costs. Manufacturing organizations have been using different improvement approaches to achieving cost reduction and productivity improvement for years by eliminating various losses and waste structures, such as excess inventory, excessive workforce, excessive capacity, excessive utility consumption, and so on. But is the problem solved? Unfortunately, no! Often manufacturing companies focus on maximizing the flow and meeting customer needs but forget their real aim - to make a profit for their stakeholders. Too many organizations meet customer expectations by seeking to continuously synchronize the flow to market demand but forget to check that they are doing it profitably enough to ensure business continuity and prosperity. When the financial results show that they are not so profitable, it is already too late. Moreover, the strategic direction of systematic improvements according to the sales trend - depending on the current degree of production capacity utilization and its dynamic effects on cost structures - is deficient in many manufacturing companies. So, would the failure of strategic and profitable systematic improvements be an option? Of course not! If the ultimate goal of the organization is to create target profit for stakeholders, then the behavior and strategic systematic improvements must be directed to those scenarios, strategies, tasks, problems, and "production levers" that are best based on creating the target profit. That's what Strategic Kaizen thinking does - the simultaneous and consistent achievement of systematic operational and financial improvements in a strategic and operational manner. It achieves both synchronous operations at market demand by fulfilling takt time and profitable operations in accordance with profit demand by fulfilling takt profit. In short, the Strategic Kaizen mission is striving for the fulfillment of the ideal state of operations called synchronous profitable operations. In this book, the author, while presenting in detail the seven processes of Strategic Kaizen methodology, exposes the answer to historically incomplete thinking of productivity improvements for target profitability. The uniqueness of the book is reinforced by the detailed presentation of the successful application of the Strategic Kaizen thinking over the years in two multinational manufacturing organizations operating in highly competitive markets, addressing the synchronous profitable operations for both the sales increase scenario and the sales decrease scenario. Moreover, it presents examples of the practical application of the "white-collar" Strategic Kaizen. Essentially, by adopting the Strategic Kaizen methodology presented in detail in this book to consistently achieve the ideal state of a manufacturing organization, organizations will enter a new paradigm of thinking of strategic improvements - Strategic Kaizen thinking - to meet annual and multiannual target profits in a unique and effective way that operates according to its own strategic and operational management system.

Completely revised including six new chapters, this new edition presents a more comprehensive knowledge of issues facing developers of complex products and process management. It includes more tools for implementing a Systems Engineering approach to minimize the risks of delays and cost overruns and helps create the right product for its customers. Designing Complex Products with Systems Engineering Processes and Techniques, Second Edition highlights how to increase customer satisfaction, quality, safety, and usability to meet program timings and budgets using a Systems Engineering approach. It provides decision-making considerations and models for creating sustainable product design and describes many techniques and tools used in product development and the product life-cycle orientation. The book also offers techniques used in Design for Manufacturing, Design for Assembly, and product evaluation methods for verification and validation testing. Many new examples, case studies, six new chapters, and updated program and data charts held on our website are offered. The book targets practicing engineers, engineering management personnel, product designers, product planners, product and program managers in all industrialized and developing countries. In addition the book is also useful to undergraduate, graduate students, and faculty in engineering, product design, and product project and program management.

The results of the quality revolution have been mixed. Global competition has elevated the most successful companies, in terms of providing goods and services, but even then initiatives such as total quality, business process re-engineering and Six Sigma have been heralded as the solution, only to have been replaced with the next 'big thing' when it came along. Hoshin Kanri is not the next big thing in quality, it is a strategic approach to continuous improvement that provides a context for all of the individual elements such as Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing. David Hutchins' Hoshin Kanri shows you how to develop a dynamic vision for continuous improvement; to implement effective policies to support it; to link key performance indicators to Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen and to sustain a strategy-led programme for improving business performance.

Best Practice in Inventory Management 3E offers a simple, entirely jargon-free and yet comprehensive introduction to key aspects of inventory management. Good management of inventory enables companies to improve their customer service, cash flow and profitability. This text outlines the basic techniques, how and where to apply them, and provides advice to ensure they work to provide the desired effect in practice.

With an unrivalled balance between qualitative and quantitative aspects of inventory control, experienced consultant Tony Wild portrays the many ways in which stock management is more nuanced than simple "number crunching" and mathematical modelling.

This long-awaited new edition has been substantially and thoroughly updated.

The product of decades of experience and expertise in the field, Best Practice in Inventory Management 3E provides students and professionals, even those with no prior experience in the area, an unbiased and honest picture of what it takes to effectively manage stocks in a firm.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

1 THE BASIS OF INVENTORY CONTROL

1.A The role of inventory management

1.B Objectives for inventory control

1.C Profit through inventory management

1.D Reasons for the current stock

2 CUSTOMER SERVICE

2.A Customer Relations

2.B Measuring availability

2.C Demand management

2.D Consuming forecast demand and supply lead time

3 SHAPING INVENTORY

3.A Using Pareto Analysis for control

3.B ABC Analysis

3.C Stock cover

3.D Pareto stock balance

　

4 PRACTICAL METHODS FOR REDUCING STOCKHOLDING

4.A Approach to Inventory Reduction

4.B The Reduction Project

4 C Obsolete and Excess Stock

5 MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL

5.A Where stock control fits into the organisation

5.B Responsibilities and targets

5.C Skills and Systems

5.D Inventory valuation

6 LEAN SUPPLY

6.A Lean Supply Philosophy

6.B Lean Principles

6.C Implementing lean

6.D Operational benefits of Lean Supply

6.E Developing Lean Operations

7 SAFETY STOCKS

7.A Learning from History

7.B Normal demand patterns

7.C Evaluating safety stocks

8 SETTING THE RIGHT STOCK LEVELS

8.A Simple Assessment of Review Levels

8.B Managing Lead Times

8.C Supplier Delivery frequency effects

8.D Target stock levels

9 PROCUREMENT

9.A The Role of Supply Chain Procurement

9.B Supply partnerships

9.C Single Sourcing

9.D Supply Partnerships

9.E Vendor Appraisal

9.F Pricing Methods

10 DELIVERY QUANTITIES

10.A Supply and Suppliers

10.B Organising Repetitive Supply

10.C Order types

10.D Order quantities

10.E Delivery Quantities

10.F Scheduling supply

10.G Supply Co-ordination

10.H Purchasing Processes

11 FORECASTING DEMAND

11.A Options for assessing demand

11.B Causes of forecasting inaccuracy

11.C Methods of improving forecasting

12 HISTORICAL FORECASTING TECHNIQUES

12.A Basic Forecasting Techniques

12.B Moving Average

12.C Exponentially Weighted Averages

12.D Improved Values for Mean Absolute Deviation

12.E Choosing the Best Forecast - Focus Forecasting

13 IMPROVED FORECASTING METHODS

13.A More Forecasting Tools

13.B Forecasting for seasonal sales

14 DEPENDENT DEMAND

14.A Avoiding uncertainty

14.B Material requirements planning

14.C Master planning

15 SUPPLY CHAIN INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

15.A The basis of the lean supply chain

15.B Coordination

15.C Supply Chain Operations

15.D Replenishment Techniques

16 MEETING THE CHALLENGES

16.A Review

16.B Recipe for success

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

This book comprises a set of stories about being an engineer for many decades and the lessons the author learned from research and practice. These lessons focus on people and organizations, often enabled by technology. The settings range from airplanes, power plants, and communication networks to ecosystems that enable education, healthcare, and transportation. All of these settings are laced with behavioral and social phenomena that need to be understood and influenced. The author's work in these domains has often led to the question: "Well, why does it work like that?" He invariably sought to understand the bigger picture to find the sources of requirements, constraints, norms, and values. He wanted to understand what could be changed, albeit often with much effort to overcome resistance. He found that higher levels of an ecosystem often provide the resources and dictate the constraints imposed on lower levels. These prescriptions are not just commands. They also reflect values and cultural norms. Thus, the answers to the question were not just technical and economic. Often, the answers reflected eons of social and political priorities. The endeavors related in the book frequently involved addressing emerging realities rather than just the status quo. This book is an ongoing discovery of these bigger pictures. The stories and the lessons related in this book provide useful perspectives on change. The understanding of people and organizations that emerges from these lessons can help to enable transformative change. Fundamental change is an intensely human-centric endeavor, not just for the people and organizations aspiring to change, but also for the people helping them. You will meet many of these people in this book as the stories unfold. The genesis of this book originated in a decision made early in the author's career. He had developed a habit of asking at the end of each day, "What did I really accomplish today?" This was sometimes frustrating as he was not sure the day had yielded any significant accomplishments. One day it dawned on him that this was the wrong question - He needed to ask, "What did I learn today?" It is always possible to learn, most recently about public health and climate change. In planning this book, the author first thought in terms of accomplishments such as projects conducted, systems built, and articles and books published. He could not imagine this being interesting to readers. Then, it struck him - It is much more interesting to report on what he learned about people and organizations, including how he helped them accomplish their goals. This is a book of stories about how these lessons emerged. In planning this book, the author first thought in terms of accomplishments such as projects conducted, systems built, and articles and books published. He could not imagine this being interesting to readers. Then, it struck him - It is much more interesting to report on what he learned about people and organizations, including how he helped them accomplish their goals. This is a book of stories about how these lessons emerged.

-- Only book written addressing the role of a Lean CFO. -- Explains how a Lean Management System integrated with a Lean Business Strategy drives financial success. -- In clear concise terms explains how & why Lean makes money for companies. -- Gives readers the logical reasons why a Lean Management System must replace a Management Accounting System. -- Answers the question "why do we need a Lean Management System?"

This book comprises a set of stories about being an engineer for many decades and the lessons the author learned from research and practice. These lessons focus on people and organizations, often enabled by technology. The settings range from airplanes, power plants, and communication networks to ecosystems that enable education, healthcare, and transportation. All of these settings are laced with behavioral and social phenomena that need to be understood and influenced. The author's work in these domains has often led to the question: "Well, why does it work like that?" He invariably sought to understand the bigger picture to find the sources of requirements, constraints, norms, and values. He wanted to understand what could be changed, albeit often with much effort to overcome resistance. He found that higher levels of an ecosystem often provide the resources and dictate the constraints imposed on lower levels. These prescriptions are not just commands. They also reflect values and cultural norms. Thus, the answers to the question were not just technical and economic. Often, the answers reflected eons of social and political priorities. The endeavors related in the book frequently involved addressing emerging realities rather than just the status quo. This book is an ongoing discovery of these bigger pictures. The stories and the lessons related in this book provide useful perspectives on change. The understanding of people and organizations that emerges from these lessons can help to enable transformative change. Fundamental change is an intensely human-centric endeavor, not just for the people and organizations aspiring to change, but also for the people helping them. You will meet many of these people in this book as the stories unfold. The genesis of this book originated in a decision made early in the author's career. He had developed a habit of asking at the end of each day, "What did I really accomplish today?" This was sometimes frustrating as he was not sure the day had yielded any significant accomplishments. One day it dawned on him that this was the wrong question - He needed to ask, "What did I learn today?" It is always possible to learn, most recently about public health and climate change. In planning this book, the author first thought in terms of accomplishments such as projects conducted, systems built, and articles and books published. He could not imagine this being interesting to readers. Then, it struck him - It is much more interesting to report on what he learned about people and organizations, including how he helped them accomplish their goals. This is a book of stories about how these lessons emerged. In planning this book, the author first thought in terms of accomplishments such as projects conducted, systems built, and articles and books published. He could not imagine this being interesting to readers. Then, it struck him - It is much more interesting to report on what he learned about people and organizations, including how he helped them accomplish their goals. This is a book of stories about how these lessons emerged.

"A thoughtful, complete, and very readable approach to robust engineering. It presents insights that correlate with those learned at Ford while developing and executing Design for Six Sigma. Having this book three years ago could've helped with that effort."-David Amos, DFSS Deployment Director, Ford Motor Company

Written by Anna C. Thornton, the well-known author who coined the phrase "variation risk management," this comprehensive book presents new methods and implementation strategies based on her research of industry practices and her personal experience with such companies as The Boeing Company, Eastman Kodak Company, Ford Motor Company, Johnson & Johnson, and many others. Step-by-step guidelines show how you can implement and apply variation risk management to real-world problems within the existing systems of an organization.

There is a gap in provision of official guidelines and standards for security professionals. This is the first book that provides harmonized guidance on security assessment, survey and audit. Packed full of practical tools and guides for implementation. The book can be used across a number of different and key sectors, including aviation, maritime, corporate security, retail security, critical national infrastructure security.

This book takes as its starting point the need to improve sustainability performance across the triple bottom line and reach global sustainable development goals. As such, it places sustainability at the heart of developing and explaining relevant theory, concepts and models in operations and supply chain management. Whereas previous textbooks on operations and supply chain management have focused on augmenting existing models of operations and supply chain management by simply adding on selected sustainability issues, this textbook places sustainability at the heart of operations and supply chain management. Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain Management consolidates the tools, concepts and methods of operations and supply chain management relevant for reaching sustainable development goals. This book includes not only descriptions of the theories and models but also practical cases based on the most recent developments in different industry sectors, including user electronics, healthcare, fashion and energy. Relevant student exercises are also included for use in the classroom or in personal study. This book provides an ideal introduction for Bachelor or Masters-level students, whether they are on general management and business degrees, or are focused on areas such as engineering management, technology management or sustainability management. Furthermore, university-level teachers and lecturers will find the material presented in this book a valuable basis for structuring their courses on operations and supply chain management in the context of sustainability.

Technology Innovation discusses the fundamental aspects of processes and structures of technology innovation. It offers a new perspective concerning fundamentals aspects not directly involved in the complex relations existing between technology and the socio-economic system. By considering technology and its innovation from a scientific point of view, the book presents a novel definition of technology as a set of physical, chemical, and biological phenomena, producing an effect exploitable for human purposes. Expanding on the general model of technology innovation by linking the model of technology, based on a structure of technological operations, with the models of the structures for technology innovation, based on organization of fluxes of knowledge and capitals, the book considers various technological processes and the stages of the innovation process. Offers a perspective on the evolution of technology in the frame of an industrial platform network Explains a novel definition of technology as a set of physical, chemical, and biological phenomena producing an effect exploitable for human purposes Discusses technology innovation as result of structures organizing fluxes of knowledge and capitals Provides a technology model simulating the functioning of technology with its optimization Presents a technology innovation model explaining the territorial technology innovation process The book is intended for academics, graduate students, technology developers who are involved in operations management and research, innovation, and technology development.

The market and demand for Halal goods and services is ever increasing and, with it, the importance of supply chain integrity. Integrity from the perspective of Halal logistics service providers is a prerequisite of Halal compliance. This book provides a unique overview of Halal supply chain integrity (HSCI) using examples from Malaysia. The book carefully addresses and simplifies the issue of integrity in Halal logistics and supply chain. It gathers findings from a Halal supply chain integrity study from the leading country in Halal, Malaysia, to shed light of current issues, developments and future trends on the theory and practice of Halal in the logistics sector. In particular, the book discusses factors such as Halal quality assurance, trust and commitment, and halal assets specificity. This will be a useful reference for researchers, scholars and upper-level students who wish to understand Halal logistics and supply chain management and the importance of protecting integrity of Halal services and products.

This book presents latest research on the evolution of consumer services, as these services continue to become a larger part of the economy in the world. Four core focal points lead the central message of the book: first, theconvergence of back and front offices; second, placing the client as a fundamental input of services production and delivery process, and 'industrializing'thecustomers'roletocombineefficiencyand experience; third, the constitution and role of inputs necessary for the configuration, production and delivery of the service, with the crucial roleof 'operationalizing' thecustomers' experience; and fourth, the adoption of new technologies and the appropriate transfer of manufacturing managerial practices through service industrialization.

This is a special volume of articlesbased on solid research and analysis, including conceptualization of the important issues, as well as recommendations for managers. It presents case histories and managerial practices in some key sectors, such as financial services, health care, tourism/hospitality, entertainment and media, online services and home and personal services

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This book provides an integrated overview of key trends in digital transformation, taking into consideration five interrelated dimensions: strategy and business models, society, organization, technology and regulation. As such, it provides a framework for the analysis of digital business transformation and its emerging factors, analyzing twenty-five key trends in terms of their future impact. On that basis, the book then delineates a new approach centered on the mutually accelerating links between multiple value creation spaces. It proposes a new mode of production - accelerated production of links (acceluction) - and analyzes it with respect to the still-dominant concept of lean production. Based on the results of the international CIGREF research program ISD, the book presents a valuable perspective of the expected impact of the abundance of networks and data as critical resources for enterprises beyond 2020.

There has been growing interest on business models among academics and practitioners in recent years, as business model describes how an organization creates, distributes and captures value and, therefore, can be considered the DNA of the organization. Recently, factors related to digital transformation, the vital role of sustainability and social aspects, along with an increasing globalization, have pushed towards radical transformations in business models. This book aims to further our knowledge on business model innovation in new contexts of analysis and with new perspectives of investigation. Insights from business model innovation are presented from studies focusing on start-ups, small businesses and large businesses to provide a bigger picture on new dynamics connected to digital transformation, sustainability, new global relationships. As such, the scope is on new ways to create value, new components and dynamics (such as digitalization and sustainability) concerning the key elements of the business model (value creation, value configuration and value capture), and new relationships between actors that may foster business model innovation. It represents a valuable resource for practitioners willing to innovate business models, academics aiming at finding new research lines, and students keen to learn more about business models.

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.

While many quality improvement processes in business have enjoyed initial success, most have eventually failed--not producing the desired long-term results. This is because, though our learning curve is good, we still lack the sophistication requisite to generate the necessary comprehensive whole. This work attempts to help define the ingredients of such a whole. It then offers a case history which allows us to see what happens when the results of these efforts are actually put into place. Finally, it identifies the key obstructions to and long-range societal opportunities resulting from successful implementation of such wholes.

According to Roth, there are five necessary phases to any comprehensive quality process: familiarization, team building, training, introduction to statistical measurement techniques, and long-range planning. In addition, truly open communication at all levels and real and continual, as opposed to verbal, top-level management support are crucial. Roth explores the five phases in detail. He then presents a blow-by-blow description of their emplacement at two major manufacturing facilities. This work should be of interest to quality process heads, human resource managers, manufacturing managers, top level executives, and scholars and students of quality improvement.

Improving organizational productivity is an important current and future issue. The improvement can be effected by changing technology, or by changing the way in which people work. The concern of this work is how to structure work so that people can and will want to maximize their productivity using a special approach to measurement and improvement of organizational productivity defined by the author - ProMES (Productivity Measurement and Enchancement System). ProMES is a way of motivating people to maximize their productivity. This book describes a series of cases where ProMES was applied to improve productivity in service and manufacturing organizations in a variety of different organizations in different countries. Results indicate very large increases in productivity, much larger than those typically found. Lessons learned from these cases for future productivity improvement efforts are summarized.

This book covers the basic theory of how, what and when firms should produce to maximise profits. Based on the neoclassical theory of the firm presented in most general microeconomic textbooks, it extends the general treatment and focuses on the application of the theory to specific problems that the firm faces when making production decisions to maximise profits. Increasing level of government regulation and the use of specialised and often very expensive equipment in modern production motivates the following focus areas: 1) How to optimise production under restrictions., 2) Treatment of fixed inputs and the process of input fixation, 3) Optimisation of production over time, 4) Linear and Mixed Integer Programming as tools for optimisation in practice. This updated second edition includes a more comprehensive introduction to the theory of decision making under risk and uncertainty as well as a new chapter on how to use linear programming to generate the supply function of the firm.

This book provides a powerful insight into strategic portfolio management and its central role in the delivery of organisational strategy, maximisation of value creation, and efficient allocation of resources and capabilities to achieve organisational strategic objectives. The book makes a valuable contribution to the development of thinking on the translation of strategy into actionable work. Whether you are a senior manager building a high-performing strategic portfolio for your organisation or an academic searching for new perspectives on strategy execution through portfolio management, you will find great significance in this book. Twenty-eight chapters in four sections provide multiple perspectives on the topic, with in-depth guidance on organisational design for strategic portfolio management and covering all process, capability, and leadership aspects of strategic portfolio management. The book includes several detailed case studies for the effective deployment of strategic portfolios, bringing together theory and practice for strategic portfolio management. This book is particularly valuable for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students of project and portfolio management, strategic management, and leadership who are looking to expand their knowledge within the multi-project environment. Highly practical and logical in its structure, it also shows project management professionals how to effectively manage their business portfolios and align this with their business strategy.

Over the past 50 years the global labour market is transforming from reliable employment to low-wage and unstable informal and precarious jobs. This ineluctable shift is a consequence of the concentrated application of neoliberalism since the 1980s, as capitalism is converting standardised labour markets in the developed Global North into contingent and informal labour. Platform Labour and Global Logistics: A Research Companion examines the most important developments and features of global logistics and the emergence of the platform economy through historical comparative chapters and case studies. Part I surveys the logistics revolution and its impact on labour in key sectors of the global economy and probes the viability of the platform as a generator of economic and financial growth and innovation. The chapters of Part 1 offer a fulsome analysis and critique of the economic and technical reconfiguration brought on by neoliberal capitalism and the diffusion of the platform and logistics as a feasible model into the future. Part II examines labour restructuring from standardized to informal work through the platform and information technology, and the political and environmental challenges to labour. Part III provides global case studies on the informal economy through case studies of crucial economies where the platform has become dominant, and Part IV examines how the platform has contributed to geographic mobility and labour migration, and the consequences on workers. Platform Labour and Global Logistics: A Research Companion presents a unique contribution to the political economy literature through highlighting the significance of the impact of the platform and logistics on the working class and potential challenges from labour across the world. This book is intended for academics, researchers and students studying technological innovation, global supply chains, labour restructuring, and worker resistance.