Coaching is a necessary skill for managers. It is important as a fundamental part of an organization's talent efforts-including talent acquisition, development and retention strategies. For a coaching program to succeed in an organization, it should be recognized as a useful approach throughout the organization and become part of the fabric of the corporate culture. Performance Coaching for Managers provides an important tool for organizations to use to train their managers on coaching. This book differs significantly from other books in the coaching market. Many books on coaching cast coaches as facilitators who question their clients (the coachees), helping them to articulate their own problems, formulate their own solutions, develop their own action plans to solve problems, and measure the success of efforts to implement those plans. That is called a nondirective approach. But this book adopts a directive approach by casting the coach as a manager who diagnoses the problems with worker job performance and offers specific advice on how to solve those problems. While there is nothing wrong with a nondirective approach, it does not always work well in job performance reviews in which the manager must inform the worker about gaps between what is needed (the desired) and what is performed (the actual). The significant difference between what is currently available in the market and what is offered in this book is the authors' collective experience of over 70 combined years of hands-on research and delivery experiences in the Human Resources Development field. According to the Harvard Business Review (2015), workers generally expect their immediate supervisors to give them honest feedback on how well they do their jobs-and specific advice on what to do if they are not performing in alignment with organizational expectations. When workers do not receive advice-but instead are questioned about their own views-they regard their managers as either incompetent or disingenuous. Effective managers should be able to offer direction to their employees. After all, managers are responsible for ensuring that their organizational units deliver the results needed by the organization. If they fail to do that, the organization does not achieve its strategic goals. This book gives managers direction in how to offer directive coaching to their workers.

This book is an implementation guide for creating a Lean Culture from the ground up while gaining buy-in from key stakeholders and being able to sustain the results. Everyone talks about implementing a Lean Culture, but only provides Lean Tools for the implementation. This book discusses implementing the entire system from three main aspects. It covers the people (structural and cultural), the operation system, and the tools. Also included is a full set of case studies to show real-life implementations as well. FEATURES: Discusses Leader Standard work for all employees Covers the escalation process for tiers and daily accountability Shows how to deal with a change of SOP's and standardization within an organization Presents exercises for Lean Tools Implementation Offers real-life case studies of implementing a Lean Culture while sustaining it Building a Sustainable Lean Culture: An Implementation Guide discusses Lean Leadership from a managerial standpoint and ensures the Lean journey succeeds through accountability, standardized work, and technological advances utilizing Lean Systems. Useful in manufacturing, services, IT, and healthcare, this book includes the implementation of empowering employees to want to build a Lean Culture.

Manufacturing companies need to adapt to the requirements of functioning in the era of Industry 4.0 and major technological disruptions. The use of knowledge-based decision support tools has also become necessary in order for enterprises to survive in a competitive environment. This book offers a new approach to designing the knowledge management process and integrating it with the implementation of Industry 4.0 technology. The book presents the methods used in a customer-oriented organisation for management of manufacturing knowledge. More specifically, methods for defining and collecting customer requirements are presented and methods on how to receive manufacturing knowledge, as well as how to formalise the acquired knowledge using key technologies of Industry 4.0, are discussed. The author also presents real case studies from Western and Central Europe and offers recommendations for the production manager. The instrumentation of methods and tools to support knowledge management, in the production of individualised products presented therein, will allow the manufacturing company to be transformed digitally into a customer-oriented organisation operating in accordance with the assumptions of Industry 4.0. This book will be a valuable read for production researchers, academicians, PhD students and postgraduate-level students of industrial engineering and industrial management. The practical case studies will also make the book a useful resource for managers of manufacturing enterprises.

Includes a balanced coverage of modeling as well as applications of layout, materials handling, and warehousing Presents automated materials handling and warehousing along with queuing, queuing network, and basic simulation modeling Introduces new material on supply chain designing and management, aggregate planning and stochastic inventory control, transportation, and logistics/distribution Provides Layout-iQ software and data files from the authors own website Offers a solutions manual and PowerPoint slides for qualified textbook adoption

This book provides an understanding of what is required to engineer and manufacture drug products. It bridges established concepts and provides for a new outlook by concentrating and creating new linkages in the implementation of manufacturing, quality assurance, and business practices related to drug manufacturing and healthcare products. This book fills a gap by providing a connection between drug production and regulated applications. It focuses on drug manufacturing, quality techniques in oral solid dosage, and capsule filling including equipment and critical systems, to control production and the finished products. The book offers a correlation between design strategies and a step-by-step process to ensure the reliability, safety, and efficacy of healthcare products. Fundamentals of techniques, quality by design, risk assessment, and management are covered along with a scientific method approach to continuous improvement in the usage of computerized manufacturing and dependence on information technology and control operations through data and metrics. Manufacturing and Quality Assurance of Oral Pharmaceutical Products: Processing and Safe Handling of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) is of interest to professionals and engineers in the fields of manufacturing engineering, quality assurance, reliability, business management, process, and continuous improvement, life cycle management, healthcare products manufacturing, pharmaceutical processing, and computerized manufacturing.

This book presents the mechanics of implementing visuality on the value-add level known as Work That Makes Sense (WTMS). The step-by-step WTMS process described in this book teaches operators a proven method for translating information deficits into visual solutions that take the struggle out of their day-to-day work. As a result, operators transform their work area into a work environment that speaks-a work environment that, by design, shares vital information in the form of visual devices that help them perform their day-to-day work with precision and completeness. At the heart of this visual conversion approach is an element unique to Galsworth's paradigm called I-driven that recognizes that operators will pursue self-leadership in the company's improvement initiatives if they are given the opportunity to learn how to do so. Also recognized is the fact that this can only happen if associates are taught-and given the opportunity to learn and apply a new system of thinking. The author calls this new system visual thinking. This book provides that learning pathway, in detail, supported by hundreds of actual visual solutions, developed by operators who have followed that pathway and become visual thinkers for themselves-I-driven. They become self-leaders, in control of their corner of the world and able and willing to share their strengths with others. In this way, the WTMS process produces a deep and abiding change in the company's work culture that builds creativity and ownership. As a result, the organization's leadership framework widens to include operators. When effectively applied the WTMS process detailed in this book produces 15% to 30% improvement in local KPIs, including productivity, on-time delivery, quality, and costs; these figures are documented and presented in the pages of this book. Written for operators, this book includes a wealth of color photographs, the majority of which are visual solutions created by visual thinkers who have lived this process for themselves. All are fully captioned and thoughtfully described. The book also includes twelve tasks that managers implement in support that they seek on the operator level. WTMS teaches that visual devices translate information into exact behavior, embedding and sustaining precision through visual solutions. Precision is built in by the same operators who execute it. This is the heart of an I-driven visual enterprise. Once learned and operationalized, this paradigm allows the organization to take on any new improvement effort. Organizational alignment and teamwork have been redefined and operationalized.

Is knowledge powerful? Do leaders and those aspiring really understand the importance and power of organizational knowledge? Can knowing accelerate one's career journey, while not knowing disrupt success? Will leaders and organizations achieve their full potential and mission without leveraging organizational knowledge? This book is for leaders, aspiring leaders, professionals, students, performance improvement practitioners, and strategists regardless of industry. It provides a quick, clear, and concise guide for readers to understand organizational knowledge, create knowledge transfer plans, and leverage knowledge to lead from the front. Without knowledge, leaders and their organizations will eventually operationally perish. In this book, leaders will learn the power of the following: * Strategic knowledge * Knowledge related to organizational governance and structure * Creating knowledge plans and capturing and sharing knowledge * Leveraging organizational knowledge in integrating organizations and building teams * Knowledge in leadership decision making

For many small businesses, organisations, clubs, artists, faith groups, voluntary organisations/charities and sole traders, applying the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been like playing a game of "Snakes and Ladders". As soon as you move along the board and climb a ladder, a snake appears, which takes you right back to where you started. Conflicting advice abounds and there is nowhere for these individuals to go for simple answers all in one place. With the threat of fines seeming around every corner, now more than ever is the time for smaller organisations to get to grips with GDPR so that they can demonstrate their compliance. GDPR: A Game of Snakes and Ladders is an easy to read reference tool, which uses simple language in bite size easily signposted chapters. Adopting a no-nonsense approach, the Regulation is explained so that organisations can comply with the minimum of fuss and deliver this compliance in the shortest timeframe without the need to resort to expensive consultants or additional staff. The book is supported by a variety of easy to follow case studies, example documents and fact sheets. The author signposts warnings and important requirements (snakes) and hints and suggestions (ladders) and also provides a section on staff training and a Game of Snakes and Ladders training slide pack. Additional resources are available on the companion website. This user-friendly book, written by a Data Protection Officer and business management specialist will help you understand the Regulation, where it applies in your organisation and how to achieve compliance (and win at the compliance game).

This book introduces a powerful system that explains how to run a company with a focus on continuous improvement. The results are a satisfied customer base, evolving products and an increase in revenue and profits. These factors determine the success for any company because business transformation involves making fundamental changes in how business is conducted to cope with shifts in the market environment. This a comprehensive book for valuable guidance on framing strategy and overcoming challenges for successful and sustainable implementation of a lean production system, daily management system and lean accounting system in companies to empower the managers to serve their customers with timely delivery of quality products while maximizing profits and easing workloads. The main challenge is ensuring operations colleagues in different functions understand the link between their daily work and the profit and loss statement. In addition, it illustrates how finance personnel can assist the operations team and be a part of the transformation journey. This book is not meant to impart theoretical knowledge of the lean production system, daily management and lean accounting, as there are many books already available that focus on the methodology instead of the implementation. This book empowers people in each function of a company, irrespective of which level they work in the company, and shows them the way to operate on a daily basis to achieve the company's strategy while simultaneously fulfilling their career goals. The book lays out a brief history of the evolution of lean concepts with a focus on lean accounting. This book guides the successful implementation and sustenance of lean and kaizen tools and provides answers to the questions: Who should lead the lean and kaizen implementation in the company? Where should the lean and kaizen journey begin? Which lean and kaizen tools should be implemented first? How important is capacity for the company? How much current capacity is wasted and how much free capacity is available? Where exactly are the resources being wasted in the company? How can the company reduce waste to release capacity for more production? Why should the daily management system and lean accounting system be implemented simultaneously with the lean production system? Why must managers understand the monetary value of their daily activities? Is there an easy way of making a profit and loss statement that is understood at each level in the company? Why is one-day closing of accounts important and how can it be done?

This book introduces a powerful system that explains how to run a company with a focus on continuous improvement. The results are a satisfied customer base, evolving products and an increase in revenue and profits. These factors determine the success for any company because business transformation involves making fundamental changes in how business is conducted to cope with shifts in the market environment. This a comprehensive book for valuable guidance on framing strategy and overcoming challenges for successful and sustainable implementation of a lean production system, daily management system and lean accounting system in companies to empower the managers to serve their customers with timely delivery of quality products while maximizing profits and easing workloads. The main challenge is ensuring operations colleagues in different functions understand the link between their daily work and the profit and loss statement. In addition, it illustrates how finance personnel can assist the operations team and be a part of the transformation journey. This book is not meant to impart theoretical knowledge of the lean production system, daily management and lean accounting, as there are many books already available that focus on the methodology instead of the implementation. This book empowers people in each function of a company, irrespective of which level they work in the company, and shows them the way to operate on a daily basis to achieve the company's strategy while simultaneously fulfilling their career goals. The book lays out a brief history of the evolution of lean concepts with a focus on lean accounting. This book guides the successful implementation and sustenance of lean and kaizen tools and provides answers to the questions: Who should lead the lean and kaizen implementation in the company? Where should the lean and kaizen journey begin? Which lean and kaizen tools should be implemented first? How important is capacity for the company? How much current capacity is wasted and how much free capacity is available? Where exactly are the resources being wasted in the company? How can the company reduce waste to release capacity for more production? Why should the daily management system and lean accounting system be implemented simultaneously with the lean production system? Why must managers understand the monetary value of their daily activities? Is there an easy way of making a profit and loss statement that is understood at each level in the company? Why is one-day closing of accounts important and how can it be done?

Managers in organisations must make rational decisions. Rational decision making is the opposite of intuitive decision making. It is a strict procedure utilising objective knowledge and logic. It involves identifying the problem to solve, gathering facts, identifying options and outcomes, analysing them, considering all the relationships and selecting the decision. Rational decision making requires support: methods and software tools. The identification of the problem to solve needs methods that would measure and evaluate the current situation. Identification and evaluation of options and analysis of the available possibilities involves analysis and optimisation methods. Incorporating intuition into rational decision making needs adequate methods that would translate ideas or observed behaviours into hard data. Communication, observation and opinions recording is hardly possible today without adequate software. Information and data that form the input, intermediate variables and the output must be stored, managed and made accessible in a user-friendly manner. Rational Decisions in Organisations: Theoretical and Practical Aspects presents selected recent developments in the support of the widely understood rational decision making in organisations, illustrated through case studies. The book shows not only the variety of perspectives involved in decision making, but also the variety of domains where rational decision support systems are needed. The case studies present decision making by medical doctors, students and managers of various universities, IT project teams, construction companies, banks and small and large manufacturing companies. Covering the richness of relationships in which the decisions should and must be taken, the book illustrates how modern organisations operate in chains and networks; they have multiple responsibilities, including social, legal, business and ethical duties. Nowadays, managers in organisations can make transparent decisions and consider a multitude of stakeholders and their diverse features, incorporating diverse criteria, using multiple types and drivers of information and decision-making patterns, and referring to numerous lessons learned. As the book makes clear, the marriage of theoretical ideas with the possibilities offered by technology can make the decisions in organisations more rational and, at the same time, more human.

In one modest-sized volume, this book offers three valuable sets of knowledge. First, it provides best practice guidance on virtually every large-scale task a modern manager may be involved in-from recruiting and hiring to onboarding and leading teams, and from employee engagement and retention to performance management and working with difficult employees. Second, it explains the essential concepts and practice of a range of effective leadership styles-including (but not limited to) servant leadership, crisis leadership, change agent leadership, and diversity and inclusion leadership. Third, it offers brief case studies from select CISOs and CSOs on how these management and leadership principles and practices play out in real-life workplace situations. The best practice essentials provided throughout this volume will empower aspiring leaders and also enable experienced managers to take their leadership to the next level. Many if not most CISOs and other leaders have had very little, if any, formal training in management and leadership. The select few that have such training usually obtained it through academic courses that take a theoretical, broad brush approach. In contrast, this book provides much actionable guidance in the nitty-gritty tasks that managers must do every day. Lack of management practical knowledge puts CISOs and CSOs at a disadvantage vis-a-vis other executives in the C-suite. They risk being pigeonholed as "security cops" rather than respected business leaders. Many articles on these subjects published in the press are too incomplete and filled with bad information. And combing through the few high-quality sources that are out there, such as Harvard Business Publishing, can take hundreds of dollars in magazine subscription and book purchase fees and weeks or months of reading time. This book puts all the essential information into your hands through a series of concise chapters authored by an award-winning writer.

Managers in organisations must make rational decisions. Rational decision making is the opposite of intuitive decision making. It is a strict procedure utilising objective knowledge and logic. It involves identifying the problem to solve, gathering facts, identifying options and outcomes, analysing them, considering all the relationships and selecting the decision. Rational decision making requires support: methods and software tools. The identification of the problem to solve needs methods that would measure and evaluate the current situation. Identification and evaluation of options and analysis of the available possibilities involves analysis and optimisation methods. Incorporating intuition into rational decision making needs adequate methods that would translate ideas or observed behaviours into hard data. Communication, observation and opinions recording is hardly possible today without adequate software. Information and data that form the input, intermediate variables and the output must be stored, managed and made accessible in a user-friendly manner. Rational Decisions in Organisations: Theoretical and Practical Aspects presents selected recent developments in the support of the widely understood rational decision making in organisations, illustrated through case studies. The book shows not only the variety of perspectives involved in decision making, but also the variety of domains where rational decision support systems are needed. The case studies present decision making by medical doctors, students and managers of various universities, IT project teams, construction companies, banks and small and large manufacturing companies. Covering the richness of relationships in which the decisions should and must be taken, the book illustrates how modern organisations operate in chains and networks; they have multiple responsibilities, including social, legal, business and ethical duties. Nowadays, managers in organisations can make transparent decisions and consider a multitude of stakeholders and their diverse features, incorporating diverse criteria, using multiple types and drivers of information and decision-making patterns, and referring to numerous lessons learned. As the book makes clear, the marriage of theoretical ideas with the possibilities offered by technology can make the decisions in organisations more rational and, at the same time, more human.

Combined experience of well-regarded academic and professional author who has a long and illustrious career in the region Broad market across growing Australian construction sector, over 11000 students in any one year plus professionals starting careers Includes case studies, discussion questions, online support materials

This volume of the Handbook of Usability and User Experience (UX) presents research and case studies used to design products, systems and environments with good usability and consequent acceptance, pleasure in use, good user experience, and understanding of human interaction issues with products and systems for their improvement. The book presents concepts and perspectives of UX; it also discusses methods and tools that use requirements analysis activity elicitation, recording, and analysis to guarantee a good user experience. In addition, it introduces usability and UX in the automotive industry, usability and UX in a digital interface, game design and digital media, usability and UX in fashion design, and some case studies on usability and UX in various contexts in product design. We hope that this second volume will be helpful to a larger number of professionals, students and practitioners who strive to incorporate usability and UX principles and knowledge in a variety of applications. We trust that the knowledge presented in this volume will ultimately lead to an increased appreciation of the benefits of usability and incorporate the principles of usability and UX knowledge to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of everyday consumer products, systems, and environments.

This book is a hands-on single-source reference of tools, techniques, and processes integrating both Lean and Six Sigma. This comprehensive handbook provides up-to-date guidance on how to use these tools and processes in different settings, such as start-up companies and stalled projects, as well as establish enterprises where the ongoing drive is to improve processes, profitability, and long-term growth. It contains the "hard" Six Sigma approach as well as the flexible approach of FIT SIGMA, which is adaptable to manufacturing and service industries and also public sector organisations. You will also discover how climate change initiatives can be accelerated to sustainable outcomes by the holistic approach of Green Six Sigma.

The book is about what we can do now with leadership, training, and teamwork in every sphere of our businesses. Lean, originally developed by Toyota, is a set of processes and tools aimed at minimising wastes. Six Sigma provides a set of data-driven techniques to minimise defects and improve processes. Integrating these two approaches provides a comprehensive and proven approach that can transform an organisation. To make change happen, we need both digital tools and analog approaches. We know that there has been a continuous push to generate newer approaches to operational excellence, such as Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, Lean Sigma, Lean Six Sigma, and FIT SIGMA.

It is vital that we harness all our tools and resources to regenerate the economy after the Covid-19 pandemic and make climate change initiatives successful for the survival of our planet. Six Sigma and its hybrids (e.g., Lean Six Sigma) should also play a significant part. Over the last three decades, operational performance levels of both public sector and private sector organisations improved significantly and Lean Six Sigma has also acted as a powerful change agent. We urgently need an updated version of these tools and approaches.

The Green Six Sigma Handbook not only applies appropriate Lean and Six Sigma tools and approaches, fitness for the purpose, but it aims at sustainable changes. This goal of sustainability is a stable bridge between Lean Six Sigma and climate change initiatives. Hence, when the tools and approaches of Lean Six Sigma are focused and adapted primarily to climate change demands, we get Green Six Sigma.

As deepwater wells are drilled to greater depths, pipeline engineers and designers are confronted with new problems such as water depth, weather conditions, ocean currents, equipment reliability, and well accessibility. "Subsea Pipeline Design, Analysis and Installation" is based on the authors' 30 years of experience in offshore. The authors provide rigorous coverage of the entire spectrum of subjects in the discipline, from pipe installation and routing selection and planning to design, construction, and installation of pipelines in some of the harshest underwater environments around the world. All-inclusive, this must-have handbook covers the latest breakthroughs in subjects such as corrosion prevention, pipeline inspection, and welding, while offering an easy-to-understand guide to new design codes currently followed in the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, and other countries.
Gain expert coverage of international design codesUnderstand how to design pipelines and risers for today's deepwater oil and gasMaster critical equipment such as subsea control systems and pressure piping

* Takes the reader through the entire development process from land acquisition to completion and refinancing or sale * Aimed out aspiring professionals looking to move into development from other areas * Includes a glossary of terms

* Takes the reader through the entire development process from land acquisition to completion and refinancing or sale * Aimed out aspiring professionals looking to move into development from other areas * Includes a glossary of terms

General Motors (GM)'s attempt to adapt the renowned Toyota production system for its own automotive manufacturing plants had historically produced disappointing results. Why was it not sufficiently successful? This book aims to shed insights into GM's failed attempt through the analysis of work organization reforms and labor-management relations on production-system efficiency. The book examines collective bargaining agreements between automakers and the United Auto Workers union and the arbitration rulings in retrospect to illuminate the critical role continuous improvement activities initiated by production workers would play in enhancing performance management. It also looks at the impact of the meritocratic system in Japanese auto plants on performance success. As GM begins operations at its new electric vehicle assembly plant, Factory Zero, the book analyses the challenges of such production for both employment relations and workforce deployment. The book will be a useful reference for those interested in a comparative study of management styles and a better understanding of Japanese manufacturing practices.

When was the last time your company improved productivity from 20 percent to 60 percent—in only four days? Or cut inventory by 50 percent in the same amount of time? Remarkable results like these were delivered by teams of employees and those who participated in the Association for Manufacturing Excellence Kaizen BlitzSM events. Using the Kaizen Blitz, employees learned how to work as a team to tackle problems from the shop floor and, most importantly, how to solve them quickly.

That's what The Kaizen Blitz can teach you. Simply translated as "continuous improvement," kaizen is a highly focused process aimed at producing incremental performance improvements in narrowly targeted areas. The Kaizen Blitz is a powerful technique that delivers breakthrough improvements throughout an organization—fast. This book will show you how the Kaizen Blitz works and how to bring the extraordinary benefits of this approach to your company. Coauthored by executives of the AME, the book provides a frank discussion of what kaizen will and won't do, the preparation necessary, obstacles to be wary of, and the results you can expect.

The Kaizen Blitz involves everyone across an organization—managers and workers alike. 44t is a low-cost, hands-on process, where all team members are equal and everyone gets their hands dirty. This thorough guide explains how your company can put together your own Kaizen Blitz teams to rapidly develop, test, and refine solutions to problems, leaving a new process in place in just a few days. It outlines how employees can work side by side to implement the best of their ideas for reaching common business goals, such as inventory reduction, capacity expansion, cost reduction, and leveraging capital investments. You will discover how the application of a few simple tools in a straightforward, common-sense approach can bring about real and profound change, provided that management is fully committed and ready to lead the process.

In addition, the authors of this important book:

• Help you determine whether your organization is ready to attempt the Kaizen Blitz
• Outline what you need for an initial Kaizen Blitz project—and what to avoid
• Explain why software package-driven process change has limitations
• Cite results and applications in top U.S. manufacturers.

If you are committed to adopting lean manufacturing; if you want an effective tool to address specific problems in your company; if you need radical change to happen now, The Kaizen Blitz will deliver beyond your highest expectations.

The Association for Manufacturing Excellence has pioneered a powerful version of kaizen—a process for achieving continuous improvement in an organization—called the Kaizen Blitz.SM This book will show you how to use this remarkable tool to deliver breakthrough improvements in your company in areas like productivity, inventory reduction, capacity expansion, and much more. You'll learn how to assemble a kaizen team that will determine solutions to your company's specific problems by designing new systems, correcting mistakes quickly and moving on, running and refining procedures, and ultimately demonstrating a new process in place in just a few days. You'll also read about top U.S. manufacturers who have successfully used the Kaizen Blitz to bring about radical, positive change. If your company is ready to achieve dramatic results by implementing new processes—not just proposed, but in place and functioning—in a matter of days, the Kaizen Blitz is the way to make it happen.

Analysis and Modeling of Manufacturing Systems is a set of papers on some of the newest research and applications of mathematical and computational techniques to manufacturing systems and supply chains. These papers deal with fundamental questions (how to predict factory performance: how to operate production systems) and explicitly treat the stochastic nature of failures, operation times, demand, and other important events.

Analysis and Modeling of Manufacturing Systems will be of interest to readers with a strong background in operations research, including researchers and mathematically sophisticated practitioners.

This book grows from a conference on the state of the art and recent advances in Efficiency and Productivity. Papers were commissioned from leading researchers in the field, and include eight explorations into the analytical foundations of efficiency and productivity analysis. Chapters on modeling advances include reverse directional distance function, a new method for estimating technological production possibilities, a new distance function called a loss distance function, an analysis of productivity and price recovery indices, the relation of technical efficiency measures to productivity measures, the implications for benchmarking and target setting of imposing weight restrictions on DEA models, weight restrictions in a regulatory setting, and the Principle of Least Action. Chapters on empirical applications include a study of innovative firms that use innovation inputs to produce innovation outputs, a study of the impact of potential "coopetition" or cooperation among competitors on the financial performance of European automobile plants, using SFA to estimate the eco-efficiency of dairy farms in Spain, a DEA bankruptcy prediction model, a combined stochastic cost frontier analysis model/mixture hazard model, the evolution of energy intensity in nine Spanish manufacturing industries, and the productivity of US farmers as they age.

Project or program health checks provide tremendous value to businesses and pay for themselves by multiples of magnitude. No matter how well a project or program is performing, there are always activities that can provide better value, reduce costs, or introduce more innovation. IT project and program health checks can help organizations reach their goals and dramatically improve Return on Investment (ROI). IT Project Health Checks: Driving Successful Implementation and Multiples of Business Value offers a proven approach for evaluating IT projects or programs in order to determine how they are performing and how the eventual outcome for the initiative is currently trending. The project or program health checks provide a set of techniques that produce actionable recommendations that can be applied for any combination of the following outcomes: Drive more business and technical value from a program Set a project or program back on track for successful implementation as defined by executive management Rescue a program that is heading towards failure Act as additional insurance for initiatives that are too important to fail Protect executive careers by creating transparency within the inner workings of complex initiatives. The book shows how a review can quickly identify whether an initiative needs to be rescued even when the project team is not aware that it is hurtling towards failure. It also provides techniques for driving business value even when a project team believes it's been stretched as much as possible. Other outcomes covered in this book include: Objectively develop a project Health-Check Scorecard that establishes how well a project is doing and the direction it is headed Demonstrate how to drive business value from an IT program regardless of how well or badly it is tracking Provide surgical advice to improve a project's outcome How to use the many templates and sample deliverables to get a quick start on your own health check. Designed to provide significant value to any member of a project team, program team, stakeholders, sponsors, business users, system integrators, trainers, and IT professionals, this book can help find opportunities to drive multiples of business value and exceed project success metrics.

Digitalization is on everyone's lips as new technology changes business landscapes and conventional companies are outperformed by younger digital and agile contestants. In this volatile environment it seems more relevant than ever before to understand the aspects and business logic behind the elusive phenomenon called "digitalization". Never before have there been such great opportunities to unleash the full potential of technology within organizations to create long-standing competitive advantage. This book explains the strategy and practice of how to lead and control the people side of digital change in a dynamic world of uncertainty and social complexity, and as such the book snares the elusive phenomena of digitalization Digitalization drives behavioral change and calls for a new way of thinking among senior executives. In practice, reaping the benefits of digital technology is not as easy as it first appears to be. This book provides a map to navigate in the volatile business landscape where change occurs continuously because of digital technology. It provides an historical frame of the evolution of digital technology, decodes digitalization's negative influence on the external aspects of customer satisfaction, discusses and explains the strategic and leadership consequences of different forms of digital change, and finally demonstrates how leading digital change can be put into practice. Illustrative case studies and examples are provided throughout as well as models and frameworks. This is a valuable resource for researchers, academics, and students in the fields of organizational studies, organizational change, technology and innovation management, and digitalization.