Laser-Based Additive Manufacturing (LBAM) technologies, hailed by some as the "third industrial revolution," can increase product performance, while reducing time-to-market and manufacturing costs. This book is a comprehensive look at new technologies in LBAM of metal parts, covering topics such as mechanical properties, microstructural features, thermal behavior and solidification, process parameters, optimization and control, uncertainty quantification, and more. The book is aimed at addressing the needs of a diverse cross-section of engineers and professionals.

The inspection process is one of the most important steps in manufacturing industries because it safeguards high quality products and customer satisfaction. Manual inspection may not provide the desired accuracy. This book introduces and implements a new methodology and develops the supporting technologies for automated inspection planning based on Computer Aided Design (CAD) models. It also provides and implements an efficient link for automated operation based on Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). The link's output is a DMIS code programming file based on the inspection planning table that is executed on CMM.

This book offers a detailed theoretical analysis of the fields of learning and management in the digital age. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, it opens a dialogue between agile management theory and agile learning theory. The book argues that there is a tension between participative and action-orientated approaches on the one hand and neoliberal enclosure of the actor on the other hand. It takes this as an opportunity for interdisciplinary dialogue between learning theories and management concepts. With contributions from a range of international experts, chapters discuss the need for suitable theoretical, epistemological, and ethical foundations as well as practice-orientated methods for learning and management to implement appropriate strategies and meet educational challenges. This highly topical book will be of great interest to academics, postgraduate students, and researchers in the fields of digital learning, educational theory, management theory, and communication studies.

This book offers a detailed theoretical analysis of the fields of learning and management in the digital age. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, it opens a dialogue between agile management theory and agile learning theory. The book argues that there is a tension between participative and action-orientated approaches on the one hand and neoliberal enclosure of the actor on the other hand. It takes this as an opportunity for interdisciplinary dialogue between learning theories and management concepts. With contributions from a range of international experts, chapters discuss the need for suitable theoretical, epistemological, and ethical foundations as well as practice-orientated methods for learning and management to implement appropriate strategies and meet educational challenges. This highly topical book will be of great interest to academics, postgraduate students, and researchers in the fields of digital learning, educational theory, management theory, and communication studies.

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.

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.

Lean is about building and improving stable and predictable systems and processes to deliver to customers high-quality products/services on time by engaging everyone in the organization. Combined with this, organizations need to create an environment of respect for people and continuous learning. It's all about people. People create the product or service, drive innovation, and create systems and processes, and with leadership buy-in and accountability to ensure sustainment with this philosophy, employees will be committed to the organization as they learn and grow personally and professionally. Lean is a term that describes a way of thinking about and managing companies as an enterprise. Becoming Lean requires the following: the continual pursuit to identify and eliminate waste; the establishment of efficient flow of both information and process; and an unwavering top-level commitment. The concept of continuous improvement applies to any process in any industry. Based on the contents of The Lean Practitioners Field Book, the purpose of this series is to show, in detail, how any process can be improved utilizing a combination of tasks and people tools and introduces the BASICS Lean (R) concept. The books are designed for all levels of Lean practitioners and introduces proven tools for analysis and implementation that go beyond the traditional point kaizen event. Each book can be used as a stand-alone volume or used in combination with other titles based on specific needs. Each book is chock-full of case studies and stories from the authors' own experiences in training organizations that have started or are continuing their Lean journey of continuous improvement. Contents include valuable lessons learned and each chapter concludes with questions pertaining to the focus of the chapter. Numerous photographs enrich and illustrate specific tools used in Lean methodology. Suggesting Solutions: Brainstorming Creative Ideas to Maximize Productivity explores the process block diagram tool, how to do a Lean layout and Lean master layout and how to create standard work and visual management systems. The goal of this book is to introduce the balance of the tools and how to proceed once the analysis is completed. There are many pieces to a Lean implementation and all of them are interconnected. This book walks through the relationships and how the data presented can be leveraged to prepare for the implementation. It also provides suggest solutions for improvements and making recommendations to management to secure their buy-in and approval.

This book enables enterprise business leaders - from CEOs to supervisors - to understand what "Continuous Improvement" is, why it is probably the best answer to improved business performance in years, and how to put it to work in the unique environment of a specific organization. The book examines what is at the core of "Continuous Improvement" and delves deeper into the elements and constituents necessary to take an organization to the next level to ensure its continued, long-term existence. It provides guidance to enterprise management and to professionals engaged in the implementation of a "Continuous Improvement" initiative and enables them to structure and manage its implementation successfully. It also provides tools to quickly assess where an enterprise business stands in terms of strategic management and "Continuous Improvement".

by Bob Camp The business improvement topic and quality tool called benchmarking is becoming widely understood and broadly applied. There are now applica firms that tions in almost all segments of the economy including industrial either produce a product or a service, non-profit organizations such as healthcare, government and education. The approach is starting to spread around the globe with initiatives in Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. This is commendable and reassuring and must show that there is significant interest in the approach and that it works. What is missing, however, are books and reference material that are not solely prepared in the US where benchmarking started. Theses would include examples of applications relevant to the local area and industries. They would include references to articles written about benchmarking appearing in local publications. In this fashion those interested would have near hand case histories of the use of benchmarking and therefore become encouraged to use the technique. Zairi and Leonard have done the benchmarking community a real service by documenting the European view and application of benchmark ing to a wide range of examples. But they have not stopped there. Their text includes treatment of a number of related facets of benchmarking that makes this a fairly thorough text."

The book is a synthesis of the state-of-the-art in project management concepts and techniques. The author places particular emphasis on precedence diagramming (PDM), at present the most widely used schedulingmethod. New theoretical improvements of PDM are presented, several for the first time in a book, such as: maximal type of precedence relationships, calculating the minimal and maximal available project durations, levelingresources when maximal relationships are used, and precedence diagramming time-cost trade-off. Discussions of computer implementation are included throughout the book. A PC-based software package called ProjectDirector', containing the theoretical improvements described in the book, is available from the author. Audience: Researchers, and undergraduate and graduate students in civil engineering, industrial engineering and operationsresearch, as well as practitioners, managers, and contractors interested in project management.

Typically entrenched and systemic, healthcare problems require the sort of comprehensive solutions that can only be addressed by a change in culture and a shift in thinking. Organizations around the world are using Lean to redesign care and improve processes in a way that achieves and sustains meaningful results for patients, staff, physicians, and health systems. This book demonstrates how honest appraisal, intelligent planning, and vigilant follow-up have led to dramatic improvements in a variety of healthcare settings across the world. It teaches us how innovative organizations can find sustainable solutions to seemingly intractable problems by following a path guided by Lean Thinking. Lean methods may not solve every healthcare problem, but as these cases prove, changing a culture rather than personnel results in more effective sustainable change. This multi-authored book provides expert descriptions of Lean methods and their application in healthcare, written by the people who developed and tested the methods in healthcare settings. Each chapter brings together a description of the technique or approach, with examples of application in practice from the author's own practice. Authors use an engaging approach to their narrative, with examples from their personal experience or engagement being described to illustrate the practical application of theoretic approaches. In painting a picture of the environment in which these tools and techniques have been applied, readers will understand the transferability to their own workplace environment. This will be an opportunity to tell real stories of the application of Lean in healthcare and give readers the opportunity to learn from people from across the world, on subjects on which they are acknowledged topic experts, based on day-to-day Lean practice.

Tightly written integration of recent scholarship, proven theories, and practice-based examples Increased use of world-wide contexts and examples, reflecting continuing development and dissemination of applications, and need for international appeal and awareness Two new chapters on innovation and bringing performance to governance

Sustainable Self-Governance in Businesses and Society offers a sound introduction to Stafford Beer's Viable System Model (VSM) and clarifies its relevance to support organisational sustainability and self-governance. While the VSM has been known since the early 1980s, it hasn't been always easy to understand and to apply. It explains the self-transformation methodology to analyse the way organisations manage (or not) their complexity and govern themselves. The work is supported by multiple examples of application in organisations of all scales - from small to multi-national corporations and from organised social networks to communities and national organisations. It clarifies the relevance of Beer's theory to support systemic learning and change in organisations, and to coach them to self-organise and self-govern. Readers interested in further understanding insights from complex systems and cybernetics theories for designing and transforming organisations will benefit from this book, as it works to offer very detailed insights on how to put the VSM theory into practice. It clarifies how it improves adaptive capabilities, agile and self-regulated structures, more capable of fully implementing corporate sustainability strategies and self-governing themselves. The chapters provide key reading for managers, consultants, practitioners, and post-graduate students working in organisational transformation, governance, and sustainability.

This book examines the dramatic increase in automotive assembly plants in the former Socialist Central European (CE) nations of Czechia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia from 1989 onwards. Enticed by relatively lower-wage labour and significant government incentives, the world's largest automakers have launched more than 20 passenger car assembly complexes in CE nations, with production accelerating dramatically since 2001. As a result, the annual passenger car production in Western Europe declined by more than 20% between 2001 and 2015, and alternatively in the CEE it increased by nearly 170% during this period. Drawing on case studies of 25 current and former foreign-run assembly plants, the author presents a rare historical account of automotive foreign assembly plants in the CE following this dramatic geographic shift. This book will expand the knowledge of policy-makers in Europe in relation to their pursuits of FDI and will be of great interest to scholars and students of business, economic history, political science, and 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.

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.

Kevin Maromonte, a specialist in corporate performance improvement, maintains that the next logical necessary step in the evolution of quality management is no less than the abolition of all company quality departments, including the Quality Assurance and Total Quality Management (TQM) departments, and their specialized functions. Instead, he argues persuasively that the responsibility for quality improvement should be dispersed throughout the organization, resulting in what he calls the Invisible Quality corporation. Only in this way can responsibility for the continuing creation and maintenance of quality in the production of goods and services be shared by management and employees. Why this is so and how it can be accomplished with little or no disruption to the organization is discussed reasonably and in compelling detail. More than just a guide, Maromonte's book offers a provocative new way to think about the organization and to help it achieve its highest potential. Essential reading for people at all corporate levels, and a challenging presentation for their colleagues in the academic business community.

Maromonte points out that as industry has evolved over the past century, the responsibility for corporate quality improvement has been increasingly decentralized, yet quality departments continue to exist in organizations. As a result, people in organizations now tend to look to others -- specifically quality professionals -- for quality improvement rather than to themselves. To rectify this, he argues that such compartmentalized responsibilities continuing to be absorbed by quality departments must be transferred to other departments throughout the corporation. If this is done, Maromonte states that not only will corporate performance be dramatically improved, but operating expenses will be drastically reduced, and he shows clearly how to do it. His approach is rational, methodical, and mindful of the hazards of attempting to impose drastic changes on any organization. The Invisible Quality concept must first be thoroughly understood and the reason for it accepted throughout the top levels of management. He shows how to accomplish this, how to instill a commitment to Invisible Quality in others, and then how to quantify and measure the results it achieves.

Under and post COVID-19 conditions, companies are adapting to smart ways of operating and managing logistics processes to counteract the negative implications of the pandemic. This book offers an analysis and guidance on how to manage these processes, including transport, inventory, operations and waste management, to meet the complex need of enterprises. This edited collection presents selected and key aspects of the implementation of logistics processes in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, enriched with empirical analyses and international examples. The book is a contribution to the considerations on the role and importance of logistics processes in the management of organisations in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reducing its negative socio-economic and technological effects. With contributions from global scholars, the book demonstrates the direction in which logistics processes should change so that they can take the form of "smart". Logistics, Transport and the COVID-19 Crisis will be directly relevant for researchers and academics across logistics, supply chain management, and transport management as well as risk management and related fields.

Logistics refers to the processes that start with resources and their acquisition, storage, and transportation to their destination. The concept is crucial in business -- particularly for the manufacturing sector -- to understand, manage, and control how resources are handled and progress through the whole supply chain. Now, there is a strong trend to focus on sustainability and eco-friendly solutions in logistics. Processes based on both technology and management need innovations and detailed implementation steps to achieve a satisfactory level of sustainability. This book explores how and where innovations can be implemented to provide a wide approach to sustainability in logistics. It addresses the main challenges affecting modern and sustainable logistics and supply chains and is organized according to six main themes: supply chain management; information intelligent hubs (e.g. warehouse and cities); sustainable transportation; technology for logistics; reverse logistics; and city logistics. The key results presented are based on both extensive types of research and business cases. The overarching advanced logistics and supply chain concepts at the heart of this book contribute to a sustainable intelligent logistics and transport system by making it more efficient, reliable, environmentally friendly, and competitive. Essentially, this book presents the most current research related to sustainability in logistics activities and addresses the theoretical background of sustainability and its significance for logistics, the challenges in supply chains and transportation, and possible solutions for more sustainable logistics systems.

Selecting a suitable production control policy is a challenging task for managers because the superiority of one control over the other is controversial. This book analyzes pull production systems and provides a guideline to choose and implement a proper control policy in production processes. By employing a proper control policy the maximum possible throughput of the production system can be achieved with the minimum work-in-process inventory. Kanban, CONWIP, and base-stock as wellknown pull control policies are analyzed and analytical comparisons among them in multistage serial and assembly production processes are presented. Illustrated by carefully chosen examples and supported by analytical solutions, discussions provided in the book clarify the complexity of the comparisons that show there is no general superiority among the control systems. Th e book explains which structural parameters decide the superiority of one control scheme to the others, and how they are related. Given a confi guration of parameters, such as processing times and number of cards employed in the system, the superior control policy can be selected.

This book provides insights into contemporary issues and challenges in multi-criteria decision models. It is a useful guide for identifying, understanding and categorising multi-criteria decision models, and ultimately implementing the analysis for effective decision-making. The use of multi-criteria decision models in software reliability engineering is a relatively new field of study, and this book collects all the latest methodologies, tools and techniques in one single volume. It covers model selection, assessment, resource allocation, release management, up-grade planning, open-source systems, bug tracking system management and defect prediction. Multi-Criteria Decision Models in Software Reliability: Methods and Applications will cater to researchers, academicians, post-graduate students, software developers, software reliability engineers and IT managers.

This book sheds new light on the role businesses can play in contributing to sustainability objectives, and how governance actors can better encourage their contributions. Jean-Pierre Imbrogiano introduces and empirically investigates the concept of sustainability performance in businesses, which reveals how achieving social and environmental objectives is experienced within business organizations. He focuses on supply chain management as a key part in this process and looks at how this has evolved to become a vital sector in the global business landscape. He further considers the current practices of governance actors which aim to enable sustainability performance in businesses. Labelled as a 'sustainability service industry', these actors include international, national, and industry sustainability initiatives, sustainability standard setters, business consultancies and rating agencies, as well as sustainable supply chain managers in corporations. Overall, this book calls for a conceptual reorientation in business sustainability scholarship, and points towards a challenging agenda for change in the sustainability service industry. Understanding Sustainability Performance in Business Organizations will be of great interest to students and scholars of sustainable business, business ethics, corporate social responsibility, sustainable supply chain management, and sustainability governance.

The key to effective leadership is being fit for the challenge. Leadership is a perpetual boxing match in many respects in which preparation, stamina and skill are required. Only the strongest survive. Every decision and tollgate along the career journey is laden with risk. Those leaders who harness risk to their advantage will land the knockout punch in every fight. The only question is how many leaders will be fit enough for the challenge? The purpose of this book is to provide insight on how risk impacts every aspect of leadership, including the mundane, routine and nonglamorous aspects of leadership. This is important because often the small things can easily turn into big disruptors. Moreover, the end goal is to equip leaders with a journey map and quick guide to win in high-risk environments. Change is the new normal and only constant in today's world. As change increases, so will risk and its subsequent impacts on humanity. This includes leaders, organizations and customers. No one is exempt. In this book, readers learn how to: Determine which career battles to fight and which ones to avoid Prepare to fight the unavoidable challenges along the career journey Leverage risk to choose the right leaders for the team Leverage risk to invest time wisely and avoid wasting it Leverage risk to predict, identify and resolve leadership burnout Risk assess leadership credentials so only those that produce a return are added to the portfolio Risk assess performance outcomes so the path ahead is smooth sailing instead of a rough ride Leverage risk so high performance is a reality instead of a pipe dream Leverage risk to find the right leadership sponsor

Provides leaders with strategies and methods to change the way learning and training occurs for new engineers Takes a holistic view behind the low numbers of women in engineering using a problem solving approach centered on Lean Development (LD) Provides a direct comparison with the field of STEM and medicine and how the methods of training and learning can help minimizes bias and increase gender confidence Explores the lack of written knowledge (reusable knowledge) and uses methods of Lean Development (LD) to level the playing field between men and women Highlights the critical need for new female engineers to have access to mentors using technical coaching methods

Fully updated edition of the bestselling book in healthcare operations. Practical case studies are used throughout to provide invaluable resources for training students and practitioners in healthcare. An ideal resource for students of healthcare management at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It can also be used by practitioners. The book translates complex operational models for busy practising healthcare professionals so that the methods can be easily applied to a workplace scenario.