This book captures deploying Industry 4.0 technologies for business excellence and moving towards Society 5.0. It addresses applications of Industry 4.0 in the areas of marketing, operations, supply chain, finance, and HR to achieve business excellence. Industry 4.0 Technologies for Business Excellence: Frameworks, Practices, and Applications focuses on the use of AI in management across different sectors. It explores the benefits through a human-centered approach to resolving social problems by integrating cyberspace and physical space. It discusses the framework for moving towards Society 5.0 and keeping a balance between economic and social gains. This book brings together researchers, developers, practitioners, and users interested in exploring new ideas, techniques, and tools and exchanging their experiences to provide the most recent information on Industry 4.0 applications in the field of business excellence. Graduate or postgraduate students, professionals, and researchers in the fields of operations management, manufacturing, healthcare, supply chain, marketing, finance, and HR will find this book full of new ideas, techniques, and tools related to Industry 4.0.

Discusses importance of data analytics in industrial operation for improving economy. Provides step-by-step implementation of operation management models for identifying best practices. Covers in-depth analysis using data-based operation management tools and techniques. Discusses mathematical modelling for novel operation management models for solving industrial problems.

This book presents firsthand insights into strategies and approaches for the commercial aerospace supply chain in response to the numerous changes that airlines, aircraft OEMs and their suppliers have experienced over the past few decades. In doing so, it investigates the entire product value chain. Accordingly, the chapters address the challenges of configuration and demand, and highlight the specificities of customization in the aviation industry. They analyze component manufacturing, share valuable insights into assembly and integration activities, and describe aftermarket business models. In order to ensure more varied and balanced coverage, the book includes contributions by researchers, suppliers, and experts and practitioners from consulting companies and the aircraft industry. Taken together, they provide a holistic perspective on the transformation drivers and the innovations that have either been implemented or will be adopted in the near future. The book introduces and describes new concepts and innovations such as 3D printing, E2E demand management, digital production, predictive maintenance and open innovation in general, supplementing them with sample industrial applications from the aviation sector.

This book is designed to be a quick guidelines-oriented approach to the topic of project management. It contains the essential management practices required to produce successful project outcomes. Guidelines for Achieving Project Management Success helps the non-technical reader who might have been originally put off by a more robust treatment of project management. It uses the 80/20 rule where 80% of the project management problem may originate from just 20% of the cause. The book includes easy to understand examples illustrating key topics and offers advice and references for further reading. The book also helps the reader on how to define what the target is with the project and how to execute it to get the desired results. The primary audience is individuals who are seeking a readable description of the project management processes. The book is also useful for an academic program where project management is secondary to the primary topic.

Corporate Social Responsibility has for long been on the agenda in the business world and recently, it has also become a political agenda in the European Union. Focusing on international supply chains and their control based on studies of law in several European jurisdictions, this book aims to advance the discussion on the application and enforcement of CSR. Drawing parallels to US and Canadian law, the book explores to what extent private law tools can be used as an enforcement device and it ultimately asks if what we are witnessing is the formation of a new area of law, employing the interplay of contract and tort - a law of "production liability", as a corollary of the concept of "product liability".

This practice guide on procurement strategy brings together methods and tools used by global purchasers across different industries. The authors lay major focus on the themes of global sourcing, risk management, and the dynamic topic of negotiation strategy. The authors present their perspectives on all important questions of strategic procurement such as: how to manage a heterogeneous supplier structure across different branches and how to deal with partners from diverse cultures? How to solve procurement crisis and proactively avoid them? How does off-shore team management work and how to increase the value-add for both internal and external purchasing? These themes are discussed along with numerous practice-based cases. The authors lay an ideal ground for global purchasers to help with their strategic and operational needs, including technological topics such as e-procurement.

Illustrates, in a very clear and practical manner, models and tools to analyse and improve healthcare production processes. Each chapter includes teaching cases, from different countries and settings, to help readers better understand the practical implications of the adoption of certain organizational models or managerial solutions (e.g. lean model). The recent COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need to redesign healthcare production processes to become more efficient, responsive and flexible. Focuses on the organizational conditions required to successfully implement operations management change plans.

"Dynamic Modelling for Supply Chain Management" discusses how to streamline complex supply chain management by making the most of the growing number of tools available.

The reader is introduced to the basic foundations from which to develop intelligent management strategies, as the book characterises the process and framework of modern supply chain management. The author reviews supply chain management concepts and singles out important factors in the management of modern complex production systems. Particular attention is paid to modern simulation modelling tools that can be used to support supply chain planning and control. The book explores the operational and financial impacts of various potential problems, offering a compilation of practical models to help identify solutions.

A useful reference on supply chain management, "Dynamic Modelling for Supply Chain Management" will benefit engineers and professionals working in a variety of areas, from supply chain management to product engineering.

WINNER: 2021 Plume d'Or - Grand Prix ACA-Bruel Award. A Practical Guide to E-Auctions for Procurement provides guidance to procurement professionals on how to realize the potential of e-auctions. Now is the time to optimize your e-negotiation strategy using key insights from the author Jacob Gorm Larsen, who is responsible for one of the most successful and award-winning e-sourcing programs in the world. A Practical Guide to E-Auctions for Procurement presents a proven process for developing an e-auction and e-negotiation strategy, along with a catalogue of change management initiatives for securing buy-in internally in the organization. The different e-auction formats and benefits are explained in detail and demonstrated with practical examples, templates and advice that can be adopted by the reader. Jacob and the team at Maersk are at the forefront when it comes to developing robots that execute e-auctions from end-to-end and are kicking off a transformation that will fundamentally change how we consider e-auctions and negotiations. In addition, with learnings from more than 10,000 e-auctions globally, this is the book for those in procurement looking to implement, deliver and maintain a thriving e-auction program.

* A perfect guide for marketing and sustainable procurement and supply chain professionals in large companies, local authorities and governments and NGOs globally. * Can be used as a supplementary text on postgraduate and advanced undergraduate courses aimed at responsible marketing and procurement. * The book can be used internationally - ethical buying and selling behaviours are proliferating in almost all countries of the world. * Written by a leading authority on ethical consumption.

The book explains how to emerge and grow as a supply chain leader and details supply chain and procurement processes and operational activities in real-work scenarios across multiple supply chain verticals. The book defines what an entry-level supply chain professional must do to excel in various types of supply chain verticals such as IT, electronics manufacturing, pharmaceutical, retail, and consumer goods. Apart from helping professionals understand vertical specific nuances, this book helps them to set both short-term goals for annual performance review and longer-term career planning. In addition, for a mid- or senior-level supply chain professional, the book offers ideas on ways to launch initiatives and demonstrate leadership to foster career growth. It offers ideas about unlocking new values for the organization and creating a data-driven decision support platform to gain financial efficiency for better management of CapEx and OpEx spend, thus improving the bottom line. The book includes a tool kit which includes operational data models, financial models, and presentation templates for creating and socializing proposals intended for cross-functional teams and demonstrating supply chain leadership. The book is divided into four major parts. In Part I, the book starts with an overview of key concepts in a manufacturing supply chain and procurement organization. It describes current forms of modern global supply chain and corporate procurement organizations. The objective of Part II is to provide a framework for a self-directed supply chain manager to understand how a large organization evaluates the contribution of supply chain managers and where it expects them to create value. To foster career growth as a supply chain professional, the book identifies six key knowledge pillars for demonstrating supply chain mastery: Technical and market knowledge of the end product and its constituents. Knowledge of internal product development and sustaining processes and supporting consumption data. Health and market condition of the supplier. Ability to create value. Ability to build internal and external executive relationships with key influencers. Ability to obtain best cost without compromising on quality and lead time. Negotiating cost, sourcing material, and then the logistics of moving the raw material through multiple stages and finally finished materials across the globe are some of the key areas which need continuous improvement. As a sentinel of efficiency, removing any kind of wastage leads to immediate value creation and contributes to the margin by improving the bottom line. In Part III, the book reviews twelve such verticals namely printer, medical, IT, energy, automotive, cloud, dairy, data management, avionics, biotech, apparel and start up and the supply chain nuances through the lenses of the framework created in Part II. In Part IV, the book goes back to focus on the professional growth of an individual supply chain person in an industry agnostic way. It provides examples of financial and operational efficiencies that a supply chain professional can create.

Retail supply chain consists of multiple segments from sales to distribution to finance. Retail manufacturers rely on a complicated web of suppliers. Customer demand and market competition today requires extreme efficiency from end to end. This book offers the retail supply chain executive with the tools needed for full strategic advantage. The new edition gives special attention to recent challenges, such as vast technological change, higher levels of customer personalization, and more global supply chains.

This volume presents an interdisciplinary reflection on the SARS-COV-2 pandemic and its consequences elaborated in real-time. It embodies the University of Palermo's values and mission by bringing together academics of very diverse disciplinary fields on an issue that is disrupting all aspects of individual and community existence. This volume captures the voices of academics during the pandemic, allowing to crystallize the discourses that are emerging in a wide variety of scientific fields as events unfold and knowledge is rapidly evolving. They share the belief that to shed adequate light on the complex and multifaceted phenomenon of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences necessarily requires the adoption of an interdisciplinary approach, the consideration of a multiplicity of perspectives, and of a variety of levels of analysis. The organization of the single contributions in chapters allows the exchange of different perspectives, whilst conveying a general overall framework to the interpretation of the many facets of the changes and crisis generated by COVID-19. The volume addresses both academics and professionals dealing with the processes and the consequences brought forth by the pandemic and presents a solid example of the commitment an academic institution should devote to society and communities.

This book identifies factors of information system (IS) integration that influence supply chain agility and illustrates how IS integration can achieve greater supply chain agility. Also considering the consequent operational impacts that arise from IS-enabled supply chain agility, the author presents real-life examples through interviews and surveys to explore how IS integrations affect supply chain agility in the context of the Chinese automotive industry. The ability to swiftly respond to competitive challenges is a key element in industry 4.0 and organisations with agile supply chains are better prepared to respond to uncertainties and changes. This book develops and presents guidelines on the deployment of information system integration in order to achieve efficient agile supply chains.

Illustrates, in a very clear and practical manner, models and tools to analyse and improve healthcare production processes. Each chapter includes teaching cases, from different countries and settings, to help readers better understand the practical implications of the adoption of certain organizational models or managerial solutions (e.g. lean model). The recent COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need to redesign healthcare production processes to become more efficient, responsive and flexible. Focuses on the organizational conditions required to successfully implement operations management change plans.

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

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

Presents an elucidative discussion about productivity and efficiency, illustrating its potentials of use and conceptual differencesCovers the concepts and techniques for analysis of productivity and efficiency, analyzing critical benefits and limitations Explains didactically and in detail how to use DEA for analysis of productivity and efficiency Provides an innovative method for using DEA Offers a free online computer tool to operationalize the concepts and method proposed in the book

Sustainable procurement is the pursuit of sustainable development objectives through the purchasing and supply process, while balancing environmental, social, and economic objectives. This book will help readers develop new contemporary knowledge about frameworks, innovative tools and techniques to achieve sustainability in public as well as private procurement practices. The book will enable scholars and practitioners working in the domain of sustainable procurement to improve the overall performance of the supply chain and further achieve UN SDGs, by making various decisions at the planning and strategic phase of the business. Features Discusses theoretical, decision making and related business management models Assists to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Provides qualitative/quantitative frameworks Covers quality innovations sustainability in sourcing Examines measurement drivers, indicators and metrics

In today's competitive markets, considering the demand and the supply chain sides is crucial to keeping revenue and customer satisfaction maximized. Managing and planning demand play a vital role in the sustainability of a company. This is the first book to the discuss managerial, mathematical, and conceptual framework of influencing factors on demand along with accurate mathematical analyses to evaluate and raise revenue. The book provides an understanding of the key elements that impact buyer demand. It presents the mathematical relationship between the influencing factors and the demand functions. It discusses the methods used for inspiring demand, how to measure demand dependency on components such as price, quality, and inventory, and it helps management improve alignment between supply and demand by affecting the level and understanding of the role within supply chain management (SCM). This book is applicable for the professional as well as for academia. It can help those working in SCM, project management, production, inventory control, scheduling, engineering management, retail management, and operations management.

This book highlights topics ranging from green chemistry and engineering to bioremediation, smart technologies, and sustainable business practices. The common threads running through this volume are the need for urgent action, a vision for a sustainable future, and the awareness that solutions must be widely accessible and advance the welfare of all nations, especially in the face of climate change. The authors delineate how we can protect and restore natural ecosystem potential to achieve environmental sustainability. They provide a clear idea of today's environmental challenges and solutions, focus on energy use patterns and the reduction of energy consumption, advocate for increased environmental awareness, and discuss environmental monitoring systems. The book contains many domestic and international case studies and showcases visionary ideas in action to illustrate sustainability principles. This volume provides an in-depth reference for stakeholders from academia, government, and industry on the latest research in environmental sustainability solutions. Inspired by the common wisdom that we do not inherit this Earth from our ancestors but instead borrow it from our children, the authors offer solutions to emergent problems. This research comprises an important contribution to the global effort to build a more sustainable tomorrow.

This book sets out to explain blockchain for the non-technical expert, to decipher the dense technicalities that dominate the field and to present the opportunities for busy professionals using practical applications and case studies. Presented in a clear and structured way and with documented real-world cases, the book is a practical reference guide that can be used across different industries. It offers both a constructive and critical review of the pain points blockchain is facing today, illustrates the pitfalls as well as the opportunities for business and describes the steps towards overcoming them. It also aims to provide a unique view of both the intersection and synergy of blockchain with other emerging technologies and the wider digital ecosystem, as we see increasingly that blockchain alone won't be able to deliver business solutions. Most important, the book identifies trends and a path for the future of blockchain and its impact on society as a whole. The book is written for business audiences across all sectors. It is not a technical guide to blockchain, but it enables businesspeople to be better informed and prepared to plan ahead and develop strategies using blockchain.

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

This cross-disciplinary business book develops insight into the management of businesses operating in various economic sectors that take a proactive approach to the triple dimension of sustainability (economic, social and environmental), positioning itself as a key reference for both academics and practitioners in the wide area of business management. The concept of sustainability is today at the heart of international policies and debate, and plays a key role in deep changes to the organizational models of companies operating in a wide range of sectors of economic activity. In particular, this book aims to gain a deeper understanding of how stakeholder engagement can contribute to value co-creation both in the company and along the supply chain, and what distinguishes the differing involvement of stakeholders, in particular between public involvement and stakeholder participation. Each chapter of this book presents different modalities of stakeholder involvement and develops the concept of value co-creation from organizational and marketing perspectives. This book is recommended reading for those interested in the fields of stakeholder engagement and theory, sustainability, business studies, and sustainable development.

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