Stock management and control is a critical element to the success and overall financial well-being of an organization. Through the application of innovative practices and technology, businesses are now able to effectively monitor their operations and manage their inventory by evaluating sales patterns and customer preferences. The Handbook of Research on Promoting Business Process Improvement Through Inventory Control Techniques is a critical scholarly resource that examines optimization techniques, data mining concepts, and genetic algorithms to manage inventory control. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as logistics and supply chain management, stochastic inventory modelling, and inventory management in healthcare, this book is geared towards academicians, practitioners, and researchers seeking various research methods to get optimal ordering policy.

As customers or consumers, we expect quality products and quality services, getting value for our money. For producers or service providers, it is a challenge to satisfy customers and also take care of other stakeholders. In the last few decades we have seen several quality models and frameworks. Organizations see another challenge in implementing those frameworks effectively. Three basic parameters of quality are products (technology), processes and people. With availability of products and processes, the challenge is to align people for quality programme. This book provides the tools to meet different challenges. Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) uses mechanics of mind to achieve the excellence. It is an add-on to the previous approaches using processes and statistics. This book gives superchargers - persuasion for quality by tapping motivational needs, use of right beliefs and behaviors to support continual improvements, holistic and integrated structure for quality management system and several NLP tools for projects, services and for product manufacturing. Using simple language and not requiring any prerequisite in NLP, this book is a practical guide of how we can use NLP for quality programme, which may be a new initiative or revival of existing quality programme.

Applying TQM to systems engineering can reduce costs while simultaneously improving product quality. This guide to proactive systems engineering shows how to develop and optimize a practical approach, while highlighting the pitfalls and potentials involved.

Why does contemporary calculation proceed as calculation of the quality of everything, to the extent that quality comes to be perceived as a controversial word, endowed with enigmatic power? How should we consider calculation of quality? And how, from the perspective of quality, can we renew questioning on the very nature of the calculative and on the (in)calculability of the human? In what way should we approach quality and calculability in current socio-economic and managerial scenarios? In considering quality of life and its calculation, how can we reflect on the issue of life enhancement? What does it mean that, precisely under the banner of quality, life, in its individuality and totality, emerges as being obviously calculable and enhanceable? How should we think of quality, calculation and life when life resonates on the scale of the post-human?
These are some of the main questions that the book addresses through a phenomenological investigation and an analysis of the social science debate.

Total Quality Management and Project Management have a symbiotic relationship in their planning, design, analysis, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, as well as other related processes. This book accentuates the relationship between Total Quality Management and Project Management and other contemporary management concepts. These contemporary concepts include Six Sigma Methodology, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Capacity Building, Business Re-engineering, Knowledge Management, Configuration Management, SWOT Analysis, and Total Quality Leadership, as well as fundamental business management concepts such as leadership dynamics, quality assurance, quality control, and continuous quality improvement. The book evaluates and analyzes the relationship between Total Quality Management and Human Resource Management, Public Relations Management, Marketing Management, Risk Management, Project Proposal Writing, and Resource Coordination and Management. Total Quality Management gives an exploratory overview of the contributions of certain national and international organizations that operate in Africa towards an effective and efficient delivery of products and services, especially on the implementation of capacity building programs in Africa, such as The World Bank, AfDB, CDC, PAID, ACBF, UNDP, AAPAM, CAFRAD, NEPAD, and others.

Over the past two decades, 'quality' in Higher Education has become a central feature in Higher Education strategy, both at the European and at the nation-state levels of policy-making. This book weighs up the possible consequences of introducing Quality Enhancement and Risk Management as new dimensions to quality control in Higher Education, examining broad trends at the cross-national and continental/regional level and also considers the views taken at the institutional level, among academic staff, students and QA agencies. The volume includes contributions from Chief Executive Officers of Quality Agencies in the US, Chile and Europe, together with policy analysts currently engaged in shaping up the 'new instrumentality' in inter-governmental (OECD) and European (HEQA) organisations as well as academic contributions from well-established and leading scholars in the fields of Quality Evaluation and Comparative Higher Education policy analysis.

Six Sigma is Business and Industry's newest recognized quality program. This text provides information and instructions for new and current quality professionals in order to help employ methods to attain Six Sigma defect quality assurance within their company.
All areas of business and manufacture are covered. Detailed checklists, questionnaires and forms assist personnel in developing their own programs to 'prevent' problems from occurring and to solve new and long-term problems in services and manufacturing. Examples and formulae are provided for use to determine if, when and then how much a process may be adjusted for reaching higher quality assurance levels. Knowledgeable readers will be able to use this comprehensive text immediately in the workplace.

Computational intelligence (CI) lies at the interface between engineering and computer science; control engineering, where problems are solved using computer-assisted methods. Thus, it can be regarded as an indispensable basis for all artificial intelligence (AI) activities. This book collects surveys of most recent theoretical approaches focusing on fuzzy systems, neurocomputing, and nature inspired algorithms. It also presents surveys of up-to-date research and application with special focus on fuzzy systems as well as on applications in life sciences and neuronal computing.

This book reconciles two divergent worlds for the beleaguered quality manager. The first is that of quality and managerial fads, promoted by quality professionals and the quality 'industry' - with its seminars, certification programs and the pressures of an ever increasing number of international standards, state and national legislation and powerful corporations. The second is a virtual antithesis to this world of mission statements, quality policies, procedures and statistical techniques, and is embodied in the international phenomenon that is the Dilbert (TM) cartoon strip. Across America and Europe millions of ordinary employees revel in the truths that are exposed concerning corporate absurdities and a blind reliance upon acronym-laden quick-fixes.
Here you will find the gap bridged between the vast literature of quality fads (including the recent tranche of international standards) and that more humorous portrayal of these worlds. The origins of today's quality ideology and industry is traced, followed by a description of how the quality profession popularizes, promotes and ultimately benefits from the fads that come and go. Finally it is shown that despite the propaganda of the profession, there is a separate reality to "quality" and that management principles in this field can only ever be a small limiting factor in corporate success.
Addresses a vital aspect of Supply-chain Management, one of todays hottest management topics
From a widely and internationally published quality author and professional
The "Emperors Clothes" for the Quality profession

Effective Management Control deals with a critical but relatively neglected and misunderstood aspect of organizational effectiveness: the process of controlling the behavior of people in organizations. The issue of organizational control and the design of an optimal control system is essential for the long term effectiveness of an organization: too little control can lead to confusion and chaos; conversely, too great a degree of control can result in the erosion of innovation and entrepreneurship. This monograph presents a conceptual framework for approaching these issues, and examines the role accounting can play in a successful control system. The author works towards an understanding of the nature, role, elements and functioning of organizational control and control systems in organizations. The book posits and discusses the features of a core control system and its component parts, including: planning, measurement and feedback, evaluation and reward sub-systems. It also discusses the ways in which a core control system operates within a larger organizational structure and culture. The theory is illustrated through its application to a particular case study.

On September 1st 1996, ISO 14001 was published, worldwide. Written over five years in consultation with international industrial experts, non-governmental organizations and regulators, this environmental management systems standard will help organizations manage their impacts on the environment, no matter what their size, nature or location. The implications for the future are enormous. But what does the standard mean in the real world? What changes do managers have to make to accommodate its principles? What decisions need to be faced and when? Is it really going to make a difference or is it just another case of global greenwash? Will it be another missed opportunity for you, your organisation, or your market? At the start of what promises to be a worldwide explosion of interest in standardised EMSs, ISO 14001 and Beyond looks at their creation, their use, and their limitations, attempting to discover the essential truth about this important management tool and where it will take industry. ISO 14001 and Beyond assembles the leading thinkers and practitioners in the field to record their thoughts and experiences on the new standard, its advantages and disadvantages. The book is designed to provide the reader with enough information with which to form an opinion on the future, and how that will influence subsequent actions. It also provides reassurance that, although the problems are real, so are the solutions. ISO 14001 and Beyond gives you the opportunity to read what some of the best minds have made of the standard so far and what they think lies ahead. There are reports covering a global spectrum of concern: from the US, Russia, Japan, Canada, Germany, the UK, and more; from multinationals, small- and medium-sized enterprises, local government, universities and professional bodies. All this material is gathered together in one book to give you the best, most meaningful information for the crucial decisions that you will need to make in the coming months.

Currently, businesses are forced to be more innovative than ever before. Organizations must be sensitive to global trends -- such as digitization, globalization, and automation -- and at the same time build resilience and flexibility to combat unexpected changes in customer demand. The coronavirus pandemic is just the most recent and pronounced example of this new-normal business necessity. Amidst the disruption, many businesses are caught not knowing how to proceed. How ought one pursue or achieve innovation for the company? Are there different innovation strategies? Why might a business leader choose one over the other? The Lean Innovation Cycle addresses these concerns by introducing a new multidisciplinary framework for both thinking about and pursing innovation. By taking key concepts from the quality management practices of Lean and Six Sigma, the framework augments these tools and disciplines by incorporating other problem-solving and design techniques, including Human-Centered Design. The result is a view of innovation that many business leaders will find fits nicely into their existing paradigm of strategy and operational discipline. After the introduction of the framework, the book turns to understanding the differences, advantages, and tradeoffs in pursuing Lean Innovation in lieu of traditional, technologically driven innovation approaches. To this end, the book considers issues of sustainability, organizational strategy, and competitive advantage. The result is a thought-provoking dialogue that informs the reader about the key considerations of how best to pursue innovation within their business and the business environment, as well as the circumstances that might make one innovation strategy more congruent to an organization's culture, goals, and objectives than the other.

This impactful volume demonstrates the application and power of psychology and behavioural economics in the pursuit of quality and continuous improvement. It focusses on how the works of stalwarts such as Daniel Kahneman, Richard Thaler, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and many others can be used to build an organization that is known for quality products and flawless service delivery. The application of psychology and behavioural economics is still new to quality improvement, and in this book, Debashis Sarkar shares 25 lessons, featuring specific examples based on real life, that show how their application can increase the effectiveness of outcomes. Behavioural Science for Quality and Continuous Improvement: 25 Lessons from Psychology and Behavioural Economics is ideal for business improvement professionals of all hierarchies and across different functional areas and industries seeking to understand the potential of psychology and behavioural economics and their applications, as well as in training and executive development programmes and for scholars of operations management, quality management, and engineering.

Commercial systems built today are increasingly using XML technologies for storing any amount of text or data. Services and Business Computing Solutions with XML: Applications for Quality Management and Best Processes collects the latest research for academicians and practitioners that describes the use and synergy between data structure technologies. This book explores and investigates various issues of XML data and related applications summarized by Web services.

The principal aim of this book is to help practising managers to develop and implement a strategy for the introduction of Total Quality Management (TQM) within their own organizations. "TQM in Action" prvides a practical guide to the stages, key considerations and potential pitfalls of implementation. The book provides a template for implementation which should help managers get started and keep the process going. The authors recognize that the main difficulty encountered by managers in introducing TQM is changing "organization culture". The planning process outlined for TQM is therefore based on an examination of the prevailing culture. This allows individual organizations to tailor the installation process to their own needs rather than imposing a theoretical framework which may or may not fit.

This book is a compilation of perspectives provided by several winners of the ASQ Feigenbaum Medal, which is awarded each year to an individual under the age of 35 who has made a significant contribution to the field of Quality. As such, it serves as a valuable reference book in this area. It is primarily based on the medalists' vision to "refresh" and "re-think" the quality concepts that have been used over the past century and the future development of the topic. Maximizing readers' understanding of the ways in which Quality is created, it provides insights from pioneers in this field from around the globe and anticipates how and what Quality will be in the future, as well as how people and organizations can benefit from it today.

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a journey towards improvement, guiding you through a continuous reassessment of yourself, your work and your organization. The author demonstrates how to improve your daily workload in order to create a quality product, control costs, and foster customer loyalty. Not only does this give your organization an edge in a competitive business environment, it also helps you grow and excel.Rampersad guides you through the effective use of problem-solving tools and helps you apply the quality improvement process in all aspects of your work. The book`s modular, practical and integral approach will appeal to today`s busy manager. All aspects of Total Quality Management are clearly, concisely, and didactically described, illustrated by a wealth of real world examples.

Product design is becoming increasingly challenging as product complexity increases dramatically with the advent of autonomous control and the need to achieve zero emissions. Companies continue to have poor product launches with significant numbers of recall campaigns and high after-sales warranties. It is important that potential product failures are identified and fixed during the design of a product. Failure modes found late after the design has matured are normally easy to find with some being identified by the customer but are often difficult and expensive to fix since modifying one part will often have a knock-on effect on other parts causing other problems. Discovering failure modes early in the design process is often difficult requiring rigorous and comprehensive analysis but once found such failure modes are usually easy and cheap to fix. This book presents an approach to product design based on Failure Mode Avoidance that utilizes a series of strongly interrelated engineering tools and interpersonal skills that can be used to discover failure modes early in the design process. The tools can be used across engineering disciplines. Despite engineering being largely a team activity, it is often the case that little attention is paid to the team process after the team membership has been identified, with membership normally being based on technical expertise. In addition to technical expertise, an effective engineering team requires individual engineers to work together efficiently. Good leadership is also required with the leader able to both manage change and encourage individual team members to work to the best of their ability. The book interweaves technical skills, team skills, and team leadership in a way that reflects their real-life interrelationship. The book tells the fictional story of a small engineering team and its leader as they implement the skills introduced in the book and follows their experiences reflecting individual difficulties, enthusiasm, humor, and skepticism in applying the methodologies and tools for the first time. In addition, the story tells of team members' interactions with their management and peers within a company that, having been very successful, finds itself in financial difficulties. It promotes constructivist learning through the reader empathizing with the characters in the book. These characters ask questions that are typical of those that learners will ask about the subject matter. Learning reinforcement is also integrated into the storyline as a natural and unobtrusive feature. The book is intended to be read like a novel from cover to cover with a storyline that motivates the reader to read on. While including in-depth technical examples the book is not intended as a seminal text on Failure Mode Avoidance or team skills but is intended to give the reader an understanding such that they are motivated to learn more. Having read the book, it can be treated more typically as a textbook by returning to some of the technical detail or looking to further reading such as that identified in the book.

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

Purpose The purpose of this book is to provide the reader with an understanding of the ISO 9000-3 guideline and how it applies to the specification, development, test, and maintenance of software. We will show that the basic practices and procedures that define software engineering and the ISO guideline are, for all intents and purposes, one and the same. We hope that the readers of this book will use the information found within not only to pass the certification audit but as a tool to be used to create the well-managed engineering environment needed to create reliable, well engineered products in a consistent manner. Audience This book is intended for senior software engineers, software managers, and non software managers within software organizations whose aim is to create an engi neering environment within their company or organization. In addition, individ uals outside the software organization who have responsibility for the specification of the software product and preparing their organization to take ownership of the developed product will find this book of great interest. Finally, those who must choose software companies to do business with or audit software companies to determine their ability to engineer and maintain a software product will find this book helpful. 2 Introduction Overview This book is made up of twenty-four chapters that can be grouped into four sections. Chapter 1 through Chapter 4 set the basis for the following chapters that deal directly with the guideline."

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.