These proceedings include a collection of papers on a range of topics presented at the 12th World Congress on Engineering Asset Management (WCEAM) in Brisbane, 2 - 4 August 2017. Effective strategies are required for managing complex engineering assets such as built environments, infrastructure, plants, equipment, hardware systems and components. Following the release of the ISO 5500x set of standards in 2014, the 12th WCEAM addressed important issues covering all aspects of engineering asset management across various sectors including health. The topics discussed by the congress delegates are grouped into a number of tracks, including strategies for investment and divestment of assets, operations and maintenance of assets, assessment of assets' health conditions, risk and vulnerability, technologies, and systems for management of assets, standards, education, training and certification.

This book focuses on the challenges and changes that new technologies bring to human resources (HR) of modern organizations. It examines the technological implications of the last changes taking place and how they affect the management and motivation of human resources belonging to these organizations. It looks for ways to understand and perceive how organizational HR, individually and as a team, conceptualize, invent, adapt, define and use organizational technology, as well as how they are constrained by features of it. The book provides discussion and the exchange of information on principles, strategies, models, techniques, methodologies and applications of human resources management and technological challenges and changes in the field of industry, commerce and services.

The Spanish Conference of Industrial Engineering /Ingenieria de Organizacion Industrial (CIO) is an annual meeting promoted by Asociacion para el Desarrollo de la Ingenieria de Organizacion/ Industrial Engineers Association (ADINGOR). The aim of CIO is to establish a forum for the open and free exchange of ideas, opinions and academic experiences about research, technology transfer or successful business experiences in the field of Industrial Engineering. The Scientific Committee is composed by 68 international referees and we foresee the attendance of some 200 people from more than 15 countries and following the rotation of venue and organization between various Spanish universities, the 2011 Conference will be the fifteenth National Conference and the fifth International Conference in Cartagena. During three days the 2011 Conference will include the participation of European and other foreign countries researchers and practitioners that will presenting communications, reproduced in this volume, on a range of topics including: Production and Operations Business Management Supply Chain Management Economic environment Technological and Organizational Innovation and Management and Innovation in Education The Conference on Industrial Engineering (CIO) and its proceedings are an excellent platform for the dissemination of the outputs of the scientific projects developed in the frame of the European, national or regional Research and Development plans.

This book examines the strategic aspects of outsourcing in relation to the firm. It provides a holistic view of the outsourcing process, starting with conceptualization, through to implementation and management of the process. Although the book is based on a case study of the pharmaceutical industry, the general principles derived from the Strategic Sourcing Model are generic in nature and the model can be applied to instances of outsourcing in other industries.

This book offers comprehensive examination of research on the relevance of individual behavior and technology to financial innovations. The chapters cover current topics in finance including integrated reporting, people finance, crowdfunding, and corporate networks. It provides readers with an organized starting point to explore individual behaviors and new technologies used in financial innovations. The explicit and growing speed of the spread of new technologies has hastened the emergence of innovation in the field of finance. Topics like the Internet of Things, semantic computing and big data finance are motivating the construction of financial tools that translate into new financial mechanisms. This book strives help readers better understand the dynamic of the changes in financial systems and the proliferation of financial products. Individual Behaviors and Technologies for Financial Innovations is organized in 16 chapters, organized in three parts. Part I has eight chapters that review the research on gender differences in attitudes about risk and propensity to purchase automobile insurance, financial literacy models for college students, wellness and attitude of university students in the use of credit cards, impact of programs income distribution and propensity to remain in employment, financial literacy and propensity to resort to informal financing channels, risk behavior in the use of credit cards by students. Part II reviews the research on financing for startups and SMEs, exploring funding through crowdfunding platform, operating credit unions, and using networks of friends to finance small businesses outside the domestic market. The four chapters of Part III describe contexts of financial innovation in listed companies, including society's demands on their behavior - we discuss motivations for companies to participate in corporate sustainability indexes, corporate performance through their profile of socially responsible investments, influence of networks of social relations in the formation of boards, and management of companies, and also the precariousness of financial decisions in large companies, as well as the role of the internet in corporate communication with the market.

Product longevity is one of the cornerstones in the transition towards a more sustainable society and a key driver for the circular economy model. This book provides designers, developers, and creators with five distinctive expert strategies, detailed case studies, action guides and worksheets that support both beginning and advanced design practitioners in creating new product concepts with long-lasting strategic fits. Designing for Longevity shows how expert design teams create original and long-lasting product concepts from the early development phase. It focuses on integrating business knowledge, market conditions, company capabilities, technical possibilities and user needs into product concepts to make better strategic decisions. It demonstrates how, for products to be durable, designers must create a long-lasting strategic fit for the customer, company, and market. Key case studies of products such as Bang & Olufsen's A9, LEGO Ninjago and Friends and Coloplasts' Sensura Mio, among others, offer readers inspiration, guidance and real-world insights from design teams showing how the strategies can be applied in practice. Action guidelines and worksheets encourage broad, analytical problem-solving to identify and think through challenges at the early concept stage. Beautifully designed and illustrated in full colour throughout, this book combines original research and the hands-on tools and strategies that design practitioners need to create useful, sustainable products.

Embedding the theoretical discussion on the framework of evolutionary regional innovation systems (RIS), this book reveals the informal nature of the emerging RIS in China, within which interactive learning is organized on the basis of social networks. Furthermore, in a comparative study in the Pearl River Delta, China demonstrates that dirigiste governance in the initial industrialization phase leads to a more mature and developed RIS than does grassroots governance. The theoretical developments and empirical investigation presented in this book will grant readers a deeper understanding of the specific features of RIS within the transitional context of emerging economies.

This book discusses how the methods and mindsets of design thinking empower large organizations to create groundbreaking innovations. Arguing that innovations must effectively tackle so-called "wicked problems," it shows how design thinking enables managers and innovators to create the organizational spaces and practices needed for breakthrough innovations. Design thinking equips actors with the tools and methods for harnessing the creative tensions inherent in pluralist, often conflicting disciplinary approaches. This, however, requires the transformation of contemporary organizational cultures away from monolithic, integrated models (or identities) toward more pluralist, dynamic and flexible institutional identities. Based on real-world cases from a wide range of organizations around the globe, the book offers managers and innovators practical guidance on initiating and managing the cultural transformations required for effective innovation.

Since the turn of the century, technology transfer and innovation has played an increasingly important role in government policy for reinvigorating and supporting a country's industry. This has been fueled by technology transfer from third parties such as universities, but due to the rapid evolution of the external environment of technology, companies require regular upgrades to information systems and technical infrastructure and adjustments. University-Industry Technology Transfer in the UK: Emerging Research and Opportunities provides innovative insights into how technology transfer has operated in university-company projects undertaken in small- to medium-sized enterprises. Highlighting 19 different cases drawn from companies in the regions adjoining the University of Gloucestershire, UK, from a qualitative case study approach, the content within this publication analyzes contract packers, the manufacturing industry, and research organizations. It is a vital reference source for managers, business owners, education administrators, researchers, academicians, professionals, policymakers, and graduate-level students seeking coverage on topics centered on case examples of technology transfer projects in different industry sectors.

This volume explores emerging models, methods and tools in the management of research and development (R&D) in the knowledge era, with a particular focus on the challenges of the emerging technologies. The contributions are organized in five parts. Part I, Managing Emerging Technologies, provides methods and tools to understand the challenges created by the emergence of new technologies. Part II, Technology and Engineering Management Tools and Policies, explores different technology and engineering tools, including topics such as product concept development, design, selection and adoption, using technology roadmaps and bibliometrics. Part III, Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship, explores R&D, knowledge transfer and entrepreneurial education. Part IV, Commercialization of Technological Innovations, explores the development and application of the technology transfer process which allows managers to succeed in commercializing the outcomes of R&D projects. Part V, Managing the Engineering Enterprise, explores the effect economic decision-making, leadership styles, change management and quality management have on an organization's ability to plan and execute initiatives and projects. Research and Development has always played a critical role in the engineering and technology focused industries. In an era of big data and smart applications, knowledge has become a key enabler for R&D. Managing R&D in the knowledge era requires use of key tools and methods. However, emerging technologies pose many challenges and cause uncertainties or discontinuities, which make the task of managing R&D even more difficult. This book will examine these challenges and provide tools and methods to overcome them. Exploring such industries as automotive, healthcare, business intelligence, energy and home appliances, this book is a valuable resource for academics, scholars, professionals and leaders in innovation, R&D, technology, and engineering management.

This volume focuses on the issue of change in democratic politics in terms of experimental or actual innovations introduced either within political parties or outside the party system, involving citizen participation and mobilization. Including a wide and diverse range of alternatives in the organization of groups, campaigning, conducting initiatives and enhancing practices, they not only question the relevance of traditional institutions in representing citizens' values and interests, but also share a common goal which is precisely - and perhaps paradoxically - to reshape and invigorate representative democracy This book is of key interest to scholars and students of party politics, elections/electoral studies, social movement and democratic innovations and more broadly to comparative politics, political theory and political sociology.

Keep ahead of your competitors New Product Development will help you and your company overcome an expensive and common weakness: the lack of adequate new product development. This vital book examines the requirements of new product development in detail as well as in the context of corporate strategy. Packed with practical information that can immediately be put into effect, New Product Development can help you keep your company on the leading edge, no matter what type of industry you?re in This uniquely insightful volume will help you become a successful innovator by showing you how to plan and execute strategies for developing a continuous flow of new products and services to help you stay ahead of the competition. It demonstrates how innovation, far from being a staff function, is a dynamic line management task. It calls for the same aggressive thrust as marketing and sales, and every officer of the company, from the president on down, has a share in this responsibility.Medium size, small, and even large companies constantly face a mass of problems in achieving successful innovation. New Product Development will help you deal with issues including: inaccurate budgeting costs exceeding budgets faulty market and technical research findings flaws in design inadequately durable materials unforeseen consumer rejection caused by the lack of proper consumer trials leakage of plans to competition failure by outside suppliers missed opportunities for cooperation with outside specialists poorly coordinated development staff ineffective leadership and much more Beginning with an "executive summary" that will guide you quickly to the chapters most relevant to your business, this well-organized book should be on the shelf of every company officer who wants to see his firm prosper, innovate, and create new products that sell-now and for years to come

In this book, the story of how IKEA and its paper producers struggled to solve the problem of creating environmentally friendly paper constitutes the foundation of a discussion of technological development. Through a detailed analysis of the case-study, the authors demonstrate the necessity of including social, technological and economical factors when dealing with such issues.
Focusing on the interactive aspects of commercial and technological development, they examine how new solutions are developed and shaped in relation to the different companies and organizations involved. They investigate resources in terms of how they are related and built into other resources through historical and contemporary interaction processes. Their overall emphasis is on dealing with the issue of how different, closely and distantly related companies and organizations are affected when resources are developed.


eBook available with sample pages: 0203217535

This book introduces a paradigm of reverse hypothesis machines (RHM), focusing on knowledge innovation and machine learning. Knowledge- acquisition -based learning is constrained by large volumes of data and is time consuming. Hence Knowledge innovation based learning is the need of time. Since under-learning results in cognitive inabilities and over-learning compromises freedom, there is need for optimal machine learning. All existing learning techniques rely on mapping input and output and establishing mathematical relationships between them. Though methods change the paradigm remains the same-the forward hypothesis machine paradigm, which tries to minimize uncertainty. The RHM, on the other hand, makes use of uncertainty for creative learning. The approach uses limited data to help identify new and surprising solutions. It focuses on improving learnability, unlike traditional approaches, which focus on accuracy. The book is useful as a reference book for machine learning researchers and professionals as well as machine intelligence enthusiasts. It can also used by practitioners to develop new machine learning applications to solve problems that require creativity.

In this book, leading international scholars provide a timely reconsideration of how and why entrepreneurship matters for economic development, particularly in emerging and developing economies. The book critically dissects the evolving relationship between entrepreneurs and the state.

Series Information:
Harwood Fundamentals of Pure & Applied Economics

Over 12 years ago Logica started the development of TestFrame(r), a test method which enables organizations to develop and execute their tests in a structured way. Since then many new techniques have been developed, such as, most recently, "Service Oriented Architectures (SOAs)" or "Software as a Service (SaaS)," requiring updates to test procedures and processes that seemed well-established. These trends have prompted Logica to update and renew the TestFrame(r) method. Chris Schotanus new book takes into account the recent developments and his presentation is focused on supporting daily test practice. Every step within this structured test method is dealt with exhaustively, providing the reader with the necessary details for successful software testing. Yet his book will not only help test personnel to improve effectivity, it will also serve as a way to improve efficiency through its strong focus on reuse. This makes TestFrame the practical guide to testing information systems for everyone involved in software testing test developers, test managers, and staff charged with quality assurance."

This book systematizes the concepts of business relationships and network embeddedness, taking a new approach to internationalization, relevant for the global economy. It reflects the growing importance of network internationalization theory and explores the impact of embeddedness in domestic and foreign relationships on a company's performance. The author questions the validity of the distinction between domestic and foreign activity of companies and demonstrates that in the B2B market, there are actually no exclusively domestic companies which are not directly or indirectly connected with foreign entities. Chapters cover both small to medium sized enterprises and large multinational corporations, presenting a qualitative analysis of over 400 companies including case studies from the IT and furniture industries. This informative study will provide useful insight for academics and students of business and management, international business and organization studies.

The systematic approach to innovation development today is one of the world's most prominent scientific fields, and with good reason. When applied correctly, such system produces regular outcomes, which consistently drive lasting competitive advantage. Unfortunately, as much as it is beneficial, the orchestration of an undisturbed flow of multiple complex, dynamic, and flexible innovation development processes is structurally demanding. In this book, a recognised innovation management specialist sets the record straight, offering a comprehensive approach to the improvement of innovation efficiency with the use of management control system. Unlike other books on the subject, it proposes original representation - the CDI model - of the relationships between management control system, decision-making quality, and innovation system efficiency and explains why management control is fundamental to innovation management. In addition to that, inside the reader will find several original developments. These include: the info-deficiency (I-D) model, depicting the various parameters hindering decision-making in innovation development; the product innovation development (PID) system, offering the original function-based approach to innovation management; and the composite innovation index - specially designed tool intended to evaluate the efficiency of an innovation development system. It will be of interest to researchers, academics, practitioners, and advanced students in the fields of management, strategy, and innovation. Chapter 4 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com

Capitalism produced entrepreneurs and property rights, the two basic pillars of innovation and growth. As the speed of technology is steadily increasing only radical innovation can be the name of the game. This book discusses technology and innovation trends by looking into historical examples and telling the latest business stories. It opens the discourse about pirates, pioneers, innovators and imitators; proposes the framework of dominant, science-driven and high-tech industry for innovation management and gives insights into intellectual property rights, industrial designs and technical risk management. Finally, it offers 8 important innovation principles for technology driven enterprises that have turned out to have a big effect on the outcome - and in the end on growth.

This book portrays a fresh approach to tourism. It argues for increased and radical change by the tourism industry and claims that this change is made necessary by the emergent sophistication and increased experience of tourists who require a different style of treatment and type of product. Dynamic Tourism is presented as a formula to meet the needs of the prevalent consumer society, to cater for its changing wishes, to reflect society's contemporary concerns and to accommodate the ongoing projected growth of tourism. The focus is upon the tourist, highlighting the need for the tourism industry to give greater consideration to tourists' changing needs, and to take a more flexible, modern and thought-out approach. The argument is delivered in three parts. First, the book indicates why Dynamic Tourism is needed as a method, and shows its first signs of appearing. It then delivers the detail and practicality of the process. Finally, the complete concept is outlined and the method of future implementation is projected. Examples from around the world are used to explain and illustrate the argument. Underlying the whole discussion is the recognition that the tourism arena is a resource of finite size, needing capacity for renewal and requiring the most intelligent, adaptable and considered use. The intended readership for this book includes all participants in the tourism experience: the tourism industry, its policy makers, operatives and stakeholders, and those students who intend to join their ranks, existing tourists who are disappointed with the limited provision offered to them at present and who wish for better in the future, along with the increasing number of new tourists whose outlook is very different from those of the past.

This book discusses skill formation, upskilling of workers, and their interaction with technological change in Gulf countries. Heavy dependence on oil, the 'Dutch Disease', and the high incidence of unskilled foreign workers have caused serious structural imbalances in the labour market in the Gulf. The author shows that success of economic development strategies to address such imbalances are all contingent upon the development of adequate and appropriate skills in the region. This book confirms the role and impact of the deficiencies in the educational system alongside the well established effects of the excessive use of uneducated foreign workers and lack of incentives in the labour market. A comprehensive investigation of the skill problem and an elaborate in-depth analysis to assess the causes, consequences and relationships between poor skills and technological performance are highlights of this book. This is an ideal resource for policy makers in the Gulf region and researchers of the topic.

Collaboration among industry, universities and research institutes plays a vital role in stimulating open innovation, which in turn leads to new products, processes, services and business models. This book brings together a number of real-life examples of how to govern and manage open innovation collaboration projects more effectively, and provides timely insights that project consortia, governance boards and funding agencies can directly apply to implement and monitor projects and achieve greater impacts. All papers were written by recognized leading authorities with extensive experience in governance and management, and reveal how to capitalize on the potential of open innovation. This book shares multidisciplinary research perspectives on the potential benefits and challenges of collaboration, project management, and open innovation, as well as the management of complex organizational cultures and governance models.

Innovative actIvItIes on the development of which Russia puts its hopes for the preservation and successful reconstruction of the former USSR applied science are based on three key factors: funding, infrastructure and management. These factors are of equal significance, however, under today's economic conditions in Russian two latter ones become of critical importance. This determines the range of readers to whom the present book is addressed: - representatives of official institutions both Russian and international in charge of technological and scientific sphere reorganization, high-tech industry conversion, market transformations under transit economies; ~ Western experts, lecturers, consultants participating in the implementation of various bilateral and international programs according to the above mentioned directions; - Russian specialists establishing new high-tech enterprises and organizations and corresponding innovative infrastructure. This book brought to readers' attention includes edited presentations at NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) "Concept of Management Training for in High-Tech, Science and R&D" (1-5 July, 1996, St.Petersburg, Russia).

How are new sciences and technologies created, coordinated and managed? The case studies in this volume show that technologies are the contingent result of complex processes: social negotiation and coordination between the actors (firms, government agencies, engineers) and planners.