Many production managers have de-stocked excessively large inventories, gone lean, experimented with continuous improvement processes and introduced new working practices. These interventions have largely failed. Businesses have also failed to invest in the workforce that undertakes improvements. This means that cash flow stops quickly, stocks are depleted to zero and customers lose confidence. Systems for Manufacturing Excellence looks at how people and technology work effectively together to generate high performance manufacturing and service operations. Not everyone is a Toyota but that does not mean we cannot learn from such businesses. The book will present a logic, variety of approaches and methods that underpin the different models of high performance used by 'world class' businesses. The authors use examples from their training with Toyota, work with Tesco, and many world class manufacturing businesses that form their research agenda. The book will help teams run each part of their production process for effectiveness and efficiency, with a high level of discipline that supports excellence in performance.

Many production managers have de-stocked excessively large inventories, gone lean, experimented with continuous improvement processes and introduced new working practices. These interventions have largely failed. Businesses have also failed to invest in the workforce that undertakes improvements. This means that cash flow stops quickly, stocks are depleted to zero and customers lose confidence. Systems for Manufacturing Excellence looks at how people and technology work effectively together to generate high performance manufacturing and service operations. Not everyone is a Toyota but that does not mean we cannot learn from such businesses. The book will present a logic, variety of approaches and methods that underpin the different models of high performance used by 'world class' businesses. The authors use examples from their training with Toyota, work with Tesco, and many world class manufacturing businesses that form their research agenda. The book will help teams run each part of their production process for effectiveness and efficiency, with a high level of discipline that supports excellence in performance.

The harmonisation of many European policies and the advent of the Euro has dictated a shift in the approach of fixed income investment. Although the risk of foreign exchange rate fluctuations has been removed, the need to diversify portfolios has meant traders looking beyond their traditional geographic areas and at a greater range of bond markets than ever before.

This comprehensive book explains how the bond markets work in each country of the euro zone and details the features and specifications of each type. The straightforward structure allows comfortable comparison between bonds in the respective countries and provides wide-ranging information needed to make informed investment decisions.

An ideal reference source, this will prove a useful companion for all investors.

Taking "self-help" to new heights and learning to cultivate your divine spiritual self in any environment, The Urban Ritualist uncovers the divine purpose of all beings, to strengthen the divine spirit within and use its power to uplift human consciousness. The term "self-help" is indicative of humankind's desire to elevate themselves - their physical, social, and economic conditions. This desire to change has been linked to the universal changes that are taking place in terms of the earth, and universal energy. Although many believe that our thoughts have the capacity to manifest the changes we desire, and in many ways it does, there is another part to the equation. It's not all about what you think, it's also about who you are. To "Know Thyself" is the most recognized edict given to humankind by the ancient Kemetians. It is the foundation of transformation work and the lifeblood of magic. In The Urban Ritualist, the path to know oneself and cultivate spiritual growth and development is laid out. Spirituality and ritual are examined from an ancient African and African American worldview as researched and expressed by African and African American scholars and practitioners over the last 60 years. It examines the importance of culture and the role it plays in one's practice of ritual. The book brings into question the values a culture holds, and encourages its readers to examine their personal values, attitudes, and beliefs. Finally, the book examines the various energies, inherent in the elements and environment that, when activated en mass, will elevate the magic that will hold this universe together. The Urban Ritualist is for persons of all ages, cultures, religious affiliations and backgrounds to synthesize ritual into their own lives and value systems. Readers are encouraged to uplift their ethnicity with positive conscious intent and to respect the spirit, energy and power in all people. In the book, you will learn to use common tools imbued with your positive conscious intent to manifest success and abundance for yourself, your family and your community. The book also encourages readers to expand their frame of reference to the positive transformation of the world community for the benefit of all. Infuse every day, every occasion and your life with ritual to live in the true power of peace and love with no limitations. Author Bio: Queen Afi Andaiye Najuma Reynolds is a certified Kemetic Yoga instructor and student of internal qi gong for energy cultivation and movement to aid the healing process. She specializes in breathwork, meditation techniques, ritual creation, and spiritual/intuitive ancestral readings. She produces a line of natural body care products under the brand "Queen Afi's Natural Body Care Products," creates ritual tools under the brand "Ritual Works ," and provides nutritional and healthy lifestyle guidance under the auspices of the Universal Temple of Peace and Love.. Queen Afi holds a Master of Education degree in Instructional Technology and has over 15 years in government, business, and community program/course development experience. She has also worked in supported employment, organizational development and human performance technology. Queen Afi is Senior Consultant for R.A.W. (Ready, Able, and Willing) to Work, Inc.; a work-readiness, new technologies training program. She is leading the effort to identify and develop work opportunities in the community for program participants, to provide services to small businesses, seniors and young families.

Rachel Afi Quinn investigates how visual media portray Dominican women and how women represent themselves in their own creative endeavors in response to existing stereotypes. Delving into the dynamic realities and uniquely racialized gendered experiences of women in Santo Domingo, Quinn reveals the way racial ambiguity and color hierarchy work to shape experiences of identity and subjectivity in the Dominican Republic. She merges analyses of context and interviews with young Dominican women to offer rare insights into a Caribbean society in which the tourist industry and popular media reward, and rely upon, the ability of Dominican women to transform themselves to perform gender, race, and class. Engaging and astute, Being La Dominicana reveals the little-studied world of today's young Dominican women and what their personal stories and transnational experiences can tell us about the larger neoliberal world.