Martin Starr addresses two of the most important concerns in business today: the globalization of commerce and the problem that U.S. business is having competing with other companies worldwide. Starr approaches these problems from the standpoint of how American corporations can develop business alliances with corporations elsewhere, rather than competing with them, and how they can build on their own strengths by incorporating the strengths of others. He fully analyzes the massive changes that are creating a new global-based economy, and offers strategies and tactics that can help corporate America to improve its global standing.

Following a brief introductory essay, the work is divided into four main sections. Part I looks at the causes of economic turmoil, focusing on the long-wave cycles of technological change that have placed the industrialized United States at a disadvantage. Part II examines the effects of technological change, in particular the increasing need for flexible manufacturing systems and new methods of management. The reorganization of established firms, and the use of global corporate alliances, is the focus of Part III, while Part IV explores timing, the new competitive variable of the 1990s, and the strategies of time-based management. Also included are two research reports that describe how Japanese firms employ alliances and how foreign firms view the effect of alliances. This book will be an essential resource for managers and executives in all types of corporations, as well as for students in business and related fields.

This remarkable volume highlights the importance of Production and Operations Management (POM) as a field of study and research contributing to substantial business and social growth. The editors emphasize how POM works with a range of systems-agriculture, disaster management, e-commerce, healthcare, hospitality, military systems, not-for-profit, retail, sports, sustainability, telecommunications, and transport-and how it contributes to the growth of each. Martin K. Starr and Sushil K. Gupta gather an international team of experts to provide researchers and students with a panoramic vision of the field. Divided into eight parts, the book presents the history of POM, and establishes the foundation upon which POM has been built while also revisiting and revitalizing topics that have long been essential. It examines the significance of processes and projects to the fundamental growth of the POM field. Critical emerging themes and new research are examined with open minds and this is followed by opportunities to interface with other business functions. Finally, the next era is discussed in ways that combine practical skill with philosophy in its analysis of POM, including traditional and nontraditional applications, before concluding with the editors' thoughts on the future of the discipline. Students of POM will find this a comprehensive, definitive resource on the state of the discipline and its future directions.