Dorf's Introduction to Electric Circuits, Global Edition, is designed for a one- to -three term course in electric circuits or linear circuit analysis. The book endeavors to help students who are being exposed to electric circuits for the first time and prepares them to solve realistic problems involving these circuits. Abundant design examples, design problems, and the How Can We Check feature illustrate the text's focus on design. The Global Edition continues the expanded use of problem-solving software such as PSpice and MATLAB.

Matthew J. Liberatore Department of Management Villanova University Villanova, PA 19085 1. BACKGROUND The weakening competitive position of many segments of u.s. manufacturing has been analyzed, debated and discussed in corporate boardrooms, academic journals and the popular literature. One result has been a renewed commitment toward improving productivity and quality in the workplace. The drive to reduce manufacturing related costs, while meeting ever-changing customer needs, has led many firms to consider more automated and flexible manufacturing systems. The extent to which these new technologies can support business goals in productivity, quality and flexibility is an especially important issue for manufacturing firms in the u.s. and other Western nations. Problems have arisen in developing performance measures and evaluation criteria which reflect the full range of costs and benefits associated with these technologies. Some would argue that managerial policies and attitudes, and not the shortcomings of the equipment or manufacturing processes, are the major impediments to implementation (Kaplan 1984)."

Comprehensive, detailed, and organized for speedy reference--everything you need to know about modern manufacturing technology... From concurrent engineering to fixture design for machining systems, from robotics and artificial intelligence to facility layout planning and automated CAD-based inspection, this handbook provides all the information you need to design, plan, and implement a modern, efficient manufacturing system tailored to your company's special needs and requirements. Handbook of Design, Manufacturing and Automation does more than simply present the characteristics and specifications of each technology--much more. Each technology is discussed both in terms of its own capabilities and in terms of its compatibility with other technologies, and the trade-offs involved in choosing one option over another are explored at length. An entire section is devoted to the business aspects of converting to the new technologies, including acquisition of automation, managing advanced manufacturing technology, and issues of cost and financing. The focus is on incorporating these technologies into a cohesive whole--an efficient, cost-effective manufacturing system. Other important topics include:

• Design for automated manufacturing
• Nontraditional manufacturing processes
• Machine tool programming techniques and trends
• Precision engineering and micromanufacturing
• Computer-integrated product planning and control
• Image processing for manufacturing
• And much more