Large-scale group decision-making : State-to-the-art clustering and consensus paths
The proposed consensus models focus on the treatment of non-cooperative behaviors in the consensus-reaching process and explores the influence of trust loss on the consensus-reaching process.The logic behind is as follows: firstly, a clustering algorithm is adopted to reduce the dimension of decision-makers, and then, based on the clusters’ opinions obtained, a consensus-reaching process is carried out to obtain a decision result acceptable to the majority of decision-makers.
Knowledge management : Systems and processes in the AI era
Aimed at students and managers who seek detailed insights into contemporary knowledge management (KM). It explains the concepts, theories, and technologies that provide the foundation for knowledge management; the systems and structures that constitute KM solutions; and the processes for developing, deploying, and evaluating these KM solutions. It serves as a complete introduction to the subject of knowledge management, incorporating technical and social aspects, as well as concepts, practical examples, traditional KM approaches, and emerging topics. This third edition has been revised and expanded to include more coverage of emergent trends such as cloud computing, online communities, crowdsourcing and artificial intelligence.
Kanban-Controlled Manufacturing Systems
Kanban control systems bear a great potential to significantly improve operations. A company may reap the full benefits of kanban control only after determining an optimal or near-optimal system configuration. To do that, methods are needed to evaluate the performance and operating costs of individual system configurations. We propose an innovative construction-kit approach that enables us to build stochastic analytical models of a large class of single- and multi-product kanban systems. The presented construction-kit approach may be extended and augmented in various directions
Just-in-Time Scheduling : Models and Algorithms for Computer and Manufacturing Systems
As the field of Supply Chain Management has matured, maintaining the precise flow of goods to maintain schedules (hence, minimizing inventories) on a just-in-time basis still remains as a major challenge. This problem or challenge has resulted in a fair amount of quantitative research in the area, producing an array of models and algorithms to help ensure the precise flow of components and final products into inventories to meet just-in-time requirements.The scheduling models and algorithms presented and illustrated in the book will be done so in the context of extensive use of computer systems in a "real time context.
Component-Based Digital Movie Production : Reference Model of an Integrated Production System
The ongoing digitization process affects all areas of the media industry. Within the scientific discussion, movie production is little observed although it currently faces crucial structural developments. The change to digital production processes allows new ways of cooperation and coordination in the project networks. Marcus Pankow examines the specifics of the movie production industry and its value-creating processes, reflecting the digitization and its impact on the information systems strategy. An empirical case study analysis forms the basis for the development of a reference model for a company-wide application system to support the entire movie production process. Following the concept of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), he encapsulates established applications in services and integrates them on one platform.
Communities of practice to actively manage best practices
Stefano Borzillo examines a large variety of CoPs by means of six success factors and identifies three basic types: innovating strategic, operational excellence, and social and productive space CoPs.
Chinese Railways : Reform and Efficiency Improvement Opportunities
Although being huge by any measure, Chinese Railways are a bottleneck for economic growth in China. The state-owned enterprise returns a small profit but is severely capacity constrained and burdened with inefficiency. A comprehensive reform and efficiency improvement program needs to be developed in order to enable Chinese Railways to support further GDP growth in China. Application of industrial economics to the case of Chinese Railways suggests that moderate deregulation of e.g., the freight business could make Chinese Railways fit for future growth. Operational improvements need to complement this development, such as a redesign of the schedule or the introduction of value added services in the freight business. Based on interviews with Chinese experts, benchmarking with railways in the US, Germany, Russia, and Japan as well as broad coverage of Chinese-language sources, the book makes detailed recommendations on how to design a comprehensive turnaround program for Chinese Railways.
Channel strategies and marketing mix in a connected world
Aims to revisit the “traditional” interaction between channel strategies and the marketing mix in a connected world. In particular, it focuses on the following four dimensions in this context: Consumers, Products, Value Proposition and Sustainability. Keeping in mind the growing digitalization of business processes in the retail world and the move towards omni-channel retailing.
Capacity options for revenue management : Theory and applications in the air cargo industry
Hellermann addresses in his dissertation one of the most interesting - pects of this evolution for OR/MS, the parallel development of long-term and short-term markets for capacity and output, accompanied by a range of option and ?xed-commitment (i. e. , forward) contracts as the basic mec- nisms supporting transactions. This has been a fascinating topic for OR/MS research because it builds on the powerful framework of real options, while connecting directly to key operations decisions (capacity planning, network design, staf?ng, routing, maintenance, and so forth) of the equipment and technologies whose output is the focus of contracts.
Business partner management : Successfully managing external and internal business relationships
Provides a structured, industry-independent and at the same time practical insight into all types of business partnerships. Both relationships with external business partners and internal partnerships with colleagues and employees are considered in depth. The focus is on people as partner and individual with interests and goals. The comparison to private partnerships is quite intentional and illustrates the explanations. Findings from brain research, learning and cooperation are also included.
Building intuition : Insights from basic operations management models and principles
"‘This user-friendly book will help the reader to develop insights with respect to a number of models that are important in the study and practice of operations management’. … all the chapters are extremely well written and a pleasure to read. … This would be a good book to use as a text in any operations management course, and in particular for operations management courses which are part of a ‘liberal studies’ program. It would also be good book for managers … ." (R Bharath, Journal of the Operational Research society, Vol. 60 (7), 2009)
Asias New Institutional Architecture : Evolving Structures for Managing Trade, Financial, and Security Relations
This book investigates the origins and evolution of Asia’s new institutional architecture in trade, finance, and security from both a theoretical and empirical perspective. The traditional institutional equilibrium in Asia has come under heavy strain in the "post triple shocks period" - the post-Cold War, the post-financial crisis of 1997-98, and the post-9-11 attacks. The new dynamics of rivalry and cooperation among states at both the intraregional and transregional levels is now shaping a new institutional architecture. Political and business leaders from Northeast and Southeast Asia interact with each other more frequently. South Asia’s participation in the rest of Asia in recent years is truly impressive. As we show, the future institutional trajectory of Asia is still open, but we believe that the book provides a timely examination of key shifts in the region. In doing so, our hope is to provide policymakers and analysts with an institutional road map for the future.
Asias debt capital markets : Prospects and strategies for development
The book has three parts. Part I describes the characteristics and historical origins of these markets. Part II examines the contemporary bond markets and shows how they contribute to general welfare, describes the relationship between the banking sector and capital markets, and assesses prospects for reform in Asia's governmental and corporate debt markets. Part III explains the micro-level impediments and obstacles that must be the first targets of any reform efforts, provides an appraisal of attempts at regional cooperation to stimulate structural reform, and lastly contributes proposals to accelerate the growth and reach of bond markets throughout Asia.
Analysis, Control and Optimization of Complex Dynamic Systems
Analysis, Control and Optimization of Complex Dynamic Systems gathers in a single volume a spectrum of complex dynamic systems related papers written by experts in their fields, and strongly representative of current research trends. Complex systems present important challenges, in great part due to their sheer size which makes it difficult to grasp their dynamic behavior, optimize their operations, or study their reliability. Yet, we live in a world where, due to increasing inter-dependencies and networking of systems, complexity has become the norm. With this in mind, the volume comprises two parts. The first part is dedicated to a spectrum of complex problems of decision and control encountered in the area of production and inventory systems. The second part is dedicated to large scale or multi-agent system problems occurring in other areas of engineering such as telecommunication and electric power networks, as well as more generic context.
Analysis and Algorithms for Service Parts Supply Chains
Services requiring parts has become a $1.5 trillion business annually worldwide, creating a tremendous incentive to manage the logistics of these parts efficiently by making planning and operational decisions in a rational and rigorous manner. This book provides a broad overview of modeling approaches and solution methodologies for addressing service parts inventory problems found in high-powered technology and aerospace applications. The focus in this work is on the management of high cost, low demand rate service parts found in multi-echelon settings. This unique book, with its breadth of topics and mathematical treatment, begins by first demonstrating the optimality of an order-up-to policy [or (s-1,s)] in certain environments. This policy is used in the real world and studied throughout the text. The fundamental mathematical building blocks for modeling and solving applications of stochastic process and optimization techniques to service parts management problems are summarized extensively. A wide range of exact and approximate mathematical models of multi-echelon systems is developed and used in practice to estimate future inventory investment and part repair requirements.
An annotated timeline of operations research: An informal history
An Annotated Timeline of Operations Research: An Informal History recounts the evolution of Operations Research (OR) as a new science - the science of decision making. Arising from the urgent operational issues of World War II, the philosophy and methodology of OR has permeated the resolution of decision problems in business, industry, and government. The Timeline chronicles the history of OR in the form of self-contained, expository entries. Each entry presents a concise explanation of the events and people under discussion, and provides key sources where further relevant information can be obtained. In addition, books and papers that have influenced the development of OR or helped to educate the first generations of OR academics and practitioners are cited throughout the book.
Amartya Sens Capability Approach: Theoretical Insights and Empirical Applications
Kuklys examines how Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen’s approach to welfare measurement can be put in practice for poverty and inequality measurement in affluent societies such as the UK. Sen argues that an individual’s welfare should not be measured in terms of her income, but in terms what she can actually do or be, her capabilities. In Chapters 1 and 2, Kuklys describes the capability approach from a standard welfare economic point of view and provides a comprehensive literature review of the empirical applications in this area of research. In the remaining chapters, novel econometric techniques are employed to operationalise the concepts of functionings and capability to investigate inequality and poverty in terms of capability in the UK. Kuklys finds that capability measurement is always a useful complement to traditional monetary analysis, and particularly so in the case of capability-deprived disabled individuals.
Agent-Based Models of Energy Investment Decisions
This book demonstrates how bounded rational decision models can be standardized and parameterized by socio-economic data. Focusing on private energy technology investment decisions, the author shows how different representative agents can be constructed using search rules, analysis tools and decision strategies. Diffusion curves for energy technologies such as solar collectors, boilers and efficiency upgrades for buildings are calculated. Further, the model is extended to study the impact of firms’ competition on technology diffusion. The modeling approach presented in this book may serve as a template for applications in other domain.
Advanced robust and nonparametric methods in efficiency analysis : Methodology and applications
This readable book makes available an intuitive yet rigorous presentation of advanced nonparametric and robust methods. This flexible toolbox can be used in theories based on the neoclassical theory of production and its alternatives, including evolutionary theories.
Material Design : Informing Architecture by Materiality
The approach of Material Design opens the way to an innovative use of materials in the design professions. Taking material qualities and properties such as texture, elasticity and transparency as a point of departure, the book describes a multitude of material operations, like folding and bending, carving and cutting, weaving and knitting, mirroring and screening.



















