Materials & sustainability building a circular future
Examines sustainable manufacturing, from the extraction of materials to processing, use, and disposal, and argues that significant changes in all of the above are needed for the world to progress toward a more circular economy. Materials and processing methods are usually chosen with performance as the key metric.
Applied geotechnics for construction projects ; Vol. 3 : Behavior and Design of Project Foundations and Eurocode Validation
Applied Geotechnics for Construction Projects 3 first presents the basic theoretical principles and rules governing the designing and validation of foundations; shallow, semi-deep and deep, then presents real foundation projects with a detailed comparison of the approaches and methods of calculating foundations in relation to the reference systems and rules in force, closely compared to and validated by the Eurocodes. The third chapter presents examples of foundation projects, covering high-side building rafts, strip footings, piles and embankments, enriched by an unprecedented level of experience in the field of foundations for civil and industrial construction projects.
An effective strategy for safe design in engineering and construction
Achieves three primary goals: To improve the understanding and implementation of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 To reduce errors during the design process via the effective implementation of design management strategy To embed the concept of safety in design
Alternative concrete - geopolymer concrete : Emerging research and opportunities
Focuses on fly ash-based alkali-activated geopolymer concrete, its production and characteristic properties. The re-use of waste materials and industrial by-products, such as fly ash, is not only economically of interest but also helps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The carbon footprint of these materials is much lower than that of concrete using ordinary Portland cement. They thus offer new sustainable solutions to the construction industry.
Marketing the Arts : Breaking Boundaries
The importance of arts consumption and its socio-cultural, political, and economic dimensions The impact of new technologies, platforms, and alternative artforms on the art market The importance of the aesthetic experience itself and how to research it The value of arts-based methods The art versus commerce debate The artist as entrepreneur The role of the arts marketer as market-maker
Managing the Digital Transformation : Aligning Technologies, Business Models, and Operations
Provides the key technologies involved in an organization’s digital transformation. It offers a deep understanding of the key technologies (Blockchain, AI, Big Data, IoT, etc.) involved and details the impact, the decision-making process, and the interplay between technologies, business models, and operations.
Managing in the Information Economy : Current Research Issues
Managing in the Information Economy: Current Research Issues presents the recent research directions that address the issue of management in this economy. The contributors include leading researchers with interests in a diverse set of topics. While the volume cannot give a complete and comprehensive picture, it can provide introductions to important areas, and point to some important topics for future research. Therefore the book begins with perspectives at the level of the economy as a whole and then progressively addresses industrial structure, sectors, functions (e-commerce) and business practices. Introductions to the main sections and the papers in each section are provided. The volume is organized around six sections: The Information Economy; Structure and the Organization of the Information Economy; Marketing and Ecommerce
Managing Business Interfaces : Marketing and Engineering Issues in the Supply Chain and Internet Domains
Within companies and organizations there is an increased emphasis on making different functional areas work together seamlessly. These developments have led to an increased emphasis on research and practice in business that integrate the functional areas within and between business entities. The research community has recognized the importance of addressing these different, and often conflicting, business perspectives. This has led to research streams that address issues characterizing the domain of business interfaces. These include the benefits of coordination, new product development, product portfolio management, supply chain coordination, and partnerships and collaboration in the Internet space.
Management Quality and Competitiveness : Lessons from the Industrial Excellence Award
This book showcases examples of excellent manufacturing companies who have succeeded in creating value and job growth in Western Europe. The examples show managers of industrial firms how a clearly articulated strategic position can be combined with excellent execution to achieve competitiveness in Europe, in spite of the usually cited disadvantage of high labor costs and rigidity. Not every company is alike — strategic positions differ, and the means of execution differ, but what is common is a clear plan together with mobilization of all employees to apply their abilities in supporting this common plan. The book is indispensable reading for all managers that are interested in improving competitiveness.
Management divided : Contradictions of labor management
One of the central dynamics shaping organizations is a contradiction managers face between ensuring workforce discipline and harnessing worker creativity. In this rich study of American manufacturing, Matt Vidal offers a theory of 'organizational political economy', integrating concepts from organization theory into a classical Marxist framework
Making European Merger Policy More Predictable
Making European Merger Policy More Predictable analyses European Merger Control with regard to its capacity to generate predictability among the concerned parties. Starting from the premise that predictability is of overwhelming importance for the functioning of market economies, Voigt and Schmidt ask to what degree European Merger Control has been predictable over the last couple of years. The authors show both theoretically and empirically that there have been serious shortcomings with regard to the predictability of competition policy. They identify the insufficient recognition of the consequences of globalization on the competitive processes as well as an often inconsistent application of economic theory as the root causes for the lack of predictability. The inconsistent application of economic theory is particularly relevant with regard to potential competition and the evaluation of collective dominance. The authors generate a substantial number of proposals that could help to improve predictability. On this basis, Voigt and Schmidt critically assess the recent reforms of European Merger Control.
Lead Markets for Environmental Innovations
Often, the leadership in technological development is accompanied by a leadership in environmental policy. The book provides an analysis of lead markets for innovations such as fuel cells, photovoltaics, and others. Contributions of innovation economics, policy analysis and environmental economics are assessed regarding their potential to explain the leadership of single countries. The book depicts the policy frameworks that are favourable to the creation of such lead markets on the basis of theoretical considerations and case studies. Finally, recommendations for R and D policies, environmental and industrial policies are derived.
Knowledge Solutions : Tools, Methods, and Approaches to Drive Organizational Performance
Covers topics in knowledge management and competence in strategy development, management techniques, collaboration mechanisms, knowledge sharing and learning, as well as knowledge capture and storage. Presented in accessible “chunks,” it includes more than 120 topics that are essential to high-performance organizations. The extensive use of quotes by respected experts juxtaposed with relevant research to counterpoint or lend weight to key concepts; “cheat sheets” that simplify access and reference to individual articles; as well as the grouping of many of these topics under recurrent themes make this book unique. In addition, it provides scalable tried-and-tested tools, method and approaches for improved organizational effectiveness.
Complexity management : Optimizing product architecture of Industrial products
This book presents a complexity management model that is based on the reasoning that product architecture determines to a considerable extent how external complexity is translated into physical products. The model demonstrates a procedure to optimize a product’s architecture and is applied to several industrial products.
Competitiveness in the Tourism Sector : A Comprehensive Approach from Economic and Management Points
International tourism is expected to be a major vehicle of economic development in industrializing countries in the 21st century, especially for Asia. To generate long-term growth, countries with tourism-based economies must develop strategies for employing their comparative advantages to achieve competitive advantages. However, competitiveness in the tourist industry is multi-dimensional and complex. This study evaluates the competitiveness of the Taiwanese tourism sector by a multi-dimensional framework. The theoretical model proposes that the competitiveness of tourist destinations should be composed of Ricardian comparative advantages (like the conditions of natural endowments and the degree of technological change); Porterian competitive advantages; tourism management, i.e., providing high quality education and job training, public goods, support services and reduced transaction costs to enhance comparative and competitive advantages; and environmental conditions.
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.
China : Surpassing the “Middle Income Trap”
This book explores one of the most fiercely debated issues in China: if and how China will surpass the middle income trap that has plagued many developing countries for years. This book gives readers a clear picture of China today and acts as a reference for other developing countries.
Business ethics from the 19th century to today : An economist's view
Combines elements of economic and business history to study business ethics from the nineteenth century to today. It concentrates on American and British business history, delving into issues such as slavery, industrialization, firm behavior and monopolies, and Ponzi schemes. This book draws on the work of economists and historians to highlight the importance of changing technologies, religious beliefs, and cultural attitudes, showing that what is considered ethical differs across time and place.
Business Education and Emerging Market Economies : Perspectives and Best Practices
Business Education in Emerging Market Economies discusses the impact of business education on emerging markets and explores curricular innovation, pedagogical approaches, and strategic alliances in the context of industrializing economies. Emerging markets consist of eighty percent of the world's population and some 75% of its trade growth in the foreseeable future according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The potential economic growth of emerging markets has prompted a need to understand the dynamics of these markets, their business institutions, and their educational systems. The pressures of globalization and the recent economic reforms that swept across emerging, developing, and transitioning, economies have had a positive impact on the demand for business education and business knowledge from the developed and industrialized countries. As a result, many methods were developed to transfer know-how from the developed markets including learning through imitation, using western style pedagogical approaches, attending universities in industrialized countries, learning through experience and practice, and using information technology. The conclusion we reach is that business and management education in emerging markets is fast changing the way in which these markets operate and are perceived – business educators are catalysts for greater economic integration.
Bringing the Jobless into Work? : Experiences with Activation Schemes in Europe and the US
Over the last decade, many industrialized countries shifted from passive unemployment and welfare benefit regimes and traditional active labor market and social policies to activation strategies by making benefit receipt conditional upon accepting job offers or participation in active labor market schemes. But countries differ with regard to the design of activation instruments and their implementation, the definition of target groups and the effects of activation in the national labor market setting. This volume provides an up-to-date overview of activation strategies in unemployment benefit systems and social assistance in selected European countries and the US. A particular focus lies on the development of activation schemes, governance and implementation as well as on the outcomes of activation in terms of labor market and social integration. The volume is the first to address these issues both from a socio-economic and a legal perspective.



















