This text takes a view of the crucial issues involved in supply chain management. The discussion introduces the concept of risk, information and social capital management that will ensure supply chain excellence and maturity according to the Poirier's model.

The two-volume set IFIP AICT 513 and 514 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the International IFIP WG 5.7 Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems, APMS 2017, held in Hamburg, Germany, in September 2017. The 121 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 163 submissions. They are organized in the following topical sections: smart manufacturing system characterization; product and asset life cycle management in smart factories of industry 4.0; cyber-physical (IIoT) technology deployments in smart manufacturing systems; multi-disciplinary collaboration in the development of smart product-service solutions; sustainable human integration in cyber-physical systems: the operator 4.0; intelligent diagnostics and maintenance solutions; operations planning, scheduling and control; supply chain design; production management in food supply chains; factory planning; industrial and other services; operations management in engineer-to-order manufacturing; gamification of complex systems design development; lean and green manufacturing; and eco-efficiency in manufacturing operations.

This book focuses on the need to develop sustainable supply chains - economically, environmentally and socially. This book is not about a wish list of impractical choices, but the reality of decisions faced by all those involved in supply chain management today. Our definition of sustainable supply chains is not restricted to so-called "green" supply chains, but recognises that in order to be truly sustainable, supply chains must operate within a realistic financial structure, as well as contribute value to our society. Supply chains are not sustainable unless they are realistically funded and valued. Thus, a real definition of sustainable supply chain management must take account of all relevant economic, social and environmental issues. This book contains examples from a wide range of real-life case studies, and synthesizes the learnings from these many different situations to provide the fundamental building blocks at the centre of successful logistics and supply chain management.

Though entrepreneurship has been studied for decades, in recent years, the study of “rural entrepreneurship” has emerged as an upcoming subtopic of the area. With the growth and continual ease of utilizing digital technologies to support entrepreneurial activities, these technologies now provide unique opportunities for advancing rural entrepreneurship. Though prior research focused on challenges for IT use in rural areas that specifically investigated investment and management issues, it is important to study all challenges and opportunities involved in this developing area of research. Rural Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Digital Era is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the utilization of digital technologies in rural business ventures. Unlike other references, this book studies the conceptualization process of rural entrepreneurship and innovation with the intention of providing guidelines and support for entrepreneurs. While highlighting topics such as microfinancing, risk management, and rural development, this publication explores innovative practices as well as the methods of IT investment and management. This book is ideally designed for business professionals, entrepreneurs, business researchers, academics, and business students.

This work presents a comprehensive model of supply chain management. Experienced executives from 20 companies clearly define supply chain management, identifying those factors that contribute to its effective implementation. They provide practical guidelines on how companies can manage supply chains, addressing the role of all the traditional business functions in supply chain management and suggest how the adoption of a supply chain management approach can affect business strategy and corporate performance.