The managed flow of goods and information from raw material to final sale also known as a "supply chain" affects everythingâ€"from the U.S. gross domestic product to where you can buy your jeans. The nature of a company's supply chain has a significant effect on its success or failureâ€"as in the success of Dell Computer's make-to-order system and the failure of General Motor's vertical integration during the 1998 United Auto Workers strike. Supply Chain Integration looks at this crucial component of business at a time when product design, manufacture, and delivery are changing radically and globally. This book explores the benefits of continuously improving the relationship between the firm, its suppliers, and its customers to ensure the highest added value. This book identifies the state-of-the-art developments that contribute to the success of vertical tiers of suppliers and relates these developments to the capabilities that small and medium-sized manufacturers must have to be viable participants in this system. Strategies for attaining these capabilities through manufacturing extension centers and other technical assistance providers at the national, state, and local level are suggested. This book identifies action steps for small and medium-sized manufacturersâ€"the "seed corn" of business start-up and developmentâ€"to improve supply chain management. The book examines supply chain models from consultant firms, universities, manufacturers, and associations. Topics include the roles of suppliers and other supply chain participants, the rise of outsourcing, the importance of information management, the natural tension between buyer and seller, sources of assistance to small and medium-sized firms, and a host of other issues. Supply Chain Integration will be of interest to industry policymakers, economists, researchers, business leaders, and forward-thinking executives.

First published in 1990, this book provides an overview of the global distribution of the electronics industry and the structural factors which promoted this distribution by the end of the 1980s. Regarded as a ‘flagship’ sector in both advanced and developing countries, the electronics industry is encouraged by governments everywhere. Covering both the civilian and the military sides of the industry, Professor Todd reflects on the future of civilian electronics in the light of its global segmentation, and hints at the fundamental role of governments in the unfolding of both civilian and defence-electronics developments. He also endorses the overwhelming significance of strategies being played by electronics enterprises in both the USA and Japan.

Tony Buzan knows more than a little about Mind Maps – after all, he did invent them! Often referred to as the ‘the Swiss-army knife for the brain’, Mind Maps are a ground-breaking, note-taking and mind-organising technique that has already revolutionised the lives of many millions of people around the world and taken the educational world by storm. Now Tony Buzan is sharing the powerful techniques of mind mapping with the business world to help business professionals everywhere revolutionise the way they think and practise. Mind Maps for Business is the very first and only book on mind mapping that has been written by Tony Buzan specifically for a business audience. No matter how big or small the business you work in; no matter if you’re an employer or an employee; no matter what your role is, you’ll find the benefits of using mind maps to help you think, organise, plan and control are vast: Accelerate your productivity to levels you never thought possible. Generate exciting new possibilities for growth and expansion. Make meetings, discussions and forums really productive and useful. Negotiate, talk and consult more constructively and effectively. Be more focussed, more organised and much smarter. Unleash your amazing creative capabilities. Whether you’re writing marketing plans or strategy documents; looking for new ways to develop your business; planning a conference or event; restructuring your staff; or looking to improve your management and leadership skills – discover today the amazing advantages that using Mind Maps for Business can bring.

How can organizations ensure that they can get best value for money in their procurement decisions? How can they stimulate innovations from their dedicated suppliers? With contributions from leading academics and professionals, this 2006 handbook offers expert guidance on the fundamental aspects of successful procurement design and management in firms, public administrations, and international institutions. The issues addressed include the management of dynamic procurement; the handling of procurement risk; the architecture of purchasing systems; the structure of incentives in procurement contracts; methods to increase suppliers' participation in procurement contests and e-procurement platforms; how to minimize the risk of collusion and of corruption; pricing and reputation mechanisms in e-procurement platforms; and how procurement can enhance innovation. Inspired by frontier research, it provides practical recommendations to managers, engineers and lawyers engaged in private and public procurement design.

For more than 20 years, Network World has been the premier provider of information, intelligence and insight for network and IT executives responsible for the digital nervous systems of large organizations. Readers are responsible for designing, implementing and managing the voice, data and video systems their companies use to support everything from business critical applications to employee collaboration and electronic commerce.