Download or read book Enabling Flexibility in Process Aware Information Systems written by Manfred Reichert and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-08-28 with total page 517 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In today’s dynamic business world, the success of a company increasingly depends on its ability to react to changes in its environment in a quick and flexible way. Companies have therefore identified process agility as a competitive advantage to address business trends like increasing product and service variability or faster time to market, and to ensure business IT alignment. Along this trend, a new generation of information systems has emerged—so-called process-aware information systems (PAIS), like workflow management systems, case handling tools, and service orchestration engines. With this book, Reichert and Weber address these flexibility needs and provide an overview of PAIS with a strong focus on methods and technologies fostering flexibility for all phases of the process lifecycle (i.e., modeling, configuration, execution and evolution). Their presentation is divided into six parts. Part I starts with an introduction of fundamental PAIS concepts and establishes the context of process flexibility in the light of practical scenarios. Part II focuses on flexibility support for pre-specified processes, the currently predominant paradigm in the field of business process management (BPM). Part III details flexibility support for loosely specified processes, which only partially specify the process model at build-time, while decisions regarding the exact specification of certain model parts are deferred to the run-time. Part IV deals with user- and data-driven processes, which aim at a tight integration of processes and data, and hence enable an increased flexibility compared to traditional PAIS. Part V introduces existing technologies and systems for the realization of a flexible PAIS. Finally, Part VI summarizes the main ideas of this book and gives an outlook on advanced flexibility issues. The book’s target groups include researchers, PhD students and Master students in the field of information systems. After reading the book, they will better understand PAIS flexibility aspects. To support the easy use as a textbook, a series of exercises is provided at the end of each chapter and slides and further teaching material are available on the book’s web site www.flexible-processes.com. Professionals specializing in business process management (BPM) who want to obtain a good understanding of flexibility challenges in BPM and state-of-the-art solutions will also benefit from the presentations of open source as well as commercial process management systems and related practical scenarios.

Download or read book Process Intensification written by David Reay and published by Butterworth-Heinemann. This book was released on 2013-06-05 with total page 624 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Process Intensification: Engineering for Efficiency, Sustainability and Flexibility is the first book to provide a practical working guide to understanding process intensification (PI) and developing successful PI solutions and applications in chemical process, civil, environmental, energy, pharmaceutical, biological, and biochemical systems. Process intensification is a chemical and process design approach that leads to substantially smaller, cleaner, safer, and more energy efficient process technology. It improves process flexibility, product quality, speed to market and inherent safety, with a reduced environmental footprint. This book represents a valuable resource for engineers working with leading-edge process technologies, and those involved research and development of chemical, process, environmental, pharmaceutical, and bioscience systems. - No other reference covers both the technology and application of PI, addressing fundamentals, industry applications, and including a development and implementation guide - Covers hot and high growth topics, including emission prevention, sustainable design, and pinch analysis - World-class authors: Colin Ramshaw pioneered PI at ICI and is widely credited as the father of the technology

Download or read book Organisational Flexibility and Competitiveness written by M. K. Nandakumar and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2014-03-20 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The proposed book is intended to provide a conceptual framework of ‘Organisational Flexibility and Competitiveness’ supported by research studies in various types of flexibilities exhibited by an organisation. The need for enterprise flexibility in an era of rapidly advancing technology, increasing competition, and globalization, is apparent. Flexibility can be thought of as an ability of the enterprise to quickly and efficiently respond to market changes and to bring new products and services quickly to the market place. Beyond this definition, a truly flexible enterprise should proactively change the market through its ability to create truly new and innovative products and services. The book applies the concept of flexibility to various functional areas: strategy and competitiveness, organization and HR management, information systems, finance and risk management, operations and supply chain management.

Download or read book Deterministic Flexibility Analysis written by Chuei-Tin Chang and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2017-07-28 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traditionally, design and control decisions are made in sequential stages over the life cycle of a chemical plant. In the design phase, the optimal operating conditions and the corresponding material and energy balance data are established mainly on the basis of economic considerations. In the subsequent step, the control systems are configured to maintain the key process conditions at the fixed nominal values. Because it is often desirable to address the operability issues at the earliest possible stage before stipulation of control schemes, the systematic incorporation of flexibility analysis in process synthesis and design has received considerable attention in recent years. This book focuses to a large extent on computation and implementation methods of deterministic performance measures, i.e., the steady-state, volumetric, dynamic and temporal flexibility indices, in various applications. The formal definitions of several available performance indices, their mathematical formulations, and the corresponding algorithms and codes are provided in sufficient detail to facilitate implementation. To show the utility of flexibility analyses, the book presents several practical case studies including membrane modules and heat-exchanger networks, solar-driven membrane distillation desalination systems, and hybrid power generation systems. It also includes MATLAB and GAMS codes.

Download or read book Strategies and Techniques for Quality and Flexibility written by Miryam Barad and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-11-03 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents strategic perspectives on quality and flexibility, as well as quantitative tools for assessing their implementation in a range of systems. It introduces readers to the global changes in the relative importance of quality strategies and flexibility strategies over the past 30 to 40 years. In addition, it presents detailed examples of how multi-purpose techniques such as design of experiments, petri nets and quality function deployment can be applied to evaluate quality and flexibility in the design, planning and operation of various systems. Uniquely, the book combines strategies and quantitative research tools in a single volume. It also includes many examples that are accessible to readers from different disciplines, and familiarizes readers with techniques that can facilitate their current and future research – making it a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners and advanced students alike.

Download or read book Global Operations Strategy written by Yeming Gong and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-07-01 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While many business schools are teaching Global Operations Strategy with self-made teaching materials, there are no such textbooks. Combining practical approaches with detailed theoretical underpinnings, this book provides theories, tools, frameworks, and techniques for global operations strategy, and brings real world perspectives to students and managers. Each chapter includes definition of key terms, introduction of fundamental theories, several short case examples, one long new case to explain the associated theories, and recommended further reading.

Download or read book Flexibility Measurement within the Service industry written by Tobias Kunze and published by diplom.de. This book was released on 2009-01-28 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inhaltsangabe:Introduction: The following thesis was conducted within the confines of Berco Express and seeks to develop a flexibility measurement methodology. Spearheading the introduction of Berco Express, a Logistics Service Provider (LSP), operating in the South African Transportation industry. Company Profile: Berco Express (BE) is part of Berco Logistics Services (BLS), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Berco Group, a privately owned company established in 1992. The vision and passion of all the people of this company is to make BLS the customer s logistics service provider of choice. BE started its courier operation in 1992 and has since grown into a medium sized organisation with 16 branches nationally in South Africa (SA), employing close to 1000 people and over 250 vehicles. Additionally under the BLS umbrella included are the two complimentary divisions Active Warehousing and Clearing & Forwarding. BE standard Courier Services embracing dedicated distribution, domestic and international consignments. In conjunction with the Global Distribution Alliance Network (GDA) all major cities worldwide as well as thousands of towns in more than 220 countries are served. Active Warehousing a newer division is offering in 4 warehouse facilities (Cape town, Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria) the services below: Receiving, Inventory Management, Order Processing, High Value Store, Value added Services; Services primarily emphasize product flow rather than storage. Revenue contribution from the clearing and forwarding division is based on Business operations in the field of Airfreight, Ocean Freight, Multi-modal solutions, Import & Export and Customs Clearance. The intellectual capital of the BLS group comprises specialists in courier, warehousing, distribution, clearing & forwarding, management information systems, project management and account/contract management. With a contribution of R 210,000,000 to the Total Berco Group Revenue for 2005 and an annual average growth rate of 35% over the previous five years BE has been established a sustainable position within both the Berco Group and the industry. Continuous improvement esteemed as the platform for Excellence has been implemented to guarantee BE s drive towards Service Excellence. SA s transport industry recorded in 2006 a total income of approximately R 160 000 million. This presents an increase of 7.1% p.a. over the income reported to the corresponding survey of 2002. The transport [...]

Download or read book Managing Flexibility written by Sushil and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-07-16 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited book provides a conceptual framework of managing flexibility in the areas of people, process, technology and business supported by researches/case applications in various types of flexibilities in business. The book is organized into following five parts: (i) Managing Flexibility; (ii) People Flexibility; (iii) Process Flexibility; (iv) Flexibility in Technology and Innovation Management; and (v) Business Flexibility. Managing flexibility at the level of people, process, technology and business encompasses the requirements of both choice and speed. The need for managing flexibility is growing to cope with the developments and challenges in the global business environment. This can be seen from reactive as well as proactive perspectives. Flexibility is a major dimension of business excellence and deals with a paradoxical view point such as stability and dynamism, continuity and change, centralization and decentralization, and so on. It needs to be managed at the levels of people, process, technology and various business functions and it is important to create flexibility at the level of people to create and manage flexibility in processes and technologies in order to support flexible business requirements.

Download or read book Super Flexibility for Knowledge Enterprises written by Homa Bahrami and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-07-26 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: strategy, but we also focus on execution. We talk about organizational design, and also refect on leadership practices. Our assumption is that in a dynamic world, leaders at all levels, have to constantly switch gears, wear different hats, and na- gate at different altitudes. They have to think about the “total” enterprise, not in terms of compartmentalized silos or felds of functional expertise. Much like a g- eral contractor, they have to draw on specialized expertise, as and when needed, yet keep the big picture in mind. Our hope is that our diagnostic tools can help teams develop a shared frame of reference and generate cross-functional dialogue. The third driving force behind this second edition is the gradual convergence between the worlds of entrepreneurial start-ups and challenges facing established corporations. Innovation, agility, and initiative are no longer the exclusive preserve of start-ups. Established companies are looking for ways to re-invent themselves, to innovate, to think creatively, and to make their enterprises more fexible, agile and entrepreneurial. We have had the good fortune to sit at the intersection of these two worlds. We hope our ideas can beneft both groups. We set out to provide a “buffet table”, a menu of options that can be helpful for the two ends of the spectrum.

Download or read book Process Piping written by C. Becht and published by American Society of Mechanical Engineers. This book was released on 2004 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides background information, historical perspective, and expert commentary on the ASME B31.3 Code requirements for process piping design and construction. It provides the most complete coverage of the Code that is available today and is packed with additional information useful to those responsible for the design and mechanical integrity of process piping.

Download or read book Holistic Flexibility for Systems Thinking and Practice written by Rajneesh Chowdhury and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-06-14 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores how the conceptual lens of Holistic Flexibility presents new advancements in systems thinking. Systems thinking is often associated with frameworks and methodologies that often confine the discipline to academic circles in operations research and management science (OR/MS). Holistic Flexibility for Systems Thinking and Practice challenges this status-quo and talks about systems thinking as a state of mind, giving it a cognitive character. The book presents both theoretical deliberations and practitioner cases of Holistic Flexibility. The development of systems thinking in OR/MS is described leading to the latest debates on the subject and the key pillars of Holistic Flexibility are discussed in detail. A range of case studies are presented that offer a firsthand experience of Holistic Flexibility in practice. Learnings are drawn to highlight the importance of a spiritual approach in management, an understanding which is used to further develop the conceptual lens of Holistic Flexibility since it was first introduced. This book presents a range of competencies required for systems practitioners to address and respond to complex situations in an interconnected world. A bold attempt to pragmatize systems thinking and systems practice, the ideas presented in this book weave a thread between the development of the discipline, current debates, and what lies ahead. It will be highly beneficial for OR/MS researchers and graduate students who are interested in systems thinking as well as researchers interested in connecting modern management thinking and Eastern mysticism.

Download or read book Flexibility written by Gill Eapen and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2009-12-17 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We are in an era of high volatility and uncertain outcomes, driven by accelerating technologies, shortened product cycles, fast-changing information, an increasingly mobile workforce, more demanding customers, complex financial markets, ad-hoc public policies, and many other factors that add layers of uncertainty to all future possibilities. In an information- and knowledge-driven environment with high levels of uncertainty, most traditional ideas of structure, system, and strategy are ineffective. This book shows how to create, maintain, and accelerate an organization in a highly uncertain environment using flexibility. It analyzes the organization holistically and details its primary components independently. The author presents an economic framework of decision options to diagnose existing flexibility problems and provides guidance on how to improve flexibility and reduce risk. The text also describes how to design and maintain a high performance organization for the long run in an environment of high uncertainty.

Download or read book Flexibility Measurement in Production Systems written by Sven Rogalski and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-05-12 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The requirements for production systems are constantly changing as a result of changing competitive conditions. This poses a challenge for manufacturers in the various branches of industry and creates an ever-increasing need for flexibility. With this as a background, this book explores the current developments and trends as well as their impact on today’s production systems. It also compares known strategies, concepts and methods used to achieve production flexibility. Similarly, the practical knowledge and current research will be drawn upon and subjected to a sound scientific analysis, through which the technical and organizational flexibility ranges can be measured in their application in a production system. The convenience and usefulness of this concept for manufacturers is substantiated by its implementation in a software tool called ecoFLEX and its practical application, based on extensive examples. This illustrates how flexibility flaws can be quickly identified, classified and properly disposed of using ecoFLEX. This tool helps to close the gap between ERP / PPS systems and digital factory planning tools.

Download or read book Flexibility and Stability in Working Life written by B. Furaker and published by Springer. This book was released on 2007-03-14 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Flexibility is an ambiguous concept. This book contributes to expounding the importance of clearer concepts in the debates on economic systems, labour markets and work organization. The authors place 'flexibility' in a new theoretical context as juxtaposed to 'stability'. Much terminological confusion and is resolved by this suggestion.

Download or read book Flexibility at Work written by V. Pulignano and published by Springer. This book was released on 2008-09-02 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An examination of the form and character of recent transformations in the international automobile industry. Using comparative and national-based case study analysis, it explores the nature of such recent developments (outsourcing, modularization, high performance workplaces, etc.) and their impact on issues in the sector on a world scale.

Download or read book Systemic Flexibility and Business Agility written by Sushil and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-12-16 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a conceptual framework for systemic flexibility and business agility, drawing on a basis of research/case applications in various types of flexibility and agility in business. The selected papers address a variety of issues concerning the theme of systemic flexibility and business agility and are organized into following five parts: (i) Systemic and Strategic Flexibility; (ii) Information and Business Agility; (iii) Flexibility, Innovation and Business Excellence; (iv) Flexibility in Value and Supply Chains; and(v) Financial Flexibility and Mergers & Acquisitions. Flexibility and agility in business are emerging as key dimensions of business excellence that encompass the requirements of both choice and speed. The two concepts, flexibility and agility, have been used in multiple ways and often interchangeably, both in literature and in practice. The growing need for flexibility/agility in business can be seen from reactive as well as proactive perspectives. A business enterprise is expected to possess reactive flexibility/ agility (as adaptability and responsiveness) in order to cope with the changing and uncertain business environment. It may also endeavor to intentionally generate flexibility/agility as a strategic change in a variety of ways, such as leadership change, reengineering, innovation in products and processes, use of information and communication technology, and learning orientation.

Download or read book Flexibility Mobility and the Labour Market written by George S. Callaghan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-12-07 with total page 251 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1997. Politicians of all shades argue that the labour market should be more flexible and workers more mobile. But what does this mean in reality? How flexible and mobile are workers likely to be? Is there an ideological base to the language of flexibility? These are some of the issues covered in this book. Data from a large factory and office is used to argue that the macro labour market consists of non-competitive work groups where strongly held views and values represent a substantial barrier to simplistic definitions of flexibility and mobility. The analysis takes place in three chapters, dealing with recruitment for work, skills used in work and perceptions of different types of work and workers. The findings suggest that non-economic forces (such as institutional, social, historical and political phenomena) strongly influence the creation of separate work cultures. Furthermore, it is argued that the reason for differences between work groups being articulated in a defensive fashion reflects the climate of fear in the labour market, where flexibility is associated with a loss of the (often limited) power, control and influence workers have over their position in the labour market.