This work focuses on the implementation of socio-technical innovation in manufacturing companies, offering practical examples in the management of the human-computer interface. Each example includes a cost-benefit analysis. The book adopts an

Improving Manufacturing Performance in South Africa

Constructs an analytical framework of production politics within which to address such phenomena as the erosion of wages and lost of good jobs in the US in the 1980s, the emulation by US companies of production methods from elsewhere, and differences and similarities between Japanese and German industrial relations. Narrowing the study to the automobile industry, argues that variations in labor's fortunes and competitive success can be explained by distinct patterns of labor inclusion in corporate decision making. Distributed in the US by Taylor and Francis. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Drawing on the findings of sector-specific workshops, e-mail surveys, research literature, expert testimony, and committee and panel members' expertise, this National Academy of Engineering study assesses the qualitative impact of academic research on five industriesâ€"network systems and communications; medical devices and equipment; aerospace; transportation, distribution, and logistics services; and financial services. The book documents the range and significance of academic research contributions to the five industriesâ€"comparing the importance of different types of contributions, the multi- and interdisciplinary nature of these contributions, and the multiple vectors by which academic research is linked to each industry. The book calls for action to address six cross-cutting challenges to university-industry interactions: the growing disciplinary and time-horizon-related imbalances in federal R&D funding, barriers to university-industry interaction in service industries, the critical role of academic research in the advancement of information technology, the role of academic research in the regulation of industry, the impact of technology transfer activities on core university research and education missions, and the search for new pathways and mechanisms to enhance the contributions of academic research to industry. The book also includes findings and recommendations specific to each industry.

Industrial issues are often inextricably linked with labour market concerns and policy approaches that attempt to consider production and employment separately are inherently flawed." This controversial statement sums up the heart of this important book. With contributions from such scholars as Keith Cowling, Malcolm Sawyer and Michael Kitson, Industrial and Labour Market Policy and Performance covers such topics as: * the increasing inequality between rich and poor * the links between innovation, competition and collaboration * education, skills formation and human resource management The evidence-led nature of the book will make it an important and useful read for students and academics involved in labour economics, industrial economics and industrial policy. The controversial findings of many of the chapters and its readable style will also appeal to informed policy commentators as well as policy-makers themselves.

This book documents the experiences, development, and prospects of the construction industry in numerous developing countries. It will provide a strong base of reference for countries looking to improve their construction industries as part of their wider economic development programme. The opening chapter presents a strategic overview of the contents of the book, and each country-specific chapter is structured to consider the legal and policy frameworks, administrative infrastructure and procedures, and implementation mechanisms, as well as the experiences, current activities, and future plans and programmes with respect to construction industry development in each country. The concluding chapter looks forward and considers the implications of future trends for the construction industries in developing countries and the actions which will be required to address them. Chapters cover: India, Singapore, Chile, South Africa, Tanzania, Malaysia, Botswana, Ghana, Uganda, Indonesia, China, Croatia, and Eswatini. Readers will learn about the wealth of comparable stories from global coverage from the detailed country-specific cases. Building on important scholarly works in the field, this book is essential reading for academics, researchers, and policy makers in built environments, economics, construction management, infrastructure management, and the wider construction industry.

Labour relations had important connections with industrial performance in Greater Sao Paulo, the most important industrial centre in Brazil and Latin America, between 1945 and 1960. This book shows that the predominant industrial practices in terms of wages, working conditions and industrial training kept away activities based on quality and innovation which could produce sustained growth in the long term. As a result, the most important industrial centre in Brazil was locked into inefficient industrial practices and technologies, which have since marked the economic history of Brazilian industrialisation.

Human Factors Methods for Improving Performance in the Process Industries provides guidance for managers and plant engineering staff on specific, practical techniques and tools for addressing forty different human factors issues impacting process safety. Human factors incidents can result in injury and death, damage to the environment, fines, and business losses due to ruined batches, off-spec products, unplanned shutdowns, and other adverse effects. Prevention of these incidents increases productivity and profits. Complete with examples, case histories, techniques, and implementation methodologies, Human Factors Methods for Improving Performance in the Process Industries helps managers and engineering staff design and execute an efficient program. Organized for topical reference, the book includes: An overview on implementing a human factors program at the corporate level or the plant level, covering the business value, developing a program to meet specific needs, improving existing systems, roles and responsibilities, measures of performance, and more Summaries of forty different human factors relating to process safety, with a description of the tools, a practical example with graphics and visual aids, and additional resources Information on addressing the OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) requirement for conducting human factors reviews in process hazard analyses (PHAs) A CD-ROM with a color version of the book Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

This book aims to provide a synthesis of work and ideas done by our team over the last fifteen years in the field of information processing for expression of industrial performance. The statement of objectives on the one hand and the calculation of the other performances are discussed, with the search for the explanation of the link between these two basic steps of an industrial improvement. Beyond the synthetic and typological character of this study, the originality of this work lies in the consideration of the temporal dimension of the objectives, and spread on performance expressions. A fuzzy processing and multi-criteria aggregations time information that can be quantitative, qualitative or symbolic are proposed, in line with industrial practice and literature in the field of performance management.