Features coverage of the service systems lifecycle, including service marketing, engineering, delivery, quality control, management, and sustainment Featuring an innovative and holistic approach, Service Science: The Foundations of Service Engineering and Management provides a new perspective of service research and practice. The book presents a practical approach to the service systems lifecycle framework, which aids in understanding and capturing market trends; analyzing the design and engineering of service products and delivery networks; executing service operations; and controlling and managing the service lifecycles for competitive advantage. Utilizing a combined theoretical and practical approach to discuss service science, Service Science: The Foundations of Service Engineering and Management features: Case studies to illustrate how the presented theories and design principles are applied in practice to the definitions of fundamental service laws, including service interaction and socio-technical natures Computational thinking and system modeling such as abstraction, digitalization, holistic perspectives, and analytics Plentiful examples of service organizations such as education services, global project management networks, and express delivery services An interdisciplinary emphasis that includes integrated approaches from the fields of mathematics, engineering, industrial engineering, business, operations research, and management science A detailed analysis of the key concepts and body of knowledge for readers to master the foundations of service management Service Science: The Foundations of Service Engineering and Management is an ideal reference for practitioners in the contemporary service engineering and management field as well as researchers in applied mathematics, statistics, business/management science, operations research, industrial engineering, and economics. The book is also appropriate as a text for upper-undergraduate and graduate-level courses in industrial engineering, operations research, and management science as well as MBA students studying service management.

A handy guide to problems of confused or disputed usage based on the critically acclaimed Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. Over 2,000 entries explain the background and basis of usage controversies and offer expert advice and recommendations.

Drawing on in-depth interviews with families and experts and her own personal and professional experience, April Martin takes the reader through the many issues involved in forming and nurturing a lesbian or gay family, including the decision to parent, different options for creating a family - from artificial insemination to adoption - the many legal considerations, relationships and communications within the family and with extended family members, friends and one's community, the special circumstances of relationship break-ups and other crises and the needs of children over time.

The Oxford English Dictionary is the internationally recognized authority on the evolution of the English language from 1150 to the present day. The Dictionary defines over 500,000 words, making it an unsurpassed guide to the meaning, pronunciation, and history of the English language. This new upgrade version of The Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM offers unparalleled access to the world's most important reference work for the English language. The text of this version has been augmented with the inclusion of the Oxford English Dictionary Additions Series (Volumes 1-3), published in 1993 and 1997, the Bibliography to the Second Edition, and other ancillary material. System requirements: PC with minimum 200 MHz Pentium-class processor; 32 MB RAM (64 MB recommended); 16-speed CD-ROM drive (32-speed recommended); Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 200, or XP (Local administrator rights are required to install and open the OED for the first time on a PC running Windows NT 4 and to install and run the OED on Windows 2000 and XP); 1.1 GB hard disk space to run the OED from the CD-ROM and 1.7 GB to install the CD-ROM to the hard disk: SVGA monitor: 800 x 600 pixels: 16-bit (64k, high color) setting recommended. Please note: for the upgrade, installation requires the use of the OED CD-ROM v2.0.

The overwhelming majority of a software system’s lifespan is spent in use, not in design or implementation. So, why does conventional wisdom insist that software engineers focus primarily on the design and development of large-scale computing systems? In this collection of essays and articles, key members of Google’s Site Reliability Team explain how and why their commitment to the entire lifecycle has enabled the company to successfully build, deploy, monitor, and maintain some of the largest software systems in the world. You’ll learn the principles and practices that enable Google engineers to make systems more scalable, reliable, and efficient—lessons directly applicable to your organization. This book is divided into four sections: Introduction—Learn what site reliability engineering is and why it differs from conventional IT industry practices Principles—Examine the patterns, behaviors, and areas of concern that influence the work of a site reliability engineer (SRE) Practices—Understand the theory and practice of an SRE’s day-to-day work: building and operating large distributed computing systems Management—Explore Google's best practices for training, communication, and meetings that your organization can use

Software services are established as a programming concept, but their impact on the overall architecture of enterprise IT and business operations is not well-understood. This has led to problems in deploying SOA, and some disillusionment. The SOA Source Book adds to this a collection of reference material for SOA. It is an invaluable resource for enterprise architects working with SOA.The SOA Source Book will help enterprise architects to use SOA effectively. It explains: What SOA is How to evaluate SOA features in business terms How to model SOA How to use The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF ) for SOA SOA governance This book explains how TOGAF can help to make an Enterprise Architecture. Enterprise Architecture is an approach that can help management to understand this growing complexity.

Service Design and Delivery provides a comprehensive overview of the increasingly important role played by the service industry. Focusing on the development of different processes employed by service organizations, the book emphasizes management of service in relation to products. It not only explores the complexity of this relationship, but also introduces strategies used in the design and management of service across various sectors, highlighting where tools, techniques and processes applicable to one sector may prove useful in another. The implementation methods introduced in the book also illustrate how and why companies can transform themselves into service organizations. While the book is primarily intended as a text for advanced-level courses in service design and delivery, it also contains theoretical and practical knowledge beneficial to both practitioners in the service sector and those in manufacturing contemplating moving towards service delivery.

Culture and Meaning in Health Services Research is a practical guide to applying interpretive qualitative methods to pressing healthcare delivery problems. A leading medical anthropologist who has spent many years working in applied healthcare settings, Sobo combines sophisticated theoretical insights and methodological rigor with authentic, real-world examples and applications. In addition to clearly explaining the nuanced practice of ethnography and guiding the reader through specific methods that can be used in focus groups or interviewing to yield useful findings, Sobo considers the social relationships and power dynamics that influence field entry, data ownership, research deliverables, and authorship decisions. Crafted to communicate the importance of culture and meaning across the many disciplines engaged in health services research, this book is ideal for courses in such fields as public health and health administration, nursing, anthropology, health psychology, and sociology.

A must have book for anyone has ever wanted to make a difference in the world. ________________________________________________ Service is the rent we pay for living" says preeminent children's advocate Marian Wright Edelman and this is the motto by which Malaak Compton Rock, dedicated humanitarian and wife of comedian Chris Rock, lives her life. From a childhood grounded in the importance of giving back to her work in public relations at The U.S. Fund for UNICEF to becoming a full-time mother and humanitarian, Malaak's life has fully embodied this sentiment. Part memoir, part practical guide, If It Takes a Village, Build One offers readers insightful advice on everything from how to find just the right volunteer opportunity, how to get kids involved in a life of service, how to research charities, and even how to start a nonprofit, as Malaak did several years ago. All of this practical wisdom is grounded in inspirational anecdotes about her own experience with service, including her work with Katrina rebuilding and her recent brainchild, Journey for Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service, a program for at-risk kids from Bushwick, Brooklyn, which takes teens on a two week service mission to South Africa to volunteer and experience the world. The book also features interviews with other well known humanitarians, like PR powerhouse Terrie M. Williams, activist Bobby Shriver, and journalist Soledad O'Brien and engaging sidebars with interesting facts about service and nuggets of advice. At the end of the narrative readers will find a compendium of information including Malaak's favorite charities, unique service ideas, and suggested reading and web resources, which will make this a book to be visited time and time again. Far from being preachy or sanctimonious, Malaak's warm voice reminds us all that giving back is ultimately easier and infinitely more fulfilling than we thought it could be. Warm, honest, and accessible, If it Takes a Village, Build One will be the must-have book (and perfect gift!) for aspiring do-gooders.