Accis Guide to United Nations Information Sources on Health (Accis Guides to United Nations Information Sources)

Book Description

"In Holistic Accountability, Reeves succeeds in recasting the accountability dilemma into a win-win plan for school administrators who are weary of the test score sweepstakes and for policy makers who are demanding results. It is an excellent approach—one that is sound, reasonable, comprehensive, and relevant. The accompanying sample accountability reports are very useful."
—School Business Affairs, October 2002

Accountability is more than just test scores!

Nationally recognized expert on assessment, Dr. Douglas B. Reeves, offers a comprehensive program of holistic accountability, a system that includes not only test scores but also the instructional and leadership practices at a school. Holistic accountability systems yield information about curriculum, assessment, and instruction that can lead directly and swiftly to better practices and better decision making for teachers, school leaders, and policymakers.

This essential guide explores the four building blocks of accountability: structure, collaboration, implementation, and communication. Dr. Reeves offers a complete, practical program that can have a profoundly positive impact on students, teachers, and parents. This practical and powerful book:

Links accountability and academic standards
Includes three case studies of effective accountability systems
Explains how to communicate about educational accountability
Contains sample reports adaptable to any school or system

. . . always focusing on the central purpose of accountability: the improvement of student achievement.

Educators, administrators, school leaders, school board members, school leadership teams, and parents can make use of this groundbreaking work to improve accountability policies at the classroom, school, or district level.

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Book review: "Multicriteria Scheduling. Theory, Models and Algorithms" [A book review from: European Journal of Operational Research]
F. Werner
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Elsevier | By Publisher | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B000RR6500

Book Description

Multicriteria scheduling [An article from: European Journal of Operational Research]

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Multicriteria scheduling [An article from: European Journal of Operational Research]
H. Hoogeveen
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR665E

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from European Journal of Operational Research, published by Elsevier in . The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
In this paper we give a survey of the most important results on multicriteria scheduling that have appeared in the literature or are to appear. We provide an extensive introduction including two example problems and then discuss the relevant literature. Here we pay special attention to the area of earliness-tardiness scheduling, scheduling with controllable processing times, simultaneous approximation, and new models.

Multiobjective single machine scheduling with nontraditional requirements [An article from: International Journal of Production Economics]

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Multiobjective single machine scheduling with nontraditional requirements [An article from: International Journal of Production Economics]
U. Haral , R.-W. Chen , W.G. Ferrell , and M.B. Kurz
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000PDSU90

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from International Journal of Production Economics, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Many scheduling problems encountered in practice are must address requirements that are not found in the literature like maximizing the number of jobs that have a particular color. These nontraditional requirements are sometimes an objective as when the desirability of a schedule increases with the number of jobs of the same color that are scheduled consecutively. Other times, the requirements take the form of constraints as in cases where it is forbidden to have more than two consecutive jobs with a particular color. To complicate the situation, most real scheduling problems are multiobjective. This research centers on bicriteria scheduling with nontraditional requirements using an experimental approach and a Random Keys Genetic Algorithm to find Pareto optimal solutions. We address both traditional and nontraditional requirements in a single machine job shop with 20-50 jobs.

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Scheduling Theory made easy

Multicriteria Scheduling
Vincent T'kindt , and Jean-Charles Billaut
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

Scheduling and multicriteria optimisation theory have been subject, separately, to numerous studies. Since the last fifteen years, multicriteria scheduling problems have been subject to a growing interest. However, a gap between multicriteria scheduling approaches and multicriteria optimisation field exists. This book is a first attempt to collect the elementary of multicriteria optimisation theory and the basic models and algorithms of multicriteria scheduling. It is composed of numerous illustrations, algorithms and examples which may help the reader in understanding the presented concepts.

Customer Reviews:

Scheduling Theory made easy .......2007-08-29

Scheduling is the concept of sharing a scarce resource amongst users without starving any of the users, and at best gives the impression that every user has access to all of what that resource has to offer. This poses a challenge when the numbers of users increase dramatically or the duration of the jobs varies greatly. What makes this challenge even greater is that scheduling problems are mostly NP-Complete, with a very limited number of scenarios that are considered to fall under the P-type problem domain.

Single criterion scheduling are problems where the reader is interested in maximizing or minimizing only one thing or criteria (minimize the flow time, or minimizing the completion time). Many scenarios, machine shop or other wise, require more than criterions to be optimized. For example on a multi-processing machine, you want to minimize startup time and at the same time minimize completion time of all the tasks. There are times where these two criterions conflict - i.e. you might need to suspend a task thus delaying its completion time in order to start a newly arrived task. The point is that "sacrifices" must be made, and that is the point of heuristic-type algorithms; they aim to minimize the overall sacrifice one has to make in order to optimize everything near-perfectly. This does not always work, however, but considering the problem domain, it is a very good attempt at solving the unsolvable.

Multicriteria Scheduling: Theory, Models and Algorithms, by Vincent T'kindt and Jean-Chalres Billaut is the latest book that covers scheduling and more specifically multicriteria scheduling in research and applications thereof very well. The first edition of the text which was published in 2002, the authors mainly focused on the field of multicriteria scheduling along with all the algorithms, models, etc, that described the field. Being the first complete text dedicated to multicriteria scheduling and optimization, there were lots to talk about and even more has been developed in the past five or so years. For the second edition of the text, the authors builds and refines the first editions with new research results, new findings and many new algorithms. A number of chapters were rewritten such as Just-in-Time Scheduling problems (chapter 5), and the rest revised to include follow-up information and comments.

For those unfamiliar with the topic at hand, the authors spend the first couple of chapters talking about scheduling, its complexities and then delve into multicriteria scheduling and problems. If you have never heard or seen any scheduling problems, the first two chapters are a must; otherwise, it is still a good review as the authors use these chapters as the basis for later discussions. As you might expect, multicriteria scheduling shares a number of ideas from multicriteria optimization and theory. A chapter is dedicated to this topic as it is required notion for the rest of the text.

One addition to the this edition of the text which clearly demonstrates the authors' deep understanding of the topic both in research and commercial arena is chapter 6: Robustness consideration! Being in the field of Grid and HPC, I come across a number of texts that cover the area, but none have ever even attempted to cover robustness of an algorithm. In this chapter, the authors depict a number of algorithms discussed and discuss variation of that algorithm and it would hold up under different scenarios which directly reflect what one would see a real-application.

The area of Scheduling is an exciting area of research which has direct application in many aspects of Computer Science. Multicriteria Scheduling: Theory, Models and Algorithms covers the topic of scheduling and more specifically the applications of optimization problems in scheduling very well. The authors guide the reader thru numerous algorithms much of which is used everyday is various applications.

Partial order dynamic programming for multicriteria production scheduling (Paper / Institute for Research in the Behavioral, Economic, and Management Sciences, ... School of Management, Purdue University)

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Partial order dynamic programming for multicriteria production scheduling (Paper / Institute for Research in the Behavioral, Economic, and Management Sciences, ... School of Management, Purdue University)
Robert L Carraway
Manufacturer: Institute for Research in the Behavioral, Economic, and Management Sciences, Krannert Graduate School of Management, Purdue University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

A recovering beam search algorithm for the single machine Just-in-Time scheduling problem [An article from: European Journal of Operational Research]

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A recovering beam search algorithm for the single machine Just-in-Time scheduling problem [An article from: European Journal of Operational Research]
B. Esteve , C. Aubijoux , A. Chartier , and V. T'kindt
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR9UI4

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from European Journal of Operational Research, published by Elsevier in 2006. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
We consider the Just-in-Time scheduling problem where the Just-in-Time notion is captured by means of multiple conflicting criteria. The calculation of any non-dominated solution for these criteria is achieved by solving an extension of the single machine problem of minimising the mean weighted deviation from distinct due dates. In the extended problem each job to schedule is also constrained by a release date and a deadline. This problem is NP-Hard in the strong sense and we propose heuristic algorithms to solve it. Computational experiments show that, among those algorithms, the most effective heuristic, in terms of quality, is a Recovering Beam Search algorithm.

Book Description

This work examines the evolution and rationale of the ISO 9000 series of standards, their structure, interpretation and relationship to other quality systems. Theory and applications are provided, and the author explains how to put the standards into place and achieve quality. Specific methods and tools for the implementation of the ISO standards that lead to certification and certification maintenance are supplied.

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An Essential Resource

wholistic approach - VERY GOOD!

Absolutely the best - A MUST BUY

Business Continuity Planning Methodology
Akhtar Syed , and Afsar Syed
Manufacturer: Sentryx
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Systems & Planning | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Business Continuity: Best Practices--World-Class Business Continuity Management, Second Edition

Business Continuity Planning: A Step-by-Step Guide with Planning Forms on CD-ROM, Third Edition

Disaster Recovery Handbook, The: A Step-by-Step Plan to Ensure Business Continuity and Protect Vital Operations, Facilities, and Assets

Disaster Recovery Planning: Strategies for Protecting Critical Information Assets

Auditing Business Continuity: Global Best Practices

ASIN: 0973372508

Book Description

"An in-depth step-by-step guide to help you develop, test, and maintain your business continuity plan."

The business continuity planning process consists of six key stages:

1. Risk management 2. Business impact analysis 3. Business continuity strategy development 4. Business continuity plan development 5. Business continuity plan testing 6. Business continuity plan maintenance

Although there are many publications that explain business continuity planning, very few provide detailed methods on how to implement it; even fewer cover implementation of all six stages.

Business Continuity Planning Methodology is a single, comprehensive, text that explains the principles of business continuity planning and presents an easy to follow step-by-step methodology to implement its six stages. The methodology considers protection of mission critical business processes, resources, and services. It focuses on key resources such as IT systems and infrastructure, manufacturing and production equipment and products, facilities, work areas, vital records, and critical data. The methodology is consistent with business continuity industry standards, guidelines, and best practices such as ISO/IEC 17799, NFPA 1600, COBIT, and DRI International.

This book gives readers the skills to manage risks, conduct a business impact analysis, develop a business continuity strategy, and develop, test, and maintain a business continuity plan. The main body of the book contains chapters structured according to the six business continuity planning stages:

Risk Management This chapter introduces the key concepts of risk management and describes a framework for managing risks to business continuity. The framework includes steps for risk assessment, risk control options analysis, risk control implementation, risk control decision, and risk reporting. The chapter explains the concepts and implementation of these steps through examples of business continuity risk.

Business Impact Analysis This chapter describes the steps for conducting a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and explains the implementation of these steps through an example BIA scenario. The BIA steps include assessment of financial and operational impacts, identification of mission critical business functions and processes, identification of critical IT systems and applications, and determination of recovery requirements. Topics in this chapter include comparison of BIA and risk management; BIA benefits and responsibilities; methods of conducting a BIA; disaster-to-recovery time line and events; elements of the BIA such as Maximum Tolerable Downtime (MTD), Recovery Time Objective (RTO), Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Work Backlog, and Data Loss; summarized findings; and BIA report content.

Business Continuity Strategy Development The business continuity strategy development framework presented in this chapter is designed to help the reader determine the best strategy that will enable a timely and cost-effective recovery from a potential business disruption. It describes the steps to identify recovery requirements and options, conduct a cost-benefit assessment, and identity and select the most viable recovery options. This chapter also discusses general considerations for developing a business continuity strategy, and provides recommendations for recovery contracts and service level agreements.

Business Continuity Plan Development This chapter is a guide for developing an effective business continuity plan based on the results of the preceding stages. It explains the detailed structure and content for an effective plan and covers the key plan execution phases: initial response and notification, problem assessment and escalation, disaster declaration, plan implementation logistics, recovery and resumption, and restoration. Numerous examples of plan activities, procedures, and tasks help to explain the content required in the plan. This chapter also addresses the requirements for an emergency response plan and crisis communication plan.

Business Continuity Plan Testing This chapter introduces the key concepts of business continuity plan testing and provides a framework for developing an effective test plan. The topics include test objectives, test benefits, test methods, test scenarios, test evaluation criteria, and test budget. The framework then explains the sequence of test plan development steps and addresses various issues and concerns that influence the test plan, such as test constraints, strategy, logistics, and risks.

Business Continuity Plan Maintenance The focus of this chapter is on maintaining the business continuity plan in a constant ready-state. It describes activities needed to ensure that the business continuity plan always remains accurate, current, and complete. Topics covered in this chapter include business continuity plan change management, plan testing, training, and audit.

This book also contains the following appendices: a summary of deliverables resulting from the six stages of the business continuity planning process; summary of business continuity standard guidelines and best practices; business continuity resource information; and a glossary of business continuity terminology.

This comprehensive text is an excellent resource for those who develop business continuity plans, manage business continuity projects, or want to learn about the subject of BCP. It is a valuable reference for people seeking certifications such as CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) or CBCP (Certified Business Continuity Professional).

Customer Reviews:

An Essential Resource.......2005-12-21

This book should be on every Business Continuity Planner's bookshelf. It succinctly presents the DRII Professional Practices - there is no "fluff" in this book.

This volume deserves to be an essential part of every BCP's toolbox.

wholistic approach - VERY GOOD!.......2005-07-26

This book is comprehensive and covers all the bases. No matter the size of your organizatrion, this book will give you solid guidelines and examples of starting a Business Continuity Program, managing it and performing all the other functions needed to help protect your company in the event of any sort of disruption or disaster.

Absolutely the best - A MUST BUY .......2005-03-04

This is the first Amazon review I've every submitted - but this book deserves my time. The book is full of rich content, it's well organized and is the perfect resource for both beginners and seasoned Business Continuity Planners. If you buy only one book, make this the one.

Mike Hydanus
President
Sage Consulting Group, LLC

Business Continuity Planning Methodology with Business Continuity Management Training

Average customer rating:

Best book on BCP in the market...

Business Continuity Planning Methodology with Business Continuity Management Training
Akhtar Syed; Afsar Syed
Manufacturer: Sentryx
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0973372524

Product Description

Business Continuity Planning Methodology with Business Continuity Management Training consists of two components: 1. Business Continuity Planning Methodology Book 2. Business Continuity Management Training on CDROM Business Continuity Planning Methodology Book The business continuity planning process consists of six key stages: 1. Risk management
2. Business impact analysis
3. Business continuity strategy development
4. Business continuity plan development
5. Business continuity plan testing
6. Business continuity plan maintenance Although there are many publications that explain business continuity planning, very few provide detailed methods on how to implement it; even fewer cover implementation of all six stages. Business Continuity Planning Methodology is a single, comprehensive, text that explains the principles of business continuity planning and presents an easy to follow step-by-step methodology to implement its six stages. The methodology considers protection of mission critical business processes, resources, and services. It focuses on key resources such as IT systems and infrastructure, manufacturing and production equipment and products, facilities, work areas, vital records, and critical data. The methodology is consistent with business continuity industry standards, guidelines, and best practices such as ISO/IEC 17799, NFPA 1600, COBIT, and DRI International. This book gives readers the skills to manage risks, conduct a business impact analysis, develop a business continuity strategy, and develop, test, and maintain a business continuity plan. The main body of the book contains chapters structured according to the six business continuity planning stages: Business Continuity Management Training on CDROM
This component is the Business Continuity Management training course (BCK200) from the BCKnowledge Pro suite of business continuity training courses. This course provides a detailed and in-depth understanding of business continuity program management and an easy-to-follow practical approach to planning, guiding, and controlling business continuity program activities including program development, implementation, maintenance, and plan execution. It covers in detail the concepts and activities of business continuity program management and its seven key phases: 1. Phase A: Program Initiation
2. Phase B: Program Planning
3. Phase C: Program Functional Requirements Analysis
4. Phase D: Program Design and Development
5. Phase E: Program Implementation and Testing
6. Phase F: Program Maintenance
7. Phase G: BC Plan Execution Through this course, students will gain a solid understanding of the methods to address the challenges and complexities associated with managing a BC program. Students will learn to 1. Effectively manage a business continuity program within their organization, beginning from program initiation to program maintenance.
2. Successfully manage the overall execution of a BC plan during a crisis situation.
3. Organize BC program management teams and define their roles and responsibilities
4. Initiate efforts to gain managements commitment and buy-in to the BC program
5. Define expected objectives and deliverables for each phase of the BC program management lifecycle
6. Define a BC program policy
7. Establish a process to raise corporate-wide business continuity culture
8. Create and execute a business continuity program project plan
9. Assess business continuity program budget requirements
10. Manage assessments of business continuity risks to their organizations
11. Manage the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) project
12. Decide on a business continuity recovery strategy
13. Establish Service Level Agreements to maintain business continuity

Customer Reviews:

Best book on BCP in the market..........2006-04-18

This is the Bible on BCP methodology. Its worth every penny!

If you are a serious practitioner of Business Continuity, or a consultant who makes a living from it, this book will become your best friend. Anything else I can say, will not be sufficient to praise it. Well written, precise and not extensively long with wasted repetitive concepts.

Business Continuity Planning Methodology with Business Continuity Training (Book & CD-ROM)

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Business Continuity Planning Methodology with Business Continuity Training (Book & CD-ROM)
Akhtar Syed , and Afsar Syed
Manufacturer: Sentryx
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0973372516

Book Description

Business Continuity Planning Methodology with Business Continuity Training consists of two components:

1. Business Continuity Planning Methodology Book

2. Business Continuity Training on CDROM

Business Continuity Planning Methodology Book

An in-depth step-by-step guide to help you develop, test, and maintain your business continuity plan.

The business continuity planning process consists of six key stages:

Although there are many publications that explain business continuity planning, very few provide detailed methods on how to implement it; even fewer cover implementation of all six stages.

Business Continuity Plan Development This chapter is a guide for developing an effective BC plan based on the results of the preceding stages. It explains the detailed structure and content for an effective plan and covers the key plan execution phases: initial response and notification, problem assessment and escalation, disaster declaration, plan implementation logistics, recovery and resumption, and restoration. Numerous examples of plan activities, procedures, and tasks help to explain the content required in the plan. This chapter also addresses the requirements for an emergency response plan and crisis communication plan.

Business Continuity Plan Testing This chapter introduces the key concepts of BC plan testing and provides a framework for developing an effective test plan. The topics include test objectives, test benefits, test methods, test scenarios, test evaluation criteria, and test budget. The framework then explains the sequence of test plan development steps and addresses various issues and concerns that influence the test plan, such as test constraints, strategy, logistics, and risks.

Business Continuity Plan Maintenance The focus of this chapter is on maintaining the BC plan in a constant ready-state. It describes activities needed to ensure that the BC plan always remains accurate, current, and complete. Topics covered in this chapter include business continuity plan change management, plan testing, training, and audit.

Business Continuity Training This component consists of two courses on CDROM:

1. BCK101 - Business Continuity Planning 1

2. BCK102 - Business Continuity Planning 2

BCK101 and BCK102 are part of the BCKnowledge Pro suite of business continuity training courses.

BCK101 - provides an overview of a business continuity program and its planning process. This course is designed for students from all levels of the organization who are new to BC planning. Students will

1. Identify BC program objectives.

2. Learn the definition of disaster, and sources of disaster.

3. Analyze example disasters and disaster statistics.

4. Understand the components of a BC program and its historical evolution.

5. Examine the reasons for establishing a BC program.

6. Become aware of BC related rules and regulations.

7. Understand the BC planning process.

8. Learn BC program principles and how each principle is applied in the process.

BCK102 - provides a detailed introduction of the business continuity planning process, business continuity plan, and business continuity program management. Students will

1. Identify BC plan and BC program objectives.

2. Gain an in-depth understanding of the BC planning process and its various stages, objectives, and interactions.

3. Become familiar with a BC plan and its structure, elements, and activities.

4. Gain an understanding of how a BC plan is executed during a disaster.

5. Identify facilities, services, and resources involved in the development and execution of a BC plan.

6. Learn about BC related standards and guidelines.

7. Understand the role of crisis communication within a BC plan.

8. Become familiar with BC management phases and objectives.

Each course is approximately 3 hours in duration and requires activation by the publisher. All instructions for activation and installation are included. The platforms required to run these courses are Windows 2000 and XP.

Book Description

Business practices in Japan inspire fierce and even acrimonious debate, especially when they are compared to American practices. This book attempts to explain the remarkable economic success of Japan in the postwar period--a success it is crucial for us to understand in a time marked by controversial trade imbalances and concerns over competitive industrial performance.
Gerlach focuses on what he calls the intercorporate alliance, the innovative and increasingly pervasive practice of bringing together a cluster of affiliated companies that extends across a broad range of markets. The best known of these alliances are the keiretsu, or enterprise groups, which include both diversified families of firms located around major banks and trading companies and vertical families of suppliers and distributors linked to prominent manufacturers in the automobile, electronics, and other industries. In providing a key link between isolated local firms and extended international markets, the intercorporate alliance has had profound effects on the industrial and social organization of Japanese businesses.
Gerlach casts his net widely. He not only provides a rigorous analysis of intercorporate capitalism in Japan, making useful distinctions between Japanese and American practices, but he also develops a broad theoretical context for understanding Japan's business networks. Addressing economists, sociologists, and other social scientists, he argues that the intercorporate alliance is as much a result of overlapping political, economic, and social forces as are such traditional Western economic institutions as the public corporation and the stock market.
Most compellingly, Alliance Capitalism raises important questions about the best method of exchange in any economy. It identifies situations where cooperation among companies is an effective way of channeling corporate activities in a world marked by complexity and rapid change, and considers in detail alternatives to hostile takeovers and other characteristic features of American capitalism. The book also points to the broader challenges facing Japan and its trading partners as they seek to coordinate their distinctive forms of economic organization.

Customer Reviews:

A network analysis of the horizontal keiretsu.......2003-04-23

There has been the deluge of books and articles on Japanese keiretsu. But this book published a decade ago (1992) is still one of the best. There are so many good enough accounts on the vertical keiretsu appeared in the Toyota¡¯s value chain. But not so, when it comes to the horizontal keiretzu. There is no shortage of materials but most of them are no more than anecdotal case studies or, at best, cursory impressions. I can¡¯t capture why they form such a long-term ties based on what interest at all, for example. The advantage of vertical keiretsu is obvious and well described. But what is the economic foundation of horizontal keiretsu? Is it mere social club of economic elites? Nobody could think so. The network structure (or network form) of horizontal keiretsu is well documented, such as main bank, cross shareholding, sacho-kai, and the preferential trading. But those are merely links forming the network. The network is more than the sum of links. It¡¯s the linkage of links and it has contents. Links reproduce itself for something flows between nodes. This book plugs the gap systematic explanation of horizontal keiretsu with network analysis. In doing so, the author mobilizes not only qualitative data from interviews and business history but also extensive quantitative data to generalize his remarks to level of the population of the Japanese businesses. The author begins with describing the network structure of keiretsu from chapter 3 to 4. Then the remaining chapters deal with how the network formed and how it operates in real business environment. Namely, those chapters deal with the contents of network. Now you might retort ¡®what¡¯s the difference from other materials? This book would supply better and well-organized illustration of keiretsu. But aren¡¯t those features common in other works?¡¯
Maybe. But the most inspiring piece lies in the use of image. Keiretsu is the interfirm network and it¡¯s not unique on Japan but the ubiquitous phenomenon all over the world. Usually, they use the image of coalition, as it has developed in the game theory. The interfirm network, however more stable it is than arm¡¯s length trading, is usually depicted with the image of coalition. The coalition, particularly in the form of game theory, is relatively fluid relationship. The coalition comes and goes according to the logic of strategic self-interest. This is the reality of business such as strategic alliance. Yesterday¡¯s foe could be today¡¯s friend. For example, Apple shook hands with IBM to make PowerPC. But such an image doesn¡¯t fit into the long-term relationship of horizontal keiretsu over more than a generation. Affiliation in a keiretsu group is considered as permanent one. Instead, Gerlach uses the metaphor of alliance to illustrate the features of Japanese keiretsu. The image of alliance comes from anthropological fieldworks. It suggests long-term social relationship that links kinship groups over generations. The self-interest is also the driving-force in the kinship alliance. Kinship groups establish the long-term ties with other kinship groups through swapping women. Through this tie, they exchange resources like calling on in times of need or for protection of one¡¯s own group. Those are valuable resources in primitive societies, with no doubt, and this relationship is long-term by nature. But in such a relationship, self-interest is tempered by the central role played by group history.
Horizontal keiretsu emerged from the self-interest of member firms to stabilize the flow of resources. So at the center of group have lain the bank and sogo shosha. During the early postwar period, the capital and raw materials were scarce and most needed resources to be secured, and that, affiliation in the group opens doors to trade with other group members, and with the trading partners those firms have. But once the network is put into action, it takes the life of its own: It was instutionalized in the routine of business. Just as firms seek to position themselves advantageously in their industry and in the broader business community, so too do groups as a whole. Keiretsu network, for instance, expands itself with new memberships. Most of expansion has involved the firms that compete against firms in other keiretsu. Keiretsu compete against keiretsu for positioning in the business community. By expanding to include group-level representation in a broad variety of fields, the group simultaneously preempts market opportunities, enhances its prestige in the larger business community, and diversifies risk across a spectrum of industries. The power and prestige of the group make the individual member firm more appealing to prospective business partners and improves its status in the larger business community. The fortunes of group and companies are in this way intertwined. In other words, affiliation in group translates into marrying with the group. The individual firms act as if they are the members of the clan. This kind of interfirm network could be facilitated for the unique Japanese business history. 3 out of outstanding 6 (now 4) groups are ex-zaibatsu (industrial group). And some influences in early postwar period are crucial in forming the keiretsu.
But this is the problem of this book: no convincing explanation about why such alliance is found only in Japan? This book offers good enough description of the phenomenon. I can¡¯t help asking ¡®Is this enough explanation?¡¯ Unfortunately I don¡¯t think so. If you have this kind of question, I recommend, Ulrike Schaede¡¯s ¡®Cooperative Capitalism¡¯. This book has a very long-term standpoint from Tokugawa period to the present. This book is not about keiretsu. But you could understand the institutional background of Japanese business.

Very Insightful Book.......1999-11-08

This is the most insightful book I have ever seen on the subject of Japanese business. The author clearly knows his subject

Alliance Capitalism: The Social Organization of Japanese Business

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Alliance Capitalism: The Social Organization of Japanese Business

Manufacturer: University Of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0520086074

Book Description

Motivated people are crucial to create a sustainable competitive advantage for your company. Successful Management by Motivation shows that in a knowledge-based society, this goal cannot be achieved by extrinsic motivation alone. Pay for performance often even hurts because it crowds out intrinsic motivation like work morale. To succeed, companies have to find ways of fostering and sustaining intrinsic motivation. With the help of in-depth case studies, representative surveys, and analyses based on a large number of firms and employees, this joint work of business researchers and economists identifies the various aspects of motivation in companies and shows how the right combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can be achieved.

Book Description

Imagination is a word that is widely used by marketing practitioners but rarely examined by marketing academics. This neglect is largely due to the imagination's 'artistic' connotations, which run counter to the 'scientific' mindset that dominates marketing scholarship. Of late, however, an artistic 'turn' has taken place in marketing research, and this topical study argues that the mantle of imagination has now passed on from the artist to the marketer. It contends, moreover, that the tools and techniques of artistic appreciation can be successfully applied to all manner of marketplace phenomena. Key features include:

* the treatment of artistic artefacts as a source of marketing understanding
* a detailed discussion surrounding the argument that marketers should adopt more imaginative modes of academic expression
* an analysis of the kind of art that marketing is, and the place of imagination in marketing's artistic palette.

This book provokes a new way of thinking about marketing, and will prove invaluable to marketing academics, researchers and practitioners.

Customer Reviews:

A marvelous work without any recognition here?.......2006-08-15

A special segment of marketing discipline, aesthetics, has seem to be neglected for decades. The arcane world of the aesthetic markets is still covered with veins. The pricing and judgmental criteria of an art work were prosperous beyond the theoretical research. Brown's work open an systematic windows in the imaging marketing.

Book Description

The focus of this book is to educate the reader on the strategic principles fundamental to using information technology to gain market control. It provides case examples of how to use IT to enhance existing core competencies and strategies. The book is designed to help managers struggling with how to advantageously harness the new information revolution. It can also support executive and business education programs on managing technology when few such studies exist. While Internet and information technologies are currently hot topics many firms and executives are without the tools and know-how of how to actually use them to improve results. Some major firms have sophisticated strategies for using information technology to impact, control and even own their competitive environments. This book describes how major non-information technology companies are doing this and the strategic principles employed.

Customer Reviews:

Good Theory, Bad Writing.......2002-10-03

The author is clearly expert on the topic, and has done a lot of useful research. I like and agree with his theory on levels of IT strategy adoption. However, the book is poorly organized, the author does not proceed in an orderly fashion, and you get the sense that each chapter is largely redundant to other material in the book. One can imagine a tidy and concise version of this same material, covered in about half the pages. This is worthwhile due to the cogent observations, but you must slog through some obtuse writing to glean the salient points.

Accessible and cogent.......2002-09-24

Bill Rapp has an established track record of writing clearly and cogently for his readers. He is one of the most perceptive international economists in the business and writes in an accessible style that's highly appropriate for both professional executives and the general reader alike.

"Information Technology Strategies" is based on his extensive background research on successful strategies used by leading multinational corporations, a market he knows extremely well. This book would be optimal reading for American executives who may be struggling with strategic questions regarding the appropriate positioning of their companies in a highly volatile and extremely competitive global market, but it's also recommended for the general reader who wants to be well informed and up to date. Bound to please.

OUTSTANDING !!!.......2002-08-28

It's an excellent book. The author developed an outstanding strategic framework for using IT. This framework is well supported by case studies from Japan, USA and Europe. (Citi, Merck, Nippon Steel, Toyota, Ito-Yokado, Meiji Seimei and Nokia).

It's a MUST read for the managers and executives involved in understanding,designing and implementing IT projects.

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