Supply Chain Strategies: Customer Driven and Customer Focused

Book Description

Supply Chain Strategies: Customer Driven and Customer Focused highlights the main challenges facing organizations wanting to select, design and implement successful supply chain strategies in an increasingly global and competitive environment. The text features discussion questions at the end of each chapter to promote learning, and numerous industry examples to ilustrate key concepts within chapters.

Each chapter discusses the issues in relation to previous literature, contemporary practices and the lesson to be learned from different industries where successful management of supply chains has improved organizational and industry level profitability. The text includes a number of industry examples, thereby giving a wide-ranging approach to the topic.

* Provides an original, market-driven approach to supply chain strategy
* Features learning outcomes and a summary for each chapter
* Uses vignettes throughout to illustrate key points

Download Description

Supply Chain Strategies: Customer Driven and Customer Focused highlights the main challenges facing organizations wanting to select, design and implement successful supply chain strategies in an increasingly global and competitive environment. The text features discussion questions at the end of each chapter to promote learning, and numerous industry examples to ilustrate key concepts within chapters. Each chapter discusses the issues in relation to previous literature, contemporary practices and the lesson to be learned from different industries where successful management of supply chains has improved organizational and industry level profitability. The text includes a number of industry examples, thereby giving a wide-ranging approach to the topic.

Customer Reviews:

Best supply chain strategy book I have read.......2005-11-08

This is by far the best supply chain strategy book I have read. It was recommended to me by a friend who is a part-time postgraduate student in London and a management consultant for a leading international firm.I wanted a book that would provide me with up-to-date thinking and a good understanding of supply chain strategies. This book did not disappoint. I have read a number of others but they were overly complex and full of jargon. This book cuts through the jargon, has excellent explanations of key topics and presents clear arguments and discussion. This is by far the best written and most comprehensive of all the books I looked at. It has enabled me to really grasp supply chain issues and I have now completed my MBA module in supply chain. Anyone else wanting to do the same should get hold of this book. I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

Customer Reviews:

A founding blocks of contingency approaches in organizational studies and human resource management.......2007-06-13

1967 saw the publication of three books that are now considered founding blocks of contingency approaches in organizational studies and human resource management. Theory of Leadership Effectiveness by Fred Fiedler, Organization and Environment: Managing Differentiation and Integration by Paul Lawrence and Jay Lorsch, and "Organizations in Action" by James D. Thompson. Fiedler created a model of leadership for industrial and organizational psychology while Lawrence, Lorsch, and Thompson studied organizational structure.

Thompson's book aims at providing what he calls a "conceptual inventory": a framework for tying together a multitude of concepts by various authors. The book reads like a serialized decision tree - a hundred propositions presented in the order of their dependencies, fleshed out by explanations and some examples of the concepts involved.

Thompson's approach is based on two fundamental ideas: 1) The nature of uncertainty in the environment is a determining factor of organizational structure. 2) Simple models cannot work for complex organizations, but for their respective components.

Uncertainty in the environment - variables the organization can neither control nor predict - is a key to understanding organizational structure, according to Thompson. An organization is built around a technical core; in order to achieve high performance, the organization shields the core from uncertainty by setting up separate components that serve as an interface to the outside world. Such a division of responsibility allows an organization to structure their technical core from a closed-system perspective and hence with a rational model. Uncertainty is taken care of, and the technical core component can be designed for maximum performance. The components at the managerial level are also tasked with controlling the technical core. Components at the third, the institutional level cover aspects of the environment that go beyond a straight-forward provision of resources and sales channels - here, uncertainty is high and means of control are few and weak.

In part two of the book, Thompson takes a stab at the human factor. He sketches out some goals of employees: individuals in early-ceiling occupations, for instance, use collective bargaining to improve the standing of their occupation while individuals in late-ceiling occupations try to improve their standing among their peers. Exercising discretion appears as a key problem to Thompson; while acknowledging that "some individuals are more tolerant of risk and ambiguity than others", he goes on with the assumption "that individuals exercise discretion whenever they believe it is to their advantage to do so and seek to evade discretion on other occasions." Individuals make entirely rational choices to present their work in the best light possible (pp. 123, 124), but they are not opportunistic; Thompson briefly discusses what he terms "deviant discretion" and presents it as a relatively minor problem, at least "in societies which possess the appropriate supporting institutions" (p. 122).

In this second part, Thompson appears to be out of his depth. He is not a psychologist - the concepts and models of part two look crude compared to the framework in part one. And while mechanistic models of organizations are commonplace, the reader may be less forgiving when simple models are applied to humans.

It is safe to assume that Frederick W. Taylor was aware that resources don't simply materialize in the factory as needed. Max Weber presented bureaucracy as an answer to an environment where rational-legal authority was on the rise. And both intended to tailor organizations to given problems, guided by their respective principles. From this perspective, Thompson does not stray far from the idea that there should be "one best way" - he offers a formalized, fairly deterministic way for finding the structure that can cope with a given environment, including its uncertainties. In fact, Thompson performs a sleight of hand in plain view of the reader: the highest uncertainty is relegated to a barely defined institutional level - but for that level, precious little insight is offered beyond the common measuring of success in satisficing terms.

What really differentiates Thompson from Weber and Taylor with regards to uncertainty is the assessment of organizations: goals may be unclear or conflicting, and cause/effect relations may be unknown - these are hard problems that bureaucracies and scientific management are ill-equipped to deal with.

Books are not very flexible as a medium. The process of creating and distributing new editions is expensive, and the readership may not even be appreciative, particularly if a book is popular enough to warrant further editions or even regarded as a "classic" (reference books are an obvious exception). And so this reader stumbled over several oddities and omissions: Thompson didn't foresee the rise of Just-In-Time production (pp. 20-23). Within his model, increasing interdependence results in increased power and dependence - an explanation of how this constitutes an "important escape from the 'zero-sum' concept of power" seems lacking (pp. 30-32). And he fails to mention that in many scenarios, coalescence is less constraining than co-optation - joint ventures are separate entities while members of the board of directors affect the main organization (pp. 35, 36). It is worth pointing out that this last problem becomes only obvious when looking at the specific examples given by Thompson.

Thompson's legacy is a more differentiated look at the complexity of organizational structure. If theories evolved, it might have been a decent starting point for a more comprehensive framework of organizational studies. In some disciplines, however, theories tend to be more closely associated with authors than with research subjects. They rarely evolve. They are superseded.

ORGANIZATIONS IN ACTION Social Science Bases of Administrative Theory

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ORGANIZATIONS IN ACTION Social Science Bases of Administrative Theory
James D. Thompson
Manufacturer: Transaction Publishers.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K0EO9S

Amazon.com

The Human Genome Project has revealed that we possess a surprisingly small number of genes, especially in light of our fairly complex bodies. In The Birth of the Mind, NYU psychology professor Gary Marcus brings together current research on how our genetic code assembles that most mysterious physiological structure, the brain. Readers fascinated by the works of Steven Pinker and other mind theorists will be fascinated by Marcus' descriptions of strange--and sometimes disturbing--sensory experiments carried out on chimps, ferrets, and kittens that show how the brain organizes itself in the presence or absence of external stimuli. Further, Marcus writes that there's nothing particularly special about how the brain is built and maintained.

What's amazing is how little of the overall scheme for embryonic development is special to the brain. Although thousands of genes are involved in brain development, a large number of them are shared with (or have close counterparts in) genes that guide the development of the rest of the body.

With plenty of evidence supporting the notion of multi-function "housekeeping genes," Marcus concludes that our hopes for finding single genes responsible for various brain disorders are likely unfounded. The Birth of the Mind offers an engaging and often witty look at how our genetic code can be simple enough to make basic proteins and complicated enough to help us learn languages. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

In The Birth of the Mind, award-winning cognitive scientist Gary Marcus irrevocably alters the nature vs. nurture debate by linking the findings of the Human Genome Project to the development of the brain. Scientists have long struggled to understand how a tiny number of genes could contain the instructions for building the human brain, arguably the most complex device in the known universe. Synthesizing up-to-the-minute research with his own original findings on child development, Marcus is the first to resolve this apparent contradiction. Vibrantly written and completely accessible to the lay reader, The Birth of the Mind will forever change the way we think about our origins and ourselves.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent explanation of the evolution of the human brain.......2006-12-30

As a social scientist, I approached this book with some trepidation, especially when I noticed an 18 page glossary! However, my fears were quickly assuaged when I discovered how good Marcus is at explaining the relationship between genes and environments. I particularly like his admitting when current research has not given final answers and instead we must make do with plausible ones. At many points, he anticipates objections to his arguments and forthrightly addresses them. I found that feature very useful in trying to explain to my friends the connection between genes, evolution, and the development of humans' brains. Try that at your next cocktail party!

Rare combination of hard science and a great read.......2006-09-07

While you may have read books that similarly describe genes and brain development, you will not find one that presents a better, more comprehensive or concise explanation. Marcus offers a short overview of current trends in genetics, neurology, microbiology, linguistics and psychology as well as presenting some of the most intriguing contemporary philosophical discussions. Through this book Marcus presents the hard-science arguments that are now shaping main-stream views about genetics and brain development without sensationalizing, overly speculating, or including entertaining personal anecdotes and diversions - common problems in popular science books about the brain.

Marcus begins by explaining that genes do not offer a plan for the body and then goes on to show how our brains develop through a combination of genetic and environmental influence. He supports his arguments with solid experimental examples that contradict many popular misconceptions, providing a better understand of mainstream scientific views. Brains are flexible and changing Marcus emphasizes. Parts of the brain are associated with specific functions and brain organization is greatly shaped by experience. This information about brain structure and function is unavoidably gained through animal experiments. While Marcus does not go into much detail, some experiments imply gruesome procedures that might upset some readers.

Some scientists "are right that significant parts of the brain are organized even without experience, and their opponents are right to emphasize that the structure of the brain is exquisitely sensitive to experience." (p 45). It is as if to say that brain development depends 100% on nature (genetics) and 100% on nurture (experiences). For Marcus this leads to the integrated relationship of being "prewired," but not necessarily "hardwired."

It is now accepted that genes are "...not a blueprint, but rather an enormous autonomous library of the instructions contained within its genome. Each gene does double duty, specifying both a recipe for a protein and a set of regulatory conditions for when and where it should be built. "By tying development to relative rather than absolute cues, evolution has provided us with a handbook of self-assembly both stunningly flexible and sublimely powerful.... From the perspective of a given cell, it doesn't matter where that signal comes from." (p 97) The independent nature of cells allows a great deal of influence from both genes and external influences - either from other cells or from the external environment in the form of stress, nourishment or sensory input. "Experience itself can modify the expression of genes." (p 98) Even so, not all genes can be influenced by experience, and not all experiences have the ability to change gene expression.

What is also remarkable is that "Virtually every gene in a mouse genome -- and many in the genome of a fruit fly -- has some sort of counterpart in the human genome." (p 79) Thus, the full range of highly unique structures and functions of the brain are closely related to all other living systems. Marcus goes on to explain the differences and similarities between chimpanzees and humans - which is exceptionally well presented.

Marcus ends his thesis arguing that the processes that govern the growth and regulation of the body are at work in the brain, and idea that runs contrary to many theories about the brain. We are at the verge of understanding much about how genes are involved in human development, and this will give us the opportunity to tinker with the processes, and Marcus speculates about some of the problems that we may face in the future. And, in a particularly honest note, Marcus makes it clear that our understanding of genetics and the brain is just beginning - thus the birth of the brain refers to our neonatal understanding of what is inside our heads.

The Birth of the Mind was published in 2004, it still is up to date. If anything, some of the more speculative concepts are now more experimentally supported. As a general introduction I believe it will stand as the best book of its kind for several more years.

Criticism
There is little to take issue with, but it should be understood that this book is a very short introduction (only 190 pages of text - 50 pages of notes and reference). Marcus' extremely concise and economical style puts a lot of information in a very few pages.

While Marcus works to dispel misconceptions, the best way to do so is to get a grasp of the general knowledge and common insights found within the various scientific fields. Other good comprehensive popular science books about the mind and brain include the works of William Calvin or Oliver Sacks. For a more philosophical (and controversial) view of genetics and the mind, try any of the many books by Steven Pinker, Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins or even Steven Jay Gould. For more in depth science that is relatively accessible to the popular science reader start a search on Amazon beginning with these books: "Synaptic Self," by Joseph LeDoux is unparalleled overview of the recent history and current state of neuroscience and psychology; "The Art Of Genes," by Enrico Coen, is very accessible and offers more advanced look at genetics; "The Human Genome" is short and very accessible summary of the human genome project as covered by Nature Magazine - including an appendix of scientific papers. But I still recommend beginning with The Birth of the Mind.

Readability rating 10 of 10
Rarely have I found a writer of entry level science who presents such a stunningly well researched work. Marcus is certainly one of the best scientific writers today.

Research Rating 9 of 10
The quality of the bibliography is impeccable and there are few secondary sources. Many of the hundreds of papers cited are not available on the internet or easily accessible outside of an academic setting. My only complaint is that the notes are abbreviated (page numbers are not included). For articles this is fine, but it is a concern for book citations - thus a rating of 9 instead of a 10. Since there are few book citations and most of these references concern generally accepted knowledge, this is not a big problem, but prevents me from categorizing this as a scholarly work. The 50 page appendix includes notes, full biography, subject index and name index. Marcus distils complex ideas into simple statements that are a great source for quotes. Having checked many of his references, I find that this is one of the few popular science books that I would reliably use as a secondary source - and occasionally as a primary source based on Marcus' expertise in his field and his overall description of the state of scientific thought.

A whole lot of repitition and very few illustrations.......2006-04-03

Buy this book if you have avid interest in the role of DNA in the formation of the brain/mind. From a layman's perspective, I should add that, there are very few books on this topic that are at this level of simplicity. So the choice is limited if you want to know something about the subject without getting stopped by the science wall.

I liked it, but prefer to stay with a lower rating because of the reasons outlined below.

Sometimes emphasis and repetition is necessary, and it serves a purpose. This book unfortunately overdid it. Although the author has remarkable grasp about this broad field, he could have done a better job at making it more concise and readable. Often very similar topic or idea, is explained or alluded to multiple times, in the same or different chapters. Illustrations were very lacking, and for a subject matter this complicated there should have been more effort towards that direction. In other words I felt, if the book had to have a certain number of pages, I would have added more diagrams and illustrations, than fluffing the material up.

very good recent information.......2005-08-14

I didn't plan on reading this book but it jumped into my hands, and I couldn't put it down. I already knew a lot about the topic, being a fan of Richard Dawkins and Stephen Pinker. But it was filled with great descriptions of fascinating lab work, which really pulled me in.

Now if you're not a fan of Dawkins or Pinker, it's probably for religious or political reasons; and I'd say to you: don't worry about this book. The subject matter was familiar to me because of those authors, but Marcus has none of their ideological verve. There's not even any philosophy. He didn't beat the nature/nurture horse: with this close of a look, it's just unnecessary. This is just about genes and brains; that's all.

So, if you're looking at this book, here are some others that I like that I think you might want to consider:

Richard Flanagan, The Problem of the Soul
Stephen Pinker, How the Mind Works
Matt Ridley, The Red Queen
Matt Ridley, Genome

Great presentation, Cool material.......2005-06-01

I'm still working my way through this one, but am very pleased so far.

One recommendation I would make : read a book about Evo Devo (evolution
and devlopment) first. I would recommend Sean Carroll's "Endless
Forms Most Beautiful". Carroll's book describes quite plainly how
certain genes function as a "genetic toolkit" which defines and
implements the body pattern of a developing embryo. Having this (very
worthwhile) bit of learning accomplished first will add remarkable
depth to Marcus' book.

Marcus does a good job of presenting the functioning of a gene as an
"IF-THEN" statement in a computer program. He points out that when it
comes to brain development the generic tricks employed -- as well as
the specific genes involved -- are not at all specific to the
development of the brain. This has a huge relevance to brain
evolution. I believe he stated that the family of Hox genes that
control the development of body pattern of a developing embryo has
been duplicated four times in the DNA of vertebrates, and that one of
these 4 copies has specialized to the patterning of the developing
brain. This is the very juice of what I was looking for in this book.
My reason for giving 4 stars (not five) was that I'd really like to
see this particular aspect "fleshed out" in more detail. Nonetheless,
I'd say Marcus does an admirable job of presenting evidence that a)
the brain is built according to the same mechanisms as the body, and
b) that this structure -- including its built-in flexibility -- plays
a great role in determining the nature of mind.

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Great Horse Racing Mysteries: True Tales from the Track

True Mystery And Suspense

true stories that you just have to finish

Luridly revealing the worst in human nature

Great Horse Racing Mysteries

Great Horse Racing Mysteries: True Tales from the Track
John McEvoy
Manufacturer: Eclipse Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

True Crime | True Accounts | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Racing | Horses | Individual Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
General | Sports | Subjects | Books
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Secretariat: The Making of a Champion

ASIN: 158150103X

Book Description

Examines several unsolved mysteries of the racing world-- murder...suicide...arson...fraud....Definitely some of horse racing's strangest, most fascinating tales.

Customer Reviews:

Great Horse Racing Mysteries: True Tales from the Track.......2007-03-10

I'm a "mystery" fan and this book kept my attention. I really enjoyed gaining knowledge of the horse-racing industry. I only wish there were more stories in this book. The book ended too soon.

True Mystery And Suspense.......2006-06-18

From Eclipse Press and John McEvoy comes one of the most intriguing horse racing books to date. Some of the tales you will find within the book seem too amazing to be true. And the scary part is, they are true. Every single word is true. What's more is that the mysteries go unsolved. You will have to form your own opinion of what happened based on the fine detailed print McEvoy gives you to base it on. The book has great amazing cliffhangers that leave you wondering til the end of time. Great for mind stimulation and concept. Very well-researched and a very entertaining read. This novel is highly reccommended.

true stories that you just have to finish.......2005-11-20

This is an objective look at some of the biggest mysteries in the horse world. Unlike many writers, the author doesn't slant for or against...he puts the facts there. What do you believe? Is Shergar alive? Was Pharlap the victim of a tragic error? Mysteries, history and horses in one book. Worth the time to read.

Luridly revealing the worst in human nature.......2004-06-08

Great Horse Racing Mysteries: True Tales From The Track presents true stories of crime, unsolved puzzles, and cases that remain debated to the present day concerning the world of horse racing. Tales of murder, suicide, arson, fraud, and animal kidnapping reveal the dark side of this popular sport. Luridly revealing the worst in human nature in the racing and racehorse raising profession and keeps a tight grip on the reader's attention and does not let go.

Great Horse Racing Mysteries.......2003-12-20

Ripped off by Amazon. Maximum price of this book was $24.95 new through the vendor Half.com. Amazon charged $38.94. Shame on me for trusting Amazon. It will not happen again because I am closing my account with these rip off artists. Be very careful before you purchase from this company.

Book Description

This book takes the reader carefully through each stage of essay writing from interpretation of the question, to the research, planning, writing, and revision. The book shows how to improve not just study skills like note-taking, reading, organization, and writing, but thinking skills as well. Readers will learn how to analyze difficult concepts, criticize and evaluate arguments, use evidence, and develop more of their own ideas. This book gives clear practical advice, with a troubleshooting section that deals with a range of common problems.

Customer Reviews:

Help for those unfamiliar with essay exams, UK.......2007-01-06

This book provides excellent advice for the person unfamiliar with the UK education system, examination by essay. It is very thorough and includes explanations related to note taking, organizing and revision before the exam as well as essay preparation. I wish I had it before my first series of exams in Great Britian. It would probably be useful also for those in other areas, where this kind of exam is required, certainly humanities majors. Covers the exam essay as a formal argument to answer a question as well as presenting advice on targeting the specific question.

For advanced college students and professionals.......2004-08-25

Great advice for the serious writer, but too complicated for any one who is struggling and in need of rapid improvement. I really wanted to keep it for myself, but needed more of a resource to teach my 16 year old than an in depth study for my own writing. Would be very appropriate for a course of study rather than a reference book.

All you need to know.......2003-11-27

A really excellent book and the best I've ever read on the subject. Takes you step by step through structuring an essay with helpful guidelines and useful exercises throughout. Really invaluable in helping you to develop the necessary skills for good essay writing. First rate. Look no further than this gem of a book.

Best on the market.......2002-08-01

Having looked at many many titles that purport to help students write better essays this is definitely the best.
The author has clearly taught and thought about this topic for some time and the needs of the student come first.
His explanations and examples are well outlined, and he gives lots of good reasons why a student should take the advice offered.
This is not a book about where to put a comma - this is about how to think, how to develop the skills needed to write well.
Although aimed at higher education students this book could easily be used by anyone wanting to write well.

How to Write Better Law Essays: Tools and Techniques for Success in Exams and Assignments

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How to Write Better Law Essays: Tools and Techniques for Success in Exams and Assignments
Steve Foster
Manufacturer: Pearson Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Law | Subjects | Books

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Legal Writing | One-L | Law | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1405822007

Book Description

The adventures of Will Eisner's most famous creation continuein this volume reprinting the Spirit newspaper sections from 1/5/47 to6/29/47. Featuring appearances by Ebony, Dolan and Ellen, the seductiveP'Gell, Hoagy the Yogi, Silken Floss, Saree and more, plus an introductionby Jim Vance.

Customer Reviews:

WARNING!.......2006-01-22

Many of the reviews for this volume (released 12/05) are actually for OTHER, volume sin the series. This book is part of the classic run of post war SPIRIT stories, as are v12 - 16. This is the best of the best, so dig in!

I have written to AMAZON to ask them to change the Spirit Archive review sections, and hopefully they will get around to it soon!

Spirit Archives, Volume 5.......2005-12-14

This book covers The Spirit Sunday comic strip from July, 1942 to December, 1942. Spirit creator Will Eisner had been inducted into the Army in May of 1942, so he didn't draw any of the comics here. He managed to contribute a few scripts, but not too many. Scripts were written by Manly Wade Wellman, Alfred Bester, William Woolfolk and possibly others. Most of the artwork was handled by Lou Fine, who was no Will Eisner, but was a great artist in his own right. While this is not the best of The Spirit, it was still one of the best "masked crimefighter" comics of the time period.

Eisner Returns.......2004-12-15

The Spirit is a crime fighting hero who uses ingenuity and physical skill, rather than super powers, to defeat evil. He is witty likeable and politically incorrect. The comic pioneered many layout techniques and so many super heros are modeled after The Spirit. The story lines and comics hold up even now more than 60 years later and I recommend for comic book fans to try out the series.

I recommend this series to all comics fans, although not necessarily this volume. The Spirit was very influential and the stories are still good to read now. I recommend this series to libraries, because this is a unique opportunity to archive the entire run of a very influential comic.

Great promise of things to come.......2004-04-16

I thoroughly recommend this book to Spirit fans, but not necessarily as the ideal introduction to the Great Spirit.
This volume is The Spirit's springtime.
"The Spirit" at his greatest was characterised by excellent stories, well paced, superb viewer angles in the art-work, and wonderful tension built by the ambiguity in the relationships between the Spirit and the regular characters.
In this volume the stories are good, and the pacing and the angles are developing. The cast of characters is only in its infancy.
The masterpieces are yet to come in future volumes.

Not the work of Eisner, but includes some of the BEST!!!.......2004-04-10

Eisner contributed only plots and some loose layouts to the stories in this volume, but some of the strips still rank among the best Spirit stories. Now, the OVERALL quality of the strip isn't as good as the post-war Eisner years, but certain individual ones are as good as it gets.

A particular highlight is the Spirit's first encounter with Diana, the huntress who stalks him like a beast. It won't ruin you enjoyment of the story to tell you it's hilarious when the Spirit SPANKS her and sends her off crying. Not exactly politically correct. Heh.

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