Management books for a changing world - System Approach is strategy for industrial organizations' demands

Automotive Design & Production, Dec, 2002

The System Approach: A Strategy to Survive and Succeed in the Global Economy

By Dr. K. (Subbu) Subramanian

The System Approach offers a innovative strategy for meeting the needs of industrial organizations throughout the world that have struggled to survive and succeed in today's global economy. Introducing a new methodology--the System Approach--that calls for a fundamental shift at every level, the author takes the reader on a journey that reveals how traditional task-oriented job assignments can be transformed into a system-oriented problem solving process that involves every individual in the enterprise. Embracing this new strategy provides the potential to change and positively impact the life of every employee in our industrial society. The results portrayed in this book make a compelling case for reexamining existing business structures; it contains essential information for growing a business in the arena of intense international competition.

Contents: The Impact of Global Capitalism. Global Economy--Separating the Myths from Reality. The System Approach. The Enterprise and the System Approach. The System Approach for Industrial Processes. The System Approach as a Strategic Tool in the Global Economy. Personal Concerns and the System Approach. A Glimmer of Hope. Appendix.

218 pages, 2000, ISBN 1-56990-255-0, $32.95

Running Today's Factory: A Proven Strategy for Lean Manufacturing

By Charles Standard and Dr. Dale Davis

Running Today's Factory presents manufacturing as an essential management strategy. It explains how the principles of lean manufacturing can be used to achieve substantial and sustainable competitive advantages in today's economic environment. Scientific models from operations research are presented to explain how and why these lean manufacturing principles should be applied. A branch of queuing theory known as factory physics is introduced, and its agreement with lean philosophy is demonstrated. This scientific approach provides a depth of understanding and confidence in applying these principles beyond what can be learned through case studies alone. The authors highlight the importance of culture and organizational structure and provide clear strategies for affecting change in any organization. A critical thinking approach to performance measurement is presented, and factory physics and lean thinking are both used to evaluate some common factory measures. The authors rely heavily on their own research and c onsulting experience as they present clear strategies for factory management, and their findings are supported strongly by the current operations management literature.

Contents: Introduction. The Manufacturing Challenge. What is so Tough About Running a Factory? Lean Manufacturing Overview. Factory Physics Basics. Manufacturing as a Management Strategy. Operational Stability and Continual Improvement. Just-In-Time Production. Pull Production Control. Achieving Quality at the Source. Quick Set-up and Small Lot Production. Measuring Today's Factory. Transforming Today's Factory. Bibliography. Index.

304 pages, 1999, ISBN 1-56990-257-7, $49.95

Concurrent Engineering Effectiveness

By Mitchell Fleischer and Jeffrey K. Liker

Subtitled Integrating Product Development Across Organizations, this book provides all the tools needed to achieve systems integration across organizational boundaries. Focus is on the methodology of the work processes, people systems, and supply chain issues within the organization and how these systems interface with concurrent engineering. Also included are detailed case histories from leading companies like Chrysler, Motorola, Toyota, and Texas Instruments that can provide a blueprint for the successful implementation of concurrent engineering within your organization.

Contents: Product Development Matters. A Context Model for CE. Work Processes. Internal Organization Issues. Supply Chain Involvement. People Systems. Technology. The CE Profile. A Structured Methodology for Changing to CE. Scoping the Change Effort. Assessment of the As-Is Situation. Design the New CE System. Implementing the New CE System. Case Studies.

512 pages, 1997, ISBN 1-56990-231 -3, $49.95