Prof. Jürgens is renowned for his scientific work in such fields as human resources, work organization and organization of production and development, especially for automotive industries. In this publication, authors from different countries discuss models of integration in development and production as realized in practice. Of interest to those practitioners who need to develop benchmarks for their own development and production.
Accelerating processes of economic globalization have fundamentally reshaped the organization of the global economy towards much greater integration and functional interdependence through cross-border economic activity. In this interconnected world system, a new form of economic organization has emerged: Global Production Networks (GPNs). This brings together a wide array of economic actors, most notably capitalist firms, state institutions, labour unions, consumers and non-government organizations, in the transnational production of economic value. National and sub-national economic development in this highly interdependent global economy can no longer be conceived of, and understood within, the distinct territorial boundaries of individual countries and regions. Instead, global production networks are organizational platforms through which actors in these different national or regional economies compete and cooperate for a larger share of the creation, transformation, and capture of value through transnational economic activity. They are also vehicles for transferring the value captured between different places. This book ultimately aims to develop a theory of global production networks that explains economic development in the interconnected global economy. While primarily theoretical in nature, it is well grounded in cutting-edge empirical work in the parallel and highly impactful strands of social science literature on the changing organization of the global economy relating to global commodity chains (GCC), global value chains (GVC), and global production networks (GPN).
The phenomenon of globalization has increased in recent decades due to the opening of borders in Eastern Europe and the sudden emergence of other countries in the global trade economy. Yet, the process of becoming global to get access to growing markets or to achieve quality, service, and/or cost advantages from the reconfigured Value Chains is one
The phenomenal success of integrated product and process development (IPPD) at such companies as Boeing, Motorola, and Hewlett-Packard has led many manufacturers to place renewed emphasis on this critical aspect of concurrent engineering. If you are among those charged with the daunting task of implementing, upgrading, or maintaining IPPD, you need a single reference/handbook that covers all of the tools, technologies, and applications that support IPPD. You need Integrated Product and Process Development. Emphasizing applications, this extremely user-friendly guide covers everything from basic principles to cutting-edge research. It addresses ideas and methods in product design as well as issues related to process design and manufacturing. Case studies illustrate the application of various tools and techniques of IPPD in manufacturing for the defense industry, making the most of product planning, applications of quality function deployment (QFD), the effective use of design optimization, and integrating design and process planning. Other topics covered include: Identifying customer needs using QFD. Issues and constraints in time-driven product development. Enhancing automated design systems with functional design. Rapid prototyping. Case-based process planning systems
Implementing co-operative production networks to secure and foster future competitiveness on the global market is a major strategic target for many small- and medium-sized enterprises. The text starts begins with a look at strategic management before moving onto operational product development and operations execution, and in doing so provides a detailed overview of the different key issues of setting up strategic production networks. Management concepts, the required information technology as well as best practices are introduced and discussed by leading researchers from Germany, Switzerland and China. The book is ideally suited for managers responsible for setting up global or regional co-operative production networks as well as researchers and students.
Cross-cultural knowledge management, an elusive yet consequential phenomenon, is becoming an increasingly essential factor in organizational practice and policy in the era of globalization. In order to overcome culturally shaped blind spots in conducting research in different settings, this volume highlights how the structuring of roles, interests, and power among different organizational elements, such as teams, departments, and management hierarchies (each comprised of members from different intellectual and professional backgrounds), generates various paradoxes and tensions that bring into play a set of dynamics that have an impact on learning processes. In this context, such questions often arise: How is knowledge shared in the multicultural organization? What problems and issues emerge? How do different mentalities affect people’s responses to new knowledge and new ideas? How can knowledge-sharing processes be improved? Under which conditions do ideas generated by units or groups of different cultural traditions have a chance of being heard and implemented? Such questions translate into an investigation of potential managerial dilemmas that occur when different but equally valid choices create tensions in decision making. The authors draw from experiences working with a wide variety of organizations, and insights from such fields as sociology and psychology, to shed new light on the dynamics of knowledge management in the multicultural enterprise. In so doing, they help to identify both obstacles to successful communication and opportunities to inspire creativity and foster collaboration. The authors note that in order to enable organizations to transfer knowledge effectively, mechanisms for dispute settlement, mediation of cultural conflict, and enforcing agreements need to be in place.
This book addresses the changing nature of high-tech industries in Asia, particularly in the electronics sector. Its up-to-date findings will be invaluable to those involved in management, production networks and corporate strategy.
Design and Operation of Production Networks for Mass Personalization in the Era of Cloud Technology draws on the latest industry advances to provide everything needed for the effective implementation of this powerful tool. Shorter product lifecycles have increased pressure on manufacturers through the increasing variety and complexity of production, challenging their workforce to remain competitive and profitable. This has led to innovation in production network methodologies, which together with opportunities provided by new digital technologies has fed a rapid evolution of production engineering that has opened new solutions to the challenges of mass personalization and market uncertainty. In addition to the latest developments in cloud technology, reference is made to key enabling technologies, including artificial intelligence, the digital twin, big data analytics, and the internet of things (IoT) to help users integrate the cloud approach with a fully digitalized production system. - Presents diverse cases that show how cloud-based technologies can be used in different ways as part of the standard operation of global production networks - Provides detailed reviews of new technologies like the digital twin, big data analytics, and blockchain to provide context on the role of cloud technologies in a fully digitalized system - Explores future trends for cloud technology and production engineering
Contrary to the explanations offered by the theory of non-reflexive, path-dependent institutionalism, the U.S. and the German automotive industries undertook strikingly similar patterns of industry modification under tough international competition during the 1990s, departing from their traditional national patterns. By investigating the processes of the U.S. and German adjustments, the author critically reconsiders the prevalent paradigms of political economy and comes to the conclusion that the evidence does not confirm the neoliberal paradigm. In order to better account for the recomposition of new market relations, which the author terms "converging but non-liberal" and "diverging but not predetermined" markets, he proposes an alternative model of "politics among reflexive agents," emphasizing different kinds of problem-solving practices among those reflexive agents. He argues that different forms and regimes of market are established in the process of recomposition, in which agents reflect upon not only market rationality but also upon their own institutions, creating new norms.
