springer berlin heidelberg feb 2014 (495 risultati)

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Among the group of physics honors students huddled in 1957 on a Colorado mountain watching Sputnik bisect the heavens, one young scientist was destined, three short years later, to become a key player in Americäs own top-secret spy satellite program. One of our eräs most prolific mathematicians, Karl Gustafson was given just two weeks to write the first US spy satellite¿s software. The project would fundamentally alter Americäs Cold War strategy, and this autobiographical account of a remarkable academic life spent in the top flight tells this fascinating inside story for the first time. Gustafson takes you from his early pioneering work in computing, through fascinating encounters with Nobel laureates and Fields medalists, to his current observations on mathematics, science and life. He tells of brushes with death, being struck by lightning, and the beautiful women who have been a part of his journey.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 192 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book constitutes the proceedings of the 9th Workshop on RFID Security and Privacy, RFIDsec 2013, held in Graz, Austria, in July 2013. The 11 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 23 submissions. RFIDsec deals with topics of importance to improving the security and privacy of RFID, NFC, contactless technologies, and the Internet of Things. RFIDsec bridges the gap between cryptographic researchers and RFID developers.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 192 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book contains papers invited after the First International Workshop on Mobile Social Signal Processing, MSSP 2010, held in Lisbon, Portugal, in September 2010. The 9 revised papers included in this volume represent the diversity of two fields of research, Mobile HCI and Social Signal Processing and areas of overlap. They cover a wide range of topics spanning from approaches for effective interaction with mobile and wearable devices to modelling, analysis and synthesis of nonverbal behaviour in human-human and human-machine interactions.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 116 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Statistical Atlases and Computational Models of the Heart: Imaging and Modelling Challenges, STACOM 2013, held in conjunction with MICCAI 2013, in Nagoya, Japan, in September 2013. The 31 revised full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on cardiac image processing; atlas construction; statistical modelling of cardiac function across different patient populations; cardiac mapping; cardiac computational physiology; model customization; atlas based functional analysis; ontological schemata for data and results; integrated functional and structural analyses; as well as the pre-clinical and clinical applicability of these methods.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 284 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -These transactions publish research in computer-based methods of computational collective intelligence (CCI) and their applications in a wide range of fields such as the semantic web, social networks, and multi-agent systems. TCCI strives to cover new methodological, theoretical and practical aspects of CCI understood as the form of intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals (artificial and/or natural). The application of multiple computational intelligence technologies, such as fuzzy systems, evolutionary computation, neural systems, consensus theory, etc., aims to support human and other collective intelligence and to create new forms of CCI in natural and/or artificial systems. This eleventh issue contains 9 carefully selected and thoroughly revised contributions.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 232 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The drive to realise operational efficiencies, improve customer service, develop new markets and accelerate the introduction of new products has substantially increased the complexity of field service operations. To maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of these operations, organisations have embarked on a wide range of transformation programmes that have sought to introduce automation through the use of workforce management technologies. Despite the potential business value that can be provided by such transformation programmes, too often, the automation technologies have not been fully utilised and their expected benefits have as such not been realised.Scholars of organisation change argue that the success of any transformation programme is a function of how well the technical, political, structural and social aspects of a specific project have been managed. The objective of this edited book is to provide insights into how organisations might successfully transform their field service operations with the help of workforce management technologies. Accordingly, the book is organised into four sections: Section A ¿The Case for Transforming Service and Field Operations¿ explains the rationale as to why organisations should actively consider transforming their service and field operations, while Section B presents various ¿Methods, Models and Enabling Technologies for Transforming Service and Field Operations¿. In Section C, a number of ¿Case Studies¿ illustrate how new technologies can be applied to field and service operations to deliver concrete business benefits. Lastly, Section D considers ¿Challenges, Outcomes and Future Directions¿.Overall, this book provides valuable insights into how to successfully transform field service operations with automated technologies. It draws on years of experience from different industries and from different perspectives on realising change. It is aimed at managers, technologists, change agentsand scholars who are interested in field service operations in general and the use of advanced computing technologies in this area in particular.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 300 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book documents the history of two research papers, from the first drafts to the final polished published articles, including the reviewer comments and the author responses. The documentary provides unique insights into the publishing process, which at times is filled with uncertainties, not only for young researchers. The book discusses lessons learned and also provides an experienced editor's and reviewer's perspective. In the light of the high pressure on young faculty to publish successfully, this book offers itself as a guide to publishing efficiently and effectively in a highly competitive scientific environment.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 208 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book offers insights into important trends and future scenarios in the global tourism and travel industry. Besides the general topics (aviation and hospitality industry, destination management, marketing, and distribution management) it analyses current challenges and impacts resulting especially from developments in social media, corporate social responsibility and eco-mobility. Sustainability in the global tourism sector and particularly eco-mobility is one of the top themes to-be and therefore a focus of this book. Among the contributors to the book are well-known notabilities from institutions such as the UNWTO and top executives of various segments of the tourism and travel industry. The articles are based on presentations and panel discussions presented at the world¿s largest tourism convention, the ITB Berlin Convention.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 300 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This volume constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Mathematical Methods for Curves and Surfaces, MMCS 2012, held in Oslo, Norway, in June/July 2012. The 28 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 135 submissions. The topics range from mathematical analysis of various methods to practical implementation on modern graphics processing units. The papers reflect the newest developments in these fields and also point to the latest literature.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 524 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -In this book, the author compares the meaning of stability in different subfields of numerical mathematics.Concept of Stability in numerical mathematics opens by examining the stability of finite algorithms. A more precise definition of stability holds for quadrature and interpolation methods, which the following chapters focus on. The discussion then progresses to the numerical treatment of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). While one-step methods for ODEs are always stable, this is not the case for hyperbolic or parabolic differential equations, which are investigated next. The final chapters discuss stability for discretisations of elliptic differential equations and integral equations.In comparison among the subfields we discuss the practical importance of stability and the possible conflict between higher consistency order and stability.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 204 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -There has been rapid growth in biomedical engineering in recent decades, given advancements in medical imaging and physiological modelling and sensing systems, coupled with immense growth in computational and network technology, analytic approaches, visualization and virtual-reality, man-machine interaction and automation. Biomedical engineering involves applying engineering principles to the medical and biological sciences and it comprises several topics including biomedicine, medical imaging, physiological modelling and sensing, instrumentation, real-time systems, automation and control, signal processing, image reconstruction, processing and analysis, pattern recognition, and biomechanics. It holds great promise for the diagnosis and treatment of complex medical conditions, in particular, as we can now target direct clinical applications, research and development in biomedical engineering is helping us to develop innovative implants and prosthetics, create new medical imaging technologies and improve tools and techniques for the detection, prevention and treatment of diseases.The contributing authors in this edited book present representative surveys of advances in their respective fields, focusing in particular on techniques for the analysis of complex biomedical data. The book will be a useful reference for graduate students, researchers and industrial practitioners in computer science, biomedical engineering, and computational and molecular biology.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 232 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The ¿Rudolf Mössbauer Story¿ recounts the history of the discovery of the ¿Mössbauer Effect¿ in 1958 by Rudolf Mössbauer as a graduate student of Heinz Maier-Leibnitz for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1961 when he was 32 years old. The development of numerous applications of the Mössbauer Effect in many fields of sciences , such as physics, chemistry, biology and medicine is reviewed by experts who contributed to this wide spread research. In 1978 Mössbauer focused his research interest on a new field ¿Neutrino Oscillations¿ and later on the study of the properties of the neutrinos emitted by the sun.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 460 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This white paper is part of a series that promotes knowledge about language technology and its potential. It addresses educators, journalists, politicians, language communities and others. The availability and use of language technology in Europe varies between languages. Consequently, the actions that are required to further support research and development of language technologies also differ for each language. The required actions depend on many factors, such as the complexity of a given language and the size of its community. META-NET, a Network of Excellence funded by the European Commission, has conducted an analysis of current language resources and technologies. This analysis focused on the 23 official European languages as well as other important national and regional languages in Europe. The results of this analysis suggest that there are many significant research gaps for each language. A more detailed expert analysis and assessment of the current situation will help maximise the impact of additional research and minimize any risks. META-NET consists of 54 research centres from 33 countries that are working with stakeholders from commercial businesses, government agencies, industry, research organisations, software companies, technology providers and European universities. Together, they are creating a common technology vision while developing a strategic research agenda that shows how language technology applications can address any research gaps by 2020.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 80 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -In the last hundred years, modern physics and cosmology have shown that there exist regions of the universe forever beyond our reach, hidden by truly ultimate horizons. Such regions exist in those remote parts of the universe where, from our point of view, space expands faster than the speed of light. They are found in black holes, where the gravity is strong enough to retain even light within its field of attraction. And in the realm of the very small, quarks must remain forever confined to their world of extreme density and can never be removed from it. The aim of this book is to describe these ultimate horizons, how they were discovered, how they shape our view of the world, and what clues we have about a world beyond them.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 184 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The study of classical electromagnetic fields is an adventure. The theory is complete mathematically and we are able to present it as an example of classical Newtonian experimental and mathematical philosophy. There is a set of foundational experiments, on which most of the theory is constructed. And then there is the bold theoretical proposal of a field-field interaction from James Clerk Maxwell.This textbook presents the theory of classical fields as a mathematical structure based solidly on laboratory experiments. Here the student is introduced to the beauty of classical field theory as a gem of theoretical physics. To keep the discussion fluid, the history is placed in a beginning chapter and some of the mathematical proofs in the appendices. Chapters on Green¿s Functions and Laplace¿s Equation and a discussion of Faraday¿s Experiment further deepen the understanding. The chapter on Einstein¿s relativity is an integral necessity to the text. Finally, chapters on particlemotion and waves in a dispersive medium complete the picture. High quality diagrams and detailed end-of-chapter questions enhance the learning experience.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 460 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This Festschrift volume, published in honor of Kokichi Futatsugi, contains 31 invited contributions from internationally leading researchers in formal methods and software engineering. Prof. Futatsugi is one of the founding fathers of the field of algebraic specification and verification and is a leading researcher in formal methods and software engineering. He has pioneered and advanced novel algebraic methods and languages supporting them such as OBJ and CafeOBJ and has worked tirelessly over the years to bring such methods and tools in contact with software engineering practice. This volume contains contributions from internationally leading researchers in formal methods and software engineering.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 680 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Membrane Computing, CMC 2013, held in Chi¿in¿u, Republic of Moldova, in August 2013.The 16 revised selected papers presented together with 6 invited lectures were carefully reviewed and selected from 26 papers presented at the conference. Membrane computing is an area of computer science aiming to abstract computing ideas and models from the structure and the functioning of living cells, as well as from the way the cells are organized in tissues or higher order structures. It deals with membrane systems, also called P systems, which are distributed and parallel algebraic models processing multi sets of objects in a localized manner (evolution rules and evolving objects are encapsulated into compartments delimited by membranes), with an essential role played by the communication among compartments and with the environment.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 336 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 7th IFIP TC 6 International Workshop on Self-Organizing Systems, IWSOS 2013, held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in May 2013. The 11 revised full papers and 9 short papers presented were carefully selected from 35 paper submissions. The papers are organized in following topics: design and analysis of self-organizing and self-managing systems, inspiring models of self-organization in nature and society, structure, characteristics and dynamics of self-organizing networks, self-organization in techno-social systems, self-organized social computation and self-organized communication systems.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 204 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The CSR report has become a very important tool which can help corporations to set up strategies and build their core competencies. This book presents a range of cases from different industries. Based on the analysis of the enterprise survival environment, it points out the necessity and significance of CSR. The book analyzes the current situation and development trend of CSR in China, as well as its international developing trend. By analyzing the management framework and formulation process of the CSR report, this book provides businesses with guiding principles for preparing the CSR report.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 256 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -'Gene Therapy for Cartilage and Bone Tissue Engineering' outlines the tissue engineering and possible applications of gene therapy in the field of biomedical engineering as well as basic principles of gene therapy, vectors and gene delivery, specifically for cartilage and bone engineering. It is intended for tissue engineers, cell therapists, regenerative medicine scientists and engineers, gene therapist and virologists. Dr. Yu-Chen Hu is a Distinguished Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University and has received the Outstanding Research Award (National Science Council), Asia Research Award (Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan) and Professor Tsai-Teh Lai Award (Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers). He is also a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and a member of the Tissue Engineering International & Regenerative Medicine Society (TERMIS)-Asia Pacific Council.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 100 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Corporate governance encompasses the free enterprise system, which is treated comprehensively in this book from a German perspective. This distinguishes the book from other books written in English in this subject area, not only because of the comprehensive way it covers German corporate law and corporate governance, but also because of the fact that it provides international and European perspectives on these important topics. This second edition is an extensively revised and updated version of the first edition, in particular with a view to the worldwide debt crisis. The authors provide readers with an overview of the unique features of German business and enterprise law and an in-depth analysis of the organs of governance of German public limited companies (general meeting, management board, supervisory board). In addition, approaches for reforms required at the international level are also suggested and discussed, including, among others, the unique interplay and dynamics of the German two-tier board model with the system of codetermination, referring to the arrangement of employees sitting on the supervisory boards of German public limited companies and private companies employing more than 500 employees; also covered are significant recent legal developments in Europe. The book highlights the core function of valuation and financial reporting at the international, European and German levels, with accounting as the documentary proof of good corporate governance. It also expands the scope of the first edition by a treatment of the German financial sector, global corporate finance and governance, and by including a new chapter on compliance of corporate governance laws, rules and standards in Germany. As far as comparative law is concerned, new developments in the area of corporate governance in the EU, the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance and corporate governance in the US, the UK and Australia are covered.The book is addressed to researchers, practitioners and basically anyone with an interest in the complex, but intriguing areas of corporate law and corporate governance. 544 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Boolean circuit complexity is the combinatorics of computer science and involves many intriguing problems that are easy to state and explain, even for the layman. This book is a comprehensive description of basic lower bound arguments, covering many of the gems of this ¿complexity Waterloö that have been discovered over the past several decades, right up to results from the last year or two. Many open problems, marked as Research Problems, are mentioned along the way. The problems are mainly of combinatorial flavor but their solutions could have great consequences in circuit complexity and computer science. The book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in the fields of computer science and discrete mathematics.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 636 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Alternative Energy Sources is designed to give the reader, a clear view of the role each form of alternative energy may play in supplying the energy needs of the human society in the near future (20-50 years).The two first chapters on 'energy demand and supply' and 'environmental effects,' set the tone as to why alternative energy is essential for the future. The third chapter gives the laws of energy conversion processes, as well as the limitations of converting one energy form to another. The section on exergy gives a quantitative background on the capability/potential of each energy source to produce power. The fourth, fifth and sixth chapters are expositions of fission and fusion nuclear energy, the power plants that may produce power from these sources and the issues that will frame the public debate on nuclear energy. The following five chapters include descriptions of the most common renewable energy sources (wind, solar, geothermal, biomass, hydroelectric) some ofthe less common sources (e.g. tidal and wave energy). The emphasis of these chapters will be on the global potential of each source, the engineering/technical systems that are used in harnessing the potential of each source, the technological developments that will contribute to wider utilization of the sources and environmental effects associated with their wider use. The last three chapters are: 'energy storage,' which will become an important issue if renewable energy sources are used widely.The fourteen chapters in the book have been chosen so that one may fit a semester University course around this book. At the end of every chapter, there are 10-20 problems and 1-3 suggestions of semester projects that may be assigned to students for further research.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 480 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Corporate governance encompasses the free enterprise system, which is treated comprehensively in this book from a German perspective. This distinguishes the book from other books written in English in this subject area, not only because of the comprehensive way it covers German corporate law and corporate governance, but also because of the fact that it provides international and European perspectives on these important topics.This second edition is an extensively revised and updated version of the first edition, in particular with a view to the worldwide debt crisis. The authors provide readers with an overview of the unique features of German business and enterprise law and an in-depth analysis of the organs of governance of German public limited companies (general meeting, management board, supervisory board). In addition, approaches for reforms required at the international level are also suggested and discussed, including, among others, the unique interplay and dynamics of the German two-tier board model with the system of codetermination, referring to the arrangement of employees sitting on the supervisory boards of German public limited companies and private companies employing more than 500 employees; also covered are significant recent legal developments in Europe.The book highlights the core function of valuation and financial reporting at the international, European and German levels, with accounting as the documentary proof of good corporate governance. It also expands the scope of the first edition by a treatment of the German financial sector, global corporate finance and governance, and by including a new chapter on compliance of corporate governance laws, rules and standards in Germany. As far as comparative law is concerned, new developments in the area of corporate governance in the EU, the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance and corporate governance in the US, the UK and Australia are covered.The book is addressed to researchers, practitioners and basically anyone with an interest in the complex, but intriguing areas of corporate law and corporate governance.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 544 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Following events such as the 2008 credit crunch and financial crisis, many sectors of the economy suffered; nevertheless, reinsurance managed to maintain its strong position in the market industry and the global economic arena. Arbitration has traditionally been used in reinsurance, due in no small part to its effective, time- and cost-efficient nature. Hence, reinsurance contracts often include arbitration clauses requiring that any and all disputes arising under the contract be resolved by arbitration. The current work provides an in-depth treatment of reinsurance arbitrations and the various issues they entail in the most representative jurisdictions for such arbitrations. It also aims to pave the way for future directions of arbitration in the context of reinsurance. Any participant in the reinsurance market arena looking for a roadmap to the fascinating legal environment in which reinsurance arbitrations operate would be well advised to have this book on hand.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 360 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The real estate market in Germany has recovered remarkably well from 2008/09 crisis. Portfolio transactions, infrastructure projects as well as investments in commercial and residential real estate are on the rise. This publication provides investors, property developers and advisers with a practical guideline to the legal, tax and commercial framework for real estate investments in Germany.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 364 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -China has the largest population in the world. However, according to the United Nations, India and China are expected to simultaneously reach a population of approximately 1.38 billion by 2030, with India taking a slight lead. China will be all too happy to surrender its position as the country with the largest population. Where does this attitude come from For China, this situation is symbolic of the solution to the excessive population and a milestone in the ¿Three-Stage¿ population development strategy, as well as the people¿s hope. In order to realize this hope, it firstly depends on the transformation from the previous high birth rate, high death rate, and low growth rate of population, to a high birth rate, low death rate, and high growth rate, and finally to a low birth rate, low death rate, and low growth rate. It also relies on the ¿post-demographic transition¿ to a low fertility level since the 1990s, and secondly, is closely related to the population change in the future. Therefore, in-depth studies on population and the development of population, resources, environment, economy, and society should be conducted on the basis of fresh experiences and theories from the international community, in order to move forward with the times to promote the solution to the population problem and realize the dream of rejuvenating the Chinese nation. As a result, population change is linked to this great rejuvenation, as the great rejuvenation requires the population change and, in turn, the population change facilitates the great rejuvenation.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 312 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -This book offers a comprehensive overview of the financial systems of major industrialized countries using the statistical framework of the financial accounts. After a discussion of how economists agreed to create a framework to monitor the financial linkages between surplus and deficit sectors, the book analyzes in detail the composition and the recent evolution of financial assets and liabilities for households (including public pension rights), firms and intermediaries. Next, the volume studies the convergence patterns of financial structures and their influence on the effectiveness of monetary policy within European countries. The final chapter unifies the previous pictures, showing how the effects of financial integration and global imbalances could have been foreseen based on the financial accounts. The analysis and information contained in the book will help the readers to understand many issues and challenges raised by the recent financial crisis.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 288 pp. Englisch.

Taschenbuch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -The book analyzes export consortia from the strategic management perspective. It builds on an empirical analysis of nine export consortia promoted by UNIDO in developing countries between 2004 and 2007. The book is based heavily on actual export consortium experiences, in order to combine a rigorous research approach with a more pragmatic view of the phenomenon. The material will be of interest to a variety of readers. Scholars in the field of management represent the authors' primary target. The book includes a literature review which combines the topics of SME internationalization, strategic networks, and the issues which relate specifically to SME alliances in the form of export consortia. Entrepreneurs and executives will find useful business models and management tools for the successful design and implementation of export consortia. Insights into the functioning of export consortia may also be of interest to policy-makers and institutions that develop support programs for the growth of SMEs in developing countries.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 140 pp. Englisch.

Buch. Condizione: Neu. Neuware -Scheduling theory has received a growing interest since its origins in the second half of the 20th century. Developed initially for the study of scheduling problems with a single objective, the theory has been recently extended to problems involving multiple criteria. However, this extension has still left a gap between the classical multi-criteria approaches and some real-life problems in which not all jobs contribute to the evaluation of each criterion.In this book, we close this gap by presenting and developing multi-agent scheduling models in which subsets of jobs sharing the same resources are evaluated by different criteria. Several scenarios are introduced, depending on the definition and the intersection structure of the job subsets. Complexity results, approximation schemes, heuristics and exact algorithms are discussed for single-machine and parallel-machine scheduling environments. Definitions and algorithms are illustrated with the help of examples and figures.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 288 pp. Englisch.