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The article discusses the correlation of the three key areas which include people, process and technology to the development of a strong business platform. It emphasizes that balance of the three areas can stabilize a platform and the insufficiency of any can lead to the difficulty of balancing it. This is because, each area showcases different levels of importance depending upon the situation and are equally important. With this, ways to balance them are being discussed as well as the representation for each to understand them better.

The article discusses how automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) improve work force efficiency and how they benefit manufacturing industries. It mentions that sales and implementation of ASRS have been tracked with productivity improvements. It notes that ASRS can be integrated warehouses that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or can be single vertical lift modules (VLMs) that deal with specific task or division. It is stated that ASRS can be significant factors to the return on investment (ROI).

The article explores the marketing performance of alcoholic beverages in Utah. It is stated that the state has tried to ban alcohol advertising in the past, prohibited bartenders from pouring double shots, banned restaurant workers from suggesting alcoholic beverages and required that bars serving beverages stronger than 3.2 percent alcohol will be private member-only clubs. But despite the extensive regulations, the state economy still earns $986.55 million every year from the beer industry alone. However, the thing that keeps Utah distinguished is because its wine and beer containing more than 3.2 percent of alcohol is distributed from a single facility only. Information on how the establishment manages the beverage distribution is discussed.

The article discusses the management method called Management System and Operating Control or MSOC developed by BellSouth. The method was developed to improve performance and reduce costs. Unlike other efficiency programs, MSOC includes behavioral components and a sustainability component to ensure continuous improvement. INSET: WIRED AND WIRELESS.

Presents two research studies on the current issue of "Institute of Industrial Engineer Transactions," which focuses on the quality and reliability in industrial management. Determination of manufacturing process of a system for the quality of final product; Scope of tolerance to a system for product quality requirements; Advancement of electro-mechanical components in private and public sectors from improved procedures that enhance the longevity and quality of critical engineering systems.

The author discusses lean experience and describes the methodology he used to help a healthcare company avoid bankruptcy by developing more efficient office practices. Topics include decentralization in management, kaizen events, and the empowerment of staff to develop solutions and improve operations.

The article discusses how to handle project justification to avoid the dispproval of a manufacturing project. According to the author, detailing the justification requires a lot of homework because it is the return on investment (ROI) of the project and project leaders must determine the ROI on the efficiency and effectiveness between current and future processes. It is said that it is important to keep track of running time, down time, cycle time, scrap and failure mode and to quantify the control in order to calculate the potential benefit of the project.

The article focuses on the seven aspects of lean thinking which influence the people's mindset towards industrial management. It is stated that the lean thinking challenges personal philosophy in business settings, encourages the use of economic solutions for industrial problems and takes any one to the higher level of efficiency. Lean thinking covers the entire process of manufacturing which leads to greater impact in the marketplace. Lean thinking requires dedication and openness around goals, expectations and outcomes.

The article discusses the impact of increasing industrial efficiency on the satisfaction and productivity of employees. It has been found in a study that taking various efforts to increase efficiency by simplifying the responsibilities of workers may lower their job satisfaction as well as their productivity. It is stated that companies try to introduce efficiency to improve their financial performance for stockholders in a globally competitive marketplace. In details, companies design or re-design jobs to make them narrowly focused on specific tasks, not knowing that while it improves productivity in the short term, it also creates new set of problem in the long term.

The article provides information on the creation of annual budget for the upcoming year 2008 in the U.S. The author asserted that if the company has changed its products or packaging, they must re-examine how their freight is being classified because shipments may be eligible for a less expensive class. He suggested a freight management service, and if the company has not used a freight management service, he stated to use one for freight optimization. It is an exercise that works to combine several small shipments into larger ones that quality for less expensive transportation.

The article discusses various articles published in the May/June issue of the "Industrial Management." Richard E. Crandall describes the capability of supply chains to be environmentally friendly in "How Green Are Your Supply Chains." Ramadan Hemaida and Joseph Schmits provide a practical and methodical plan in choosing appropriate vendors in "An Analytical Approach to Vendor Selection." Fariborz Ghadar's "Environmental Degradation: Our Failing Earth" stresses the role of industries in improving the Earth's future.

This article presents information on some of the articles published in other journals on industrial management. The features in the September/October issue of the journal "Industrial Management" focus on success. Author Fariborz Ghadar discusses sustainability on a global level in "Population: Shifting Demographics." He writes that some countries that can least afford to support a burgeoning citizenship will find their resources stretched to the limit. In "Strategy Sustains Success," James E. Cashman asserts that becoming successful isn't the end of the journey; rather, remaining successful is the goal. He discusses the staying power of simulation software provider Ansys, which credits its success to a strategic vision that focuses on customers and fuels the company drive to develop innovative technology.

Discusses the use of financial metrics in determining an organization's performance. Citation of commonly used performance metrics; Consideration of productivity as the best measure of an operation's efficiency; Emphasis on the value of performance metrics.

Narrates the author's views on front-line management. Assertion on the challenges of being a manager; Factors influencing his decision to adopt lean manufacturing in reducing discrepancies in personal performance; Strategies adopted in personnel management.

The article focuses on time management. Many of us have appointment schedules we can't possibly live up to because one make's faulty assumptions about the future. Research by two business school professors reveals that people overcommit because they expect to have more time in the future than they have in the present. Professors Gal Zauberman, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and John Lynch Jr.,Ph.D., of Duke University also learned that this expectation of surplus is more pronounced for time than for money.

The article informs that time is an important factor in operations. With the changing economic conditions, it becomes even more essential to capture the amount of time required for activities and associated expenses. The author downloaded a trial version of Best Software's TimeSheet Professional for review. He found it to be a very useful tool for capturing time details and expense information. The software can serve as an add-on, enhancing existing financial, project management, and payroll systems, or it can function as a standalone time management tool.

Focuses on the May/June issue of the journal "Industrial Management." Emphasis on management philosophies; Importance of downsizing for the right reasons; Discussion on the importance of planning for sustainability and constant evaluation.

Increasing number and scope of collaborations between companies and universities will improve industrial performance in the U.S., according to a report by the National Academies' National Academy of Engineering. The report assesses the relationship between academic research and industrial performance in four sectors: network systems and communications, having a history of capitalizing on innovations from academic research; medical devices and equipment industry, which has taken the advantage of multidisciplinary research at universities; distribution and logistics services industry with less impact of the academic research.