Researchers involved in product development are expected to create a final product which is market ready. For products developed through a partnership between universities and commercial organizations, the technology transfer process is a fundamental bringing the final product into the market. One aspect of this process is the concept of intellectual property – the right of ownership to innovative ideas that drive product development. Ideas, being intangible, are distinct from products and these can be patented to control their commercial usage. This manual is a primer on intellectual property regulation and technology transfer between university and industrial organizations. This book is concise reference for students, researchers, professors and anyone who is creating or developing products and learning the basics of the technology transfer process. The book also serves as a resource for technicians who want to learn more about how ideas are commercialized and protected in markets.

The internet represents a rapidly evolving set of technologies which is central to the development of a modern economy. Internet Economics: Models, Mechanisms and Management integrates knowledge about internet service design with economic modelling principles (pricing, cost and service models). Chapters highlight specific applications of the internet such as service provisioning, cloud computing, commerce, business security, network externalities, social media and more recent developments such as the Internet of Things (IoT), the industrial internet, data analytics and the use of big data to bring value to commercial ventures. Therefore, readers will have a conceptual and practical framework for understanding the economics of internet infrastructure and service delivery.

When we look at the quality management issues that have faced, both, in Japan and the rest of the world recently, it is clear that a next-generation quality management practice is required, featuring a rational approach that will motivate people and revitalize organizations. We need to reassess the way quality management is carried out in the manufacturing industry and establish ‘Science Total Quality Management (TQM), new quality management principle’, as a next-generation management technology. In this e-book, the author proposes the ‘Science TQM, new quality management principle’ aimed at the evolution of manufacturing, and demonstrates its effectiveness. This contemporary principle of Japanese management science - a scientific quality management method – has been the key to success in global production and facilitates globally consistent levels of quality and simultaneous production worldwide. Specifically, Science TQM consists of several core technologies designed to address specific areas of corporate operations: the ‘Total Marketing System, TMS’ for sales, the ‘Total Development System, TDS’ for development and design, the ‘Total Production System, TPS’ for production technology and manufacturing, and the ‘Total Intelligence Management System, TIS’ and ‘Total Job Quality Management System, TJS’ for administrative and managerial functions. These systems are then effectively linked through ‘Science SQC, new quality control principle’, to rationally achieve strategic quality management. The focus of this book is thus the theory and application of strategic quality management through the application of ‘Science TQM’. The effectiveness of Science TQM is then demonstrated at Toyota Motor Corporation -one of the world’s leading automotive manufacturing companies. The author, a leading ex-general manager of TQM promotion division of Toyota Motor Corporation, shows how to align them to develop competitive quality throughout the business process that covers from the creation of product concept through manufacturing and selling to delivery to clients by actual cases. This is an e-book to be benchmarked by research professionals and practitioners who are interested in developing competitive quality of their business in the prevailing global competition. This e-book is also strongly recommended to senior managers such has top level executives who are not directly involved in so-called quality management practices because quality is the outcome of the dynamics of most activities of the company as well as the kernel of competitiveness. The essence of TQM is reflected in ‘Total Quality Management’. Science and technology, team work, collaboration with internal as well as external members, training and skill, data and information, knowledge, and organizational alignment are all important ingredients to be combined systematically and strategically. Linking all ingredients for quality in consistent and effective ways is a key to competitiveness. Readers will find not only quality related practices, but also the linking capacity for executing TQM practices as well as understand the implicit scientific, behavioral and organizational insights necessary to achieve real quality.

Current global economic crises call for social responsibility to replace neo-liberalistic, one-sided and short-term criteria causing monopolies of global enterprises. Humanity’s existence is endangered under the threat of global capitalism, unless the positive concept ‘everyone’s social responsibility impacts everyone in society’ becomes the basis of the new socio-economic order. This concept must be realized together with related concepts of ‘interdependence’ and ‘holism,’ embodying the principles of accountability, transparency, ethical behavior, and respect for stakeholders--to support the rule of law, international norms, and human rights. Range of Perspectives Per Topics and Countries brings forth discussions from researchers from different countries. The contents of this volume include discussions related to community involvement, disaster response and disease epidemics, among other topics. The volume also includes studies on social responsibility standards in a Mexican city as well as a discussion of social responsibility in BIRCS countries.

Digital or ‘virtual’ currencies pose significant challenges for government, financial and legal institutions because of their non-physical nature and their relative anonymity to physical currency. These attributes make this form of exchange extremely volatile and, at the same time, attractive to criminals. Many countries around the world have, therefore issued warnings against the use of digital currencies and have enacted laws to regulate and in some cases, restrict their use among members under their respective jurisdictions. Digital Currency: An International Legal and Regulatory Compliance Guide serves as a primer for both general and specialized readers, as well as business law and e-commerce teachers and students, to recognize and understand the extensive network of laws and regulations already in place around the world which have a profound impact on the creation, distribution and use of digital currency and blockchain technology. The book is also a compliance guide assisting legal practitioners in the fields of business, law, and technology to develop, implement, manage, and maintain strategies, policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that their activities involving digital currency and blockchain technology comply with a complex set of legal requirements in several jurisdictions. The book addresses both the complex set of existing laws that have a profound impact on digital currencies and blockchain technology, and the emerging new legal requirements directed specifically towards digital currency. Readers will understand the broad implications of laws and regulations on digital currency and blockchain development and its use, and will also be equipped with the knowledge to incorporate these effectively into their professional and personal endeavors. This entails maximizing the value of digital currency and blockchain technology while also minimizing their risk of adverse legal consequences. Additionally, policymakers seeking to enforce current legislations or wishing to draft appropriate new regulations in the digital currency and blockchain economy will also benefit from the information provided in this book.

This Ebook has been written in an easy style to understand the way to establish full clarity of the two subjects, dealt in the text books, Part “A” – Professional Practice and Ethics, and Part “B” - Engineering Law and Professional Liability. It eases the tough and complicated language used in the two textbooks. The simplicity of the language utilized to prepare the answers to the questions of the previous Professional Practice Examinations, paves a way to follow and understand these two subjects easily. The Ebook can be considered as an essential prerequisite to the two textbooks assigned to the PPE candidates. The PPE candidates should consider this book as a useful tool in order to prepare themselves for the Examination.

The global environmental crisis is a hot issue worldwide which drives discussions among business and social communities aimed at addressing environmental problems. Research on Corporate Environmental Responsibility in China is a survey of how some enterprises in China manage their corporate social and economic responsibilities. The survey is an important reference point for enterprises that wish to maintain sustainable development, for the government to control environmental deterioration, and for the public to maintain a society in harmony with the surrounding environment. The survey is guided by principles of system and dialectical science (SDS). It helps the reader to study Corporate Environmental Responsibility (CER) in a more comprehensive and dynamic manner using the basic concepts of systemic and spatiotemporal concepts.

Key Features:

- Presents a unique perspective of Chinese academics for the local region

- Presents an analysis of the element, structure and function of CER in China.

- Focuses on the systematic method and makes empirical analysis of CER in 30 Chinese enterprises.

- Puts forward suggestions for CER improvement in the region.

- Features research methodology based on historical analysis, comparative analysis and empirical analysis.

This reference serves as a useful guide for business managers, government officials and other stakeholders in China seeking to regulate their environmental policies. Business school teachers and students, will also benefit from the findings presented by the study.

Many studies on environmental and business sustainability have been conducted over the last couple of decades. These studies demonstrate that the concept of sustainability management can be applied to several industries. Consumers around the globe are increasingly interested in sustainable consumption and they turn their attention into sustainable products, thus, campaigning for banning companies and supply chains that do not operate under sustainable ethos. Markets, Business and Sustainability is a collection of selected reports that examine business sustainability, market sustainability and supply chain sustainability in a variety of contexts and using diverse methodologies. This reference work emphasizes the profound impact of sustainability management on markets and business. Readers are presented with critical analyses on different dimensions of sustainability. This book covers the applications of sustainable management techniques in construction, city logistics and the food industry. Sustainability management practitioners, consumers, as well as students and academics can enrich their understanding about the business dimension of sustainability and also find references of available literature on the subject. The information presented in this reference is also helpful to senior business leaders seeking to create a vision, mission and strategy for their companies in order to create sustainable value, and an organizational culture of sustainability.

Consumers have been increasingly involved in the innovation process in the last few decades, a major driving force of business success. This involvement is critically important for innovation, particularly in product development. However, consumers frequently cannot articulate exactly what they need, want, or like if they are asked directly. It is very difficult for consumers to articulate their needs and desires. Therefore, researchers have to use other means to understand their motivations. There are many arguments suggesting that focus groups cannot create a reliable direction for new product development (NPD) or message optimization. A solution for this problem lies in a systematic, structured and disciplined experimentation with consumers - presenting them with a set of experimentally-designed products or concepts and soliciting their preferences. It is much easier for consumers to choose a preferred option from a set of concepts. New technologies make it easier than ever to conduct complex experiments quickly and inexpensively. The expanded use of experimentation provides an opportunity to take innovation to a new level. Rule Developing Experimentation (RDE) is an increasingly popular, structured, consumer-based experimentation methodology. RDE works with prototypes, either physical prototypes, prototypes created out of language (concepts), or prototypes created out of visual stimuli (design and packaging). In business, RDE is used both to understand existing products, product categories and packages, as well as to create next generation offerings in the process of new product development (NPD). Rule Developing Experimentation: A Systematic Approach to Understand & Engineer the Consumer Mind explains RDE concepts, beginning from its origins, to novel consumer research techniques and covers applications relevant to a real market context. Readers are also introduced to the concept of Mind Genomics® - a more holistic approach to gaining insight into the consumer mind.

Environmental pollution has received the attention of both economists and ecologists who have integrated their ideas and concepts in recent decades. Production and consumption of material goods generates residuals that are disposed in the environment. Air emissions constitute one of the most important residuals, including greenhouse gases, as well as localized substances toxic to human health and the environment. How economic activity affects gas emissions is valuable information for pollution control and is extremely useful for defining and implementing successful environmental policies, aimed at improving the global efficiency of an economy. The e-book presents the relationship between economic activities and air pollution. It describes research contributions focused on showing the properties and the usefulness of National Accounting Matrices with Environmental Accounts (NAMEA). Additionally, demonstrates the most recent advances in the input-output methodology and linear extended multisectorial models to capture the gas emissions processes with empirical applications of these methods to specific countries. The contents of the e-book make it an interesting platform of new knowledge for both academic public and people in national agencies of environmental regulation.