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This paper aims to develop a knowledge-based (KB) system for Lean Six Sigma (LSS) maintenance in environmentally sustainable buildings (Lean6-SBM).

The Lean6-SBM conceptual framework has been developed using the rule base approach of KB system and joint integration with gauge absence prerequisites (GAP) technique. A comprehensive literature review is given for the main pillars of the framework with a typical output of GAP analysis.

Implementation of LSS in the sustainable building maintenance context requires a pre-assessment of the organisation’s capabilities. A conceptual framework with a design structure is proposed to tackle this issue with the provision of an enhancing strategic and operational decision-making hierarchy.

Future research work might consider validating this framework in other type of industries.

Maintenance activities in environmentally sustainable buildings must take prodigious standards into consideration, and, therefore, a robust quality assurance measure has to be integrated.

The significance of this research is to present a novel use of hybrid KB/GAP methodologies to develop a Lean6-SBM system. The originality and novelty of this approach will assist in identifying quality perspectives while implementing different maintenance strategies in the sustainable building context.

This paper aims to present the development of a knowledge-based system (KBS) to support the implementation of Lean Six Sigma (L6s) principles applied to enhance quality management (QM) performance within a health-care environment.

The process of KBS building has been started by acquiring knowledge from experts in field of L6σ and QM in health care. The acquired knowledge has been represented in a rule-based approach for capturing L6σ practices. These rules are produced in IF […].THEN way where IF is the premise and THEN is the action. The produced rules have been integrated with gauging absence pre-requisites (GAP) technique to facilitate benchmarking of best practice in a health-care environment. A comprehensive review of the structure of the system is given, detailing a typical output of the KBS.

Implementation of L6s principles to enhance QM performance in a health-care environment requires a pre-assessment of the organisation’s competences. The KBS provides an enhanced strategic and operational decision-making hierarchy for achieving a performance benchmark.

The KBS needs validation in real health-care environment, which will be done in Oman’s hospitals.

The paper is intended to benefit QM practitioners in the health-care sector during decision-making to achieve performance improvement against a best practice benchmark.

This research presents a novel application of a hybrid KBS with GAP methodology to support the implementation of L6s principles to enhance QM performance in a health-care environment.

This paper presents issues associated with the needs of collaborative supply chain management (CSCM) and proposes a planning stage of a CSCM framework.

The proposed planning stage of a CSCM framework incorporates issues of organisation profile, internal functional strategy and supplier‐customer strategy. The gauging absence of prerequisites (GAP) analysis technique which embedded in the knowledge‐based system is proposed in the planning stage to analyse the gap between the current and the desirable position (benchmark) for an effective implementation in organisation.

The planning stage framework provides information specifically for designing a CSCM by focusing on the organisation capability and business processes and discussed the important issues in planning a CSCM for business organisations, specifically for a manufacturing environment.

Further research could be carried out to capitalise the framework for improving the CSCM.

The proposed planning stage of a CSCM framework enables the chain members to identify key factors or issues for CSCM development.

The new aspects of the proposed CSCM are firstly, the proposed planning stage model is supported by a KBS approach. Secondly, the use of GAP analysis technique and finally, the planning stage framework provides information and issues for the design stage of CSCM framework.

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

This paper aims to present a hybrid knowledge based (KB) – analytic hierarchy process (AHP) – gauging absence of pre‐requisite (GAP) analysis of performance measurement system (PMS) expert system (ES) model.

The KBPMS has been developed using the rule base approach of ESs. Full details are given for the customer perspective (CP). The KBPMS considers five levels of company performance: business perspective, CP, manufacturing competitive priorities perspective, internal process perspective and resource and method availability perspective. CP model of the KBPMS system, and thereafter the complete model is summarised for the different modules. Embedded within the KB is the ability to benchmark the PMS existing in a company to assist in the improvement process.

The validation of the hybrid KBPMS was confirmed through three real applications in the manufacturing industry sector: aircraft component manufacturing, electronics manufacturing and telecommunication products manufacturing. The results of the validation exercise indicate that the present hybrid KBPMS model is a suitable decision‐making tool to assist the practitioners of PMS and provides consistent and detailed prioritised results for actions and improvements.

Future research work could consider a larger sample size and cover a wider range of industry types, including services industry.

This paper presents an original and novel approach (KB/ES coupled with AHP and gap analysis) to designing and benchmarking PMS in a manufacturing environment.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the fundamentals of a performance measurement system (PMS), in order to ascertain if they satisfy the measurement requirements of business process management (BPM) by means of a systematic review of the literature.

The paper uses meta‐analysis to systematically review and examine existing BPM and PMS from the business, non‐business and public sectors. A specific methodology using categorization concept was used to select the appropriate articles. In total, 42 relevant articles are selected and later analyzed. A subsequent content analysis of the information obtained is applied to identify the gaps in the current literature.

The growing interest in PMS has produced an extraordinarily large numbers of papers on the topic. This paper found that, by and large, the PMS as advocated by various authors for over 20 years (since 1990) failed to fulfill the measurement requirements of BPM. This is alarming, considering that past critics of PMS have indicated that the weaknesses of PMS in relation to BPM applied only in isolated or specific situations such as information technology (IT). These findings dispel the notion that a PMS is a prerequisite to the introduction of an effective BP in organizations.

This paper has identified the gaps (weaknesses) of current PMS in meeting the measurement requirements of BPM. This paper proposes a theoretical integrated framework which encompasses a management system, that combines with a measurement system and business processes, and which can be implemented using the popular value‐chain methodology to measure and compare performance within BP organizations.

The results presented contribute towards providing an updated overview of the current state of research into PMS and its relevance to BPM, in order to identify existing research gaps, issues and concerns upon which ongoing and future research efforts on this topic can be built.

The monograph argues that American racism has two colours (white and black), not one; and that each racism dresses itself not in one clothing, but in four: (1) “Minimal” negative, when one race considers another race inferior to itself in degree, but not in nature; (2) “Maximal” negative, when one race regards another as inherently inferior; (3) “Minimal” positive, when one race elevates another race to a superior status in degree, but not in nature; and (4) “Maximal” positive, when one race believes that the other race is genetically superior. The monograph maintains that the needs of capitalism created black slavery; that black slavery produced white racism as a justification for black slavery; and that black racism is a backlash of white racism. The monograph concludes that the abolition of black slavery and the civil rights movement destroyed the social and political ground for white and black racism, while the modern development of capitalism is demolishing their economic and intellectual ground.

Capacity development in fragile environments in Africa has often proven to be a complex undertaking. This has largely been because of existing knowledge gaps on what exactly causes fragility of states, the economy and society. The liberal peace development model that generally informs post‐conflict reconstruction and capacity development has a limited conception of fragility by narrowly focusing on the national dimensions of the problem, promoting donor‐driven solutions, emphasizing minimal participation of beneficiary actors in the identification and prioritization of capacity development needs, and by subcontracting the design and management of projects and programs. The resulting capacity development impact has generally been disappointing. In the absence of homegrown strategic plans, stakeholder participation and ownership, international development partners have all too often addressed capacity gaps by financing training, supply of equipment and professional exchanges of parliamentarians and parliamentary staffers. These efforts usually achieved their presumed number targets but tended to ignore addressing the larger issues of political economy within which capacity development take place. However, the recent re‐conceptualization of parliamentary capacity development as a development of nationally owned, coordinated, harmonized, and aligned development activities seems to be gaining growing attention in Africa. As the experience of Rwanda eloquently demonstrates, capacity development is essentially about politics, economics and power, institutions and incentives, habits and attitudes – factors that are only partly susceptible to technical fixes and quantitative specifications. These structural factors have to be negotiated carefully and tactfully.