Digital Threads: The Small Business and Entrepreneur Playbook for Digital-First Marketing is a must-read for any entrepreneur or small business owner looking to scale their brand and achieve lasting success in today’s digital-first world. As the digital landscape continues to evolve at lightning speed, the key to survival and growth lies in mastering digital marketing strategies that are both cost-effective and powerful. But with so many platforms, tools, and trends, knowing where to begin—or how to improve your existing approach—can feel overwhelming. That’s where Digital Threads comes in. Bestselling author, Fractional CMO, keynote speaker, and university educator Neal Schaffer draws on over a decade of experience in digital marketing to deliver an accessible, practical guide packed with strategies tailored to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Whether you’re launching a new venture or looking to grow an existing one, this book offers a clear path to building a robust digital presence and driving real, measurable growth. With Digital Threads, you will discover how to: Leverage Big-Brand Strategies on a Small-Business Budget: Neal demystifies the marketing tactics used by large brands and adapts them to the scale and budget of smaller businesses. From optimizing your online presence to using the same frameworks that industry leaders rely on, you’ll learn how to compete effectively without overspending. Maximize Your Content's Impact: In today’s fast-paced world, content is everything. Neal teaches you how to repurpose your content to make it work harder for you. Whether it’s blogs, social media posts, or videos, you’ll learn to distribute your content across multiple platforms in ways that boost visibility and engagement. Master Social Media Marketing: Social media isn’t just for big brands. Learn how to develop platform-specific strategies that work on a small budget. Neal shares his insider tips on creating engaging content, growing your audience, and turning followers into loyal customers. Unlock the Power of AI Tools: AI isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a game-changer for businesses. Neal shows you how to harness cutting-edge AI tools to streamline your marketing efforts, improve efficiency, and gain a competitive edge. From chatbots to personalized content creation, Digital Threads reveals the possibilities of AI in digital marketing. Implement SEO and Lead Generation Strategies: Building a strong online presence starts with getting noticed. Learn Neal’s proven methods for optimizing your website for search engines, creating compelling lead magnets, and turning website visitors into customers. You’ll understand how to leverage the full potential of SEO and generate high-quality leads that convert. Scale Your Marketing with Automation: As your business grows, so should your marketing. Neal offers a deep dive into marketing automation tools that allow you to save time, maintain a personal connection with your audience, and scale your marketing efforts seamlessly. Navigate Influencer and User-Generated Content: Influencer marketing isn’t just for celebrities. Neal explains how small businesses can tap into micro-influencers and user-generated content to build authentic engagement, grow brand loyalty, and increase reach. Digital Threads takes a hands-on approach, providing step-by-step frameworks, real-world examples, and case studies that bring the strategies to life. Whether you're just getting started or refining your digital marketing game plan, this book delivers a complete roadmap to success. With endorsements from industry thought leaders such as Michael Stelzner (founder of Social Media Examiner), Brian Solis (digital futurist and author), and Ann Handley (Wall Street Journal bestselling author), Digital Threads is not just a book—it’s your guide to building a sustainable, successful brand in the digital age. Who Should Read Digital Threads? Small Business Owners: If you’re ready to take your business to the next level but aren’t sure where to start with digital marketing, this book is for you. Entrepreneurs: Whether you’re launching your first company or expanding an existing venture, Digital Threads provides the strategies you need to grow your brand in the digital marketplace. Content Creators: Learn how to make the most of your content and distribute it across multiple platforms to maximize impact and reach. Marketing Students and Professionals: Stay ahead of the curve with fresh insights into the latest digital marketing trends, including AI and content repurposing. Service Providers: If you’re looking to grow your client base through effective digital marketing strategies, Digital Threads will show you how to build a robust online presence. By the end of Digital Threads, you’ll have the knowledge, tools, and confidence to: - Build a strong digital footprint that drives measurable results - Expand your reach and increase engagement across digital platforms - Optimize content for SEO and lead generation - Implement marketing automation to scale your efforts - Leverage AI tools for maximum efficiency Build lasting relationships with customers through influencer and user-generated content If you’re serious about mastering digital marketing, Digital Threads is the playbook you need. Start weaving your path to digital success today.

This book introduces machine learning and its applications in smart environments/cities. At this stage, a comprehensive understanding of smart environment/city applications is critical for supporting future research. This book includes chapters written by researchers from different countries across the globe and identifies critical threads in research and also gaps that open up new and challenging lines of research for the future. Recent advances are discussed, and thorough reviews introduce readers to critical domains. The discussion on key research topics presented in this book accelerates smart city and smart environment implementations based on IoT technologies. Consequently, this book supports future research activities aimed at developing future IoT architectures for smart environments/cities.

This fifth edition of “Product Lifecycle Management” updates and adds to the successful fourth edition, the most frequently cited PLM publication. It gives the reader a thorough explanation of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and provides them with a full understanding and the skills to implement PLM within their own business environment. This new and expanded edition is fully updated to reflect the many technological and management advances made in PLM since the release of the fourth edition. “Product Lifecycle Management” will broaden the reader’s understanding of PLM, nurturing the skills needed to implement PLM successfully and to achieve world-class product performance across the lifecycle. Among the components of PLM described are product-related business processes, product data, product data management (PDM) systems, other PLM applications, best practices, company objectives and organisation. This book also describes the relationships of PLM with the Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, Digital Twins and Digital Threads. “Product Lifecycle Management” (5th edition) explains what PLM is, and why it is needed. It describes the environment in which products are ideated, developed, manufactured, supported and retired, before addressing the main components of PLM and PLM Initiatives. Key activities in PLM Initiatives described include organisational change management (OCM) and project management. The final part of the book addresses the PLM Initiative, showing the typical steps and activities of a PLM project or initiative.

Program Management Unique and adaptable approach to program management, offering key insights needed for professionals and business leaders to drive strategic change Program Management links business purpose, strategy, program stakeholders, benefits realization, and transformative change-making to provide a uniquely integrated view and use of program management, offering practicing initiative leaders the skills and mindset shifts needed to effectively communicate and champion programs to stakeholders. The text includes key insights into strategy execution excellence and designing risk-based governance strategies that empower a learning culture within the PMO and across the business, guidance that is customizable to the nature of strategic initiatives and change efforts at the individual and organizational level, and customization that is driven by the emphasis on the potential use of programs and projects as learning labs for different levels of complexity, organizational maturity, and diverse business contexts. Written by a highly qualified author with more than 30 years of experience in the field, Program Management covers critical topics such as: Origin of programs, program management definitions and concepts, the role of program manager vs. project manager, and the importance of value focus across the program life cycle. How leaders need to be agile, navigate political waters, manage incredible complexity, and align diverse stakeholders. Envisioning a Program Roadmap that fits context and inspires commitment to continuously achieving value. The culture for change making and the attributes for a healthy “change culture” including the future Power Skills. Also addressing the value proposition of program professionals in the future. Impact of digitalization and Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the future of programs. Creating the value-driven way of working and developing the value mindset coupled with the role of benefits management in programs and projects. The PMO as the learning engine for the enterprise and the changing role of the program offices. Becoming a Change Scientist, the maturing of value and strategic metrics in programs, and how to achieve the right metrics design and mix. For program and project managers, practitioners, PMO leaders, students in project and program management courses, and those studying for project and program management certifications, Program Management is an essential mindset, skillset, and toolset for executing a strategic plan and providing synergy, consistency in managing change, and a greater focus on achieving what matters to customers and stakeholders.

The book concentrates on the impact of digitalization and digital transformation technologies on the Industry 4.0 and smart factories, how the factory of tomorrow can be designed, built, and run virtually as a digital twin likeness of its real-world counterpart, before the physical structure is actually erected. It highlights the main digitalization technologies that have stimulated the Industry 4.0, how these technologies work and integrate with each other, and how they are shaping the industry of the future. It examines how multimedia data and digital images in particular are being leveraged to create fully virtualized worlds in the form of digital twin factories and fully virtualized industrial assets. It uses BMW Group’s latest SORDI dataset (Synthetic Object Recognition Dataset for Industry), i.e., the largest industrial images dataset to-date and its applications at BMW Group and Idealworks, as one of the main explanatory scenarios throughout the book. It discusses the need of synthetic data to train advanced deep learning computer vision models, and how such datasets will help create the “robot gym” of the future: training robots on synthetic images to prepare them to function in the real world.

"Sips & Swipes: Tales of Love, Libations, and Drama" delves into the exhilarating and tumultuous world of modern dating, where the search for love intersects with the age of digital connectivity. This captivating collection of stories navigates through the heart-fluttering highs and heart-wrenching lows experienced by a diverse cast of characters, each trying to find their place in the romance spectrum. From the cozy corners of dimly lit bars where love is often kindled over shared drinks, to the endless swiping on dating apps where hope and despair dance in the palms of seeking hands, these tales encapsulate the essence of seeking connection in today's world. With each story, readers are invited to explore the nuanced emotions and complex dynamics that define contemporary relationships. Whether it's the story of a first date ignited by the shared love for a rare cocktail, or the unraveling of a relationship under the weight of unmet expectations fueled by social media illusions, "Sips & Swipes" offers a mirror to the soul of modern love. The collection not only highlights the influence of libations in loosening tongues and lowering guards, allowing for authentic connections, but also the drama that often follows when reality fails to match the curated images online. Through a blend of humor, heartache, and hopeful endings, "Sips & Swipes" provides a multifaceted look at love in the era of instant gratification. It's a toast to the beauty of fleeting moments, the resilience required to navigate the swipe culture, and the endless quest for love that, despite the odds, remains a fundamental human desire.

An argument for a design philosophy of better, not more. Never have we wanted, owned, and wasted so much stuff. Our consumptive path through modern life leaves a wake of social and ecological destruction--sneakers worn only once, bicycles barely even ridden, and forgotten smartphones languishing in drawers. By what perverse alchemy do our newest, coolest things so readily transform into meaningless junk? In Meaningful Stuff, Jonathan Chapman investigates why we throw away things that still work, and shows how we can design products, services, and systems that last. Obsolescence is an economically driven design decision--a plan to hasten a product's functional or psychological undesirability. Many electronic devices, for example, are intentionally impossible to dismantle for repair or recycling, their brief use-career proceeding inexorably to a landfill. A sustainable design specialist who serves as a consultant to global businesses and governmental organizations, Chapman calls for the decoupling of economic activity from mindless material consumption and shows how to do it. Chapman shares his vision for an "experience heavy, material light" design sensibility. This vital and timely new design philosophy reveals how meaning emerges from designed encounters between people and things, explores ways to increase the quality and longevity of our relationships with objects and the systems behind them, and ultimately demonstrates why design can--and must--lead the transition to a sustainable future.

This book gathers the latest advances, innovations, and applications in the field of machine science and mechanical engineering, as presented by international researchers and engineers at the 11th International Conference on Machine and Industrial Design in Mechanical Engineering (KOD), held in Novi Sad, Serbia on June 10-12, 2021. It covers topics such as mechanical and graphical engineering, industrial design and shaping, product development and management, complexity, and system design. The contributions, which were selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, highlight numerous exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaborations.

This book explains ‘what goes on in a manufacturing company as a product goes through its lifecycle’. It describes more than 70 product-related activities that take place during the product lifecycle phases of ideation, development, production, service, and recycling. The various documents, data, working methods, and computer programs used in each activity are outlined. The book tells the story of a project carried out by a Master’s degree student in a manufacturing company to find out for the CEO exactly what happens with products across their lifecycle. Due to the storytelling approach of the book, the reader will learn, as if they are present in the company, about the activities that take place along the product lifecycle. They will see how the company is organized, what data and documents are created and used in each activity, and which applications are being used. They will see, from the interviews carried out by the student, what people are doing, the difficulties they face, and the improvement opportunities they see. This will give them a good understanding of the various activities that take place, and provide a basis for improving performance and implementing new processes and applications.