I would like to thank the reviewers who took the time to provide excellent insights, which helped shape this book.
I would especially like to thank Mr. Karun Mehta, a friend and engineer. I greatly appreciate the numerous hours he spent correcting, formatting, and supplying distinctive comments. The book would not have been possible without his tireless effort.
I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Susumu Kasai, Professor of CSIS, for reviewing and providing invaluable suggestions.
I am very thankful to Prof. Edward Engh for his thoughtful advice and counsel. Ed has been a wonderful friend and colleague.
Special thanks to Dr. Don Wardell, Professor of Operations Management at the University of Utah. His comments and suggestions greatly helped shape this book.
Special thanks are due to Mr. Anand Kumar, Domain Transformation Leader at the Tata Consulting Services (TCS) for reviewing and providing invaluable suggestions.
Thanks to all of my students for their input in making this book possible. They have helped me pursue a dream filled with lifelong learning. This book couldn’t have been a reality without them.
I am indebted to senior acquisitions editor, Scott Isenberg; Charlene Kronstedt, director of production; Sheri Dean, director of marketing; all the reviewers; and the publishing team at Business Expert Press for their counsel and support during the preparation of this book. I also thank Mark Ferguson, editor, for reviewing the manuscript and providing helpful suggestions for improvement.
I acknowledge the help and support of Chithra Amaravel, project manager at S4Carlisle Publishing Services, Chennai, India. I thank her entire team for their help with editing and publishing.
I thank my parents who always emphasized the importance of what education brings to the world. Lastly, I have a special word of appreciation for my lovely wife Nilima, my daughter Neha and her husband Dave, my daughter Smita, and my son Rajeev—both engineers—for their creative comments and suggestions. I am grateful for their love, support, and encouragement.