But could careful measurement and management of sustainability also provide short-term, hard-nosed business advantages, especially when it comes to logistics?

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By adding Obvius to its list of offerings, Leviton is staking out its position as single-source provider of measurement and verification solutions in the field of lighting and energy management solutions, which include smart metering, energy data information, load management and LEED rating achievement.

FORBES: Leviton Buys Energy-IT Start-Up Obvius

That said, there is increasing evidence that an over-reliance on planning, management and measurement in the front-end of innovation as evidenced by the movement of back-end processes such as lean and six sigma to the front end of innovation, are producing poor returns on innovation effort.

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They have argued that technology, legal, risk-management and other divisions don't lend themselves to this type of measurement, these people said.

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Core research areas addressed in the 2011 strategy include: nanomaterial measurement, human exposure assessment, human health, environment, risk assessment and management, and the new core area of predictive modeling and informatics.

WHITEHOUSE: Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

We will also work to improve the user interface and functionality with the goal of making Atlas the most effective, intuitive, and powerful ad serving, management and measurement platform in the industry.

FORBES: Facebook Finally Pulls Trigger, Buys Atlas Ad Server From Microsoft (*Updated With Comment)