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The purpose of this study was to assess relationships between dynamic shooting accuracy and physical training behaviors in tactical police officers.

Seventy tactical police officers from various agencies completed a survey including information on general experience, firearms training and physical training. Participants completed dynamic shooting drills with pistol and a rifle.

Officer’s overall shooting performance was associated with years of experience in special operations as more accurate shooters had 6–10 years of experience. Operators in the highest shooting quartile were likely to participate in shooting competitions. Operators at the 50% ranking or above were more likely to train at the department or agency gym.

All subjects were males, no cause/effect relationship established, no data on caffeine and alcohol consumption or sleep behaviors. Years of experience, competition shooting, and training were all related to higher level shooting performance.

The data support deliberate practice, accountability, and camaraderie contribute to high-level performance and safety for tactical law enforcement officers.

This research highlighted marksmanship performance and the connection between training habits and lifestyle. These findings highlight the need for training specific variables so that operators perform at a higher level and enhance their skills for dynamic shooting performance in a tactical unit.

The a priori identification and development of army personnel competencies are necessary to enable effective and efficient responses to rapidly changing climate conditions. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the performance requirements of a military flood responder and the competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) required to perform it.

Using an abductive approach, the authors conducted both secondary and primary research to generate a validated framework of performance criteria and competencies for army personnel responding to floods. This literature review integrated both the peer-reviewed academic literature and public sector grey literature. Using the critical incident technique, the authors then conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) who had previously been tasked with flood response operations. Participants were asked about the tasks required while conducting flood response operations. Interview transcripts were then content analysed to identify themes regarding those tasks, and the competencies needed to perform those tasks were then extracted and contrasted with the literature review findings. Inter-rater reliability for the analysis was established via iterative discussion between the two co-authors.

The primary data reinforced and expanded the list of performance expectations that the authors deductively identified from the integrated literature review, adding granularity to each. It also identified competencies (including both hard and soft skills) and highlighted previously neglected contextual antecedents of military flood response effectiveness.

though knowledge saturation was achieved from the 15 interviews conducted, further research with larger samples could more deeply ground the evidence discovered in this study. Nevertheless, the competencies identified in this paper could serve as a starting guide to staffing and/or training interventions targeted at improving these competencies for personnel responding to flood scenarios.

The theoretical findings also have immediate practical relevance to training for flood response operations. In particular, the subtle challenges in competency crossover from military operations to flood response operations may facilitate not only more efficient, targeted training (that could improve the effectiveness of army personnel involved in humanitarian roles), but could be applied to the selection of army personnel as well. This study may also help provincial/municipal operators and emergency planners by better communicating the strengths and limitations of army personnel in addressing civilian military cooperation for humanitarian operations. Thus, the findings of this research study represent an important first step in prompting attention to the strategic human resource planning studies required to make all responders more efficient and effective in their respective division of labour within the humanitarian domain.

Peering a little beyond these research findings, human-induced climate change is expected to continue increasing the frequency of such events (IPCC, 2021), and a timely, national force is likely to be increasingly required for Canadians impacted by major disasters stemming from natural hazards when local resources become overwhelmed. Yet, there is some concern from the CAF that increasing responsiveness to disaster operations will affect their military readiness (Leuprecht and Kasurak, 2020). One can indeed envision a paradox whereby the CAF is both a “force of last resort” while increasingly becoming a “first choice for domestic disaster and emergency assistance”. The practical implications from this research also suggest that military personnel, while fully capable of successfully conducting flood response operations, may become overburdened and less able to adopt yet greater capacity and training for other additional humanitarian work. Nevertheless, the competencies highlighted by participants can help inform the next flood response operation in Canada.

Most literature in the field of emergency response focuses on cooperation between civilian and military resources and other strategic-level themes. The findings address critical granularity missing at the operational and tactical levels of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief research. The authors also draw implications beyond the military context, including for local/regional governmental players (operators and emergency planners) as well as for volunteers in flood response roles.

Optimizing manufacturing processes addresses operational challenges and yields significant benefits across the business spectrum. This study aims to comprehensively analyze a manufacturing process through value stream mapping (VSM), aiming to streamline operations, reduce production lead times and minimize work-in-process (WIP) inventory levels. These improvements directly enhance competitiveness, customer satisfaction and overall business success, enabling a swift response to market demands, timely delivery of high-quality products and cost-effectiveness.

The approach integrates current and future-state VSM concepts with Lean tools across four stages: problem definition, current-state VSM analysis, future-state VSM design and improvement implementation. A team assembled to improve the manufacturing process for electronic devices has successfully implemented this approach.

Implemented improvements significantly reduced WIP inventory (88.8% equivalent to $572,171 annually) and production lead time (from 28.26 to 3.21 days), enhancing operational flexibility and competitiveness. Streamlined processes led to a 13% decrease in cycle time and a notable reduction in daily rework (63.6%), amounting to $118,127 annually. Labor reduction (45.5%) yielded annual savings of approximately $594,000, with affected individuals successfully transitioning to other roles, highlighting the effectiveness of lean methodologies without job cuts.

This initiative exemplifies the effective use of VSM and Lean tools in optimizing an electronic device manufacturing operation that produces 43 products across various processes. By leveraging these methodologies, this research offers valuable insights into enhancing production efficiency, resulting in shorter production lead times, reduced cycle times and significant decreases in WIP inventory and rework.

This paper aims to highlight how the six sigma methods helped the medical equipment manufacturing company in finding and analysing the root causes that lead to the reduction in production rate, rejection rates, quality and other major causes that lead to the reduction in productivity of the blood bags manufacturing unit.

Given the critical nature of blood bag manufacturing Six Sigma was chosen as the primary methodology for this research since Six Sigma’s data-driven approach provides a structured framework to identify, analyse and rectify inefficiencies in the production processes. This study proposes the Six Sigma DMAIC (D-Define, M-Measure, A-Analyse, I-Improve, C-Control) encompassing rigorous problem definition, precise measurement, thorough analysis, improvement and vigilant control mechanisms for effectively attaining predetermined objectives.

The paper demonstrates how the Six Sigma principles were executed in a blood bag manufacturing unit. After a detailed and thorough data analysis, it was found that a total of 40 critical-to-quality factors under the five drivers such as Machine, Components, Inspection and Testing, People and Workspace were influential factors affecting the manufacturing of blood bags. From the study, it is identified that the drivers such as inspection and testing, components and machines contribute significantly to increasing productivity.

The paper offers valuable strategic insights into implementing Six Sigma methodologies within the specific context of a blood bag manufacturing unit. The Six Sigma tools and techniques used by the project team to solve issues within the blood bag manufacturing unit can be used for similar healthcare organizations to successfully deploy Six Sigma. The insights from this research might not be directly applicable to other manufacturing facilities or industries but can be used as a guiding reference for researchers and managers.

The current state of scholarly literature indicates a significant absence in the examination of Six Sigma methodologies designed specifically to improve production output in healthcare equipment manufacturing. This paper highlights the application of Six Sigma principles to enhance efficiency in the specific context of blood bag manufacturing.

Total productive maintenance consists of strategies and procedures that aim to guarantee the entire functioning of machines in a production process so that production is not interrupted and no loss of quality in the final product occurs. Planned maintenance is one of the eight pillars of total productive maintenance, a set of tools considered essential to ensure equipment reliability and availability, reduce unplanned stoppage and increase productivity. This study aims to analyze the influence of statistical reliability on the performance of such a pillar.

In this study, we utilized a multi-method approach to rigorously examine the impact of statistical reliability on the planned maintenance pillar within total productive maintenance. Our methodology combined a detailed statistical analysis of maintenance data with advanced reliability modeling, specifically employing Weibull distribution to analyze failure patterns. Additionally, we integrated qualitative insights gathered through semi-structured interviews with the maintenance team, enhancing the depth of our analysis. The case study, conducted in a fertilizer granulation plant, focused on a critical failure in the granulator pillow block bearing, providing a comprehensive perspective on the practical application of statistical reliability within total productive maintenance; and not presupposing statistical reliability is the solution over more effective methods for the case.

Our findings reveal that the integration of statistical reliability within the planned maintenance pillar significantly enhances predictive maintenance capabilities, leading to more accurate forecasts of equipment failure modes. The Weibull analysis of the granulator pillow block bearing indicated a mean time between failures of 191.3 days, providing support for optimizing maintenance schedules. Moreover, the qualitative insights from the maintenance team highlighted the operational benefits of our approach, such as improved resource allocation and the need for specialized training. These results demonstrate the practical impact of statistical reliability in preventing unplanned downtimes and informing strategic decisions in maintenance planning, thereby emphasizing the importance of your work in the field.

In terms of the originality and practicality of this study, we emphasize the significant findings that underscore the positive influence of using statistical reliability in conjunction with the planned maintenance pillar. This approach can be instrumental in designing and enhancing component preventive maintenance plans. Furthermore, it can effectively manage equipment failure modes and monitor their useful life, providing valuable insights for professionals in total productive maintenance.

Project portfolio benefit (PPB) evaluation is crucial for project portfolio management decisions. However, PPB is complex in composition and affected by synergy and ambidexterity. Ignoring these characteristics can result in inaccurate assessments, impeding the management and optimization of benefit. Considering the above complexity of PPB evaluation, this study aims to propose a refined PPB evaluation model to provide decision support for organizations.

A back propagation neural network optimized via genetic algorithm and pruning algorithm (P-GA-BPNN) is constructed for PPB evaluation. First, the benefit evaluation criteria are established. Second, the inputs and expected outputs for model training and testing are determined. Then, based on the optimization of BPNN via genetic algorithm and pruning algorithm, a PPB evaluation model is constructed considering the impacts of ambidexterity and synergy on PPB. Finally, a numerical example was applied to validate the model.

The results indicate that the proposed model can be used for effective PPB evaluation. Moreover, it shows superiority in terms of MSE and fitting effect through extensive comparative experiments with BPNN, GA-BPNN, and SVM models. The robustness of the model is also demonstrated via data random disturbance experiment and 10-cross-validation. Therefore, the proposed model could serve as a valuable decision-making tool for PPB management.

This study extends prior research by integrating the impacts of synergy and ambidexterity on PPB when conducting PPB evaluation, which facilitates to manage and enhance PPB. Besides, the structural redundancy of existing assessment methods is solved through the dynamic optimization of the network structure via the pruning algorithm, enhancing the effectiveness of PPB decision-making tools.

This study aims to identify the status of virtual library system development in university libraries. It also attempted to examine the availability of virtual library services and reveal the challenges being faced by university librarians of Punjab province, Pakistan in providing virtual library services.

The study used a quantitative research method by using a questionnaire to address the study’s objectives. In total, 62 university libraries in Punjab province, Pakistan were the population of the study. A purposive sampling technique was applied to gather the required data from the respondents.

Results showed that most of the study’s respondents are well aware of the potential benefits of virtual library systems in universities for the delivery of innovative smart services to library patrons. The libraries delivered different virtual library services to meet the diverse needs of the library patrons. The respondents faced the challenges of funding, expertise, technical support, leadership, strategic planning and training to adopt virtual library systems and services in university libraries.

The study has provided a framework based on empirical findings of the study to efficiently adopt virtual library systems and services in university libraries for the delivery of smart services to end users. It has provided pertinent theoretical and practical implications.

This study aims to examine the application of Wardley mapping on developing and implementing an information technology (IT) strategy in a small-scale business. This case study illustrates the potency of multitier analysis using Wardley mapping technique to explore capability gaps and areas to focus on before undertaking IT projects.

This study uses a single case of enterprise resource planning implementation and subsequent abandonment in a small-scale manufacturing company.

This study demonstrates that multitier analysis using Wardley mapping enables a comprehensive examination of organizational capabilities, including a granular analysis of issues that must be managed for successful implementation of an IT project.

While the findings of a single case study offer limited generalizability, this study sets out the approach that can be extended in more complex settings.

The approach to understanding the organizational capabilities required to execute IT projects, or any change management project, offers significant benefits to managers and leaders.

The authors make two distinct contributions: The Wardley mapping technique has emerged as a new tool for understanding business models, particularly in government projects notable in the UK. This study extends its application to the small-scale manufacturing sector. The second contribution is elaborating on multitier analysis, which allows a granular analysis of issues that can impair the IT project implementation, including an assessment of the organizational capabilities required to deliver a successful project.

The purpose of this paper is to approach predictive maintenance (PdM) of brushless direct current (BLDC) motors using audio signal processing and extracting statistical and spectral features to train classical machine learning (ML) models.

The proposed methodology relies on classification predictive model that shows the motors prone to failure. To verify this, the model was implemented and tested with audio data. The trained models are then deployed to an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) application built using Django.

The implementation of the methodology allows for achieving performance as high as 92% accuracy, proving that spectral features should be considered when training ML models for PdM.

The proposed model is an effective decision-making tool that provides an ideal solution for preventive maintenance scheduling problems for BLDC motors.

To fill the gap, this article examines the inter-governmental collaboration mechanisms behind the platform curtain.

Behind the curtain is to look at what makes things happen backstage. For collaborative e-governance platforms, scholars have assumed that technological factors and user characteristics are the determinants for platform success. Little attention has been paid to the issue of how multiple governments, acting as platform co-builders and co-operators, interact and collaborate backstage to provide integrated e-services.

Based on data from survey questionnaires sent to government employees, the results show that governments’ information processing capacities cannot directly affect collaboration; however, these capacities can impact collaboration via the mediating variable of horizontal relations. In addition, we found that higher-ranking authorities are better suited to intervene once horizontal relations have been established and that more adaptable organizations are better at forming horizontal relations with peers. For governments participating in collaborative e-governance platforms, our findings are practically applicable.

The research question reads as: How do various government departments acting as platform co-builders and co-operators judge their collaboration performance, and what collaboration mechanisms contribute to it? We study this research question by constructing a conceptual model based on the Organizational Information Processing Theory (OIPT) and the Collaborative Governance Theory (CGT), both suggesting information processing capacities, organizational flexibility, horizontal relations and vertical intervention as indispensable factors influencing collaboration performance in ICT-supported groupwork. We propose and test four hypotheses on the relationships among these four factors to reveal the inter-governmental collaboration mechanisms for cross-government platformisation projects.