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1 – 10 of 34This paper aims to describe two themes of information and knowledge management in building corporate memory through curation in complex systems. The first theme describes…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe two themes of information and knowledge management in building corporate memory through curation in complex systems. The first theme describes the skillsets of new memory curators: curation; appraisal; strategist and manager. The second theme describes four concepts that support information management in complex systems: David Snowden’s just-in-time process; Polanyi’s personal knowing; Wenger’s transactive memory system; and David Snowden’s ASHEN database schema.
Design/methodology/approach
Academic journals and professional publications were analysed for educational requirements for information professionals in complex adaptive systems.
Findings
The skills described should be readily applied and useful in a complex adaptive system with the four concepts described. The four concepts displayed features indicating each separate concept could be aligned and integrated with the other concepts to create an information sharing model based on synergy between reasoning and computing.
Research limitations/implications
Research is needed into the capability and potential of folksonomies using recordkeeping metadata and archival appraisal to support peer production information and communication systems.
Originality/value
The author has not found any research that links archival appraisal, user-generated metadata tagging, folksonomies and transactive memory systems governance policy to support digital online, co-innovation peer production.
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R.A. Ashen, R.E. Colver and K. Rashid
CAD methods and purpose‐designed software packages are now widely used in engineering practice and it is important to introduce students of undergraduate courses to these…
Abstract
CAD methods and purpose‐designed software packages are now widely used in engineering practice and it is important to introduce students of undergraduate courses to these in preparation for their future employment in this environment. In the areas of electronic circuit design and analysis this has already been done successfully using such packages as ORCAD and SPICE and a similar situation exists in simulation with MATLAB and ACSL, all of which are now used extensively in university courses. However, with a few notable exceptions, less progress has been made with finite element electromagnetics packages even though this subject area benefits greatly from the use of these. Experience shows that many students find such packages somewhat uninspiring and are only convinced of their value when they have seen them applied to problems involving real hardware. Accordingly, the approach described in this paper incorporates the use of a modern professional package into a suite of three laboratory experiments, so allowing comparisons to be made between computed, calculated and measured quantities. A further problem, that of the long time required to learn the operating system for such packages, which usually greatly exceeds the three hours or so generally allotted to such activities, is eased by providing pre‐compiled programme segments for the major procedures. By this means, while still proceeding through all the stages necessary in solving a real problem, students avoid the most time consuming and routine parts of these and so are able to progress quickly to a solution. This technique is described in some detail in a previous paper.
Erin Kwong and W.B. Lee
The purpose of this paper is to identify the appropriate method, demonstrating with a prototype model, of how knowledge in reliability management can be elicited from…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the appropriate method, demonstrating with a prototype model, of how knowledge in reliability management can be elicited from individuals as well as a team.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach is to elicit the tacit knowledge of the reliability engineers through narratives and cognitive mapping. With a sufficient number of cognitive maps, patterns are revealed and an aggregate cognitive map for all participating members is produced, which helps to summarize various approaches and procedures that can be taken in handling different reliability management issues.
Findings
The work provides a real‐life example to support the stages of learning from the individual, the group to the organizational level as described in the theoretical Learning Framework.
Research limitations/implications
Many knowledge management programs failed for various reasons. One common pitfall is that they are either too ambitious or too vague in the scope, methodology of their deliverables. To be successful, the project objectives should be linked to the business needs that lead to solving their business problems.
Practical implications
A prototype is developed in the organization of expertise knowledge in a bottom‐up manner in the building of a corporate memory from individuals to team level in the reliability management in an airline company.
Originality/value
This is the first study in the airline industry to capture the know‐how and experience of its reliability engineers in the form of congregate cognitive maps so as to facilitate team learning and the building of organizational memory. It is the first in the airline industry to adopt this methodology for developing its own procedure manuals. The model was implemented successfully in the Engineering Division of an airline business in order to handle their reliability management issues.
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The purpose of this paper is to review David Shaffer's book How Computer Games Help Children Learn.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review David Shaffer's book How Computer Games Help Children Learn.
Design/methodology/approach
This article discusses Shaffer's work and compares this with the ideas of other authors.
Findings
The use of games and simulations in education is increasing, becoming more sophisticated and undergoing serious study in The Academy. The number of articles is increasing and there is increasing pressure to establish credibility through publishing both in academic journals and books.
Originality/value
The new medium of digital learning basically relies on traditional theories of learning. Sometimes a book tells more about an area by its presence rather than by what it provides to advance thinking. As with on‐line learning, Shaffer's book shows that the path to change starts with mapping bricks into clicks and, as such, offers little to challenge the growing commercial arena of serious games being developed, almost as an aside.
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N A Al‐Anani and Jewell D GW Howe
Due to their high magnetizing field requirement, the emergence of rare‐earth based permanent magnets is creating onerous demands on the capacitor‐discharge systems which…
Abstract
Due to their high magnetizing field requirement, the emergence of rare‐earth based permanent magnets is creating onerous demands on the capacitor‐discharge systems which are used for their initial magnetization, a process which is aggravated by the fact that the transient current pulse induces eddy currents, which inhibit the penetration of the magnetizing field, and causes heating and stressing of the magnetizing fixture. The problems are compounded in multi‐pole and post‐assembly magnetization systems, particularly for fine pole‐pitch fields. However this paper concentrates on the pre‐magnetization of magnets in air‐cored solenoids, which, despite the difficulty in subsequently handling magnetized magnets, remains the most common requirement. It presents a methodology for the design of impulse magnetizing solenoids to produce the amplitude and time to peak of magnetizing field required for a specific generic type and aspect ratio of magnet to be magnetized, and describes a procedure for the subsequent analysis of the complete impulse magnetization system.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a compulsory pass in physics on undergraduate admission into estate management programme and the requisite skill for practice.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of a compulsory pass in physics on undergraduate admission into estate management programme and the requisite skill for practice.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from students in selected Polytechnics and a University in South-western Nigeria. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data. Also, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was applied to test the difference between the means of the independent variables and application for admission. The mean plot was used to analyse the different groups of students seeking direct entry admission into the university.
Findings
Analysis shows that 18 per cent of the students seeking admission through direct entry would be denied because they have no credit score or a pass in physics in their Ordinary Level (“O” level) result. Remarkably, high school physics is a compulsory requirement for admission. Findings show that the subject is unacceptable in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). An annual average of 10 prospective students who wrote physics in the UTME, but with a pass in it in the Senior Secondary School (“O” level) examination were denied admission at the point of registration. Findings from the hypothesis test show that there is no significant relationship between the rate of application for university admission into Real Estate programmes and students who took physics and had at least a pass in it. Also, the mean plot shows that more Art students would apply for admission compared with science and commercial students. Finally, analysis shows that 83.3 per cent of the students who have gone for Industrial Work Experience Scheme were of the opinion that physics has no role to play in their acquisition of the requisite job skills in Real Estate.
Research limitations/implications
This study may be limited by the sample size of the universities selected for data collection. The impact of the requirement of a compulsory pass in physics for admission into real estate programme in other universities with a similar requirement is not covered.
Practical implications
The findings implied that a compulsory pass in physics constitutes a clog in the wheel of admission of prospective estate management students. This may affect career progression and the number of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers that are expected to render professional service to real estate investors in Nigeria.
Originality/value
This is the first attempt to examine the impact of variation in admission requirement into the real estate undergraduate programme in Nigeria. The novelty is in the analysis of a compulsory requirement of pass in physics for admission and the requisite skill for real estate practice in Nigeria.
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Li‐zhu Liu, Hong‐jie Ma, Xing‐song Zhu, Yu‐jiang Fan and Zhen‐hao Jin
Polylactide/nano‐silica in situ composites are synthesised and characterised in order to study their mechanical and thermal properties. The purpose of this paper is to…
Abstract
Purpose
Polylactide/nano‐silica in situ composites are synthesised and characterised in order to study their mechanical and thermal properties. The purpose of this paper is to study these properties and compare them with the pure polylactide (PLA).
Design/methodology/approach
Polylactide/nano‐silica in situ composites are synthesised from lactide and modified nano‐silica using stannous octoate as a catalyst. The structure and properties of the composites are characterised by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM).
Findings
The results of SEM showed that nano‐silica and PLA are connected with covalent bonds, and that inorganic phases are dispersed homogeneously in the PLA matrix. The results of TGA indicated that the thermal decomposition temperature rose with the increase of silica content. The tensile strength of the composites is enhanced because of the addition of nano‐inorganic particles into PLA.
Research limitations/implications
Although the preparation process is simplified by a two‐step method, attempts will be made to synthesise the polylactide/nano‐silica composites by a one‐step approach to curtail the preparation cycle.
Practical implications
The composites are expected to be suitable for applications in packaging materials, biomedical and pharmaceutical fields.
Originality/value
Preparation of polylactide/nano‐silica composites is expected to exert the respective advantages of the two ingredients and to produce more practical polymer materials.
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Ruy Victor B. de Souza and Luiz Cesar R. Carpinetti
This paper presents a proposal of adaptation of the failure mode and effect analysis method to analyze wastes and define priorities for actions aimed at minimizing or…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents a proposal of adaptation of the failure mode and effect analysis method to analyze wastes and define priorities for actions aimed at minimizing or eliminating these wastes based on the criteria of severity, occurrence and detection.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposition was developed in parallel to the implementation of a lean production system of a manufacturing company. A pilot application of the proposal was based on the analysis of a flow of information for order processing.
Findings
Application of the proposed procedure results in a classification of levels of priority for waste reduction of the analyzed waste modes. Following this procedure, high priority will be given to actions focused on the elimination or minimization of the most common causes of the most severe waste modes.
Originality/value
Prioritization of actions to minimize waste is essential to sustain lean production systems. However, identifying the wastes most in need of attention is not always straightforward and methods presented in the literature to evaluate leanness do not focus on waste reduction prioritization. Adoption of the proposed technique can certainly aid planning implementation and improvement of lean production programs, and in the end, it can contribute to the effectiveness and sustainability of lean production systems.
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