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Design for maintainability (DfM) is a construction technique that links maintenance objectives with the design process. Adopting DfM within the construction industry is a solution that can make the maintenance of buildings cost-efficient and simpler. This study investigates the level of implementation of DfM among design professionals in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI).

The data from design professionals comprising architects and civil/structural engineers were collected via a questionnaire survey. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests.

The findings revealed a high level of engagement of design professionals in DfM practices in the Ghanaian construction sector. This high level of engagement is credited to the high level of awareness of the concept of DfM among design professionals, the level of education of design professionals, experience in professional roles and familiarity with the principles of DfM.

This study offers information and fresh perspectives on how cutting-edge DfM principles are practiced in the GCI. The study raises awareness and the level of DfM implementation among design professionals in the GCI. It offers information on how the application of DfM principles enhances cost-effective maintenance that allows facilities to stand the test of time and prove more relevant for users. The understanding and application of DfM in different countries are important if such concepts are to take deep root in the global built environment sector.

Although many knowledge management (KM) initiatives are known to miscarry, there has been relative little critical, in‐depth research into the causes of failure. In this paper, an action research (AR) project is described in a major motor manufacturer (WWM) focusing on one of their key knowledge processes (Design for Manufacturabilty) which was regarded as dysfunctional. The paper has two aims: to explore the substantive factors underlying this malaise, and to demonstrate how the rigour and respectability of AR as a research tool can be strengthened by the use of grounded theory (GT) methodology. Using the latter, a model was produced relating the effectiveness of the DFM process to a set of success factors. These factors resonate with key issues described in previous KM research, namely the need for a shared knowledge repository, a formal KM process, and a culture disposed towards knowledge sharing and re‐use. The model provided a rigorous platform for designing interventions to improve the DFM process. Whilst technical changes (creating infrastructure, defining process) are readily feasible, bringing about cultural change is less tractable and process improvements in WWM have tended to focus more on the former than the latter. As well as providing generalisable insights into KM success and failure, the paper also demonstrates the valuable role that GT can make in informing the design of organisational interventions, in evaluating their impact, and in adding rigour to the theory generation dimension of AR.

Examines the impact of the intensity level of design for manufacturability (DFM) on the time‐to‐market. Hypothesizes that companies which use the DFM technology strategically are more likely than their counterparts to exhibit a shorter time‐to‐market, introduce new products and processes more often, and are more responsive to their customers needs. An index for measuring the intensity level of DFM is developed. The analysis was based on data collected from 165 manufacturing firms in three industry groups in US – industrial machinery equipment, electronic and electric machinery equipment, and transportation equipment. Suggests that differences in time‐to‐market among firms with different intensity level of DFM do exist. Shows the existence of moderate association between DFM and time‐to‐market, and between DFM and introducing new products and new processes.

Examines design for manufacturability (DFM) which has become of a paramount interest to academicians and practitioners as well. The emergence of advanced manufacturing and information technologies and recent managerial philosophies such as JIT, TQM have made it easier for manufacturing enterprises to carry out many of their activities concurrently. This new approach to business would no doubt result in increased efficiency, as measured by cost savings, and increased effectiveness as measured by improvements in quality, flexibility, and responsiveness. This new approach to manufacturing emphasizes that simultaneous improvement in these competitive priorities rather than trade‐offs will be the norm in many manufacturing establishments. Design for manufacturability, as a time‐based strategy, has been used by the Japanese for many years, and there is no reason to think that it will not work for Western manufacturers. However, if not planned for carefully, it can hurt rather than help manufacturing companies. In the cases that have been reported in literature so far, successes outnumber failures. Sheds light on the theoretical foundation of DFM as a time‐based technology. Examines the different approaches to product and processes design and compares and contrasts the traditional and concurrent approaches to manufacturing. Examines a number of DFM definitions in an attempt to offer a more representative definition. Analyses the main pillars of DFM and explains the necessary characteristics for successful implementation of DFM. Elaborates the benefits of DFM as reported in literature. Explains some of the drawbacks of DFM and introduces the reader to Part 2 of this article.

The purpose of this paper is to present an information model (ontology) for design‐for‐manufacturing (DFM) problems, where parts are to be manufactured using an additive manufacturing process. DFM problem formulation is often challenging since the formulation step requires both design and manufacturing process knowledge. The ontology also captures some relationships that model how that manufacturing knowledge applies to part designs. The ontology is implemented and serves as a repository of DFM problems that are available for reuse.

The ontology is encoded using a description logic (DL) known as ALE. Using this ontology, a designer can retrieve archived DFM problems that are similar to a problem being formulated. DLs are a subset of first‐order logic that have been used for information modeling in several application areas, including engineering information management. They are used typically to construct classification hierarchies that can be efficiently searched.

The paper demonstrates that the DL model is correct by showing that the classification hierarchies that are computed match our DFM ontology. Retrieval of DFM problems is demonstrated using a prototype implementation of our ontology. Examples are taken from the area of design for manufacture using the stereolithography process.

The domain of the ontology is limited to additive manufacturing processes. Only DFM problems related to the determination of design parameters (e.g. dimensions) were within the scope of this work.

No ontology for DFM problems has been presented previously. Implementation of the ontology using DL is also original.

Women play an important role in marketing and their participation is greatest where trade is traditional. This study aims to explore this most basic level of direct marketing.

To understand the turn around in the life of these women, the study examined the opportunity accrued to women farmers through participating in direct farmer's markets in Japan. Purposive sampling method was adopted in selecting the respondents. To establish change(s) in respondent's status; the snowball method was used to select non‐direct farmers markets (DFM) users for comparison while data collection was done by structured questionnaire and interview schedule.

The findings of the study revealed that most of the DFM studied were established to improve rural women status.

The relationship between the empowerment of both groups and selected characteristics suggests that their empowerment in familial and mobility would be decreasing as they advance in age.

Much of the current direct marketing research is focused on the high‐level/high‐tech sectors. This research investigates the most fundamental level of direct marketing: one‐to‐one interactions and transactions.

The doubly fed machine (DFM) is presently given an increasing attention in high power variable speed drives and in wind power generation systems, where it exhibits high performances. This has been gained thanks to the stator flux oriented control. Nevertheless, beyond the effect of heating, the robustness of such control strategy is affected by saturation especially the main magnetic one. Accounting for the effect of the magnetizing branch saturation in steady‐state stability analysis, considering the case of a voltage‐controlled DFM and the case of a current‐controlled one, represents the aim of the study. To this end, a numerical procedure based on a combination of the eigenvalue and the fixed point methods has been developed. It has been found that, in both cases, accounting for saturation yields a stabilization effect which is more or less significant depending on the rotor supply parameters.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a tangible example of organisational solutions in effective design for manufacturing (DfM) in a large information and communications technology (ICT) company.

An interview study was carried out in a leading ICT company to clarify the practical realisation of DfM, and the current challenges encountered. The interviews covered all the key persons involved in DfM and related processes, in a case company that has successfully applied DfM for over a decade.

The paper shows the importance of a separate management organisation for coordinating the requirements of internal functions. With relation to the case company, this organisation, in contrast to the literature, is located in production, not in product development. Despite the successful application of DfM, the case company still has challenges in exploitation of related data systems.

This paper describes one of the top companies in its field. However, the obtained results could vary to some degree, should a wider set of companies be included in the study.

Managers of other companies could learn from this example at three levels: organisational solutions for DfM, its practical realisation, and the challenges encountered.

The existing literature is relatively scarce on organisational implications of DfM implementation. This paper identifies a functional organisational location, structure and practical realisation for effective DfM.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of brand associations on brand loyalty of fans toward professional football clubs in developed and emerging football markets (EFM). In particular, the following research questions are answered: how important are different determinants of brand associations for fans from developed football markets (DFM) and EFM? Are there any major differences in the importance of different brand associations and their influence on brand loyalty between fans from DFM and EFM?

Based on the customer-based brand equity framework the impact of brand associations on brand loyalty is tested with a sample of 3,587 fans from DFM – Germany, England, Spain, Italy, and France (2,032) – as well as fans from EFM – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and the USA (1,555).

Structural equation modeling is applied and shows a negative impact of brand attributes on attitudinal loyalty, whereas brand benefits positively impact attitudinal loyalty. Furthermore, significant differences between fans from developed and EFM are revealed. Implications for the management of football teams and for research on brand management are derived.

This study extends the work of Gladden and Funk (2001) by expanding the model used to assess brand loyalty and analyzes it empirically in different football markets. When looking to foster attitudinal loyalty, marketers should concentrate on benefit associations instead of attribute associations. Most importantly, marketers should be aware that when focusing on developing brand loyalty amongst EFM fans, they should not simply apply the same strategies that proved to be effective in DFM and vice versa.

This article reports on a questionnaire survey with the aim to determine the extent of familiarity with and use of design for manufacture (DFM) in the UK furniture manufacturing industry. It was revealed that only a small proportion had experimented or applied one or more DFM techniques. The majority of them did not understand what exactly DFM was and wished to know more about it, while a noticeable level of benefits had been achieved, perceived, or expected. Embedding DFM activities in day‐to‐day operations was perceived by industrialists as the most effective way of implementing DFM while training for a formal team was necessary for its introduction. A high level of management support was evident, so were worries about the high risk and cost. However, the special needs of the furniture industry require further investigation.