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1 – 10 of 10Anurag Bagalkot, Dirk Pons, Don Clucas and Digby Symons
Polymer rapid tooling (PRT) inserts can be used as injection moulding (IM) cavities for prototyping and low volume production but lack the robustness of metal inserts. Metal…
Abstract
Purpose
Polymer rapid tooling (PRT) inserts can be used as injection moulding (IM) cavities for prototyping and low volume production but lack the robustness of metal inserts. Metal inserts can withstand high injection pressure and temperature required, whereas PRT inserts may fail under similar parameters. The current method of parameter setting starts with using the highest pressure setting on the machine and then fine-tuning to optimize the process parameters. This method needs modification, as high injection pressures and temperatures can damage the PRT inserts. There is a need for a methodical process to determine the upper limits of moulding parameters that can be used without damaging the PRT inserts.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study analysis was performed to investigate the causes of failure in a PRT insert. From this, a candidate set-up process was developed to avoid start-up failure and possibly prolong tool life. This was then tested on a second mould, which successfully avoided start-up failure and moulded 54 parts before becoming unusable due to safety issues.
Findings
Process parameters that are critical for tool life are identified as mould temperature, injection pressure, injection speed, hold pressure and cooling time.
Originality/value
This paper presents a novel method for setting IM process parameters for PRT inserts. This has the potential to prevent failure at start up when using PRT inserts and possibly extend the operating life of the PRT inserts.
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The purpose of this paper is to capture historical data relating to the enactment of public relations work based on gender in post-war Britain. The paper contributes new insights…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to capture historical data relating to the enactment of public relations work based on gender in post-war Britain. The paper contributes new insights on gender formations in public relations practice during that period in that cultural context, providing a point of contrast with present day practice.
Design/methodology/approach
Historical sociology.
Findings
The paper presents data drawn from interviews and document analysis that reveals the separation of male and female work in public relations.
Research limitations/implications
The research provides contextual historical background to the burgeoning contemporary research that is focused on issues relating to gender and LGBTQ in public relations, and highlights historical features which may have shaped the contemporary occupational culture in the UK. The research may provide useful background context for comparable studies in adjacent disciplines.
Practical implications
This is a culture-specific study and cross-cultural comparisons would be useful in understanding the extent to which female work in public relations has been similarly framed historically.
Social implications
There is historical residue in the popular representations of women in public relations in film and media in the UK, for example the notion of “PR girl”. Understanding the origin of such stereotypes and their persistence is important for professional bodies and practitioners.
Originality/value
The paper brings to light previously unpublished opinions and perspectives from the post-war era.
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Simon Mosey, Paul Westhead and Andy Lockett
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the Medici Fellowship Scheme addressed attitudinal and resource barriers to the commercialisation of knowledge within five…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the Medici Fellowship Scheme addressed attitudinal and resource barriers to the commercialisation of knowledge within five research‐intensive universities. The following research questions were explored: Did the Medici fellows change the attitudes of academic network members in host departments towards the commercialisation of research? Did the Medici Fellowship Scheme encourage fellows to accumulate human and social capital? Did the Medici Fellowship Scheme encourage fellows to leverage their academic and practitioner networks?
Design/methodology/approach
The scheme was implemented in Biomedical departments across five universities located in the Midlands in England. Six months after the completion of the scheme information was consistently gathered from six Medici fellows, six technology transfer officers (TTOs) and six senior academics. Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted. Information was gathered through structured and semi‐structured open‐ended questions.
Findings
Fellows who accumulated human and social capital were able to act as agents of attitudinal change in their host departments. The fellows did not markedly change the culture towards commercialization, but they addressed several structural holes by building network bridges with actors positioned in practitioner networks. They created new weak ties with external actors who provided early stage funding, market and legal information and potential customers. Fellows also strengthened existing ties within academic networks both inter and intra university. The career destinations of the fellows after the scheme helped sustain bridging behaviour by providing points of contact for their peers and/or by demonstrating the viability of alternative sources of funding and prestige for academics.
Practical implications
Despite a widely perceived successful scheme, structural holes were still apparent in the monitored departments. Additional bridges need to be built between academic networks and actors, such as surrogate entrepreneurs and private equity financiers, to ensure the sustained development of new ventures.
Originality/value
Guided by insights from human and social capital theory and network theory the outcomes associated with a novel structured training initiative were monitored. Case study evidence was gathered from three types of university stakeholders (i.e. Medici fellows, TTOs and senior academics) involved in the commercialisation process.
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WE have recently published one or two articles in which a contributor with a considerable knowledge of the Chinese economy has described some of that country's industrial…
Abstract
WE have recently published one or two articles in which a contributor with a considerable knowledge of the Chinese economy has described some of that country's industrial activities. The articles have been scrupulously factual and impartial in revealing the ingenuity which has enabled a people desperately short of the technological resources of the industrialised nations to secure for themselves some of life's essentials.
The purpose of this research is to examine the interactions between individuals and the social environment as individuals engage in self‐directed learning, a predecessor to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to examine the interactions between individuals and the social environment as individuals engage in self‐directed learning, a predecessor to intentional change theory. The individuals are graduates of a part‐time MBA program and the social environment is the life sphere framework introduced with this study. Self‐directed learning refers to the learning agendas that these people outlined for themselves when they first entered the MBA program.
Design/methodology/approach
Longitudinal assessment data were collected using the critical incident interview, the learning skills profile, and the life sphere interview. Correlations were run testing the hypotheses: as the number of life spheres, relationships, or activities increases, so will the demonstration of the targeted competencies; and if the participant is able to work on developing these competencies in the life sphere that he or she designates as primary to the learning goal, then the demonstration of these competencies will improve.
Findings
The number of life spheres, relationships, and activities does impact positively on the demonstration of these competencies and those participants for whom the work organization life sphere is primary to learning goal achievement showed improved demonstration of the targeted competencies.
Research limitations/implications
The study needs to be replicated with a larger sample size. This initial study was merely exploratory in nature.
Originality/value
As society approaches the virtual office it makes sense that it will get what it needs, when it needs it – no matter where one is or to whom one is talking. With these changes has come the need to find resources in places and from people that may not have been considered previously. The relationships and activities in one's social environment are more critical than ever before.
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IN every decade some word is thrown to the surface of men's minds and proves powerful enough to colour and condition their thinking. At present the word is automation. We see it…
Abstract
IN every decade some word is thrown to the surface of men's minds and proves powerful enough to colour and condition their thinking. At present the word is automation. We see it as the crucible to resolve all our production problems, the formula to express our hopes for the future.
After first examining what compliance is, the paper goes on to look at the demands of regulators on compliance offices and, in particular, the different advice and requirements of…
Abstract
After first examining what compliance is, the paper goes on to look at the demands of regulators on compliance offices and, in particular, the different advice and requirements of SROs. The author considers the lack of consistency shown by regulators over training and competence, money market dealers and investigative procedures, as well as the conflict between fiduciary duties and regulatory rides, before concluding that SROs need to co‐ordinate their approaches if the problems caused by regulatory disharmony are to be overcome.
The latest information from the magazine chemist is extremely valuable. He has dealt with milk‐adulteration and how it is done. His advice, if followed, might, however, speedily…
Abstract
The latest information from the magazine chemist is extremely valuable. He has dealt with milk‐adulteration and how it is done. His advice, if followed, might, however, speedily bring the manipulating dealer before a magistrate, since the learned writer's recipe is to take a milk having a specific gravity of 1030, and skim it until the gravity is raised to 1036; then add 20 per cent. of water, so that the gravity may be reduced to 1030, and the thing is done. The advice to serve as “fresh from the cow,” preferably in a well‐battered milk‐measure, might perhaps have been added to this analytical gem.
Central Training Council Members Twenty‐eight members of the Central Training Council were named by the Minister of Labour on 6th May. In addition to Mr Lindley and Mr Longley…
Abstract
Central Training Council Members Twenty‐eight members of the Central Training Council were named by the Minister of Labour on 6th May. In addition to Mr Lindley and Mr Longley, four other chairmen of industrial training boards will be appointed to the Council, but the Minister is keeping these seats in hand until boards have been appointed to cover a wider range of industry.
The purpose of this paper is to apply a novel intersectional framework, the heavy lifter theory, to leadership attainability in state legislatures. It is a logical and unique way…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to apply a novel intersectional framework, the heavy lifter theory, to leadership attainability in state legislatures. It is a logical and unique way to examine the gender ascription of Black women. This work helps to shed light on the political behavior of Black women, the institutional obstacles they face, and the lasting power of ancestral talent development.
Design/methodology/approach
One way to examine this intersectional theory, as it relates to Black women and authentic talent development in a sociocultural context, is an examination of leadership attainment in state legislatures. The specific research question was: What is the probability that Black women will attain leadership in state legislatures in comparison to Black men and white women? This study used panel data that have individual-level data on state legislators from 2007 to 2014 and applied a logistic regression and a predictive probability.
Findings
Intersectionality, measured as the interaction term between sex and race, increases the probability of Black women earning formal leadership positions in state legislatures. In addition, Black women attain leadership positions at higher rates than both Black men and white women.
Originality/value
This research presents a historical context by which to understand and examine the gendered nature of the ascription process of Black women. Specifically, their experience as a marginalized group burdened them with the duty of the heavy lifter. Although being the heavy lifter is a burden, this focus on Black women’s ability to thrive under constant discrimination in the form of racism and sexism should give scholars pause. In looking at Black women legislators’ ability to gain leadership, the heavy lifter identity can potentially be a vehicle through which Black women legislators can find a sense of purpose and both psychological and social strength to forge their own unexpected path.
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