Search results

This study aims to assess and evaluate the disaster management system in Sri Lanka and the capacity of a local community to respond to natural disasters, and to propose a strategy for the dissemination of tsunami knowledge while raising public awareness of tsunami disasters.

The survey focused on three clusters of respondents and different methodologies were adopted to collect data from each group, as follows: residents: questionnaires followed by a structured interview; school children: questionnaires completed under the guidance of a teacher; government officials: questionnaires completed independently by respondents, and followed up with unstructured interviews with officials in charge of disaster related activities.

The results of the survey of residents indicate that; more than 90 percent of residents lacked tsunami knowledge prior to the 2004 tsunami; the main source of information during the disaster was direct information from family and neighbors; school education is important for raising awareness of disaster reduction; and an early warning system is a key requirement for reducing damage in the future. The school surveys reveal that; about 30 percent of school children do not yet understand what causes a tsunami; 90 percent of school children have a keen interest in studying natural disasters; comprehensive disaster education has not been provided; and audio‐visual means are thought to be the most effective tool for disaster education. The survey of officials shows that; seminars and drills on natural disaster have not thus far been conducted among general officials other than the military and police; measures need to be developed to safeguard the interests of tourists; and sirens, TV, and radio broadcasts are effective tools for disseminating disaster warnings to residents.

Based on the findings of the questionnaire and interview surveys, the following recommendations are proposed for disseminating knowledge and raising public awareness of tsunami disasters: promote disaster education at the school level; implement community‐level public awareness programs; enhance information management systems; and improve coordination mechanisms within the disaster management system.

At present, this is the only study being conducted whose goal is to quantitatively evaluate public awareness of natural disasters and disaster management in Sri Lanka.

Building on previous studies of the managerial application and development of the 5S concept (5S), this research aims to identify and present key concepts of 5S from a Japanese management perspective. These findings link 5S to aspects of Japanese management approach, which are aligned to an integrated management system rather than a simple management tool or technique.

Data were collected from Japanese companies that use 5S as a core management approach and use their organisational web sites to disseminate information in regard to this practise. The data were examined by the use of computer‐aided lexical analysis (Leximancer), which provided an insight into the nature of 5S within the original Japanese context.

The research found several key concepts behind the Japanese approach to 5S management. These findings demonstrate the importance of both the technical (visible) and philosophical (invisible) approaches required for each of the 5S components and are discussed in a managerial rather than cultural framework.

The findings are important both theoretically and practically as they provide insight into the meaning and logic, applied to the application of the 5S management approach within its original environmental context.

The originality and value of the paper is derived from the holistic understanding of the application of 5S and its use as a problem‐solving intervention at the system or process level; a necessary initiating point within lean management philosophies. 5S within the context identified is the strategic platform for the managerial decisions required for the development of an integrated management system.

This paper gives a review of the finite element techniques (FE) applied in the analysis and design of machine elements; bolts and screws, belts and chains, springs and dampers, brakes, gears, bearings, gaskets and seals are handled. The range of applications of finite elements on these subjects is extremely wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore the aim of this paper is to give FE researchers/users only an encyclopaedic view of the different possibilities that exist today in the various fields mentioned above. An Appendix included at the end of the paper presents a bibliography on finite element applications in the analysis/design of machine elements for 1977‐1997.