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The purpose of this paper is to show how work-based and work-applied learning (WAL) can enhance the intellectual capital of organisations.

The paper draws organisational learning- and work-based learning literature and case study illustrations.

To achieve major strategic change in organisations requires working at senior level within the organisation to develop the capability of the organisation to learn and apply that learning strategically. WAL is explicitly geared to bring about change and enhance the learning capability within the organisation.

There is a need for further longitudinal studies of organisations that have used the work-based and WAL approaches.

The conclusions reached have implications for higher education and non-award bearing executive education.

The alignment of individual learning with organisational objectives positions learning as a co-operative part of working life rather than just individual preparation for employment.

The paper positions work-based learning and WAL as appropriate responses to the learning needs of organisations as well as individuals.

This chapter traces the author's journey of change research from positivism to pragmatism and how different types of “engaged scholarship” shape how we know and do change. It takes readers through the ontology, epistemology, and methodology of different types of research and how these were expressed in studies of planned change interventions, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), cynicism and its consequences, “soul work” and community building in business, organizational transformation, and the development of more socially and environmentally conscious people, purposes, and practices. The paper reflects on the author's research as it relates to regulatory versus radical change and whose interests are and might be served by change research.

First National Congress of Librarians, Archivists and Documentalists. The Portuguese Association of Librarians, Archivists and Documentalists will hold its first congress entitled “Information in a Changing Scene” in Oporto on 19–21 June 1985.

The line of balance (LOB) method is a suitable scheduling technique that managers can use to support lean planning efforts for projects composed of repetitive activities such as high-rise building construction. Like any other method, LOB has certain disadvantages that create a set of practical limitations in its application. An LOB schedule gives insights about how continuous and synchronized single resources are scheduled and how uniform these resources are distributed over the project duration. However, these three characteristics have to be visually checked, which makes the evaluation and the comparison of different schedule alternatives difficult. To overcome this problem, the purpose of this paper is to present a quantitative method to calculate quality degrees for the continuity, the synchronization and the uniformity of an LOB schedule that can be applied to assess an LOB schedule globally.

The paper introduces a set of global indicators, termed quality degrees, which allow for a quick quantitative evaluation of LOB schedules at the global level. These quality degrees are quantitative indicators for the: degree of continuity, degree of synchronization and degree of uniformity within a specific LOB alternative. A mathematical model was developed to calculate the quality degrees for LOB schedules. This model was validated using a well-known case study extracted from literature, and its practical implementation was exemplified on two real Romanian projects.

The paper illustrates this contribution using two case studies that confirm that the proposed method can be used to evaluate different schedule alternatives. In particular, the paper shows that quality indicators can be used to analyze and control interdependencies between cost and time.

The main limitation of the proposed method is that it cannot indicate the desired level of continuity, synchronization or uniformity to be achieved. Further studies need to explore this possibility, as well the relationship between indicators.

The presented quality indicators contribute to existing LOB methods as they allow for the quick analysis and assessment of schedules without an in-depth visual analysis.

The paper proposes an innovative method, mathematically formulated, to quantitatively assess the quality aspects of continuity, synchronization and uniformity for LOB schedules.

The purpose of this paper is to present the development of a multi‐agent system (MAS) used to simulate a crisis response organization.

Following an agent‐based approach, the model is developed using the GAIA methodology and implemented in the Java Agent Development framework.

The GAIA methodology can be combined with an additional GAIA2JADE process to bridge the gap between design and implementation. Keeping the MAS organization separate from the crisis scenario model enables testing different configurations of the crisis response organization in different scenarios.

The simulation model is provided as proof of concept along with preliminary experiments. Additional detailed experiments and validation are ongoing.

The model can be configured differently to deal with an emergency scenario developed separately, providing a test bed for simulating coordination in crisis response. Such simulation forms the basis for exploring different coordination mechanisms and can also be adapted and extended for training and decision support.

The characteristics of the response organization and the study of structured vs emergent coordination fit with the capabilities and nature of a MAS. The structure and process are useful for modelling similar ad hoc, multidisciplinary organizations.