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Development and demonstration of an autonomous, mobile welding robot capable of fabricating large‐scale customised structures.

An autonomous welding robot has been developed under the EC Framework V Growth program. The system comprises a global vision system for part location and orientation, and a robot transport vehicle (RTV) which carries a 6‐axis robot, robot controller, welding equipment, and local sensors at the welding torch. The RTV path, robot arm motion and weld process programming are performed automatically using sensors and specially customised simulation software.

The technology developed within the project was demonstrated, in November 2004, to be capable of identifying and welding large scale customised structures as found in the earth moving equipment and bridge fabrication industries.

The project demonstrated that current sensor technology is capable of being applied successfully to autonomous robots, but further developments in sensor technology are required to improve accuracy and joint access.

The NOMAD concept of autonomous mobile robots provides an alternative solution to welding mass customised structures.

This project demonstrated, for the first time, the capability of autonomous robots to weld large scale customised structures.

This study aims to validate a model of organizational performance embedding corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate governance (CG) and sustainability concepts at a strategic level. The model has been created in response to two significant global influences: global challenges and sustainable development (SD).

To validate the model created, executives from 10 of Thailand’s leading companies that have received CSR, CG, or sustainability awards during 2010-2015 were asked to complete a questionnaire and were later interviewed.

The findings indicate the appropriateness of the model in addressing the two significant global influences and highlight the critical issues in its implementation.

Types of interviewees who are information sources, organization’s features such as size and industry and culture, appear to be critical factors in affecting the research findings and in limiting the interpretation and applications of the research model. All of those limitations have been explained in the research paper so that future research could be improved.

The model presents additional knowledge in relation to SD, business strategy, organizational performance and organizational sustainability. It shows how businesses can participate and respond to SD by embedding CSR, CG and sustainability concepts at the strategic level. It also shows that the outcome of such an approach will help business organizations sustain their existence by balancing financial, social and environmental dimensions.

Business is one of the three key players (government, business and citizens) in managing global challenges and promoting SD. A business sector contains huge valuable resources (e.g. physical; financial; human; technology) for development capabilities. Therefore, this research shows a model which helps business organizations understand their significant role in SD.

Due to increased human population, climate change and deterioration of natural resources, social thinkers all around the world have been warning the seriousness of global challenges and the importance of SD. However, not many studies combine and connect the key concepts of global challenges, SD, CSR, CG and sustainability, all together to address the important role of business organizations. This research answers/gives such overall picture through a field research work for validation.

Describes some of the papers presented at an international colloquium on autonomous mobile systems held to celebrate 10 years of the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF) in Magdeburg, Germany. Following definition of a mobile robot, papers on wheeled and biped robot platforms are discussed. These are followed by a review of some of the applications using dedicated robot systems, including an autonomous welding cell, a concept for process plant maintenance, a pipe inspection robot and systems for cleaning glass facades on high buildings. The latter work at IFF has resulted in two commercial systems, one already installed for the 1997 Leipzig Trade Fair and the other to be installed at the new Fraunhofer Foundation building in Munich in 2003.

The study identifies the variation of change strategies used in a complex large scale change program in health and social services in Sweden, aimed at changing professionals' health promoting practices. The purpose is to investigate the change strategies used over time and describe the potential variation in key change agent views, using a framework inspired by De Caluwé and Vermaak's multi paradigm change typology.

The first six years of the regional multi-sector program are examined. Results are based on content analyses of interviews with key change actors, and archival data describing program activities. Respondents belonged to either the strategic or the operational program management team, representing different sectors of health and social services in a region.

Multiple strategy paradigms showed varying influence over the program's different phases, partly due to program progress, change agent influence and/or varying contextual demands. Respondents' views on strategies and program focus varied depending on their program roles. Respondents expressed insights about the varying conditions for change and on the conflicting expectations within and between program management teams.

This study introduces the application of a new framework on a large scale, complex change program. The framework sheds light on a number of basic assumptions and change strategies that can be further compared with content and context factors, barriers, facilitators, outcomes, and in turn with other programs.

Transformational learning outcomes of short-term faculty-led international service-learning experiences can by stymied by cultural shock and improperly facilitated programs. Moreover, dissonance in dimensions of the self in contrast to foreign traditions and social interactions can be especially salient in American student encounters in India. How students resolve and make meaning of their own emotional entropy is traced across two institutional programs, two courses (1 undergraduate and 1 graduate), and multiple India community partner sites. An evidence-based pedagogical model and strategies for preparation, praxis, and processing are offered in supporting student reflection of themselves as global beings and in development of global agency which is manifested as intrapersonal, interpersonal, intercultural, academic, and professional competencies.

This study seeks to examine how consumers perceive the visually primed disclosure in a pharmaceutical company's advertisement and form their attitudes toward the disclosure, perceived corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and attitudes toward the pharmaceutical company.

An online study with a convenient sampling consisting of college students is used to manipulate the visual communication of a pharmaceutical company's advertising disclosure for the purpose of examining the effects of visually primed advertising disclosure on attitude toward the disclosure, perceived CSR practices, and attitude toward the pharmaceutical company.

The results reveal that a visually primed disclosure affects consumers' attitudes toward the disclosure positively. Visual priming also enhances consumers' perceived CSR practices and attitudes toward the company. This is evident as the impact of attitude toward the disclosure on attitude toward the company is mediated by perceived CSR practices.

Pharmaceutical companies should improve their advertising disclosure practices by enhancing visual communications of their advertising disclosures. Since a mediating relationship between attitude toward the disclosure and attitude toward the pharmaceutical company is materialized by perceived CSR practices, visually primed advertising disclosures perceived as socially responsible practices can facilitate advertising effectiveness and enhance consumers' attitudes toward the pharmaceutical company.

This paper adds value to the existing literature on pharmaceutical marketing and CSR practices, and promotes the effective management of advertising disclosures by reinforcing their communications through visual priming.

This paper takes as its starting point observations and concerns of quality assurance staff in UK HEIs about the use of computer‐assisted assessment (CAA) collected in the 1999 National Survey into CAA. The issues raised are grouped into three categories: pedagogical; operational; and institutional; and the quality assurance issues for each area are addressed. Emphasis is placed on the institutional management of CAA, the development of quality assurance regulations and protocols and the evaluation of CAA systems. The paper makes suggestions about the co‐ordination of CAA within an institution and speculates on the future developments in computerised assessments and the increased importance of ensuring quality.

This study seeks to examine how consumers perceive a pharmaceutical company's advertisement through visual priming of the disclosure featured in the advertisement.

An online study with a convenience sample consisting of college students is used to examine the effects of a visually primed pharmaceutical advertising disclosure on attitude toward responsible advertising practice, trust toward the advertisement and attitude toward the advertisement.

The results reveal that consumers form better attitudes toward responsible advertising practice and higher levels of trust toward the advertisement when the disclosure is visually primed in the advertisement. However, visual priming of the disclosure may not enhance consumers' attitudes toward the advertisement. Further evidence indicates that allergy status, a motivation factor, has the main effect on attitude toward the advertisement. When consumers have allergies, they tend to form better attitudes toward the advertisement.

Despite the inherent limitations of this study that have to be confirmed in future research, this study suggests that visual priming of advertising disclosure may enhance consumers' attitudes toward advertising practice and trust toward the advertisement. However, consumers' attitudes toward the advertisement are enhanced directly by personal relevance to the advertisement instead of visual priming.

Based on the results of this study, the study provides a more realistic and socially responsible advertising disclosure practice for attracting consumer attention and processing toward pharmaceutical advertising.

This paper adds value to the existing literature on corporate social responsibility and promotes the effective management of socially responsible business through two main approaches: adopting visual priming of pharmaceutical advertising disclosure; and implementing more responsible pharmaceutical advertising practices.