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Article
Publication date: 6 April 2010

Vanessa Goldoni and Mírian Oliveira

The main goal of this research is to analyze knowledge management (KM) evaluation metrics in software development companies in Brazil through the perception of managers and users.

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Abstract

Purpose

The main goal of this research is to analyze knowledge management (KM) evaluation metrics in software development companies in Brazil through the perception of managers and users.

Design/methodology/approach

The method applied was a multiple case study in two information technology companies in Brazil.

Findings

According to the KM objectives and motivations, each company selects an implementation approach that results in specific challenges. The results show that the differences in Company A and Company B can be related to the KM process adopted. Based on the perception of the interviewees, it is possible to affirm that the relevance of a metric depends on the organization's context and the existence of a structured KM process.

Research limitations/implications

The conclusions are based on two case studies of Brazilian IT companies. There could be industry‐specific issues as well as national cultural and behavioral values that might affect the findings and conclusions.

Practical implications

According to the interviewees, the set of process metrics can be linked to the KM process phases and the organizations should contemplate both quantitative and qualitative metrics. The entire set of metrics and its observations in this work can be used as a starting‐point for the selection of the most adequate metrics for each organization.

Originality/value

The research associated the identified metrics in the literature with the knowledge management process phases of creation, storage, dissemination, utilization, and measurement.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2015

Michela Costa, Vanessa Indrizzi, Nicola Massarotti and Alessandro Mauro

The purpose of this paper is to optimize the performance of an incinerator plant in terms of NO emissions and temperature of particles 2 s after the last air injection, which must…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to optimize the performance of an incinerator plant in terms of NO emissions and temperature of particles 2 s after the last air injection, which must be above 850°C as established from the Directive 2000/76/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council – December 4, 2000 on dioxins formation in waste incineration plants.

Design/methodology/approach

Investigation is made by coupling proper models developed within three commercial software environments: FLUENT, to reproduce the thermodynamic field inside the combustion chamber of the incinerator plant taken into account, MATLAB, to evaluate the position and temperatures of the particles 2 s after the last air injection, MODEFRONTIER, to change both the secondary air mass flow rate and the equivalent heat transfer coefficient of the refractory walls to fulfill the conflicting objectives of reducing the NO formation and increasing the mean gases temperature as required by the Directive.

Findings

The investigations suggest that it is possible to create the conditions allowing the reduction of NO emissions and the fulfilment of the European limits. In particular, the obtained results suggest that increasing the overall mass flow rate of the secondary air and using a different refractory material on the walls, the environmental performance of the incinerator plant can be improved.

Research limitations/implications

Many other parameters could be optimized and, at the same time, more detailed models could be used for the Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations. Moreover, also the energy generated at the plant would need a better investigation in order to understand if optimal conditions can be really achieved.

Originality/value

The work covers new aspects of Waste-to-Energy (WtE) systems, since it deals with an optimization study of plant design and operating parameters. This kind of investigation allows not only to improve already existing technologies for WtE systems, but also to develop new ones.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 25 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

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