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While qualitative work has a long tradition in the strategy field and has recently regained popularity, we have not paused to take stock of how such work offers contributions. We address this oversight with a review of qualitative studies of strategy published in five top-tier journals over an extended period of 15 years (2003–2017). In an attempt to organize the field, we develop an empirically grounded organizing framework. We identify 12 designs that are evident in the literature, or “designs-in-use” as we call them. Acknowledging important similarities and differences between the various approaches to qualitative strategy research (QSR), we group these designs into three “families” based on their philosophical orientation. We use these designs and families to identify trends in QSR. We then engage those trends to orient the future development of qualitative methods in the strategy field.

This paper aims to explore traditional FM research and potential trends.

This was an exploratory review of literature.

The main thrust of the argument in this paper is that FM research develops a more communicable and proven understanding of how to apply a wide spectrum of externally developed methods in unique FM settings as well as developing new methods. Second, a more robust FM knowledge base can inform designers, engineers and architects given that FMs are experts of design in use.

This research focused on the UK, Europe, America and Australia. It does not represent a comprehensive/systematic review of the research activities occurring in FM globally.

Research traditionally focuses on hard FM; in contrast, FM outcomes are heavily dependent on the way end users interact with and use organisational services and equipment. This suggests that there is a gap between practice and research, and that intuitive and in-depth FM knowledge about end users has yet to be captured and formalised through research.

Development of FM research requires uptake of contemporary research trends towards partnered research, working across disciplines.

Achieving a more robust FM knowledge base would help capture the wealth of knowledge that FMs have about buildings in use; this could then be used by FMs and also by designers to improve their products and services in disciplines like engineering and architecture.

Although it is easy to show that some buildings cost more to run and operate than others, few people take the trouble to collect evidence and make the comparisons — reflecting the relatively low priority given to buildings in business. Reductions in costs can be significant to company profitability, yet it is a difficult matter to provide a convincing and fully costed argument for making changes to reduce future expenditure, especially where investment is required and where the benefits cannot be easily quantified. Indications are that significant savings are possible in most building costs in use. Indirect cost reductions may be achieved by reorganisation or by encouraging behavioural changes which will enable the building to be used to its full potential. However, direct cost savings may be made by changes to the physical fabric and positive steps can be taken in managing buildings to benefit from these changes and affect profitability. It has been possible to show through action research that the life cycle costs of buildings can be reduced by design, often at no overall capital cost With the availability of suitable tools the future, and its cost consequences, can become an influential factor in management decisions about the building stock.

In recent years, innovative aircraft designs have been investigated by researchers to address the environmental and economic issues for the purpose of green aviation. To keep air transport competitive and safe, it is necessary to maximize design efficiencies of the aircrafts in terms of weight and cost. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the research which has led to the development of a novel lattice fuselage design of a forward-swept wing aircraft in the conceptual phase by topology optimization technique.

In this paper, the fuselage structure is modelled with two different types of elements – 1D beam and 2D shell – for the validation purpose. Then, the finite element analysis coupled with topology optimization is performed to determine the structural layouts indicating the efficient distributed reinforcements. Following that, the optimal fuselage designs are obtained by comparison of the results of 1D and 2D models.

The topological results reveal the need for horizontal stiffeners to be concentrated near the upper and lower extremities of the fuselage cross section and a lattice pattern of criss-cross stiffeners should be well-placed along the sides of the fuselage and near the regions of window locations. The slight influence of windows on the optimal reinforcement layout is observed. To form clear criss-cross stiffeners, modelling the fuselage with 1D beam elements is suggested, whereas the less computational time is required for the optimization of the fuselage modelled using 2D shell elements.

The authors propose a novel lattice fuselage design in use of topology optimization technique as a powerful design tool. Two types of structural elements are examined to obtain the clear reinforcement detailing, which is also in agreement with the design of the DLR (German Aerospace Center) demonstrator. The optimal lattice layout of the stiffeners is distinctive to the conventional semi-monocoque fuselage design and this definitely provides valuable insights into the more efficient utilization of composite materials for novel aircraft designs.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how professional skills training in making ethical decisions for redundancy selection, can be utilised though interactive role play, in a virtual learning environment.

A pilot study was undertaken with a group of part time mature students pursuing a professional development programme. The pilot was based on the CLE concept using a virtual learning environment (VLE) and involved ethical decision making in a redundancy scenario. Data was gathered through the VLE “log” and through a focus group interview.

Evidence is provided of the suitability of the CLE approach in this context. Additionally, the findings suggest that the use of a virtual learning environment for CLE raises a number of different issues for the management and motivation of participants. Virtual interaction of this nature creates different timescales, degrees of confidence and levels of anonymity than found with more traditional face‐to‐face training. This has an impact on behaviour and requires recognition and management by HRD facilitators.

The study was based on a small‐scale pilot and has not been retested.

The findings provide practical implications for further design in using CLE in redundancy selection. Furthermore, clinics for a variety of scenarios both in the workplace and educational settings could be based on this approach.

The paper provides discussion of an innovative approach in an HRD context. These concepts have been not used extensively in the HRD field when trying to address learning and skills development in ethical decision making in practice.

This paper aims to report on a pilot research project designed to explore if new mobile augmented reality (AR) technologies have the potential to enhance the learning of clinical skills in the lab.

An exploratory action-research-based pilot study was undertaken to explore an initial proof-of-concept design in using AR resources to supplement clinical skills lab teaching. A convenience non-probability sample of 72 undergraduate nursing students tested these resources during lab sessions, and participated in post-exposure surveys and focus groups to help evaluate them. This pilot design aimed to test logistics and gather information prior to further developmental work.

Key similarities emerged between the survey and focus group findings regarding the technical issues and support for student learning. Students clearly expressed a comfort with the technology, and both students and faculty identified the ability to access resources to support self-directed learning and review of skills as positive attributes of using AR. However, technical issues such as slow response times and incompatible smartphones interfered with resource access and frustrated some students, potentially having a negative impact on their learning. Students gave positive feedback regarding the value of mobile access and having AR resources available “at the bedside” where they were practicing.

This empirical pilot study was limited to a small number of participants in a single location. However, a deeper understanding of the potential value of AR in clinical health professional education, and best practices in implementing these new technologies, was achieved.

This study provides a valuable practical contribution, as the approach for AR resource development described can be readily replicated by teachers with limited technical skills. The practical limitations of AR technologies discovered by use in real-world settings will provide developers and educators with valuable information as they begin to explore the use of AR in the lab and beyond.

AR represents a rapidly developing field, with increasing social impact. This study provides some initial ideas that will help inform future uptake of AR in wider educational settings, beyond health professional education.

This study represents original work in the field, and specifically, an original implementation of AR in an educational context.

The dual purpose of this paper is to locate the contribution of Argyris and Schon to the field of organisational learning, and to discuss aspects of their work which are particularly distinctive or controversial. There are two distinct strands of research on organisational learning. The descriptive strand, with its roots in social and cognitive psychology, seeks to understand the processes by which organisations learn and adapt. The normative strand, which is sometimes referred to as research on the “learning organization”, is concerned more with how organisations can direct their learning in ways that bring them closer to an ideal. While Argyris and Schon, with their emphasis on intervention and improvement, belong to the latter normative strand, they have also contributed greatly to the descriptive strand because their normative theorising is grounded in detailed empirical study of organisational processes. The article contrasts Argyris and Schon’s account of learning as the manipulation of symbolic representations of organisational life, with the non‐symbolic, feedback‐driven account of learning offered by many descriptive researchers. It suggests how these two accounts could be integrated by recognising that differing tasks or problems require different learning processes and different types of expertise. This more differentiated approach casts doubt on the notion of a generically capable “learning organisation”. The paper concludes with a call for more researchers to bridge the divide between the descriptive and normative strands of research on organisational learning.

The difficulties in designing and implementing successful technological systems which support business objectives, good work practices and high quality outcomes are well known. Discusses the “modernisation” of the Australian Taxation Office – an ambitious ten‐year programme of organizational and tech‐nological change – which has its origins in the need for re‐equipment and the recognition that the new systems must support the way in which the Taxation Office would work in the future. Review of the programme mid‐term shows considerable success, but also areas where it has been difficult to achieve some of the aims. In spite of the participatory framework, participants tend to feel that technology has driven the process, rather than business or workplace requirements. In particular, some initiatives have impacted negatively on workers, and it has been difficult to integrate the implementation of new systems with the design of better work practices. Recognition of these problems has encouraged the development of new approaches to work and systems design, and considerable further organizational and structural change.

I wish to make three points at the start of this talk. Firstly the views expressed are generally my own and are not necessarily those held by hospital authorities. Secondly, I have assumed that I am talking to an international work study audience and not a hospital audience. Thirdly, work study has been introduced extensively to the hospital field only within the last three years and the achieved contribution to the planning of new hospitals is still quite limited. This short talk is therefore a review of the progress and problems encountered in applying the normal techniques of work study to design work in a new field of considerable complexity rather than an elaborate exposition of new techniques.