38 research outputs found
Knowledge evaluation in product lifecycle design and support
No full textEnterprises are focusing more and more on knowledge issues for global product development. This paper describes knowledge evolution processes in product development activities and proposes a knowledge evaluation method in product lifecycle design. The paper also theoretically analyzes the evaluation model and illustrates how knowledge values can be assessed by case study. The case study shows how knowledge values calculated by the model can provide suggestions about which knowledge to choose and what to do next. The knowledge evaluation model serves as a useful tool for managing knowledge in product lifecycle design and support.This work is partly supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China (No. 13CTQ022) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51205344). We would like to appreciate Prof. Robert B. Allen from Research Center for Knowledge Communities (RCKC) of University of Tsukuba, for his helpful suggestions and support
Virus-induced chalazion
No full textPurpose: To investigate a viral etiology in certain chalazia. Methods: A prospective study over 7.5 years of all newly presenting chalazia associated with diffuse follicular conjunctivitis but without any other aetiological factors. Patients were investigated for ocular or systemic infections by history, physical exam, slit-lamp exam, and-or histology of conjunctival biopsy (including transmission electron microscopy). Results: A total of 27 patients developed follicular conjunctivitis without meibomian gland dysfunction, blepharitis, or sexually transmitted diseases. Evidence for a viral aetiology included: recent systemic viral illness (15-27), recent contact with subjects with chalazia or follicular conjunctivitis (5-27), preauricular lymphadenopathy (4-27), viral corneal disease (4-27), or viral particles by ultrastructure (4-4). Conclusions: Chalazia may be associated with viral conjunctivitis. Intralesional corticosteroids should be considered with great caution for viral-induced chalazia. © 2006 Nature Publishing Group. All rights reserved.BRON A J, 1991, Eye (London), V5, P395; CHURCHWELL MA, 1986, AM J MED SCI, V291, P314, DOI 10.1097-00000441-198605000-00005; CLEMENTS GB, 1989, ARCH VIROL, V104, P95, DOI 10.1007-BF01313811; Driver PJ, 1996, SURV OPHTHALMOL, V40, P343, DOI 10.1016-S0039-6257(96)80064-6; Gonzalez-Fernandez F, 1998, OPHTHALMOLOGY, V105, P497, DOI 10.1016-S0161-6420(98)93034-2; GUTGESELL VJ, 1982, AM J OPHTHALMOL, V94, P383; HAYASHI N, 1994, VIRCHOWS ARCH, V424, P503; Ho S. Y., 2002, Hong Kong Medical Journal, V8, P18; KIBRICK S, 1971, ARCH OPHTHALMOL-CHIC, V86, P694; MANSOUR AM, 1988, ORBIT, V7, P201, DOI 10.3109-01676838809032021; MCCULLEY JP, 1977, AM J OPHTHALMOL, V84, P788; MORIYAMA K, 1992, ARCH VIROL, V123, P13, DOI 10.1007-BF01317135; Mustafa TA, 2001, SAUDI MED J, V22, P968; PERRY HD, 1980, OPHTHALMOLOGY, V87, P218; PIZZARELLO LD, 1978, AM J OPHTHALMOL, V85, P818; Scobee RG, 1942, AM J OPHTHALMOL, V25, P184; SIRIGU P, 1992, INVEST OPHTH VIS SCI, V33, P228464
Evaluating the Ecological Impacts of Cultivating Genetically Modified Herbicide Tolerant (GMHT) Oilseed Rape and Maize: (2007-B-DS-1-S1) STRIVE Report
No full textThis report is published as part of the Science, Technology, Research and Innovation for the
Environment (STRIVE) Programme 2007–2013.Author has checked copyrigh
How Can International Staff Exchange be Implemented as Part of the Execution of an Internationalisation Strategy in UK Higher Education? The Case of a Strategic Entrepreneur
No full textThis work constructs a bridge across the "knowing-doing gap" of international staff exchange: the gap between strategy formulation and its execution within the constraints of a post-1992 university business school in the UK. It goes beyond the common, well-intentioned and yet vague statements involving the "encouragement" of international staff exchange to propose a model of execution through strategic entrepreneurship.
The promotion of international staff mobility is a founding principle of the "Bologna Process", designed to create a converged system of higher education across Europe. Many UK "new" (ie post-1992) universities are engaged in the development of internationalisation strategies which include staff exchange. Meanwhile, the failure to execute strategy is increasingly acknowledged as a major problem in organisational performance.
Using a first-, second and third-person Insider Action Research (AR) approach, the author initiated, planned, organised and implemented an international staff exchange between universities in the UK and France. Data generated were subjected to a double process of analysis in order to construct the new model. A policy of "subjectivity with transparency" and transcontextual credibility throughout enables the reader to judge transferability. Duality is the nature of this "bridge" and the simplistic transplant of the expatriation policies of commercial organisations is avoided. Concepts from the theoretical literature in three domains - strategic management and entrepreneurship in higher education, internationalisation of higher education and strategy execution through strategic entrepreneurship - are combined with the research analysis to propose that "strategic entrepreneurs" can execute the riskier elements of an internationalisation strategy, such as staff exchange. Members of the creative class, strategic entrepreneurs are attracted and motivated by the foundation of a diverse environment and entrepreneurial culture promoted by a university's values-driven, holistic approach to internationalisation. Their autonomous strategic behaviour must be facilitated by an execution-focussed organisational architecture. In a university, the overall approach to staff exchange should combine central and local (school-based) functions and resource both to develop strategic initiatives and to exploit tactical opportunities.
This work broadens AR from education into strategic management, specifically linking the areas of strategic execution and strategic entrepreneurship
You have to hit some people, it's all they understand!: are violent sentiments more criminogenic than attributing hostile intent in the escalation of grievances?
No full textIs it what adult violent offenders think or how they think that discriminates them most from non-offenders? This study investigates whether violent and criminal sentiments, attributional biases and violence based grievance resolution strategies represent dynamic criminogenic risk factors. The results indicate that it is what offenders think that discriminates them more than how they think.
The participants were 546 adults comprising 105 violent offenders, 238 university students and 203 men and women from a stratified random community sample. Using interview data from high-risk violent offenders, two scales were specifically developed to measure the variables of interest. The differences between offenders and non-offenders in violent attitudes was measured by expanding the scope of the Criminal Sentiments Scale. The differences in attributional biases and problem solving was assessed by a second scale developed for this study.
The results showed that offenders were clearly different from non-offenders with the offenders endorsing significantly higher criminal and violent sentiments with an effect size of h2 =.46. The offenders also reported a significantly higher level of violence-based resolution strategies to end grievances than non-offenders. However, the surprising finding was that the adult male high-risk offenders did not demonstrate more pronounced hostile attributional biases than either adult men and women students or men and women from the community. The results imply that believing violence is acceptable and being prepared to use violence is more criminogenic than how you interpret the social behaviour of others. These findings have important implications for our understanding of why grievances escalate and the development of more effective intervention programs
Helping Families Change Childhood Obesity
No full textThe prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate and is implicated in the onset of serious and life threatening health problems of both a physical and psychological nature. The current research comprised of three main components. Firstly, the reliability of a readiness to change questionnaire was examined, which had been completed by parents of obese children enrolled in the Bodywise childhood obesity programme. Secondly, an analysis of outcome data from 36 families who completed the above programme was also undertaken in order to determine if the data identified their stage of change, as defined by the questionnaire Thirdly, four semi-structured interviews were conducted with families involved with the Bodywise programme. These parents provided information related to their experiences of lifestyle change, including what initiated change, what assisted change, and what barriers to change they had encountered. Findings revealed that in accordance with the transtheoretical model the readiness to change questionnaire was a reasonably reliable instrument for indentifying parents' readiness to change their child's eating patterns and physical activity levels. Analysis of the outcome data from the 36 families revealed individuals in the action stage of change for both eating and physical activity made more rapid change at the outset of the programme than individuals in earlier stages of change. In addition, information derived from the interviews with families identified several promoters and barriers to change, many of which were similar across families. Until now no studies have examined the application of the transtheoretical model to an intervention for childhood obesity. Previous research has shown support for the model's use with other health problems. Overall this study lends support for the utility of the transtheoretical model in childhood obesity intervention
The strategic response of full service airlines to the low cost carrier threat and the perception of passengers to each type of carrier
No full textLow cost carriers have changed the competitive dynamics of the short-haul market
forever. They have revolutionised the way of doing business in aviation by adopting a
fresh approach on both strategic and operational issues. Simplicity has become their
universal principle over network airlines and subsequently they have achieved
substantial cost advantages which are passed onto the consumer as lower fares.
Network airlines have found it difficult to reshape their structural barriers and have
been slow to incorporate the components that low cost carriers deemed very
significant in impacting their operating margins. However, a restructuring of their
internal weaknesses should spur initiatives to design long-term strategies to address
those shortcomings. Network airlines rely on producing value-adding and consumerdriven
product differentiation beyond the basics of the low cost carrier product. To
further differentiate themselves network airlines need to focus on: customer
satisfaction; develop long term mutually beneficial relationships with both passengers
and corporations; collaborate with a wide range of bipartisan partners; retain
differentiated flight products that add value; and to incorporate strategies that other
network carriers deemed paradigmatic. Network carriers should resist reducing costs
associated with value-added services and need to become innovative in generating
alternative revenue streams
Land-use Decision-making and Landscape Degradation: a case study in the American Southwest
No full textThis study examines the role of land-use decision-making of different actor groups, including land developers, politicians, residents, NGOs and city planners, in contributing to land degradation in the American Southwest. Perceptions of different actor groups of the desert landscape are first explored then the motivations and priorities of actor groups to make land-use decisions are investigated. It was found that perceptions of landscape are connected with its functional and intrinsic values. Different groups appreciated functional values with their specific needs and interests. Also, an appreciation of intrinsic values of landscape is partly associated with functional values. By taking a political ecology approach, this study investigates the complex relationships between human land-use decisions and environmental changes and between different actor groups. Issues of power were found to be significant in land use and management practice, and a small number of actors were perceived by others to have more power to control the use and access to the resources. Relationships between and within different actor groups are complex, and conflict when special interests and needs of actors are apparent with some actors considering their rights and power to be limited and diminished by others. Decisions made at local scale are often affected by the regulations and policies operating at regional and national scales. Results also revealed that historical and cultural influences played a role in the decision-making process. In addition, it was found that poor communications exist between actor groups and between different levels of government, and misunderstanding and lack of negotiation between each other can result in conflicts and competition. Land managers and planners need to incorporate opinions and expectations from a wider public and balance the complex diversity of needs of different actor groups
John Tillotson: a reappraisal
No full textJohn Tillotson (1630-94) was fellow of Clare, lecturer at St Lawrence Jewry, preacher at Lincoln's Inn, dean first of Canterbury and briefly of St Paul's, and archbishop of Canterbury (1691-4).This thesis seeks to review the career of a much-neglected and misrepresented clergyman, who lived and held office during the most turbulent phase of English history. The last attempt at a full-length biography was published in the eighteenth century. The judgements of Tillotson's enemies have often been uncritically repeated, and he has often been depicted as an enemy of the true Church of England and condemned as a Socinian and a rationalist, who preached nothing but morality. Reworking of old material and introducing new enables a more just appraisal to be made. The thesis describes and explains his rise from a humble background in Yorkshire to the see of Canterbury. The nature and content of his pamphleteering against atheism and Roman Catholicism is summarised. His part in the comprehension schemes of the period is discussed. The professionalism with which he approached his duties is revealed. Tillotson's involvement in political life is explained. Aspects of his pastoral work and personal life are described. From the large corpus of his printed sermons, the theological content of his preaching is examined. Tillotson emerges as a sincere, generous and tolerant Christian. He was a conscientious and hardworking clergyman. He was a convinced and campaigning, but never bigoted or a strident, protestant. His preaching reveals a concern for Christian commitment to, and growth of maturity in, the faith, which can be justified through reason. He was orthodox in theology and preached on all the main doctrines of the creed as well as stressing the ethical implications of faith
