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The Mechtech Program: An Education And Training Model For The Next Century, Robert Forrant

New England Journal of Public Policy

The small-firm metalworking industry is routinely characterized by cutthroat competition and fierce privacy. Yet, since the late 1980s, the members of the western Massachusetts chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association have participated in an education, training, and technology diffusion network characterized by a high degree of interfirm cooperation. Hundreds of workers and managers have take part in group training sessions and seminars. The reconstruction of the skill base is central to the MechTech apprenticeship program through which apprentices spend four years in participating firms, exiting the program as licensed machinists, tool and die makers, or moldmakers. In an …

Management Of The Mining Industry/Research Organization Interface, Brad John, Jeneth M. Spiliopoulos, Judy Beazley, Timothy J. M. Harvey, A. D. Stewart Gillies

U.S. Mine Ventilation Symposium

The purpose of a consultancy undertaken to assess management processes in research projects to improve communication between research organisations and the mining industry through the development of an improved mode of operation and customer interface is discussed. The consultancy was conducted using the Nadler and Tushman Congruency Model of Organizational Behaviour to assess components of a projects inputs, transformation process and outputs for their degree of congruence or 'fit'. As an example the University of Queensland (UQ) managed ACARP Project 'Maximising Coal Production in the Presence of Hydrogen Sulphide (H₂S) Seam Gas' was used for illustration. An action …

Space Launch Operations And The Lean Aerospace Initiative, Troy L. Endicott

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzes current expendable launch procedures and identifies truly lean, value-added steps in launch operation enterprises as they relate to the Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI). LAI and the concepts of lean thinning are discussed and followed by a review of current and future launch system requirements and their opportunities for lean practices. The study also discusses in detail current Delta II expendable launch processing operations and presents results in a case study that show how lean principles have helped the Delta II launch team drastically reduce on-pad time, restructure its testing philosophy, and streamline its operations flow. Many of …

Flight Physician - February, 1999, Civil Aviation Medical Association

Browse all Civil Aviation Medical Association Newsletters

An eightteen page newsletter of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. The newsletter provided news about civil aviation medicine and information related to the organization.

A Study Of Factors Affecting The Implementation Of Iso 9000 In Taiwan's Construction Industry, Chuan-Chen Hung

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitude of Taiwanese construction companies regarding the adoption and implementation of ISO 9000. This was accomplished by conducting a survey to investigate the perceived factors affecting the intention to adopt ISO 9000 and its successful implementation.

The survey instrument was developed through the review of related literature as well as through validations. One hundred eighty (180) construction companies were randomly sampled from the 1998 Membership Directory of the National Construction Association of the Republic of China (Taiwan), which consisted of 60 Type-A, Type-B, and Type-C construction companies. In total, 62 respondents …

Meta-Ethnographic Development Of A Dialogue Methodology Applied To Organization Discourse, Shelley P. Gallup

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A gap exists between theoretical stances that acknowledge the importance of dialogue as a dynamic within socially constructed structures, and "steersmanship" of those constructs--e.g., directing, intervening or transforming organizations. A "mechanism" which links theory with practice is missing, leaving practitioners with an acknowledgment of dialogue's central position, but without tools to enact this centrality in practice or research. This research constructs a conceptual model of dialogue, derived from the literature. Using this model as a base, the research seeks to generate a dialogue methodology bridging theory and practice with respect to organizational dialogue. The model, methodology, and research results are …

Identifying Situational Constraints To Focus Quality Improvement In An Air Force Aerial Port, Timothy J. Pettit

Theses and Dissertations

This research analyzes the effects of situational constraints on individual performance within an Air Force Aerial Port squadron. Situational constraint research originated with laboratory studies by Peters and O'Connor in 1980 and was investigated in an Air Force field environment in 1984; mixed results were obtained. Laboratory studies identified direct performance inhibitors (Peters et al., 1980); however, field studies found little correlations with job performance (Kane, 1981; O'Connor et al., 1984a). Data collected in June 1995 (Dougherty, 1995) and March 1996, in this study, were used to accomplish a longitudinal analysis. Correlations between constraints and performance were also low in …

Exploring Knowledge Processes For Technology Assimilation, Rochelle K. Young

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In the emerging knowledge society, the ability to make the experience and expertise of those involved in and affected by new technology unconditionally available to all members of an organization is becoming increasingly important. One of the problems in developing such knowledge processes for technology assimilation is that current social structures do not easily accommodate unconditional participation. Since the implementation of modern information technology is changing the workplace and the nature of work itself, alternative social structures are needed. This research takes as given that deep questions concerning knowledge processes and social transformation are in principle undecidable; and, only questions …

Integrating Key Functions In Product Development : A Conceptual Product Development Model For The Korean Context, Jong-Wook Kim

Theses

The high-tech market is characterized by market uncertainty, technology uncertainty and rapid change. To survive in this risky high-tech market, a company must create competitively effective product development practices that meet its own unique needs and circumstances.

One effective practice is cross-functional integration in the product development process. The advantages of integration include a shortened time to market, successful transformation of research results to production, productivity improvement, innovation project success, and high-quality problem solutions. However, these advantages are rarely obtained in the current product development practices of Korean companies. Their product development efforts are generally characterized by time consuming sequential …

Congestion Management Systems Development And Implementation : Four Case Studies, Arlene Rose-Marie Willis

Theses

To address concerns of poor air quality, congested highways and the need to manage and plan for transportation within budgetary constraints, the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) mandated the development and implementation of a Congestion Management System (CMS). Primarily, a CMS will fuel transportation decision making with information on system performance and alternate strategies to alleviate congestion and enhance mobility. Efforts through ISTEA are expected to produce a more efficient American transportation system -- this thesis takes a look at the preparatory activities.

It is based on a federally funded project with metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in …

Acuta Enews September 1995, Vol. 24, No. 9

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Awards presented at 24th Annual Conference

New Board of Directors looks forward to 1996

Board Report

Welcome New Members

Host needed for Winter Seminar

President's Message

Driving smart on the Info Highway

An Empirical Investigation Of The Integrated Weapon System Management Concept Of Seamless Processes, Timothy H. Surabian

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the way four Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) single manager organizations operationalized the Integrated Weapon System Management (IWSM) concept of "seamless processes." In this thesis, the IWSM concept of "seamless processes" refers to the degree of integration between acquisition and sustainment organizations. Four SPO organizations were involved in six case studies. This research focused on the way "seamless processes" affect the shifting of the organizational "center of gravity" within or between single manager organizations. An interview questionnaire was administered to 13 Product Center managers and 6 Logistics Center managers. The interview questions focused on IWSM in general, …

Tracking Air Force Pallets Using Rfid Technology: A Concept Study, Gary A. Gross

Theses and Dissertations

The lack of asset visibility experienced at Aerial Ports of Embarkation (APOEs) during Operation Desert Storm is a phenomenon that has occurred in every major conflict for the last 40 years. The costs associated with this lack of control directly relate to the combat readiness and capability of supported units. This study examined the possibility of installing a Radio Frequency Identification (RF-ID) system to track Department of Defense 463L pallets worldwide. Performance characteristics of commercially available RF-ID systems were summarized, and a conceptual Air Mobility Command (AMC) tracking system was presented. For purposes of concept study, Amtech Corporation's Intellitag RT …

Assisting Defense Conversion Technology Transfer Efforts. A Case Study Of Ohio's Miami Valley, Marissa C. Salvador

Theses and Dissertations

Major changes in the geopolitical environment and the social and economic needs of the United States have resulted in resources being shifted away from national defense. Although the expected decrease in defense spending should not be harmful in macroeconomic terms, it can be devastating locally. To mitigate the effects of the drawdown, individual states and local communities must search for ways to bolster their local economies. One avenue that can be pursued to enhance future economic growth is the transferring of technologies to the commercial sector. Intermediary organizations have emerged to facilitate the process of technology transfer by serving as …

A Systematic Approach To Defense Diversification, Sathappan Venkatachalam

Theses

The decline in defense spending has resulted in defense dependent companies seeking new markets through re-designing existing products, developing new products and restructuring their businesses. Defense diversification is defined as the process of transitioning a defense company's core capabilities (technologies, products, services) into commercial and non-Department of Defense government markets. A combination of site visits and review of the literature on defense diversification demonstrates the need for diversifying companies to adopt a systematic approach.

A concurrent new product development/product redevelopment model is proposed, based on the principles of concurrent engineering. The model consists of an eight phase development cycle and …

Master Of Science Degree Programs Computer Information Systems, Management Information Systems 1995, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

An Organizational Learning Approach To Domain Analysis, Scott Henninger, Kris Lappala, Anand Raghavendran

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

As the application of computer technology continues to proliferate and diversify, the identification and understanding of application domains is becoming increasingly important to software development methodologies. Domain analysis techniques have been developed to accumulate and formalize the knowledge necessary for successful software reuse. These techniques have been shown to be useful, but suffer from defining the domain too restrictively, burying important relationships deep in domain taxonomies, and prohibiting flexible identification of domains with common issues. Techniques are needed that dynamically detect recurring patterns of activities in development projects. This paper presents a method for developing and refining the knowledge and …

An Approach For Representation Of Organizational Mental Models Using System Dynamics, Jörg-Peter Theissen

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The concept of mental models has received much attention within recent years, especially within the context of organizational learning. This research is based on and departs from the Organizational Learning Process as developed by Keating, Robinson, and Clemson (1994). That process, which is based on a verbal representation of mental models, does not call forth the kind of change that is desired in Organizational Learning. This research investigates if mental models can be represented in the form of system dynamics models and inquires if this representation is beneficial to the process of Organizational Learning.

The research was designed as a …

Organic Maintenance Performance Measurement: A New Approach, John S. Nehr, William G. Queener

Theses and Dissertations

The growing role of Air Force Air Logistics Centers ALC in complex, multiyear developmental programs increases the need for effective cost and schedule performance measurement. In order to effectively manage these activities, timely and accurate cost and schedule information must be collected and compared with an established baseline. The ALCs need a new management technique which facilitates this type of performance measurement. A proven approach to cost and schedule performance measurement in weapon system acquisitions is Earned Value EV. This approach, required of contractors who are subjected to the CostSchedule Control Systems Criteria CSCSC, allows the program manager to obtain …

A Maintenance Manpower Study Of The Composite Wing At Mountain Home Afb, Stella T. Smith, Cristina C. Vilella

Theses and Dissertations

In response to changes in threats, the Air Force has reorganized several flying units into composite wings. They are intended to provide a flexible, rapid deployment force. This study focused on the impact of the composite wing organizational structure on the determination of maintenance manpower authorizations at Mountain Home AFB, the Air Forces first air intervention wing. An opinion survey of maintenance and manpower experts was used to identify factors that are important in the determination of maintenance manpower authorization levels. Statistical analysis identified important-factors and indicated differences in opinion between maintenance and manpower specialists. Factors specific to the composite …

Institutional Issues Related To The Application Of Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems Technologies To Commercial Vehicle Operations In Indiana, James G. Kavalaris, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

The study focused on potential barriers and opportunities to implementing Intelligent Vehicle-Highway System (IVHS) technologies to Commercial Vehicle Operations (CVO) in Indiana. Specific concepts included: (1) Automatic payment of tolls while driving at mainline speeds; (2) Pre-Clearance of vehicles and drivers past weigh stations; (3) "One-Stop-Shopping" for licenses, registrations, and permits; and (4) Transparent state borders. The study reviewed existing laws and policies applying to commercial vehicles operating in Indiana; prepared an inventory of the agencies responsible, their existing procedures, their physical facilities, and their human resources used to implement these regulations; itemized present impediments preventing the implementation of IVHS-CVO …

Development Of A Strategy For Compliance With Epa And Osha Regulation Application To Indot Facilities, Lynn A. Corson

JTRP Technical Reports

Between March 1990 and November 1992, a sample of 27 field and support facilities operated by the Indiana Department of Transportation were visited by staff of the Environmental Management and education Program, School of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, for the purpose of conducting workplace assessments to ascertain the department’s compliance with federal and state environmental and worker protection regulations. Thirty-eight different department operations and nine different employee functions were observed and analyzed. There were compliance areas at every facility visited which needed strengthening. A total of 222 recommendations for strengthening those areas are included in the research report. The department …

Local Area Network Implementation At The 4950th Test Wing: A Study Of The Relationship Between Individual Factors And The Effectiveness Of A Local Area Network, Doyle F. Cone, David J. Donahoo

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the individual factors which directly impacted the effectiveness of the 4950th Test Wing local area network (LAN). Areas of interest included the relationships between demographic and user attitude factors and LAN effectiveness. A literature review provided the basis for: 1) operationally defining effectiveness as a subjective measure of user satisfaction; 2) identifying specific factors which impact information system effectiveness; and 3) developing a research instrument to measure user attitudes and user satisfaction. A questionnaire was administered to 342 LAN users 173 were returned (a response rate of 51 percent). Sixteen factors (eight demographic factors and eight attitude …

Acuta Enews October 1993, Vol. 22, No. 10

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

E-mail

President's message

Data Comm Project at Delaware Tech

User Groups Meet at Conference

21st Century Technology

Staff Report

An Evaluation Of The Implementation Of Total Quality Management In A Service Organization, Charles Stanford Stevens

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research consists of a formative evaluation designed to identify the steps necessary to revitalize a formerly successful Total Quality Management (TQM) process at a U.S. Navy engineering and logistics support organization. The research also developed a methodology to account for the fact that the investigator is a well-informed insider who served as one of the principle change agents for the TQM implementation.

The research is based on the researcher's observation that the major cause for the waning implementation was due to senior management and leadership issues and the organization-wide processes with which they interface. The investigation consisted of an …

An Evaluation Of Aircraft Maintenance Performance Factors In The Objective Wing, Mark A. Gray, Margaret M. Ranalli

Theses and Dissertations

Prior to 1992, organizational maintenance was aligned under a - separate maintenance organization. In 1992, the Air Force restructured into Objective Wings with organizational maintenance aligned under the flying squadrons. This study looks at the impact of this reorganization on maintenance performance factors. The researchers developed maintenance performance models using regression and principal component analysis. Mission Capable Rate and Total Not Mission Capable Maintenance Rate are used as dependent variables. A comparison of key maintenance performance indicators and model predictions before and after the reorganization is accomplished. Based on the results of this analysis, the researchers conclude that there is …

Acuta Enews August 1993, Vol. 22, No. 8

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Interview with Luther Robb

President's Message

Paradigms & Paradoxes

Total Quality Management

Super Schools

Win-Win Relationships

21st Century Technology

Executive Director's Message

Cross-Cultural Issues In The Management Of German-Owned Business Subsidiaries In Hampton Roads, Teja Ulrich

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

'Culture' can be described as patterns of thinking, feeling and acting that distinguish one cultural group from another. Cultural diversity is therefore likely to introduce variety to organizations in which individuals from different national backgrounds are working together. Although this variety bears the potential for an improvement of the cognitive development in the organizations, managers of multicultural business organizations tend to perceive cultural diversity as a disadvantage. This thesis attempts to identify the impact of cultural differences between Germans and Americans on organizations in which German managers work with American employees. German managers of eight business subsidiaries in the Hampton …

Visual Process Language: An Environment That Enhances Inventiveness In The System Development Process -- A Theoretical Perspective, Wita Wojtkowski, Waclaw G. Wojtkowski

IT and Supply Chain Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper provides a theoretical perspective on the effect of computer support on creativity. The assertion is made that artifacts of IS do not substantially differ from those of art and science, and that the creative processes leading to the artifacts are similar. It further proposes that the use of newly available computer technology, specifically, the Visual Process Language (VPL) will have much to offer in terms of augmenting creativity when constructing IS artfacts. We postulate that VPL assists the first insight, preparation and illumination steps of the creative process, and that both Association/Images and Progressive Abstraction techniques are embedded …

Doctoral Program Computing Technology In Education 1993-1994, Nova Southeastern University

College of Engineering and Computing Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.