Politics, ethics, and the search for a just international order:symposium in honour of Stanley Hoffmann

Published symposium with Stanley Hoffmann (Harvard), Suzanne Berger (MIT), Michael Doyle (Columbia), Peter Gourevitch (California San Diego), Robert Keohane (Princeton), Andrew Moravcsik (Princeton). Ed. James Shields, French Politics, 7 (3/4) 2009, 359-436. ISSN 1476-3419 (print) 1476-3427 (online)

Methods of energy recovery in the iron and steel industry: evalution of new possibilities and design studies for slab cooling

DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

A cybernetic methodology to study and design human activities

This thesis offers a methodology to study and design effective communication mechanisms in human activities. The methodology is focused in the management of complexity. It is argued that complexity is not something objective that can be worked out analytically, but something subjective that depends on the viewpoint. Also it is argued that while certain social contexts may inhibit, others may enhance the viewpoint's capabilities to deal with complexity. Certain organisation structures are more likely than others to allow individuals to release their potentials. Thus, the relevance of studying and designing effective organisations. The first part of the thesis offers a `cybernetic methodology' for problem solving in human activities, the second offers a `method' to study and design organisations. The cybernetics methodology discussed in this work is rooted in second order cybernetics, or the cybernetics of the observing systems (Von Foester 1979, Maturana and Varela 1980). Its main tenet is that the known properties of the real world reside in the individual and not in the world itself. This view, which puts emphasis in a, by nature, one sided and unilateral appreciation of reality, triggers the need for dialogue and conversations to construct it. The `method' to study and design organisations, it based on Beer's Viable System Model (Beer 1979, 1981, 1985). This model permits us to assess how successful is an organisation in coping with its environmental complexity, and, moreover, permits us to establish how to make more effective the responses to this complexity. These features of the model are of great significance in a world where complexity is perceived to be growing at an unthinkable pace. But, `seeing' these features of the model assumes an effective appreciation of organisational complexity; hence the need for the methodological discussions offered by the first part of the thesis.

Structural behaviour and design of load-bearing falsework

Tne object of this research was to investigate the behaviour of birdcage scaffolding as used in falsework structures, assess the suitability of existing design methods and make recommendations for a set of design rules. Since excessive deflection is as undesirable in a structure as total collapse, the project was divided into two sections. These were to determine the ultimate vertical and horizontal load-carrying capacity and also the deflection characteristics of any falsework. So theoretical analyses were developed to ascertain the ability of both the individual standards to resist vertical load, and of the bracing to resist horizontal load.Furthermore a model was evolved which would predict the horizontal deflection of a scaffold under load using strain energy methods. These models were checked by three series of experiments. The first was on individual standards under vertical load only. The second series was carried out on full scale falsework structures loading vertically and horizontally to failure. Finally experiments were conducted on scaffold couplers to provide additional verification of the method of predicting deflections. This thesis gives the history of the project and an introduction into the field of scaffolding. It details both the experiments conducted and the theories developed and the correlation between theory and experiment. Finally it makes recommendations for a design method to be employed by scaffolding designers.

The evolution and design of safety management systems

Research in safety management has been inhibited by lack of consensus as to the definitions of the terms with which it is concerned and, in general, the lack of an agreed theoretical framework within which to collate and contrast empirical findings. This thesis sets out definitions of key terms (hazard, risk, accident, incident and safety) and provides a theoretical framework. This framework has been informed by many sources but especially the Management Oversight and Risk Tree (MORT), cybernetics and the Viable System Model (VSM). Fieldwork designs are proposed for the empirical development of an analytical framework and its use to assist study of the development of safety management in organisations.

A unified classification of manufacturing strategies and design processes

This article categorises manufacturing strategy design processes and presents the characteristics of resulting strategies. This work will therefore assist practitioners to appreciate the implications of planning activities. The article presents a framework for classifying manufacturing strategy processes and the resulting strategies. Each process and respective strategy is then considered in detail. In this consideration the preferred approach is presented for formulating a world class manufacturing strategy. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for further work are given.

Proposal and design of airy-based rocket pulses for invariant propagation in lossy dispersive media

A novel kind of Airy-based pulse with an invariant propagation in lossy dispersive media is proposed. The basic principle is based on an optical energy trade-off between different parts of the pulse caused by the chromatic dispersion, which is used to compensate the attenuation losses of the propagation medium. Although the ideal concept of the proposed pulses implies infinite pulse energy, the numerical simulations show that practical finite energy pulses can be designed to obtain a partially invariant propagation over a finite distance of propagation.

Ultrafast all-optical integrator based on a fiber Bragg grating:proposal and design

We demonstrate a simple technique for the implementation of an all-optical integrator based on a uniform-period fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in reflection that is designed to present a decreasing exponential impulse response. The proposed FBG integrator is readily feasible and can perform close to ideal integration of few-picosecond and subpicosecond pulses.

Ethics and social responsibility - do HR professionals have the ‘courage to challenge’ or are they set to be permanent ‘bystanders'?

This paper considers the role of HR in ethics and social responsibility and questions why, despite an acceptance of a role in ethical stewardship, the HR profession appears to be reluctant to embrace its responsibilities in this area. The study explores how HR professionals see their role in relation to ethical stewardship of the organisation, and the factors that inhibit its execution. A survey of 113 UK-based HR professionals, working in both domestic and multinational corporations, was conducted to explore their perceptions of the role of HR in maintaining ethical and socially responsible action in their organisations, and to identify features of the organisational environment which might help or hinder this role being effectively carried out. The findings indicate that although there is a clear understanding of the expectations of ethical stewardship, HR professionals often face difficulties in fulfilling this role because of competing tensions and perceptions of their role within their organisations. A way forward is proposed, which draws on the positive individual factors highlighted in this research to explore how approaches to organisational development (through positive deviance) may reduce these tensions to enable the better fulfilment of ethical responsibilities within organisations. The involvement and active modelling of ethical behaviour by senior management, coupled with an open approach to surfacing organisational values and building HR procedures, which support socially responsible action, are crucial to achieving socially responsible organisations. Finally, this paper challenges the HR profession, through professional and academic institutions internationally, to embrace their role in achieving this. © 2013 Taylor & Francis.

Race car vehicle dynamics and design applied to formula student

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Port community learning needs:analysis and design

The port industry is facing a dramatic wave of changes that have transformed the structure of the industry. Modern seaports are increasingly shifting from a “hardware-based” approach towards “knowhow intensive” configuration. In this context knowledge resources, learning processes and training initiatives increasingly represent key elements to guarantee the quality of service supplied and hence the competitiveness of modern seaport communities. This paper describes the learning needs analysis conducted amongst key port community actors in three ports in the south east of Ireland during 2005 in the context of the I-Sea.Net project. It goes on to describe the learning requirements report and the training design carried out based on this analysis.