Dog in a doublet bridge reconstruction: a case study

Dog-in-a-Doublet Bridge Reconstruction Scheme integrates the interdisciplinary design to provide solution for different needs: to provide a crossing to carry the new 40-tonne loading requirement, to improve the visibility of the substandard junction, and within the funding available. The management of the project involves the co-ordination of different authorities, statutory undertakers and other bodies. At certain stages, there were negotiations with RSPB on the restriction of construction period from July to November. After the re-assessment of the environmental impact of the construction on the breeding and wintering birds, the restrict was waived. As the bid for the assessment, strengthening and structural maintenance of bridges in the Cambridgeshire County Council Transport Policies and Programme No. 21 (1995/96) for Dog-in-a-Doublet Bridge Reconstruction Schemes was unsuccessful to attract the Transport Supplement Grant (TSG). A series of temporary measures had to be undertaken until funding is available for its replacement.

The potential for high performance design adoption in retail property portfolios

Growing legislative pressures and increasing stakeholder awareness of environmental issues are pushing the property market to consider high-performance, low-impact retail buildings. The office sector is relatively advanced in its apparent appreciation of such buildings; however, the retail sector is slow to recognize these benefits. In exploring the business case for high-performance design adoption in the retail sector, this paper examines the overlaps between office and retail sector benefits and considers the potential benefits peculiar to retailers. Barriers to high-performance design adoption are then addressed through case research, interviews with key representatives from the retail property market and a questionnaire survey of FTSE listed retail company property departments. The paper concludes that information gaps are a significant hindrance to high-performance property development and that they can be reduced, to some extent, by the forthcoming introduction of the BREEAM Retail environmental assessment tool. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Innovation in facilities management: from trajectories to ownership

Purpose – Innovation in facilities management (FM) is a complex process as FM is a diverse discipline. This paper aims to use innovation trajectories to explore this complex process through the introduction of a technology innovation in two FM services of security and workspace management. It also aims to consider the discourse of individuals within their trajectory to understand their positions toward the innovation. Design/methodology/approach – A two-year case study was conducted and it was based in an in-house FM department that was part of a financial institution. The specific methods used for the paper were semi-structured interviews with key participants of the project. Critical discourse analysis was used to examine the data. Findings – Individuals who were involved in introducing the technology to the FM department were both internal and external to FM as innovation in FM does not happen in isolation to the organisation. Innovation trajectories were often intertwined or occurred simultaneously during the process of a project which sometimes resulted in conflict. Tensions within the discourse of ownership of the project were particularly apparent as this discourse had a power dimension in driving the project through to implementation. Research limitations/implications – The research is limited by being a single case study so it is not possible to generalise findings but the findings may have resonances with other organisations. Originality/value – The paper presents an original idea about how to understand innovation processes in FM services.

The effect of multiple haptic distractors on the performance of motion-impaired users

The effect of multiple haptic distractors on target selection performance was examined in terms of times to select the target and the associated cursor movement patterns. Two experiments examined: a) The effect of multiple haptic distractors around a single target and b) the effect of inter-item spacing in a linear selection task. It was found that certain target-distractor arrangements hindered performance and that this could be associated with specific, explanatory cursor patterns. In particular, it was found that the presence of distractors along the task axis in front of the target was detrimental to performance, and that there was evidence to suggest that this could sometimes be associated with consequent cursor oscillation between distractors adjacent to a desired target. A further experiment examined the effect of target-distractor spacing in two orientations on a user’s ability to select a target when caught in the gravity well of a distractor. Times for movements in the vertical direction were found to be faster than those in the horizontal direction. In addition, although times for the vertical direction appeared equivalent across five target-distractor distances, times for the horizontal direction exhibited peaks at certain distances. The implications of these results for the design and implementation of haptically enhanced interfaces using the force feedback mouse are discussed.

Managing non-standard international experience: evidence from a Finnish company

Purpose – This paper extends the increasing debates about the role of international experience through mechanisms other than standard expatriation packages, in particular through the use of short-term assignments. It explores the different forms of short-term assignments (project work, commuter assignments, virtual international working and development assignments) and the different sets of positive and negative implications these can have for the company and the individuals concerned. The integration-differentiation debate is reflected here as elsewhere in IHRM, with the company moving towards greater centralization and control of its use of these assignments. Design/methodology/approach – Since the research is exploratory, we adopted a qualitative approach to get a more in-depth understanding on the realities the corporations and the assignees are facing. The study was implemented through a single case study setting in which the data were collected by interviewing (n=20) line managers, human resource management (HRM) staff and assignees themselves. In addition corporate documentation and other materials were reviewed. Findings – The present case study provides evidence about the characteristics of short-term assignments as well as the on the management of such assignments. The paper identifies various benefits and challenges involved in the use of short-term assignments both from the perspectives of the company and assignees. Furthermore, the findings support the view that a recent increase in the popularity of short-term assignments has not been matched by the development of HRM policies for such assignments. Research limitations/implications – As a single case study, limitations in the generalizability of the findings should be kept in mind. More large-scale research evidence is needed around different forms of international assignments beyond standard expatriation in order to fully capture the realities faced by international HRM specialists Practical implications – The paper identifies many challenges but also benefits of using short-term assignments. The paper reports in-depth findings on HR development needs that organizations face when expanding the use of such assignments. Social implications – The paper identifies many challenges but also benefits of using short-term assignments. The paper reports in-depth findings on HR development needs that organizations face when expanding the use of such assignments. Originality/value – Empirical research on short-term assignments is still very limited. In that way the paper provides much needed in-depth evidence on why such assignments are used, what challenges are involved in the use of such assignments and what kinds of HR-development needs are involved.

Evaluation of reach and grasp robot-assisted therapy suggests similar functional recovery patterns on proximal and distal arm segments in sub-acute hemiplegia

This paper provides some additional evidence in support of the hypothesis that robot therapies are clinically beneficial in neurorehabilitation. Although only 4 subjects were included in the study, the design of the intervention and the measures were done so as to minimise bias. The results are presented as single case studies, and can only be interpreted as such due to the study size. The intensity of intervention was 16 hours and the therapy philosophy (based on Carr and Shepherd) was that coordinated movements are preferable to joint based therapies, and that coordinating distal movements (in this case grasps) helps not only to recover function in these areas, but has greater value since the results are immediately transferable to daily skills such as reach and grasp movements.

Introducing "ecoputation": a universal systems design process

A universal systems design process is specified, tested in a case study and evaluated. It links English narratives to numbers using a categorical language framework with mathematical mappings taking the place of conjunctions and numbers. The framework is a ring of English narrative words between 1 (option) and 360 (capital); beyond 360 the ring cycles again to 1. English narratives are shown to correspond to the field of fractional numbers. The process can enable the development, presentation and communication of complex narrative policy information among communities of any scale, on a software implementation known as the "ecoputer". The information is more accessible and comprehensive than that in conventional decision support, because: (1) it is expressed in narrative language; and (2) the narratives are expressed as compounds of words within the framework. Hence option generation is made more effective than in conventional decision support processes including Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis, Life Cycle Assessment and Cost-Benefit Analysis.The case study is of a participatory workshop in UK bioenergy project objectives and criteria, at which attributes were elicited in environmental, economic and social systems. From the attributes, the framework was used to derive consequences at a range of levels of precision; these are compared with the project objectives and criteria as set out in the Case for Support. The design process is to be supported by a social information manipulation, storage and retrieval system for numeric and verbal narratives attached to the "ecoputer". The "ecoputer" will have an integrated verbal and numeric operating system. Novel design source code language will assist the development of narrative policy. The utility of the program, including in the transition to sustainable development and in applications at both community micro-scale and policy macro-scale, is discussed from public, stakeholder, corporate, Governmental and regulatory perspectives.

Konstruktion och design av två glassförpackningar i kartongkvaliteten Frövi Light

This degree project was made in cooperation with AssiDomän Frövi and Charlotte Andersson and the main objectivehas been to create to ice cream pacbges from 250 gsm Frövi Light board. The paekages are intended to be easilyresealable while decreasing in size together with the ice cream. The project also describes the food packaging labelsand symbols currently present in the European common market.Both capsules utilize a separate lid for resealing. One of the paekages (Capsuie A) is indended to be cut along withthe ice cream and thereby decrease in size. The other one (Capsuie B) uses a series of flaps for contracting and expandingwhich enab1es adjusting of the size without cutting the package up.The design for Capsuie A is created both as a series of flavours with a super-hero theme intended for children andwith a colfee flavour for a maturer audience. For Capsule B, a design was created for a sorbet.

Eficácia do treinamento assertivo na depressão

O treinamento assertivo tem se tornando uma técnica de 'tratamento cada vez mais' popular e tem sido usado com uma ampla variedade de problemas interpessoais. Entretanto, pouco tem sido feito para avaliar-se sua eficácia na depressão. Neste trabalho foi feito uma tentativa para mostrar a importância da técnica em aliviar depressões neur6ticas. Tentou-se um estudo singular dos efeitos do treinamento assertivo na depressão", utilizando a estratégia do delineamento experimental para caso único. Em certa medida os resultados apoiaram a eficácia do tratamento. Algumas considerações foram tecidas com base em abordagens comportamentais recentes, concernentes à depressão, e uma pequena abordagem histórica relacionada ao desenvolvimento do treinamento assertivo, também, foi apresentada. Concluiu-se que se a perda de reforçamento de contingências de resposta é a base do comportamento depressivo, é possível aliviar a depressão restaurando e aumentando a incidência de reforçamentos positivos, utilizando o treinamento assertivo, mesmo se subscrevermos a ideia de que a falta de controle sobre os eventos ambientais esteja: na raiz de todo o comportamento depressivo.

O papel das relações interpessoais na condução do ProSavana-JBM (Japão-Brasil-Moçambique): um estudo de caso: programa de Cooperação Triangular para o Desenvolvimento Agrícola da Savana Tropical de Moçambique

O objetivo deste estudo de caso foi o de identificar o papel das relações interpessoais na condução do ProSAVANA-JBM (JAPÃO-BRASIL-MOÇAMBIQUE), Programa de Cooperação Triangular para o Desenvolvimento Agrícola da Savana Tropical de Moçambique. Os objetivos intermediários permitem também investigar quais outros fatores podem ter sido determinantes na condução do ProSAVANA. Este programa além de representar uma parceria internacional entre organizações de três países Brasil, Japão e Moçambique, possui impactos de ordem social, econômica e ambiental. A análise dos dados demonstra que as relações interpessoais exerceram a maior centralidade entre os demais fatores determinantes à condução do Programa, e também corrobora para o desenho de um modelo de rede de relações interpessoais relacionada ao ProSAVANA. As limitações do estudo referem-se à dificuldade deste estudo ser replicado ou generalizado cientificamente, considerando que não seria possível emitir avaliações sobre determinado comportamento, a partir de um estudo de caso único. Finalmente, o propósito deste estudo é oferecer instrumentos teóricos e empíricos que permitam aprofundar a reflexão sobre o papel das relações interpessoais, além de contribuir para as lacunas existentes no campo da gestão empresarial e pública.

Programa de Promoção da Igualdade de Oportunidade para Todos: experiências de ação afirmativa do Ministério Público do Trabalho (2003-2012)

Nos últimos anos o Brasil tem avançado no sentido de enfrentar as desigualdades raciais. Em 1995, o então Presidente da República Fernando Henrique Cardoso reconheceu oficial e publicamente não apenas a existência da discriminação racial e do preconceito de cor no País, mas também a necessidade de se adotar medidas públicas e privadas para fazer face ao problema. Naquele mesmo ano foi criado o Grupo de Trabalho Interministerial, que teve por incumbência propor ações integradas de combate à discriminação racial e recomendar políticas para a consolidação da cidadania da população negra. Para encaminhar as ações relacionadas ao mercado de trabalho, foi criado em 1996, no âmbito do Ministério do Trabalho, o Grupo de Trabalho para a Eliminação da Discriminação no Emprego e na Ocupação, cuja missão foi definir programas de ações que visassem ao combate da discriminação no emprego e na ocupação. Desde então, temos presenciado uma maior permeabilidade do Estado às demandas e proposições dos movimentos sociais negros. Marcos nesta trajetória foram a criação da SEPPIR – Secretaria de Promoção da Igualdade racial, em 2003, a aprovação do Estatuto da Igualdade Racial, em 2010, e a aprovação, por unanimidade, do sistema de cotas para negros no ensino superior brasileiro, pelo Superior Tribunal Federal, em 2011. Essas, dentre outras, são conquistas inquestionáveis e que revelam que o País vive um período de inflexão no encaminhamento de soluções para os problemas raciais que o assolam. Mas, se por um lado essas conquistas representam grandes vitórias, especialmente quando analisadas sob uma perspectiva retroativa, visto que desde a abolição da escravatura nenhuma ação estatal havia sido direcionada à solução de desigualdades raciais, por outro, muito ainda temos que avançar. Um olhar prospectivo revelará que o fosso criado ao longo desses séculos não poderia ser superado em apenas 20 anos. Muita desigualdade racial ainda resta. E muito ainda resta a ser feito para o seu enfrentamento. Ao “mobilizar conhecimento para a resolução de problemas sociais relevantes” (FARAH, 2012) esta tese busca contribuir para o avanço das políticas de igualdade racial no País, particularmente daquelas voltadas para o mercado de trabalho. Ela se constitui em um estudo de caso do Programa de Promoção da Igualdade de Oportunidade para Todos, uma iniciativa do Ministério Público do Trabalho, que teve por objetivo levar as organizações privadas a adotar ações afirmativas para o enfrentamento das desigualdades de gênero e raça nas relações de trabalho. Para a condução do estudo de caso único, empreendemos uma pesquisa qualitativa, adotando diversas técnicas de pesquisa, como a observação participante, conversas, entrevistas semiestruturadas e análise de documentos e outras materialidades, tendo o pós-construcionismo como sua perspectiva epistemológica (SPINK, 2005). Analisamos o Programa da Promoção da Igualdade de Oportunidade para Todos a partir das seguintes variáveis: sua concepção, implantação e primeiros resultados. Essa análise conduziu-nos a uma revisão da literatura nacional e estrangeira sobre a gestão da diversidade, e da literatura sobre desigualdade categórica durável. Os resultados deste estudo sugerem que, em que pesem as resistências enfrentadas para a sua implantação, o Programa já produziu efeitos positivos, embora também apontem seus limites e ajustes necessários para futuras políticas que visem à redução de desigualdade racial no mercado de trabalho no País.

Entry on the Brazilian renewable power market: a case study

Conferências internacionais sobre o clima, bem como crescente conscientização sobre as questões de sustentabilidade lançaram luz sobre o papel fundamental que as energias renováveis poderiam desempenhar na transição energética. Ao contrário de combustíveis fósseis, elas podem ser regeneradas em um curto período de tempo e, por conseguinte, espera-se que sejam uma parte da solução para reduzir o aquecimento global. O Brasil sempre teve um forte setor hidrelétrico, mas agora está na vanguarda em relação a todas as outras fontes de energias alternativas, como energia eólica, biomassa o energia solar. Estas indústrias são uma promessa para um futuro próspero, graças ao potencial natural do país, bem como uma legislação de apoio, e estão atraindo muitas empresas locais e internacionais. Este estudo tem como objetivo preencher uma lacuna na literatura analisando o exemplo de uma empresa estrangeira que entra no mercado da energia renovável no Brasil. Baseando-se na literatura como um fundo conceptual, um único estudo de caso têm sido realizados para delinear todos os aspectos do processo de entrada. Neste desenvolvimento, relações causais entre as orientações estratégicas e a evolução do negócio foram identificadas. Esta pesquisa traz uma contribuição para as discussões acadêmicas sobre as dinâmicas de entrada no setor de energia renovável através de evidências do mercado brasileiro.