Growth setbacks in new firms

New firms in emerging industries are subject to complex dynamic processes which defy the attempts at prediction embodied in business conjectures. Discontinuous growth is common, but the issue of interruptions in the early growth of new firms has not been adequately addressed in the mainstream literature. We examine the prevalence of interruptions to growth in a cohort study of the growth trajectories of firms founded in 1990, then look to cases studies of individual firms to investigate underlying causes. We find that substantial growth is rare and continuous growth unusual, and that growth interruptions are the result of both internal and external dynamics. The managers of growing firms face shortages of vital resources and significant problems of resource synchronisation and coordination, many of which can lead to what are, in effect, changes of phase state. Meanwhile, the volatile environment of an emerging industry presents particular problems to young firms which have not yet built up reserves to sustain them through short-term crises. However, problem solving by those that survive provides an important source of learning which can underpin their future development. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

IREE: Automated Vision Tracking of Project Related Entities

The purpose of this supplemental project was to collect invaluable data from the large-scale construction sites of Egnatia Odos motorway needed to validate a novel automated vision-tracking method created under the parent grant. For this purpose, one US graduate and three US undergraduate students traveled to Greece for 4 months and worked together with 2 Greek graduate students of the local faculty collaborator. This team of students monitored project activities and scheduled data collection trips on a daily basis, setup a mobile video data collection lab on the back of a truck, and drove to various sites every day to collect hundreds of hours of video from multiple cameras on a large variety of activities ranging from soil excavation to bridge construction. The US students were underrepresented students from minority groups who had never visited a foreign country. As a result, this trip was a major life experience to them. They learned how to live in a non-English speaking country, communicate with Greek students, workers and engineers. They lead a project in a very unfamiliar environment, troubleshoot myriad problems that hampered their progress daily and, above all, how to collaborate effectively and efficiently with other cultures. They returned to the US more mature, with improved leadership and problem-solving skills and a wider perspective of their profession.

A review of TRIZ, and its benefits and challenges in practice

TRIZ (the theory of inventive problem solving) has been promoted by several enthusiasts as a systematic methodology or toolkit that provides a logical approach to developing creativity for innovation and inventive problem solving. The methodology, which emerged from Russia in the 1960s, has spread to over 35 countries across the world. It is now being taught in several universities and it has been applied by a number of global organisations who have found it particularly useful for spurring new product development. However, while its popularity and attractiveness appear to be on a steady increase, there are practical issues which make the use of TRIZ in practice particularly challenging. These practical difficulties have largely been neglected by TRIZ literature. This paper takes a step away from conventional TRIZ literature, by exploring not just the benefits associated with TRIZ knowledge, but the challenges associated with its acquisition and application based on practical experience. Through a survey, first-hand information is collected from people who have tried (successfully and unsuccessfully) to understand and apply the methodology. The challenges recorded cut across a number of issues, ranging from the complex nature of the methodology to underlying organisational and cultural issues which hinder its understanding and application. Another contribution of this paper, potentially useful for TRIZ beginners, is the indication of what tools among the several contained in the TRIZ toolkit would be most useful to learn first, based on their observed degree of usage by the survey respondents. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Manufacturing excellent engineers: Skill development in a Masters programme

An MPhil programme, delivered by the Engineering Department at the University of Cambridge, claims to be excellent at preparing graduates for manufacturing industry careers. The course uses a combination of different educational experiences, including industry-based assignments, industrial visits and practical exercises. This research explores how problem solving skills are developed during the first module, Induction, which is designed to enable students to undertake their first industrial assignment. From the literature, four conditions necessary for skill development were identified: Provision of a skill description, making explicit key components A number of different experiences with a range of contextual variables A teaching process which includes regular feedback and student reflection Students motivated to learn. These were used to construct a skill development framework (SDF). Using a case study research design, multiple types of evidence were collected to test for the above conditions using both classroom observation and questionnaire methods. The results confirmed the presence of the SDF conditions at different levels, with reflection aspects considered the weakest. Conflicting results were obtained regarding the students' self-awareness of skill levels. A plausible explanation is a change in the students' frame of reference. This initial study set out to develop a better understanding of the process of skill development. Whilst the SDF appears reasonable, there is a need for further work in three broad areas of defining skills, assessing skills and developing reflection skills.

System Dynamics and Scenario Planning: Implementation Challenges

In this paper we discuss key implementation challenges of a systems approach that combines System Dynamics, Scenario Planning and Qualitative Data Analysis methods in tackling a complex problem. We present the methods and the underlying framework. We then detail the main difficulties encountered in designing and planning the Scenario Planning workshop and how they were overcome, such as finding and involving the stakeholders and customising the process to fit within timing constraints. After presenting the results from this application, we argue that the consultants or system analysts need to engage with the stakeholders as process facilitators and not as system experts in order to gain commitment, trust and to improve information sharing. They also need be ready to adapt their tools and processes as well as their own thinking for more effective complex problem solving.

构建现代企业问题求解环境

在知识经济时代的激烈竞争中 ,现代企业要在市场中保持竞争优势 ,企业的业务过程就要不断地改善以适应市场的变化 ,传统的企业业务管理方法已经不再适应新的经济形势 ,新型的信息技术能够支持企业实现业务过程的持续改善 (BPCI) ,本文主要介绍支持企业实现业务持续改善的企业问题求解环境的软件体系结构和动态建模方法。应用先进的软件技术和方法可以帮助企业快速建立业务管理系统 ,同时降低实施成本 ,保护企业在信息系统的已有投资 ,最大限度满足企业动态多变的需求以适应多变的市场。

An application of the analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy logic inference in a decision support system for forage selection

Forage selection plays a prominent role in the process of returning cultivated lands back into grasslands. The conventional method of selecting forage species can only provide attempts for problem-solving without considering the relationships among the decision factors globally. Therefore, this study is dedicated to developing a decision support system to help farmers correctly select suitable forage species for the target sites. After collecting data through a field study, we developed this decision support system. It consists of three steps: (1) the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), (2) weights determination, and (3) decision making. In the first step, six factors influencing forage growth were selected by reviewing the related references and by interviewing experts. Then a fuzzy matrix was devised to determine the weight of each factor in the second step. Finally, a gradual alternative decision support system was created to help farmers choose suitable forage species for their lands in the third step. The results showed that the AHP and fuzzy logic are useful for forage selection decision making, and the proposed system can provide accurate results in a certain area (Gansu Province) of China.

用计算机辅助创新软件解决产品技术创新问题的研究

本文简要介绍了发明问题解决理论TRIZ和机算机辅助创新软件Pro/Innovator的主要内容,建立了基于创新理论TRIZ和CAI软件的创新问题解决流程模型,作为特例建立了Pro/Innovator1.0的简化流程图,最后用软件完成了一个工程实例问题的创新设计。

数控自动编程专家系统

本文简要地介绍了数控自动编程专家系统.其中包括:专家系统知识表示的形式;分层次的黑板结构;前向推理求解策略和相应的解释功能;系统针对不同类型的曲线组合,采用不同的独立的知识源(KS)进行处理.由于在知识的处理上采用编码技术,在前向推理求解策略中使用启发信息和“剪技”技术,提高了系统的时空效率.系统中的规划程序能自动规划切削路径.输出供数控车床使用的 NC 代码,并可在显示屏上进行图形显示和切削仿真.目前原型系统已经在 IBM-PC 和 Sun3/60计算机上利用FORTRAN 语言实现.

分布式问题求解系统及其在CIMS中的应用

分布式问题求解(Distributed Problem Solving)系统是分布式人工智能系统的一个十分重要的分支，它能够完成不同解题系统之间的合作解题，具有灵活、处理速度快、可靠性高、资源共享等优点，存在着广泛的应用领域。本论文详细介绍了一个应用于CIMS领域问题求解的分布式智能系统-分布式问题求解（DPS）系统的设计过程。该系统是由多个处理结点组成的基于黑板的分布式智能系统，它将CIMS中的CAD、CAPP、CAM有机地集成为一体，可以并行地执行分散在不同结点的知识源，并通过合适的控制策略通讯机制，使它们合作解题，同时使不同地理位置上的计算机性能得到充分发挥和利用。系统中每个结点的结构大体相同，主要包括：知识获取子系统、结点控制系统（包括负责接收与发送信息的前编处理模块、任务分解模块、任务综合模块、任务评估与分配模块、子任务调度与结果处理模块），子任务求解系统及黑板解释系统。该系统已在由以本网连接的SUV计算机上运行，在三个机器结点间实现合作解题，应用于CIMS领域问题求解，效果良好。

团队有效性：协作行为与作业特征作用机制研究

Organizations are increasingly turning to team-based structures to contend with the pressure of the increasing global competition, consolidation, innovation and need for diverse skills, expertise, and experiences. This ongoing transformation in the basic organization of work has captured the attention of researcher. And group and team research has become increasingly centered in the fields of organizational psychology and organizational behavior since the 1990s. A great deal empirical studies were conducted; a number of variables contributing to team effectiveness and several IPO models were summarized. But teamwork behaviors, the dynamic and adaptive interactions among team members during the task completion, were still very vague. So were the team task characteristics, an important input variable of the IPO models. The effects of team task characteristics and teamwork behaviors on team effectiveness were explored according to IPO model on the basis of the reviews on previous studies, the Hierarchical Conceptual Structure of Teamwork Behaviors (Rousseau et al.,2006), and the task characteristic theory(Hackman & Oldman, 1975). The questionnaire data from 479 team members and 110 team managers of 22 organizations were analyzed. The results indicate: A. Teamwork behaviors consist of 13 behavioral dimensions: team mission analysis, goal specification, planning, coordination, cooperation, information exchange, performance monitoring, backing-up behaviors, intra-team coaching, collaborative problem solving, team practice innovation, psychological support and integrative conflict management. The hierarchical conceptual structure was partly supported with five variable identified, i.e., preparation of work accomplishment, task-related collaborative behaviors, work assessment behaviors, team adjustment behaviors and the management of team maintenance. The formal four variables are in a sequential way. B. The task characteristic theory at individual level is applicable to the team level. This means that the team task characteristics consist of task variety, identity, significance, feedback, autonomy, interdependence. C. The correlations among task characteristics, teamwork behaviors and outcomes support the IPO model. The regulation of team performance mediated the effects of task meaningfulness and interdependence on team outcomes, with the direct effects of task meaningfulness on the preparation behaviors and the direct effects of interdependence on the task-related collaborative behaviors. The management of team maintenance mediated the effects of autonomy on team cohesion and satisfaction. The regulation of team performance has a direct effect on the team performance and the management of team maintenance. And the management of team maintenance has a direct effect on the team attitude and the regulation of team performance.

顿悟中的蔡格尼克效应：左右脑在解题失败与提示信息加工时的活动差异

Zeigarnik effect refers to the enhanced memory performance for unfinished tasks and studies on insight using hemi-visual field presentation technology also find that after failing to solve an problem, hints to the problem are more effective received and lead to insight experience when presented to the left-visual field (Right hemisphere) than presented to the right-visual field, especial when the hints appeared with a delay. Thus, it seems that right hemisphere may play an important role in preserving information of unsolved problems and processing related cues. To further examine the finding above, we introduce an Chinese character chunking task to investigate the brain activities during the stage of failure to resolve problems and of hint presentation using Event-Related Potentials (ERP) and functional MRI technology. Our FMRI results found that bilateral BA10 showed more activation when seeing hints for unsolved problems and we proposed that it may reflect the processes of information to failure problems, howerver, there was no hemispheric difference. The ERP results after the effort to the problems showed that unsolved problems elicited a more positive P150 over the right frontal cortex while solved problems demonstrated a left hemispheric advantage of P150. When hints present, P2 amplitudes of hints were modulated by the status of problem only in the right hemisphere but not in the left hemisphere. Our results confirmed the hypothesis that failure to solve problems would trigger the perseverance processes in right hemisphere, which would make right hemisphere more sensitive to related information of failure problems.

问题之间共性关系的意识水平对平面几何解题迁移的影响

Transfer of learning is one of the major concepts in educational psychology. As cognitive psychology develops, many researchers have found that transfer plays an important part in problem solving, and the awareness of the similarity of related problems is important in transfer. So they become more interested in researching the problem of transfer. But in the literature of transfer research, it has been found that many researchers do not hold identical conclusions about the influence of awareness of related problems during problem solving transfer. This dissertation is written on the basic of much of sub-research work, such as looking up literature concerning transfer of problem solving research, comparing the results of research work done recently and experimental researches. The author of this dissertation takes middle school students as subjects, geometry as materials, and adopts factorial design in his experiments. The influence of awareness of related problems on problem solving transfer is examined from three dimensions which are the degree of difficulty of transfer problems, the level of awareness of related problems and the characteristics of subjects themselves. Five conclusions have been made after the experimental research: (1) During the process of geometry problem solving, the level of awareness of related problems is one of the major factors that influence the effect of problem solving transfer. (2) Either more difficult or more easy of the transfer problems will hinder the influence of awareness of related problems during problem solving transfer, and the degree of difficulty of the transfer problems have interactions with the level of awareness of related problems in affecting transfer. (3) During geometry problems solving transfer, the level of awareness of related problems has interactions with the degree of student achievement. Compared with the students who have lower achievement, the influence of the level of the awareness is bigger in the students who have higher achievement. (4) There is positive correlation between geometry achievement and reasoning ability of the middle school students. The student who has higher reasoning ability has higher geometry achievement, while the level of awareness is raised, the transfer achievement of both can be raised significantly. (5) There is positive correlation between geometry achievement and cognitive style of the middle school students. The student who has independent field tendency of cognitive style has higher geometry achievement, while the level of awareness is raised, the transfer achievement of both can be raised significantly. At the end of the dissertation, the researcher offers two proposals concerning Geometry teaching on the basis of the research findings.

比较型算术应用题一致性效应的实验研究

As former research shown, the error rate of consistent compare word problem (such as: Mary has 5 apples, Tom has 2 apples more than Mary, how many apples does Tom has?) is much lower than the rate of inconsistent compare word problem (such as: Mary has 5 apples, she has 2 apples more than Tom, how many apples does Tom has?). This difference of error rate is named as Consistency Effect. There are different explanations about why consistency effect happens, one of them is R.E.Mayer's opinion about two kinds of problem solving strategies. As Mayer's opinion, unsuccessful problem solvers make mistakes on inconsistent problem because they use Direct Translation Strategy, problem solvers who use Problem Model Strategy will not make such kind of mistakes. In this study, three experiments with 3~(rd) graders investigate reasons for the consistency effect. The results of experiment 1 do not support the explanation of Mayer's theory of two kinds of strategy. Experiment 2 shows that there is no relation between inconsistent problem error and Impulsivity cognitive style. Experiment 3 reveals that the working memory capacity of successful inconsistent problem solvers is significant larger than the capacity of unsuccessful solvers. It is supposed that working memory could be an important factor contributing for the consistency effect.

平面几何问题解决过程中的元认知实验研究

This study was based on the cognitive-metacognitive model of mathematical problem solving established by Lester & Garofalo(1985). The method of protocal analysis was used and 19 excellent students(9 male and 10 female) & 19 learning-disabled students(11 male and 8 female) in middle school(grade 3)were tested and interviewed during they solved plane geometry problems. The main results showed as follows: (1) There was a significant difference between excellent students and learning-disabled students on time-assignment when they solved plane geometry problems. Excellent students used more time on phase organization and less time on phase execution. There was no difference on phases orientation and verification. (2) Excellent students showed higher metacognitive level than learning-disabled students. The deference existed in phases orientation and organization. Excellent students reported more metacognitive sentences in phases orientation and organization than learning-disabled students. They had more self-awareness and goal-awareness. They had more "knowledge about what they know" and "knowledge about what they should use". They designed more globle goal and subgoals and made more self-evaluation. (3) Both the excellent students' and learning-disabled students' self-checking level should be improved.