Rethinking political process in technological change : socio-technical configurations and frames

The political process perspective has done much to enhance our understanding of the organizational effects of technological change as a negotiated outcome reflecting the political and power dynamics of the adopting context. In so doing, we suggest, technology has been marginalized as an analytical category and the problem of change agency, although better understood, remains largely unresolved. This article addresses these issues through the articulation of the concepts of socio-technical configurations and technological frames and explores their utility in understanding change agency through an action research project. The project sought a novel form of 'socio-technology' transfer, taking ideas and concepts of 'human-centered' manufacturing embodied in team-based cellular manufacture from a European context into three firms in Australia.

Analisando frames tecnológicos: um estudo das interpretações sociais da tecnologia da informação no contexto organizacional

Frames tecnológicos (estruturas cognitivas compartilhadas em relação à tecnologia) constituem a temática desta pesquisa. O objetivo foi analisar a natureza e a extensão de diferenças em frames tecnológicos de grupos sociais distintos, assim como compreender as razões para congruências e incongruências. A pesquisa foi realizada em uma instituição de ensino superior, e o objeto de estudo tratou-se de um sistema de informação acadêmico internacional, implementado e em uso nessa instituição. Com pressupostos epistemológicos sustentados pela perspectiva interpretativa, metodologicamente o estudo caracterizou-se por uma abordagem qualitativa. Entrevistas em profundidade, observação participante, revisão documental e artefato físico constituíram-se como as fontes de dados empíricos. Adotaram-se os fundamentos do método hermenêutico-dialético para análise e interpretação dos dados coletados. O estudo propiciou identificar que diferentes interpretações sobre o sistema de informação acadêmico são socialmente construídas pelos indivíduos inseridos em grupos sociais e fortemente afetadas pelo que acreditam, conhecem e esperam desse sistema. Características pessoais, contextuais e tecnológicas integram-se criando, reforçando e modificando frames tecnológicos, contribuindo para o delineamento de congruências e incongruências.

Response and damage evaluation of reinforced concrete frames subjected to blast loading

Bomb attacks carried out by terrorists, targeting high occupancy buildings, have become increasingly common in recent times. Large numbers of casualties and property damage result from overpressure of the blast followed by failing of structural elements. Understanding the blast response of multi-storey buildings and evaluating their remaining life have therefore become important. Response and damage analysis of single structural components, such as columns or slabs, to explosive loads have been examined in the literature, but the studies on blast response and damage analysis of structural frames in multi-storey buildings is limited and this is necessary for assessing the vulnerability of them. This paper investigates the blast response and damage evaluation of reinforced concrete (RC) frames, designed for normal gravity loads, in order to evaluate their remaining life. Numerical modelling and analysis were carried out using the explicit finite element software, LS DYNA. The modelling and analysis takes into consideration reinforcement details together and material performance under higher strain rates. Damage indices for columns are calculated based on their residual and original capacities. Numerical results generated in the can be used to identify relationships between the blast load parameters and the column damage. Damage index curve will provide a simple means for assessing the damage to a typical multi-storey building RC frame under an external bomb circumstance.

Down the aisle : the effects of technological change on retail workers skills

Reconfiguration of corporate structures and the retailer-supplier interface in the retail industry have restructured product markets and supply chains, as well as supermarket employment, over the past decade or so (Baret, Lehndorff & Sparks 2000; du Gay 1996). Various studies have examined the consequent changes in labour usage practices within supermarkets or superstores (Baret et al. 2000; Marchington 1995; Penn & Wirth 1993; Sparks 1992; Dawson, Findlay & Sparks 1987, 1986). Commonly, this literature explores the interplay between shifts in the structure of the labour market, broader societal trends and retailers’ employment strategies. One study found that domestic and gender dimensions, accompanied by industrial relations regimes, exert considerable influence on patterns of labour usage (Baret et al. 2000). However, while the types of labour usage and the drivers of changes to labour usage patterns have attracted significant academic attention, research has largely overlooked the ways in which the nature of supermarket work has evolved as a result of changing technology, which effectively bolsters managerial prerogative, and which has affected the skill levels of workers in the industry (Marchington 1995).

Technological barriers to learning : designing hybrid pedagogy to minimise cognitive load and maximise understanding

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) provide great promise for the future of education. In the Asia-Pacific region, many nations have started working towards the comprehensive development of infrastructure to enable the development of strong networked educational systems. In Queensland there have been significant initiatives in the past decade to support the integration of technology in classrooms and to set the conditions for the enhancement of teaching and learning with technology. One of the great challenges is to develop our classrooms to make the most of these technologies for the benefit of student learning. Recent research and theory into cognitive load, suggests that complex information environments may well impose a barrier on student learning. Further, it suggests that teachers have the capacity to mitigate against cognitive load through the way they prepare and support students engaging with complex information environments. This chapter compares student learning at different levels of cognitive load to show that learning is enhanced when integrating pedagogies are employed to mitigate against high-load information environments. This suggests that a mature policy framework for ICTs in education needs to consider carefully the development of professional capacities to effectively design and integrate technologies for learning.

Damage propagation in reinforced concrete frames under external blast loading

Iconic and significant buildings are the common target of bombings by terrorists causing large numbers of casualties and extensive property damage. Recent incidents were external bomb attacks on multi-storey buildings with reinforced concrete frames. Under a blast load circumstance, crucial damage initiates at low level storeys in a building and may then lead to a progressive collapse of whole or part of the structure. It is therefore important to identify the critical initial influence regions along the height, width and depth of the building exposed to blast effects and the structure response in order to assess the vulnerability of the structure to disproportionate and progressive collapse. This paper discusses the blast response and the propagation of its effects on a two dimensional reinforced concrete (RC) frame, designed to withstand normal gravity loads. The explicit finite element code, LS DYNA is used for the analysis. A complete RC portal frame seven storeys by six bays is modelled with reinforcement details and appropriate materials to simulate strain rate effects. Explosion loads derived from standard manuals are applied as idealized triangular pressures on the column faces of the numerical models. The analysis reports the influence of blast propagation as displacements and material yielding of the structural elements in the RC frame. The effected regions are identified and classified according to the load cases. This information can be used to determine the vulnerability of multi-storey RC buildings to various external explosion scenarios and designing buildings to resist blast loads.

Monitoring the Performance of Complex Projects from Multiple Perspectives over Multiple Time Frames

When complex projects go wrong they can go horribly wrong with severe financial consequences. We are undertaking research to develop leading performance indicators for complex projects, metrics to provide early warning of potential difficulties. The assessment of success of complex projects can be made by a range of stakeholders over different time scales, against different levels of project results: the project’s outputs at the end of the project; the project’s outcomes in the months following project completion; and the project’s impact in the years following completion. We aim to identify leading performance indicators, which may include both success criteria and success factors, and which can be measured by the project team during project delivery to forecast success as assessed by key stakeholders in the days, months and years following the project. The hope is the leading performance indicators will act as alarm bells to show if a project is diverting from plan so early corrective action can be taken. It may be that different combinations of the leading performance indicators will be appropriate depending on the nature of project complexity. In this paper we develop a new model of project success, whereby success is assessed by different stakeholders over different time frames against different levels of project results. We then relate this to measurements that can be taken during project delivery. A methodology is described to evaluate the early parts of this model. Its implications and limitations are described. This paper describes work in progress.

Why new business development projects fail : coping with the differences of technological versus market knowledge

Managing through projects has become important for generating new knowledge to cope with technological and market discontinuities. This paper examines how the fit between the creation of technological and market knowledge and important project management characteristics, i.e. project autonomy and completion criteria, influences the success of new business development (NBD) projects. In-depth longitudinal case research on NBD projects commercialised from 1993 to 2003 in the consumer electronics industry highlights that project management characteristics focusing only on the creation of technological knowledge contributed to the failure of those NBD projects that required new market knowledge as well. The findings indicate that senior management support and engaging in an alliance with partners possessing complementary market knowledge can offset this misalignment of the organisation of NBD projects.