THE concept of an ‘all‐plastics’ airframe has been possible of achievement since the early 1940s but, apart from some special applications, such as radar and radio transparencies…
Abstract
THE concept of an ‘all‐plastics’ airframe has been possible of achievement since the early 1940s but, apart from some special applications, such as radar and radio transparencies, bearings, fuel tanks, etc., the introduction of reinforced bonded materials has been extremely slow. Curiously, and despite the intense pressures of technological advances, the aircraft industry is conservative and many innovations which can be seen in retrospect to have been inevitable, have been held back for years until they have been forced on the designers by circumstances. Cases in point are the time taken to abandon the biplane to accept wing flaps and to adopt variable‐pitch propellers. Even the jet engine was, for a long time, squeezed into airframes of obviously unsuitable shape. Nevertheless, it seems surprising that it has taken some twenty years to bring the use of plastics for major airframe components to the stage of practical proof.
AT the beginning of October it was announced that the Pressed Steel Co. Ltd. were taking steps to form a subsidiary company to concentrate upon the design and manufacture of a new…
Abstract
AT the beginning of October it was announced that the Pressed Steel Co. Ltd. were taking steps to form a subsidiary company to concentrate upon the design and manufacture of a new range of executive and light aircraft for the home and export markets. To this end, the whole of the share capital of Auster Aircraft Ltd. has been acquired and a technical and manufacturing liaison with F. G. Miles Ltd. has been established. The new company will be known as British Executive and General Aviation Ltd. or by the abbreviated form of BEAGLE. Rolls‐Royce Ltd. have taken part in discussions with the various companies involved with a view to producing a series of engines suitable for this type of aircraft and a licence agreement with Continental Motors Corp. has recently been signed.
Ian Palmer and Richard Dunford
A burgeoning literature refers to the effect of hypercompetitive conditions on organizations. The new orthodoxy involves reference to the disintegration of vertical, rational…
Abstract
A burgeoning literature refers to the effect of hypercompetitive conditions on organizations. The new orthodoxy involves reference to the disintegration of vertical, rational bureaucracies and the corresponding emergence of widespread innovation in new organizational practices such as delayering, outsourcing, and reducing organizational boundaries. Differing assumptions occur regarding the compatibility of new organizational practices with more traditional practices such as centralization and formalization. We present systematic, survey‐based data in order to assist in assessing these differing assumptions about compatibility. Our results confirm greater use of new organizational practices by organizations operating in dynamic environments. They also show that greater use of new organizational practices is not associated with less use of either centralization or formalization—indeed it is associated with an increased use of formalization. We argue the need to move beyond a compatibility/incompatibility dichotomy and propose a research agenda for achieving this. The implications for management include the need to view with caution evangelical calls for radical restructuring that ignore the subtleties of the relationship between traditional and new organizational practices.
The solution of the problem of estimating the take‐off distance to a height of 50 feet has to a certain extent been limited by the absence of a theoretical analysis of the…
Abstract
The solution of the problem of estimating the take‐off distance to a height of 50 feet has to a certain extent been limited by the absence of a theoretical analysis of the airborne part of the take‐off manoeuvre. The three main physical quantities associated with the motion immediately after an aircraft leaves the ground are aircraft speed, the angle the flight path makes with the horizontal and the lift coefficient increment. This latter quantity is the lift coefficient in excess of that required for level flight at the unstick speed, and is produced when the pilot pulls the stick quickly back at take‐off. A linear theoretical analysis is obtained by assuming that variations of the physical quantities already mentioned are small enough for squares and higher powers of such variations to be neglected in comparison with the variations themselves. The results of the analysis depend on the solutions of a pair of ordinary simultaneous linear differential equations with constant coefficients. If the aircraft speed never falls below the unstick speed, the limiting values of the lift coefficient increment which define the safe range of take‐offs can be determined. By considering the mean value of the lift coefficient increment over the safe range of take‐offs it is possible to define a mean safe take‐off, and for such a take‐off, the mean safe airborne distance from the unstick point to a height of 50 feet can be estimated. The application of the theory as a means of estimating the take‐off performance of a bomber aircraft is given as an example at the end of this work.
Jarrett D. Davis, Glenn Michael Miles and John H. Quinley III
This paper is a part of a series of papers seeking insight into a holistic perspective into the lives, experiences and vulnerabilities of male-to-female transgender persons (from…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper is a part of a series of papers seeking insight into a holistic perspective into the lives, experiences and vulnerabilities of male-to-female transgender persons (from here on referred to as “transgender persons”/“Ladyboys”) within the sex industry in Southeast Asia. “Ladyboy” in Thai context specifically refers to the cultural subgroup, rather than the person’s gender identity and is not seen as an offensive term. Among the minimal studies that have been conducted, the majority have focused on sexual health and the likelihood of contracting or spreading HIV/AIDS, while often ignoring the possibility of other vulnerabilities. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
The study interviews 60 transgender persons working within red light areas of Bangkok. The final research instrument was a questionnaire of 11 sub-themes, containing both multiple choice and open-ended questions.
Findings
This study found that 81 percent of participants had entered the sex industry due to financial necessity. There was also a high vulnerability among transgender sex workers to physical and sexual violence. This includes nearly a quarter (24 percent) who cite being forced to have sex and 26 percent who cite physical assault within the last 12 months.
Social implications
These findings can aid the development of programs and social services that address the needs of ladyboys, looking beyond gender expression and social identity to meet needs and vulnerabilities that often go overlooked.
Originality/value
This survey provides deeper understanding of the vulnerability of transgender sex workers, including their trajectory into sex work and potential alternatives.
Details
Keywords
Andrew Davies and Lars Frederiksen
This chapter develops a conceptual framework to help us position and understand the increasing importance of project-based innovation for industrial organization in the 21st…
Abstract
This chapter develops a conceptual framework to help us position and understand the increasing importance of project-based innovation for industrial organization in the 21st century. It builds on and extends Joan Woodward's (1958 and 1965) pioneering research, which classifies industrial organizations according to the complexity of production technology and volume of output. We suggest that a radical revision of Woodward's framework is required to account for the extensive use of project-based organizations to gain competitive advantage through accelerated innovation and growth in new technologies and markets.
Aircraft arresting gear comprises a lifter strap normally connecting an actuator strap engageable by the forward part of a moving aircraft to an arresting cable through means…
Abstract
Aircraft arresting gear comprises a lifter strap normally connecting an actuator strap engageable by the forward part of a moving aircraft to an arresting cable through means releasable upon a predetermined pull on the lifter strap, the releasable means comprising two pieces of flexible material of unequal lengths, the longer attached at one end to the actuator strap and at its other end to a runway, and the shorter attached at one end to the actuator strap and releasably attached at its other end to the longer piece to form a loop around the cable. Two actuators straps 2, 3 are shown, though there may be any number, each piece of flexible material 6, 8 being attached to one actuator strap by a loop 5 and stitching 7. The actuator straps are stretched across the runway between stanchions (not shown) from which they are releasable by shearing pins. The piece 6 is attached to a grommet 12 on the runway, and is stitched at 15 and at 16 to itself, forming a loop 14, and the arresting cable 20 lies in a bight formed by a button fastener 18. The other piece 8 is stitched at 9 to the loop 14. In operation, a forward part of an aircraft engages the actuators straps 2, 3. The tension on the lifter strap raises the cable 20, and opens fastening 18. The stitching 9 is sheared, and the cable is flung upwardly through the gap so formed, to engage the aircraft. The actuator straps may be of nylon webbing or other woven synthetic or organic material.
Kuei‐Hsien Niu, Grant Miles, Seung Bach and Kenichiro Chinen
The research of industrial clusters, trust, and learning can be traced back to early strategic management and organization theory. The purpose of this paper is to review past…
Abstract
Purpose
The research of industrial clusters, trust, and learning can be traced back to early strategic management and organization theory. The purpose of this paper is to review past literature and offer a conceptual framework that is related to industrial clusters, trust and learning.
Design/methodology/approach
This study incorporates a literature review to filter key factors of industrial clusters, trust and learning by using a deductive approach to conclude a conceptual framework.
Findings
This study provides a conceptual framework which includes a firm's industrial cluster involvement, trust and learning. Based on the literature, inter‐organizational trust may be strengthened due to reduced proximity and better information flow within a cluster. Further, industrial clusters encourage co‐evolution and co‐adaptation that stimulates effective learning practices for clustering firms.
Research limitations/implications
This study uses a literature review and offers a conceptual framework to examine a firm's involvement in industrial clusters with the possible influences of trust and organizational learning. There is a need for empirical as well as statistical analysis to validate the framework and to obtain more insight.
Practical implications
Industrial clusters are widely considered a network‐based industrial system, with the aim of adapting to fast‐changing markets and technologies as an organized whole. Firms within a cluster can work together to co‐evolve for the purpose of enhancing competitiveness and entering the world market through effective learning and inter‐firm trust. As the sum of the benefit of a cluster is of greater value than each individual company or institution, whether to be involved in an industrial cluster to sustain competitiveness and enhance learning is worthy of managers' consideration.
Originality/value
The major contribution of this work is that it is the first attempt to produce the measures for a firm's involvement in industrial clusters for empirical tests, which are generally considered insufficient in this area of research. Further, this study offers a conceptual framework which brings cluster, trust and learning together for future empirical study.
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Neil Johnson, Sameer Prasad, Amin Vahedian, Nezih Altay and Ashish Jain
In this research, the authors apply artificial neural networks (ANNs) to uncover non-linear relationships among factors that influence the productivity of ragpickers in the Indian…
Abstract
Purpose
In this research, the authors apply artificial neural networks (ANNs) to uncover non-linear relationships among factors that influence the productivity of ragpickers in the Indian context.
Design/methodology/approach
A broad long-term action research program provides a means to shape the research question and posit relevant factors, whereas ANNs capture the true underlying non-linear relationships. ANN models the relationships between four independent variables and three forms of waste value chains without assuming any distributional forms. The authors apply bootstrapping in conjunction with ANNs.
Findings
The authors identify four elements that influence ragpickers’ productivity: receptiveness to non-governmental organizations, literacy, the deployment of proper equipment/technology and group size.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides a unique way to analyze bottom of the pyramid (BoP) operations via ANNs.
Social implications
This study provides a road map to help ragpickers in India raise incomes while simultaneously improving recycling rates.
Originality/value
This research is grounded in the stakeholder resource-based view and the network–individual–resource model. It generalizes these theories to the informal waste value chain at BoP communities.