Andrea Corrado, Wilma Polini, Giovanni Moroni and Stefano Petrò
The purpose of this work is to present a variational model able to deal with form tolerances and assembly conditions. The variational model is one of the methods proposed in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this work is to present a variational model able to deal with form tolerances and assembly conditions. The variational model is one of the methods proposed in literature for tolerance analysis, but it cannot deal with form tolerances and assembly conditions that may influence the functional requirements of mechanical assemblies.
Design/methodology/approach
This work shows how to manage the actual surfaces generated by the manufacturing process and the operating conditions inside the variational model that has been modified to integrate the manufacturing signature left on the surfaces of the parts and the operating conditions that arise during an actual assembly, such as gravity and friction. Moreover, a geometrical model was developed to numerically simulate what happens in a real assembly process and to give a reference value.
Findings
The new variational model was applied to a three-dimensional case study. The obtained results were compared to those of the geometrical model and to those of the variational model to validate the new model and to show the improvements.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed approach may be extended to other models of literature. However, its limitation is that it is able to deal with a sphere–plane contact.
Practical implications
Tolerance analysis is a valid tool to foresee geometric interferences among the components of an assembly before getting the physical assembly. It involves a decrease in the manufacturing costs.
Originality/value
The main contributions of the study are the insertion of a systematic pattern characterizing the features manufactured by a process, assembly operating conditions and development of a geometrical model to reproduce what happens in a real assembly process.
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Apostolos Malatras, George Pavlou, Petros Belsis, Stefanos Gritzalis, Christos Skourlas and Ioannis Chalaris
Pervasive environments are mostly based on the ad hoc networking paradigm and are characterized by ubiquity in both users and devices and artifacts. In these inherently unstable…
Abstract
Pervasive environments are mostly based on the ad hoc networking paradigm and are characterized by ubiquity in both users and devices and artifacts. In these inherently unstable conditions and bearing in mind the resource’s limitations that are attributed to participating devices, the deployment of Knowledge Management techniques is considered complicated due to the particular requirements. Security considerations are also very important since the distribution of knowledge information to multiple locations over a network, poses inherent problems and calls for advanced methods in order to mitigate node misbehaviour and in order to enforce authorized and authenticated access to this information. This paper addresses the issue of secure and distributed knowledge management applications in pervasive environments. We present a prototype implementation after having discussed detailed design principles as far as the communications and the application itself is regarded. Robustness and lightweight implementation are the cornerstones of the proposed solution. The approach we have undertaken makes use of overlay networks to achieve efficiency and performance optimization, exploiting ontologies. The work presented in this paper extends our initial work to tackle this problem, as this was described in (28).
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Petros A. Kostagiolas and Stefanos Asonitis
Intellectual capital is the set of all intangible assets, that is, invisible, non-monetary assets held by a library, which can be identified as separate assets. Intellectual…
Abstract
Intellectual capital is the set of all intangible assets, that is, invisible, non-monetary assets held by a library, which can be identified as separate assets. Intellectual capital has become the buzzword of a knowledge-based economy and is the ultimate source of competitive advantage. In this work, we review the literature to analyse the effect of intellectual capital utilisation in the overall library management, to identify and classify intellectual capital and to provide some guidelines for researchers and practitioners. A literature review for the intellectual capital in libraries is conducted, and a qualitative analysis is undertaken, which interrelates library management to intellectual capital is taking place. The review leads to identification and classification of intellectual capital as well as to a number of quite innovative and interesting issues for the interrelation of intellectual capital to the management of libraries. The issues studied include intellectual capital economic valuation methods, the effect of the locality (spatial factor) to intellectual capital utilisation and the analysis of co-opetition (cooperation and competition) for intellectual capital utilisation. This is one of only a few studies about the management of intellectual capital in libraries and information services (LIS)—an innovative and challenging area of research in library management.
The purpose of this paper is to present the main assumptions of the resource-based theory according to which the success of an organization is mainly dependent on the ability of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the main assumptions of the resource-based theory according to which the success of an organization is mainly dependent on the ability of capitalizing its inner capacity. The author draws attention to the measurement of intangible resources of libraries and their evaluation, crucial from the point of view of library effectiveness and the quality of its services. The author also emphasizes the specific character of intangible resources, including lack of their mobility, specialization and difficulty in their replacing, which may result in hindering management processes.
Design/methodology/approach
The second part of the paper illustrates the author’s research in the field of intangible resources in Polish libraries, including human resources (knowledge, competencies, employee skills), competencies of library management staff, business strategies, organizational culture, communication skills and relations between employees, the ability to communicate and relations with the library community, in particular with its users, library reputation, brand, library innovativeness and the ability to adapt to changes and expectations of the community, the ability of the library to cooperate with other institutions, including networks and consortia, the ability to use and support new technological solutions, the ability to introduce new technologies in the library, the ability to create and acquire intellectual property (copyright, licensing, trademark protection, etc.).
Findings
Research has shown that libraries pay growing attention to the relation with the community. Concentrating on library resources means concentrating on readers and providing services that would satisfy readers. However, it seems that the knowledge of library management in the field of managing of intangible resources is still insufficient.
Originality/value
The paper presents the first study of this kind conducted in Poland.
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Stefanos Asonitis and Petros A. Kostagiolas
This paper aims to present a methodological framework for the identification of a hierarchy among the three categories of intellectual capital, i.e. human…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a methodological framework for the identification of a hierarchy among the three categories of intellectual capital, i.e. human, organizational/structural and relational capital, with respect to their contribution to the objective of improving a library's performance. It also seeks to provide a case study of Greek central public libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework is based on an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) application including utilization of a Delphi method and ISO 11620 international standards. Finally, empirical evidence is produced for the Greek central public libraries.
Findings
The proposed framework may be employed for prioritizing intangible assets in libraries. For the Greek central public libraries it has been indicated that human capital contributes more than the organizational/structural capital and this in turn more than the relational capital.
Research limitations/implications
Although the proposed methodological framework is intended to be widely applicable, the case study results cannot be directly generalized due to the uniqueness of the Greek public libraries environment.
Practical implications
A hierarchy may be an invaluable tool for the library's management in order to better utilize the intangible resources and effectively allocate investments to human, organizational and relation capital assets in order to improve the library's performance
Originality/value
The paper shows that the framework for building a hierarchy of intellectual capital in libraries is based on a rather challenging research approach for prioritizing intangible assets with respect to predefined management objectives.
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Petros A. Kostagiolas and Stefanos Asonitis
The aim of the paper is explore issues related to the intangible assets in libraries and provide first results regarding their identification, categorization, valuation and…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the paper is explore issues related to the intangible assets in libraries and provide first results regarding their identification, categorization, valuation and reporting.
Design/methodology/approach
A review of the literature for the intangible assets in academic libraries is provided and a number of important approaches related to the management of intangible assets are discussed.
Findings
Library and information services include both tangible and intangible assets. In the economic reality of the twenty‐first century, the intangible assets critically contribute, in combination with the tangible assets, to the overall value and performance of academic libraries. Specific management actions and activities related to intangible assets are required.
Research limitations/implications
This paper contributes to the discussion of the significance of intangible assets and some initial results are exhibited. The intention of this work however is to stimulate further research on the management of intangible assets in libraries and information services.
Originality/value
A theoretical discussion of intangible assets in academic libraries is provided and a number of issues for their management are raised.
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The first half of this volume is on the theme of library operations and management. The second half covers three different topics which point toward trends and implications for…
Abstract
The first half of this volume is on the theme of library operations and management. The second half covers three different topics which point toward trends and implications for libraries, education, and the use of electronic texts by humanities researchers.
Christos Skourlas, Anastasios Tsolakidis, Petros Belsis, Dimitris Vassis, Argyrw Kampouraki, Panos Kakoulidis and Georgios A. Giannakopoulos
Institutional repositories (IR) are usually used to archive and manage digital collections including research results, educational material, etc. Learning management systems (LMS…
Abstract
Purpose
Institutional repositories (IR) are usually used to archive and manage digital collections including research results, educational material, etc. Learning management systems (LMS) form a popular basis for e-learning and blended learning. This paper aims to study how to integrate IR and LMS to support accessibility of disabled students and students with learning difficulties (dyslexic students) in higher education. Customised ontologies focusing on disabled students can be used to facilitate indexing, and access of items in the repository.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors propose a simple methodological approach to establish an integrating system for supporting accessibility. First, the authors review research works related to adaptive learning environments (ALEs) and blended learning, and discuss issues of the interoperability of IR and LMS. Then, based on the review, the authors discuss the use of an integrated ALE for supporting disabled students in the domain of higher technological education. The integrated system is based on IR, LMS and assistive and adaptive technology. The open source software platform DSpace is used to build up the repository applications Use of the web ontology language (OWL) ontologies is also proposed for indexing and accessing the various, heterogeneous items stored in the repository. Various open source LMS (e.g. openeclass) could be used to build up the integrated system. Finally, the authors describe experimentation with a prototype implemented to provide the mentioned capabilities.
Findings
The technology is mature enough for building up integrated systems, combining capabilities of IR and LMS, for supporting disabled students. The use of ontologies focused on disabled students could facilitate the use of such integrated systems. Customisation and operation of a platform, for the selection and use of portions of OWL ontologies, could be based on the open source software Protégé. Such a platform forms a basis to create an appropriate ontology suitable for specific domains, e.g. the domain of technological education. Finally, the authors argue that the combined use of the OWL platform and the DSpace repository with open source LMS platforms could support domain experts for creating customised ontologies and facilitating searching.
Originality/value
A new perception of the term integrated system for supporting disabled students in the higher education context is presented. This perception tries to combine the IR technology that supports the self-archiving approach of information, open LMS technology and the user-centred approach to support students and manage the “life of information”.