R.W. Baines and G.J. Colquhoun
System design methodologies can greatly help the understanding of complex manufacturing situations. The IDEF0 structured analysis method is one of the favoured tools for industry.
Wtih the increased use of multilayer boards incorporating yet smaller track and gap widths, careful thought must be given to the production of the manufacturing tooling to…
Abstract
Wtih the increased use of multilayer boards incorporating yet smaller track and gap widths, careful thought must be given to the production of the manufacturing tooling to eliminate the faults which can be directly attributable to poor quality in the process. British Telecom have recently installed a Laser Photoplotter at their Research Laboratories which has the capacity to produce all phototools to the same degree of high accuracy demanded by today's fine line circuits. This paper points to the pitfalls of poor tooling production and shows how the prudent selection of a photoplotting contractor with the correct equipment and quality policy can reduce scrap levels and increase profitability.
Not all of the Livery Companies of the City of London take an active interest in the craft of their guild. But the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers assuredly does so. It…
Abstract
Not all of the Livery Companies of the City of London take an active interest in the craft of their guild. But the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers assuredly does so. It continues to examine all fish entering the City—the daily supply varying between 300 and 1,000 tons—and to condemn that which is bad. The Company also has important statutory duties in connection with shellfish, and salmon and other freshwater fish. Not only so, but the Fishmongers' Company published in 1949 a most valuable book for the purpose of furnishing public health officers and sampling officers under the Food and Drugs Act with the means of identifying at sight most kinds of fish likely to be exposed for sale in the markets and shops of this country. The book contains more than 80 coloured plates, each with a short description of such points as the shape, colour and position of the fins, the shape and colour of the lateral line, and the position of the mouth in relation to the eyes, in addition to the general shape and colour of the fish and any prominent and distinguishing markings. The coloured plates have been made from models in the Company's possession. They are quite excellent and will be indispensable to any sampling officer who wishes to assure himself that most kinds of fish sold in his area are of the nature demanded.
It has always seemed to us that a comparatively large number of people who spend their holidays abroad—on the Continent—and especially those who deviate from the main streams of…
Abstract
It has always seemed to us that a comparatively large number of people who spend their holidays abroad—on the Continent—and especially those who deviate from the main streams of tourist routes, return having suffered or suffering from food‐borne intestinal diseases. Are we right in suspecting that the incidence of these intestinal infections is higher in this body of holiday‐makers than in those who perforce enjoy the winds that blow at the end of Blackpool pier or question what the wild waves are saying at Brighton? The occurrence of intestinal symptoms suggesting bacterial food poisoning and shigellosis (dysentery) in so many of one's friends (and their friends) returning from abroad seems to point to this. Despite the fancy names given to the illnesses, such as “Spanish ‘tummy’”, the bulk of the cases are undoubtedly salmonellosis.
Many people make the assumption that a repetitive job is automatically a boring one. This is not so. For many years, psychologists and other students of work behaviour have been…
Abstract
Many people make the assumption that a repetitive job is automatically a boring one. This is not so. For many years, psychologists and other students of work behaviour have been pointing out that boredom is a subjective experience and refers to the individual's reaction to the environmental situation, whereas repetition or monotony is a characteristic of a task as perceived by an individual. Simply put, some repetitive or monotonous tasks are experienced as boring by some people. The aim of this article is to explore the sorts of repetitive tasks which lead to feelings of boredom, the effects of repetitive tasks on boredom and performance, and the methods that both workers and employers can use to reduce these effects.
Human performance, particularly that of the warfighter, has been the subject of a large amount of research during the past few decades. For example, in the Medline database of…
Abstract
Human performance, particularly that of the warfighter, has been the subject of a large amount of research during the past few decades. For example, in the Medline database of medical and psychological research, 1,061 papers had been published on the topic of “military performance” as of October 2003. Because warfighters are often pushed to physiological and mental extremes, a study of their performance provides a unique glimpse of the interplay of a wide variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the functioning of the human brain and body. Unfortunately, it has proven very difficult to build performance models that can adequately incorporate the myriad of physiological, medical, social, and cognitive factors that influence behavior in extreme conditions. The chief purpose of this chapter is to provide a neurobiological (neurochemical) framework for building and integrating warfighter performance models in the physiological, medical, social, and cognitive areas. This framework should be relevant to all other professionals who routinely operate in extreme environments. The secondary purpose of this chapter is to recommend various performance metrics that can be linked to specific neurochemical states and can accordingly strengthen and extend the scope of the neurochemical model.
Evangelia Demerouti, Sabine A.E. Geurts and Michiel Kompier
This study conducted among 751 employees of the Dutch Postal Service examined (1) the prevalence of various types of work‐home interaction, (2) the relationships of (these various…
Abstract
This study conducted among 751 employees of the Dutch Postal Service examined (1) the prevalence of various types of work‐home interaction, (2) the relationships of (these various types of) work‐home interaction with selected work and home characteristics, and (3) the relationships of (these various types of) work‐home interaction with two health indicators (i.e., fatigue and health complaints). Results supported our assumption that workhome interaction is best characterized by a four‐dimensional structure crossing the distinction between the direction of influence (work → home influence (WHI) vs. Home → work influence (HWI)) and the quality of influence (negative vs. positive). The results further supported our hypotheses, derived from the Demand‐Control‐Support Model and the Effort‐Recovery Model: job demands were most strongly related to negative influence from work (negative WHI), and home demands were primarily (albeit weakly) related to negative influence from home (negative HWI). In accordance with our expectation, job control and particularly job support were associated with positive WHI. There was no support, however, for a similar facilitating process originating in the home situation: home control and home support were not related to any type of interaction. Furthermore, particularly negative WHI was associated with fatigue and health complaints. These findings add to the existing knowledge about possible antecedents and consequences of the interaction between work and private life.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the issues in the shiftworking literature and to apply these to an administrative environment.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the issues in the shiftworking literature and to apply these to an administrative environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The scope of the paper is the issue of health problems in shiftworkers in administrative environments. The method was to use case study organisations which had introduced shiftwork and discover from semi‐structured interviews of staff what the effects had been.
Findings
Given the choice, employees opted for shiftwork, especially women and especially for a night or evening shift; anticipated problems of absenteeism and labour turnover and low performance related to health issues were not present.
Research limitations/implications
The design was limited to two organisations which gave access; this may have been because they were able to report positive outcomes. A broader survey may uncover negative aspects which this paper could not.
Practical implications
The concerns over health cannot be transferred to an administrative environment. This may encourage organisations to introduce more shift patterns, given full employee involvement from the outset. Shift premia, so common elsewhere, and a concern to cost‐conscious managers were not paid.
Originality/value
The concerns over health uncovered by previous research on shiftwork are not present in administrative environments.
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Rabiul Ahasan, Golam Mohiuddin and Abdul Khaleque
Explores possible effects of work related problems and fatigue on shift workers’ attitude, aptitude and job satisfaction. Uses a simple case study to explore views identified from…
Abstract
Explores possible effects of work related problems and fatigue on shift workers’ attitude, aptitude and job satisfaction. Uses a simple case study to explore views identified from a literature review. Data were collected from subjective responses using questionnaires among adult male subjects working on a weekly rotating three‐shift system in a shoe factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Results indicate that this particular form of shift work is seen as disruptive to family, conjugal and social life; it curtails leisure activities, affects sleep and causes health problems.
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Each of the four objectives can be applied within the military training environment. Military training often requires that soldiers achieve specific levels of performance or…
Abstract
Each of the four objectives can be applied within the military training environment. Military training often requires that soldiers achieve specific levels of performance or proficiency in each phase of training. For example, training courses impose entrance and graduation criteria, and awards are given for excellence in military performance. Frequently, training devices, training media, and training evaluators or observers also directly support the need to diagnose performance strengths and weaknesses. Training measures may be used as indices of performance, and to indicate the need for additional or remedial training.