Walter J. Gutjahr, Christine Strauss and Martin Toth
The application of advanced methods of process management is essential, especially in those fields in which activity durations can be determined only vaguely, while at the same…
Abstract
The application of advanced methods of process management is essential, especially in those fields in which activity durations can be determined only vaguely, while at the same time a highly competitive market enforces strict completion schedules through the implementation of penalties. The technique presented is most suitable for determining a time‐cost trade‐off based on practice‐relevant assumptions. Completion time overruns usually cause penalties whose size depends on the degree of the overruns. To avoid such penalties – or at least to keep any losses low – distinct processes may be crashed by one or several measures that decrease the activity duration. The risk of an overrun has to be weighed against the expected costs and benefits of certain crashing measures and their combinations. The technique presented is a new PERT‐based, hybridised approach using simulated annealing and importance sampling to support typical process re‐engineering, which focuses on the efficient allocation of extra resources in order to achieve a more reliable performance without changing the precedence‐successor‐structure.
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Giovani Gaiardo Fossati, Letícia Fleck Fadel Miguel and Walter Jesus Paucar Casas
This study aims to propose a complete and powerful methodology that allows the optimization of the passive suspension system of vehicles, which simultaneously takes comfort and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to propose a complete and powerful methodology that allows the optimization of the passive suspension system of vehicles, which simultaneously takes comfort and safety into account and provides a set of optimal solutions through a Pareto-optimal front, in a low computational time.
Design/methodology/approach
Unlike papers that consider simple vehicle models (quarter vehicle model or half car model) and/or simplified road profiles (harmonic excitation, for example) and/or perform a single-objective optimization and/or execute the dynamic analysis in the time domain, this paper presents an effective and fast methodology for the multi-objective optimization of the suspension system of a full-car model (including the driver seat) traveling on an irregular road profile, whose dynamic response is determined in the frequency domain, considerably reducing computational time.
Findings
The results showed that there was a reduction of 28% in the driver seat vertical acceleration weighted root mean square (RMS) value of the proposed model, which is directly related to comfort, and, simultaneously, an improvement or constancy concerning safety, with low computational cost. Hence, the proposed methodology can be indicated as a successful tool for the optimal design of the suspension systems, considering, simultaneously, comfort and safety.
Originality/value
Despite the extensive literature on optimizing vehicle passive suspension systems, papers combining multi-objective optimization presenting a Pareto-optimal front as a set of optimal results, a full-vehicle model (including the driver seat), an irregular road profile and the determination of the dynamic response in the frequency domain are not found.
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Jalil Heidary Dahooie, Mohammad Reza Ghezel Arsalan and Ali Zolghadr Shojai
The purpose of this paper is to propose a new method for knowledge worker productivity measurement which is based on valid principles and appropriate viewpoints.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a new method for knowledge worker productivity measurement which is based on valid principles and appropriate viewpoints.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on an extensive and thorough literature review the elements that need to be taken into consideration, while designing a method for knowledge worker productivity measurement, are determined and divided into principles and viewpoints. These elements must be incorporated into the design of knowledge worker productivity measurement methods so that the correctness and accuracy of these methods can be verified. The proposed model, which is based on appropriate principles and viewpoints, determines the outputs of knowledge work with respect to the tasks that a worker’s job includes. Considering nine measures, these outputs are evaluated using fuzzy numbers and, then, quantified. The inputs of knowledge work are knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) required to do the job. These inputs are identified and quantified using Job Element Method. Furthermore, fuzzy Data Envelopment Analysis is employed to model the productivity.
Findings
In this paper, the proposed method for knowledge worker productivity measurement follows both appropriate principles and viewpoints, simultaneously. In order to validate the obtained results and explore the applicability of the proposed method, a case study was carried out at an Iranian organization in electric power industry. Statistical analyses are employed to prove the validity of the results. Based on the obtained results, the productivity of a knowledge worker is said to be high when he/she delivers the expected amount of job outputs considering the values of his/her inputs (KSAs).
Originality/value
The originality of this paper is twofold. First, the extracted principles and viewpoints can serve as a guideline for the development of similar methods. Second, the proposed model offers an effective and efficient tool that can serve as the basis for the comparison among relative productivity of knowledge workers. Furthermore, the obtained results could form a basis to examine the productivity trend of each knowledge worker over different periods of time.
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Nadia Alaily-Mattar, Dominik Bartmanski, Johannes Dreher, Michael Koch, Martina Löw, Timothy Pape and Alain Thierstein
To explain the process of how star architecture projects generate impact, one must first describe the outputs of such projects and then unpack the wide array of potential effects…
Abstract
Purpose
To explain the process of how star architecture projects generate impact, one must first describe the outputs of such projects and then unpack the wide array of potential effects, which are generated by these outputs. This requires the application of multi-disciplinary research perspectives. Only then can one begin to systematically analyse the long-term impacts. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the complexity of such multi-disciplinary research exercise can be managed through the application of a methodological strategy aided by a conceptual impact model.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual impact model is presented, which describes the process of the development of star architecture projects, the various outputs of these projects and the possible effects generated by these outputs. The effects of three case study star architecture projects are discussed.
Findings
Empirical research findings indicate that while the isolation of effects serves the operationalisation of research, the investigation of the impact of star architecture projects on their respective cities must draw on the intertwinement of the fields of urban economy, society and morphology. The paper concludes by arguing for the application of the described methodological strategy as the basis for understanding in which dimensions a star architecture project generates impacts.
Practical implications
The potential of the proposed impact model for urban analysis when considered as a field of intertwined relations is demonstrated in this article. It helps to reveal how particular local developments change the city significantly in socio-cultural and spatial terms.
Originality/value
The transformative impact of star architecture projects and the role of economic and other effects in this process has hardly been studied, particularly in small and medium-sized cities. This article presents a unique multi-disciplinary research project approached consecutively in the aforementioned fields.
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Aradhana Gandhi and Sunaina Kuknor
The study aimed to capture student experience during virtual internships by identifying the facilitators and barriers during their experiential learning journey. The students were…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aimed to capture student experience during virtual internships by identifying the facilitators and barriers during their experiential learning journey. The students were pursuing their Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) program at a business school in India. The authors shed light on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the current education system, specifically experiential learning through virtual internships.
Design/methodology/approach
About 38 Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted from July to September 2022 with the students of a business school located in Pune, India. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed to generate new themes for ascertaining the facilitators and barriers to virtual internships. Interpretative Phenomenology Analysis was undertaken to analyze the lived experiences of the respondents.
Findings
Students viewed virtual internships positively in terms of mentor support, active learning, flexibility, and an easy onboarding process. Poor work-life balance, lack of peer learning and infrastructure issues were some of the barriers/challenges faced by the students.
Practical implications
The study discusses various managerial and administrative implications. The findings help educationists design effective pedagogy by drawing insights from constructivist learning theory, where students' active role during virtual internships must be given primary attention. Corrective measures in the pedagogy can be taken while designing a virtual internship, considering the barriers found in this study.
Originality/value
The themes identified in the study are a novel contribution to the growing body of knowledge on virtual experiential learning. The study empirically captures student experience regarding a relatively new phenomenon of virtual internships, which is the uniqueness of this paper.