Explorations of knowledge management in a defence engineering environment

This thesis originates from first hand early experiences of the researcher regarding current processes and practices in operation in BAE SYSTEMS Ltd (now referred to hereafter as `the Company'), and recognises the potential for improvement within the realm of knowledge management. The huge volume of internal and external information overwhelms the majority of organisations and knowledge management provides solutions to enable organisations to be effective, efficient, and competitive. The software agent approach and information retrieval technique indicates great potential for effectively managing information. This research seeks to answer the questions of whether software agents can provide the Company with solutions to the knowledge management issues identified in this inquiry and whether they can also be used elsewhere within the organisation to improve other aspects of the business. The research analysis shows that software agents offer a wide applicability across the Company; can be created with relative ease and can provide benefits by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of processes. Findings also provided valuable insight into human-computer-interface design and usability aspects of software agent applications. The research deals with these questions using action research in order to develop a collaborative change mechanism within the Company and a practical applicability of the research findings in situ. Using a pluralistic methodology the findings provide a combination of the subjective and objective views intermittently within the research cycles thereby giving the researchera more holistic view of this research. Little attention has been paid to integrating software agent technologies into the knowledge management processes.This research proposes a software agent application that incorporates: (1) Co-ordination of software agents for information retrieval to manage information gathering, filtering, and dissemination; (2) To promote effective interpretation of information and more efficient processes;(3) Building accurate search profiles weighted on pre-defined criteria; (4) Integrating and organising a Company resource management knowledge-base; (5) Ensuring that the right information gets to the right personnel at the right time; and (6) So the Company can effectively assign the right experts to the right roles within the Company

Process mapping framework for small business consultants: A Case study approach

Objective To develop a Process Mapping Framework for Small Business Consultants and to evaluate its effectiveness on a case study organization. Design Current literature was reviewed to establish protocol for the framework. The framework was followed to test its efficacy. Subject Weight No More, Inc., of Lyndonville, NY, was selected as the case study small business. Results The developed framework proved useful for gathering information, maintaining consistency, and assimilating research into well-versed findings for the case study organization. Applications Small business consultants now have a guiding framework which promotes use of strong customer service skills, consistency, organization, and evaluation of processes to begin investigating their clients\u27 small businesses

Daily Eastern News: September 24, 1998

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/den_1998_sep/1020/thumbnail.jp

Explorations of knowledge management in a defence engineering environment

This thesis originates from first hand early experiences of the researcher regarding current processes and practices in operation in BAE SYSTEMS Ltd (now referred to hereafter as `the Company'), and recognises the potential for improvement within the realm of knowledge management. The huge volume of internal and external information overwhelms the majority of organisations and knowledge management provides solutions to enable organisations to be effective, efficient, and competitive. The software agent approach and information retrieval technique indicates great potential for effectively managing information. This research seeks to answer the questions of whether software agents can provide the Company with solutions to the knowledge management issues identified in this inquiry and whether they can also be used elsewhere within the organisation to improve other aspects of the business. The research analysis shows that software agents offer a wide applicability across the Company; can be created with relative ease and can provide benefits by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of processes. Findings also provided valuable insight into human-computer-interface design and usability aspects of software agent applications. The research deals with these questions using action research in order to develop a collaborative change mechanism within the Company and a practical applicability of the research findings in situ. Using a pluralistic methodology the findings provide a combination of the subjective and objective views intermittently within the research cycles thereby giving the researchera more holistic view of this research. Little attention has been paid to integrating software agent technologies into the knowledge management processes.This research proposes a software agent application that incorporates: (1) Co-ordination of software agents for information retrieval to manage information gathering, filtering, and dissemination; (2) To promote effective interpretation of information and more efficient processes;(3) Building accurate search profiles weighted on pre-defined criteria; (4) Integrating and organising a Company resource management knowledge-base; (5) Ensuring that the right information gets to the right personnel at the right time; and (6) So the Company can effectively assign the right experts to the right roles within the Company.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Host Identity Protocol-based Network Address Translator traversal in peer-to-peer environments

Osoitteenmuuntajat aiheuttavat ongelmia vertaisverkkojen yhteyksien luomiselle. Myös koneen identiteetti protokolla (HIP) kärsii osoitteenmuuntajien aiheuttamista ongelmista, mutta sopivilla laajennuksilla sitä voidaan käyttää yleisenä osoitteenmuuntajien läpäisymenetelmänä. Interaktiivinen yhteyden luominen (ICE) on tehokas osoitteenmuuntajien läpäisymenetelmä, joka toimii monissa erilaisissa tilanteissa. Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena on mahdollistaa HIP-pohjainen osoitteenmuuntajien läpäisy käyttämällä ICE-menetelmää, ja arvioida menetelmän toimivuutta implementoinnin ja mittausten avulla. Implementoimme ICE-prototyypin ja testasimme sitä eri tyyppisten osoitteenmuuntajien kanssa. Käytimme mittauksissa verkkoa, jossa kaksi isäntäkonetta olivat eri aliverkoissa, ja suoritimme ICE-yhteystestejä näiden koneiden välillä. Mittasimme testeissä lähetettyjen viestien ja tavujen määrän sekä käytetyn ajan. Mittaustulosten perusteella laskimme myös arvion ICE:n ja HIP:in aiheuttamalle ylimääräisten viestien ja ajankäytön määrälle. ICE onnistui luomaan yhteyden kaikissa testaamissamme tilanteissa, mutta käytti välillä enemmän viestejä ja aikaa kuin olisi tarpeen. Selvitimme työssä syyt ylimääräisille viesteille ja esitimme keinoja viestien määrän vähentämiselle. Saimme myös selville, että suuressa osassa tilanteista 4-5 yhteystestiviestiä riittää yhteyden luomiseksi, mutta tietynlaista osoitteenmuunnosta käyttävät osoitteenmuuntajat voivat helposti tuplata viestien määrän. Joka tapauksessa, yhteystestien luomat liikennemäärät ovat vähäisiä, ja käyttämällä lyhyempiä ajastinaikoja kuin mitä ICE spesifikaatio ehdottaa, voidaan ICE:n tehokkuutta kasvattaa merkittävästi. Käyttämällä HIP:iä ICE:n kanssa vertaisverkko-ohjelmat voivat saada käyttöönsä tehokkaan osoitteenmuuntajien läpäisymenetelmän, joka tukee myös yhteyden turvaominaisuuksia, mobiliteettia, sekä useita yhtäaikaisia verkkoliitäntöjä.Network Address Translators (NATs) cause problems when peer-to-peer (P2P) connections are created between hosts. Also the Host Identity Protocol (HIP) has problems traversing NATs but, with suitable extensions, it can be used as a generic NAT traversal solution. The Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) is a robust NAT traversal mechanism that can enable connectivity in various NAT scenarios. The goal of this thesis is to enable HIP-based NAT traversal using ICE and to evaluate the applicability of the approach by implementation and measurements. We implemented an ICE prototype and tested it with different types of NATs. We used a network where two hosts were in different subnets and run ICE connectivity checks between them. The amount of messages and bytes sent during the process, and also how long the process took, was measured and analyzed. Based on the measurements, we calculated the overhead of using HIP with ICE for NAT traversal. ICE was able to create a connection in all the scenarios, but sometimes using more messages and longer time than expected or necessary. We found reasons why too many messages are exchanged and presented solutions on how some of these redundant messages could be avoided. We also found out that while 4-5 connectivity check messages are enough in many scenarios, NATs with specific address mapping behavior can easily double the amount of needed checks. Still, the generated traffic bitrate is modest, and using shorter timeout values than what the ICE specification suggests can have a significant positive impact on performance. By using HIP with ICE, P2P programs can get an efficient NAT traversal solution that additionally supports security, mobility and multihoming

Transfer patterns of pupils at 11+ in selected areas of Lincolnshire

This study has been undertaken largely as a result of personal and professional interest. As a Liaison Co-ordinator in a selective Secondary School who has spent many years assisting pupils to make a smooth transition from Primary to Secondary School, the choice of such a topic seemed natural. The study compares the induction programmes and transition of pupils at 11+ at a Grant Maintained Grammar School, a Comprehensive School and a Secondary Modern School in Lincolnshire by questionnaires, informal and structured interviews. The study goes further than previous research in this area by examining the perceptions of parents, pupils and staff in a triangulation study aimed at establishing similarities and differences of feeling about the transition process. This work begins by seeking a rationalisation of 11+ as a point of transfer and tracing previous research on Primary–Secondary liaison from early research which concentrated on the effect of ability and social grouping on transfer to later works which considered the feelings of individual groups of pupils, parents and teachers. The original research conducted in this study is outlined in detail and highlights the problems which arose and the amount of time required to look at the transitional groups. This is followed by an examination of the schools involved in the research and an explanation of the induction programmes that the schools presently operate. The rest of the study examines the results of the questionnaire and structured interview and the implications for further study. Recommendations for alternative approaches towards more successful transition together with suggestions for better practices drawn from the perceptions and experiences are presented for consideration

April 24, 1995

The Breeze is the student newspaper of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia