Concurrent engineering, product life cycle management using cross-functional teams: a case study

Concurrent engineering (CE) aspires to foster a collaborative environment in which all players work cooperatively to optimize resource use. However, such variables can complicate execution in organizations. This analysis aims to detail creating and implementing a CE model in an Iraqi textile factory. Administrative and quality management procedures were used to collect process data. With the enterprise’s culture in mind, a CE model centered on modern product management was created. Two programs were used to validate the proposed model’s features. From three to one month, the time is taken to plan and approve inventions was reduced. The method now has a stable architecture due to finding deployment problems, potential operator errors, and bottlenecks. This research used a cross-functional team to accomplish the (CE) goal of shortening the product’s life cycle while focusing on the product’s quality requirements. Leading organizations understand that large cross-functional teams are critical to rapidly developing creative solutions

Software development environments: Present and future, appendix D

Computerized environments which facilitate the development of appropriately functioning software systems are discussed. Their current status is reviewed and several trends exhibited by their history are identified. A number of principles, some at (slight) variance with the historical trends, are suggested and it is argued that observance of these principles is critical to achieving truly effective and efficient software development support environments

Human-Intelligence and Machine-Intelligence Decision Governance Formal Ontology

Since the beginning of the human race, decision making and rational thinking played a pivotal role for mankind to either exist and succeed or fail and become extinct. Self-awareness, cognitive thinking, creativity, and emotional magnitude allowed us to advance civilization and to take further steps toward achieving previously unreachable goals. From the invention of wheels to rockets and telegraph to satellite, all technological ventures went through many upgrades and updates. Recently, increasing computer CPU power and memory capacity contributed to smarter and faster computing appliances that, in turn, have accelerated the integration into and use of artificial intelligence (AI) in organizational processes and everyday life. Artificial intelligence can now be found in a wide range of organizational systems including healthcare and medical diagnosis, automated stock trading, robotic production, telecommunications, space explorations, and homeland security. Self-driving cars and drones are just the latest extensions of AI. This thrust of AI into organizations and daily life rests on the AI community’s unstated assumption of its ability to completely replicate human learning and intelligence in AI. Unfortunately, even today the AI community is not close to completely coding and emulating human intelligence into machines. Despite the revolution of digital and technology in the applications level, there has been little to no research in addressing the question of decision making governance in human-intelligent and machine-intelligent (HI-MI) systems. There also exists no foundational, core reference, or domain ontologies for HI-MI decision governance systems. Further, in absence of an expert reference base or body of knowledge (BoK) integrated with an ontological framework, decision makers must rely on best practices or standards that differ from organization to organization and government to government, contributing to systems failure in complex mission critical situations. It is still debatable whether and when human or machine decision capacity should govern or when a joint human-intelligence and machine-intelligence (HI-MI) decision capacity is required in any given decision situation. To address this deficiency, this research establishes a formal, top level foundational ontology of HI-MI decision governance in parallel with a grounded theory based body of knowledge which forms the theoretical foundation of a systemic HI-MI decision governance framework

Sub-national governments and foreign policy : the case of the Limpopo Province in South Africa

The aim of this study is to analyse and describe the role of sub-national governments (SNG’s) in foreign policy and how the conduct of diplomacy has developed in the South African context, and to assess why and how provinces engage in this phenomenon. The theoretical approach to this study is embedded in neo-functionalism. In order to illustrate this, the South African province, the Limpopo Province is used as an illustrative case study. In particular, the study will analyse the role of the International Relations Unit (IRU) within the Office of the Premier (OtP) in the Limpopo Province as a case study. Limpopo is the main focus of this study because it, inter alia, borders on three sovereign states (Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe) which place the province in a good position to engage in international relations, mutual intentions and friendly relations with its neighbouring and other distant countries. The results of this study is that provinces have become important foreign policy and international relations actors in the area of low politics; however the national government remains as the main actor in the international relations and foreign policy making process. The results also indicate that Limpopo is being proactive in facilitating and accelerating the realisation of the foreign policy objectives since provinces engage with international activities that run in parallel with the objectives and principles of the national foreign policy. The study contributes to the literature on SNG’s diplomacy in South Africa. It also lays the foundation for further research in other SNG’s diplomacy especially in Africa by employing other theories that have been ignored including African theories.Political SciencesM.A. (Politics

Is the make-buy decision process a core competence?

Cover title. "January 1996."Includes bibliographical references (p. 30-32).Sponsored by MIT programs (Leaders for Manufacturing, International Motor Vehicle Program, Industrial Performance Center, Japan Program, International Center for Research on the Management of Technology) and the ONR.Charles H. Fine, Daniel E. Whitney

Minutes of a Regular Meeting, The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, November 9-10, 1994

24120-2416

Contribution of collaborative project performance to corporate performance in engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) companies

Main purpose of this study is to explore relationships between collaborative supply chain to project performance measures and the contribution of these measures to corporate performance measures in engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) industry. Collaborative supply chain is useful due to the fact that EPC projects require multidiscipline capabilities, but it is also challenging because of the short term contractual relationships among parties in the collaboration. The existence of EPC contracting companies is important to support the development of infrastructure projects in developing countries.Integrated scope and concurrent project cycle development within EPC contract enable the projects to be developed in a more timely and efficient manner. Contribution of project performance to corporate performance in this industry plays a critical role to maintain sustainable capabilities and growth of an EPC company. A series of interview and survey will be undertaken to acquire information from executives in EPC companies regarding their perception on performance measures of projects and how these measures may support the corporate performance. Constructs emerge from the interviews, will be compared with a predetermined conceptual constructs based on previous research and references. Result of this research may be used as the basis for defining the EPC companies’ corporate performance objectives as a function of collaborative project performance measures. The finding may also be used in assessing the capability of EPC companies to cope with the challenge of accelerated infrastructure development in developing countries. Although a considerable number of construction companies have been developing an EPC division or subsidiary in the past five years, the number of established EPC contractors operating in Indonesia is very limited (less than twenty companies). This limited number of EPC companies implies that data collection activity in this research should consider the ability to represent the industry characteristics