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Modular assembly with postponement to improve health, safety & productivity in construction
This paper presents the outcome of an engineering study as part of the design and development of a lean and agile construction system and in particular its supply chain component. This combines modular assembly with a postponement function to be tested on a case study project (not reported here), the objective of which is to improve health, safety and productivity for the company sponsoring the research.
The contribution to research is the combination of countermeasures described in this paper that have been developed and incorporated into a wider construction system, in the same way that manufacturing has used this strategy with great success. Also, a further output is the development and use of an innovative method for assembling, transporting and installing mechanical and electrical modules, whereby modularization can be achieved with or without offsite manufacturing capability. The research forecasts a reduction of onsite labor of 35% compared to using traditional methods of construction, with less onsite operatives at risk of injury carrying out simpler assembly tasks within ergonomic mobile work cells. Further research is proposed to measure the benefits of the construction system following its implementation on a case study project
The feed-in tariff in the UK : a case study focus on domestic photovoltaic systems
This paper explores the photovoltaic (PV) industry in the United Kingdom (UK) as experienced by those who are working with it directly and with consideration of current standards, module efficiencies and future environmental trends. The government's consultation on the comprehensive review for solar PV tariffs, proposes a reduction of the generation tariff for PV installations in the UK of more than 50%. The introduction of the Feed-In Tariffs scheme (FITs) has rapidly increased deployment of PV technologies at small scale since its introduction in April 2010. The central principle of FIT policies is to offer guaranteed prices for fixed periods to enable greater number of investors. A financial analysis was performed on two real-life installations in Cornwall, UK to determine the impact of proposed cuts to the FIT will make to a typical domestic PV system under 4 kW. The results show that a healthy Return on Investment (ROI) can still be made but that future installations should focus on off-setting electricity required from the national grid as a long term push for true sustainability rather than subsidised schemes. The profitability of future installations will have to be featured within in-service and end-of-service considerations such as the feed-in tariff, module efficiencies and the implications of costs associated with end-of-life disposal
Applying Design for Assembly Principles in Computer Aided Design to Make Small Changes that Improve the Efficiency of Manual Aircraft Systems Installations
The installation of essential systems into aircraft wings involves numerous labour-intensive processes. Many human operators are required to perform complex manual tasks over long periods of time in very challenging physical positions due to the limited access and confined space. This level of human activity in poor ergonomic conditions directly impacts on speed and quality of production but also, in the longer term, can cause costly human resource problems from operators' cumulative development of musculoskeletal injuries. These problems are exacerbated in areas of the wing which house multiple systems components because the volume of manual work and number of operators is higher but the available space is reduced.To improve the efficiency of manual work processes which cannot yet be automated we therefore need to consider how we might redesign systems installations in the enclosed wing environment to better enable operator access and reduce production time.This paper describes a recent study that applied design for assembly and maintainability principles and CATIA v5 computer aided design software to identify small design changes for wing systems installation tasks. Results show positive impacts for ergonomics, production time and cost, and maintainability, whilst accounting for aircraft performance and machining capabilities
Growing Ohio's Green Energy Economy
Provides an overview of the state's solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal energy and fuel cell industries and assesses their economic contribution and potential for growth. Recommends policies to encourage further green energy development and job creation
Greening Supply Chains in China: Practical Lessons From China-Based Suppliers in Achieving Environmental Performance
Presents case studies of how five China-based suppliers are meeting international buyers' environmental requirements. Examines management processes; effective low-cost ways to reduce water pollution; and the roles of multistakeholders and third parties
South Bronx Residents Solution on Greening our 'hood
The South Bronx has struggled for years with three of the most pressing social and economic inequities that affect urban, low-income communities of color: high unemployment, poor public health, and substandard housing conditions. Compared with other neighborhoods in New York City, the South Bronx community bears an unequal share of the burden in each of these areas. The South Bronx is home to the highest unemployment rate in the city at 12.6%, claims one of the highest rates of asthma and obesity in the country, and residents are exposed to housing infested with cockroaches, mold and other allergens at a higher rate than anywhere else in the City.After a year-long community visioning process, where members of MOM identified the need to address the intersecting issues of housing, environmental injustice and unemployment, members of MOM decided to research a public policy solution that could address each of these interrelated issues simultaneously. This solution is a green jobs program, which we define as employment opportunities that improve the environment. After surveying hundreds of residents in the South Bronx, and exploring a variety of existing and proposed green jobs programs found in New York and elsewhere throughout the country, members of MOM have decided to call for the creation of a green jobs program focused in the New York City Housing Authority to retrofit each of the South Bronx neighborhood's 90 public housing developments to be more energy efficient. If implemented successfully, this green jobs program could create thousands of new jobs while simultaneously improving public health and housing conditions for low-income South Bronx residents
Tahap penguasaan, sikap dan minat pelajar Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA terhadap mata pelajaran Bahasa Inggeris
Kajian ini dilakukan untuk mengenal pasti tahap penguasaan, sikap dan minat pelajar
Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi Mara Sri Gading terhadap Bahasa Inggeris. Kajian yang
dijalankan ini berbentuk deskriptif atau lebih dikenali sebagai kaedah tinjauan. Seramai
325 orang pelajar Diploma in Construction Technology dari Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi
Mara di daerah Batu Pahat telah dipilih sebagai sampel dalam kajian ini. Data yang
diperoleh melalui instrument soal selidik telah dianalisis untuk mendapatkan
pengukuran min, sisihan piawai, dan Pekali Korelasi Pearson untuk melihat hubungan
hasil dapatan data. Manakala, frekuensi dan peratusan digunakan bagi mengukur
penguasaan pelajar. Hasil dapatan kajian menunjukkan bahawa tahap penguasaan
Bahasa Inggeris pelajar adalah berada pada tahap sederhana manakala faktor utama yang
mempengaruhi penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris tersebut adalah minat diikuti oleh sikap.
Hasil dapatan menggunakan pekali Korelasi Pearson juga menunjukkan bahawa terdapat
hubungan yang signifikan antara sikap dengan penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris dan antara
minat dengan penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris. Kajian menunjukkan bahawa semakin positif
sikap dan minat pelajar terhadap pengajaran dan pembelajaran Bahasa Inggeris semakin
tinggi pencapaian mereka. Hasil daripada kajian ini diharapkan dapat membantu pelajar
dalam meningkatkan penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris dengan memupuk sikap positif dalam
diri serta meningkatkan minat mereka terhadap Bahasa Inggeris dengan lebih baik. Oleh
itu, diharap kajian ini dapat memberi panduan kepada pihak-pihak yang terlibat dalam
membuat kajian yang akan datang
Sustainability and the Talentship Paradigm: Strategic Human Resource Management Beyond the Bottom Line
[Excerpt] This paper proposes such a framework that simultaneously shifts the prize to reflect Sustainability and shifts the paradigm of HRM toward a decision science called “Talentship” (Boudreau & Ramstad, 2002). It defines Sustainability and its measures, defines the typical connection between HRM and sustainability using the traditional HRM paradigm. Then, the HC BRidge® talent decision framework that connects HRM, talent, and competitive/financial strategic success, is used to logically make similar connections between HRM, talent and sustainability. Examples from Shell and DuPont show how the combination of shifting the prize and the paradigm reveals pivotal roles for talent that are not apparent with traditional definitions of strategic success and the traditional HRM paradigm
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