310,532 research outputs found

    THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PREDICTIVE PROBABILITY MODEL FOR EFFECTIVE CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND IMPROVEMENT

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    It is important for organizations to understand the factors responsible for establishing sustainable continuous improvement (CI) capabilities. This study uses learning curves as the basis to examine learning obtained by team members doing work with and without the application of fundamental aspects of the Toyota Production System. The results are used to develop an effective model to guide organizational activities towards achieving the ability to continuous improve in a sustainable fashion. This research examines the effect of standardization and waste elimination activities supported by systematic problem solving on team member learning at the work interface and system performance. The results indicate the application of Standard Work principles and elimination of formally defined waste using the systematic 8-step problem solving process positively impacts team member learning and performance, providing the foundation for continuous improvement Compared to their untreated counterparts, treated teams exhibited increased, more uniformly distributed, and more sustained learning rates as well as improved productivity as defined by decreased total throughput time and wait time. This was accompanied by reduced defect rates and a significant decrease in mental and physical team member burden. A major outcome of this research has been the creation of a predictive probability model to guide sustainable CI development using a simplified assessment tool aimed at identifying essential organizational states required to support sustainable CI development

    New Ways to Tackle Malaria

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    Malaria is one of the oldest tropical diseases and still remains a focus of attention. Sub-Saharan African countries contribute 90% of the total malaria cases in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advocated eliminating this disease by 2030 with the existing strategies and tools. Many initiatives are underway by several organizations, and 38 countries have achieved the elimination goal. The main backbone of the elimination process is smart surveillance followed by prompt public health responses. The control of the disease mainly relies on treatment of malaria positive cases with anti-malarials namely artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for Plasmodium falciparum. In India, chloroquine is still effective against P. vivax. Use of 8-aminoquinolines primaquine and more recently tefenoquine warrants testing of G6PD deficiency status to avoid unnecessary hemolysis. Vector control operations mainly depend on the use of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spray (IRS) with insecticides. The threat of resistance draws an open challenge in both treatment and vector management. New initiatives on surveillance, treatment, chemoprevention, and vector control using modern techniques of artificial intelligence, machine learning, genetic engineering, and digital approach of community engagement have great potential to accelerate the malaria elimination process

    An improvement strategy for the defects and rework management process within an SME: An action research

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    Irish construction reported strong growth towards the end of 2013, after years of industry recession. Following a property led economic collapse which started in 2007 construction output fell by circa eighty percent. Many construction companies went out of business; those remaining are strongly focused on their bottom line and increasing efficiency to ensure survival. Defects and rework, common in construction, are both wasteful and a cost that can be avoided, thus presenting an obvious target for improvement. A regional SME main contractor collaborated on a project to improve the efficiency of their current processes for the identification, management and elimination of defects and rework in their supply chain. An action research strategy was employed on several field projects, to investigate the problems faced by the company in this area and to develop an improvement plan. Action research involves a five stage problem solving cycle (1) problem diagnosing; (2) action planning; (3) action taking; (4) evaluation of results; (5) specification of learning. Action planning elements emerging from the cycle (at stage 2) are presented here. They are very wide ranging and include; process standardisation; sign off procedures; use of ICT as a collaborative platform; freeware information repository; cost modelling; benchmarks for improvement; planning workshops; root cause analysis of defects and subsequent development of learning materials. Preliminary results indicate a sophisticated understanding of the defects and rework process across the supply-chain, but a general lack of forum and opportunity to contribute to improvement. The results indicate a wide diversity of abilities and resources in SMEs, including human, capital and technological, meaning one size fits all solutions to efficiency improvements are difficult to attain. Prescriptions thus need to be both simple to implement and flexible. The results here offer detailed reflective insight into best practice in designing improvement plans of this natur

    Explaining the dollar/euro exchange rate: the role of policy uncertainty, asymmetric information, and hedging opportunities

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    Many observers were surprised by the depreciation of the euro after its launch in 1999. Handicapped by a short sample, explanations tended to appeal to anecdotes and lessons learned from the experiences of other currencies. Now sample sizes are just becoming large enough to permit reasonable empirical analyses. This paper begins with a theoretical model addressing transaction costs of trading the euro. The model of pre- and post-euro foreign exchange trading explains wider spreads on the euro as a result of three possible causes: a reduction in hedging opportunities due to the elimination of the legacy currencies, policy uncertainty on the part of the ECB, and asymmetric information due to some traders having prior knowledge of ECB policies. However, even informal empirical evidence tends to reject the hypothesis that spreads were larger on the euro than the mark for all but the first few months. This seems like an unlikely candidate to explain euro depreciation over the prolonged period observed. After addressing spreads, the model is turned toward an explanation of the exchange rate level. By specializing the fundamentals considered to the euro-area inflation rate, the model is structured toward the dynamics of learning about ECB policy with regard to inflation. While a stated target inflation rate of 2 percent existed, it may be that market participants had to be convinced that the ECB would, indeed, generate low and stable inflation. The theory motivates an empirical model of Bayesian updating related to market participants learning about the underlying inflation process under the ECB regime. With a prior distribution drawn from the pre-euro EMS experience and updating based upon the realized experience each month following the introduction of the euro, the evidence suggests that it was not until the fall of 2000 that the market assessed a greater than 50 percent probability that the inflation process had changed to a new regime. From this point on, trend depreciation of the euro ends and further increases in the probability of the new inflation process are associated with euro appreciation.euro, foreign exchange, Bayesian learning

    Taḥlīl Manhaj 2013 Min Ḥaiṡ al Madkhal al `Ilmīy Wa al Taqyīm al Aṣīl bi Mu`allim al Lughah al `Arabiyyah Bi MIN 4 Banda Aceh

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    The 2013 curriculum is the current curriculum, the 2013 curriculum is the foundation for schools and staff in carrying out school activities from school equipment to teaching activities. Learning based on the 2013 curriculum must reflect scientific learning activities with an authentic evaluation model to produce a perfect level of learning. The author refers to the Learning Implementation Plan (RPP) to see an overview of scientific learning and authentic evaluation models, because there are indications that the Learning Implementation Plan (RPP) does not provide an overview of scientific learning and authentic evaluation models. This study aims to determine teacher implementation of scientific learning and authentic evaluation models in the teaching and learning process and teacher problems in implementing scientific learning and authentic evaluation models. The method in compiling this scientific essay is a descriptive method, where the author describes the problem and makes a draft to provide an interpretation of the teacher's application of scientific learning and authentic evaluation models in Arabic learning. To collect data, the writer uses data observation and interviews, both of which function to collect data and analyze it so that conclusions can be drawn. The results of the research are the application of scientific learning and the authentic evaluation model carried out by the teacher is almost perfect with several shortcomings such as lack of innovation, information, generality, and the elimination of important points. The implementation rate reaches 85% for scientific learning while the authentic evaluation model is only 50% due to the elimination of points that occur in the Learning Implementation Plan (RPP), Meanwhile, the problem with teachers in applying the scientific approach and authentic assessment is the teacher's lack of attention to the scientific approach and authentic assessment, writing lesson plans that are assisted by others without being accompanied by the teacher's response to study the lesson plans that have been written, so that the teacher's knowledge of scientific and authentic assessments is lacking and it can be seen in the less than perfect RPP writing

    Penerapan Pendidikan Jarak Jauh (PJJ) Dimasa Pandemi Covid-19 pada SIDH Belanda dan SIKL Malaysia

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    The covid-19 pandemic caused the elimination of all activities that are usually carried out by almost everyone in the world, especially learning activities at various levels.  Based on the Higher Education Law number 12 of 2012, article 31 concerning Distance Education (PJJ) is a learning process that is carried out remotely through the use of various communication and information media.  Therefore, since the covid outbreak, distance education is now widely applied in the learning process almost all over the world.  This study aims to determine the application of distance education in SIDH Netherlands and SIKL Malaysia during the pandemic, and to find out the obstacles in the application of distance education in SIDH Netherlands and SIKL Malaysia during the pandemic.  The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative method.  Data collection techniques in this study using interview techniques.  The results of the study state that SIDH in the Netherlands and SIKL Malaysia have implemented the PJJ (Distance Education) system since 2008, with Distance Learning being used to do this, automatically during this pandemic, students are not surprised by the online learning provided.  teachers (educators), but there are also some obstacles faced during the teaching and learning process during the pandemic.  Whereas in SIKL Malaysia, distance education was implemented when there was covid-19, so all students study at their respective homes.  In its application, there are several obstacles in the learning process, one of which is signal constraints. The teachers from the two scools have coshen the best method for their students so that learning can be carried out optimally. And it is hoped that in learning to apply health protocols so that students and teacherscan carry out learning activities comfortably. &nbsp

    Exploratory and Collaborative Learning Scenarios in Virtual World using Unity-based Technology

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    This paper focuses on learning tools developed for the integration in virtual learning worlds that enable instructors to create in-world scenarios more easily. The tools were implemented in consideration of several learning concepts on exploratory, collaborative and challenge-based approaches. It elaborates on the design and development of a virtual world project on two platforms, namely Unity and Open Wonderland which is based on an Egyptian learning world. Users explore the world to find, explore and discard information. Through the process of identification and elimination a story is formed. Users can share information and collaborate with other users in- world and the tasks are supported by tools embedded in the virtual world, such as Textchat, Itemboard and Chatbot. The virtual world in Unity has addressed some of the issues raised in Open Wonderland such as the graphics enhancements, level of interactivities and lessons learned from the first prototype
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