VR-PMS: a new approach for performance measurement and management of industrial systems

A new performance measurement and management framework based on value and risk is proposed. The proposed framework is applied to the modelling and evaluation of the a priori performance evaluation of manufacturing processes and to deciding on their alternatives. For this reason, it consistently integrates concepts relevant to objectives, activity, and risk in a single framework comprising a conceptual value/risk model, and it conceptualises the idea of value- and risk based performance management in a process context. In addition, a methodological framework is developed to provide guidelines for the decision-makers or performance evaluators of the processes. To facilitate the performance measurement and management process, this latter framework is organized in four phases: context establishment, performance modelling, performance assessment, and decision-making. Each phase of the framework is then instrumented with state of-the-art quantitative analysis tools and methods. For process design and evaluation, the deliverable of the value- and risk-based performance measurement and management system (VR-PMS) is a set of ranked solutions (i.e. alternative business processes) evaluated against the developed value and risk indicators. The proposed VR-PMS is illustrated with a case study from discrete parts manufacturing but is indeed applicable to a wide range of processes or systems

On various forms of bipolarity in flexible querying

International audienceThe paper discusses the modeling of “if possible" in requirements of the form “A and if possible B". We distinguish between two types of understanding: either i) A and B are requirements of the same nature and are viewed as constraints with different levels of priority, or ii) they are of different nature (only A induces constraint(s) and B is only used for breaking ties among items that are equally satisfying A). We indicate that the two views are related to different types of bipolarity, and discuss them in relation with possibilistic logic. The disjunctive dual of the first view (“A or at least B") is then presented in this logical setting. We also briefly mention the idea of an extension of the second view where B may refer both to bonus conditions or malus conditions that may increase or decrease respectively the interest in an item satisfying A

ANOMALOUS MENTAL PHENOMENA RESEARCH IN RUSSIA AND THE FORMER SOVIET UNION: A FOLLOW UP

We describe our further exploration into research of anomalous mental phenomena (AMP) in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). We visited numerous research centers in major cities of Russia and the Ukraine, met with leading researchers in the field, visited their laboratories, and participated in some experiments. In their research, our Russian colleagues emphasize studies of anomalous perturbation (AP), also termed psychokinesis (PK), and "distant mental effect" on biological systems (bio-AP or bio-PK). The experiments have been conducted in top academic and research institutions, including Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University, and several research institutes of the Russian and Ukrainian Academies of Sciences. Although the quality of research varies considerably in different institutions, there are groups that have developed rigorous methodologies. We also consider the potential cultural impact on Russian AMP research. We conclude with a discussion of the causal model of AP studies vs. informationaL perceptual model in relation to the Russian research

Skills and politics. General and specific

Skills and skill formation have become central topics in contemporary political economy. This essay traces a key concept in the current debate - the distinction between general and specific skills - back to its diverse origins in American postwar labor economics, comparative industrial relations, and human capital theory. To show how the distinction has evolved over time and between disciplines, it is related to other dual classifications of work skills, like high versus low, broad versus narrow, theoretical versus experiential, professional versus occupational, explicit versus tacit, extrafunctional versus functional, and certifiable versus noncertifiable. The aim is to reconstruct how notions of skill generality and skill specificity came to be used as the foundation of an economistic-functionalist 'production regime,' 'varieties of capitalism,' or 'asset' theory of welfare state development, and generally of politics under capitalism. -- Berufliche Qualifikationen und berufliche Bildung sind ein zentrales Thema gegenwärtiger politisch-ökonomischer Forschung. Der Aufsatz untersucht einen Schlüsselbegriff der Diskussion - die Unterscheidung zwischen allgemeinen und spezialisierten Fähigkeiten - mit Hinblick auf seine diversen Ursprünge in der amerikanischen Arbeitsökonomie der Nachkriegsjahre, der vergleichenden Forschung über industrielle Arbeitsbeziehungen und der Humankapitaltheorie. Um zu zeigen, wie die Begriffsbildung sich mit der Zeit und zwischen den verschiedenen Disziplinen entwickelt hat, wird sie mit anderen dualen Klassifikationen von beruflichen Fertigkeiten - hoch und niedrig, breit und eng, theoretisch und erfahrungsbasiert, explizit und implizit, extrafunktional und funktional, zertifizierbar und nicht zertifizierbar - in Beziehung gesetzt. Ziel ist herauszuarbeiten, wie die Unterscheidung zwischen allgemeinen und speziellen Qualifikationen zur Grundlage diverser ökonomistisch-funktionalistischer Theorien der wohlfahrtsstaatlichen Entwicklung und allgemein der Politik im Kapitalismus werden konnte.