An experience of introducing last planner into a UK construction project

The Last Planner methodology developed by the Lean Construction Institute is a production control tool which has possible benefits for improving planning in the UK construction industry. Its application has been considered in countries outside the UK but there is scope for considering whether it is a practical tool for use in UK construction projects. The application of the methodology to a UK construction project was studied with a view to establishing the value of the tool and the possible barriers to its implementation. After training by the writers the method was developed for use on a project by the project team and applied to the main activities. The writers observed the process and interviewed the participants. The methodology had some success in terms of improving structure and discipline in planning but there were structural and cultural barriers identified which need to be addressed before it can be fully successful

Intellectual Property Management in Health and Agricultural Innovation: Executive Guide

Prepared by and for policy-makers, leaders of public sector research establishments, technology transfer professionals, licensing executives, and scientists, this online resource offers up-to-date information and strategies for utilizing the power of both intellectual property and the public domain. Emphasis is placed on advancing innovation in health and agriculture, though many of the principles outlined here are broadly applicable across technology fields. Eschewing ideological debates and general proclamations, the authors always keep their eye on the practical side of IP management. The site is based on a comprehensive Handbook and Executive Guide that provide substantive discussions and analysis of the opportunities awaiting anyone in the field who wants to put intellectual property to work. This multi-volume work contains 153 chapters on a full range of IP topics and over 50 case studies, composed by over 200 authors from North, South, East, and West. If you are a policymaker, a senior administrator, a technology transfer manager, or a scientist, we invite you to use the companion site guide available at http://www.iphandbook.org/index.html The site guide distills the key points of each IP topic covered by the Handbook into simple language and places it in the context of evolving best practices specific to your professional role within the overall picture of IP management

Supply chain control: Trade-offs and system requirements

The official published version can be accessed from the link below.A paper describes the underlying forces which drive change in manufacturing enterprises and supply chains. It sets out the complexities in modern capitalism and global economics and illustrates the trade-offs that can be made. IT systems which are required to assist improvements to both customer service and enterprise manufacturing performance are explained, alluding to the special case for the semiconductor industry. Arguments are presented showing how the new tools being developed with the ESPRIT project 20544, X-CITTIC, will satisfy the control needs for a virtual enterprise. This paper describes the underlying forces which drive change in manufacturing enterprises and supply chains. It sets out the complexities in modem capitalism and global economics and illustrates the trade-offs that can be made. IT systems which are required to assist improvements to both customer service and enterprise manufacturing performance are explained alluding to the special case for the semiconductor industry. Finally it shows how the new tools being developed with the ESPRIT project 20544, XCITTIC, will satisfy the control needs for a virtual enterprise

The role of Intellectual Capital Reporting (ICR) in organisational transformation: A discursive practice perspective

Intellectual Capital Reporting (ICR) has garnered increasing attention as a new accounting technology that can engender significant organisational changes. However, when ICR was first recognised as a management fashion, the intended change it heralded in stable environments was criticised for having limited impact on the state of practice. Conceiving ICR through a lens predicated on the notion of discursive practice, we argue that ICR can enable substantive change in emergent conditions. We empirically demonstrate this process by following the implementation of ICR in one organisation through interviews, documents and observations over 30 months. The qualitative analysis of the data corpus shows how situated change, subtle but no less significant, can take place in the name of intellectual capital as actors appropriate ICR into their everyday work practices while improvising variations to accommodate different logics of action. The paper opens up a new avenue to examine the specific roles of ICR in relation to the types of change enacted. It thus demonstrates when and how ICR may transcend a mere management fashion and the intended change it sets in motion through altering organisational actors’ ways of thinking and doing within the confines of their organisation

Computational tasks in robotics and factory automation

The design of Manufacturing Planning and Control Systems (MPCSs) — systems that negotiate with Customers and Suppliers to exchange products in return for money in order to generate profit, is discussed.\ud \ud The computational task of MPCS components are systematically specified as a starting point for the development of computational engines, as computer systems and programs, that execute the specified computation. Key issues are the overwhelming complexity and frequently changing application of MPCSs

Farmer-To-Farmer Advice: What's the Best Way to Sell Raw Wool in Australia?

Some 85% of all raw wool produced in Australia is sold on the open-cry auction system (Bolt 2004). Current debate among wool growers highlighted the need to explore other methods available and, of these, determine what are the most preferred. Four focus groups were conducted in regional Western Australia to ascertain primary producers' opinions on the options available for selling their raw wool. Focus group p articipants were given a series of scenarios to brainstorm, these focused on offering advice to a new neighbour who had n ever grown wool. Results of the research showed that auctioning wool via the services of a broker is by far the preferred selling method. Forward contracting and internet-based selling were options that were unfamiliar but worthy of trial while futures and op tions trading, value-added selling and selling direct to mills were the least favoured methods. Further to this it was found that producers are willing to try selling methods that shorten the wool supply chain and they also favour relationship-based systems.Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,