Orientation Effect On Mechanical Properties of Kenaf Reinforced Polypropylene Composite

Polymer composite is widely used in many applications such as automotive, aerospace, piping system and medical tools. The advantages of polymer composite include light weight, high performance to weight ratio and minimum environmental impact. Studies on the influence of long fiber orientation on mechanical properties were rarely done. If long fibers are placed in both longitudinal and transverse directions, the mechanical properties are expected to be improved in both directions. To verify this hypothesis, this project was proposed. The objective of this project was to study the effect of kenaf fiber orientation on the tensile strength and flexural properties of the PP/kenaf composites. In this project, polypropylene was used as matrix and kenaf was used as reinforcement. The orientation of the kenaf fiber was varied. The composite was produced from two sheets of polypropylene and kenaf fiber was placed in the middle of the sheets. This processing technique was referred to compression moulding with laminate approach. The fiber in the middle was aligned into 5 orientations and each orientation underwent tensile and flexural tests. The highest tensile strength and flexural properties were obtained in unidirectional fiber orientation. Improvement of 145%, 24% and 65% were achieved in tensile strength, flexural strength and flexural modulus, respectively

Managing technology and change in new product development (NPD): A dynamic capability perspective

This paper derives from the perspective of dynamic capability (DC) that foresees sustainable competitive advantage can be achieved through firm’s ability to continuously create alignment between new product development (NPD) and market need.By highlighting the inter-related issues, and with thorough critical review on the relevant literature, this paper proposes a conceptual framework for easy explanation of the concept. As a result, this paper contributes to better understanding of DC concept for managing technology and change in NPD.The potential areas for future studies are highlighted at the end of discussion

Structural ambidexterity vs. contextual ambidexterity: Preliminary evidence from Malaysia

Structural ambidexterity and contextual ambidexterity have dominated the discussion on organisational ambidexterity, where the similarities and differences between them are being emphasised.One of the critical views is that although both of them are essential, the impacts on performance may be dissimilar. Since there are fewer empirical studies been done to demonstrate this view, this study aims to compare and contrast the effects of structural ambidexterity and contextual ambidexterity on the firms‟ performance of new product development (NPD).This study is examined in the case of manufacturing sector in Malaysia. The data was collected via a questionnaire survey targeting product/production managers, and processed with SPSS v.19 statistical technique.The results of correlation and linear regression analyses have shown that structural ambidexterity and contextual ambidexterity are indeed dissimilar in their effects on NPD performance, but at the same time are complementing each other.It is concluded that both of them are important, but must be applied according to the right contexts. Since this is a preliminary study, more empirical works need to be done to generalise the findings

Organisational capabilities, environmental turbulence, and NPD performance: A study on Malaysian manufacturing firms

Although current NPD study is focusing on various organisational capabilities, the amount of studies that have looked at the relationships between them and NPD performance under turbulence environments remains relatively low in the context of the Malaysian manufacturing sector.The results have revealed that different organisational capabilities have different effects on different NPD performances under various environmental turbulences. From DCs point of view, this study has proven that, unless firms are capable of deploying the correct types of organisational capabilities, simply possessing them is insufficient to achieve better NPD performance under a turbulence environment

The concept of dynamic capability for managing technology and change

There are numerous conceptual and empirical studies on the topic of dynamic capability where most of them were demonstrated to address the innovation and technological-related issues. However, there are still many issues surrounding the concept that need further clarification. To explicitly understand how dynamic capability can benefit technology management, this paper reviews the fundamental of dynamic capability concept, the issues surrounding the topics under discussion, and its relevance for managing technology and change. By doing so, the link between dynamic capability and technology management can be clarified. This review paper should benefit both the academicians and students who interested in management of technology and change with the concept of dynamic capability

Sustaining value creation with complementary technologies alignment

Firm creates value within its value chain (VC) and value systems (VS).As technologies exist in the firm’s VC and VS, they have becoming more complementary than replacing each other. Technological change that affects the activities in the firm’s VC and/or VS iscausing misalignment to the firm’s existing complementary technologies, which will affect not just the firm’s value creation activities but also the value creation of the members in the systems.It is argued value creation can be sustained if the firm is able to continuously create alignment among the complementary technologies in its VC and/or with the other members’ VCs.Guided with the concept of complementary assets alignment from dynamic capability (DC) perspective, the objective of this conceptual paper is to highlight a conceptual framework for sustaining value creation by creating alignment among the complementary technologies within the firm’s VC and VS in response of technological change

Understanding the concept of dynamic capabilities by dismantling Teece, Pisano, and Shuen (1997)’s definition

The concept of dynamic capabilities (DCs) is gaining popularity in management field particularly in strategic management. The concept that is still new and contemporary has attracted many arguments that may lead to confusion. To understand the basic concept of DCs, looking back to the definition in Teece, Pisano and Shuen 1997’s working paper will be crucial not just because the authors are among the first to seriously promote DCs but also among the most referred article in the management field of 1990s and even still today. Hence, the objective of this review paper is to understand the basic concept of DCs by scrutinizing the definition in Teece, Pisano and Shuen (1997) that will give benefit to those who are new to the concept and wanting a quick insight on it.The definition is dismantled into six questions where the contested arguments (when applicable) relating to each of the questions are drawn from mainly various DCs literature that is not means to be conclusive and exhaustive

Technology readiness for the system of rice intensification (SRI)

A system of rice intensification (SRI) was conceptualized as a system of formulated principles for producing rice rather than a technical practices of technology. However, with the advancement of technology, numerous studies have focused on the adoption issues of rice intensification technology (RIT) for SRI. Although it is important to questions what motivate, and what inhibit farmers from adopting RIT, there were few studies had actually addressed these questions from the perspective of technology readiness. This article aims to explain how the benefits and barriers in SRI influence the readiness of RIT, prior to its adoption.As a result, a framework was proposed under the domain of technology readiness to explain how the readiness of RIT could be affected by both motivators and inhibitors in SRI.It can be used to characterize and examine the extent to which motivators or inhibitors of RIT existed in the process and influenced the advancement of SRI.This implicates the researchers in SRI would be able to screen and identify technological problems relating to adoption issues of RIT for SRI, and taking relevant actions to contend with the identified problems.This article has promoted SRI as not being anti technology, which means with the right management of technology, RIT can be used to achieve the principles of SRI for better water management, seedling, and transplanting

Organisational ambidexterity and NPD performance a conceptual framework

New product development (NPD) consists of exploitative activity for incremental product development and explorative activity for radical product development.However, since the functions of exploitative and explorative NPDs are of opposite directions, they compete for scarce resources that make them in trade-off nature.This trade-off nature can negatively affects NPD performance.As a solution to this problem, a concept of organisational ambidexterity has emerged.This concept refers to a firm’s ability to simultaneously pursuit exploitative and explorative NPDs that able to achieve the benefits of both worlds.However, as this concept is relatively new, its relationship with NPD performance is still underexplored.In details, structural ambidexterity and contextual ambidexterity that are two types of organisational ambidexterity need to be compared and contrasted to NPD financial and non-financial performance since they pursuit exploitative and explorative NPDs in different ways.As such, this study contributes to NPD and organisational ambidexterity literatures through a conceptual framework that shows the relationships between structural ambidexterity, contextual ambidexterity, and NPD financial and non financial performance.A potential setting for empirical study based on this conceptual framework is also addressed

Exploring the concept of technology management through dynamic capability perspective

It is argue that the study of TM is related to the DCs view in which TM can be explained through DCs lens.The reason why discussion of TM from DCs lens is critical because DCs is designed to explains the source of sustainable competitive advantage in which TM is lacking of.Moreover, under rapidly technological change managing technology will be much difficult in which DCs is providing the guides on how managing the technology can be done under the rapid changes.At the same time, it is well informed that there are many perspectives and school of thought between the two because of their nature of multi-disciplinary and multidimensional. Thus, there are similarities and also dissimilarities between them.However, this paper will only focus on the similarities of the two as this can helps to explains how TM can be seen as one form of DCs.It is argue that the similarities between TM and DCs can be discussed under concepts, processes, and lifecycles.It is stressed that the discussion of TM through DCs lens is at exploratory stage. Therefore, the contribution of the paper is to promote the study of TM from DCs perspectives that may open for relevant topics for TM to address current situations