Reliability-based vulnerability requirements for asymmetric threats in the design of ship structures

This thesis investigates the structural response of modem ship structures under the effect of premeditated blast loads from acts of terrorism and extremism. The escalation of maritime terrorism and piracy has given the impetus to this study to take an introspective look into the details of ship structural performance under a series of design threats. Knowledge gained in studying the vulnerability of merchant ship structures is important in identifying the area to focus further work. As soon as the vulnerability of a typical ship structure is identified, a more detailed study on the most contributive structural members is carried out. Then, a rational increase of the highlighted members raises the reliability index of the subject panel, and proposes a target reliability index for blast-loaded stiffened panels. The benefit from meeting the suggested reliability-based vulnerability requirements is assessed in terms of a series of identified metrics of benefit for the considered design threatsEThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The moderating effect of age on the association between high-performance work systems and employee performance in different work roles

High performance work systems (HPWS) have been shown to associate with performance at diverse levels. In this article, we study the effects of employee age on the relationship between HPWS and employee performance. We use a role-based measurement of employee performance, which introduces five roles that an employee can hold within an organization, namely the roles of Job holder, Career seeker, Innovator, Team member, and Organization member. Integrating social exchange theory with lifespan theories (i.e., future time perspective and socio-emotional selectivity theory), we propose that HPWS have different associations with job roles for older employees. Using 342 pairs of supervisors and their subordinates, that are nested in 111 service organizations, multilevel analyses show that HPWS positively associate with employee performance in the Organization member role. Moreover, the relationships between HPWS and performance in the Job holder and the Career seeker roles are weaker for older than for younger employees. The results are discussed in the light of the challenges they pose for the management of an aging workforce

The Australian Cricket board (ABC): Mapping Corporate Relations

Academic research in the area of sports marketing has concentrated on bi-lateral relationships, such as that linking a sponsor with the recipient of support, or that between the audience and a particular sport. Yet the industry, made of many relationships, involves probably more than the mere sum of all these bi-lateral links. This paper first relates the principles of relationship marketing to the sports industry and presents a graphical representation of its multiple players and the relationships that bind them. Then, based on qualitative information obtained from the Australian Cricket Board, it illustrates how this industry map can be used by any player in the industry in order to identify and prioritise those relationship links in order to develop successful marketing strategies. It is suggested that industry mapping linked with the relationship marketing focus, can be the anchor for quality service improvements in the sports industry. © 1998, MCB UP Limite