Knowledge Based Approach to Support Innovation Processes in Small and Medium Sized Manufacturing Enterprises

Knowledge plays a key role in the management of innovation processes in the organisation. A large number of efforts have been made to support the innovation processes by academics and practitioners in the field of Innovation and Knowledge Management. As a result, there are several methods and approaches now available for companies to manage their innovation knowledge more effectively. However, the aspects of knowledge identification, storage and utilisation to support innovation processes has not been researched extensively. In addition, it is argued that the existing methods and approaches which were originally developed and implemented in large organisations do not meet the special requirements of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). Therefore, there is a need for more research to investigate what information and knowledge sources are being used, how these sources are stored and when they are utilised in the innovation process in SMEs. This thesis inspects the above mentioned issues in greater depth by conducting a series of case studies of the innovation processes in SMEs. The research has been specifically focused on the needs of SMEs in the manufacturing sector and has studied product, process and service innovation. This research programme commenced with a thorough study of the current literature associated with Innovation, Innovation Models, Knowledge Management, Quality Circle Programme and Learning Organisation. The second stage of this research has utilised the findings from the literature review to develop a novel research framework to examine current innovation and knowledge management practices in use within manufacturing SMEs. The programme applied primary research methods to validate the knowledge gained from the secondary research. The UK based manufacturing SMEs were used as test beds to investigate and understand their innovation practices, tools and procedures applied in their innovation processes; and to gather responses to key research questions. In the third stage, the results from the previous stages were utilised to develop a novel knowledge-based innovation framework that implements a new methodology for the adoption of innovation processes in manufacturing SMEs. The construction of the novel innovation framework has been based on individual practices found in traditional problem-solving approaches such as the Quality Circle Programme, combined with a selected group of practices obtained from different management processes such as Knowledge Management and team learning and sharing practices such as Learning Organisation. The fourth stage implemented the proposed framework as a software tool that can be used to support innovation processes. In the final stage, the thesis was concluded with the validation of the proposed knowledge toolset, discussion on the validation results and the application of the toolset to support innovation processes in manufacturing SMEs

Design of an innovation platform for manufacturing SMES

This paper reports on the conception of a collaborative, internet-based innovation platform with semantic capabilities, which implements a new methodology for the adoption of a systematic innovation process in globally-acting networked SMEs. The main objective of the innovation platform is to stimulate the generation of ideas, the selection of good ideas and their ultimate implementation. The platform will support SMEs to manage and implement the complex innovation processes arisen in a networked environment, taking into account their internal and external links, by enabling an open multi-agent focused innovation system, facilitating customer, provider, supplier and employee- focused innovation. The solution is specifically focused on the needs of manufacturing SMEs and will observe product, process and management innovation. The paper presents the key elements of the innovation model and makes references to a novel approach concerning the development of a robust and flexible Central Knowledge Repository for the innovation platform

Development of a neural network mathematical model for demand forecasting in fluctuating markets

Research has shown that Neural Networks (NNs) when trained appropriately are the best forecasting system compared to conventional techniques. Research has shown that there is no system to accurately forecast sudden changes in demand for a given product. This paper reports on the development of a recovery method when a sudden change in demand has taken place. This error in forecasting demand leads to either excessive inventories of the product or shortages of it and can lead to substantial financial losses for the company producing or marketing the product. Two recovery methods have been developed and described in this paper: RZ recovery and Exponential Smoothing (ES). In the RZ recovery once a sudden change has taken place, a ‘soft’ Poke-Yoke (PY) system is setup warning the company that the normal forecasting system can no longer be relied upon and a recovery system needs to be initiated, with re-forecasting initiated

Analysis and Optimization of Ceramic Cutting Tool In Hard Turning of EN-31 Using Factorial Design

Manufacturers around the globe persistently looking for the cheapest and quality manufactured machined components to compete in the market. Good surface quality is desired for the proper functioning of the produced parts. The surface quality is influenced by cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut and many other parameters. In the present study attempt has been made to evaluate the performance of ceramic inserts during hard turning of EN-31 steel. The analysis of variance is applied to study the effect of cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut on Flank wear and surface roughness. Model is found to be statically significant using regression model, while feed and depth of cut are the factor affecting Flank wear and feed is dominating factors for surface roughness. The analysis of variance was used to analyze the input parameters and there interactions during machining. The developed model predicted response factor at 95% confidence level

ROLE OF NANOEMULSION FOR SAFE AND COST-EFFECTIVE DELIVERY OF AMPHOTERICIN B

Amphotericin B is a highly effective antifungal agent and its use has been surged drastically due to its effectiveness against a wide range of fungal infections. It is effective against both topical and systemic infections and even this is the only drug having high efficacy against Leishmania, Candida, Aspergillus and many more. Owing to this, the demand of Amphotericin B is gaining momentum. However, this drug possesses numerous drawbacks like toxicity, poor solubility to name a few, due to which its current use is dwindling. So far the numbers of formulations have been marketed in order to triumph over its toxicity and solubility related issues. Unfortunately, no single study conducted hitherto gain success in overcoming its lethal ramifications. Among all formulations, nanoemulsions are at the top to combat all issues related to this drug. Nanoemulsion has shown enhanced stability, reduced cost and toxicity. This review will assimilate complete information on the use of nanoemulsion based formulations of Amphotericin B, its developed formulations and also will enunciate the important considerations and future perspectives. The complete data have been composed from Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and PubMed using the following keywords

An Update on JE Vaccine Development and Use

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an emerging and re- emerging arboviral infection of global significance. Its causative agent Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia, Southeast Asia and Pacific. Nearly 3 billion people living in JE endemic areas account for 10000- 15000 deaths annually. The disease has high fatality rate (~30%) and nearly 50% survivors develop permanent neuropsychiatric sequelae. There is no specific treatment for JE. Vaccination is the only effective strategy available for prevention and control of JE. The wider availability and inclusion of JE vaccination in the national immunization programme in many of the affected countries have resulted in better prospects for control of JE. This review is an update on vaccines currently available, their development, recommended immunization schedule for them as well as the upcoming challenges related with cross- protectivity against hetrologous genotypes

Declining sikh space on the religious and political landscape of India

This study is devoted to highlighting the temporal trends and spatial variations in the concentration and growth of the major religious groups in India with special reference to the Sikh population. Such studies are gaining importance with the increasing penetration of both the religion and castecomposition in the political environment of the country. Although religious and caste interventions in politics are prevalent in all the elections, these become stronger as we move down from Parliamentary to Panchayat elections in which the voting pattern changes in favour of religion and caste groups. It has been observed that the share of Muslim population increased by 5.96% between 2001 and 2011, while it declined in the case of all other communities and the maximum decline (-8.02%) was noticed in the case of the Sikh population with the lowest share among all the major religious communities in India. The Sikh population also recorded the lowest growth rate of 8.42% against 24.65% and 16.76% witnessed by Muslims and Hindus respectively between2001 and 2011. The study is based on the religious data released by the Census of India