Commercialisation of university technology: a case in robotics

While the politicians and policy makers debate the economic implications of university science and technology, this paper attempts to look at the issue of commercialisation of university technology from the viewpoint of the institutions themselves. The author attempts to construct a theoretical model with the aim of providing universities and researchers with a tool to aid decision making as to which 'technologies' to commercialise and which route to commercialisation would be most suitable in each case. Having established the value of the framework, the case of one current innovation, stemming from a research project in the field of robotics, is considered. In the light of evidence put forward by applying the framework, alternative routes to commercialisation are discussed along with possible outcomes

Managing teams in business process environments

This paper discusses the management of teams in business process environments

Factors that affect the design and implementation of team-based performance management systems

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the factors that enable and/or constrain the design and implementation of team-based performance measurement systems

Guest editorial: special issue on performance measurement

This special issue is based on selected papers presented at the 1st International Performance Measurement Workshop organised by the Performance Measurement Special Interest Group of the IFIP WG 5.7. The workshop took place on 24-25 May 2001

Designing performance measurement systems for teams: Theory or practice

This paper reports on an industrially led research project, supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), which set out to tackle an increasingly pressing issue for organisations - how to measure and manage the performance of teams. In spite of the current interest in performance measurement and teamwork in industry, little evidence of team performance measurement systems (TPMS) was seen. Thus, started the authors' journey into looking for a way to help companies to measure and manage team performance. The purpose of this paper is to take the reader through the investigations, with an emphasis on the analysis of current practice and research on TPMS. It describes a typology for TPMS design and identifies the gaps of current TPMS approaches. The paper concludes by claiming that a new approach to facilitate organisations design TPMS is required and by presenting a generic framework for TPMS

Designing effective team-based performance measurement systems : an integrated approach

Measuring the performance of teams and, in particular, designing effective team-based performance measurement systems (TPMS) can be a difficult task. The purpose of this paper is to take the reader through the development and testing of a construct that provides an integrated approach to facilitate the design of TPMS. This construct was developed and tested based on a rigorous set of criteria adopted from constructive research theory as well as from existing performance measurement literature. The construct was tested in a series of workshops described in this paper. The data gathered during these workshops demonstrates the novelty and validity of the construct. The paper should be of interest to managers, team leaders and indeed anyone who is interested in monitoring and managing team performance. The paper will also be of interest to academics working in the fields of performance measurement and team management

The importance of complementary assets in the development of smart technology

Smart technology covers a broad area of inquiry from complex devices utilizing optoelectronics and sensors for monitoring structural integrity to research into molecularly intelligent materials. Much smart technology is still embryonic, but promises considerable benefits in a wide range of industry sectors. Two years ago the first Smart Structures Research Institute was inaugurated at the University of Strathclyde, in Scotland, to stimulate the development of these new technologies in Europe. This paper explores the options for developing the technology within different industry sectors. The authors discuss the nature of 'demand' in innovation and demonstrate that an awareness of 'complementary assets' is important at a very early stage of the innovations process. The Institute's successes in bringing together partners in collaborative research, establishing a communication network and exploiting different public funding schemes at different stages of research are all important ways in which it has influenced the dynamics of innovation. The authors conclude that assessing the future prospects of a research institute must include a number of market and organisational issues as well as technical inputs, and that the process of assessment itself serves as a further influencing factor on future direction and focus

Using simulation to validate performance measure hierarchies in supply chains

This publication covers using simulation to validate performance measure hierarchies in supply chains. It was presented at the industrial engineering and production management conference in 2003

A comparative study of the simulation analysis of e-business implementation in manufacturing companies

The business environment throughout the world is currently going through rapid and far-reaching change. Business managers are analysing their business processes and scrutinising ways to make their systems more streamlined and competitive in order to meet the challenges posed by the global economy. Forming close alliances and integrating the operational processes with the key suppliers and customers is the mantra every one is embodying. Just as no man is an island, so no business can operate without being part of a network of businesses proactively collaborating and sharing information for mutual success. This book presents some of the latest thinking on collaborative systems by bringing together the works of leading experts who share their ideas on the state of the art research and development on Collaborative Systems for Production Management in the broadest sense. This book is composed of six parts, each focused on a specific theme: -Collaboration in Supply Chain Planning, -Collaboration in Product Innovation, -ICT Solutions for Collaborative Work, -Simulation and Modelling, -Advances in Production Management Systems, and -Advances in Applications Management Software

Generic business process models for e-business in manufacturing companies: is simulation useful?

The paper presents the evaluation of simulation as a decision support tool for the implementation of e-business in manufacturing companies. It reviews the current state of business process simulation and the use of generic business process models to assist in simulation modelling. Two case studies are used to demonstrate the modelling of e-business processes. The benefits of simulation over static modelling tools in e-business implementations is demonstrated