...factors in engineering design theory: a post-positivist approach Terence Love Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering University of Western Australia Social, environmental and ethical factors in engineering design theory: a post-positivist approach Terence Love B.A. (Hons) Engineering This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The University of Western Australia. Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering 1998 Abstract This research investigated how social, environmental and ethical factors can be better included in theories of engineering design. The research focused on designing as an essentially human activity via consideration of the epistemological and ontological issues involved in constructing coherent design theory. The research investigations led to a clearer understanding of the roles of ontology, epistemology and methodology in design research and this clarification enabled the construction of a post-positivist approach to engineering design theory that better includes social, environmental and ethical factors alongside the existing products of scientific engineering design research. Other contributions to knowledge that emerged from the research process and which underpin the conclusions include; clarification of the terminology and basic concepts of design research and engineering design research, historical...
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...This term means the equal of creativity plus implementation (Stamm, 2003). Implementation is important to innovation; if you are lacking this you basically only have creativity. The effect of innovation on the business industry is what pushes competitions accomplishments or failures. By understanding the current and future needs a consumer can go a long way; specifically on how to properly create a successful business plan. An example of market place innovation would be with Apple and their product the I-Pad. This was not a original idea, but Apple put a social twist on it and created the I-Pad; an everyday must have. • Design “It is a concept of realization or configuration of an idea, plan, model, drawings; pattern that assists to develop and achieve the items designated objectives (Business Dictionary, 2010).” In the corporate world, designs are defined and understood as a value of distribution, creativity, and concepts in exemplification of the company’s innovativeness. Creativity is a mental representative that provides a person the opportunity to think out of the median. “Creativity is what results in different approaches to services, goods, and innovation (Business Dictionary, 2010).” • Creativity The definition of creativity based on Webster’s Dictionary is: Creativity is marked by the ability or power to create- to bring into existence, to invest with a new form, to produce through imaginative skill, to make or bring into existence something...
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...Running head: TOTAL REWARDS Total Rewards: Strategically Achieving Business Results Strayer University Abstract Total Rewards reflects what employees’ value from its employer. It focuses on five elements that attract, motivate, and retain the talent to achieve business goals. These elements are: Compensation, Benefits, Work- Life, Performance and Recognition and Development and Career Opportunities (WorldatWork, 2007, p. 4). This paper describes the five advantages of a total rewards approach, five ways a total rewards strategy can go astray, six steps involved in the design of a total rewards program and eight steps involved in the communication process of a total reward program (WorldatWork, 2007, p. 15-64). Finally, the paper will summarize the components and the results of an effective design, implementation and communication strategy and result of a successful total rewards program. Total Rewards: Integrative Elements to Achieve Business Results Five Advantages One advantage of a total reward package is increased flexibility. Flexibility allows business’ to develop programs that cater to the needs of its employee by combining transactional and relational awards, allowing the reward package to meet the different emotional and motivational rewards of employees (WorldatWork, 2007, p. 15). Improved recruitment and retention is another advantage. Highly skills employees are in demand and, companies must find ways to attract and retain high performers. A comprehensive...
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...Besides the benefits from implementing the project, the cost in implementing is also important to be considered. The project would perform well only if we keep eyes on it during all procedures. The appropriate improvement would be proposed during the implementation of project in order to result in better achievement for the company. In conclusion, I would like to note that sales promotion is the element of the promotional mix that is aimed at increasing the volume of products sold via a trial or brand loyalty. The brand loyalty reflects the customer desire to buy the product or service of a given brand and depending on the level of brand loyalty that desire can be different. Sales promotion sends mixed signals with respect to building brand loyalty simply because it is hard to understand the amount of time or products needed to develop a buying habit that reflects brand loyalty. At the same time, sales promotion might be effective in building brand equity, or the existing value and association made by the consumer. Environmental friendly technologies can thus be said to have had a positive effect on motor sports and the world population at large since they have not only reduced pollution thus making the earth a safer place to live but they have also reduced the cost of living. This is in relation to soaring costs of fuel that have characterized the world markets in the recent past. (McKenna, 150-160) Top tier motor sports should therefore be encouraged to implement eco...
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...Company Overview Quality Web Design (QWD) is a company that specializes in Websites and Web Design content for any type of business. Their mission is to help other businesses increase their revenue by providing them with top quality websites for their customers. In addition, they own over 250,000 of proprietary images, and graphical designs. These designs are customized for every industry and demographic. Their business process is quite simple. They have a server at the Company Headquarters, where they store all of their proprietary data (including images, scripts, templates, etc). They utilize a Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Service (TFS) server to manage their content and the progress of the project. “Team Foundation is a set of tools and technologies that enable a team to collaborate and coordinate their efforts on building a product or completing a project. Team Foundation enhances team communication, tracks work status, supports team roles, enacts the team process, and integrates team tools.” (Microsoft.com (2011) Team Foundation Overview) In addition to the Team Foundation, they also utilize Visual Studio to code, and build the websites. These resources are accesses through different methods. Those methods include WAN connection, VPN connection through a remote office, and through the corporate office via LAN. They also have other services such as Outlook Web Access for E-mail that is accessed via the methods mentioned above. They have also created...
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...I study Mechanical Engineering. I am passionate about different art forms, especially fine arts. I face, like you, dilemma of combining your passion of arts with something more concrete like engineering. Following are the options that I have come across to accomplish the same. Though I must mention here that I am no expert of any kind and probably more confused than you are, but I think I can help in at least initiating and directing the process of looking for relevant stuff. It is very common to find people who combine the knowledge of these two disciplines (for example most of the Industrial Design professors are mechanical under-grads), but finding a program that does the same has been pretty daunting for me at least. I hope this doc is helpful even in the smallest way and would be glad to answer any further questions There are two sections: 1. Links to websites of universities/labs offering relevant programs 2. Links to websites wherein people display their work in fields where art/aesthetic sense has to be combined with knowledge of engineering and science. Do keep in mind that these links do not adequately represent even the tip of the iceberg, there is a lot more that should be read. Similar links or links that that come up during ‘Programs similar to XXX’ in google have not been included as such searches and exploring the websites and search results on our own in itself gives us a feel of the field we intend to enter. This search was primarily focused on options after...
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...1. Determine the investigation you will do with regard to the physical infrastructure of the orchards, orchard shacks, and the cold storage building. After doing some detailed investigations of the physical infrastructure of the orchards, orchard shacks, and the cold storage building revealed some ideas that we can implement in the network design. The investigation also showed that wireless technology would be the best solution between the three areas. With that being said the orchard area would be the only problem we would need to find out how big the orchard area is so we can install access points so a good signal can all ways be delivered. Determining the distance will also aid in the network design on what cables like fiber optics or RJ cables, as well as the selection of technologies and devices to meet the design goals. The number of buildings should be determined and what equipment they should contain which types of network devices needed for this landscape. 2. Make a list of business goals for Harriet’s Fruit and Chocolate Company and determine the constraints that will affect these goals. Business goals for Harriet’s Fruit and Chocolate Company are to provide high quality products to customers. Also to provide immediate and real-time access to inventory data to aid in sales, to do this an upgrade logistics would have to take place which in turn everything would have to go digital, we would not be able to continue with the older mom and pop structure we have been...
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...Dore Dore Case study - Solutions: 1. Evaluate the Changes Dore Dore has made in its Children’s Knitwear division. * Children Knitwear Traditional setup (Product – Focused Layout) * Children Knitwear cellular setup (Process – Focused Layout) Traditional Operations: Yam & Fabric supplier – 2.5 months – average lead time Knitting – throughput time – 80 hrs Dyeing – 5 weeks – average lead time Cutting – 40 hrs – throughput time Sewing and finishing – 120 hrs – throughput time Lead time & Throughput time – batch size = 200 units Bottle neck operation is sewing & finishing. Work in progress calculations: Units progress / day = 2000 units Through put time = 15 days WIP = 2000 *15=30000 Units No of workers = 42 WIP/worker = 30000/42=720 units Cellular operations Work in progress calculations Units progress / days = 2000 units Through put time = 1 days WIP = 2000*1= 2000 units No of works = 42 WIP/worker=2000/42=48 units Cycle time = throughput time /work in progress Traditional operations: 3*5*8*60/720=10 mins Cellular operations: 1*8*60/48=10 mins Hence we can infer that output per worker remains the same. 2. How does the performance of the traditional operation and cellular manufacturing system differ? (E.g. how Work in Process Inventory changes when cells are implemented? Throughput time (sewing & finishing): Traditional: 15 days / Cellular operation: 1 day No of sewing machines required: Traditional opert. 55 / Cellular operation: 84...
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...Boeing, the $55 billion Chicago-based aerospace company, has been a major player in the global economy for almost a century. But now the company is undertaking a far-reaching transformation as it uses cutting-edge materials and electronics and high-level technology for the design and assembly process of its new passenger plane –the Boeing 787. The new plane, nicknamed the “Dreamliner,” is Boeing’s bid for market leadership in competition with Airbus. The new midsize passenger jet will have an outer shell and about half of its parts made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, which will make it lighter and give it better fuel economy. In January 2006, the company had 291 firm orders and 88 commitments from 27 airlines for the new 787, which will seat from 250 to 330 passengers in varying configurations. The list price is about $150 million per plane. The previous state of the art in aviation manufacturing was to have global partners work from a common blueprint to produce parts-actually, whole sections of the airplane-that were then physically shipped to a Boeing assembly plant near Seattle to see if they fit together. Prior to the 787, wood mock-ups of planes would be constructed to see if parts built by partners around the world would really fit together. When the process failed, the cost in time and production was extreme. Boeing’s shift goes beyond making planes faster and cheaper. The new business model takes Boeing from manufacturing to a high-end technology systems integrator...
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...deciding whether and how to use CBT. • Consider the computer or online platform first, with input from individuals who know students with disabilities and their accessibility needs. • Consider a process for bringing in the needed expertise to delineate the specific accessibility features of CBT, and to determine what specific accommodations may still be needed by students with disabilities, as well as to determine whether a computer-based test may create new accessibility issues. • Determine the policies for which accessibility features will be available to all students and which are designated for specific groups of students, such as students with disabilities. • Consider how to track the use of accessibility features incorporated into CBT design. • Field test the accessibility features of the computer-based test at the same time that the computer-based test is field tested. • Examine results from CBT for students with...
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...assignment, each team member had made clear to one another, what roles they would want to carry out. So the following are the areas where I contributed: 1) OVERVIEW OF THE SRS Each individual member of our team took the responsibility to review the SRS, and come to a common conclusion as to which team design strategy we should go ahead with. Apart from overviewing the SRS, I did my part of understanding the basic need for creating such a software application. 2) PAYROLL INFORMATION REQUESTS I was responsible to handle this Specific Application, where an employee selects from a list of benefits and services which require contributions from the employee. I understood the need for such a module to be created and how it will work towards becoming more efficient for the company. Each of the team members were designated a specific module, and after each of them had done their part by analyzing their module. We integrated the modules to make it one complete system. Integration was a major role in the system design strategy and I was responsible for getting all of the modules together. 3) FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS: * HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS * DATABASE REQUIREMENTS * DESIGN REQUIREMENTS * OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS These are the four requirements I was designated by the team by an ad-hoc decision. While designating the team roles and responsibilities, I made a major contribution towards making the RAVE Chart. I also made a contribution by...
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...Systems analysis report * Gain the understanding of the existing system * Identify the strength and weaknesses of the existing system and system to be developed. * Co-operate with the Encik Azman, sharing of information. * Ensure the system is ease to use, reduce cost, and can enhance the control. * Collect data that identify user needs and make recommendations to management. * Issue a formal report that summary all the related information to the Encik Ghani | Missing information: 1. Roles and responsibilities of the CPO. It does not mention whether CPO has experience in implement the system. 2. Did not mention the minimum inventory level of the company Assumptions: 1. I assume CPO have experience on the system design 2. I assume the company have weak internal control, so that CPO does not know how much the inventory should be maintained. Time taken to complete this chart: 6...
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...complexity of modern technology. * The driving normative basis for the investigation is that increased modularity enables the parts of a system to be separated and combined with much greater flexibility, and that such flexibility is desirable. * What is new is the application of the idea of modularity not only to technological design but also to organizational design. * A complex modern society might be made more productive through a modular design of social and economic institutions. * In a world of change, modularity is generally worth the costs. The goal is to find the modularization that minimizes interdependencies and most cleanly decomposes the system. * Innovation that takes place through change in the modules we can call modular innovation. * Handling complex systems become easier if break them up into sub-systems. * Complex product or process composed of smaller sub-systems that can be designed independently and function together as a whole * Existing modularity in processes and products * Extension of modularity to cope with complexity or to manage costs * Modularity’s Technological dimension : design of technological object * Modularity’s Managerial dimension * Allows collaboration without trust * Allows flexible collaboration *...
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...1. Executive Summary Apple as one of the most famous and successful corporations and brands in the world can attribute its past success to Steve Jobs and their employees. The whole organisation understands the companies (mainly Steve Jobs) vision and philosophy. In Apple, employees think that they can change the world and bring completely new values to the customers by design and innovation. They not only want to deliver these new values in a simple way, but also want to provide the customers with functionalities and features they need and that are competitive. Apple is capable of applying simplicity to the design and innovation of their products and at the same time considering customers' needs. While living this vision and philosophy, Apple does things different as compared to its competitors. Apple is going its own way and sets own industry standards and norms. Apple does not want to be an imitator but rather an innovator, with products and services that mean something special to their customers. The above described vision and philosophy is applied across the whole Apple organisation and all employees understand what Apple wants to stand for. Apple employees are dedicated and take on and fulfill their responsibilities accordingly. The question on hand is; Can Apple keep up its good performance and reputation after Steve Jobs' dead in 2011? 2. Introduction In the following sections, I will highlight some issues and threads that Apple will be facing with its...
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...manager had been in this position for six months, having moved from a similar position in a much smaller company. Manager: I just can't seem to get these guys to perform. They are all extremely competent, but they just don't seem to be willing to exert the kind of effort that we need and expect to have if this company is going to remain successful. Consultant: What type of work do they do? Manager : Primarily designing minor modifications to existing equipment lines to keep up with our competition and to satisfy special customer requirements. Consultant : How do you evaluate their performance? Manager : Mainly on whether they meet project deadlines. It's hard to evaluate the quality of their work, since most of it is fairly routine and the designs are frequently altered later by the production engineers to facilitate production processes. Consultant: Are they meeting their deadlines reasonably well? Manager : No, that's the problem. What's worse is that they don't really seem too concerned about it. Consultant : What financial rewards do you offer them? Manager : These people are all well-paid - some of the best salaries for mechanical engineers that I know of anywhere. Base pay is determined mainly on the basis of seniority, but there is also a company wide profit sharing plan. At the end of each year, the company distibutes 10 percent of its profit after taxes to the employees. The piece of the pie that you get is in proportion to your basic salary. This kind of plan was used in...
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