Identification Of Critical Factors Research Articles

Team coaching in the workplace: Critical success factors for implementation

Orientation: There is a scant availability of clear practice guidelines for the implementation of team coaching in organisations. Challenges and enabling factors in the implementation of team coaching require further exploration.Research purpose: This study aims to develop a conceptual framework that identifies the critical success factors that play a role in the implementation of team coaching in organisations.Motivation for the study: This study contributes towards the understanding of team coaching implementation in the workplace. Informed knowledge of critical factors may guide the practice of team coaching and assist in the development of a conceptual framework for such coaching.Research approach/design and method: A constructivist qualitative research method was adopted. A case study approach was used, with seven experienced subject matter experts selected by means of purposive snowballing. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.Main findings: Results of the thematic analysis indicate that to integrate successful team coaching into any organisation, effective analysis of an organisational context is required, that is, leadership stakeholders, team effectiveness, competency of a coach and employee engagement. Constraints that may prevent successful implementation of team coaching are identified.Practical/managerial implications: The findings provide a platform to enhance the understanding and knowledge of the complexities of team coaching within organisations.Contribution/value-add: The main contribution of the study is the identification of critical factors in the pre-, during and post-implementation phases of team coaching. This conceptual framework could serve as a guide for team coaching interventions in South African contexts.

Estimation of Neonatal Intestinal Perforation Associated with Necrotizing Enterocolitis by Machine Learning Reveals New Key Factors.

Intestinal perforation (IP) associated with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the leading causes of mortality in premature neonates; with major nutritional and neurodevelopmental sequelae. Since predicting which neonates will develop perforation is still challenging; clinicians might benefit considerably with an early diagnosis tool and the identification of critical factors. The aim of this study was to forecast IP related to NEC and to investigate the predictive quality of variables; based on a machine learning-based technique. The Back-propagation neural network was used to train and test the models with a dataset constructed from medical records of the NICU; with birth and hospitalization maternal and neonatal clinical; feeding and laboratory parameters; as input variables. The outcome of the models was diagnosis: (1) IP associated with NEC; (2) NEC or (3) control (neither IP nor NEC). Models accurately estimated IP with good performances; the regression coefficients between the experimental and predicted data were R2 > 0.97. Critical variables for IP prediction were identified: neonatal platelets and neutrophils; orotracheal intubation; birth weight; sex; arterial blood gas parameters (pCO2 and HCO3); gestational age; use of fortifier; patent ductus arteriosus; maternal age and maternal morbidity. These models may allow quality improvement in medical practice.

Critical Factors for the Development of Women Entrepreneurship in Retail Business of Bangladesh

Development of women entrepreneurship in the SME sector has a crucial importance in a developing country like Bangladesh where women constitute half of the total population. The majority of them are underprivileged, under nourished, illiterate and poor. Hence, the development of women entrepreneurship has tremendous potentials for transforming the society through socioeconomic empowerment of the women. This potential is remained untapped in Bangladesh because of lower number of women entrepreneurs in business and economic activities. According to the Bangladesh Economic Review 2009, around six percent of the country’s $90 billion economy comes from SMEs, which is also the largest sector in terms of employment generation. But the women entrepreneurs are less than ten percent of the total entrepreneurs of the country. However, in the recent years, women entrepreneurship in small retail businesses of the country has been increasing which is a good sign for the positive growth of the economy. Therefore, for the development of women entrepreneurship in retail business sector of Bangladesh, identification of critical factors is highly important. These factors can be classified into three types such as, regulative, normative, and cognitive factors. This paper aims at identifying the critical factors related to the development of women entrepreneurship in the retail business sector of Bangladesh. For identifying the factors, 218 women entrepreneurs of retail businesses were interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in this study. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to identify the relationships between the critical factors and the overall development of women entrepreneurship in the retail business of Bangladesh. The results show that for the development of retail business women entrepreneurs, regulative, normative and cognitive factors are important. Regulative factors such as rules and regulations of the Government and its implementation are critical significant factors for the development of retail business women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. This study suggests that the government and the policy making organizations should come forward to overcome of normative and cognitive barriers of the women entrepreneurship in the retail business of Bangladesh.

Ni-(Cu-PGE) deposits in Finland – Geology and exploration potential

Several types of nickel sulphide deposits occur in Finland. Some of them are also important sources of Cu, Co and PGE. The main deposit types are related to Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic mafic to ultramafic rocks, Palaeoproterozoic metamorphosed black shales of the Talvivaara type, or the ultramafic and metasomatic calc-silicate rocks of the ophiolitic Outokumpu association. Several komatiite-hosted Ni-Cu-PGE deposits have been discovered in the Archaean and Paleoproterozoic greenstone belts in northern and eastern Finland, but only one has been briefly mined, in 1989. Many 2.44Ga Palaeoproterozoic mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions in Finland host contact-type PGE-Ni-Cu deposits and significant reef-type PGE deposits; typically the Ni resources are of low grade but large tonnage. The mafic-ultramafic magmatism at ca. 2.06Ga produced significant Ni-Cu-PGE resources in the Central Lapland greenstone belt, including the Kevitsa and Sakatti deposits. The Svecofennian domain in central and southern Finland contains hundreds of small, ca. 1.88Ga, mafic-ultramafic orogenic intrusions; many of these host nickel mineralization. Nickel exploration potential was evaluated in general, based on identification of critical factors within a mineral system framework and a quantitative assessment of the potential occurrence of undiscovered nickel resources. The MgO content of the parental magma was estimated for 28 deposits: 6 komatiite-hosted occurrences and 22 Svecofennian orogenic intrusions. The estimated MgO content of the parental magmas for the selected deposits varies from around 7% to 15% in basaltic to komatiitic basalt systems and up to 30% in more magnesian komatiitic systems; the Ni/Cu value varies mostly between 0.7 and 12, correlating in general positively with the MgO content of the magma. Exceptionally high or low Ni/Cu values in some deposits may result from, for example, copper loss during post-magmatic processes (serpentinization and/or metamorphism) or part of the sulphide ore (zoned by the Ni/Cu value) still being unknown. Recent advances in understanding of komatiites in Finland indicates high exploration potential for nickel within the Paleoproterozoic komatiitic formations, which typically are also significantly enriched in Cu and PGE. However, the quantitative assessment of undiscovered nickel resources in Finland suggests that the contact-type Ni-Cu-PGE deposits hosted by 2.44Ga mafic-ultramafic layered intrusions in northern Finland have the greatest potential for hosting undiscovered resources among the assessed nickel deposit types; these occur within restricted areas, resulting in a high deposit density. Finally, considerable nickel resources might exist in undiscovered Talvivaara-, Kevitsa- or Sakatti-type deposits. These deposit types should be assessed as soon as more geological information becomes available.

Forecasting the Implementation Success of AMT in SMEs using an Integrated AHP-TOPSIS Approach

The adoption of Advance Manufacturing Technology (AMT) requires careful planning at each level of organization due to large capital investments involved in newer technology. It has been seen in many cases that the AMTs have improved the firm's peformances, however according to recognized practitioners there is still a possibility of project failure due to adoption of this new technology. Hence it is always practiced to identify the major success factors that influence the adoption of AMTs. This study proposes a hybrid model for AMT justification which takes account thirteen factors and their relative importance in the justification phase. The justification phase comprises of three sub-phases: identification of critical factors; calculation of priority weights and ranking of critical factors and determination of possibility of successful adoption of the technology. The results showed that in order to have fruitful result from AMT investment, the strategic issues, technology transfer and continuous support of management should be properly organized to avoid the barriers in successful adoption of advance technologies.

Identification of Critical Factors in Large Crisis Decision Making Processes Using Computational Tools

This article aims to present a social media-based system that coordinates the responses of the authorities in a large crisis. The article performs extensive review of literature in order to identify decision making approaches in crisis situations and the different factors that affect these approaches. It also presents the ATHENA Crisis Management system which is based on a platform that makes combined use of data mining algorithms for the purpose of analysing large amounts of data received through the Social Media during and after a large crisis. A number of conclusions are drawn on the identification of different types of factors that impact large crisis decision making.

HPLC–DAD Method for Simultaneous Determination of Dipyrone (Metamizole) and Caffeine in Tablets and Identification of Major Degradation Product by Direct Infusion ESI–MS

A new chromatographic method for simultaneous determination of dipyrone (metamizole) and caffeine in tablets was developed and validated. Excellent resolution and quantification were obtained using a reverse-phase Acclaim® C18 column (250.0 × 4.6 mm; 5.0 μm particles) with acetonitrile/water (65:35 v/v) as mobile phase, adjusted to pH 7.5 using drops of water:triethylamine (99:1 v/v). The elution mode was isocratic with flow rate of 1.0 mL min−1, and ultraviolet (UV) detection was performed at 273 nm. The ranges of linearity for dipyrone and caffeine were 5.0–35.0 and 1.0–7.0 μg mL−1, respectively. Intra- and interday precision showed relative standard deviation (RSD) 0.05, respectively. The method proved to be precise, sensitive, and exact with low limits of detection and quantification and average recovery of 99.3 and 100.8%. The factorial model of Youden was used to analyze the robustness of the method, while identification of critical factors was conducted by two-tailed t test with 95% confidence interval. The method was shown to be selective, detecting presence of analytes in degradation products originating from study of hydrolytic stability at different pH values (5.0, 6.0, 7.0, and 9.0) at room temperature. Identification of product degradation by direct injection electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectroscopy (MS) revealed the presence of a fragment ion at m/z 187 and ions corresponding to [M + H]+ and [M + Na]+ at m/z 218 and 240, respectively, confirming the identity of the 4-methylaminoantipyrine product related to dipyrone.

Hospital Characteristics are Associated With Readiness to Attain Stage 2 Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records.

To examine the difference between rural and urban hospitals as to their overall level of readiness for stage 2 meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs) and to identify other key factors that affect their readiness for stage 2 meaningful use. A conceptual framework based on the theory of organizational readiness for change was used in a cross-sectional multivariate analysis using 2,083 samples drawn from the HIMSS Analytics survey conducted with US hospitals in 2013. Rural hospitals were less likely to be ready for stage 2 meaningful use compared to urban hospitals in the United States (OR = 0.49) in our final model. Hospitals' past experience with an information exchange initiative, staff size in the information system department, and the Chief Information Officer (CIO)'s responsibility for health information management were identified as the most critical organizational contextual factors that were associated with hospitals' readiness for stage 2. Rural hospitals lag behind urban hospitals in EHR adoption, which will hinder the interoperability of EHRs among providers across the nation. The identification of critical factors that relate to the adoption of EHR systems provides insights into possible organizational change efforts that can help hospitals to succeed in attaining meaningful use requirements. Rural hospitals have increasingly limited resources, which have resulted in a struggle for these facilities to attain meaningful use. Given increasing closures among rural hospitals, it is all the more important that EHR development focus on advancing rural hospital quality of care and linkages with patients and other organizations supporting the care of their patients.

A Lightweight Approach for Human Factor Assessment in Virtual Assembly Designs: An Evaluation Model for Postural Risk and Metabolic Workload

The assessment and optimisation of postural stress and physical fatigue can be challenging and is typically conducted only after the design of manual operations has been finalised. However early assessment of manual operations and identification of critical factors that are deemed outside of an appropriate envelope can avoid the time and costs often associated with re-designing machines and layout for operator work processes. This research presents a low cost software solution based on a simplified skeleton model that uses operator position and workload data extracted from a simulation model used for virtual manufacturing process planning. The developed approach aims to assess postural stress and physical fatigue scores of assembly operations, as they are being designed and simulated virtually. The model is based on the Automotive Assembly Worksheet and the Garg's metabolic rate prediction model. The proposed research focuses on the integration of virtual process planning, ergonomic and metabolic analysis tools, and on automating human factor assessment to enable optimisation of assembly operations and workload capabilities at early design stage.

Targeting the Warburg effect in cancer cells through ENO1 knockdown rescues oxidative phosphorylation and induces growth arrest.

In the last 5 years, novel knowledge on tumor metabolism has been revealed with the identification of critical factors that fuel tumors. Alpha-enolase (ENO1) is commonly over-expressed in tumors and is a clinically relevant candidate molecular target for immunotherapy. Here, we silenced ENO1 in human cancer cell lines and evaluated its impact through proteomic, biochemical and functional approaches. ENO1 silencing increased reactive oxygen species that were mainly generated through the sorbitol and NADPH oxidase pathways, as well as autophagy and catabolic pathway adaptations, which together affect cancer cell growth and induce senescence. These findings represent the first comprehensive metabolic analysis following ENO1 silencing. Inhibition of ENO1, either alone, or in combination with other pathways which were perturbed by ENO1 silencing, opens novel avenues for future therapeutic approaches.

Critical factors analysis and its ranking for implementation of GSCM in Indian dairy industry

Purpose – Sustainability in food sector is the need of the hour. It has been revealed that Green supply chain management (GSCM) is an emerging new and effective approach to improve the productivity, efficiency of any enterprises and to achieve sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to rank the key performance indicators which are responsible for implementation of GSCM in Indian dairy sector. Ranking is done by giving weightage to them based on survey reports. The study includes literature review, personal interviews and surveys using the detailed questionnaire. Since food processing industry, e.g. dairy industry is the major energy user and directly affecting the health of public is being chosen for implementing GSCM practices. The approach is to form an effective framework for successful implementation of GSCM in dairy sector. Grouping of key performance indicators has been done using factor analysis and thereafter Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method has been applied to determine the suitable framework based on relative importance of critical factors. Design/methodology/approach – The first step was to identify critical factors through extensive literature review, personal interviews, etc. The personal interviews has been carried out by contacting executives, managers, professionals of various dairy industries. Data has also been collected by interviewing auditors of ISO 14001 which was responsible for implementation of Environmental management system. Questionnaire used for collecting data has been formulated based on critical factors. It is also used to study minute details of the process being used in dairy industry. After collection of sufficient data SPSS is used for grouping of data through factor analysis. Thereafter AHP method has been used to identify the relative importance of these factors by ranking it which can be used by the managers in developing model/framework for implementing GSCM. Findings – The work aims to examine the critical factors of GSCM and its ranking so as to implement GSCM practices in dairy industry in Indian context. Detailed questionnaire based on 79 parameters has been used for survey in dairy industry in northern India. Grouping of these parameters has been done using factor analysis. The ranking of these identified critical factors has been used by using AHP which is used to see the relative importance of these eight factors. These ranked factors would be used by the managers of the dairy industry to implement GSCM. The work is limited to Indian dairy industry but it can be extended to other industry also after identification of critical factors. Originality/value – It is certified that this research work is original and has never been submitted or published in any journal.

Maintenance of multipotency in human dermal fibroblasts treated with Xenopus laevis egg extract requires exogenous fibroblast growth factor-2.

Direct reprogramming of a differentiated somatic cell into a developmentally more plastic cell would offer an alternative to applications in regenerative medicine that currently depend on either embryonic stem cells (ESCs), adult stem cells, or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Here we report the potential of select Xenopus laevis egg extract fractions, in combination with exogenous fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2), to affect life span, morphology, gene expression, protein translation, and cellular localization of OCT4 and NANOG transcription factors, and the developmental potential of human dermal fibroblasts in vitro. A gradual change in morphology is accompanied by translation of embryonic transcription factors and their nuclear localization and a life span exceeding 60 population doublings. Cells acquire the ability to follow adipogenic, neuronal, and osteogenic differentiation under appropriate induction conditions in vitro. Analysis of active extract fractions reveals that Xenopus egg protein and RNAs as well as exogenously supplemented FGF2 are required and sufficient for induction and maintenance of this phenotypic change. Factors so far identified in the active fractions include FGF2 itself, transforming growth factor-β, maskin, and nucleoplasmin. Identification of critical factors needed for reprogramming may allow for nonviral, chemically defined derivation of human-induced multipotent cells that can be maintained by exogenous FGF2.

Identification of Critical Factors to System Performance Using Availability Modeling and Simulation Analysis

Availability analysis presents a means to understand the impact of existing maintenance system and maintenance resources to the overall system operational availability. The practical method for conducting availability analysis of a plant system at operation phase is illustrated and discussed via a case study of an acid gas removal system of gas processing plant. This study demonstrates that the availability modeling and simulation is effective in assessing the existing and future system configurations and determining possible impacts and critical factors to systems availability. These findings can significantly assist management to make right actions in improving plant system performances.

An instrument for identification of critical factors for quality and productivity improvement in sponge iron industry

Sponge iron (SI) industry is relatively new and presently passing through teething problems. For higher and higher production, quality and productivity (Q&P) is always ignored. However, this approach has led to making the problem worse. Implementation of total quality management (TQM) can help solve the problems similar to other industries. But extensive literature review indicates that no study has yet identified and statistically established the reliability and validity of a set of critical success factors (CSFs) for implementation of TQM for Q&P improvement in SI industry. Implementation of TQM needs a validated instrument. This work aims to fulfil this gap. Through extensive literature analysis, the authors have identified a number of attributes and CSFs of TQM of various sectors. With the help of judgmental selection of attributes, an instrument was developed and a pilot study was carried out in SI units in a small region in India to validate the instrument. This validated instrument could be used for study on a wider scale for the development of a generalised model for SI industry. With little modification, the instrument can also be used for other process industries. The research is unique and a primary step towards reaching the needs of SI industry i.e., Q&P improvement through TQM implementation.

Development and validation of an instrument for measuring critical success factors (CSFs) of technical education - a TQM approach

Like other systems, technical education system is also dynamic in nature. It faces many challenges in responding to societal, technological and economic changes in the local and global environment. The issue today is to ensure quality education delivery system for technical education. The literature shows that many educational institutes have initiated efforts for quality improvements. However, there is neither sufficient literature (regarding identification of critical factors responsible for excellence in technical education), nor appropriate measures (research instruments) to determine those factors. In this context it is necessary to identify key critical success factors (CSFs), which may be given special attention for ensuring desired excellence in technical education. Though different authors have proposed different ways to address the quality related issues in various domains, on the basis of critical review of literature, this study proposes use of a new research instrument for identification of critical success factors by using total quality management (TQM) as the base. The developed instrument was assessed for its reliability and validity using standard methods. The results indicated that the developed instrument was reliable and valid, which can be used to identify the critical success factors important for excellence in technical education.

Computational characterization on the thermoacoustic thermophone effects induced by micro/nano-heating elements

A thermoacoustic thermophone is a classical device wherein an alternating current passes through a thin heating element to emit sound. The newly emerging micro- and nanotechnology has not only greatly improved such a device’s performance, but also expended its new potential functions such as serving as directional ultrasound sources, phased arrays, or even in some audible sound applications. So far, most investigations on thermoacoustic thermophones are on experimental parts. Besides, the existing theoretic analysis generally adopted a fundamental equation for characterizing the surrounding gas which unfortunately could only consider the heat conduction effect. However, the transient volume and pressure change in an ideal gas caused by the periodic heating would definitely trigger the flow process, which in fact contributed to most of the phenomena occurring in small scale. Here, to disclose the actual working process of the thermoacoustic thermophone and the mechanisms thus involved, we developed a computational model to systematically describe both the gas flow dynamics and heat transfer behavior for the first time. Some important physical parameter variations initiated by the alternating voltage and the corresponding double frequency heat flux, such as pressure, velocity, temperature, etc., were successfully revealed. Discoveries on such variations paved the way for the identification of critical factors that affected the sound pressure, which as a result would serve as a valuable reference for designing a thermoacoustic thermophone in the near future.

272 AN INNOVATIVE PET DETECTOR CONCEPT FOR TOF-INBEAM PET DOSIMETRY IN HADRON-THERAPY

Objectives: The reactor produced low-energy beta emitter Lu (T1⁄2 = 6.7 d) is used on a routine basis in the clinical targeted radiotherapy in nuclear oncology. Currently the radionuclide is commercially available in its c.a. and n.c.a form. Here an efficient use of Lu for radiolabeling can be limited by several factors such as quality of the radionuclide and the chemicals or suboptimal parameters of the radiolabeling reaction. Identification of critical factors as well as an interpretation of the results is, however, complicated and limited by the analytical techniques applied. Methods: C.a. and n.c.a. Lu preparations were obtained from different commercial suppliers. The radionuclide has been employed for the systematical preparation of Lu-DOTA-octreotate. Radiolabeling yields and achievable specific activity of the compound have been analyzed using conventional HPLC. For the characterization and better understanding of critical parameters of the process, species identification in the final product (e.g. radiolabeled compound) has been performed by means of LC-ESI-TOF. Isotope and specific activity analysis of the Lu of different origin have been additionally done by means of SF-ICP-MS. Results: We were able to obtain straightforward information about the radiolabeled compound and isotope such as structure, quality and even origin and isotopic composition of the radionuclide used for the reaction. LC-ESI-TOF allows an efficient identification of the different species in the final product such as unlabeled or contaminated precursors, giving worthwhile information about the quality and limiting parameters. N.c.a. Lu was confirmed to be superior for the preparation of radiolabeled compounds of high specific activity. Conclusions: For the first time we demonstrate that LCESI-TOF is a suitable tool for a direct species identification of Lu-radiolabeled peptides. Using a combination of different analytical approaches we could confirm that Lu is available with a high quality and can be used for an efficient preparation of therapeutic agents. Acknowledgements: We thank the team of Isotope and Elemental Analysis of Paul Scherrer Institute (Hot Laboratory Division/ Nuclear Energy and Safety Department) for the performance of SF-ICP-MS measurements.

Incorporating Agency Perspective into Community Forestry Analysis

This research examines community forestry processes at three case study sites—in Nepal, Indonesia and Thailand—from various analytical approaches, including rational choice, culture and social relations, socio-politics, learning process and agency. It is argued that although community forestry analysis from the agency perspective has not been popular, it involves distinctive characteristics in the interpretation of community forestry processes, that is, this approach considers actors in a disaggregate manner while others usually treat actors in an aggregate manner. Human agency makes a difference in community forestry evolution processes in a way that an agent realizes goals and values by effectively shaping the acts of oneself and others. Hence, analysing community forestry processes by the lens of the agency perspective at the local level leads to the identification of critical factors that are not captured through other approaches—ones that actually play important roles in community forestry processes.

Identification of critical factors for effective Strategic Investment Decisions

The main objective of this study was to explore the factors which may impact on the effectiveness of Strategic Investment Decisions. The empirical testing was based on the sample from Taiwanese enterprises. Seven critical factors were identified including the scope of involvement in the project formulation process, the competitive position of the company, the growth rate of the market related to the project, the perceived accuracy of the productivity index, the perceived accuracy of profit, the radicalism of the consequences and the financial state of the company. The findings of this study and future research directions were also discussed.

Politique régionale et ressources hydroélectriques

This article brings to light the different models applied in the management of hydroelectric resources in the Swiss canton Ticino during the 20th century. Future prospects are broached in view of the opening of the electricity markets to competition. We equally analyse political projects, notably regarding matters of water cantonalisation, as well as the technico-economic factors which influence them. Conflicts, that have been particularly acute, are evoked, and socio-economic, energy and environmental issues detailed. The national and international context is pointed out. The study allows the identification of critical factors that must be considered in the definition of regional policies in relation to hydroelectric matters.