Industry Client Research Articles

CFD-based design algorithm for CO2 ejectors

In this work, a novel CFD-database generation algorithm for CO2 ejectors are presented. The algorithm is explained and its details discussed. A case for CFD database generation is then performed based on an ejector design for an industry client. The ejector design is investigated with different design parameters around the suggested design. Design improvements are suggested based on the numerical results, and a final design is suggested. The final design had a high ejector efficiency of simulated to be 46% at the design point, and the ejector performance is evaluated and discussed for off-design conditions.

Pengaruh Jenis Industri, Ukuran Perusahaan, Kompleksitas Perusahaan Dan Profitabilitas Klien Terhadap Audit Fee

This study aims to examine (1) the influence of industry type, company size, company complexity and client profitability on audit fees (2) the influence of industry types on audit fees (3) influence of firm size on audit fees (4) the effect of corporate complexity on audit fees (5) the effect of client profitability on audit fees. Data collection uses a purposive sampling method for manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) during 2013-2017. A total of 34 companies were sampled in this study. Research shows that (1) type of industry, size of company, complexity of the company and client profitability together influence audit fees (2) the type of high profile industry and low profile does not affect the high or low audit fees given (3) the greater the size of a company, the higher the audit fee borne by the client (4) the number of subsidiaries does not affect the high or low audit fees given, and (5) companies that have high profits tend to provide a high audit fee because they are vulnerable to misstatement

‘Energy wars’: Global PR and public debate in the 21st century

‘Hashtags’, ‘trending topics’, ‘mentions’ ‘likes, ‘retweets’: the 21st century is distinctive for a range of new communication technologies, social practices and discourses that have framed public debate as “authentic”, “participatory”, “empowering” and “organic”. In this article, I explore a 21st century public relations (PR) campaign that is promoting neoliberal “solutions” to complex social and environmental problems, namely Burson-Marsteller’s 2014 campaign for coal industry client, Peabody Energy. The ‘Advanced Energy for Life’ (AEFL) ‘comprehensive global campaign’ to promote the idea of ‘clean coal’ in the alleviation of ‘energy poverty’ is but one in a succession of campaigns deployed by the coal industry since the 1980s. This article examines the reception of the AEFL campaign in Australia from January 2014 to March 2017. In doing so, it traces the movement of campaign tropes in the public sphere as well as prominent Twitter activity. It asks what purpose did the tropes serve and how they propelled debate. It also asks if resistance on Twitter can disrupt the ‘long period of suspended animation’ in public debate on energy policy. In tackling these questions with a critical lens, it aims to develop a greater understanding of the influence of global PR campaigns such as Peabody’s AEFL in public debate in contemporary settings.

Development and Validation of Payment Performance Assessment Tool for Construction Industry

The late payment has been the major issues facing the construction industry across the globe. Many studies have looked at this issues from management and legal perspectives. Despite its endemic effect on the construction industry, there is no any assessment tools for measuring the payment performance (late and prompt payment). This paper developed and validated a payment performance assessment tool in the context of construction industry client organization, particularly in the Nigerian construction industry. The tool was developed based on the organizational culture and payment performance attributes for the client organization. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to elicit pair-wise comparison and weight of each variable. This led to the development of the tool. The tool was then validated in the assessment of client’s payment performance of a case organization. The assessment tool was calibrated based on consensus benchmarking. However, the calibration ranges from 0.00-0.69 as late payment performance, 0.70-0.98 prompt payment performance and 0.99-1.00. Absolute prompt payment performance. The result shows that the payment assessment tool succeeded in measuring payment performance of a case organization with a score of 0.50 points indicating that the organization do not pay its contractors on time. Therefore, the organization is experiencing late payment. However, there is need to replication the study to revalidate the tool in another organization or country.

Smart electric vehicle charging scheduler for overloading prevention of an industry client power distribution transformer

In this paper an overloading prevention of a private customer power distribution transformer (PDT) in an island in Portugal through the means of a new smart electric vehicle (EV) charging scheduler is proposed. The aim of this paper is to assess the repercussion of the penetration of additional power to restore the full level of EV battery state of charge (SoC) on dielectric oil deterioration of the PDT of a private industry client. This will allow EVs to charge while their owners are at work at three different working shifts during the day. In addition, the system is part of an isolated electric grid in a Portuguese Island. A transformer thermal model is utilised in this paper to assess hot-spot temperature by having the information of the load ratio. The data used for the main inputs of the model are the private industry client daily load profile, PDT parameters, the characteristics of the factory and EV parameters. This paper demonstrates that the proposed solution allows avoiding the overloading of the PDT, thus mitigating the loss-of-life, while charging all the EVs plugged-in at the beginning of each working shift.

Laboratório de tratamento e recuperação de resíduos químicos: alternativa para resíduos industriais do sul de Minas Gerais

<p>Este artigo tem como objetivo a obtenção de dados, como custos, equipamentos e investimentos necessários para a construção, na UNIFAL-MG (campus II, em Alfenas), de um laboratório de tratamento e recuperação de resíduos químicos gerados na Universidade. Para auxiliar na decisão de implantação e operação do laboratório foi utilizado o EVTE (Estudo de Viabilidade Técnica e Econômica). O trabalho teve as seguintes etapas: identificação e quantificação dos resíduos, elaboração do EVTE, esboço da planta, captação de recursos e submissão do projeto. Verificou-se que a implantação e gestão do laboratório atenderiam a um volume inicial de aproximadamente 372 L/mês de resíduos químicos e 3,5 kg/mês de sais inorgânicos processados, além de outros resíduos de indústrias da região. A construção e manutenção deste laboratório são viáveis, dependendo do volume de resíduos tratados, recuperados ou reciclados, bem como da prestação de serviço para geradores de resíduos químicos da região. Deve-se ressaltar o benefício socioambiental e econômico devido à redução da quantidade (e a nocividade) do descarte de resíduos químicos, a oportunidade de formação acadêmica e a conscientização social promovida pela ação do laboratório, além de adequação aos princípios do Plano de Logística Sustentável na Administração Pública Federal.</p><p>Código JEL | Q01; QR3; L65.</p>

The application of bio-inspiration to humancentered product design

Biologically inspired design is an emerging practice based on the premise that nature holds a vast library of strategies, processes and technologies that can lead to innovative, sustainable solutions to human problems. Around the globe, scientifi c and engineering research efforts in Bio-inspiration have made astonishing discoveries that have impacted future possibilities in the fi elds of robotics, biomedical technology and material science, amongst many other examples. Yet, despite rising evidence about Biology’s relevance to innovative design, examples demonstrating specifi cs about how it can be applied in the near term in consumer product design are limited. This paper presents a case study wherein Bio-inspired design was used successfully as a tool to help develop novel, viable and product concepts for a packaged-goods industry client. Specifi cally, emphasis will be placed on how the method of ‘biologizing the problem’ contributed to redefi ning the parameters of the challenge, which ultimately drove the project’s success. After receiving a focused brief for reinventing the generally unpleasant experience of bathroom shower cleaning, the fi rst round of creative ideation yielded incremental solutions based on the goal of ‘mildew removal and extermination.’ During the second round of creative ideation, after the problem had been redefi ned in terms of biological strategies, an entirely different set of solutions resulted from a revised goal of ‘mildew prevention.’ Such examples of problem redefi nition can be propelled by a growing number of free databases like Asknature.org, which enable designers to fi nd useful analogies between their design goals and Biological strategies. As these databases mature, product design efforts will be able to augment their creative output with improved results.

Is There Ni in My Liquor? A Hands-On Laboratory Exercise for Relating Chemistry to Extractive Metallurgy

A simple, quick, and safe laboratory exercise is detailed that provides a link between chemistry, extractive metallurgy, and hydrometallurgy. Students are provided with a scenario in which they need to “research” a procedure to selectively recover nickel from simple “ore liquors”. In this context, the experiment focuses on the selective precipitation of metal ions from solution using simple chelating agents. Students work in teams to complete separate parts of the experiment, testing a possible procedure for an industry client. The teams then come together as a group to interpret and discuss the results before deciding what to report to the client. The experiment was developed to be completed in a single 40 min session and has been successfully conducted with over 200 middle- to upper-level high school students.

Recent Enhancements to the Biosystems Engineering Design Trilogy at the University of Manitoba

In previous years, several improvements to the teaching of engineering design were made by staff in the Department of Biosystems Engineering at The University of Manitoba. The first innovation occurred when a trilogy of courses spanning the final three years of the program was introduced as a replacement for a single capstone course in the final year of the program. In its original conception, engineering students were to get three opportunities to be involved in design problems originating from industry, with greater expectations with each subsequent experience. A second innovation occurred when technical communication was formally integrated within the trilogy of design courses. This innovation has helped engineering students realize the value of professional communication skills in collaborating with each other and in preparing reports and presentations for an industry client. A third innovation occurred three years ago when the decision was made to allow students to participate in the prototyping of their designs. The so-called “Design Trilogy” now consists of a single course (Design Trilogy I) taken during the second year of the engineering program (which builds upon the first-year design experience with the requirement of a conceptual solution in response to a design problem provided by industry) and two courses taken during the final year of the program. Students are required to have a design completed on paper by the completion of Design Trilogy II and fabrication of the prototype occurs during Design Trilogy III. The student experience in the Design Trilogy, with particular emphasis on curriculum innovations in Design Trilogy III, will be discussed.

Trials and tribulations : what happens when historians enter the courtroom

I INTRODUCTION Four years ago, as I was sitting at my desk in my overcrowded office, I received an odd e-mail. Dear Professor, it began, I am writing to introduce you to Round Table Group [RTG], and to notify you of a specific, short-term consulting opportunity which may be of interest. Our attorney client is seeking an historian, highly credentialed, and at a prestigious university, to perform some historical research and instruct a lay jury about what was known about a particular occupational hazard (lead paint contamination) between 1950 and 1980. (1) The letter went on to explain how the historian sought not be a subject matter but only need be a good communicator who could easily communicate a story to a lay jury. (2) The e-mail continued in some detail, telling me how the process would work: If I were interested, I could send in my resume, a brief explanation of my expertise, and a statement of my consulting fee. After consulting with their industry client, I would be set up on a conference call to determine if there is mutual interest in going forward. (3) The note continued by informing me about the consulting group: it was a consortium of several thousand professors in management, law, medicine, science, computer science, education, engineering, economics, and other disciplines who make themselves available ... to law firms and companies who are clients of Round Table Group. (4) Historians, it appeared, were a new addition to their stable of experts. What was ironic, if that's the right word, was that RTG was searching for an expert to testify on behalf of companies in a lead-paint trial, and at that very moment I was preparing to testify in a major lead-paint trial on behalf of the State of Rhode Island. (5) I, with Gerald Markowitz, had written a book on the lead and vinyl industries (6) based on documents we had uncovered. The documents, an affidavit we had written, and the book had all become part of a landmark case in which Rhode Island's Attorney General, along with the support of the plaintiffs' law firm, Motley Rice, were suing the lead-pigment manufacturers to get them to remove lead paint from hundreds of thousands of buildings in the state. It appeared that the lead industry was searching for someone to testify against me. Clearly, this recruitment letter was part of a larger phenomenon. In recent years historians have been brought into legal cases in unprecedented numbers. (7) As the courts have tried to adjudicate responsibility for environmental and occupational diseases, history has played an increasingly central role in decisions that affect the cases themselves and in social policy regarding risk. In suits over tobacco-related diseases, asbestosis, radiation, and other toxic substances, more historians of technology and science, social history, and public health are being sought to provide testimony aimed at assessing responsibility for damages that have arisen years--sometimes decades--after exposure. The basic questions asked were predictable: Who knew what about specific toxins and when did they know it? Did industries understand that specific substances could cause disease? If so, when did they learn of the dangers and when did they begin to warn their workers or their consumers of their products that they were at risk? As the role of the historian has expanded, so too has the controversy surrounding historians' participation. At the annual meeting of the American Association for the History of Medicine, traditionally a collegial conclave of subspecialists, a panel on the history of childhood diseases ended up in a shouting match after a respected historian who had been a consultant for the tobacco, asbestos, soft-drink, and lead industries, presented a paper arguing that the lead industry had done nothing wrong before the 1950s, and that, in any case, the problem of childhood lead poisoning was vastly overblown. …

A Second Look: Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Some Issues in Design-Bid-Build Procurement Practice in Nigeria

The construction product is an outcome of many procurement possibilities, among which the most dominant has been the design-bid-build (otherwise called the traditional) method. The procurement method’s real or perceived drawbacks have warranted or even been rationalized for the emergence of alternative methods. Yet there is a continued use of the method in both private and public sector projects in Nigeria. This study thus sought to investigate stakeholders’ perception on the use of the traditional method. 241 questionnaires were administered purposively on construction industry client, consulting and contracting organizations. 100 were received and analyzed through the use of descriptive and inferential statistical tools. Respondents were requested to express their agreement or otherwise with twenty issues raised from literature and practice on the traditional project procurement. The aggregated rankings for the stakeholder organizations show that ‘where sought at all, inputs of contractors are at best advisory’ ranked first among issues being assessed on traditional project procurement practice. ‘Relationships among participants breed mistrust’ ranked least among the twenty issues. The results of the analysis further indicate that there are no significant differences between the three stakeholder groups on some selected issues in traditional project procurement practice and documentation. It is recommended that the homogeneity of perceptions about the traditional method can be a springboard and form a baseline for further intervention efforts at improving construction project procurement in Nigeria.

Comparison of two wood filler types with respect to relative shrinkage across variations in temperature, in humidity and within wood species

This study compared two different types of wood filler with respect to fill capability and relative shrinkage across varying levels of temperature, humidity and species of wood. Characteristics exhibited by the filler material are crucial for assuring the production and delivery of quality wood flooring. This research specifically focused on the investigation of relative shrinkage of filled voids in hardwood flooring before finishing. Both fillers were applied to a consistent premachined defect cavity and evaluated based on dimensional changes. Shrinkage data was collected using a coordinate measuring machine. Results showed that relative shrinkage of both wood fillers can be affected by variations in humidity while curing during an initial 1 h set time. This research aimed to improve production quality of hardwood flooring in western North Carolina and eliminate processing extremes at an industry client’s facility.

USING MASTERY LEARNING TO TEACH THE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

Capstone design courses are often used to teach the engineering design process. Typically, students have one opportunity to experience the design process before graduating as qualified engineers. The Design Trilogy is a capstone design “course” consisting of three stand-alone courses completed in consecutive years. In Design Trilogy I, students find a conceptual solution to a problem provided by an industry client. In Design Trilogy II, students are expected to reach the analysis stage while working on a new industry problem. Finally, Design Trilogy III students are expected to produce a detailed design, including a cost analysis and prototype (if possible), for a third industry problem. Thus, students have a better opportunity to master the engineering design process because they have three exposures to the early stages of the process.

Living up to the value agenda: the empirical realities of through‐life value creation in construction

Current research agendas are increasingly encouraging the construction industry to operate on the basis of ‘added value’. Such debates echo the established concept of ‘high value manufacturing’ and associated trends towards servitization. Within construction, the so‐called ‘value agenda’ draws heavily from the notion of integrated solutions. This is held to be especially appropriate in the context of PFI projects. Also relevant is the concept of service‐led projects whereby the project rationale is driven by the client's objectives for delivering an enhanced service to its own customers. Such ideas are contextualized by a consideration of broader trends of privatization and outsourcing within and across the construction industry's client base. The current emphasis on integrated solutions reflects long‐term trends within privatized client organizations towards the outsourcing of asset management capabilities. However, such trends are by no means uniform or consistent. An in‐depth case study of three operating divisions within a major construction company illustrates that firms are unlikely to reorientate their business in response to the ‘value agenda’. In the case of PFI, the tendency has been to establish specialist units for the purposes of winning work. Meanwhile, institutionally embedded operating routines within the rest of the business remain broadly unaffected.

Explorations in specifying construction price forecast loss functions

Typical measures of goodness of construction price forecasts are the mean and standard deviation, coefficient of variation and root mean square of the deviations between forecasted and actual values. This can only be valid, however, if the pain, or loss, incurred as a result of such deviations is directly proportional to the square of their value. Two approaches are used to test this. The first of these analyses 10 sets of data collected from around the world, while the second explores the use of a postal questionnaire survey to elicit construction industry client disutilities. The results of the first analysis mitigate against any general view that projects tend to be overestimated but do clearly suggest asymmetric under/overestimates for the measures used. The second analysis results in an approximated loss function although in ordinal terms only. This also suggests that the functional form varies between building types, with Commercial and Residential being the most asymmetric and Schools and Industrial being less asymmetric. The work to date indicates that, for construction price forecasting, the loss functions involved are asymmetric, with the degree of asymmetry increasing according to the level of commercial financial viability at stake.

The Safety Experience of New Zealand Adventure Tourism Operators

This survey examined parameters of the New Zealand adventure tourism industry client injury risk. The research also sought to establish priorities for intervention to reduce adventure tourism risk, and identify client injury control measures currently in place (or absent) in the New Zealand adventure tourism industry, with a view to establishing guidelines for the development of effective adventure tourism safety management systems. This 2003 survey builds upon an exploratory study of New Zealand adventure tourism safety conducted by us during 1999. A postal questionnaire was used to survey all identifiable New Zealand adventure tourism operators. The questionnaire asked respondents about their recorded client injury experience, perceptions of client injury risk factors, safety management practices, and barriers to safety. Some 27 adventure tourism activities were represented among the responding sample (n=96). The highest client injury risk was reported in the snow sports, bungee jumping and horse riding sectors, although serious underreporting of minor injuries was evident across the industry. Slips, trips and falls (STF) were the major client injury mechanisms, and a range of risk factors for client injuries were identified. Safety management measures were inconsistently applied across the industry. The industry should consider the implications of poor injury reporting standards and safety management practices generally. Specifically, the industry should consider risk management that focuses on minor (e.g., STF) as well as catastrophic events.

Smelling of roses or drowning in crude oil? A point of view on managing environmental crises

Scrutiny of corporate activity is greater than ever and there is no more active, or indeed, arguably, effective, campaigning force than the environmental lobby. A mismanaged environmental incident where an industry specialist's company or client is held responsible can do enormous damage to the specialist's reputation. Such crises stick in the mind and frequently have a much wider public impact than other corporate crises which are quickly off the public agenda. This paper examines the reasons behind this added impact of environmental crises, sets out the essentials for preparation and looks at how key principles apply to managing such a crisis and stresses the importance of working closely with third‐party experts in order to communicate effectively. It also demonstrates through a case history how an organisation can effectively work with an activist group.

Auditor Industry Specialization and Client Disclosure Quality

We examine the relation between audit firm industry specialization and client disclosure quality. Our motivation for conducting this research arises from the claims made by each of the Big5 public accounting firms that industry specialization enables each to provide superior service and quality to clients in its target industries. We document a positive association between industry-specialized audit firms and analysts' rankings of disclosure quality in unregulated industries, but no relation in regulated industries. Alternative measures of auditor industry specialization support our conclusions. Our results suggest industry-specialized audit firms add value to clients in unregulated industries in the form of improved disclosure quality.

A Three-Stage Design Process Applied to an Industry-University Textile Product Design Project

Continual exploration and understanding of the design process is necessary to advance and encourage implementation of this valuable tool in the field of textiles and clothing. This paper examines design processes used in related fields, presents a common structure that links these working methods, and demonstrates how the structure was used by a university design team to work with an industry client. Design processes used in fields that focus on the design of three-dimensional structures and spaces were reviewed. Salient features were examined and organized into three common stages of problem definition and research, creative exploration and development, and implementation. The project also demonstrates the application of the design process to a textile product design problem.

Chemical Companies Discover A Weapon For Globalization And Reengineering

Laptop computers enable salespeople to update their knowledge of inventories and customer information overnight. Lawyers working for different firms can consolidate information for a shared chemical industry client. A dispatcher at a warehouse can electronically load trucks with a computer mouse—allowing customer service representatives to immediately tell customers when their shipments will arrive. And plastics users will soon be able to access training programs over the Internet. Although the chemical industry computerized many processes in the 1970s, it has been slow in joining the new information revolution. Now, many companies are finding innovative ways in which information technology can serve them. Integrated computer technology is expected to be essential in the coming years as competitors gear up for the changing marketplace. Cutting-edge companies have already reaped benefits, such as forming truly global organizations, improving customer service, and realizing other business visions enabled ...