Technical Companies Research Articles

Strategic Considerations for Planning Major Transitions

ABSTRACTEffectively planning an organization's transition through a major change, such as from an R&D environment to one of operations, involves many considerations. During a 6-year period, a research team at the University of Houston was charged with finding ways and means of aiding the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) in becoming more operational in nature. While the underlying research effort was geared for the space shuttle program, the conclusions can be applied to any organization undergoing significant changes. This article outlines important points and key areas that an organization should consider as it plans and implements a transition program. The basis for this article includes interviews with top managers of technical companies, results of a questionnaire on transition management sent to numerous Fortune 500 companies, and the literature on the management of change. Throughout the article, a suggested strategy of the proposed movement of NSTS will be referred to as an example of an...

Multistage financing of technical start-up companies in silicon valley

Financing remains an issue that entrepreneurs face long after their initial financing has been obtained. In technical companies, that face changing customers, competitors, and technology, the need to finance new products to replace earlier products can be of vital importance to growth and survival. Venture capital firms that invest in technical companies also recognize the need for subsequent financing to maintain growth and thus protect the initial investment. This research explored both the venture capitalist's and the entrepreneur's viewpoints. The principal questions asked in the research were (1) How are subsequent rounds of investment considered and made by venture capitalists? and (2) What problems occur in the entrepreneur's search for subsequent funding? A combination of in-depth interviews and mailed questionnaires was used in the research to obtain responses from a sample of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. This approach produced observations on the venture capitalists' methods of making risk-return trade-offs and on the reasons why entrepreneurs face problems in obtaining funding for second, new products. Specifically, it was found that venture capital firms reduce the risk associated with funding young companies by showing preferences for certain stages of financing, or for funding single-versus multiple-round investments. These preferences appear to be idiosyncratic, and entrepreneurs must be careful to deal with venture capitalists whose tendencies are consistent with the entrepreneurs' goals. It was also found that a major problem faced by entrepreneurs seeking funding for second products is the effort required for the search. This effort takes away from their ability to perform day-to-day management activities at a crucial time in the growth of the firm. Implications are drawn for improving the effectiveness of entrepreneurs' and venture capitalists' efforts, as well as for future research.

Experimental studies in total artificial heart replacement.

Twenty-seven calves were operated on in our institute for total artificial heart replacement. Thomasu hearts (made by the Thomasu Technical Company, Japan) were used in 21 calves from February 1980 to May 1983. Utah Jarvik 7 hearts were used for the first five calves and the 17th calf. The air-driven Thomasu heart, made of segmented polyurethane, has 95 ml and 85 ml of stroke volume in its left and right sides respectively and showed recognizable function curves in mock circulation systems. There were no satisfactory results in the first 19 cases but the 20th calf survived for 28 days. In 1982, we adopted a new surgical method in which, instead of suturing, a sutureless artificial graft with a stainless steel ring was inserted into the aorta and pulmonary truncus. Since then two out of six calves have survived for more than one month; one of these survived for 66 days. The causes of death after the Thomasu heart replacements were varied. Ten (48%) out of 21 cases had heart trouble and four calves (19%) died through thrombus formation at the inflow and outflow valves. Three calves (14%) died because of mechanical failure of the driving system, two (10%) due to surgical failure, one because of pneumonia, and one due to an abnormal reaction after donor blood transfusion. Our longest surviving calf died after 66 days, because of a broken left blood diaphram though, it remained in excellent condition until its death. There was no thrombus formation in either ventricle, no fibrin net formation and no calcium deposit on the surface of the diaphragm.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Simulating the Work of a Tendering Technical Company

Preparing tenders usually requires the technical staff who would otherwise be preparing manufacturing drawings for products that have been ordered. Work that will be paid for and work that may not be paid for are thus competing for the same resources. Tendering is essential, however, in the type of company discussed, because it is the successful tenders which generate future company revenue. The simulation explores the allocation of technical resources to tendering and the problem is seen to have something in common with job shop scheduling. There is, however, the additional complication that, since a tender is likely to be unsuccessful, the complete number of activities and costs cannot be predicted. It is found that, if we attempt to load a technical department so heavily that a man is required to work more than about 80% of his available time, unacceptably long job turn-round times are created. Long turn-round times reduce the probabilities of tenders generating orders. Increasing the design effort spent on tenders eventually has a bad effect, ending in reduced numbers of orders. It is necessary for the manager to refuse work when the system is overloaded.

Simulating the Work of a Tendering Technical Company

Simulating the Work of a Tendering Technical Company

An ecological study of the reliability of clinical judgment in executive appraisal

This research was a study of the reliability of clinical judgment findings (multitrait) across three different information sources (psychometric tests, structured interview, and psychometric tests and interview). Subjects ( N = 74) were middle and senior executives of Western Canadian technical companies; clinicians ( N = 3) were trained and experienced industrial psychologists. The study investigated the similarity of clinical evaluation of personological characteristics (based on an 18-factor multitrait paradigm) across the three different information sources. Subjects were independently rated by a single clinician on 18 criterion factors in each of the three information source categories. Test information source categories required the administration of approximately 12 hrs of standardized psychological assessment questionnaires to each of the 74 subjects. Interview source category involved a 1.5-hr structured interview per subject. Combined condition pooled both test and interview conditions. Generalizability of the findings was maximized by the undertaking of the experiment in a natural situation thus increasing ecological validity. Statistical treatments used were designed to assess the similarity of a clinician's evaluation of a subject based on the different category of information available about that client. Convergence (intrarater reliability) indexes range from a high of .64 to a low of .05. Results indicate a varying degree of convergence of multitrait clinical ratings dependent on clinician and trait being rated. Results are discussed in terms of implications for practitioners involved in executive personnel selection.

Continuing Education-What It Takes to Be With It

Abstract With the rapid expansion of knowledge in all fields, the technical man has to guard himself against obsolescence by actively pursuing a program of continuing education. What is involved? In short, time, money and effort on the part of the individual are needed. A brief outline of the available forms of continuing education is given, and these are discussed with regard to time, money and effort. Whether a person is located in Drayton Valley or Calgary, it is possible to follow a continuing education program to suit each particular location or situation. Theresponsibility for setting and pursuing such a programrests mainly with the individual, but the climate that a company sets is important also. Introduction Most Engineering don't argue about the need for continuing education – they admit that continuing education is essential. There is, however, a great gap between admitting to a situation and doing something about it. Continuing education, as discussed in this paper, is thought of as an educational program that a technical man sets for himself in order to stay abreast of thenew developments within his chosen industry. This goes beyond on-the-job training, as the latter would merely qualify him for a new assignment or position. Continuing education for a young engineer may initially mean a formal one- or two-year company trainingprogram, but it must not stop there. It should be, asthe word implies, a continuously ongoing process of study in one's chosen field of endeavour. This paper points the way to such a program. Brief Outline Of Sources Of Continuing Education For reference purposes mainly it is necessary to set down briefly the various sources of continuing education that are available. Not all of these will be readily available to everyone, but, on the other hand, everyone has access to at least two or three of the following:Technical meetings or seminars, usually put on by technical societies, companies or educational institutions.Formal one to three-week courses given by a university school of technology or P .I.T .S.Evening term courses consisting of one or two lectures per week, available at the universities or technical schools.Correspondence courses.Subscriptions to a great variety of technical and trade journals.Books. What Does It Take To Participate In Continuing Education? The three obvious and essential things that are required in almost any endeavour are time, money and effort. Of these three, the last, namely effort, is the most important. Effort is the action taken to bring about the desired end result. This applies to any endeavour, as, for example, the team effort to design and build the rockets to land a man on the moon and return him to earth. In this example, the team effort of thousands of people was required to bring about the desired results. Because continuing education is a very individual endeavour, benefiting firstly the individual, it can only be brought about by the individual himself.

Bibliography and Index to the Literature on Gas Chromatography--1966 November 1, 1965 to November 1, 1966

This bibliography is a continuation of the biblographies published in the December 1963, 1964 and 1965 issues of this journal. The bibliographies are compiled from abstracts issued as part of the Gas chromatography Abstracting Service. It is intended to up-date each year “A Comprehensive Bibliography and Index to the Literature on Gas Chromatography” (which covers the literature from January 1952 to January 1963) published by Preston Technical Abstracts Company. A classified index follows the bibliography.