#Liberty breach: An exploratory usage case of NodeXL Pro as a social media analytics tool for Twitter
- Authors: Struweg, Ilse
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Social media analytics , NodeXL Pro , social network analysis
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/283709 , uj:30607 , Citation: Struweg, I. 2018. #Liberty breach: An exploratory usage case of NodeXL Pro as a social media analytics tool for Twitter.
- Description: Abstract: Social media analytics uses data mining tools, platforms, and analytics techniques to collect and analyse infinite amounts of social media data. Social media analytics tools extract patterns and connections from data, for insight into market sentiments and requirements, to enhance business intelligence. ‘Network Overview, Discovery and Exploration for Excel Pro’ (NodeXL Pro) is a social media analytics tool that simplifies basic network analysis tasks and supports the analysis of social media networks. NodeXL Pro does sophisticated ‘crawling’ (extracting data) across a range of social media platforms. Through a qualitative case study design, this study explores and describes the use of NodeXL Pro through empirical and multimodal analysis and social network visualisation of social media data of the Liberty Holdings Ltd data breach crisis case in June 2018. The hashtag ‘#Liberty breach’ resulted in 10 000 data sources (‘tweets’) from the social media platform Twitter. This study is unique on two levels. Firstly, it appears to be the first study in the South African marketing literature to use NodeXL Pro in social media analytics. Secondly, it presents the case study as a usage case to describe, in a step‐by‐step way, the functionalities of NodeXL Pro through social network analysis. The main finding of the paper focuses on the usability and manifold features (including the integrated visualisation tool) of NodeXL Pro. This social media analytics tool can open doors for marketing scholars and practitioners alike to measure, map, and model collections of connections.
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3D printing impacts on South African third party logistic service providers
- Authors: Radebe, M.S. , Nabee, S. , Thomas, P.
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/276024 , uj:29518 , Citation: Radebe, M.S., Nabee, S. & Thomas, P. 2018. 3D printing impacts on South African third party logistic service providers.
- Description: Abstract: Technology is the driver of industry innovations. One disruptive innovation that has implications for third party logistic (3PL) service providers is the technology of 3D printing. 3D printing enables manufacturers to produce their product at geographically remote areas no longer needing a 3PL service provider to move and warehouse products. This could result in many current services as offered by 3PLs to manufacturers, being changed. A qualitative case study methodology, to explore the implications of 3D printing for a South African 3PL provider, was employed. The research findings indicated that 3D printing impacts must be considered in terms of adaptive strategies by 3PLs if competitive advantages and customer service are to be assured in the future.
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3D printing of carbon nanofiber‐PLA composite
- Authors: Msibi, M. , Mashamba, A. , Mashinini, P. M. , Hashe, V. T.
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Carbon nanofiber , Poly(lactic acid) , Polylactide (PLA)
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/278523 , uj:29889 , Citation: Msibi, M. et al. 2018. 3D printing of carbon nanofiber‐PLA composite. 11th South African Conference on Computational and Applied Mechanics, 17-19 Sept 2018.
- Description: Abstract: The aim of this research study was to study the mechanical properties of carbon nanofiber (CNF) and Polylactide (PLA) composite. The composite material was developed by mixing Polylactide with carbon nano fiber using a three dimensional printer. The research study presents the following; the mixing ratios which were used, time intervals, mixing equipment and mixing method. After the composite material was developed, the mechanical properties of the material were studied. These mechanical properties include the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength between the two materials that is PLA and PCM composites. The effect of processing methods and conditions on the properties of CNF/PLA composites were also taken to consideration due to the impact they might have in the results obtained. An excel Anova software was also used to compare the UTS of the two materials and conclude if there is a significant difference between the parent material and the developed composite material. The Ultimate tensile strength improved by 4.16% from the initial ultimate tensile strength obtained from PLA samples, while the yield strength increased by 38.05% from the PLA. These results obtained conclude that the mechanical properties of the PCM have improved. At the end of the paper, recommendations of possible future challenges for CNF/PLA composites will be presented.
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5TH applied research conference in Africa
- Authors: Mojekwu, Joseph N. , Nani, Gabriel , Atepor, Lawrence , Oppong, Rexford Assasie , Ogunsumi, Lucy , Adetunji, Olutoyin M. , Tetteh, Uriah Stonewell , Awere, Eric , Pardie-Ocran, Sophia , Bamfo-Agyei, Emmanuel
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/244803 , uj:25319 , Citation: Mojekwu, J.N. et al. 2017. 5TH applied research conference in Africa. 25-27 August 2016, Pempamsie Hotel, Cape Coast, Ghana.
- Description: Abstract: Please refer to full text to view abstract
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A 'headless statue' and 'A headless Ghana' – a case study on the role of signs and symbols in creating factual stories
- Authors: Jansen van Vuuren, Anna-Marie
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Accra (Ghana) - Politics and government , Nkrumah, Kwame, 1909-1972
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/383554 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/217755 , uj:21679 , Citation: Jansen van Vuuren, A.M. 2016. A headless statue' and 'A headless Ghana' – a case study on the role of signs and symbols in creating factual stories.
- Description: Abstract: “The headless statue of Nkrumah symbolises that we have become a headless Ghana.” These words of a Ghanaian politician became the starting point for a short documentary that explored the mythical image of the first leader of the independent Ghana. However, what began as a few interviews with political members, resulted in much more – as the filmmakers followed the visual signs of this icon all over the city of Accra – and ended up finding an interesting tale about how people reacted to these visuals, and the message one could read between the lines of their words. In visual storytelling, whether it be producing documentaries or television news inserts, we tend to think of the story first and the pictures thereafter. However, the author of this paper found in directing and producing the short documentary “Finding Nkrumah” that sometimes following the visuals will dictate its own angle and create its own story. Furthermore, the author also found that certain visual images (or “signs”) would get the documentary participants/interviewees as well as the viewers to respond to the story in interesting ways by attributing their own symbolism to it. According to many scholars, that is part of the power of the visual image, as Browne (1983:vi) states “Pictures ... are exceptionally effective because, although words lie flat and dormant to some readers, it is difficult to miss messages carried in a motion picture.” Unfortunately, journalists or producers at times tend to forget the visual as a tool of creating meaning and telling its own story. In interviewees with TV journalists, the author has found that these journalists often have a set story in mind, and if they aren’t able to film suitable images, they settle for archive footage and cutaways and use voice over narration to tell the story in the way they wanted to tell it from the initial stages of the production, without keeping their current material in mind. The author of this paper used to have this perception as well – that as a journalist one sets out on a story with a specific angle and that it will only change if an interviewee gives one a so-called “scoop” that changes the direction of the story, or if interviewees’ unwillingness to divulge information or engage with the camera forces one to diverge from one’s original intention in creating the story. However, the specific case study in point, a five-minute documentary filmed in Accra, Ghana, changed her perception. The film initially began as a story about what made Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first leader after gaining independence from Britain, a hero. It progressed from the latter - to recording the heroic signs of Nkrumah in Accra – to investigating how historical heroes become mythical figures and how the visual symbols that represent them in turn enhances their myth inside others’ minds. In Accra there are quite a few statues, monuments and other visual symbols of Nkrumah. As with most iconic statues, their function is to pay tribute to historical figures and cement the heroes of a bygone past into the minds of those who see them. In a time where these types of statues cause a lot of controversy: the most notable case in point is the statue of Cecil John Rhodes at the University of Cape Town in the author’s home country (South Africa) that lead to the start of the #RhodesMustFall-hashtag campaign that, in turn, also sparked debates about a statue of the same figure at the campus of the UK’s Oxford University. However, it was the statue...
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A 50 GHz SiGe BiCMOS active bandpass filter
- Authors: Chaturvedi, Saurabh , Božanić, Mladen , Sinha, Saurabh
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Bandpass filter (BPF) , SiGe BiCMOS , Negative resistance
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/238154 , uj:24414 , Citation: Chaturvedi, S., Božanić, M. & Sinha, S. 2017. A 50 GHz SiGe BiCMOS active bandpass filter.
- Description: Abstract: This paper presents a second-order active bandpass filter (BPF) at millimeter-wave frequency band using 0.13 μm SiGe BiCMOS technology. A complementary cross-coupled pair based negative resistance technique is applied to compensate for the resistive losses of microstrip line resonators. The proposed active BPF is simulated using the Keysight Technologies (formerly Agilent’s Electronic Measurement Group) Advanced Design System 2016.01. The center frequency (fc), 3-dB bandwidth, and fractional bandwidth of the simulated BPF are 53.85 GHz, 14.18 GHz, and 26.33%, respectively. The BPF shows an insertion loss (IL) of 0.33 dB and a return loss (RL) of 18.03 dB at fc. The minimum IL of 0.10 dB and best RL of 26.03 dB are observed in the passband. The noise figure and input 1-dB compression point (PldB) at fc are 7.93 dB and -3.67 dBm, respectively. The power dissipation is 2.62 mW at 1.6 V supply voltage. For the input power level of -10 dBm, the power level of the second harmonic is -46.02 dBc.
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A benchmark study of waste tyre recycling in South Africa to European Union practice
- Authors: Sebola, M.R. , Mativenga, P.T. , Pretorius, J.
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: End of life tyres , Legal regulations , Waste tyre management models
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/275005 , uj:29368 , Citation: Sebola, M.R., Mativenga, P.T. & Pretorius, J. 2018. A benchmark study of waste tyre recycling in South Africa to European Union practice. 25th CIRP Life Cycle Engineering (LCE) Conference, 30 April 2 May 2018, Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Description: Abstract: The number of vehicles is increasing globally resulting in an increase in end of life tyres. Waste tyres are now considered to be a source of valuable materials and structures which can be used to produce new goods and products of useful significance. Technologies and innovations for recovering end of life tyres are well established. Reuse, re-treading, energy and material recovery of end of life tyres are viable options. However, the recycling of waste tyres is not globally successful. The aim and motivation for this study was to compare the success of South Africa in waste tyre recycling to that of countries in the European Union and elucidate on factors that can help explain the gaps in recycling uptake. The European Union tyre recycling rates are closer to 100% while in South Africa the rate is less than 20%. Thus the EU is four times more effective than South Africa in addressing the problem of waste tyres. Legal regulations banning end of life tyre in landfills as well as waste tyre management models, such as extended producer responsibility, free market and tax system were evaluated. The paper contributes to an understanding of the differences, challenges and opportunities for waste management that can be obtained from international benchmarks.
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A Block Diagonal Markov model for indoor software-defined power line communication
- Authors: Familua, Ayokunle Damilola
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Baum-Welch Algorithm , Block Diagonal Markov Model , PLC
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/398582 , uj:33188 , Citation: Familua, A.D. 2019. A Block Diagonal Markov model for indoor software-defined power line communication.
- Description: Abstract: A Semi-Hidden Markov Model (SHMM) for bursty error channels is defined by a state transition probability matrix A, a prior probability vector Π, and the state dependent output symbol error probability matrix B. Several processes are utilized for estimating A, Π and B from a given empirically obtained or simulated error sequence. However, despite placing some restrictions on the underlying Markov model structure, we still have a computationally intensive estimation procedure, especially given a large error sequence containing long burst of identical symbols. Thus, in this paper, we utilize under some moderate assumptions, a Markov model with random state transition matrix A equivalent to a unique Block Diagonal Markov model with state transition matrix Λ to model an indoor software- defined power line communication system. A computationally efficient modified Baum-Welch algorithm for estimation of Λ given an experimentally obtained error sequence from the indoor PLC channel is utilized. Resulting Equivalent Block Diagonal Markov models assist designers to accelerate and facilitate the procedure of novel PLC systems design and evaluation.
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A business perspective on ROI and risk management in human capital development
- Authors: Mara, Cashandra C. , Govender, Cookie M. , Makka, Anoosha M.
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Business , Human capital development (HCD) , Return on investment (ROI)
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/281007 , uj:30223 , Citation: Mara, C.C., Govender, C.M. & Makka, A.M. 2018. A business perspective on ROI and risk management in human capital development.
- Description: Abstract: Human capital development (HCD) improves employee development, which improves business results. HCD is measured to prove business impact. Organisations in Africa and South Africa are challenged when calculating ROI in HCD interventions. This article presents the business perspectives on HCD benefits, highlighting the ROI and risk aspects. The argument is that although there are productivity, customer satisfaction and competitive advantage benefits to HCD, if the ROI is not calculated the impact on business results remain elusive. It is only when HCD risks are measured and managed that HCD manifests a positive impact on business results. The contribution of this article is to add to the body of knowledge on HCD, ROI and risk measurement in the African and South African context. The practical contribution is the highlighted business benefits of effective and efficient HCD management. The article allows HCD managers to embrace business innovation in their human development strategy.
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A cascaded hybrid inverter with improved dc-link voltage control for grid connected systems
- Authors: Wanjekeche, T. , Jimoh, A. A. , Nicolae, Dan-Valentin
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Voltage-frequency converters , Converters , Electronic circuits
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/17312 , uj:15870 , ISBN: 9781467301589 , Ciatation: Wanjekeche, T.,Jimoh, A.A. & Nicolae, D.V. 2012. A cascaded hybrid inventer with improved dc-link voltage control for grid connected systems IEEE – ISIE 2012, 28–31 May, Hangzhou, China:1950-1956. DOI:10:1109/ISIE.2012.6237391
- Description: Abstract: This paper presents investigation of a new Phase shifted PWM technique with improved harmonic suppression. A novel balance circuit for DC – link voltage balance of two three level legs connected back – to back is designed and tested. Combined with the individual voltage control, a complete voltage controller is developed for a cascaded nine level hybrid model with two cells. Robustness of the proposed algorithm under varying operating conditions and modulation indices is verified by simulation.
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A cascaded NPC/H-bridge inverter with simplifiied control strategy and minimum component count
- Authors: Wanjekeche, T. , Nicolae, Dan-Valentin , Jimoh, A. A.
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Electric inverters , Harmonics (Electric waves) , Power electronics
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/22319 , uj:16188 , ISBN: 978-1-4244-3919-5 , Citation: Wanjekeche, T., Nicolae, D.V. & Jimoh, A.A. 2009. A cascaded NPC/H-bridge inverter with simplifiied control strategy and minimum component count. Proceedings of IEEE-Africon, 23-25 September, 2009, Kenya. DOI: 10.1109/AFRCON.2009.5308551
- Description: Abstract: Please refer to full text to view abstract Please refer to full text to view abstract
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A case for biogas as the viable substitute fuel in spark ignition engines
- Authors: Kukoyi, T. O. , Muzenda. E. , Mbohwa, Charles
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Biogas , Crude Oil , Fossil fuels
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/250381 , uj:26091 , Citation: Kukoyi, T.O., Muzenda. E. & Mbohwa, C. 2017. A case for biogas as the viable substitute fuel in spark ignition engines.
- Description: Abstract: Unstable prices, energy security, depleting reserves and their negative effect on the ecosystem have forced mankind to critically tackle it’s over dependence on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are oil coal and natural gas which currently caters for over 80% of the world’s energy needs. Crude oil derivatives and coal have been extensively tapped and utilized to make living more comfortable and to drive different sectors that power the world’s economies. These have however come at an irreparable cost on human health and the environment. The transport sector, a major driver of development consumes the 2nd largest portion of our fossil energy reserves and has also been at the forefront of the creation of alternative fuels to mitigate various economic, political and environmental challenges associated with the refining and utilization of the conventional fuels in the sector which are petrol and diesel. The sector recently turned to natural gas as an efficient substitute particularly in the more popular passenger cars that utilize spark ignition engines. It performs excellently with lesser tail pipe emissions when compared with petrol which emits lesser harmful products than diesel. Though readily available, with well-developed infrastructure, its fossil nature makes it a finite resource hence the need for a viable renewable replacement fuel. Many alternative fuels have been developed to power the spark ignition engine as stricter emission standards are being created and the need for improved fuel economy with better system efficiency. This paper highlights the popular alternative fuels been utilized in spark ignition engines which are hydrogen, ethanol, liquefied petroleum gas and biogas looking at criteria such as performance, renewability, ease of integration into existing infrastructure and cost with the need to make a case for biogas as the right substitute for petrol in existing and future spark ignition engine applications.
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A case study of systems engineering implementation in designing electronic blast systems
- Authors: Whyte, Aldaine , Erasmus, Louwrence
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/242186 , uj:24973 , Citation: Whyte, A. & Erasmus, L. 2017. A case study of systems engineering implementation in designing electronic blast systems.
- Description: Abstract: It is not known if a lack of formal system engineering processes being used in the design and development of new and existing systems, lead to high risk of failure in the implementation of electronic blast systems. In mining, more specifically electronic blast systems, minimal research exists on the application of system engineering principles and practices to deliver better systems faster, and more cost-effectively compared to that of ad-hoc, non-systemic approaches. The main objective of the research was to determine how well system engineering processes are applied in electronic blast systems implementation. The investigations showed results of the measurement through the SECM model’s and revealed that the company is on maturity level of 2 with aspects of level 3 in all three focus-area categories, namely technical, management and environment. The activities performed indicate that SECM outputs are managed to a plan, and there are some defined organisation processes used to plan and execute activities. System engineering processes do exist but are informal, and most are not measured, and this prevents process improvement, and hence an increase SECM maturity level.
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A Case Study on Implementation of 5S in a Manufacturing Plant to Improve Operational Effectiveness
- Authors: Monnanyana, Ofentse , Gupta, Kapil
- Date: 2021
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/488973 , uj:44565 , Citation: Monnanyana, O. and Gupta, K., 2021. A Case Study on Implementation of 5S in a Manufacturing Plant to Improve Operational Effectiveness. In MATEC Web of Conferences (Vol. 346). EDP Sciences.
- Description: Abstract: 5S is one of the important industrial engineering techniques to obtain workplace organization and efficiency enhancement. This paper reports a case study on implementation of 5S in a factory facility of a valve manufacturing company. The aim behind implementing 5S is to improve the productivity and efficiency by reducing the factory chaos, reducing the tool and material search time, and arranging the workplace for a better visibility of the machines, equipment, and items. Audit checklists, workplace pictures, and time study have been used to analyse the effect of 5S implementation. A strategic 5S implementation in this work resulted in much better workplace organization; improved visibility, appearance, and orderliness of objects; and significant reduction in the time to search or access tools.
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A Cleaner Production (CP) Perspective for the Metal Industry Processes: Case Study
- Authors: Madanhire, Ignatio , Mbohwa, Charles
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: cleaner production , metal waste , metal fabrication
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/93083 , uj:20306 , Citation:Madanhire,I. & Mbohwa, C. A Cleaner Production (CP) Perspective for the Metal Industry Processes: Case Study.
- Description: Abstract: The study investigated the metal processing industry and established gaps in its application of cleaner production initiatives. Major processes were reviewed through use of material balance diagrams for typical operations. Upon which feasible CP options were generated to minimize waste and emissions from the metal industry. The specific framework guidelines for CP implementation were outlined for various metal industry sector processes.
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A commentary on the tensions between second-order cybernetics and traditional academic conferences
- Authors: Griffiths, David , Baron, Philip
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/369977 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/85691 , uj:19379 , Citation: Griffiths, D. & Baron, P. 2015. A commentary on the tensions between second-order cybernetics and traditional academic conferences.
- Description: Abstract: Please refer to full text to view abstract
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A comparative study of different modulations for visible light communications
- Authors: Netsianda, Rofhiwa E. , Ouahada, Khmaies , Ndjiongue, R.
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Visible light communication , On-Off keying (OOK) , Frequency shift keying (FSK)
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/237403 , uj:24320 , Citation: Netsianda, R.E., Ouahada, K. & Ndjiongue, R. 2017. A comparative study of different modulations for visible light communications.
- Description: Abstract: Wireless technology is quickly developing, and is playing an increasing role in the lives of people throughout the world. Radio frequency communication is the current dominating limited wireless technology that is used in communication industry. Visible Light Communication (VLC) is developing and promising to overcome problems faced in RF communications due to its advantages such as license free and unlimited bandwidth .This project focuses on comparing different modulation schemes for VLC technology, which chosen to be Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) and On-Off Keying (OOK). The physical design for both modulations had to be conducted to perform the comparison. The design involved the receiver and the transmitter circuits. The main properties to be analyzed are the cost, bit error rate and the distance to see which modulation performs better. Due to many components used in FSK modulation, more money was spent compared to OOK modulation. Additionally, OOK modulation outperformed the FSK modulation in terms of the curve of bit error rate versus the distance as shown in this paper.
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A comparative study of oxygen pick-up of TiHDH powder during press and sinter and loose sintering processing
- Authors: Motsai, T. M. , Chikosha, S. , Machio, C. , Makhatha, M. E.
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/291052 , uj:31598 , Citation: Motsai, T.M. et al. 2018. A comparative study of oxygen pick-up of TiHDH powder during press and sinter and loose sintering processing.
- Description: Abstract: Press and sinter is considered to be the most cost effective powder metallurgy process for producing parts. However, loose powder sintering shows to be a more promising cost effective powder metallurgy process as it entails pouring powder into a mould followed by sintering. The differences in their behaviour with respect to densification, maintaining dimensional stability and their oxidation behaviours determine the choice of their industrial applicability. Titanium has a high affinity for oxygen which in turn makes it difficult to process components from powder. It also affects the mechanical properties of products significantly; particularly in applications where ductility is imperative. The focus of this study was therefore to evaluate the oxygen pick-up of the two cost effective powder metallurgy processes (press and sinter and loose sintering). A 100 Mesh TiHDH powder was used for sintering. Sintering was performed at 1500°C for 4 hours. The oxygen contents of the green and sintered compacts were then compared. High oxygen contents were observed in tap density powder and pressed samples. The loosely sintered components showed high oxygen pick-up after sintering while oxygen pickup decreased with increasing pressure in pressed samples. These results show that press and sinter is advantageous over loose sintering where oxygen control is critical.
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A comparative study of soft skills amongst the Washington accord engineering degree graduates with industry expectations
- Authors: Wilson, T. T. , Marnewick, A. L.
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Soft skills , Washington Accord , Graduate engineers
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/271151 , uj:28833 , Citation: Wilson, T.T. & Marnewick, A.L. 2018. A comparative study of soft skills amongst the Washington accord engineering degree graduates with industry expectations.
- Description: Abstract: Graduate engineers in the 21st century are expected to be well rounded engineers after graduating with a Washington accord degree. Academics and industry concur that engineers need to have a set of soft skills in the 21st century. Competence in soft skills may equally have a great influence over an engineer’s general career achievement as hard skills competences. The purpose of this study is to investigate the magnitude to which the gap between Washington accord engineering degrees offer and industry expectations. The study found that graduate engineers with a Washington accord (WA) degree are taught the following soft skills; communication skills, teamwork, entrepreneurial skills, problem solving skills, decision making, ethic, self management skills, life long learning, and creativity/innovation. In contrast, industry found that graduate engineers are competent in the following soft skills; interpersonal skills, flexibility, teamwork, decision making skills, problem solving skills, and self management skills. Moreover, the result revealed that graduate engineers are taught the following soft skills; communication skills, ethics, and entrepreneurial skills but were not inline with industry expectations. The findings suggest that by revising the engineering curricula, it may be able to produce engineering graduates who are more prepared to meet industry expectations.
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A comparative study on new product development projects : supplier-client partnerships in manufacturing industry MATEC Web of Conferences 312, 01002 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/202031201002
- Authors: Hashe, Vuyo T.
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Buyer , Product development , Supplier
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/437142 , uj:37950 , Citation: Hashe, V.T. 2020. A comparative study on new product development projects: supplier-client partnerships in manufacturing industry .
- Description: Abstract: This paper was to investigate, explore and gain an understanding of the factors that enable and support supplier-client collaboration in New Product Development Projects (NPDP) within the South African manufacturing industry. This study was based on two case studies where two NPDP within South African on two different firms were studied. The predominant focus of this report studied the supplier involvement and relationship factors, supplier selection factors, and cultural environment and collaboration factors. The main data used was collected via interviews and internal company documents. The collected data was then analyzed and the outcome provided insight into the factors and relationship between these factors. This study noted that firms can enter into collaboration to accelerate the product development process. This includes enhancing the ability of the firm to respond to key customer needs. Firms can make use of the collaboration advantage where they see a market opportunity where their teams have less to no expertise and skills required to capture the opportunity. In addition, research and development costs stand to be reduced significantly, where the collaboration partner is chosen effectively. This study concludes by seeing it as beneficial to firms to collaborate with their suppliers under proper management.
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