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Advancing Maintenance 4.0 through an Asset Management Framework: a South African Petrochemical Industry Case Study
1-20Views:109The rapid advancement of digital technologies has raised uncertainty about the adequacy of traditional maintenance models to meet Industry 4.0 requirements. This study develops and validates an asset management framework to support the South African petrochemical industry’s transition to Maintenance 4.0. The framework was validated through a quantitative survey conducted within a leading petrochemical company in South Africa, ensuring its practical applicability. Descriptive statistical analysis confirmed 15 of 17 framework characteristics and supported five of seven theoretical propositions. Key enablers of Maintenance 4.0 adoption include the integration of human intelligence, machine learning, and real-time data, as well as the role of organizational culture and asset resilience in shaping outcomes. The study offers both theoretical contributions and practical guidance for maintenance professionals seeking to align maintenance practices with Industry 4.0 principles, with relevance extending beyond the immediate case context.
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Vocational Teacher Training – Selection of Teaching Aids
89-96Views:226Teacher Training Programmes provide teachers of Vocational Education and Training schools. Students require adequate educational tools they can get in order to improve their learning. They support interaction and give students an impulsive learning environment. This article deals with the prospective vocational teachers, selection and use of teaching aids after their practical pedagogical training in Vocational Education and Training schools.
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Menedzsment módszerek az Ipar 4.0 tükrében
507-514Views:851The fourth industrial revolution poses major challenges for organisations in terms of technological aspects and from a management point of view, too. Good (effective) management is vital as it can help overcome the difficulties arising from shortages of skilled labour and from cost-cutting pressures, and it can help improve efficiency of resources. Innovations require management methods that support the introduction of industry 4.0. In my review of the literature, I aim to find out how the current level of sophistication in this new field can help managers of SME to better embrace change. Based on the reviewed literature, from management point of view, organisational structure, leadership style and HR practices are key to creating an atmosphere conducive to learning and innovation. In terms of structure, researchers do not suggest one thing to apply, but emphasise that industry 4.0 is characterised by an unstable, changing environment, so it is worth developing a structure that is characterised by decentralisation, few rules, horizontal communication and collaborative teamwork, i.e. much more organic than mechanical. In terms of different leadership styles, it is the transformational leadership that is the most often mentioned, however, in case of industry 4.0, we need even more because it can have various limitations. Even before industry 4.0, literature has highlighted that the recommended leadership style can be defined as the combination of transformational and transactional leadership; research in industry 4.0 in recent years also emphasises that it is the expanded construction of a knowledge-driven leadership style that blends the two, which can best facilitate innovation and learning. Managers can develop employee skills and improve their learning abilities through a variety of HR practices. So the right structure, leadership style and HR prepare the organisation for industry 4.0 by facilitating learning, improving skills and innovation.
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Analyzing Determinants of Construction Project Resilience and Success in Ethiopia: a Structural Equation Modelling Approach (PLS-SEM)
1-41Views:45The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that contribute to the success and resilience of construction projects in Ethiopia’s construction industry. A major gap exists in the current literature regarding the empirical validation of the relationships between resilience and success in the Ethiopian construction industry. Data collection was conducted via an online survey between March 8th and May 13th, 2024. PLS-SEM analysis was performed on the survey responses. Results indicate that resilience significantly impacts a project's success. The following are resilience-enabling factors that increase a project's resilience and enhance overall project performance. These are: resilient leadership (taking risks; learning from subordinates; being flexible during decision making); organisational structures (having few direct reports; narrow span of control; job rotation); and project team culture (assign right people for right jobs; recognition or rewarding the team members; team passions for contribution for project success; team trusts); external environment factors (mitigating high inflation effect; managing unstable economy; using appropriate legal enforcement); and risk management practices (communicating frequently; understanding/knowing how to implement risk management practices; integrating risk management practices into routine activities; having enough budget/finance). Success indicators for construction projects include quality, cost, time, safety and customer satisfaction. Therefore, developing resilience-enhancing strategies could greatly increase the effectiveness of construction project performance. The contribution of this study includes empirical evidence from the Ethiopian context, as well as practical recommendations for policymakers and project managers to create customised resilience strategies. The limitations of this study include reliance on self-reported data and convenience sampling in collecting survey responses. Overall, the study emphasizes the importance of resilience in overcoming the challenges of the construction industry in Ethiopia.
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Evolution of Lean Management and the Organizational Learning
251-259Views:834In industry, service and public sector lean approach is gaining ground. However, there is a significant difference between the organizations applying lean concept in case of their lean transformation maturity level as well as their lessons learned. There is a huge variety of methods and techniques which can be used but there are two conditions in case of every organization regardless their sector or their lean maturity level which determine the success of their lean development: lean approach leader and learning organization. Lean leadership is not based on a particular sector or method and a ready-made lean organization is not needed either. The concept of the top management has a huge effect on the characteristics of theorganization but whether the will of the management is enough for the complete transformation or not is the question. Is the target the lean organization itself or how a unit of an organization or the whole organization can react to the change of the environment? The attitudes and behaviors of lean approach leadership can be applied every day, everywhere and support the aim of creating a real lean organization.
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Application of Heutagogical Methods in Entrepreneurship Education
364-373Views:262According to Kuit and Fell (2010) the educators’ task is to develop the learners’ lifelong learning skills to be able to apply their skills and competences in and efficient and creative way in new situations in a constantly changing environment. Kamenetz (2010) argues that neither the pedagogical nor the andragogical teaching methods are suitable for performing well in their job, but more and more a self-directed and self-determined approach is needed in which the learner reflects on what and how he learned, and the educator teaches the learner how to teach himself. The concept of heutagogy provides such principles and practices which can give an answer for the above-mentioned challenges in higher education. The authors examined how the heutagogical methods can be adapted at entrepreneurial courses and how the students evaluated these courses.
