‘Best’ for whom?: the tension between ‘best practice’ ERP packages and diverse epistemic cultures in a university context

The idea that so-called ‘best’ business practices can be transferred to organizations when they purchase enterprise resource planning (ERP) software packages is a major selling point of these packages. Yet recent research has illustrated a gap between the espoused theory of a best practice solution and the theory-in-use experienced by those who install software with such a design. As researchers begin to examine the difficult process by which organizations recast the best practices model handed down to them by consultancies and software vendors in an effort to make the software ‘work for them’ in practice, it is equally important that we begin to understand the reasons that such a gap exists. To this end, we analyze the strategic partnership between a multinational software vendor and a university who together designed a ‘best practice’ ERP package for the higher education industry. Through the theoretical lens of ‘epistemic cultures’ we argue that in organizational contexts made up of more than one epistemic culture, the use of a best practice model will be problematic because, by definition, the model mandates one epistemological position through the software design. This is counter to a university's loosely coupled organizational form.     

Dispensing Precision for the SciClone™ Automated Liquid Handling Workstation for 96-Channel Pipetting

One of the first steps in drug discovery involves identification of novel compounds that interfere with therapeutically relevant biological processes.

Identification of ‘lead’ compounds in all therapeutic areas included in a drug discovery program requires labor-intensive evaluation of numerous samples in a battery of therapy targeted biological assays. To accelerate the identification of ‘lead’ compounds, Janssen Research Foundation (JRF) has developed in the past an automated high throughput screening (HTS) based on the unattended operation of a custom Zymark tracked robot system. Automation of enzymatic and cellular assays was realized with this system adapted to the handling of microtiter plates. The microtiter plate technology is the basis of our screening. All compounds within our chemical library are stored and distributed in micronic tube racks or microtiter plates for screening. An efficient in-house developed mainframe based laboratory information management system supported all screening activities. Our experience at JRF has shown that the preparation of test compounds and serial dilutions has been a rate-limiting step in the overall screening process. In order to increase compound throughput, it was necessary both to optimize the robotized assays and to automate the compound supply processes. In HTS applications, one of the primary requirements is highly accurate and precise pipetting of microliter volumes of samples into microplates. The SciClone™ is an automated liquid handling workstation capable of both 96- and 384-channel high precision pipetting. For high throughput applications, the SciClone™ instrumentation is able to pipette a variety of liquid solutions with a high degree of accuracy and precision between microplates (inter-plate variability) and tip-to-tip (intra-plate variability) within a single plate. The focus of this presentation is to review the liquid handling performance of the SciCloneTM system as a multipurpose instrument for pipetting aqueous or organic solutions, and virus suspensions into 96- and 384-well microplates. The capabilities of the system and the resulting benefits for our screening activities will be described.     

A vapor extraction teaching module based on AIRFLOW/SVE

This is the fourth in a series of papers exploring the application of professional quality software to environmental engineering education. Jennings (1997) discussed how the differences between ‘professional’ and ‘educational’ software should translate into software attributes and illustrated many of these attributes using the bioremediation package BIO1D (Srinivasan and Mercer, 1989). Jennings and Kuhlman (1997) illustrated more of these attributes using the MATHCAD 6.0 (Mathsoft, Inc., 1995) electronic book air pollution modeling package GAUSSIAN MODELS 1.1 (Zannetti, 1995). Most recently, Mesania and Jennings (1997) illustrated the power of a ‘pseudo-CAD’ user interface using the landfill hydraulic analysis program Help Model for Windows—HMfW v2.05 (Grace Dearborne, Inc., 1993). This paper concentrates on the power of using a true CAD user interface. This is done using the AIRFLOW/SVE (Guiguer et al., 1995) which evaluates vapor extraction soil remediation. Example simulations are presented to illustrate the power of CAD interfaces to express complex problems and to present results in easily comprehended graphics. Examples are also presented to illustrate how this package can help students identify successful applications of vapor extraction remediation.     

A New Concept for the On-line Storage of Sample Plates, Integrated with Plate Preparation for High-Throughput Screening and ‘Cherry-Picking’

Recently Organon installed automated screening and plate preparation systems for its research facilities in Oss (The Netherlands) and Newhouse (UK). These robotic systems have been developed in close collaboration between Organon and Scitec Laboratory Automation (Lausanne, Switzerland), now part of the Zymark corporation.Each of the systems consists of three linear track robots, one of which performs the screening process using standard peripherals. The other two robots take care of the plate preparation and ‘cherry-picking’ procedures. To this end, copies of our total mother plate collection are stored under controlled conditions in Scitec plate stackers (AutoStack) that can be addressed by one of the two robots. The system is designed in such a way that the loading and refreshment of the on-line storage, screening-plate preparation, and ‘cherry-picking’ can be executed automatically in 24 hours operation.     

SOS–A sample ordering system for delivering “assay-ready” compound plates for drug screening

Many bottlenecks in drug discovery have been addressed with the advent of new assay and instrument technologies. However, storing and processing chemical compounds for screening remains a challenge for many drug discovery laboratories. Although automated storage and retrieval systems are commercially available for medium to large collections of chemical samples, these samples are usually stored at a central site and are not readily accessible to satellite research labs.Drug discovery relies on the rapid testing of new chemical compounds in relevant biological assays. Therefore, newly synthesized compounds must be readily available in various formats to biologists performing screening assays. Until recently, our compounds were distributed in screw cap vials to assayists who would then manually transfer and dilute each sample in an “assay-ready” compound plate for screening. The vials would then be managed by the individuals in an ad hoc manner.To relieve the assayist from searching for compounds and preparing their own assay-ready compound plates, a newly customized compound storage system with an ordering software application was implemented at our research facility that eliminates these bottlenecks. The system stores and retrieves compounds in 1 mL-mini-tubes or microtiter plates, facilitates compound searching by identifier or structure, orders compounds at varying concentrations in specified wells on 96- or 384-well plates, requests the addition of controls (vehicle or reference compounds), etc. The orders are automatically processed and delivered to the assayist the following day for screening. An overview of our system will demonstrate that we minimize compound waste and ensure compound integrity and availability.     

The stuttering principle revisited

It is known that LTL formulae without the ‘next’ operator are invariant under the so-called stutter equivalence of words. In this paper we extend this principle to general LTL formulae with given nesting depths of both ‘next’ and ‘until’ operators. This allows us to prove the semantical strictness of three natural hierarchies of LTL formulae, which are parametrized either by the nesting depth of just one of the two operators, or by both of them. Further, we provide an effective characterization of languages definable by LTL formulae with a bounded nesting depth of the ‘next’ operator.This paper is a revised and extended version of [6].     

Real time animation of dynamic processes

Animation and simulation processes are facilitated by the use of high level graphic languages. The results of these processes are not generally available in real time, developing of microfilm delaying the screening of the process until some time after the computer run.A technique is described which overcomes this problem whilst still allowing the use of a high level graphical language.The addition of a single feature to a ‘static’ graphical language has transformed it into a ‘dynamic’ graphical language allowing real time illustration of time varying processes.The technique is not restricted to the language described but may well be employed by other high level graphical languages.     

Moving Beyond Combinatorial Chemistry for Greater Efficiency in Lead Discovery

Pfizer Inc. is a research based global pharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of innovative medicines that improve the quality of life of individuals throughout the world. In order to gain a competitive advantage over competitor companies in the discovery of new medicines, we must speed up drug discovery and drive down costs. Using non-combinatorial chemistry techniques increases the efficiency with which we discover new ‘leads,’ leveraging our drug discovery efforts through retaining complete control over the properties of each product made. Compound purification, managed through in-house software, augments the quality of data obtained upon biological screening of compounds.     

Progressive autonomy: a method for gradually introducing autonomy into space missions

This paper presents a method under development for introducing autonomy and agent-based software into future space- and ground-based missions while both reducing the risk of mission failures and gaining the confidence and support of mission management and principal investigators (PIs). This is being done using a mechanism to support dynamic agent-community evolution (e.g., agents adapting to community changes, agents joining a community, or agents leaving a community). This dynamic capability of agents is necessary to achieve what we call ‘‘progressive autonomy,’’ which will allow dynamic modification of satellite systems using agent migration to update and modify spacecraft capabilities on an as-needed basis, as well as allow the introduction of mission management and autonomy into existing missions. This paper will also address an application of progressive autonomy through spectral analysis automation (SAA). The long-term fully realized SAA system will be a multiagent system designed to provide automated support for two major functions: (1) the automatic remote filtering (onboard a spacecraft or robotic device) of spectral image data based on PI guidance, goals, and science agenda and (2) the packing and transmission of the selected spectral data to the PI for further processing. Additionally, the innovative multiagent-based infrastructure for the SAA can be generalized in such a way as to enable it to support the type of progressive autonomy that will be needed to support an adaptive and growing autonomous behavior for other spacecraft or robotic subsystems.     

‘Light’ and ‘heavy’ work in the housekeeping service of a hospital

Work is organized based in part on the perceptions, by managers and workers, of workers, their abilities and the characteristics of the work to be done. Physical tasks in factories and services have often been divided into ‘light’ and ‘heavy’, a division that often corresponds formally or informally to gender. We have observed the work of cleaners on wards and in offices in an acute-care hospital, using several indicators of workload to identify and characterize typical work situations. ‘Heavy’ work was characterized by neutral postures, walking, repetitive movements involving the articulations of the upper limb pushing a 1-6 kg (wet or dry) mop, with occasional more intense effort. ‘Light’ work was characterized by flexed postures, walking, rapid repetitive movements involving the articulations of the upper limb and light weights (dusting) or 1-3 kg weights (emptying wastebaskets), with more occasional intense effort. We did not discover any compelling reason to divide cleaning into ‘light’ and ‘heavy’ work. Task assignment by sex may appear to be a solution to excessive job demands which would be better addressed by job re-design.     

A spectral characterization of H-optimal feedback performance and its efficient computation

We study the spectral properties of a ‘Toeplitz⁺ Hankel’ operator which arises in the context of the mixed-sensitivity H^∞-optimization problem and whose largest eigenvalue characterizes the optimal achievable performance ε₀. The existence of such an operator was first shown by Verma and Jonckheere [26], who also'noted the potential numerical advantage of computing eo through its eigenvalue characterization rather than through the ε-iteration. Here, we investigate this operator in detail, with the objective of efficiency computing its spectrum. We define an ‘adjoint’ linear-quadratic problem that involves the same ‘Toeplitz⁺ Hankel’ operator, as shown by Jonckheere and Silverman [13–16]. Consequently, a finite polynomial algorithm allows ε₀ to be characterized as simply as the largest root of a polynomial. Finally, a computationally more attractive state space algorithm emerges from the H^t8/LQ relationship. This algorithm yields a very good accuracy evaluation of the performance ε₀ by solving just one algebraic Riccati equation. Thorough exploitation of this algorithm results in a drastic computation reduction with respect to the standard e-iteration.     

Assessing the ‘insider–outsider threat’ duality in the context of the development of public–private partnerships delivering ‘choice’ in healthcare services: A sociomaterial critique

Containing the ‘outsider’ threat to the information systems of organisations as well as recognising the disruptive potential of ‘insiders’ are fundamentals of security management. However, the recent development of public–private partnerships in the UK requires a reassessment of the continuing utility of such dualities. This paper draws upon a sociological understanding of the complexities of organisational practices as well as a grounded case study of the implementation of the NHS ‘Choose and book’ service across both public and private healthcare organisations in order to challenge these essentialist forms of sociotechnical analysis. The paper proposes a sociomaterial understanding of information systems and organisational dynamics that does not seek to separate out distinct ‘human’ and ‘technical’ information security risks. Rather, it asserts that the organisational outcomes of the introduction of new information systems are necessarily emergent and contingent, and it is with these indeterminate realities that security analysts have to engage.     

The role of IS capabilities in delivering sustainable improvements to competitive positioning

It has long been argued that organizations have struggled to achieve business benefits, and in particular sustainable competitive advantage, from their IT investments. In this paper we draw upon resource-based theory to explore how the effective deployment of IS capabilities might deliver sustainable improvements to an organization’s competitive positioning. In so doing, this research makes a significant departure from the enterprise-level orientation of prior studies, by focusing upon the role of IS capabilities in leveraging sustainable improvements to competitive positioning from individual IS initiatives. Based upon the responses to a quantitative and qualitative survey of practicing managers, it has been shown that an organization’s ability to leverage and sustain improvements in its competitive positioning, from IS initiatives, are directly dependent upon its ability to effectively apply an appropriate portfolio of IS capabilities. Moreover, it has been shown that sustainable improvements in competitive positioning are most likely in circumstances in which the successful outcome of an IS initiative is dependent upon ‘outside-in’ and ‘spanning’ capabilities, which are both lacking in transparency and difficult to replicate.     

From open source to open content: Organization, licensing and decision processes in open cultural production

The organization of talent in online communities has been pivotal for the development of open source software. We are currently witnessing a related phenomenon that is at least of equal importance: the ‘open-sourcing’ of digital content through a dramatic increase in user-generated content and the development of appropriate licenses for users to share their works and build on each other's creativity. This article compares and contrasts (a) the objectives of software development vis-à-vis the development of new media content, (b) the organizational forms that have developed in respective online communities, and (c) the role that licensing plays in the production of ‘functional’ vis-à-vis ‘cultural’ goods.     

Visual processing and classification of items on a moving conveyor: a selective perception approach

Many industrial applications require some sort of automated visual processing and classification of items placed on a moving conveyor. In this paper, we present a selective perception based approach to visual processing. The novelty of this approach is that instead of processing the whole image, only areas that are deemed ‘‘interesting’’ and hence calling for attention are analyzed. The attentional sequences thus constructed can then be used for a variety of tasks including shape determination. Since only a small portion of the whole image is processed, visual processing can be real-time and flexible without requiring special hardware. Two different applications based on this approach are described. In a defective item detection task, we explain in detail how attentional sequences can be used. As a second application, the approach has been implemented in an automated remote controller sorter in a TV manufacturing plant—thus confirming its practical applicability.     

Ironies of automation

This paper discusses the ways in which automation of industrial processes may expand rather than eliminate problems with the human operator. Some comments will be made on methods of alleviating these problems within the ‘classic’ approach of leaving the operator with responsibility for abnormal conditions, and on the potential for continued use of the human operator for on-line decision-making within human-computer collaboration.     

Design of automation for telerobots and the effect on performance,operator situation awareness,and subjective workload

In this article we review and assess human‐centered level of automation (LOA), an alternate approach to traditional, technology‐centered design of automation in dynamic‐control systems. The objective of human‐controlled LOA is to improve human‐machine performance by taking into account both operator and technological capabilities. Automation literature has shown that traditional automation can lead to problems in operator situation awareness (SA) due to the out‐of‐the (control) loop performance problem, which may lead to a negative impact on overall systems performance. Herein we address a standing paucity of research into LOA to deal with these problems. Various schemes of generic control system function allocations were developed to establish a LOA taxonomy. The functions allocated to a human operator, a computer, or both, included monitoring system variables, generating process plans, selecting an “optimal” plan and implementing the plan. Five different function allocation schemes, or LOAs, were empirically investigated as to their usefulness for enhancing telerobot system performance and operator SA, as well as reducing workload. Human participants participated in experimental trials involving a high fidelity, interactive simulation of a telerobot performing nuclear materials handling at the various LOAs. Automation failures were attributed to various simulated system deficiencies necessitating operator detection and correction to return to functioning at an automated mode. Operator performance at each LOA, and during the failure periods, was evaluated. Operator SA was measured using the Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique, and perceived workload was measured using the NASA‐Task Load Index. Results demonstrated improvements in human‐machine system performance at higher LOAs (levels involving greater computer control of system functions) along with lower operator subjective workload. However, under the same conditions, operator SA was reduced for certain types of system problems and reaction time to, and performance during, automation failures was substantially lower. Performance during automation failure was best when participants had been functioning at lower, intermediate LOAs (levels involving greater human control of system functions). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The economics of instruction software—Analysis and implications

The article demonstrates that instruction software is a ‘public’ good, in the economic sense, and that the instruction programs now in use make up a stock which will only be fully utilised if certain public overheads are incurred. The implications of this analysis are then examined.     

EPS: An ‘elementary’ programming system for the Delft Parallel Processor

A programming system for synchronous parallel processors, like the DPP-84 working in synchronous mode, is proposed. In EPS a program consists of a collection of well-defined and separate units, described in a conventional procedure-oriented language like PASCAL or MODULA-2. The connection between the ‘elementary’ program units is laid in a supervisory ‘configuration’ program, which defines both the spatial and time relations between the units. The concept of ‘virtual’ parallel processing is introduced, which enables the construction of logical parallel programs, independent of the number of processing elements actually available.