Browsing by Subject "Process"

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11

An alternative environmentally benign process for printed circuit board recycling
(2006-05) Ouyang, Xi; Zhang, Hong-Chao; Collins, Terry R.; Li, Guigen; Rivero, Iris V.; Smith, Milton L.
In recent years there has been increasing concern about the growing volume of end-of-life electronic products. As the primary elements in most electronic products, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is widely used and its recycling becomes a challenge not only to the industry, but also to the society. As an alternative environmentally benign method for PCB recycling, this dissertation adopts a novel processing method to separate the PCB scraps, which would increase the recycling rate and reduce the negative environment impact. Various solvent systems, i.e., carbon dioxide and water, are explored for delaminating PCB scraps at certain high temperature and pressure. For the purpose of finding an optimal condition for PCB delaminating, the experiment facilities were set up at the Advanced Manufacturing Lab (AML) in the Department of Industrial Engineering. Through series designed experiments, input parameters such as temperature, pressure and process time were recorded, and the output parameters, i.e., weight reduction, thickness expansion, impact energy variation were measured to evaluate the PCB delaminating results. Response Surface Method (RSM) was applied for selecting the input parameters. Multiple Objective Optimization method (MOO) was adopted to evaluate the overall delaminating effects. The utility theory was utilized to set up the utility function and figure out the optimal solution. Furthermore, the fundamental mechanism which caused the epoxy resin decomposing was interpreted. The explanation was helpful for selecting various solvents to speed up the reaction and improve the efficiency. In this research, the effectiveness of the alternative method to delaminate waste PCB scraps, that is, utilization of the chemical process was examined. Based on this method, series experiments were designed and implemented to search for an optimal condition. Through the output data analysis, optimization process conditions were determined. Consequently the reaction mechanism was interpreted. Some other solvent systems were tested to hasten the reaction speed, i.e., ternary solvent system of carbon dioxide, water, and ethanol. This alternative printed circuit board recycling process is promising for industrialization in the future.
Bridging the Macro-Micro Divide: An Examination of the Proximal Top Management Team Factors that Influence Strategy Implementation and Organizational Performance
(2014-04-23) Mistry, Sal
Organizational research has historically investigated strategy formulation while giving far less consideration to strategy implementation. This is surprising given that between 70 and 90 percent of formulated strategies fail. Moreover, the few studies that do address strategy implementation focus almost entirely on how the organization, a distal situational determinant, impacts strategy implementation. In addition to prior research focusing on distal situational determinants, most of these studies are conceptual or rely on qualitative or archival data. To fill this gap in theory and research, this dissertation proposes that an organization?s top management team (TMT) is a proximal determinant of strategy implementation, and more specifically, the TMT?s strategy implementation efforts. Indeed only by first understanding the strategists and their effects on TMT strategy implementation can one hope to gain clarity on the alarming rates of implementation failures. Drawing on ?macro-organizational? theory, this treatise develops a new theoretical framework that emphasizes TMTs as being an influential proximal determinant of strategy implementation. To my knowledge, no studies have examined the role that top executive teams have in strategy implementation. Furthermore, using ?micro-organizational? constructs, this dissertation examines the processes and structures that affect strategy implementation and organizational performance. In this sense, rather than argue (as many strategy scholars have) that distal organizational structures or processes influence strategy implementation, I argue a more proximal team structure of executive team interdependence and executive team processes influence the executive team?s strategy implementation, which, in turn, influences the organization?s performance. Accordingly, this dissertation offers an important theoretical contribution to both literature streams that move beyond extant conceptions that the distal organization and its attributes impact strategy implementation and bridges the prevalent micro-macro divide that exists in the literature today. Next, this dissertation provides a valuable empirical contribution by first applying a construct-oriented micro-organizational scholarly approach to tidy up extant strategy implementation and TMT process constructs and then submits these and other proposed factors to an empirical test. Last, given the strikingly high rates of strategy implementation failures, a practical implication of this dissertation is to help top executives optimize their structure, process, and strategy implementation tasks in order to enhance their organization?s performance.
Effects of student performance assessment outcomes as a criterion in the teacher evaluation process
(2014-05) Maldonado, Samuel; Olivárez, Rubén; England, Grace; Saenz, Victor B.; Garza, Karen; Rodriquez, Xochitl M.; Wetzel, Melissa M.
The teacher evaluation processes and practices utilized in American public schools serving kindergarten through high school students have undergone continual alterations since the early 1880's. In 2001, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, now known as the No Child Left Behind Act, spurred the development and implementation of comprehensive public school accountability systems based on student academic performance measures. This national legislative initiative has brought to the forefront a renewed push for changes in traditional teacher evaluation systems which align individual teacher efforts with student performance outcomes (Stronge, Ward, Tucker, & Hindman, 2007). According to federal documents, in 2013, 30 states required student performance as a measure in teacher performance evaluations. Among these states, 20 require student performance outcomes to be a "significant or the most significant factor in judging teacher performance" (ESEA, 2012). Consequently states and local education agencies (LEAs) developed and employed varying evaluation approaches to document and measure the effects of individual teacher efforts on student performance. The utilization of pre- and post- student assessment measures has been a feature of such evaluative attempts to connect teaching with student outcomes and to determine the value of the teacher’s effort. One such evaluative approach has evolved as value-added model (VAM). In spite of its widespread utility in American school system, the validity, fairness and sustainability of VAMs in teacher has been questioned by leading scholars in the field and vigorously challenged by teachers and organized teacher organizations and unions. Therefore, the purpose of this case study is to examine the effects of inclusion of value-added methods in the teacher evaluation process, and to acquire information to broaden our understandings of the complexities involved in the application of student performance outcomes to evaluate individual teacher performance. The research questions guiding this study are: (1) According to teacher perceptions, how does the inclusion of a student academic performance measure in the teacher evaluation process influence teacher's instructional and non-instructional behavior? (2) Are there measurable differences between elementary and secondary teachers in their perceptions of how a student performance measure in the teacher evaluation process influences teacher instructional and non-instructional behavior? (3) According to teacher perceptions, will students' academic performance on state assessments improve due to the inclusion of student performance outcomes in the teacher evaluation process?
Hey baby I'm in the ER
(2013-05) Culver, Christopher James; Stoney, John; Williams, Jeff
This report examines the history of my practice and interest in architectural and painting surfaces. It is intended to dissect language and the use of the screen as a way to understand different relationships of self to other, and self to architecture. Selected art works and writings I have produced are explicated as they relate to the ideas; both are used to describe my studio practice and process.
I belong to the theatre : the play and the process
(2010-05) Andrews, Sydney; Hammond, Barney; Beckham, Andrea
The purpose of my thesis is to create one-person show lasting approximately twenty minutes. The following paper contains the step-by-step process of developing this piece of work, audience reactions to the final performance, and thoughts on continuing the process in hope of sharing the play with other communities.
Journey to Remain Childless: A Grounded Theory of the Decision-Making Process among Voluntarily Childless Couples
(2011-08) Lee, Kyung H.; Zvonkovic, Anisa M.; Crawford, Duane W.; Hueman, Amy; Niehuis, Sylvia; Sharp, Elizabeth A.
The goal of this study was to develop a cohesive framework to explain the couples’ process of remaining voluntarily childless using grounded theory method. Based on in-depth interviews with 21 married couples, a theoretical model illustrating the process was developed. Specifically, the theoretical model in the current study was developed to conceptualize the process of remaining voluntarily childless as a dyadic process with chronological sequences. Moreover, efforts were made to incorporate cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects of the process into the model. Three decision-making types were identified: mutual early articulator couples, mutual postponer couples, and non-mutual couples. Mutual early articulator couples consisted of two early articulator individuals. Spouses in mutual postponer couples started their marriage either assuming they would have children someday or not knowing whether they wanted to have children or not. In non-mutual couples, couples’ decision is made due to one spouse’s strong conviction of childlessness. Three phases of the decision-making process were identified: agreement, acceptance, and closing of the door phases. The different groups of voluntarily childless couples tend to move through these three phases differently. Specifically, the process of reaching the initial agreement not to have children, or at least not for now, was different across the three decision-making groups. Mutual early articulator and mutual postponer couples reached an agreement instantly and easily. In contrast, the process was longer and more complicated for spouses in non-mutual couples. Spouses who wanted to have children had to “assess” whether they would be “okay” with not having children before they could agree not to have children. Sometimes, spouses in this group would argue and counter-argue with one another about the merits of having vs. not having children. During the agreement phase, many couples revisited their decision. However, each revisitation ended with a reaffirmation that they made the right decision. They also reported many reaffirming situations, independent of revisitation, which had made their childless conviction stronger. Voluntarily childless couples sometimes wondered what it would have been like to have children, or what their child would have been like, which is called musings. These couples also had to deal with inquiries about their parenthood intention and pressure to have children from family. The strength of the conviction, experiences of pregnancy and subsequent abortion, and passing a certain age helped couples move from the agreement to the acceptance phase. The most apparent difference between the agreement and the acceptance phase is the lack of revisitation with only one exception, when they got pregnant. However, couples in the acceptance phase still experienced reaffirming moments and musings. The inquiries and pressure from other people tended to decrease by the time couples reached the acceptance phase. The closing of the door phase is characterized by the physical inability to conceive a child. Some couples moved from agreement to closing of the door through the acceptance phase, whereas others moved to acceptance through the closing of the door. Couples stayed in the acceptance phase because they did not want to go through sterilization for several reasons: doctor’s refusal, not wanting to have an elective surgery, and fear of the surgery. These couples waited until the door was closed for them when they become physically unable to conceive a child due to either old age or sterilization for medical reasons. Some couples actively chose to close the door to finalize their decision. The path from agreement to acceptance through the closing of the door phase is unique for some non-mutual couples. Spouses who initially wanted to have children seemed to be able to reach the acceptance phase only after they got rid of the possibility of ever having children, i.e., sterilization. In addition to the three phases of the process, two factors that drive the process were identified: the importance of the relationship and the strength of the conviction. The balance between these two forces of both spouses is what made these couples remain voluntarily childless. Moreover, these two forces influenced how couples reached a certain phase, how long they stayed in a certain phase, and how they navigated through the three phases. The limitation of the current study is the homogeneity of the sample. Future research with diverse samples is suggested. In conclusion, the current study confirmed that remaining voluntarily childless as a couple needs to be understood as an interactive dyadic process in which couples navigate through phases over time. Moreover, their voluntary childlessness is the result of the balancing acts between the importance of the relationship and the strength of the conviction to remain childless so that the scale is remained tipped towards childlessness.
The life that late I led
(2013-05) Robinson, Antoinette Janice; Dorn, Fran
A paper on process and examination of growth through performance and experimentation in the Master of Fine Arts in Acting program at the University of Texas at Austin.
The long road back to the start : the writing process of "The sleeping prince of Manhattan"
(2011-08) Lanham, Andrew Taylor; Lewis, Richard M., M.F.A.; Thorne, Beau
This report concerns the creative process – initial inspiration, development, writing, and rewriting – that went into the creation of Andrew Taylor Lanham’s screenplay “The Sleeping Prince of Manhattan.” The following pages also examine the overall creative process of screenwriting in relation to the author.
Participants and Information Outcomes in Planning Organizations
(2012-10-19) Bierling, David
This research presents empirical evidence and interpretation about the effects of planning participants and contextual factors on information selection in public organizations. The study addresses important research questions and gaps in the literature about applicability of planning theory to practice, about effects of planning participants and participant diversity on information selection, and about community and organizational factors that influence information selection in the planning process. The research informs emergency planning, practice, and guidance, as well as planning theory and practice in general. The research sample consists of survey data from 183 local emergency planning committees (LEPCs) about their conduct of hazardous materials commodity flow studies (HMCFS), along with data from other secondary sources. HMCFS projects collect information about hazardous materials (HazMat) transport that can be used in a wide range of local emergency planning and community planning applications. This study takes the perspective that socio-cultural frameworks, such as organizational norms and values, influence information behaviors of planning participants. Controlling for organizational and community factors, the participation of community planners in HMCFS projects has a significant positive effect on selection of communicative information sources. Participation of HazMat responders in HMCFS projects does not have a significant negative effect on selection of communicative information sources. The diversity of HMCFS participants has a significant positive effect on information selection diversity. Other organizational and community factors, such as vicarious experience, 'know-how' and direct experience, financial resources, and knowledge/perception of hazards and risks are also important influences on information selection behavior. Results of this study are applicable to planning entities that are likely to use planning information: proactive LEPCs, planning agencies, and planning consortiums. The results are also applicable to community planners in local planning agencies and emergency responders in local emergency response agencies, and public planning organizations in general. In addition to providing evidence about the applicability of communicative rationality in planning practice, this research suggests that institutional/contextual, bounded, instrumental, and political rationalities may also in influence conduct of planning projects. Four corresponding prescriptive recommendations are made for planning theory and practice.
Straight out the gait : the writing process of Mallwalkers
(2014-08) Reeves, Autumn Rebekah; McCreery, Cindy
"Straight out the Gait: The Writing Process of Mallwalkers" documents the writing process of Mallwalkers, a feature-length comedy script about competitive mall walking. The report connects the writer's personal life to the process of writing three drafts of the film.
Warp/Weft
(2015-05) Carter, Georgia Elizabeth; Mutchler, Leslie; Sutherland, Daniel
This report will give an account of the materials, processes and content of the three projects made in the course of three years at The University of Texas at Austin. I will chronologically describe how the found photo has been employed as a source for my work, and manifested through a variety of processes. In detail I will describe my most recent body of drawing and digital prints.