RISE May-June 2009 - University of Salford

RISE! Research Innovation and Internationalisation News
KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
PARTNERSHIPS (KTP) WITH
VALVES INSTRUMENTS PLUS
(VIP) ANOTHER SUCCESS
STORY!
The University recently completed a KTP with VIP, an
engineering wholesaler, providing significant benefit; not
only to the company but to the academic team involved.
Below are some of the examples of how Dr John Davies and
Dr Aris Syntetos, Salford Business School, were able to
associate this KTP with a number of other teaching and
research related activities:
> A conference paper “The impact of human factors on e-commerce
implementation in a small business” was presented at the 31st
Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference, Belfast,
Northern Ireland.
Seamless Delivery of Value
Seamless Delivery is concerned with removing boundaries between all
partners involved in the design and production of the built
environment. This theme considers issues such as use of IT to manage
knowledge intensive processes, supply chain management and the
implementation of management techniques such as Lean. SCRI plays a
central role in the International and European Groups for lean
construction. Here SCRI’s work on Theory Based Lean Production is
setting the international research agenda.
At a regional level SCRI seeks to influence company practice through
the establishment of Lean Special Interest Groups that bring together
practitioners from across the supply chain.
Realising Value in Use
A greater proportion of the value from the built environment is
determined by how we all use and engage with it over the life of our
buildings and public spaces. Realising Value in Use is concerned with a
better understanding of how people live, work, learn and play to
maximise this value for society as a whole. SCRI’s “Senses, Brain,
Spaces” workshop brought together thirty invited international experts
at the forefront of neuroscience and sensory perception, together with
building specialists from a range of sectors including education, retail,
banking, offices and housing. The findings from this research are now
being taken forward in Manchester City Council’s School building work
in an activity entitled Optimising Learning Spaces.
If you would like more information about SCRI and its work please go
to: www.scri.salford.ac.uk or contact Pam Allen SCRI Administrator
on: 0161-295-2649
> The successful application of forecasting and stock control theory in
a practical setting has motivated Aris to further explore the
commercial potential of his research work; this led to another
successful proposal to EPSRC which is already receiving considerable
attention from both industry and academia.
> The demonstration of the effect that business analytics (i.e. the
application of quantitatively-based knowledge towards solving
business problems) may have in an actual organisation has led to the
development of a new MSc in Business Analytics – the programme is
currently under evaluation at the Faculty level.
> Three (3) MBA (Masters in Business Administration) students
conducted their dissertations on Valves Instruments Plus, the
academic team identified three problem areas that could be
addressed by MBA students further expanding the portfolio of
innovations introduced to the company.
> Joint paper submitted for peer review to International Journal of
Production Economics (published by Elsevier). Such a submission
indicates the true knowledge transfer involved in this project for the
mutual benefit of all parties involved.
If you would like to know more about KTPs at the
University of Salford or you are engaged with a
company/organisation you feel could benefit from
a KTP contact please contact Janet Topping at:
j.topping@salford.ac.uk or visit
www.ktp.salford.ac.uk
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