The modern manufacturing marketplace is extremely complex and constantly changing. Career professionals often seek job placement, career advancement, and continuing education through professional certifications. Professional certifications in the United States (U.S.) have been evolving since 1911. In the 1950s, engineering groups established professional certifications and licenses. In the 1980s, administration of accreditation of certification programs proliferated, and by the 1990s, many government and professional organizations sought to standardize procedures for the industry. Currently, professional certifications are available for virtually every profession and issued by multitudes of organizations. Quality management (QM) encompasses an extensive combination ofprofessional abilities. Providers of professional certifications for quality management (QM) related occupations have increased as the demand for specialized employees increased. Certification can make professionals invaluable to their professions and offer substantial compensation. Return on the investment of personal development varies and requires consideration. Some non-accredited certification providers attempt to satisfy demand without conforming to consensual standards. Considering the accumulation of diverse sources professional certifications is subjective and industrial managers may consider them unnecessary, redundant of formal educations, or simply ineffective. The dispute as to how certifications arr advantageous for what industries and individuals requires continual review. This investigation attempted to identify the individual career advantages, enterprise expectations, and the range of certification programs for quality management (QM). The design of research used was a mixed-method approach to scientific inquiry. Participants from industrial professionals and certification providers participated in an online survey designed to identify certification parameters and perceptions. Survey responses were statistically analyzed using a variety of descriptive and inferential techniques. The techniques included measures of agreement, central tendency, and dispersion combined with open-ended responses to deductively and inductively formulate, analyze, and interpret a referenced conclusion. The results indicated essential parameters of professional certifications including what certifications existed, how they are implemented, acquired value ranges, perceived attributes and effectiveness, and a comparison of experienced and certified professionals.

PhD dissertation. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität der Bundeswehr, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 239-253).

Diss. Umeå : Univ., 2003.

The transfer of technology to developing countries constitutes one of the major debates in the literature on development economics. The present empirical investigation is intended to contribute to the large existing literature on technological transfer. Its major contribution lies in demonstrating rigorously that the integration of foreign technologies is greatly affected by the socio-economic conditions of the recipient countries. The present study attempts to identify the main socioeconomic characteristics involved in assimilating transferred technlogy. It first provides a quantifiable measure of the rate of technological absorption. Then, in presenting the selection of indicators, the general procedures followed in choosing the sample of countries are summarized and the principles guiding the choice of variables are examined. The model is based on multiple regression analysis, which is discussed in some detail. Another statistical method is used to explore the interdependence of the economic and social indicators, which provides more exact knowledge about their various interactions and lays the groundwork for the problem at hand. Three main indicators are identified that explain a significant-. sixty one percent of the total variance of the dependent variable. These main indicators are the rate of education, trade policies and the availability of certain consumer products. It is found that these variables express different and important dimensions of the third world economy. In general, the results reveal that the rate of technology integration varies greatly with the level of socio economic development. The findings of the investigation are analysed using new and efficient methods of diagnostic techniques, and are also seen within their theoretical perspectives. The analysis of results is concluded with a discussion of intangible factors that cannot as yet be quantified; factors such as political and managerial quality and yet can be expected to have significant effects on the rate of technological integration.

Die Arbeit thematisiert die Veränderungen im deutschen Wissenschafts- und Hochschulsystem. Im Mittelpunkt steht die "unternehmerische Mission" von Universitäten. Der Blick wird auf das Aufgabenfeld Wissens- und Technologietransfer (WTT) gerichtet. Anhand dessen werden die Veränderungen, die innerhalb des deutschen Universitätssystems in den vergangenen Jahren erfolgten, nachgezeichnet. Die Erwartungshaltungen an Universitäten haben sich verändert. Ökonomische Sichtweisen nehmen einen immer größeren Stellenwert ein. Die Arbeit baut auf den Prämissen der neoinstitutionalistischen Organisationstheorie auf. Anhand dieser wird gezeigt, wie Erwartungen externer Stakeholder Eingang in Hochschulen finden und sich auf ihre organisatorische Ausgestaltung auswirken. Der Arbeit liegt ein exploratives, qualitatives Untersuchungsdesign zugrunde. In einer Fallstudie werden zwei Universitäten als Fallbeispiele untersucht. Die Untersuchung liefert Antworten auf die Fragen, wie der WTT als Aufgabenbereich an deutschen Universitäten umgesetzt wird, welche Strukturen sich herausgebildet haben und inwieweit eine Institutionalisierung des WTTs an Universitäten erfolgt ist. In der Arbeit werden verschiedene Erhebungsinstrumente im Rahmen einer Triangulation genutzt. Experteninterviews bilden das Hauptanalyseinstrument. Ziel der Untersuchung ist neben der Beantwortung der Forschungsfragen, Hypothesen zu bilden, die für weiterführende Untersuchungen genutzt werden können. Darüber hinaus werden Handlungsempfehlungen für die Umsetzung des WTTs an deutschen Hochschulen gegeben. Die Arbeit richtet sich sowohl an Wissenschaftler als auch Praktiker aus dem Bereich Wissens- und Technologietransfer. / German universities are confronted with ongoing changes. One of these changes encompasses a paradigm shift, which affects the university and research system as a whole. This paradigm shift is the so called "third mission" - or "entrepreneurial mission" - of universities. Universities are asked to make contributions to the economic system via transfer of knowledge and technology. Economic perspectives have an increasing influence on universities and the research system. For this reason, the expectations of external stakeholers are growing. The dissertation shows how these expectations affect the organizational shape of universities. By using neoinstitutional organizational theory, this work finds answers to the following questions: How do universities integrate the "entrepreneurial mission" in their organizational structures? Which organizational structures have emerged? How far has an institutional process been taken place? An explorative, qualitative research design is used and a case study is performed, which includes two universities as examples. Two dimensions were investigated: The structures of universities in the field of technology and knowledge transfer, and the central actors of universities. The main research instrument consists of interviews with experts in the field. Apart from answering the questions posed above, the central aim of the survey is to get a deeper understanding of how German Universities fulfill their “entrepreneurial mission”. Several hypotheses are generated that can be used for further investigations. Furthermore, some practical input is provided for implementing knowledge and technology transfer at German universities. The target audience of this thesis are researchers and practitioners in the field of knowledge and technology transfer.

Die aktuelle Ausgabe des Newsletter für Freunde, Absolventen und Ehemalige der Technischen Universität Chemnitz.

This thesis showcases a work that focused on developing processes with improved economic and environmental signatures. It illustrates the strengths of chemists and chemical engineers working together towards sustainable solutions. The joint collaboration between Drs. Liotta and Eckert allows the combination of disciplines to overcome economic and environment obstacles. This thesis depicts the application of chemical engineering and chemistry for industrial processes towards reducing cost and environmental impact. In chapter 2, a synthetic sequence yielding a pharmaceutical precursor was optimized for continuous processing. The precursor was for the pharmaceutical drug Ro 31-8959, which acts as a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitor. A continuous flow reactor was designed, built and utilized successfully for the two-step reaction of the diazoketone pharmaceutical precursor, (1-benzyl-3-chloro-2-hydroxy-propyl)-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester. The best configuration for the continuous flow reactor involved a single and double coiled stainless steel reactor packed with glass beads. The yield obtained for the diazoketone was quantitative. In chapter 3, the cleavable surfactant (cleavable surfactants decompose in non-surface active ingredients upon stimulus), n-octyl thiirane oxide was synthesized, characterized and its surface activity and loss of surface activity upon heating was demonstrated. The n-octyl thiirane oxide surfactant activity was measured using a dye, Suddan III, and compared to a commercially available surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate. In chapter 4, 5-amino-1H-tetrazole was synthesized using two novel synthetic routes starting from benign chemicals. Both routes involved Sharpless click chemistry in the first step to form the tetrazole ring. Both routes also used hydrogen transfer as the last step for the formation of the 5-amino-1H-tetrazole. These syntheses eliminated the use of highly toxic and/or explosive chemicals such as cyanamide, hydrazoic acid, and hydrazine. Finally in chapter 5, phase transfer catalysis was used as a means to improve reaction rates and yields between a siloxylated reagent (in the liquid phase) and insoluble ionic reagents (in the solid phase). The activity of commercial phase transfer catalysts like tetra-n-butylammonium bromide was compared to the activity of two novel custom-made siloxylated phase transfer catalysts. Surprisingly, the tetra-n-butylammonium resulted in superior rate constants to the custom made siloxylated phase transfer catalysts.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Göttingen, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Esta pesquisa objetivou dentro da perspectiva antropotecnológica, analisar a transferência de tecnologia realizada a partir de política de offset no âmbito da saúde pública, chamado Plano de Expansão da Radioterapia do Ministério da Saúde. O objetivo da referida política é criar e melhorar organizações credenciadas para tratamentos oncológicos a partir da inserção de equipamento radioterápico. Esse processo é dividido em duas etapas: a inserção do equipamento radioterápico e, as compensações previstas no acordo comercial. Para atender esse propósito, buscou-se compreender as abordagens teóricas e metodológicas dos campos de estudo da antropotecnologia, transferência de tecnologia e política de offset. Neste sentido, utilizou-se a estratégia metodológica do estudo de caso, amparada pela pesquisa aplicada, com abordagem qualitativa e exploratória. Analisaram-se os ambientes externos e internos de uma determinada situação localizada no Estado do Paraná que recebeu o equipamento radioterápico. Constatou-se que as iniciativas de inserção de equipamento radioterápico do contexto do Plano de Expansão têm sofrido inúmeros enfrentamentos inseridos nas particularidades contextuais e organizacionais que afetam seu desenvolvimento e efetividade. Há desafios que exigem respostas de um conjunto de organizações envolvidas para efetivar o acordo comercial estabelecido pela política de offset, enaltecendo a primeira etapa como processo de transferência de tecnologia. Assim, a situação localizada no Estado do Paraná consolidou, de forma consistente, a inserção do equipamento radioterápico permitindo sua evidenciação como situação de referência a partir das dimensões e indicadores de análise providos da antropotecnologia e possibilitando a compreensão da transferência de tecnologia envolvida. / This research aimed, within the scope of the anthropotechnological approach, analyze the technology transfer, performed via the offset policy in the field of public health, called the Radiotherapy Expansion Plan, from the Health Ministry. The objective of this policy is to create and improve accredited organizations, concerning the oncological treatment, specifically in the insertion of radiotherapeutic equipment. This process is divided into two stages: the insertion of the radiotherapy equipment, and the compensations provided for in the commercial agreement. To meet this purpose, the research started from understanding the theoretical and methodological approaches of the fields of study of anthropotechnology, technology transfer and offset policy. In this sense, there was used the methodological strategy of the case study, supported by applied research, with a qualitative and exploratory approach. External and internal environments of a specific situation were analyzed, located in the State of Paraná, which received the radiotherapy equipment. It was verified that the initiatives of insertion of radiotherapeutic equipment in the context of the Expansion Plan have undergone numerous confrontations, inserted in the contextual and organizational particularities that affect its development and effectiveness. There are challenges that require responses from a set of organizations involved, in order to implement the trade agreement established by the offset policy, highlighting the first stage as a process of technology transfer. Thus, the situation located in the State of Paraná consistently consolidated the insertion of the radiotherapy equipment. It allowed its disclosure as a reference situation, and based on the dimensions and indicators analysis provided by anthropotechnology, made possible the comprehensionof the technology transfer involved in the process.