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Entering educational debate more than 50 years back, the notion of informal learning is still highly relevant today and of specific interest in the context of vocational education and training (VET). Still, we do not know a lot about a wide range of aspects of the topic as well as interactions between formal and informal learning. Defining the latter precisely presents difficulties to the world of research, as the concept itself is characterised by flexibility and openness. This book was initiated to fill a gap in understanding informal learning in the context of training and development. 18 chapters cover a wide range of aspects and different objectives, levels and places of informal learning. Authors from different parts of Europe as well as Japan, Australia, India and Bangladesh have been selected to contribute to the topic from varying country perspectives. As such, this volume makes a unique contribution in exploring informal learning in VET. The Editor Prof. Dr Matthias Pilz holds the Chair of Economics and Business Education at the University of Cologne.

Professional education. --- Vocational education. --- Professional and Vocational Education.

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This book is designed to introduce designers, engineers, technologists, estimators, project managers, and financial analysts as well as students in engineering and business to strategic cost tools for project cost evaluations. The three main sections are as follows. (1) Cost Relationships, Financial Statements, and Performance Measures—This section describes the relationships between cash flows and profits; the relationships between financial statements and the Purcell Diagram; and the issues of cost estimating, time-based breakeven analysis and time-based earned schedule. (2) Tools for Economic Evaluations—This section considers the basic mathematical relations used behind the economic equations and factors; discrete and continuous interest; depreciation terms and methods; and the Present Value of Principal Approach for evaluating loans. (3) Methods for Project Evaluation and Risk Analysis—This section considers payback periods, present worth analysis, return on investment, internal rate of return, benefit/cost ratios and positive-negative project balances; risk techniques of sensitivity analysis, optimistic-pessimistic analysis, discrete probability examples, and continuous probability models using the normal and triangular distributions.

Engineering design. --- Materials. --- Professional education. --- Vocational education. --- Engineering Design. --- Materials Engineering. --- Professional and Vocational Education.

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This book is written to address the issues relating to data gathering, data warehousing, and data analysis, all of which are useful when working with large amounts of data. Using practical examples of market intelligence, this book is designed to inspire and inform readers on how to conduct market intelligence by leveraging data and technology, supporting smart decision making. The book explains some suitable methodologies for data analysis that are based on robust statistical methods. For illustrative purposes, the author uses real-life data for all the examples in this book. In addition, the book discusses the concepts, techniques, and applications of digital media and mobile data mining. Hence, this book is a guide tool for policy makers, academics, and practitioners whose areas of interest are statistical inference, applied statistics, applied mathematics, business mathematics, quantitative techniques, and economic and social statistics.

Engineering design. --- Materials. --- Professional education. --- Vocational education. --- Engineering Design. --- Materials Engineering. --- Professional and Vocational Education.

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The book contains research results obtained by applying Bejan's Constructal Theory to the study and therefore the optimization of fins, focusing on T-shaped and Y-shaped ones. Heat transfer from finned surfaces is an example of combined heat transfer natural or forced convection on the external parts of the fin, and conducting along the fin. Fin's heat exchange is rather complex, because of variation of both temperature along the fin and convective heat transfer coefficient. Furthermore possible presence of more fins invested by the same fluid flow has to be considered. Classical fin theory tried to reduce the coupled heat transfer problem to a one-dimensional problem by defining an average temperature of the fin and writing equations using this parameter. However, it was shown that this approach cannot be used because of the effects of two-dimensional heat transfer, especially in the presence of short fins. CFD codes offer the possibility to consider bi-dimensional (and more generally, three-dimensional) effects and then a more real approach to the physic phenomena of finned surface's heat exchange. A commercial CFD code was used to analyse the case of heat exchange in presence of T-shaped fins, following an approach suggested by Bejan's Constructal Theory. The comparative results showed a significant agreement with previous research taken as a reference, and this result allows for the application of this approach to a wider range of systems. T-shaped optimized fin geometry is the starting point for further research. Starting from the optimal results (T-shape optimized fins), we show the trend of the assessment parameter (the dimensionless conductance) in function of the angle a between the two horizontal arms of the fin. A value for a, 90° < a < 180° capable of a higher value of the dimensionless conductance, has not been found. The thermal efficiency showed a significant increase of this parameter, especially for values of a smaller than 100°. Thus, a new definition of optimisation is achieved by introducing the fundamental ""space factor."" The present work unifies the ""classic"" definitions of optimisation and efficiency in a new general performance criterion, opening a new perspective on multi-fin systems. The last chapter deals with a brief overview on Bejan's Constructal Theory. It explains either tree-shape natural flows or other geometric form in nature and engineering, applying the principle of performance maximization. The Constructal principle also recognizes that a new good form comes to another previous good form which serve the same objective and have the same constraints. Changes in configuration are dynamic, thus a time arrow is then associated to the evolution in system's configuration. Table of Contents: General Introduction / General Overview on Heat Transfer / Conservation Equations / Dimensionless group / Units and conversion factors / Overview of heat transfer on extended surfaces / State of the art in the T-Shaped Fins / Thermal exchange basis / T-Shaped fins / Y-Shaped fins / Modular systems of Y-Shaped fins / Heat removal vs Pressure drops / Conclusions.

Engineering design. --- Materials. --- Professional education. --- Vocational education. --- Engineering Design. --- Materials Engineering. --- Professional and Vocational Education.

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Many of us have implemented oral communication instruction in our design courses, lab courses, and other courses where students give presentations. Others have students give presentations without instruction on how to become a better presenter. Many of us, then, could use a concise book that guides us on what instruction on oral communication should include, based on input from executives from different settings. This instruction will help our students get jobs and make them more likely to move up the career ladder, especially in these hard economic times. Oral Communication Excellence for Engineers and Scientists: Based on Executive Input is the tool we need. It is based on input from over 75 executives with engineering or science degrees, leading organizations that employ engineers and scientists. For the presentation chapter, the executives described what makes a “stellar presentation.” And for every other chapter, they gave input—on, for example, how to effectively communicate in meetings and in teams, how to excel at phone communication, how to communicate electronically to supplement oral communication, and how to meet the challenges of oral communication. They also provided tips on cross-cultural communication, listening, choosing the appropriate medium for a communication, elevator pitches, and posters; and using oral communication to network on the job. Oral Communication Excellence for Engineers and Scientists includes exercises and activities for students and professionals, based on instruction that has improved Georgia Tech’s students’ presentation skills at a statistically significant level. Slides demonstrating best practices are included from Capstone Design students around the country. Table of Contents: Introduction / Background Preparation / Presentation: Customizing to your Audience / Presentation: Telling your Story / Presentation: Displaying Key Information / Delivering the Presentation / Other Oral Communication Skills / Advanced Oral Communication Skills / References.

Mathematics. --- Engineering. --- Professional education. --- Vocational education. --- Technology and Engineering. --- Professional and Vocational Education.