10,282 research outputs found

    Beam scanning by liquid-crystal biasing in a modified SIW structure

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    A fixed-frequency beam-scanning 1D antenna based on Liquid Crystals (LCs) is designed for application in 2D scanning with lateral alignment. The 2D array environment imposes full decoupling of adjacent 1D antennas, which often conflicts with the LC requirement of DC biasing: the proposed design accommodates both. The LC medium is placed inside a Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) modified to work as a Groove Gap Waveguide, with radiating slots etched on the upper broad wall, that radiates as a Leaky-Wave Antenna (LWA). This allows effective application of the DC bias voltage needed for tuning the LCs. At the same time, the RF field remains laterally confined, enabling the possibility to lay several antennas in parallel and achieve 2D beam scanning. The design is validated by simulation employing the actual properties of a commercial LC medium

    Antecedents of customer loyalty in the manufacturing industry

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    This thesis concerns the study of customer loyalty and its antecedents in the UK manufacturing sector. It adopts a critical realist perspective to the study of customer loyalty, locating the concept in the relationship marketing and social psychology literatures. The findings generated by the literature review and the results of an exploratory qualitative study leads to the development of a conceptual framework in which functional, social and emotional relationship value, customer satisfaction, and moderator variable, relationship age, are believed to influence the level of customer loyalty in the manufacturing industry. The conceptual framework is tested empirically using a quantitative survey design in the context of the UK manufacturing industry. Data is analysed through application of the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling technique. From a theoretical perspective, the study makes a number of valuable contributions to the relationship marketing literature. The study confirms the importance of social and emotional relationship value aspects on customer satisfaction and loyalty outcomes in the manufacturing industry. The findings offer a new theoretical perspective of the role social and emotional value play in creating loyal customers and the role emotional value performs in buyer’s feelings of satisfaction in the B2B domain. The findings also suggest that customer satisfaction acts as a partial mediator in the relationship between customer value and customer loyalty. Moreover, a new theoretical concept of emotional value featuring frustration and human touch in addition to interpersonal relationships is also evidenced from the research results. Furthermore, the study also shows that the theory of consumption values can be applied to the B2B manufacturing domain. The results propose that behavioural loyalty can be expressed through customer satisfaction, and functional and emotional elements of relationship value. Whereas, attitudinal loyalty can be conveyed by customer satisfaction, and functional and social components of relationship value. These relationships are in turn also partially mediated through customer satisfaction. The results also indicate that all three dimensions of functional, social and emotional value influence customer satisfaction outcomes. Overall, the study provides recommendations on how to maximise customer loyalty through strategic combinations of relationship value. It also provides guidance on how to improve customer satisfaction through different elements of relationship value in the manufacturing industry. From a practical viewpoint, the research study findings offer suppliers important guidelines and a toolkit for establishing, developing, and maintaining successful relationships with their customers in the manufacturing industry

    An empirical investigation of the relationship between integration, dynamic capabilities and performance in supply chains

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    This research aimed to develop an empirical understanding of the relationships between integration, dynamic capabilities and performance in the supply chain domain, based on which, two conceptual frameworks were constructed to advance the field. The core motivation for the research was that, at the stage of writing the thesis, the combined relationship between the three concepts had not yet been examined, although their interrelationships have been studied individually. To achieve this aim, deductive and inductive reasoning logics were utilised to guide the qualitative study, which was undertaken via multiple case studies to investigate lines of enquiry that would address the research questions formulated. This is consistent with the author’s philosophical adoption of the ontology of relativism and the epistemology of constructionism, which was considered appropriate to address the research questions. Empirical data and evidence were collected, and various triangulation techniques were employed to ensure their credibility. Some key features of grounded theory coding techniques were drawn upon for data coding and analysis, generating two levels of findings. These revealed that whilst integration and dynamic capabilities were crucial in improving performance, the performance also informed the former. This reflects a cyclical and iterative approach rather than one purely based on linearity. Adopting a holistic approach towards the relationship was key in producing complementary strategies that can deliver sustainable supply chain performance. The research makes theoretical, methodological and practical contributions to the field of supply chain management. The theoretical contribution includes the development of two emerging conceptual frameworks at the micro and macro levels. The former provides greater specificity, as it allows meta-analytic evaluation of the three concepts and their dimensions, providing a detailed insight into their correlations. The latter gives a holistic view of their relationships and how they are connected, reflecting a middle-range theory that bridges theory and practice. The methodological contribution lies in presenting models that address gaps associated with the inconsistent use of terminologies in philosophical assumptions, and lack of rigor in deploying case study research methods. In terms of its practical contribution, this research offers insights that practitioners could adopt to enhance their performance. They can do so without necessarily having to forgo certain desired outcomes using targeted integrative strategies and drawing on their dynamic capabilities

    Prosumers’ intention to co-create business value and the moderating role of digital media usage

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    The study identifies the factors impacting prosumers’ intention for co-production and future participation. It also investigates the moderating role of digital media usage in the relationship between behavioral intention of prosumers for value co-creation and business benefit of the organization. Based on a literature review of co-creation and related theories and a survey, we developed and tested a conceptual model using the PLS-SEM technique. The study also analyzes the moderating impact of digital media by using multi group analysis. This study has also analyzed the impacts of three control variables (i.e., age, gender, and education) on the behavioral intention of the prosumers for value cocreation by means of mediation analysis. We find that the intention of prosumer for co-production as well as intention of prosumers for future participation influences behavioral intention of prosumers for value cocreation which in turn positively impacts business benefits of the organization. The study also finds that usage of digital media has significant moderating impact on the relationship between behavior intention of prosumers for value co-creation and business benefit of the organization

    Enablers of Remote Monitoring Technology Utilization in Availability Solutions

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    Digitaaliset teknologiat muuttavat nopeasti tapaa, jolla yritykset kilpailevat. Täten yritysten tulee vastata kilpailuun muuttamalla liiketoimintamallejaan vastamaan jatkuvasti muuttuvia asiakkaiden strategisia ongelmia ja vastaavasti luomaan kilpailuetua digitaalisia teknologioita hyödyntämällä. Etävalvontatekniikalla on havaittu olevan tärkeä rooli näiden uusien liiketoi-mintamallien ja arvolupauksien mahdollistamisessa. Vaikka yritykset ovatkin käyttäneet etä-valvontatekniikkaa palvelullistettujen liiketoimintamallien ja täten arvolupauksien toteutta-misessa varsin laajasti, kirjallisuus on näiden kahden välisen yhteyden tarkastelun kannalta pinnallista. Täten, mahdollisia keinoja tulee tarkastella ja panostaa tämän alueen teoreetti-sen perustan kehittämiseen. Tämä pro gradu pyrkii edistämään ymmärrystä mahdollisista uusista arvolupauksista digitaa-lisen palvelullistamisen mahdollistamana, ja siten osallistua tämän alueen teoreettisen pe-rustan kehittämiseen. Tämä pro gradu tutkii saatavuuden arvolupauksen arvoa tuottavia mekanismeja ja etävalvontatekniikan käytön hyötyjä, sekä näiden kahden yhteyden mahdol-listajia. Tutkimuksessa selvitetään, miten saatavuusratkaisut luovat mahdollisuuden uusien teknologioiden markkinoille viemiseen ja mitä tarvitaan, jotta etävalvontateknologia mahdol-listaa käytettävyyden arvolupauksen toteuttamisen. Tutkimuksessa käytettävä tapausorgani-saatio avaa erinomaisen väylän teorian kehittämiselle, sillä heidän matkansa edistyneiden palvelujen tarjoamiseen on vielä alussa. Tämä tutkimus on toteutettu käyttämällä kvalitatii-vista tapaustutkimus lähestymistapaa, joka koostuu asiakkaiden ja järjestelmätoimittajan haastatteluista. Tutkimus sisältää kuusi asiakashaastattelua arvoa luovien mekanismien to-dentamiseksi, sekä etävalvontateknologiaan kohdistuva asiantuntijahaastattelu analysoi-maan tarvittavia mahdollistajia. Tutkimuksessa havaitaan etenkin yhden arvonluontimekanismin olevan merkittävässä roolis-sa saatavuusratkaisujen tarjoamisessa sekä tarve organisaation uskottavalle kyvykkyydelle toteuttaa merkittävät arvolupaukset. Jotta etävalvontatekniikkaa voidaan hyödyntää saata-vuusratkaisujen tarjoamisessa ja riskien pienentämisessä, tulee organisaatiolla olla käytös-sään mahdollisuuden määritteleviä sekä laatua parantavia tekijöitä. Nämä havainnot rikas-tuttavat digitaalisen palvelullistamisen empiiristä perustaa, sekä edistää ymmärrystä palve-lullistettujen arvolupausten ja etävalvontatekniikan yhdistävistä tekijöistä

    Knowledge-based Modelling of Additive Manufacturing for Sustainability Performance Analysis and Decision Making

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    Additiivista valmistusta on pidetty käyttökelpoisena monimutkaisissa geometrioissa, topologisesti optimoiduissa kappaleissa ja kappaleissa joita on muuten vaikea valmistaa perinteisillä valmistusprosesseilla. Eduista huolimatta, yksi additiivisen valmistuksen vallitsevista haasteista on ollut heikko kyky tuottaa toimivia osia kilpailukykyisillä tuotantomäärillä perinteisen valmistuksen kanssa. Mallintaminen ja simulointi ovat tehokkaita työkaluja, jotka voivat auttaa lyhentämään suunnittelun, rakentamisen ja testauksen sykliä mahdollistamalla erilaisten tuotesuunnitelmien ja prosessiskenaarioiden nopean analyysin. Perinteisten ja edistyneiden valmistusteknologioiden mahdollisuudet ja rajoitukset määrittelevät kuitenkin rajat uusille tuotekehityksille. Siksi on tärkeää, että suunnittelijoilla on käytettävissään menetelmät ja työkalut, joiden avulla he voivat mallintaa ja simuloida tuotteen suorituskykyä ja siihen liittyvän valmistusprosessin suorituskykyä, toimivien korkea arvoisten tuotteiden toteuttamiseksi. Motivaation tämän väitöstutkimuksen tekemiselle on, meneillään oleva kehitystyö uudenlaisen korkean lämpötilan suprajohtavan (high temperature superconducting (HTS)) magneettikokoonpanon kehittämisessä, joka toimii kryogeenisissä lämpötiloissa. Sen monimutkaisuus edellyttää monitieteisen asiantuntemuksen lähentymistä suunnittelun ja prototyyppien valmistuksen aikana. Tutkimus hyödyntää tietopohjaista mallinnusta valmistusprosessin analysoinnin ja päätöksenteon apuna HTS-magneettien mekaanisten komponenttien suunnittelussa. Tämän lisäksi, tutkimus etsii mahdollisuuksia additiivisen valmistuksen toteutettavuuteen HTS-magneettikokoonpanon tuotannossa. Kehitetty lähestymistapa käyttää fysikaalisiin kokeisiin perustuvaa tuote-prosessi-integroitua mallinnusta tuottamaan kvantitatiivista ja laadullista tietoa, joka määrittelee prosessi-rakenne-ominaisuus-suorituskyky-vuorovaikutuksia tietyille materiaali-prosessi-yhdistelmille. Tuloksina saadut vuorovaikutukset integroidaan kaaviopohjaiseen malliin, joka voi auttaa suunnittelutilan tutkimisessa ja täten auttaa varhaisessa suunnittelu- ja valmistuspäätöksenteossa. Tätä varten testikomponentit valmistetaan käyttämällä kahta metallin additiivista valmistus prosessia: lankakaarihitsaus additiivista valmistusta (wire arc additive manufacturing) ja selektiivistä lasersulatusta (selective laser melting). Rakenteellisissa sovelluksissa yleisesti käytetyistä metalliseoksista (ruostumaton teräs, pehmeä teräs, luja niukkaseosteinen teräs, alumiini ja kupariseokset) testataan niiden mekaaniset, lämpö- ja sähköiset ominaisuudet. Lisäksi tehdään metalliseosten mikrorakenteen karakterisointi, jotta voidaan ymmärtää paremmin valmistusprosessin parametrien vaikutusta materiaalin ominaisuuksiin. Integroitu mallinnustapa yhdistää kerätyn kokeellisen tiedon, olemassa olevat analyyttiset ja empiiriset vuorovaikutus suhteet, sekä muut tietopohjaiset mallit (esim. elementtimallit, koneoppimismallit) päätöksenteon tukijärjestelmän muodossa, joka mahdollistaa optimaalisen materiaalin, valmistustekniikan, prosessiparametrien ja muitten ohjausmuuttujien valinnan, lopullisen 3d-tulosteun komponentin halutun rakenteen, ominaisuuksien ja suorituskyvyn saavuttamiseksi. Valmistuspäätöksenteko tapahtuu todennäköisyysmallin, eli Bayesin verkkomallin toteuttamisen kautta, joka on vankka, modulaarinen ja sovellettavissa muihin valmistusjärjestelmiin ja tuotesuunnitelmiin. Väitöstyössä esitetyn mallin kyky parantaa additiivisien valmistusprosessien suorituskykyä ja laatua, täten edistää kestävän tuotannon tavoitteita.Additive manufacturing (AM) has been considered viable for complex geometries, topology optimized parts, and parts that are otherwise difficult to produce using conventional manufacturing processes. Despite the advantages, one of the prevalent challenges in AM has been the poor capability of producing functional parts at production volumes that are competitive with traditional manufacturing. Modelling and simulation are powerful tools that can help shorten the design-build-test cycle by enabling rapid analysis of various product designs and process scenarios. Nevertheless, the capabilities and limitations of traditional and advanced manufacturing technologies do define the bounds for new product development. Thus, it is important that the designers have access to methods and tools that enable them to model and simulate product performance and associated manufacturing process performance to realize functional high value products. The motivation for this dissertation research stems from ongoing development of a novel high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet assembly, which operates in cryogenic environment. Its complexity requires the convergence of multidisciplinary expertise during design and prototyping. The research applies knowledge-based modelling to aid manufacturing process analysis and decision making in the design of mechanical components of the HTS magnet. Further, it explores the feasibility of using AM in the production of the HTS magnet assembly. The developed approach uses product-process integrated modelling based on physical experiments to generate quantitative and qualitative information that define process-structure-property-performance interactions for given material-process combinations. The resulting interactions are then integrated into a graph-based model that can aid in design space exploration to assist early design and manufacturing decision-making. To do so, test components are fabricated using two metal AM processes: wire and arc additive manufacturing and selective laser melting. Metal alloys (stainless steel, mild steel, high-strength low-alloyed steel, aluminium, and copper alloys) commonly used in structural applications are tested for their mechanical-, thermal-, and electrical properties. In addition, microstructural characterization of the alloys is performed to further understand the impact of manufacturing process parameters on material properties. The integrated modelling approach combines the collected experimental data, existing analytical and empirical relationships, and other data-driven models (e.g., finite element models, machine learning models) in the form of a decision support system that enables optimal selection of material, manufacturing technology, process parameters, and other control variables for attaining desired structure, property, and performance characteristics of the final printed component. The manufacturing decision making is performed through implementation of a probabilistic model i.e., a Bayesian network model, which is robust, modular, and can be adapted for other manufacturing systems and product designs. The ability of the model to improve throughput and quality of additive manufacturing processes will boost sustainable manufacturing goals

    Modelling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization for Complex Industrial Processes

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    This reprint includes 22 research papers and an editorial, collected from the Special Issue "Modelling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization for Complex Industrial Processes", highlighting recent research advances and emerging research directions in complex industrial processes. This reprint aims to promote the research field and benefit the readers from both academic communities and industrial sectors

    Presentation, Technology, and Content – Studies on Consumer Behaviour in Journalism

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    The goal of this thesis is to extend the understanding of the effects the presentation and visuality of journalism can have on users and consumers. Further, this thesis makes a case that a focus on the presentation and visuality of journalism is a possibility for audience orientation without compromising journalistic quality. The visual presentation of journalism has become very important because of technological developments that make the reproduction of design, pictures, layout and any other relevant presentation modes so much easier. While practitioners are handling this on a daily basis, management researchers are just starting to empirically investigate related phenomena, especially in the context of journalism. Along five empirical studies conducted in the journalism field, this thesis establishes links between the presentation, technology and content of journalism and consumer behaviour. It further identifies frameworks to approach the presentation of journalism and theoretically explains how the presentation can provide a possibility for audience orientation without compromising content. Thereupon, this research derives recommendations for theory and practitioners in order to uphold the business viability of news production

    Deferring Intellectual Property Rights in Pandemic Times

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    This Article examines an unprecedented proposal that India and South Africa submitted to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in October 2020, which called for a waiver of more than 30 provisions in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights to help combat COVID-19. It begins by recounting the proposal\u27s strengths and weaknesses. The Article then identifies the challenges surrounding the negotiation and implementation of the proposed waiver. It shows why these two sets of challenges were neither separate nor sequential, but deeply entangled at the time of the international negotiations.To respond to these challenges and the negotiation impasse at the WTO, this Article advances an alternative proposal that calls for the deferral of select intellectual property rights in pandemic times. Aiming to split the difference between the proponents and opponents of the waiver, the proposal draws support from precedents involving temporal adjustments to intellectual property rights at both the international and domestic levels. The Article concludes by exploring the proposal\u27s scope, strengths and limitations
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