12,234 research outputs found
Manufacturing Management Practices in the Western Balkans
In this report, we investigate the quality of management practices in manufacturing plants in the Western Balkans. In particular, we focus on modern operations, quality of monitoring, target setting and talent management. Drawing on 385 survey responses from plant managers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia and Serbia, we find that management practices scores are similar in all four countries. Our results also show significant variation in management scores across industries and ownership types of the plants. Furthermore, the plants owned by foreign MNCs were found to be better run than domestic plants in all types of management practices in all four countries. Trying to answer the question which MNC HQ resources significantly affect the level of management practices in their subsidiary plants, we find that the average HQ country level of management practices is positively associated with the level of management practices in their subsidiary plants. This effect is even stronger when the HQ provides written procedures and trainings to subsidiary plants to help them implement the best practices from the HQ. Finally, based on the personal interviews with managers in 28 plants, we highlight external conditions that prevent the plants from improving their management practices
Variation in a host-epiphyte relationship along a wave exposure gradient
The red alga Polysiphonia lanosa (L ) Tandy is an obligate epiphyte that primarily occurs on the fucoid brown algal basiphyte Ascophyllum nodosum (L) Le Jolis In the present study we examine how epiphytic interactions between P lanosa and A nodosum vary along a wave exposure gradient within the southern Gulf of Maine, USA P lanosa was most dense on protected shores, however because the stature of P lanosa was greater on exposed than on sheltered shores, greater biomass occurred In exposed habitats Epiphytlc P lanosa pnmanly attached to inlured vegetative bssue at exposed sites, while ~ t osc currence was primarily receptacular at sheltered sites A significantly stronger correlation was found between host receptacle abundance and epiphyte abundance at a protected low than an exposed site As a result, the distribution of epiphytes along the host S stlpe vanes at different sites We suggest that changes in the distribution and abundance of P lanosa across this wave exposure gradient are highly influenced by vanations in the distribution and persistence of suitable attachment sites on the host plant Because both the quantity and quality of attachment sites vanes w t h exposure, we hypothesize that d~fferenpt rocesses limit or de t e rm~neP lanosa populations in different locations In protected sites P lanosa may be limited by the presence of adequate substrata (inlured bssue and lateral pits) where successful recruitment may occur By contrast at exposed sites the supply of P lanosa sporelings, rather than quantity of appropnate substrata, may limlt population size
In-home and remote use of robotic body surrogates by people with profound motor deficits
By controlling robots comparable to the human body, people with profound
motor deficits could potentially perform a variety of physical tasks for
themselves, improving their quality of life. The extent to which this is
achievable has been unclear due to the lack of suitable interfaces by which to
control robotic body surrogates and a dearth of studies involving substantial
numbers of people with profound motor deficits. We developed a novel, web-based
augmented reality interface that enables people with profound motor deficits to
remotely control a PR2 mobile manipulator from Willow Garage, which is a
human-scale, wheeled robot with two arms. We then conducted two studies to
investigate the use of robotic body surrogates. In the first study, 15 novice
users with profound motor deficits from across the United States controlled a
PR2 in Atlanta, GA to perform a modified Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) and a
simulated self-care task. Participants achieved clinically meaningful
improvements on the ARAT and 12 of 15 participants (80%) successfully completed
the simulated self-care task. Participants agreed that the robotic system was
easy to use, was useful, and would provide a meaningful improvement in their
lives. In the second study, one expert user with profound motor deficits had
free use of a PR2 in his home for seven days. He performed a variety of
self-care and household tasks, and also used the robot in novel ways. Taking
both studies together, our results suggest that people with profound motor
deficits can improve their quality of life using robotic body surrogates, and
that they can gain benefit with only low-level robot autonomy and without
invasive interfaces. However, methods to reduce the rate of errors and increase
operational speed merit further investigation.Comment: 43 Pages, 13 Figure
The Anomalous Temporal Behaviour of Broadband Ly Emission During Solar Flares From SDO/EVE
Despite being the most prominent emission line in the solar spectrum, there
has been a notable lack of studies devoted to variations in Ly emission
during solar flares in recent years. However, the few examples that do exist
have shown Ly emission to be a substantial radiator of the total energy
budget of solar flares (on the order of 10%). It is also a known driver of
fluctuations in earth's ionosphere. The EUV Variability Experiment (EVE)
onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory now provides broadband, photometric
Ly data at 10 s cadence with its Multiple EUV Grating
Spectrograph-Photometer (MEGS-P) component, and has observed scores of solar
flares in the 5 years since it was launched. However, the MEGS-P time profiles
appear to display a rise time of tens of minutes around the time of the flare
onset. This is in stark contrast to the rapid, impulsive increase observed in
other intrinsically chromospheric features (H, Ly, LyC, C III,
etc.). Furthermore, the emission detected by MEGS-P peaks around the time of
the peak of thermal soft X-ray emission, rather than during the impulsive phase
when energy deposition in the chromosphere - often assumed to be in the form of
nonthermal electrons - is greatest. Given that spectrally-resolved Ly
observations during flares from SORCE/SOLSTICE peak during the impulsive phase
as expected, this suggests that the atypical behaviour of MEGS-P data is a
manifestation of the broadband nature of the observations. This could imply
that other lines and/or continuum emission that becomes enhanced during flares
could be contributing to the passband. Users are hereby urged to exercise
caution when interpreting broadband Ly observations of solar flares.
Comparisons have also been made with other broadband Ly photometers
such as PROBA2/LYRA and GOES/EUVS-E.Comment: Submitted to A&A Research Notes, 5 pages 4 figure
How does digitalization affect headquarters and what does it mean for CEE-focused headquarters in Austria?
Headquarters (HQs) represent central units within corporationsi and their goal is to add value to the firm and its respective subunits. They do so by taking over various responsibilities, such as allocating resources within the firm, coordinating and monitoring subunits, and identifying and realizing synergies, among others.
HQs are also important for the economy of the countries they are located in, as they offer for example high-value employment, increased demand for related business services (e.g., legal and financial services), and represent a non-trivial source of tax income. Additionally, there is scientific evidence suggesting that the location of the HQ influences its investment decisions and consequently adjacent economies (e.g., investments that are in regions close to the HQ are favoured). Thus, many countries consider it important to attract and maintain HQsii.
In this article, we will focus on a topic that has not received much attention yet. Specifically, we discuss how digitalization (i.e., recent advancements in areas such as big data analytics, automation, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, etc.) influences HQs in Austria, most of which have a strong focus on CEE countries. Companies are dealing with a variety of issues stemming from digitalization, which results in changes to business models, firm processes, and company culturesiii. Yet, digitalization also affects the role and value added of the HQs but we still lack a clear understanding of thativ.
In the following, we first discuss Austria as a location for HQs, then the impact of digitalization on HQs, and finally, we explore how the digitalization might influence the attractiveness of Austria for CEE-oriented HQs. Thereby, we refer to recent empirical material that we have collected
Theory of magnetic oscillations in Weyl semimetals
Weyl semimetals are a new class of Dirac material that posses bulk energy
nodes in three dimensions. In this paper, we study a Weyl semimetal subject to
an applied magnetic field. We derive expressions for the density of states,
electronic specific heat, and the quantum oscillations of the magnetization, DC
conductivity, and thermal conductivity. We find phase shifts in the quantum
oscillations that distinguish the Weyl semimetal from conventional three
dimensional Schr\"odinger Fermions.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
Trojan Horses or Local Allies: Host-country National Managers in Developing Market Subsidiaries
We investigate a multinational corporation's (MNC) decision to appoint host-country national (HCN) managers to foreign subsidiaries based on the institutional context of and familiarity with the host country. HCN managers are commonly associated with specialized knowledge, superior responsiveness, and higher legitimacy. Yet, we argue that local familiarity of HCNs can also be perceived as risky or harmful by MNC parents. We analyze how formal and informal institutions affect the trade-off between positive effects and potential costs associated with HCN managers ("Local allies" vs. "Trojan horses"). We find that legal institutions protect foreign MNCs from potential costs, encourage the use of HCNs and reinforce their benefits. Corruption and corruption distance, however, increase perceived costs associated with HCN managers up to a point at which they outweigh their perceived benefits
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