289 research outputs found
The Impact of Income Disparity on Financial Regulation
Denna rapport Ă„terger arbetsprocessen kring att utvĂ€rdera datalagringsstruktur och förbĂ€ttra prestanda för generering av parameterfiler för kortterminaler. Arbetet utfördes pĂ„ plats hos Esplanad AB, ett företag som bland annat arbetar med sĂ€kerhetslösningar och distribution av instĂ€llningar för betalstationer. Uppgiften bestod av att utvĂ€rdera möjligheter till att förbĂ€ttra databasen som sparar alla instĂ€llningarna för betalsystemen, samt att förbĂ€ttra kodstruktur och prestanda för programmet som genererar filerna. Rapporten beskriver testning av prestanda, bĂ„de pĂ„ Esplanads gamla program för att generera parameterfiler och det nya som konstruerades. En lösning presenteras som inkluderar förbĂ€ttring av filgenereringens prestanda och en ny struktur pĂ„ databasen för ökad skalbarhet. Tester visar att det nya systemet klarar av att skapa parameterfiler pĂ„ TLV-format ungefĂ€r 16 gĂ„nger snabbare. Den föreslagna lösningen implementerar parallella processer och replikering av databasen.This thesis describes the process of analyzing and evaluating the structure of data storage and improving the performance for generating parameter files destined for card terminals. The work was done in house at Esplanad AB, a company dealing with security solutions and distribution of settings for payment stations. The first task was to evaluate the possibilities for improving the database storing the settings for each card reader. The second task was to improve the structure of the code and also improve the file generating systems performance. The thesis describes testing performance, both for Esplanadâs old system for generating parameter files, and the new one constructed. The solution presented includes improved performance of the file generating process and a new structure for the database that increases scalability. Tests show that the new system is capable of generating parameter files with TLV-format, about 16 times faster. The proposed solution implements parallel processes and database replication
\u3ci\u3eThe Angry Prince\u3c/i\u3e
Once there was a prince who was so fair nothing ever made him angry in his life, except one thing. His face always shone with a smile tinged with sadness
Organizational coordination and costly communication with boundedly rational agents
How does costly communication affect organizational coordination? This paper develops a model of costly communication based on the weakest-link game and boundedly rational agents. Solving for the stochastically stable states, we find that communication increases the possibilities for efficient coordination compared to a setting where agents cannot communicate. But as agents face a trade-off between lowering the strategic uncertainty for the group and the costs of communication, the least efficient state is still the unique stochastically stable one for many parameter values. Simulations show that this is not just a long run phenomena, the stochastically stable state is the most frequent outcome also in the short run. Making communication mandatory induces efficient coordination, whereas letting a team leader handle communication increases efficiency when the leader expects others to follow and has enough credibility. The results are broadly consistent with recent experimental evidence of communication in weakest-link games
Special assortments on the Swedish round wood market : a survey of wood trade and measuring
Rundvirkesmarknaden i Sverige domineras av det som kallas standardsortiment. Med standardsortiment avses i princip barrsÄgtimmer och massaved. För dessa sortiment finns branschgemensamma kvalitetsklassningsregler som framtagits av branschens arbetsgrupper och som alla aktörer pÄ virkesmarknaden följer. Det Àr av avgörande betydelse för en effektiv virkesmarknad att virkesmÀtningen fungerar vÀl. Vid sidan av standardsortimenten finns specialsortiment. Det övergripande problemet Àr att det saknas kunskap om hur handeln med specialsortimenten ser ut i dagslÀget. En kartlÀggning av detta Àr dÀrför nödvÀndig, eftersom specialsortimenten frÄn och med juli 2013 kommer att omfattas av virkesmÀtningslagen. Syftet med den hÀr studien Àr att öka kunskapen om special-sortimentens roll pÄ virkesmarknaden, samt att öka förstÄelsen för hur de mÀts och vÀrderas. För att uppfylla studiens syfte har ett kvalitativt angreppssÀtt valts att tillÀmpas, genom personliga intervjuer med aktörer som hanterar specialsortiment.
I den hÀr studien visade det sig att specialsortimentshandeln Àr av relativt liten omfattning sett till antalet aktörer och förbrukad rÄvara. Specialsortimentens omfattning uppgÄr till ungefÀr 1,2 milj. m3fub/Är, eller 2 % av nettoavverkningen i Sverige 2011. Samtliga kartlagda köpare vidareförmedlar virkesinformationen till SDC. Enligt köparna av specialsortiment Àr volymen den viktigaste parametern att vidareförmedla vid mÀtningen. En spridningskvot som beskriver standardavvikelsen Àr en parameter som bör vara av godo att vidareförmedla vid mÀtningen av specialsortiment och som det i dagslÀget rÄder en avsaknad av. Branschens uppfattning Àr att specialsortimentens omfattning troligtvis inte kommer att öka i framtiden. En allmÀn uppfattning Àr ocksÄ att de stora aktörerna kommer att gynnas och de mindre att missgynnas av den nya virkesmÀtningslagen.
Huvuddelen av specialsortimenten kommer förmodligen att leva upp till kraven som kommer att stÀllas pÄ virkesmÀtning, i och med den nya virkesmÀtningslagen. Detta beroende pÄ att allmÀnna rekommendationer om hur mÀtningen bör gÄ till redan finns framtagna och tillÀmpas i stor utstrÀckning. Vissa sortiment kommer att fÄ svÄrt att leva upp till kraven sÄsom exempelvis stolpar. Kostnader som kommer att pÄverka de aktörer som köper specialsortiment Àr kopplade till humankapitalspecificitet inom transaktions-kostnadsteorin. Teorin sÀger att humankapitalspecificitet intrÀder dÄ den ena eller bÄda parter utvecklar sÀrskilda fÀrdigheter eller kunskaper som endast Àr vÀrdefulla för de bÄda parterna nÀr ett affÀrsmÀssigt utbyte sker. Ett specialsortiment som krÀver stora mÀtningskunskaper Àr stolpar, eftersom det finns drygt hundra olika kvalitetsklasser inom detta sortiment. Ett annat problem Àr avsaknaden av individuellt anpassade barkfunktioner för lövtrÀd, vilket innebÀr att sortimentet kommer att fÄ svÄrt att leva upp till virkesmÀtningslagens krav.The Swedish round wood market is dominated by what can be termed standard assortments. Standard assortment refers to, in principle coniferous saw logs and pulpwood. These assortments have industry-wide quality classification rules developed by industry working groups, in which all wood market stakeholders participate. It is crucial for an efficient timber market that the wood measurement system works well. In addition to standard assortments, there are special assortments. The main problem is a lack of knowledge on how the current trade in special assortments operates. An understanding of the special assortments is thereby necessary because of the new wood measurement law, which will apply also to the special assortments by mid 2013. The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge about the role of special assortment in the timber market and increase understanding of how they are measured and valued. To fulfil the purpose of the study, a qualitative approach has been applied to the problem, through personal interviews with people in the special assortment industry.
This study has shown that the special assortment trade is relatively small in terms of numbers of buyers and raw material consumed. The annual amount of special assortments consumed is about 1.2 million m3fub/year, or 2 % of Swedenâs net felling in 2011. All of the studied buyers transmit information about the wood to SDC. Volume, according to buyers of special assortments, is the most important parameter to transmit in wood measuring. Currently, there is a lack of a dispersion ratio that describes the standard deviation, which is a parameter of high interest to transmit in the measurement of special assortments. According to industry, the amount of special assortments will not likely increase in the future. The big buyers will most likely benefit from the wood measurement law while the smaller ones most likely will be disadvantaged.
Most of the special assortments are likely to fulfil the measuring requirements that will be stated in the new wood measurement law. This is because of the existing general recommendations on measurement, which are widely implemented by buyers. However, some assortments such as poles will have difficulties issues fulfilling the requirements. Costs that will affect buyers are linked to human-asset specificity according to transaction cost theory. According to the theory, human-asset specificity appears when one or both partners develop specific skills or knowledge that is only valuable to the parties in a business-like situation. Poles are a special assortment that requires a lot of knowledge about measurement, since there are over a hundred different grades within the assortment. Another issue is the lack of individually adapted bark functions for hardwood, which means that the assortment most likely will not fulfil the requirements of the wood measurement law
Information, Switching Costs, and Consumer Choice : Evidence from Two Randomized Field Experiments in Swedish Primary Health Care
Consumers of services that are financed by a third party, such as publicly financed health care or firm-sponsored health plans, are often allowed to freely choose provider. The rationale is that consumer choice may improve the matching of consumers and providers and spur quality competition. Such improvements are contingent on consumers having access to comparative information about providers and acting on this information when making their choice. However, in the presence of information frictions and switching costs, consumers may have limited ability to find suitable providers. We use two large-scale randomized field experiments in primary health care to examine if the choice of provider is affected when consumers receive comparative information by postal mail and small costs associated with switching are reduced. The first experiment targeted a subset of the general population in the Swedish region SkÄane, and the second targeted new residents in the region, who should have less prior information and lower switching costs. In both cases, the propensity to switch provider increased significantly after the intervention. The effects were larger for new residents than for the general population, and were driven by individuals living reasonably close to alternative providers
Den hotande krisen. Om kommunikation kring hot och vÄld pÄ en akutmottagning
Problem: Det saknas kunskap om intern kriskommunikation i en förkrisfas och det saknas kunskap som tar hÀnsyn till komplexiteten i hur medarbetare skapar mening genom olika former av kommunikation. Syfte: Att bidra med kunskap om hur organisationers medarbetare kommunicerar och skapar mening om krisförberedelser. Metod: En fallstudie av SUS akutmottagning i Lund som inkluderar intervjuer och observationer. Slutsats: Olika typer av kulturer och ideologier har en avgörande betydelse för medarbetarnas meningsskapande.Problem: There is a lack of knowledge about internal crisis communication in a pre-crisis stage and knowledge that takes into consideration the complexity of how co-workers creates meaning through different forms of communication. Purpose: To contribute with knowledge on how co-workers communicate and create meaning about crisis preparations. Method: A case study of the emergency room at a teaching hospital in southern Sweden that includes interviews and observations. Conclusion: Different types of cultures and ideologies affect the sense-making process among co-workers
- âŠ