Analyzing R&D Activities of Foreign Enterprises in Emerging Economies. Lessons from Turkey

Emerging economies have played an important role in the internationalization of R&D activities at least since the 1990s. Turkey, an emerging economy and at same time an accession country to the European Union which signed a Customs Union Agreement with the EU already in 1995, is no exception. In-depth face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with R&D directors of 26 multinational companies operating in Turkey –with headquarters located in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Switzerlandand USA- in the informatics, automotive, electronics and pharmaceutical industries. Data and qualitative information obtained through these interviews are then used to analyze those factors theory points to as being major determinants of foreign R&D in emerging economies. The emphasis is on the (i) motivations of foreign enterprises for launching new R&D activities or extending existing ones (ii) restrictions of different kind they encounter in doing so (iii) their reactions with respect to FDI promotion policies and public R&D support incentives implemented by Turkish policy makers, and (iv) advantages/disadvantages of Turkish economy as an R&D location in comparison with other emerging economies. A number of policy recommendations for attracting more foreign R&D in Turkey and integrating them with the Turkish national innovation system are advanced.Research and development (R&D), internationalization of R&D, R&D offshoring, multinational companies, national innovation systems, case studies, semi-structured interviews

Technological Change and ICTs in OECD Countries

The motivation of the study is to form a ground for further research on the issue of the effect of electronic commerce on economic variables that has been supported by empirical models. In this respect, a considerable part of the study is devoted to the discussion of the building significant relationship between technology, electronic commerce and the fundamentals of the real economy. As a result of both the conceptual part and the analytical part, two important conclusions were drawn. The first one is that technological change is increasingly gaining special emphasis especially with the rising arguments on the issue of "New Economy". The second important point is that technological change and electronic commerce are in relation with the most important variables of the real economy like gross domestic product, investment, trade balance and also R&D expenditures.Technological Change, ICTs, E-commerce, employment, macroeconomics, OECD

Individual and Organizational Aspects of University-Industry Relations in Nanotechnology: The Turkish Case

Emerging nanotechnologies bring a new challenge for developing countries to improve knowledge and technology transfer between universities and firms. In developing countries, weaker ties between academia and the industry seem to be one of the main barriers to the dissemination of nanotechnology innovations. This study aims to understand individual and organizational factors affecting university-industry interactions in emerging nanotechnologies in a developing country context, namely Turkey. For this study, 181 questionnaires were collected from a sample of nano-science and nanotechnology academics who are currently employed by Turkish universities. The results provide that informal / interpersonal and research-related interactions are the most common forms of relationship between academics and firms. On the other hand, the study provides a useful insight to understand how human and social capitals of university-scientists as well as organizational resources/ capabilities influence the formation of links between universities and the industry.Nanotechnology, nanoscience, emerging technologies, technology transfer, university-industry relations, science and technology policies, probit model, disproportionate stratified sampling, emerging economies, Turkey.

Quality Function Deployment: More Than a Design Tool

Purpose – This study investigates to what extent QFD can be used in quality improvement rather than design activities. Design/methodology/approach – A framework was developed for implementation of QFD as a quality improvement tool. A case study approach is used to test this framework, and quality issues were analyzed using the framework in a ceramic tile manufacturing company. Findings – The results showed considerable improvements in the critical quality characteristics identified and sales rates, demonstrating the potential of QFD to be used in assessing and prioritizing areas of improvement, and converting them into measurable process or product requirements. Research limitations/implications – One case study was completed. More studies would be beneficial to support current findings. Practical implications – This framework provides structured approach and guidelines for practitioners in adapting QFD for quality improvements in existing products or processes. Originality/value – This study proposes a new framework to use QFD in quality improvement activities, expanding its application areas. Moreover, the results of the literature study performed provide a valuable collection of practical QFD implementation examples. Keywords Quality function deployment (QFD), quality improvement, customer complaints, voice of customer (VOC), house of quality (HOQ)

Embedding Sustainability in Lean Six Sigma Efforts

The emphasis on the concept of sustainability in businesses and operations is growing either due to increasing public interest, regulatory pressures, or corporate social responsibility. However, where and how to integrate sustainability needs further development for broadening its applications. Using Lean and Six Sigma (LSS) principles in sustainability studies is becoming popular in research and practice. The common approach in these studies is to identify a sustainability project followed by current state sustainability performance assessment, and then work towards improving sustainability performance using LSS tools. The goal of this study was to develop a model framework to fully embed sustainability into any LSS project building on current practices. The wide coverage of LSS, its effectiveness record, and its overlap with sustainability goals establish the foundation for expanding LSS methodology to include sustainability concepts. The proposed framework is not specific to an industry, but is intended to be applicable to the wide spectrum of projects where LSS can be applied. Examples were provided from manufacturing and construction industries in the study. The existing methodologies are framed to target only sustainability initiatives while the presented framework aims to integrate sustainability into any type of improvement initiative. Furthermore, existing methodologies focus almost solely on environmental and economic sustainability, whereas the presented study includes social dimension too. Both academicians and professionals will benefit from the presented framework as it provides a different perspective than what is found in literature enabling broader applications, together with concrete steps and examples demonstrating its implementation, use, and potential benefits

Introducing Parallelism to First-Year CS Majors

We propose to strengthen the computer science (CS) curriculum by embedding parallel concepts in a required first-semester seminar taken by all incoming declared CS majors. We introduce students to parallel computing concepts through a series of unplugged activities so that students see parallel approaches as a natural form of solution to a task. We describe a pilot offering of the class and activities, with measurements and analysis of what students self-report and their performance on assessments

The association of calcaneal spur length and clinical and functional parameters in plantar fasciitis

Introduction: Plantar fasciitis (PF)is the most common cause of plantar heel pain. Despite many treatment alternatives for heel spur, the association of calcaneal spur size with clinical and functional parameters is inconclusive. The objective of this study to investigate the correlation of calcaneal spur length with clinical findings and functional status documented with Foot Function Index in patients with plantar fasciitis. Methods: We performed power analysis for the sample size estimation. 87 patients with PF were scrutinized to reach the estimated patient number 75. Computer-aided linear measurements were done for spur length from tip to base in milimeters. Perceived pain intensity was evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS). Patients were asked to rate the pain experienced on a 10-cm VAS. Foot function index was applied to the patients to evaluate pain, disability and activity limitation of the patients. Results: Of the 75 participants, 24 were males (32%) and 51 were females (68%). The mean age was 47 ± 10 years (range 30-65 years). The mean calcaneal spur length was 3.86 ± 3.36 mm (range between 0 and 12.2). Calcaneal spur length was significantly correlated with age (p = 0.003), BMI (p = 0.029), symptom duration, (p = 0.001) VAS (p = 0.003), and FFI total score (p < 0.001). Discussion: Our study demonstrated that length of the calcaneal spur is significantly correlated with age, BMI, symptom duration, perceived pain, FFI pain and disability subscores, and FFI total scores. Conclusion: The size of the calcaneal spur is an important parameter correlated with pain and functional scores in PF. © 2015 IJS Publishing Group Limited

Evaluation of the length and angulation of the styloid process in the patient with pre-diagnosis of Eagle syndrome

Clinical symptoms caused by the elongated styloid process (SP) or calcified stylohyoid ligament were first described by W. Eagle and they are now known as Eagle syndrome (ES). Normal length of SP was stated by Eagle as 2.5 cm. The objective of this study was to determine and discuss the length of SP and medial angulation degree with computed tomography (CT), which is an affective modality in the identification of ES, and a comparison with related studies. Three-dimensional (3D) images obtained from the axial CT scans of 22 cases (11 males and 11 females) aged between 24 and 80 years, who referred to Cumhuriyet University Hospital, Department of Radiology for multi slice CT with the pre-diagnosis of ES, were used. Lengths of the SP and medial angulations were measured on the obtained images. Inter- and intra-group comparisons were carried out using Wilcoxan and Mann-Whitney U tests. The mean length of the SP was found as 4.1 &#177; 1.1 cm. When inter- and intra-group lengths of the right and left SP were compared, the difference was not significant (p > 0.05). The mean medial angulation of the SP was found as 67.5 &#177; 5.1°. There was a significant difference found between the right side medial angulation and left side medial angulation in all persons (p < 0.05). Lengths of the right and left SP of the patients with pre-diagnosis of ES were close to each other. However, the right-side angulation was observed to be smaller than the left medial angulation in all the patients. Similarly, right side medial angulation of the females was smaller than the left side medial angulation, but this difference was absent in the males. Eagle syndrome should be kept in mind in patients with a sore throat radiating to the ears with swallowing and an observed non-compliance between the complaints such as feeling a foreign body in the throat and facial pain, and physical examination of those who do not have a response to long-term medical therapy should be performed. (Folia Morphol 2011; 70, 4: 295&#8211;299

Group Strategyproof Pareto-Stable Marriage with Indifferences via the Generalized Assignment Game

We study the variant of the stable marriage problem in which the preferences of the agents are allowed to include indifferences. We present a mechanism for producing Pareto-stable matchings in stable marriage markets with indifferences that is group strategyproof for one side of the market. Our key technique involves modeling the stable marriage market as a generalized assignment game. We also show that our mechanism can be implemented efficiently. These results can be extended to the college admissions problem with indifferences

Radiocarbon-based investigations into the authenticity of Mesoamerican artefacts in museum contexts

In this article, radiocarbon dating has been used as a tool for investigating the authenticity of two Mesoamerican artefacts from the collection of the National Museum of World Cultures (Museum Volkenkunde), Leiden, the Netherlands. The first artefact is a ceremonial Aztec, possibly a tecpatl, knife, and it is presumed to date to 1300–1500 CE. The second object is a decorated Mixtec skull, presumed to date to 1400–1520 CE. The efficacy of radiocarbon dating was thoroughly tested in this study, especially in regard to the tiny quantities that could be sampled from the skull. However, with the newly revamped radiocarbon facility at the University of Groningen, this was an opportune moment to attempt such research. Ultimately, a credible result could not be obtained on the skull; however, the ceremonial knife was dated reliably to the Aztec period. The article also discusses the broader issue of whether radio­carbon results can be used as a definitive proof of authenticity and examines the risk­reward nature of radiocarbon testing.Archaeological sciencesMuseum StudiesArchaeology of indigenous Americ