Acquiring knowledge through management consultancy:A national culture perspective

This paper examines how national culture informs the sourcing of management knowledge through external consultancy. First, it hypothesises and compares the relationship between quantitative measures of Hofstede's cultural indices with adjusted expenditure on consulting in nine countries. Two cultural indices are found to correlate with consulting use – power distance (negatively) and individualism (positively). However, the disparity between our findings and prior research suggests limitations of generalisation in studies solely employing quantitative cultural indices to understand the purchasing of business knowledge. We therefore propose the use of supplementary, qualitative data with sensitivity to local contexts and briefly apply this by using secondary sources to provide historical narratives for two countries – the UK and Japan. Overall, we find and tentatively explain significant statistical relationships between Hofstede's cultural indices and adjusted expenditure on consultancy. We then draw attention to wider implications for consulting research and for practitioners involved in this context

Compensating vacancy defects in Sn- and Mg-doped In 2O3

MBE-grown Sn- and Mg-doped epitaxial In2O3 thin-film samples with varying doping concentrations have been measured using positron Doppler spectroscopy and compared to a bulk crystal reference. Samples were subjected to oxygen or vacuum annealing and the effect on vacancy type defects was studied. Results indicate that after oxygen annealing the samples are dominated by cation vacancies, the concentration of which changes with the amount of doping. In highly Sn-doped In2O3, however, these vacancies are not the main compensating acceptor. Vacuum annealing increases the size of vacancies in all samples, possibly by clustering them with oxygen vacancies.Peer reviewe

The magnetic interactions in spin-glasslike Ge/1-x-y/Sn/x/Mn/y/Te diluted magnetic semiconductor

We investigated the nature of the magnetic phase transition in the Ge/1-x-y/Sn/x/Mn/y/Te mixed crystals with chemical composition changing in the range of 0.083 < x < 0.142 and 0.012 < y < 0.119. The DC magnetization measurements performed in the magnetic field up to 90 kOe and temperature range 2-200 K showed that the magnetic ordering at temperatures below T = 50 K exhibits features characteristic for both spin-glass and ferromagnetic phases. The modified Sherrington - Southern model was applied to explain the observed transition temperatures. The calculations showed that the spin-glass state is preferred in the range of the experimental carrier concentrations and Mn content. The value of the Mn hole exchange integral was estimated to be J/pd/ = 0.45+/-0.05 eV. The experimental magnetization vs temperature curves were reproduced satisfactory using the non-interacting spin-wave theory with the exchange constant J/pd/ values consistent with those calculated using modified Sherrington - Southern model. The magnetization vs magnetic field curves showed nonsaturating behavior at magnetic fields B < 90 kOe indicating the presence of strong magnetic frustration in the system. The experimental results were reproduced theoretically with good accuracy using the molecular field approximation-based model of a disordered ferromagnet with long-range RKKY interaction.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Recent progress in the development of β-Ga2O3 scintillator crystals grown by the Czochralski method

A high-quality bulk single crystal of β-Ga2O3 has been grown by the Czochralski method and its basic scintillation characteristics (light yield, energy resolution, proportionality, and scintillation decay times) have been investigated. All the samples cut from the crystal show promising scintillation yields between 8400 and 8920 ph/MeV, which is a noticeable step forward compared to previous studies. The remaining parameters, i.e. the energy resolution slightly above 10% (at 662 keV) and the scintillation mean decay time just under 1 μs, are at the same level as we have formerly recognized for β-Ga2O3. The proportionality of yield seems not to deviate from standards determined by other commercial scintillators

Recent Progress in the Development of β-Ga2O3 Scintillator Crystals Grown by the Czochralski Method

A high-quality bulk single crystal of β-Ga2O3 has been grown by the Czochralski method and its basic scintillation characteristics (light yield, energy resolution, proportionality, and scintillation decay times) have been investigated. All the samples cut from the crystal show promising scintillation yields between 8400 and 8920 ph/MeV, which is a noticeable step forward compared to previous studies. The remaining parameters, i.e. the energy resolution slightly above 10% (at 662 keV) and the scintillation mean decay time just under 1 μs, are at the same level as we have formerly recognized for β-Ga2O3. The proportionality of yield seems not to deviate from standards determined by other commercial scintillators

Tailoring the Scintillation Properties of β-Ga2O3 by Doping with Ce and Codoping with Si

Measurements of pulse height spectra and scintillation time profiles performed on Czochralski-grown β-Ga2O3, β-Ga2O3:Ce, and β-Ga2O3:Ce,Si crystals are reported. The highest value of scintillation yield, 7040 ph/MeV, was achieved for pure β-Ga2O3 at a low free electron concentration, nevertheless Ce-doped crystals could also approach high values thereof. Si-codoping, however, decreases the scintillation yield. The presence of Ce, and the more of Ce and Si, in β-Ga2O3 significantly increases the contribution of the fastest components in scintillation time profiles, which makes β-Ga2O3 a very fast scintillator under γ-excitation

Low temperature thermoluminescence of β-Ga2O3 scintillator

Low temperature thermoluminescence of β-Ga2O3, β-Ga2O3:Al and β-Ga2O3:Ce has been investigated. Glow curves have been analyzed quantitatively using a rate equations model in order to determine the traps parameters, such as activation energies, capture cross-sections and probabilities of recombination and retrapping