Theory of ultrathin films at metal-ceramic interfaces

A theoretical model for understanding the formation of interfacial thin films is presented, which combines density functional theory calculations for interface energies with thermodynamic modeling techniques for multicomponent bulk systems. The theory is applied to thin film formation in VC-doped WC-Co cemented carbides. It is predicted that ultrathin VC films may exist in WC/Co interfaces at the high temperature sintering conditions where most of the WC grain growth occurs, which provides an explanation of the grain growth inhibiting effect of VC additions in the WC-Co system

The economic contribution of high-growth firms: Do definitions matter?

Prior studies have defined high-growth firms (HGFs) in terms of sales or employment, and analyzed their contribution to employment growth. We define HGFs by employment and sales and add definitions of value added and productivity. We examine the contribution of HGFs to employment growth, economic growth, productivity growth, and sales growth. All HGFs give a disproportionately large positive contribution to economic growth and most also give large positive contributions to growth in employment, productivity and sales. Although HGFs of different definitions are usually not the same firms, young firms are more likely to be HGFs irrespective of definition.Gazelles; Firm growth; High-impact firms

The Economic Contribution of High-Growth Firms: Do Definitions Matter?

Prior studies have defined high-growth firms (HGFs) in terms of sales or employment, and analyzed their contribution to employment growth. We define HGFs by employment and sales and add definitions of value added and productivity. We examine the contribution of HGFs to employment growth, economic growth, productivity growth, and sales growth. All HGFs give a disproportionately large positive contribution to economic growth and most also give large positive contributions to growth in employment, productivity and sales. Although HGFs of different definitions are usually not the same firms, young firms are more likely to be HGFs irrespective of definition.Gazelles; Firm growth; High-impact firms

CARTESIAN SUBJECTS LOST IN THE ALPS REFLECTIONS ON RUBEN ÖSTLUND’S FORCE MAJEURE

The article analyses the constitution of subjectivity in Ruben Östlund’s film Force Majeure (2014). At the centre of attention stands the male protagonist who is uncapable of reconciling his inner nature with the external expectations. If the film may be un- derstood as a critique of existing middle-class conventions, it also reproduces a highly conventional ideal of the self-identical subject. The article argues that this confusion or irony is an expression of a Cartesian subject – still prevalent in the film – in crisis. A neglected aspect of Descartes’ theory is that the autonomy of the subjects presupposes the existence of God. The problem for Östlund’s char- acters is that there is no God. Still, they act as if he, or as if any au- thority might, legitimize their subjectivity. Thus, the whole existence becomes a series of performances. The idea of an inner nature cor- responds with the notion of an outer nature. The latter is certainly very present in Force Majeure, but at the same time this nature is constantly problematized. On an allegorical level, the film may thus be read as a comment on the Anthropocene, a state where we no longer know neither what “nature”, nor “culture” is

Ownership and High-Growth Firms

Empirical studies demonstrate that most net job-growth originates from a small number of high-growth firms (HGFs). The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether firm ownership – family, or private non-family – matters for being a HGF, using data covering all firms in Sweden during 1993-2006. Firm growth is measured in terms of absolute employment growth, relative employment growth and as a combination of absolute and relative employment growth (the so-called Birch-index). We find that family ownership decreases the probability of exhibiting high growth. Changing ownership from family to private non family increases the probability of being a HGF, whereas a change from private non-family to family ownership decreases the probability of being a HGF. The results are robust, irrespective of measurement of firm growth, suggesting that ownership and changes in ownership are important determinants of rapid firm growth.high-growth firms; gazelles; firm growth; firm ownership; family firms; rapid firm growth

PWLTool - a Matlab Toolbox for Piecewise Linear System

This manual describes a Matlab toolbox for computational analysis of piecewise linear systems. Key features of the toolbox are modeling, simulation, analysis, and optimal control for piecewise linear systems. The simulation routines detect sliding modes and simulate equivalent dynamics. The analysis and design are based on computation of piecewise quadratic Lyapunov functions. The computations are performed using convex optimization in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs)

Who do High-growth Firms Employ, and Who do they Hire?

The purpose of this paper is to study who high- growth firms (HGFs) hire using a matched employer-employee dataset for all knowledge intensive industries in Sweden, where high growth is measured over the period 1999-2002. The results indicate that HGFs to a larger extent employ young people, immigrants, and individuals with longer unemployment periods. However, these patterns seem contingent on the stage of firm evolution. HGFs that have already realized rapid growth seem to start focusing on hiring individuals from other companies, even though immigrants are still overrepresented among new employees.Gazelles; firm growth; rapid firm growth; high-impact firms

Växtskyddsteknik för ekologisk frukt- och bärodling

Oljor och såpor benämns ofta ”fysikaliskt verkande växtskyddsmedel”, eftersom uppfattningen har varit att dessa ämnen huvudsakligen verkar genom kvävning. Nya rön visar att oljor och såpor utnyttjar en mångfald av mekanismer vid bekämpningen, vilket gör att några resistensproblem aldrig har kunnat påvisas. Oljor och såpor är i de flesta fall baserade på komponenter som är klassade som livsmedel eller hushållskemikalier och anses därför vara relativt riskfria vad gäller arbetsmiljö och påverkan på den yttre miljön. Fysikaliskt verkande växtskyddsmedel har därmed en funktion i framförallt ekologisk odling, men även vid integrerad produktion. De är extremt kontaktverkande och kraven på en ordentlig inträngning i växternas bladverk och god täckning är mycket högre än för konventionella växtskyddsmedel

A Case Study of an Outsourcing Decision Project in a Large Public Organization

Phases in an outsourcing decision project are presented and critical issues are identified. First, there were different definitions of hosting and these different definitions made it unclear what the project was about and thereby the outcome of the project became unclear. This affected project commitment, project outcome project management, and project costs. Second, there were unclear descriptions of how the hosting was made in the organisation. The study suggests that had there been a clearer and more concise description of what the project was about and how the hosting was made a lot of the difficulties could have been avoided