Moving towards the Virtual Economy: A Major Paradigm Shift

This paper investigates some of the underlying forces that are propelling us towards the virtual economy. Special attention is brought to the industrial restructuring that is now taking place, to the role that virtual enterprises are playing in this transition, and to how these enterprises are reconfigurating themselves by acting as product integrators. Ce document présente brièvement les quatre éléments moteurs qui sous-tendent l'économie virtuelle pour examiner ensuite la restructuration industrielle qui prend place actuellement, le rôle des entreprises virtuelles ainsi que la façon dont ces dernières se réorganisent en tant qu'intégrateurs de produits.Virtual economy, virtual enterprises, product integrators, économie virtuelle, entreprises virtuelles, intégrateurs de produits

Muon Spectrometer Phase-I Upgrade for the ATLAS Experiment: the New Small Wheel project

The instantaneous luminosity of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN will be increased by up to a factor of five to seven with respect to the design value. To maintain an excellent detection and background rejection capability in the forward region of the ATLAS detector, part of the muon detection system will be upgraded during LHC shutdown periods with the replacement of part of the present first station in the forward regions with the so-called New Small Wheels (NSWs). The NSWs will have a diameter of approximately 10 m and will be made of two detector technologies: Micromegas and small-strip Thin Gap Chambers (sTGC). The physics motivation for this significant upgrade to the ATLAS detector will be presented. The design choices made to address the physics needs will be discussed. Finally, the status of the production of the detector modules will be presented.Comment: 10 pages, presented at CIPANP 201

Global Strategic Benchmarking, Critical Capabilities and Performance of Aerospace Subcontractors

The aerospace industry faces fierce and rapidly changing competition worldwide which exercises a considerable amount of strain on its manufacturing subcontractors. In this context, it becomes essential to gain a better understanding of what constitutes the most critical capabilities of the world-class subcontractors. Drawing heavily on the concept of benchmarking and of fit as profile deviation, this paper allows to identify the most critical capabilities of the best performing firms. Results are derived from an international comparison of 384 subcontracting firms operating in the U.S.A., the U.K. and Canada. A very distinct profile emerges from the best subcontractors in terms of their acquired technological and managerial capabilities. The most critical capabilities which are common to subcontractors of all three countries are either intangible, difficult to imitate or not easily transferable. This leads us to believe that the best subcontractors hold a partcular competitive advantage which will be difficult for others to replicate, at least in the short term. This is not however the case for the less performing subcontractors who could well be subjected in the not too far future to the competitive pressures arising from the new industrializing countries. L'industrie aérospatiale est aux prises avec une concurrence intense à l'échelle mondiale, notamment avec la venue de nouveaux concurrents de la région Asie-Pacifique. Cette situation impose une pression supplémentaire sur la sous-traitance actuelle dans ce secteur. Dans ce contexte, il apparaît essentiel de mieux comprendre ce qui caractérise les sous-traitants de classe mondiale. Pour répondre à cette préoccupation, une étude comparative de 384 entreprises sous-traitantes fut réalisée aux États-Unis, au Royaume-Uni, et au Canada, en faisant appel au concept de benchmarking et à une des perspectives d'alignement retrouvée dans la théorie de la contingence connue sous le nom de déviation du profil idéal. Un profil distinct semble émerger en ce qui a trait aux compétences technologiques et managériales détenues par les entreprises les plus performantes. Les compétences critiques qui sont communes aux entreprises sous-traitantes de classe mondiale provenant des trois pays sont intangibles, difficiles à imiter, ou difficiliment transférables. Ceci laisse entrevoir que les sous-traitants actuels de calibre international possèdent des compétences qui seront difficilement reproductibles dans le cours terme. Ce ne serait pas le cas pour les sous-traitants moins performants qui seront aux prises dans un avenir prochain avec la venue de nouveaux concurrents en provenance des pays en voie d'industrialisation.Aeronautics, subcontractors, critical capabilities, globalization, Aérospatiale, sous-traitance, compétences critiques, globalisation

A homing problem for diffusion processes with control-dependent variance

Controlled one-dimensional diffusion processes, with infinitesimal variance (instead of the infinitesimal mean) depending on the control variable, are considered in an interval located on the positive half-line. The process is controlled until it reaches either end of the interval. The aim is to minimize the expected value of a cost criterion with quadratic control costs on the way and a final cost equal to zero (resp. a large constant) if the process exits the interval through its left (resp. right) end point. Explicit expressions are obtained both for the optimal value of the control variable and the value function when the infinitesimal parameters of the processes are proportional to a power of the state variable

The accumulation of the cyanobacterial toxin, microcystin, in cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and bush bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) plants

We aimed to develop a high-sensitivity method to detect microcystin toxins in fruit tissue and to determine if irrigation with water containing toxic cyanobacteria may result in accumulation of microcystin toxins in fruit tissue and affect fruit development. In a greenhouse experiment bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum) were grown in the summer under natural light and temperature between the months of September and August. Mature plants received treatments of toxic, Microcystis aeruginosa, applied twice weekly to the soil. To simulate naturally contaminated irrigation water, the M. aeruginosa were applied to plants as a suspension of intact cells. After harvesting, fruiting bodies (beans and tomatoes) were homogenized and extracted with 80% methanol (MeOH) and analyzed by ELISA for microcystins. The first extraction method tested the extraction of 0.45 g fruit tissue in 1.5 mL MeOH, buffered with PBS after 24 hr and yielded MC concentrations just above detectable limits of the ELISA. The second extraction method concentrated samples using a SpeedVac and yielded MC concentrations in range of the ELISA. The third method filtered samples from Method 2 as a preliminary investigation into matrix effects and reduced MC concentration on an average of 84%. To determine if Microcystis affected the growth of the plant’s fruit, all harvested beans and tomatoes were individually measured, weighed and photographed before processing their tissue for ELISA. The presence of cyanobacteria stimulated bean growth (t-Test P\u3c0.05), although there was no effect on the size or growth of tomatoes. Treated plants produced more fruit than the controls, although the difference was not statistically significant. The high - sensitivity method of MC extraction allows for detection of the cyanotoxins and microcystins, in the fruiting bodies of plants and an assessment of the health risk to humans and livestock

Monitoring New Technological Developments in the Electricity Industry : An International Perspective

Being able to monitor and asses technological developments represents an essential activity for an industry expected to be increasingly active in all of the regions of the world and in markets which require a wide array of differing technological configurations. This paper outlines the methodological approach used to monitor new technological developments in the electricity industry and presents the results of a DELPHI survey conducted among a panel of international experts. Être capable de surveiller et d'évaluer les développements technologiques constitue une activité essentielle pour une industrie appelée à être de plus en plus active dans toutes les régions du monde et dans les marchés qui exigent un registre de configurations technologiques étendu. Cet article expose l'approche méthodologique employée pour surveiller les nouveaux développements technologiques dans l'industrie de l'électricité et dévoile les résultats d'une enquête DELPHI menée parmi un groupe d'experts internationaux.Technological Monitoring, Electricity Industry, DELPHI, Surveillance technologique, industrie électrique, DELPHI

Innovative Efforts as Determinants of Export Performance: The Case of Specialized Suppliers

This paper presents empirical evidence on the relationship between innovative efforts and performance on international markets for the specific case of small firms acting as specialized suppliers . In addition to tangible efforts such as R&D expenditures, intangible efforts are also considered. Results clearly identify specific innovative efforts as determinants of export performance. Moreover, the study results suggest a particular innovative profile for global specialized suppliers, especially as it relates to R&D collaborative agreements and information scanning sources used in the product development process. Les résultats présentés dans cette étude portent sur le lien entre efforts innovateurs et performance sur les marchés internationaux, dans le cas particulier des petites firmes appelées fournisseurs spécialisés . Outre les efforts de nature tangible telles les dépenses en R-D, les efforts de nature intangible sont également considérés. Les résultats permettent d'identifier clairement un certain nombre d'efforts comme déterminants de la performance à l'exportation. L'analyse révèle par ailleurs un profil innovateur propre aux fournisseurs spécialisés mondiaux , notamment en ce qui a trait aux accords de collaboration en R-D et les sources d'information utilisées dans le processus de développement de produits.Innovation; Performance; International markets; Specialized suppliers; R&D, Innovation ; Performance ; Marchés internationaux ; Fournisseurs spécialisés ; R-D

Relating HRM and MOT Capabilities to R&D Intensity

R&D activities cannot be dissociated from the broader organizational capabilities developed by a firm. These capabilities may take the form of human resource management capabilities (HRM) or management of technology capabilities (MOT). In a study conducted in 126 manufacturing firms in the electrical energy sector in Quebec, the relationship between R&D intensity and HRM and MOT was investigated. Cluster analysis conducted on these firms revealed the presence of three distinct groups of firms with respect to the level of R&D intensity, firm size, and degree of process innovativeness. Further analysis on these groups show significant relationships between the level of R&D intensity and specific HRM and MOT capabilities all of which point to the importance of developing the more intangible capabilities in organizations and taking into account the specific organizational context. La réalisation d'activités de R&D nécessite de la part des entreprises, un ensemble de compétences variées. Les entreprises doivent, entre autre, développer des habiletés en gestion des ressources humaines (GRH) et en gestion de la technologie (GT). La relation entre ces deux types de compétences et l'intensité des activités de R&D est explorée dans une étude menée auprès de 126 entreprises manufacturières québécoises du secteur de l'énergie électrique. L'analyse typologique permet d'identifier trois groupes distincts en fonction de l'intensité des activités de R&D, de la taille de l'entreprise et du degré innovateur des technologies en place (innovation de procédés). Les analyses des groupes démontrent l'existence de relations significatives entre le niveau d'intensité de la R&D et la présence de compétences spécifiques en GRH et en GT. Ces résultats font ressortir l'importance pour les entreprises de développer des compétences dites intangibles en tenant compte du contexte organisationnel qui leur est spécifique.Organizational capabilities; R&D management; Management of technology; Human resource management; Process innovation; New technology adoption, Compétences organisationnelles ; Gestion de la R&D ; Gestion de la technologie ; Gestion des ressources humaines ; Innovation de procédés ; Adoption de nouvelles technologie