Succeeding in process standardization: Explaining the fit with international management strategy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the fit between process standardization and international management strategy of multinational corporations (MNCs) by assessing the compatibility between process standardization and corporate structural characteristics in terms of asset configuration and headquarters-subsidiary relationships. Design/methodology/approach First, after a literature review on MNCs’ strategy and process standardization, the study suggests two propositions on the fit between corporate international management strategy and process standardization. Second, to empirically examine the propositions, the study investigates the outcome of process standardization in three cases with different strategic and structural contexts. Third, using the propositions and empirical findings, the study proposes a framework for aligning process standardization with MNCs’ structural characteristics. Findings Process standardization has a higher degree of fit in MNCs pursuing global integration where process standardization parallels the need for coordinating interdependencies in the functional structure, and is consistent with the headquarters’ operational control over the subsidiaries. Process standardization has a lower degree of fit in MNCs seeking local responsiveness as process standardization disturbs the financial control relationship between the headquarters and subsidiaries and is less crucial for coordination as the subsidiaries contain the necessary coordination mechanisms. Originality/value The study provides in-depth understanding of how the international management strategy and consequent structural characteristics of MNCs affects process standardization in the course of a global enterprise resource planning implementation. The study proposes conditions of fit for aligning process standardization with asset configuration and headquarters-subsidiary relationships of an MNC. </jats:sec

Wetting of porous thin films exhibiting large contact angles

Porous solid films that promote large apparent contact angles are interesting systems since their wetting properties are dependent on both the surface structure and water penetration into the film. In this study, a parahydrophobic coating is made by sequential dip coating of titanium dioxide nanoparticles and stearic acid on polished copper substrates. The apparent contact angles are determined using the tilted plate method, and it is found that the liquid–vapor interaction decreases and water droplets are more likely to move off the film when the number of coated layers increases. Interestingly, it is found that under some conditions, the front contact angle can be smaller than the back contact angle. Scanning electron microscopy observations demonstrate that the coating process led to the formation of hydrophilic TiO2 nanoparticle domains and hydrophobic stearic acid flakes that allows heterogeneous wetting. By monitoring the electrical current through the water droplet to the copper substrate, it is found that the water drops penetrate the coating layer to make direct contact with the copper surface with a time delay and magnitude that depends on the coating thickness. This additional penetration of water into the porous film enhances the adhesion of the droplet to the film and provides a clue to understand the contact angle hysteresis.acceptedVersio

Technology in the HTX technology subject: The Higher Technical Examination Programme (HTX), the Technology subject, and the Concept of Technology

The Danish higher technical examination programme (HTX) is the only high school program in Denmark that specialises in technology and engineering. Central to the HTX curriculum are the profile subjects; technology and technical science. In this article, we take a closer look at these subjects, or more precisely, we examine the concept of technology embedded within them. The ministerial order regarding the subjects places the concept of technology within the ‘technology model’. We will examine the background for the model, its potential and limitations and the model's place in teaching through empirical findings from fieldwork in order to examine whether the technology model lives up to its described purpose. Overall, it can be argued that the model works but it can also be argued that the teachers should be aware of the model’s shortcomings and discuss these with students, so they obtain a more dynamic and dialectical understanding of technology.Teknisk Gymnasium (HTX) er den eneste gymnasiale uddannelse i Danmark, der har et stort fokus på teknologi og ingeniørvidenskab. Centralt i pensum på HTX er profilfagene: Teknologi-og Teknikfag. I denne artikel ser vi nærmere på profilfagene og undersøger begrebet teknologi, og begrebet der indlejret i dem. I bekendtgørelsen vedrø-rende teknologi- og teknikfaget placeres teknologibegrebet i rammen af ’Teknologimodellen.’ Vi vil i artiklen undersøge baggrunden for tek-nologimodellen, dens potentiale og begrænsninger, samt modellens plads i undervisningen gennem empiriske fund for at blive klogere på, om teknologimodellen lever op til dens beskreve formål - at hjælpe ele-verne med at opfylde læringsmålene. Samlet set kan der argumenteres for, at modellen fungerer, men også at lærerne skal være opmærksom på modellens mangler og diskutere disse med eleverne, så de opnår en mere dynamisk og dialektisk forståelse af teknologi