Dynamic analysis of a torsional vibration actuator

The objective of this study is the evaluation of a mechanical system, which includes a Hooke\u27s joint, as a possible torsional vibration actuator. The essential requirement of such a system is to produce a periodically varying angular motion superimposed upon a mean constant speed rotation. The basic kinematics of a Hooke\u27s joint suggest that it could be used to generate the type of motion desired. The mechanical arrangement of a system incorporating a Hooke\u27s joint is described and the governing differential equations are developed. These equations are simultaneous, differential equations of second order and are highly nonlinear. Values of typical system parameters are selected and the equations are solved numerically using a fourth order Runge-Kutta digital solution. The equations are solved with variations of constants to evaluate the effect of change in parameters upon the system response. The numerical results show that the vibration amplitude at the specimen is directly proportional to the motor speed and the Hooke\u27s joint angle. The frequency of the vibration at the specimen increases with an increase 1n the motor speed but is independent of the Hooke\u27s joint angle. Increasing the flywheel inertia decreases the variation in the flywheel angular velocity and maintains an output angular velocity which is nearly sinusoidal and closely approximates a second harmonic of the mean flywheel angular velocity --Abstract, pages ii-iii

The Effects of Quota Frequency on Sales Force Performance: Evidence from a Field Experiment

We collaborate with a Swedish retail chain to conduct a field experiment in which we change the sales force compensation scheme from a monthly to a daily quota plan. This intervention, along with a control group that did not encounter a change in compensation structure, allows us to analyze the effect of quota frequency on sales force performance. Over a given time frame (i.e., a month), we find that shifting to a temporally more frequent quota plan—the daily quota plan as compared to the monthly quota plan—leads to an increase in sales performance, mainly for low-performing salespeople, by preventing them from giving up in the latter days of a month. However, we find high-performing salespeople to give up more frequently in earlier days of a month under the daily quota plan. With more frequent quotas, salespeople sell more quantities of low-ticket items, which benefit the firm through a decrease in returned merchandise. However, with quotas set over shorter time horizons, even the highest-performing salespeople focus mainly on incremental sales, resulting in a decrease in sales of higher-value-added and higher-margin products, thereby hurting firm profits

Embedding knowledge and value of a brand into sustainability for differentiation

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in the Journal of World Business (under the provisional title "Embedding sustainability into brand knowledge and brand value for brand differentiation"). The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier B.V.Organisations offer products to consumers, buyers often question if the product or its production process are linked to the environmental, social or economic challenges being faced by mankind. Inquisitiveness of customers in this direction points towards an opportunity for marketers to create differentiation based on the concerns of brand towards overall issue of sustainability. The authors have synthesized knowledge from various domains with a positivistic approach to understand sustainability from the perspective of branding. Using empirical knowledge this study recommends embedding sustainability into brand knowledge and brand value for creating a differentiation for the brand in a competitive market

Probing Behavior of Apterous and Alate Morphs of two Potato—Colonizing Aphids

Secondary host plant colonization by aphids involves alate and apterous morphs to spread in the population at a large scale by flying or, at a finer one, by walking. Macrosiphum euphorbiae Thomas (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are two polyphagous aphids that cause serious losses on many crops, particularly on potato, Solanum tuberosum L. (Solanales: Solanaceae). When settlement of virginoparous alate aphids occurs, apterous individuals are produced and spread within the potato field. As these two potato colonizers originate from different areas and show different body length, this study compared probing behaviors of virginoparous alate and apterous M. persicae and M. euphorbiae on one of their secondary host plants, Solanum tuberosum. Non—choice bioassays and electrical penetration graph (EPG) recordings were performed. Most M. euphorbiae of the two morphs rapidly accepted potato plants and exhibited long duration of probing, phloem sap salivation, and ingestion phases. In contrast, at the end of the experiment, most alates of M. persicae left the potato leaflet after brief gustative probes. Moreover, EPG experiments showed that the main difference between both morphs of the two species concerned the xylem ingestion parameter. Differences between species were also reported, such as an increased total duration of probing in both morphs and enhanced phloem ingestion duration in apterous M. euphorbiae. All the differences highlighted in this study are discussed according to the variations observed in aphid body size and to their historical association with Solanum species

On the Importance of Complaint Handling Design : A Multi-Level Analysis of the Impact in Specific Complaint Situations

Given the large investments required for high-quality complaint handling design, managers need practical guidance in understanding its actual importance for their particular company. However, while prior research emphasizes the general relevance of complaint handling design, it fails to provide a more differentiated perspective on this interesting issue. This study, which is based on an integrative multi-level framework and a dyadic dataset, addresses this important gap in research. Results indicate that the impact of a company’s complaint handling design varies significantly depending on the characteristics of the complaining customers with which the firm has to deal. Further, this paper shows that, contingent on these characteristics, a company’s complaint handling design can shape complainants’ fairness perceptions either considerably or only slightly. Overall, findings suggest that companies should apply an adaptive approach to complaint handling to avoid misallocation of attention, energy, and resources

Strategies for business model innovation: How firms reel in migrating value

This paper brings together firm-level research on business models and industry-level research on value migration to examine patterns of business model innovation. We draw on qualitative data from 14 cases and 68 interviews in the computer and telecommunications industries to demonstrate how business model innovation is sensitive to industry-wide forces of value migration. Based on our analysis we conclude that when value is rapidly migrating across industries and between firms, proactively substituting key elements of the primary business model provides a better fit with the new value landscape than launching secondary business models in parallel. We suggest four underlying mechanisms that link business model innovation, value migration and subsequent outcomes. Unpacking business model innovation allows us to discuss contingencies for the main business model strategies, specifically in terms of limitations to—and opportunities of—changing the primary business model and the practice of parallel business models

Essays on the management of long-term manufacturer-supplier relationships by supplier firms

In this dissertation, we aim to investigate if, akin to supplier focus on the part of the customer firms, customer focus is a sensible strategy for supplier firms. The dissertation is made up of three essays. In the first essay, we empirically assess the impact of long-term relationships with specific customers on the supplier firms\u27 performance using crossectional and longitudinal information data. Our results indicate that maintaining long-term relationships does not come at the expense of sales growth. We find that suppliers in long-term relationships are able to reduce costs over time through better inventory utilization. However, this reduction in cost seems to be bargained away by their customers through lower prices. Finally, we find that supplier firms in long-term relationships achieve higher profitability by differentially reducing their discretionary expenses such as selling, general and administrative overhead costs to a greater extent than their counterparts who are transactional in their approach to servicing customers. In the second essay, we look at the impact of changes in costs and quality on the pricing strategies of supplier firms. Consistent with Kahneman, Knetsch, and Thaler\u27s (1986) dual entitlement principle, for capital equipment goods and suppliers of raw materials/consumables manufacturers, we find that the magnitude of price increases in response to increases in costs is greater than the magnitude of price decreases in response to equal decreases in costs. In the case of component suppliers, however, we find support for a reverse type of asymmetry in the magnitude of price changes following changes in costs. As regards, the impact of changes in quality, we find that component suppliers obtain price increases based on improvements in the level of quality over time. This finding provides support for a strategy of continuous quality improvement. In the third essay, using results from an in-depth field study of twenty-five manufacturer-supplier relationships, we look at the issue of when, how and with whom should suppliers enter into long-term relationships. We also discuss actions that suppliers can take to enhance the content and degree of success in long-term relationships

Locomotory Behavior of Potato Aphid in Relation to Environmental Stimuli

Potato is one of the most important crops in the North-eastern United States. Aphids comprise a group of its economically important insect pests. Although aphids are known to cause direct damage by sap feeding, the major concern is their role as vectors in transmitting several important diseases, such as potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) and potato virus Y (PVY). Significant proportions of aphid population in the field are mobile, thus creating new disease foci or enhancing the existing ones. Although integrated pest management is a well-known concept, there are several limitations for a successful implementation of it among commercial growers. Lack of comprehensive knowledge about the insect behavior is one of the important reasons for the lack of its adoption. Understanding insect behaviour, including host selection and movement within the field in general, can aid in enhancing the efficiency of the present control measures and development of new strategies. To better understand the mechanism of host finding, we tested aphids to host odor and synthetic host volatiles attractive to the Colorado potato beetle in Petri dish and olfactometer arenas along with the field trials. The odor of potato foliage was found to be attractive to wingless potato aphids without any aid of visual cues. Winged aphids did not show a statistically detectable response. Aphids did not respond to the synthetic Colorado potato beetle kairomone formulation in the olfactometer. In Petri dishes, aphids avoided leaflets treated with both kairomone formulation and its blank carrier. We did not detect any build-up in aphid populations or virus transmission on field plots treated with the kairomone formulation and blank carrier. Our second objective was to understand the factors that may stimulate aphid movement within the field. Obtaining thorough information on the within-field aphid dispersal will allow fine-tuning control techniques, so that they are directed towards disrupting aphid movement, not just towards reducing aphid numbers. We have conducted experiments in greenhouse experimental arenas that simulated a small segment of potato field. Effects of simulated rain, wind, mechanical raking, fungicide application, reflective mulch, and predator (lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis Pallast) on the interplant movement of wingless adult potato aphids were studied. The number of aphids migrating from the central plant in the arena following tested perturbations was recorded. Studies were conducted with plants of different age and canopy structure. We found that rain, wind, and mechanical disturbances are major environmental factors that can cause significant movement of aphids. Our third objective was to understand circadian rhythmicity of potato aphids in regard to host finding. We conducted experiments in Petri dish and olfactometer arenas to find if aphids have the ability to find their host plant under light and dark conditions of the 24-hour cycle. Our results suggest that circadian rhythm in host-finding behavior of the potato aphid is regulated by both exogenous and endogenous mechanisms