Market orientation and communication methods in international strategic alliances

This article discusses factors affecting the success of international strategic alliances, specifically market orientation and communication methods. The study empirically compares market orientation and methods of communication with strategically allied SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in countries with different cultural values (i.e., United States and Korea). The findings indicate that market orientation and communication methods in an international strategic alliance between US and Korean SMEs have distinct differences. For example, the results show that market orientation and communication methods differ according to the number of foreign partners within an alliance and the duration of an alliance. The article highlights some managerial implications that might occur due to the differences between American and Korean SMEs operating an international strategic alliance

Imaging the P‐Wave Velocity Structure of Arctic Subsea Permafrost Using Laplace‐Domain Full‐Waveform Inversion

Climate change in the Arctic has recently become a major scientific issue, and detailed information on the degradation of subsea permafrost on continental shelves in the Arctic is critical for understanding the major cause and effects of global warming, especially the release of greenhouse gases. The subsea permafrost at shallow depths beneath the Arctic continental shelves has significantly higher P‐wave velocities than the surrounding sediments. The distribution of subsea permafrost on Arctic continental shelves has been studied since the 1970s using seismic refraction methods. With seismic refraction data, the seismic velocity and the depth of the upper boundary of subsea permafrost can be determined. However, it is difficult to identify the lower boundary and the internal shape of permafrost. Here, we present two‐dimensional P‐wave velocity models of the continental shelf in the Beaufort Sea by applying the Laplace‐domain full‐waveform inversion method to acquired multichannel seismic reflection data. With the inverted P‐wave velocity model, we identify anomalous high seismic velocities that originated from the subsea permafrost. Information on the two‐dimensional distribution of subsea permafrost on the Arctic continental shelf area, including the upper and lower bounds of subsea permafrost, are presented. Also, the two‐dimensional P‐wave velocity model allows us to estimate the thawing pattern and the shape of subsea permafrost structures. Our proposed P‐wave velocity models were verified by comparison with the previous distribution map of subsea permafrost from seismic refraction analyses, geothermal modeling, and well‐log data

Semiconductor-less vertical transistor with I-ON/I-OFF of 10(6)

Semiconductors have long been perceived as a prerequisite for solid-state transistors. Although switching principles for nanometer-scale devices have emerged based on the deployment of two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals heterostructures, tunneling and ballistic currents through short channels are difficult to control, and semiconducting channel materials remain indispensable for practical switching. In this study, we report a semiconductor-less solid-state electronic device that exhibits an industry-applicable switching of the ballistic current. This device modulates the field emission barrier height across the graphene-hexagonal boron nitride interface with ION/IOFF of 106 obtained from the transfer curves and adjustable intrinsic gain up to 4, and exhibits unprecedented current stability in temperature range of 15–400 K. The vertical device operation can be optimized with the capacitive coupling in the device geometry. The semiconductor-less switching resolves the long-standing issue of temperature-dependent device performance, thereby extending the potential of 2D van der Waals devices to applications in extreme environments. © 2021, The Author(s).1

Simulation-Based Work Plan Verification in Shipyards

The productivity of a shipyard depends on how efficiently and systematically its limited resources are managed and used. Korean shipyards, the most competitive in the world, have developed and operate their own production management systems to attain high productivity, each of which reflects the unique characteristics of a specific company. Recently, research on simulation methods to enhance production management systems has been gaining popularity. Production management based on simulations rejects decision-making based on experience and intuition and values the establishment of improvement methods based on quantitative and concrete data. In this article, simulation is applied to the work plan as part of the production planning in shipyards. To this end, the work planning processes and planning systems are analyzed. Based on this analysis, a simulation model and application system are suggested. By using the results obtained in this study, it is expected that shipyards can construct cycles for establishing, simulating, and analyzing work plans, enabling the establishment of more precise production plans.N