Assessing consequences of low cost sourcing in China

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to develop a framework for low-cost sourcing assessment and to explore the consequences of low-cost sourcing in China for a European manufacturer.<p>Design/methodology/approach – The low-cost sourcing framework generated from literature and the consequence analysis is based on a case study of a European company that has outsourced part of its casting processes to Chinese suppliers.<p>Findings – Characteristics of low-cost sourcing are based on a literature review divided into three categories: country characteristics, supply network structure, and supply network relationships and the case study shows that these three categories of characteristics jointly create negative effects. A two-directional cause and effect relationship is proposed between the characteristics and the operational supply chain performances. The presented low-cost sourcing assessment framework should be a good starting point for low-cost sourcing assessment, including mapping a firm’s total characteristics, and for analysing their performance impact.<p>Research limitations/implications – The conducted single case study is not enough for identifying, formulating, and validating all existing relationships between the low-cost sourcing characteristics. The present study has identified the existence of the relationships but has not evaluated their levels of impact.<p>Practical implications – Managers should be aware of how suppliers in low-cost countries may affect the structures, relations, and operational supply chain performances of the supply network. This paper presents a sourcing assessment framework enabling describing what dimensions of the sourcing characteristics would be affected by sourcing to a specific area of the world and what consequences and performance effects this would have.<p>Originality/value – Few prior studies have focused on companies with already established relationships with low-cost-country suppliers and how these companies should make the best out of these supply chains. This study takes a holistic perspective on low-cost sourcing and identifies several streams for further research

The impact of knowledge properties on international manufacturing transfer performance

This paper examines how knowledge properties of a transferred manufacturing activity between units in an international manufacturing network impact performance during the transfer phase and the phase after steady state is reached. Survey data from 178 companies, we use hierarchical regression to test the relationships. We find knowledge properties as a group significantly affect both performance measures when controlling for the effects of sender unit experience, sender unit size and receiver unit experience. Thus, the activities transferred impact the success of the transfer. Sender unit experience and receiver unit experience have relatively strongest performance effects after steady state is reached. Testing the performance effects of single knowledge property dimensions, we identify independency to have the strongest relative performance effect, validates and advances previous research. This as it is one of the first survey studies to link activity independency and manufacturing transfer performance. We also identify several strands of further research

Long-term effects of no-take zones in Swedish waters

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly established worldwide to protect and restore degraded ecosystems. However, the level of protection varies among MPAs and has been found to affect the outcome of the closure. In no-take zones (NTZs), no fishing or extraction of marine organisms is allowed. The EU Commission recently committed to protect 30% of European waters by 2030 through the updated Biodiversity Strategy. Importantly, one third of these 30% should be of strict protection. Exactly what is meant by strict protection is not entirely clear, but fishing would likely have to be fully or largely prohibited in these areas. This new target for strictly protected areas highlights the need to evaluate the ecological effects of NTZs, particularly in regions like northern Europe where such evaluations are scarce. The Swedish NTZs made up approximately two thirds of the total areal extent of NTZs in Europe a decade ago. Given that these areas have been closed for at least 10 years and can provide insights into long-term effects of NTZs on fish and ecosystems, they are of broad interest in light of the new 10% strict protection by 2030 commitment by EU member states.In total, eight NTZs in Swedish coastal and offshore waters were evaluated in the current report, with respect to primarily the responses of focal species for the conservation measure, but in some of the areas also ecosystem responses. Five of the NTZs were established in 2009-2011, as part of a government commission, while the other three had been established earlier. The results of the evaluations are presented in a synthesis and also in separate, more detailed chapters for each of the eight NTZs. Overall, the results suggest that NTZs can increase abundances and biomasses of fish and decapod crustaceans, given that the closed areas are strategically placed and of an appropriate size in relation to the life cycle of the focal species. A meta-regression of the effects on focal species of the NTZs showed that CPUE was on average 2.6 times higher after three years of protection, and 3.8 times higher than in the fished reference areas after six years of protection. The proportion of old and large individuals increased in most NTZs, and thereby also the reproductive potential of populations. The increase in abundance of large predatory fish also likely contributed to restoring ecosystem functions, such as top-down control. These effects appeared after a 5-year period and in many cases remained and continued to increase in the longer term (>10 years). In the two areas where cod was the focal species of the NTZs, positive responses were weak, likely as an effect of long-term past, and in the Kattegat still present, recruitment overfishing. In the Baltic Sea, predation by grey seal and cormorant was in some cases so high that it likely counteracted the positive effects of removing fisheries and led to stock declines in the NTZs. In most cases, the introduction of the NTZs has likely decreased the total fishing effort rather than displacing it to adjacent areas. In the Kattegat NTZ, however, the purpose was explicitly to displace an unselective coastal mixed bottom-trawl fishery targeting Norway lobster and flatfish to areas where the bycatches of mature cod were smaller. In two areas that were reopened to fishing after 5 years, the positive effects of the NTZs on fish stocks eroded quickly to pre-closure levels despite that the areas remained closed during the spawning period, highlighting that permanent closures may be necessary to maintain positive effects.We conclude from the Swedish case studies that NTZs may well function as a complement to other fisheries management measures, such as catch, effort and gear regulations. The experiences from the current evaluation show that NTZs can be an important tool for fisheries management especially for local coastal fish populations and areas with mixed fisheries, as well as in cases where there is a need to counteract adverse ecosystem effects of fishing. NTZs are also needed as reference for marine environmental management, and for understanding the effects of fishing on fish populations and other ecosystem components in relation to other pressures. MPAs where the protection of both fish and their habitats is combined may be an important instrument for ecosystembased management, where the recovery of large predatory fish may lead to a restoration of important ecosystem functions and contribute to improving decayed habitats.With the new Biodiversity Strategy, EUs level of ambition for marine conservation increases significantly, with the goal of 30% of coastal and marine waters protected by 2030, and, importantly, one third of these areas being strictly protected. From a conservation perspective, rare, sensitive and/or charismatic species or habitats are often in focus when designating MPAs, and displacement of fisheries is then considered an unwanted side effect. However, if the establishment of strictly protected areas also aims to rebuild fish stocks, these MPAs should be placed in heavily fished areas and designed to protect depleted populations by accounting for their home ranges to generate positive outcomes. Thus, extensive displacement of fisheries is required to reach benefits for depleted populations, and need to be accounted for e.g. by specific regulations outside the strictly protected areas. These new extensive EU goals for MPA establishment pose a challenge for management, but at the same time offer an opportunity to bridge the current gap between conservation and fisheries management

Thermodynamic Studies of the Fe-Pt System and “FeO”-Containing Slags for Application Towards Ladle Refining

In the present work, the thermodynamic activites of ironoxide, denoted as "FeO" in the slag systems Al2O3-"FeO", CaO-"FeO", "FeO"-SiO2, Al2O3-"FeO"-SiO2, CaO-"FeO"-SiO2and "FeO"-MgO-SiO2were investigated by employing the gasequilibration technique at steelmaking temperatures. Thestrategy was to expose the molten slag mixtures kept inplatinum crucibles for an oxygen potential, determined by aCO/CO2-ratio. A part of the iron reduced from the "FeO"in the slag phase was dissolved into the Pt crucible. In order to obtain the activites of "FeO", chemical analysisof the quenched slag samples together with thermodynamicinformation of the binary metallic system Fe-Pt is required.Careful experimental work was carried out by employing asolid-state galvanic cell technique as well as calorimetricmeasurements in the temperature ranges of 1073-1273 K and300-1988 K respectively. The outcome of these experiments wasincorporated along with previous studies into a CALPHAD-type ofthermodynamic assessment performed with the Thermo-Calc\u99software. The proposed equilibrium diagram enabledextrapolation to higher temperatures. The experimentally obtained activites of "FeO" in thepresent work, along with earlier investigations were assessedwith the KTH slag model, THERMOSLAG©. New binaryparameters were evolved and incorporated in THERMOSLAG©.The present model calculations are compared with othercommercially available software such as F*A*C*T\u99andThermo-Calc\u99. The validity of the modified model wasinvestigated by measurements carried out in case of Al2O3-"FeO"-SiO2, CaO-"FeO"-SiO2and "FeO"-MgO-SiO2ternary slags. The potential of the model tocompute the activities in the case of multicomponent slags wasdemonstrated. A correlation between the activity of a metallic oxide in aternary slag system and the sulphide capacity of the slag wasinvestigated by using the solubility of sulphur in the binarysystems CaO-SiO2and Al2O3-CaO along with the sulphide capacity of the Al2O3-CaO-SiO2system. The estimated values of the activitieswere found to be in good agreement with the measured values.This correlation also gives the possibility to elucidate theapplicability of Henry's law to the activity of a metallicsulphide and to determine the order in the affinity of a cationto sulphur between two metallic oxides in a slag. Model calculations were performed with THERMOSLAG©, by using plant data from the ladle refiningprocess at OVAKO Steel, Hofors, Sweden. It was found thatoxygen estimations in the metal from the "FeO" analyses ofslags, obtained by conventional sampling and analysis methodwere less reliable. Reliable estimation of the oxygen levelsutilising the sulphur partition between the slag and the metalwere carried out using THERMOSLAG© software. Keywords:Thermodynamics, Activity, Galvanic cell,Calorimetry, Gas equilibration technique, Iron-platinum alloys,FeO, Slags, Modelling, LadleNR 2014080

Elevers språkutveckling. En studie kring verksamma specialpedagoger/speciallärares syn på elevers språkutveckling.

Syftet med vår studie är att studera hur verksamma specialpedagoger/speciallärare resonerar om elevers språkutveckling. En jämförelse mellan tidigare forskning och styrdokument finns i resultatdiskussionen. Huvudfrågorna är hur specialpedagoger/speciallärare identifierar, åtgärdar och ser för orsaker till att elever får problem med avkodningen. Till sist har vi en fråga hur specialpedagoger/speciallärare resonerar kring hur fonem och avkodning hör samman. Vår metod är att genom kvalitativa intervjuer undersöka hur verksamma specialpedagoger/speciallärare resonerar kring elevers språkutveckling. Intervjufrågorna ville vi ha öppna för att de tillfrågade skulle kunna resonera fritt kring frågorna. Material vi använder i vår studie är specialpedagoger/speciallärare som deltar i vår studie, samt relevant forskning och styrdokument. Vi utgår från Stukat ”Att skriva examensarbete inom utbildningsvetenskap”, Denscombe ” Forskningshandboken: för småskaliga forskningsprojekt inom samhällsvetenskaperna” samt Esaiasson m.fl. ”Metodpraktikan: konsten att studera samhälle, individ och marknad”, när vi skrivit vårt arbete. Resultatet av studien är att verksamma specialpedagoger/speciallärare ser ett samband mellan fonem och avkodning, men att det ser olika ut beroende på elev och elevsituation. Studieresultatets betydelse för vårt framtida läraryrke är att är att vi fått insikt i hur verksamma specialpedagoger/speciallärare ser på sambandet mellan fonem och avkodning, samt att vi fått en djupare medvetenhet och förståelse kring problematiken, olika begrepp som språkstörning, språkutveckling samt avkodning. Vi har erhållit kunskaper som hjälper oss i vårt framtida arbete med elever som får svårigheter med avkodningen och fonem. Men också en större variation av metoder när det gäller att hjälpa elever att börja läsa och skriva. Samtidigt hoppas vi även att andra verksamma och i vardande pedagoger kan ha nytta av att ta del av våra gjorda erfarenheter

Customer Needings : Finding the Relationship Gaps between Rolls Royce and their Industrial Customers

Purpose The purpose of this thesis is to investigate to what extent Rolls Royce in Kristinehamn manages to fulfil their customer needings. By identifying gaps between offerings and needings, the authors will give recommendations on how Rolls Royce can increase their customers' satisfaction by providing them with what they need.   Method A qualitative research is used in the form of in-depth face-to-face- and telephone interviews. Eight such interviews have been conducted in this thesis; three interviews with representatives from Rolls Royce and five interviews with representatives from three of their customers.   Findings Many gaps have been found in the analysis of the empirical study. The most frequently discovered gaps are that; Rolls Royce should have better control over their sub-suppliers and Rolls Royce should agree on higher penalty fees for delay or poor quality. Further gaps have been found in which activities the customer wants to be relieved or enabled of.   Recommendations A figure of customer specific recommendations have been compiled through the findings. From this figure, general recommendations have been discovered that can, to some extent, represent all of Rolls Royce's customers.

Elevers upplevelser av ett tillämpat formativt arbetssätt

Ett formativt arbetssätt framhålls som produktivt för elevers lärande (Balan, 2012). Samtidigt beskriver Jönsson (2008) att verksamma lärare har svårt att ta sig an arbetssättet då det är omfattande och tidskrävande. Denna motsättning vill vi reflektera kring och närma oss med hjälp av en utarbetad uppgift och hint-kort (ledtrådar) som formativt verktyg för eleverna. Syftet är att undersöka elevers uppfattningar kring användandet av hint-kort och huruvida de upplever att uppgiftens upplägg påverkar deras lärande.Martons variationsteori framhåller kritiska aspekter och kritiska drag som avgörande för att elever skall kunna närma sig ett lärandeobjekt (Marton & Booth, 1997). Vidare ligger denna teori som grund för utformningen av våra hint-kort. Uppgiftens upplägg kopplas till variationsteorin och tidigare forskning som framhåller vikten av förförståelse och metakognition. En kvalitativ metod i form av 10 intervjuer användes för att undersöka elevers uppfattningar kring uppgiftens upplägg och hint-kort. Resultatet analyserades utifrån fenomenografi, en empirisk strävan som grundar sig i att beskriva upplevelser av olika fenomen. Resultatet visar att majoriteten av eleverna ställde sig positiva till hint-korten och uppgiftens upplägg. Ett flertal elever upplevde att hint-korten hjälpte dem att spara tid och därmed effektivisera det egna lärandet. Ytterligare en upplevelse ett flertal elever framhöll var en känsla av trygghet pga. möjligheten att få extra stöd av hint-korten. De elever vars upplevelser av uppgiftens upplägg och hint-korten var mindre positiva saknade förförståelse för lärandeobjektet och ämnesområdet. Dessa elever kunde inte ta sig an uppgiften och dess upplägg med stöd från hint-korten i samma utsträckning som de elever som hade adekvat förförståelse. Detta är i linje med variationsteorin som menar att hur väl man tar sig an ett lärandeobjekt beror på vilka kritiska aspekter man har fått möta tidigare

Optimizing CRM Readiness : Specifying a CRM Strategy for Volvo Penta

Purpose: The analytical purpose of this thesis is to link theory on how business processes should be designed to strenghten customer relationships, with empirical data on what these processes presently look like. The empirical purpose is to formulate a CRM strategy for Volvo Penta. This will be done by analyzing how the current processes of the company are designed and what limitations and possibilities the market characteristics offer. Method: A triangulated research method with focus on qualitative interviews is used in the form of in-depth, face-to-face interviews. Thirteen such interviews have been conducted with representatives of different departments within Volvo Penta. Findings: The empirical data has brought several findings on what needs to be done and thought through in order to optimize a CRM-strategy. One such finding is that Volvo Penta does not have thorough directions on how their processes and customers should be approached. Another important finding is that the level of cross-functionality within the processes is too low

Elevers upplevelser av ett tillämpat formativt arbetssätt

Ett formativt arbetssätt framhålls som produktivt för elevers lärande (Balan, 2012). Samtidigt beskriver Jönsson (2008) att verksamma lärare har svårt att ta sig an arbetssättet då det är omfattande och tidskrävande. Denna motsättning vill vi reflektera kring och närma oss med hjälp av en utarbetad uppgift och hint-kort (ledtrådar) som formativt verktyg för eleverna. Syftet är att undersöka elevers uppfattningar kring användandet av hint-kort och huruvida de upplever att uppgiftens upplägg påverkar deras lärande.Martons variationsteori framhåller kritiska aspekter och kritiska drag som avgörande för att elever skall kunna närma sig ett lärandeobjekt (Marton & Booth, 1997). Vidare ligger denna teori som grund för utformningen av våra hint-kort. Uppgiftens upplägg kopplas till variationsteorin och tidigare forskning som framhåller vikten av förförståelse och metakognition. En kvalitativ metod i form av 10 intervjuer användes för att undersöka elevers uppfattningar kring uppgiftens upplägg och hint-kort. Resultatet analyserades utifrån fenomenografi, en empirisk strävan som grundar sig i att beskriva upplevelser av olika fenomen. Resultatet visar att majoriteten av eleverna ställde sig positiva till hint-korten och uppgiftens upplägg. Ett flertal elever upplevde att hint-korten hjälpte dem att spara tid och därmed effektivisera det egna lärandet. Ytterligare en upplevelse ett flertal elever framhöll var en känsla av trygghet pga. möjligheten att få extra stöd av hint-korten. De elever vars upplevelser av uppgiftens upplägg och hint-korten var mindre positiva saknade förförståelse för lärandeobjektet och ämnesområdet. Dessa elever kunde inte ta sig an uppgiften och dess upplägg med stöd från hint-korten i samma utsträckning som de elever som hade adekvat förförståelse. Detta är i linje med variationsteorin som menar att hur väl man tar sig an ett lärandeobjekt beror på vilka kritiska aspekter man har fått möta tidigare