When Product Life Cycle Meets Customer Activity Cycle

Manufacturing companies have traditionally focused their efforts on designing, developing and producing products to offer on the market. Today global competition and demands for greater company responsibility of products throughout their entire life cycle are driving manufacturing companies to shift market strategies from a transactional approach to an approach based on the establishment and management of customer relationships (Grönroos, 1999). A growing number of studies and research programmes have focused on the potentials of business strategies based on providing the value of utility of products throughout their life cycle by designing integrated solutions of products and services. This approach has been dubbed ‘product/service-systems (PSS)’ (Mont, 2004). Although relationship marketing and product/service-system design have their roots in each their own research fields - marketing and engineering design - it seems that the two approaches are complimentary. The principle behind PSS is a shift from a perception that value is mainly embedded in a physical artefact to a perception where the activities associated with the product are considered to be a better definition of value. In this new perspective value is created by supporting the customer’s activities related to the use of products. This is done through intangible services and knowledge intensification that ensures optimal operation and performance of products in relation to the individual customer’s activities. It is believed that PSS approaches can be a step on the path to sustainable development as this will enable and motivate companies to reuse, rationalise and enhance their products and services more efficiently throughout their life phases (Manzini & Vezzoli, 2002). Based on a year’s participation and observation in a development project in a global office furniture manufacturer, this paper attempts to uncover how a manufacturing company is making the move from selling office furniture to selling the benefit of workspace performance. A significant insight is that the definition of value is core to both relationship marketing and PSS approaches. Viewing products alone are not appropriate to determine value – instead the focus should be on the effects from customer activities. This paper presents its findings in relation to a theoretical framework of the expected managerial and organisational implications of PSS (Tan et al, 2007). The framework takes into consideration new activities, roles and responsibilities, knowledge and competencies, as well as value network relationships that the company will have to deal with when adopting a PSS approach. The observations in the case study support the notion that PSS and relationship marketing are similar approaches that might be well suited for manufacturing firms when employed in combination

The Transient Collaboration Model: Theory Building, Structural Formation, And Operationalization

This thesis seeks to describe the Transient Collaboration Model as a business model, its underlying theoretical principles, its empirical evidence, and its types of possible collaboration structures. The research seeks to determine how companies may build sustained competitive advantages through the structural design of their collaboration associations as a strategic option. Companies\u27 ability to retain long-term competitive advantages is limited in more unpredictable environments. Companies could not afford to internally build and hold all the possible varieties and quantities of resources and capabilities to build future competitive advantages. Collaboration can provide companies with access to multiple partners with diverse resources and capabilities. The full potential of companies to configure collaborations to match resources and capabilities to requirements is achievable through the goal-based transient collaboration model. The thesis extends Structural Contingency Theory to the network-level to study inter-organizational structures and contingencies. It develops novel propositions to explain the links between these structures and contingencies with focus on innovation research networks. Through a case study, the thesis verifies or partially verifies four of these theoretical principles by comparing these with the transient collaboration practices of companies in the field. Next, the thesis creates and analyses simulations of transient collaborations to provide understanding of how collaboration structures affect both company and network-level performances. The contribution of the thesis is to extend the academic literature with the theoretical principles of transient collaborative associations, to acquire empirical evidence for such collaborations, to improve understanding of collaboration structures formations, and to lay the foundation for additional research undertakings in the area. This thesis uses the term transient collaboration meta-organization as a specific reference to a group of companies engaged in transient collaborations with one another, and the term network as a more general reference to collections, associations or congregations of companies

Effect of Mandibular Displacement on Condylar Cartilage Remodelling In Sprague Dawley Rats: A Micro-Structural Analysis

Three dimensional (3D) imaging of cartilage has always been difficult due to the inherent intermediary density between soft tissue and hard tissue in X-rays images, particularly in Micro Computer Tomography (MicroCT). Recent advances in imaging techniques have allowed for the enhancement of cartilage visualization for MicroCT use. Aim: The objective of this study was to provide a new insight in understanding changes in condylar cartilage, determined qualitatively and quantitatively, with normal growth and after the placement of an appliance over a 4 week period. Materials and Methods: Seventy Sprague Dawley rats (five weeks old) were divided into either a control group or an experimental group in which bite ramps were placed on the lower incisors at Day 0. Animals were sacrificed at Days 0, 7, 21 and 28. Right hemisections were then taken and stained with gadolinium chloride for six days before being scanned via a MicroCT unit. Condylar cartilage was digitally extracted from the scans and volumetric measurements were carried out and assessed quantitatively. Three dimensional images of the condyles were also assessed qualitatively for morphological changes between appliances and over the experimental duration. An intra-individual method error study was also carried out. Results Conformational changes were noted in the shape of the condyle between appliance groups and over the treatment duration. Qualitative assessment of the condyles demonstrated a reduction in size over time in all groups with a change in shape of the condylar heads. Anterior displacement of the mandible resulted in significant remodeling and distinctive shape changes that differ from both control and posterior displacement groups. Quantitative analysis demonstrated differences between control and appliance groups in regards to Total volume of the whole condylar head, Total cartilage volume, Total volume of the posterior hemisection of the condylar head and Posterior cartilage volume. The Method error study demonstrated the high reproducibility of results with a coefficient of variation of 5-13%. Discussion This study demonstrated a new method for analysing changes in the condylar head following orthopaedic intervention. Assessment of these changes in the condylar head can now be depicted via a three dimensional, non-destructive method. Hence, growth changes of the condylar head can now be evaluated in its totality compared to traditional methods of assessing cartilage changes sectionally via histological slices. Therefore, this provides a new avenue for improving our understanding in the changes that occur in the condylar head with growth and after intervention. It may also promote further investigations into the effects of systemic drugs on normal growth and manipulation of this important site of growth

Effect of Mandibular Displacement on Condylar Cartilage Remodelling In Sprague Dawley Rats: A Micro-Structural Analysis

Three dimensional (3D) imaging of cartilage has always been difficult due to the inherent intermediary density between soft tissue and hard tissue in X-rays images, particularly in Micro Computer Tomography (MicroCT). Recent advances in imaging techniques have allowed for the enhancement of cartilage visualization for MicroCT use. Aim: The objective of this study was to provide a new insight in understanding changes in condylar cartilage, determined qualitatively and quantitatively, with normal growth and after the placement of an appliance over a 4 week period. Materials and Methods: Seventy Sprague Dawley rats (five weeks old) were divided into either a control group or an experimental group in which bite ramps were placed on the lower incisors at Day 0. Animals were sacrificed at Days 0, 7, 21 and 28. Right hemisections were then taken and stained with gadolinium chloride for six days before being scanned via a MicroCT unit. Condylar cartilage was digitally extracted from the scans and volumetric measurements were carried out and assessed quantitatively. Three dimensional images of the condyles were also assessed qualitatively for morphological changes between appliances and over the experimental duration. An intra-individual method error study was also carried out. Results Conformational changes were noted in the shape of the condyle between appliance groups and over the treatment duration. Qualitative assessment of the condyles demonstrated a reduction in size over time in all groups with a change in shape of the condylar heads. Anterior displacement of the mandible resulted in significant remodeling and distinctive shape changes that differ from both control and posterior displacement groups. Quantitative analysis demonstrated differences between control and appliance groups in regards to Total volume of the whole condylar head, Total cartilage volume, Total volume of the posterior hemisection of the condylar head and Posterior cartilage volume. The Method error study demonstrated the high reproducibility of results with a coefficient of variation of 5-13%. Discussion This study demonstrated a new method for analysing changes in the condylar head following orthopaedic intervention. Assessment of these changes in the condylar head can now be depicted via a three dimensional, non-destructive method. Hence, growth changes of the condylar head can now be evaluated in its totality compared to traditional methods of assessing cartilage changes sectionally via histological slices. Therefore, this provides a new avenue for improving our understanding in the changes that occur in the condylar head with growth and after intervention. It may also promote further investigations into the effects of systemic drugs on normal growth and manipulation of this important site of growth

On existentially closed II_1 factors

We prove that if a II$_1$ factor $M$ is existentially closed, then every $M$-bimodule is weakly contained in the trivial $M$-bimodule $\text{L}^2(M)$ and, equivalently, every normal completely positive map on $M$ is a pointwise limit of maps of the form $x\mapsto\sum_{i=1}^ka_i^*xa_i$, for some $k\in\mathbb N$ and $(a_i)_{i=1}^k\subset M$. We also provide an operator algebraic presentation of the proof of the existence of existentially closed II$_1$ factors. While existentially closed II$_1$ factors have property Gamma, by adapting this proof we are able to provide examples of non-Gamma II$_1$ factors which are existentially closed in a large class of extensions

Have a question? Just ask it: using an anonymous mobile discussion platform for student engagement and peer interaction to support large group teaching

This article analyses the pilot of an anonymous question and answer mobile appli-cation with a large cohort of undergraduate students (460) enrolled on an Opera-tions Strategy Management module. The mobile application allowed students to pose anonymous questions to both peers and staff, create replies and vote on ques-tions posted by other users. The aim of the pilot was to evaluate how this applica-tion could be used to enhance communication, engagement and student learning both inside and outside of class time to overcome some of the challenges presented by large cohort teaching. An initial evaluation was undertaken exploring both the analytics attached to the platform and a thematic analysis of the posts. The initial findings of the pilot were positive, with the majority of students installing and reg-ularly accessing the application with use increasing over time. The questions posed demonstrated engagement beyond surface-level memorisation of module content, and there were indications that the application could be beneficial in supporting student community awareness and interaction within large cohorts