975 research outputs found
The comeback of the Swiss watch industry on the world market: a business history of the Swatch Group (1983-2010)
The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the comeback of the Swiss watch industry on the world market since the end of the 1980s. It focuses on the Swatch Group (SG), currently the worldâs biggest watch company. In 1983, the merger of the largest watch group (SSIH) and of the trust controlling the production of parts and movements of watches (ASUAG) into SG was the main measure taken to overcome the Japanese competition. Managed since 1986 by Nicolas G. Hayek (1928-2010), SG experienced a high growth and recovered its competitiveness on the world market, becoming a driving force for the entire Swiss watch industry. This success is traditionally explained by the firm itself and by scholars as the result of the launch of a new product (Swatch, a cheap plastic quartz watch first marketed in 1983) and the persistence of an old technical culture in Switzerland which enabled this rebirth. This paper, based on SG annual reports, focuses on the strategy adopted by SG since 1983. It shows that, rather than product innovation (Swatch), it was the rationalization and globalization of the production system (concentration of strategic partsâ production in Switzerland; transfer of production facilities in Asia), together with a new marketing strategy (brand segmentation, distribution and retailing facilities, communication, etc.) which were the two main sources of the comeback of the Swiss watch industry on the world market. While Japanese still attach great attention to product innovation, SG largely established its competitiveness on non-technological innovation.Watch Industry; Switzerland; Swatch Group; Luxury Goods; Marketing Strategy
Robust Motion Planning employing Signal Temporal Logic
Motion planning classically concerns the problem of accomplishing a goal
configuration while avoiding obstacles. However, the need for more
sophisticated motion planning methodologies, taking temporal aspects into
account, has emerged. To address this issue, temporal logics have recently been
used to formulate such advanced specifications. This paper will consider Signal
Temporal Logic in combination with Model Predictive Control. A robustness
metric, called Discrete Average Space Robustness, is introduced and used to
maximize the satisfaction of specifications which results in a natural
robustness against noise. The comprised optimization problem is convex and
formulated as a Linear Program.Comment: 6 page
HySIA: Tool for Simulating and Monitoring Hybrid Automata Based on Interval Analysis
We present HySIA: a reliable runtime verification tool for nonlinear hybrid
automata (HA) and signal temporal logic (STL) properties. HySIA simulates an HA
with interval analysis techniques so that a trajectory is enclosed sharply
within a set of intervals. Then, HySIA computes whether the simulated
trajectory satisfies a given STL property; the computation is performed again
with interval analysis to achieve reliability. Simulation and verification
using HySIA are demonstrated through several example HA and STL formulas.Comment: Appeared in RV'17; the final publication is available at Springe
Robust Online Monitoring of Signal Temporal Logic
Signal Temporal Logic (STL) is a formalism used to rigorously specify
requirements of cyberphysical systems (CPS), i.e., systems mixing digital or
discrete components in interaction with a continuous environment or analog com-
ponents. STL is naturally equipped with a quantitative semantics which can be
used for various purposes: from assessing the robustness of a specification to
guiding searches over the input and parameter space with the goal of falsifying
the given property over system behaviors. Algorithms have been proposed and
implemented for offline computation of such quantitative semantics, but only
few methods exist for an online setting, where one would want to monitor the
satisfaction of a formula during simulation. In this paper, we formalize a
semantics for robust online monitoring of partial traces, i.e., traces for
which there might not be enough data to decide the Boolean satisfaction (and to
compute its quantitative counterpart). We propose an efficient algorithm to
compute it and demonstrate its usage on two large scale real-world case studies
coming from the automotive domain and from CPS education in a Massively Open
Online Course (MOOC) setting. We show that savings in computationally expensive
simulations far outweigh any overheads incurred by an online approach
A Model of the Cellular Iron Homeostasis Network Using Semi-Formal Methods for Parameter Space Exploration
This paper presents a novel framework for the modeling of biological
networks. It makes use of recent tools analyzing the robust satisfaction of
properties of (hybrid) dynamical systems. The main challenge of this approach
as applied to biological systems is to get access to the relevant parameter
sets despite gaps in the available knowledge. An initial estimate of useful
parameters was sought by formalizing the known behavior of the biological
network in the STL logic using the tool Breach. Then, once a set of parameter
values consistent with known biological properties was found, we tried to
locally expand it into the largest possible valid region. We applied this
methodology in an effort to model and better understand the complex network
regulating iron homeostasis in mammalian cells. This system plays an important
role in many biological functions, including erythropoiesis, resistance against
infections, and proliferation of cancer cells.Comment: In Proceedings HSB 2012, arXiv:1208.315
Determinants of smoking and cessation in older women
Résumé
Introduction : Le tabagisme est le facteur de risque le plus important dans 7 des 14 premiĂšres causes de dĂ©cĂšs chez les personnes de plus de 65 ans. De nombreuses Ă©tudes ont dĂ©montrĂ© les bĂ©nĂ©fices sur la santĂ© d'un arrĂȘt du tabagisme mĂȘme Ă un Ăąge avancĂ©. MalgrĂ© cela, peu d'actions prĂ©ventives sont entreprises dans cette population. Le but de ce travail est d'analyser les caractĂ©ristiques du tabagisme et de l'arrĂȘt du tabagisme spĂ©cifiquement chez les fumeuses d'Ăąge avancĂ© afin de mieux les aider dans leur dĂ©sir d'arrĂȘter.
MĂ©thode : Nous avons Ă©valuĂ© les caractĂ©ristiques tabagiques au sein d'une Ă©tude prospective de 7'609 femmes vivant en Suisse, ĂągĂ©es de plus de 70 ans et physiquement autonomes (Ă©tude Semof s'intĂ©ressant Ă la mesure de l'ostĂ©oporose par ultrason osseux). Un questionnaire sur les habitudes tabagiques a Ă©tĂ© envoyĂ© aux 486 fumeuses Ă©ligibles de la cohorte. Leurs stades de dĂ©pendance nicotinique et de motivation ont Ă©tĂ© Ă©valuĂ©s Ă l'aide respectivement des scores «Heavy Smoking Index» et « Prochaska ». Les participantes ayant cessĂ© de fumer pendant le suivi ont Ă©tĂ© questionnĂ©es sur, les motivations, les raisons et les mĂ©thodes de leur arrĂȘt.
RĂ©sultats : 424 femmes ont retournĂ© le questionnaire (taux de rĂ©ponse de 87%) parmi lesquelles 372 ont rĂ©pondu de façon complĂšte permettant leur inclusion. L'Ăąge moyen s'Ă©levait Ă 74,5 ans. La consommation moyenne Ă©tait de 12 cigarettes par jour, sur une moyenne de 51 ans avec une prĂ©fĂ©rence pour les cigarettes dites « lĂ©gĂšres » ou « light ». Un peu plus de la moitiĂ© des participantes avait une consommation entre 1 et 10 cigarettes par jour et la grande majoritĂ© (78%) prĂ©sentait un score de dĂ©pendance faible. Les raisons du tabagisme les plus frĂ©quemment Ă©voquĂ©es Ă©taient la relaxation, le plaisir et l'habitude. Les principaux obstacles mentionnĂ©s : arrĂȘter Ă un Ăąge avancĂ© n'a pas de bĂ©nĂ©fice, fumer peu ou des cigarettes dites light n'a pas d'impact sur la santĂ© et fumer n'augmente pas le risque d'ostĂ©oporose. Le dĂ©sir d'arrĂȘter Ă©tait positivement associĂ© avec un dĂ©but tardif du tabagisme, une Ă©ducation plutĂŽt modeste et la considĂ©ration que d'arrĂȘter est difficile. Durant le suivi de 3 ans, 57 femmes sur 372 (15%) ont arrĂȘtĂ© de-fumer avec succĂšs. Le fait d'ĂȘtre une fumeuse occasionnelle (moins de 1 cigarette par jour) et de considĂ©rer que d'arrĂȘter de fumer n'est pas difficile Ă©tait associĂ©s Ă un meilleur taux d'arrĂȘt du tabagisme. Seuls 11% des femmes ayant stoppĂ© la cigarette signalaient avoir reçu des conseils de leur mĂ©decin.
Conclusion : ces donnĂ©es illustrent le comportement tabagique spĂ©cifique des fumeuses d'Ăąge avancĂ© (consommation et dĂ©pendance plutĂŽt faibles) et suggĂšrent que les interventions mĂ©dicales pour l'aide Ă l'arrĂȘt du tabagisme devraient intĂ©grer ces caractĂ©ristiques. La volontĂ© d'arrĂȘter est associĂ©e Ă un niveau d'Ă©ducation plutĂŽt modeste. Les obstacles les plus frĂ©quemment mentionnĂ©s sont basĂ©s sur des apprĂ©ciations erronĂ©es de l'impact du tabagisme sur la santĂ©
Technological advantage and market loss : Siemens and the X-ray machine business in Japan (1900-1960)
This paper focuses on the involvement of Siemens on the market for radiology equipment in Japan between 1900 and 1960 from a business history perspective. It explores why the German multinational was unable to keep its dominant position on the Japanese market in the interwar years, despite its technological competitiveness. In particular, it examines the strategic choices made by the firm (export, licensing, direct investment) in relation to the changing economic and technological environment, highlighting the importance, for foreign multinationals, of working together with national trading firms involved in the distribution of drugs and products for doctors, as the Japanese medical market was already well structured when the country opened up to the West. Four phases have been identified. At first, before World War I, German manufacturers of X-ray machines, especially Siemens, enjoyed a virtual monopoly in Japan and favored an export strategy. The political and technological shifts that occurred during the war (interruption of trade with Germany, development of the Coolidge X-ray tube by General Electric) led to a more competitive market in Japan. Siemens reorganized its involvement in this business via a contract signed with a domestic medical goods trade company, Goto Fuundo (1926). Yet this proved insufficient to overcome the competition, and Siemens finally decided to relocate some of its production facilities for X-ray machines in Japan by entering into a joint venture with Goto (1932). Relations between Siemens and Goto were severed by the war, and Goto tried until the 1950s to go it alone in this field but failed due to a lack of organizational capability. As for Siemens, it reverted to its export strategy approach, re-entering the market in the 1950s
The Comeback of the Swiss Watch Industry on the World Market : A Business History of the Swatch Group (1983-2010)
The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the comeback of the Swiss watch industry on the world market since the end of the 1980s. It focuses on the Swatch Group (SG), currently the worldâs biggest watch company.
In 1983, the merger of the largest watch group (SSIH) and of the trust controlling the production of parts and movements of watches (ASUAG) into SG was the main measure taken to overcome the Japanese competition. Managed since 1986 by Nicolas G. Hayek (1928-2010), SG experienced a high growth and recovered its competitiveness on the world market, becoming a driving force for the entire Swiss watch industry. This success is traditionally explained by the firm itself and by scholars as the result of the launch of a new product (Swatch, a cheap plastic quartz watch first marketed in 1983) and the persistence of an old technical culture in Switzerland which enabled this rebirth.
This paper, based on SG annual reports, focuses on the strategy adopted by SG since 1983. It shows that, rather than product innovation (Swatch), it was the rationalization and globalization of the production system (concentration of strategic partsâ production in Switzerland; transfer of production facilities in Asia), together with a new marketing strategy (brand segmentation, distribution and retailing facilities, communication, etc.) which were the two main sources of the comeback of the Swiss watch industry on the world market. While Japanese still attach great attention to product innovation, SG largely established its competitiveness on non-technological innovation
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