Sourcing of low-tech omponents in high-tech environments

Problemställning: Low tech-komponenter anses enligt teoretiska rekommendationer ofta som icke kritiska. Dock har de egenskaper som en gång ansågs synnerligen low tech förmodligen förändrats och blivit mer komplexa i takt med att underliggande krav inom high tech-miljöer har ökat. Det är befogat att diskutera och kanske omdefiniera de eventuellt senare omprioriterade komponenterna, vilka i aggregerad form representerar en produkt på systemnivå. Hur borde processen för den eventuella omprioriteringen genomföras och vilka krav kommer att påverka företaget? Den ökade komplexiteten kring produktegenskaperna kan också innebära att leverantörer försöker bli unika, vilket implicit påverkar Sony Ericsson. Det vore därför synnerligen intressant att fastställa hur Sony Ericsson borde förhålla sig till leverantörsimplementerade strategier för low tech-komponenter samt hur sourcing som en funktion i ett high tech-bolag borde reagera till dessa förändrade förutsättningar och skiftade affärskontext. Syfte: Syftet med detta examensarbete är att ge förslag på hur sourcing av low-tech-komponenter kan förbättras för företag i dynamiska high-tech-miljöer. Metod: En case study-ansats har tillämpats för att möjliggöra undersökningen enligt det fastställda syftet. Metoden har anpassats för att kunna erhålla en undersökning på såväl komponent- som leverantörsnivå. Det valda case-företaget är Sony Ericsson då det verkar i en utpräglad high tech-kontext och strävar efter best practice inom sourcing. Både kvalitativa och kvantitativa undersökningsmetoder har använts för att säkerställa validitet och reliabilitet. Kvalitativa intervjuer hölls med flertalet anställda på Sony Ericsson inom olika divisioner för att skapa förståelse för komplexiteten i frågeställningen. Slutsatser: Portföljmodeller för inköp används i stor utsträckning och ses ofta som ett centralt verktyg för förbättrande av inköp eftersom effektivt differentierade inköps- och leverantörsstrategier kan implementeras. Dock är teoretiska komponentklassificeringar vanskliga då mycket har hänt sedan vedertagna modeller togs fram, i synnerhet inom high tech-miljöer. Till viss del är high tech-komponenter, såsom skruvar, på grund av sin produktutveckling och sina mer komplexa egenskaper felaktigt definierade. Vid förlitning på vedertagna teoretiska klassificeringar kan implementerade inköpsstrategier få förödande sourcing-konsekvenser. Vi hävdar att vissa sourcing-komponenter trots att de är teoretiskt klassificerade som icke kritiska de facto kan vara kritiska på en systemnivå och därför har stor vinstinverkan på företag. COMPASS-ramverket har framtagits som ett hjälpverktyg vid utvärdering och klassificering av komponenter men även vid bedömning av de tillhandahållande leverantörerna. I high tech-bolag är inköpsavdelningen ofta något mindre prioriterad relativt forsknings- och utvecklingsavdelningen. COMPASS-ramverket är designat för att skapa objectivitet eftersom ekonomiska och tekniska kompetenser är polariserade mellan de olika divisionerna. Som ett hjälpverktyg tillsammans med Kraljics portföljmodell tillåts företag säkerställa att sina begränsade resurser kan få en adekvat fördelning samt förbättra förutsättningarna för effektiv sourcing. Genom att applicera COMPASS-ramverket på Sony Ericsson har inte bara leverantörsberoendet minskat, utan validiteten och applicerbarheten av ramverket har även säkerställts

Dietary habits after myocardial infarction - results from a cross-sectional study.

Objective. Comparing habitual nutrient intakes in persons with a history of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and age-matched controls. Design. Cross-sectional study. Subjects. Men and women (525 cases and 1890 matched controls), aged 47-73 years, of the population-based Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort. Methods. Nutrient intakes were assessed by a validated modified diet history method. Body fatness was assessed by bioimpedance analysis. Case ascertainment was provided by national and regional registries. Men and women were analysed separately. Median time since AMI was 5.5 years in men and 3.8 years in women. Cases reported lower energy intakes (EIs) than controls, despite having similar basal metabolic rates. After adjustment for total EI, both male and female cases had lower fat intake and higher intake of several micronutrients, such as ascorbic acid, folate, and vitamin E, than controls, the difference being largest in men. Most of the cases reporting dietary change quoted 'disease' as their main reason for change. They had lower EI and lower energy-adjusted intake of fat than other cases. Conclusions. Survivors of AMI reported dietary habits more in line with current recommendations, particularly those who afterwards reported having changed their dietary habits. The possible bias introduced by social desirability is discussed

Measures of birth size in relation to risk of prostate cancer: the Malmo Diet and Cancer Study, Sweden

There is some evidence that perinatal factors, specifically birth weight (BW), may be related to the onset of prostate cancer (PRCA). This case-control study, nested within the Malmo Diet and Cancer Cohort Study, used archived birth record data from 308 incident PRCA cases diagnosed between 1991 and 2005, and 637 age-matched controls among 4781 men born (1923-1945) in Malmo and Lund, Sweden. We applied conditional logistic regression to examine the birth size-PRCA association, including tumour subtypes, adjusting for perinatal and adult factors. Compared with controls, cases had a non-significantly higher mean BW and were more likely to have high (> 4000 g) BW (21% v. 18%), but did not differ in other birth size measures, nor in mean adult body mass index. We observed a non-linear association between BW and PRCA risk. Compared with BWs between 3000 and 3500 g (reference), the fully adjusted odds ratios (OR, 95% CI) were 0.55 (0.33-0.91) for 4000 g. Among men with aggressive tumours, the reduction in risk for those with BWs < 3000 g (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.09-0.72) was stronger than the rate of risk for PRCA overall. Crude risk estimates were minimally attenuated when adjusted for gestational age, maternal age, birth order and adult factors. Birth length, head circumference and placental weight were not associated with prostate cancer. Our results indicate a protective effect of lower BW on risk of total and aggressive prostate cancer, rather than any direct effect of larger birth size

Development of a diet quality index assessing adherence to the Swedish nutrition recommendations and dietary guidelines in the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a diet quality index (DQI) that assesses adherence to the Swedish nutrition recommendations (SNR) and the Swedish dietary guidelines (SDG). DESIGN: A cross-sectional study within the Malmö Diet and Cancer (MDC) cohort. A diet history method collected dietary data, a structured questionnaire lifestyle and socio-economic information, and anthropometric data were collected by direct measurements. The index (DQI-SNR) included six components: SFA, PUFA, fish and shellfish, dietary fibre, fruit and vegetables, and sucrose. SETTING: Malmö, Sweden. SUBJECTS: Men (n 4525) and women (n 8491) of the MDC cohort enrolled from September 1994 to October 1996. RESULTS: For participants with high DQI-SNR scores, nutrient and food intakes were close to recommendations. However, most of the study population exceeded the recommended intake for SFA (98 %) and few reached recommended intakes for dietary fibre (24 %), fruit and vegetables (32 %), vitamin D (18 %) and folate (2 %). A high DQI-SNR score was positively associated with age, physical activity, not smoking, past food habit change, education and socio-economic status. Individuals with high scores were more likely to have a diabetes diagnosis or experienced a cardiovascular event. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the DQI-SNR is a useful tool for assessing adherence to the SNR 2005 and the SDG in the MDC cohort. No index has previously been developed with the aim of evaluating adherence to the current dietary recommendations in Sweden. Further validation of the DQI-SNR, and evaluation of its utility, is needed

Plasma enterolactone and risk of prostate cancer in middle-aged Swedish men

Enterolactone (ENL) is formed in the human gut after consumption of lignans, has estrogenic properties, and has been associated with risk of prostate cancer. We examined the association between plasma ENL levels and prostate cancer in a nested case-control study within the population-based Malmo Diet and Cancer cohort. We also examined the association between plasma ENL and dietary and lifestyle factors. The study population consisted of 1010 cases occurring during a mean follow-up of 14.6 years, and 1817 controls matched on age and study entry date. We used national registers (95%) and hospital records (5%) to ascertain cases. Diet was estimated by a modified diet history method. Plasma ENL concentrations were determined by a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay. Odds ratios were calculated by unconditional logistic regression. There were no significant associations between plasma ENL and incidence of all prostate cancer (odds ratio 0.99 [95% confidence interval 0.77-1.280] for the highest ENL quintile versus lowest, p for trend 0.66). However, in certain subgroups of men, including men with abdominal obesity (p for interaction = 0.012), we observed associations between high ENL levels and lower odds of high-risk prostate cancer. Plasma ENL was positively associated with consumption of high-fibre bread, fruit, tea, and coffee; with age, and with height, while it was negatively associated with smoking and waist circumference; however, although significant, all associations were rather weak (r ae |0.14|). ENL concentration was not consistently associated with lower prostate cancer risk, although it was weakly associated with a healthy lifestyle.Peer reviewe

Lifetime alcohol use and overall and cause-specific mortality in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC) study

Objectives: To investigate the role of factors that modulate the association between alcohol and mortality, and to provide estimates of absolute risk of death. Design: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC). Setting: 23 centres in 10 countries. Participants: 380 395 men and women, free of cancer, diabetes, heart attack or stroke at enrolment, followed up for 12.6 years on average. Main outcome measures 20 453 fatal events, of which 2053 alcohol-related cancers (ARC, including cancers of upper aerodigestive tract, liver, colorectal and female breast), 4187 cardiovascular diseases/coronary heart disease (CVD/CHD), 856 violent deaths and injuries. Lifetime alcohol use was assessed at recruitment. Results: HRs comparing extreme drinkers (≥30 g/day in women and ≥60 g/day in men) to moderate drinkers (0.1–4.9 g/day) were 1.27 (95% CI 1.13 to 1.43) in women and 1.53 (1.39 to 1.68) in men. Strong associations were observed for ARC mortality, in men particularly, and for violent deaths and injuries, in men only. No associations were observed for CVD/CHD mortality among drinkers, whereby HRs were higher in never compared to moderate drinkers. Overall mortality seemed to be more strongly related to beer than wine use, particularly in men. The 10-year risks of overall death for women aged 60 years, drinking more than 30 g/day was 5% and 7%, for never and current smokers, respectively. Corresponding figures in men consuming more than 60 g/day were 11% and 18%, in never and current smokers, respectively. In competing risks analyses, mortality due to CVD/CHD was more pronounced than ARC in men, while CVD/CHD and ARC mortality were of similar magnitude in women. Conclusions: In this large European cohort, alcohol use was positively associated with overall mortality, ARC and violent death and injuries, but marginally to CVD/CHD. Absolute risks of death observed in EPIC suggest that alcohol is an important determinant of total mortality

Dietary intakes and food sources of phenolic acids in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study

Phenolic acids are secondary plant metabolites that may have protective effects against oxidative stress, inflammation and cancer in experimental studies. To date, limited data exist on the quantitative intake of phenolic acids. We estimated the intake of phenolic acids and their food sources and associated lifestyle factors in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Phenolic acid intakes were estimated for 36 037 subjects aged 35-74 years and recruited between 1992 and 2000 in ten European countries using a standardised 24 h recall software (EPIC-Soft), and their food sources were identified. Dietary data were linked to the Phenol-Explorer database, which contains data on forty-five aglycones of phenolic acids in 452 foods. The total phenolic acid intake was highest in Aarhus, Denmark (1265·5 and 980·7 mg/d in men and women, respectively), while the intake was lowest in Greece (213·2 and 158·6 mg/d in men and women, respectively). The hydroxycinnamic acid subclass was the main contributor to the total phenolic acid intake, accounting for 84·6-95·3 % of intake depending on the region. Hydroxybenzoic acids accounted for 4·6-14·4 %, hydroxyphenylacetic acids 0·1-0·8 % and hydroxyphenylpropanoic acids ≤ 0·1 % for all regions. An increasing south-north gradient of consumption was also found. Coffee was the main food source of phenolic acids and accounted for 55·3-80·7 % of the total phenolic acid intake, followed by fruits, vegetables and nuts. A high heterogeneity in phenolic acid intake was observed across the European countries in the EPIC cohort, which will allow further exploration of the associations with the risk of diseases