The Performance of Different Organisations under Different Marked Conditions An Empirical Analysis of the Organisational Structure and Performance of 1900 Danish Firms [Revised Feb. 12th. 1999]

Among some scholars of management, organisation and also economists as well as policy makers it is argued that certain new forms of firm organisation such as flexible and learning organisations increasingly are becoming “best practice”, in an increasingly learning and global economy. On a policy level, in eg. Denmark and OECD, questions are already asked as to how policies should be set up to stimulate such organisational forms. A crucial aspect that is recognised by some scholars, is that it is in certain competitive structures where flexible and learning organisations are well suited, though tends to be overlooked within the debate. The analysis in this paper applies performance data from Statistics Denmark merged with survey data of organisational forms, management, work practices and employee skills collected through a questionnaire in 1900 Danish firms in manufacturing as well as services. Applying regression analyses we show that the flexible or learning organisational forms in some parts of the economy, characterised by innovation turbulence and cumulativeness, are best performers though not in general. We argue that a quantitative analysis as ours is vital to both avoid idiosyncratic generalisations among scholars as well as policy makers, and to give rigid and more detailed implications for policy regarding firm organisation, both at present and in a dynamic setting.Organisation of the firm, performance, learning, innovation.

Three Years (2008-2010) Measurements of Atmospheric Concentrations of Organochlorine Pesticides (OCPs) at Station Nord, North East Greenland

Atmospheric concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) have been measured for the first time at Station Nord, North-East Greenland, from 2008 to 2010. The data obtained are reported here. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), endosulfan I and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were the predominant compounds detected in the atmosphere, followed by p,p′-DDE and dieldrin. Chlordane isomers and related compounds (trans- and cis-chlordanes, heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide, trans- and cis-nonachlor) were also detected. Atmospheric concentrations of the investigated compounds were correlated with temperature using the Clausius–Clapeyron equation in order to obtain information about their transport properties. The correlation between atmospheric concentrations and temperature was not significant for endosulfan I, γ-HCH and p,p′-DDT, which indicates that direct transport from direct sources is the dominating transport mechanism for these compounds. A significant correlation with temperature was found for all the other studied pesticides and pesticide degradation products, which indicates that re-emission of these compounds from previously contaminated surfaces is an important factor for the observed variation in concentrations. Pesticide concentrations were also correlated with sea ice cover. Concentrations of the compounds that have not been in use for decades correlated with temperature and ice cover, while concentrations of compounds still in use did not correlate with either of these parameters. These observations indicate that processes such as revolatilization from the open sea surface are important mediating factors in the dynamics of anthropogenic persistent pollutants in the Arctic environment under the expected influence of climate change processes

Studies of Clusters as a Basis for Industrial and Technology Policy in the Danish Economy

The main focus of the paper is on the recent development of clusters defined as “resource areas”. The concept has been a cornerstone in the technology and industrial policies laid out from the Danish Ministry of Business and Industry, since 1993. Earlier studies (industrial complexes) identified clusters using transactions, often in an input-output framework, while the present clusters are to a larger degree based upon a demand perspective. The paper firstly describes and assess the earlier industrial complex studies, and other related case studies of clusters of particular positions of strength in the Danish economy. The industrial complexes and micro-founded studies of Danish clusters, have all been either a direct input, or a reference point when developing the resource areas. However, the most direct influence have been the Danish Porter studies. Denmark participated as one of ten countries in M. E. Porter’s analysis of clusters of competitive advantages. Accordingly, the Danish Porter studies are summarised. In continuation hereof, the development of the methodology applied for developing the resource areas, is discussed in a historical perspective. Furthermore, different techniques for identifying industrial clusters are considered, including input-output approaches. Finally, the paper warns that theoretically based studies and practical policy actions do not always combine easily. Striking a balance between allowing for pragmatic policy making (with more than a single aim) on the one side, while not losing the theoretical foundation on the other, is an important task.Cluster based policies; industrial complexes; resource areas, innovative clusters

Spatiotemporal variability in methane emission from an Arctic fen over a growing season : dynamics and driving factors

Resume. Metanudledning fra Nordlige vådområder udgør en betydelig del af den naturlige udledning af metan, en potent drivhusgas. Både fysiske og biologiske faktorer influerer produktion, oxidation og transport af metan og dermed netto udledningen. Udledningen af metan fra Nordlige vådområder viser stor rumlig og tidslig variation. Eftersom mange faktorer indvirker på udledningen af metan er viden om disses karakteristika og indbyrdes forhold nødvendig for at forstå hvordan miljømæssige ændringer vil påvirke den naturlige metanudledning. I dette studie vil den rumlige variation i metanudledningen bliver undersøgt mellem 10 plot (0.6 x 0.6 m), som er placeret på en ’fugtig til våd’ gradient nær randen af et høj-Arktisk kær. Udledningen blev målt i vækstsæsonen 2013 og varierede både rumligt (med op til en faktor 10 mellem de to fjerneste plot) og sæsonmæssigt. Vækstsæsonen bestod af to ’peaks’ af sammenlignelig størrelse i metanudledning. Den gennemsnitlige sæsonmæssige udledning var relativ lav sammenlignet med tidligere år og andre studier fra circumpolare regioner og netto optaget af kuldioxid var lavt, med netto udledningen i store dele af sæsonen. Dette tilskrives hovedsagligt den meget lave mængde af vinternedbør, de tidlige snefrie forhold og en efterfølgende usædvanlig tør vækstsæson. Den sæsonmæssige udvikling i metanudledningen korrelerede særdeles godt med de fysiske parametre; jordtemperatur, vandstand og aktiv lag, på trods af at karakteren af deres indvirken på metanproduktionen er forskellig. I den våde del af gradienten var metanudledningen desuden negativt korreleret med netto udledningen af kuldioxid. Det faktum at alle disse korrelationer var stærke, fremhæver den store grad af autokorrelation mellem parametrene og deres lighed i forhold til den sæsonmæssige udvikling. Densiteten og sammensætningen af karplanter har tilsyneladende en dominerende rolle i forhold til størrelsesordenen af metanudledningen. Analyser af organiske syre og opløst organisk stof viste intet ensartet mønster med hensyn til placering på gradienten. Såkaldte ’ekstreme’ metanudledninger i den sidste halvdel af vækstsæsonen blev undersøgt separat, men ingen atmosfæriske parametre, såsom vindhastighed, ændring i lufttryk eller temperatur viste korrelationer med disse events. For de relativt tørre plot på gradienten udgjorde disse events op mod 25 % af udledningen og kan altså i randområderne af kær udgøre en betydelig del af den sæsonmæssige udledning. Ingen events blev målt fra de ’vådeste’ plot. Dette studie belyser vigtigheden af integrerede studier af de parametre der er styrende for metanudledningen, da både de fysiske og biologiske parametre ofte er afhængige og udviser de samme sæsonmæssige mønstre.Methane emissions from Northern wetlands constitute a substantial part of the total natural emission of methane, a strong greenhouse gas. Both environmental and biotic factors influence the production, oxidation and transport of methane and hence its net flux. The methane emission from Northern wetlands is highly variable both spatially and temporally. As many factors influence the methane flux, knowledge about the interrelation and character of these factors is needed in order to comprehend how environmental changes will affect natural methane emissions. Here the small scale variability in methane emission is investigated using ten plots on a ‘moist to wet’ gradient, from the fringe towards the central part of a high-Arctic fen. The fluxes were measured during the growing season of 2013 and varied greatly both spatially (with up to a factor ten between the relatively dry and wet plots) and seasonally. The growing season had two peaks of comparable size. The mean growing season emission of methane was relatively low compared to previous years and other circumpolar sites and the uptake of CO2 was small and turned into a loss for the most of the growing season. This was mainly ascribed the unprecedented low amount of snowfall, early snowmelt and subsequent dry growing season conditions. The seasonal development in methane emission was found to correlate very well with the environmental parameters; soil temperature, water level and active layer, although the character of the causal relationships are different. In the wetter part of the gradient the methane flux was also significantly correlated with the net ecosystem exchange. These strong correlations accentuate the autocorrelation and seasonality in these driving factors. Density of vascular plants and species composition appear to play a pivotal role in relation to the magnitude of the methane fluxes. Qualitative analysis of organic acids and dissolved organic carbon did not show any uniform pattern with regards to the location on the moisture gradient. So-called extreme emission events were investigated separately and no correlations with atmospheric variables like wind speed, air pressure, air temperature or changes within these were found. These events were found to constitute up to 25 % of the seasonal methane emission from the relatively dry plots (no extreme events were detected from the ‘wettest’ plots) and hence constitute a rather significant portion of annual emissions. This study qualitatively highlights the importance of studying controls on methane emission in an integrative manner, as both environmental and biotic controls are interrelated and often display the same seasonal patterns