Innovation Processes in the Car Industry: New Challenges for Management and Research

Over the past decades the development of a car has become a complex activity involving skills and resources from a variety of industries and actors, and requiring the accomplishment of tight regulatory norms and market needs. Technological and market forces have led incumbent firms to radically change the organization of their innovative activities, shifting from a closed vertically innovation model to a distributed one. The aim of this study is to review the main challenges carmakers are currently facing and the organizational and strategic solutions adopted to perform innovative and development activities within vertically fragmented networks. The chapter casts light on the organizational and strategic challenges of downstream development activities, then it also tries to overview the strategic role of up-front research activities, namely the research activities leading to patenting. The main changes brought by the distributed innovation model on new product development activities are discussed, focusing on the principles guiding outsourcing decisions and the governance mechanisms carmakers use to manage networks of external suppliers. The study, then, reviews the role of patenting in the industry as a means for carmakers to appropriate value from innovation in vertically fragmented networks. Finally, it discusses the changes on the organization of innovation activities that the emergence of the electric car-standard may imply for carmakers’ innovation strategy

How can alternative forms of a planning intervention tool be used to support children's emotional well-being in schools?

The questions of how best to support children’s behaviour and their emotional well-being in schools are pervasive ones, but are rarely treated simultaneously within the United Kingdom. The efficacy of two forms of a planning intervention tool to support these in a way which could address internalizing as well and externalizing emotional needs, which could promote early intervention and which was sustainable in schools was explored in the present Case Study. The planning intervention tool was based on principles of Multi-Element Plans (MEPS) and Target Monitoring and Evaluation (TME); an alternative form also included an explicit section on exploring the reasons underlying behaviour (ERB) in line with principles of Functional Analysis (FA). The efficacy of the alternative forms of the planning intervention tool was explored for twelve children across two primary schools, within the framework of a multiple-embedded case study. Data from scaling (TME), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the School Children’s Happiness Inventory, and interviews with school staff and the children themselves were analysed using a combination of descriptive, statistical and thematic analyses. Findings suggested that the planning intervention tool supported positive outcomes overall for the children, as well as the adults involved in the study, and indicated particular facilitatory as well as limiting features. There was not a clear additional benefit of incorporating ERB into the planning intervention tool in terms of outcomes for the children, although this may reflect a limitation in the training and the implementation of this feature. School staff generally reported that the use of either form of the planning intervention tool was sustainable and identified practical considerations, including some areas of support from Educational Psychologists.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Green catalysts preparation using supercritical CO2 as an antisolvent

Using rapid supercritical CO2 antisolvent precipitation, a set of nanoscaled oxide catalyst precursors have been prepared, which were further calcined to give metal oxides, such as CuMnOx(hopcalite), CeC>2, Ti02 and ZnO etc. CuMnOx(hopcalite) was used as catalyst without further modification and other single metal oxides were used as supports for gold catalysts. These materials have been characterized using a full range of techniques: XRD, Raman, FT-IR, BET surface area, SEM, DTA/TGA and XPS. Element distribution in the as-precipitated materials was evaluated by TEM-EDX. The catalytic activity of our products was evaluated by low temperature (0 25 C) CO oxidation. For CuMnOx (hopcalites), an amorphous homogenous precursor mainly composed of acetates has been prepared. Following calcinations, separated copper nanocrystals supported on manganese oxide (Cu/MnOx) has been obtained. The preliminary catalytic data show the intrinsic activity for CO oxidation of the catalyst derived from this precursor is considerably higher than the conventional CuMn204 catalysts prepared by coprecipitation, and also currently available commercial catalysts. The results clearly show that a catalyst with enhanced activity can be prepared without the presence of intimately mixed copper and manganese oxide components. In addition, using mixed solvents, such as water-ethanol and water-DMF, crystalline heterogeneous precursors have been produced. With the addition of more water to the precursor solution, there appears to be a reaction between the metal acetates CO2, and H2O. Therefore, carbonates of the metals are precipitated instead of the acetate composition. Following calcination, less crystalline or even amorphous phase-separated nanostructure final catalysts retain the high surface area, which leads higher catalytic activities than that of the current commercial hopcalite catalysts. Furthermore, using 30% H2O2 as an oxidizer and ethanol as solvent, catalysts have been prepared as well. All the as-prepared catalysts exhibit higher catalytic activities on CO oxidation when compared to those from solvents in the absence of H2O2. Novel nano-polycrystalline Ce02 was produced. When it was used as a support for gold and gold palladium nanoparticles, the catalytic data show that the activity and catalyst lifetime for CO oxidation of a gold catalyst supported on this material is much greater than that for gold supported on regular Ce02 derived from the direct calcination of cerium acetylacetonate. In addition, the Au-Pd catalysts supported on Ce02 prepared using supercritical antisolvent precipitation are amongst the most active catalysts yet reported for the selective oxidation of alcohols and the direct oxidation of hydrogen to hydrogen peroxide. Similarly, T1O2 has been produced by supercritical process. When using it as a support for gold nanoparticles, the activity and stability for CO oxidation of a gold catalyst supported on this material is much greater than that for gold supported on regular Ti02 derived from the direct calcination of titanium oxide acetylacetonate. Finally, ZnO was prepared using supercritical process and then was used as supports for gold particles as well. The catalytic data show that it can give very high activity for CO oxidation.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo