Using tools to help cost estimating and pricing: examination of costing model's and cost breakdown's workability and their capability to cooperative work

Tämä diplomityö käsittelee työkaluja, jotka on suunniteltu kustannusten ennakointiin ja hinnan asetantaan. Aluksi on käyty läpi perinteisen ja toimintoperusteisen kustannuslaskennan perusteita. Näiden menetelmien välisiä eroja on tarkasteltu ja toimintoperusteisen kustannuslaskennan paremmin sopivuus nykypäivän yrityksille on perusteltu. Toisena käsitellään hinnoittelu. Hinnan merkitys, hinnoittelumenetelmät ja päätös lopullisesta hinnasta on käyty läpi. Hinnoittelun jälkeen esitellään kustannusjärjestelmät ja kustannusten arviointi. Nämä asiat todistavat, että tarkat kustannusarviot ovat elintärkeitä yritykselle. Tuotteen kustannusarviointi, hinnan asetanta ja tarjoaminen ovat erittäin merkityksellisiä asioita ottaen huomioon koko projektin elinkaaren ja tulevat tuotot. Nykyään on yleistä käyttää työkaluja kustannusarvioinnissa ja joskus myös hinnoittelussa. Työkalujen luotettavuus on tiedettävä, ennenkuin työkalut otetaan käyttöön. Myös työkalujen käyttäjät täytyy perehdyttää hyvin. Muuten yritys todennäköisesti kohtaa odottamattomia ja epämiellyttäviä yllätyksiä.

On the differential evolution algorithm and its appliation to training radial basis function networks

The parameter setting of a differential evolution algorithm must meet several requirements: efficiency, effectiveness, and reliability. Problems vary. The solution of a particular problem can be represented in different ways. An algorithm most efficient in dealing with a particular representation may be less efficient in dealing with other representations. The development of differential evolution-based methods contributes substantially to research on evolutionary computing and global optimization in general. The objective of this study is to investigatethe differential evolution algorithm, the intelligent adjustment of its controlparameters, and its application. In the thesis, the differential evolution algorithm is first examined using different parameter settings and test functions. Fuzzy control is then employed to make control parameters adaptive based on an optimization process and expert knowledge. The developed algorithms are applied to training radial basis function networks for function approximation with possible variables including centers, widths, and weights of basis functions and both having control parameters kept fixed and adjusted by fuzzy controller. After the influence of control variables on the performance of the differential evolution algorithm was explored, an adaptive version of the differential evolution algorithm was developed and the differential evolution-based radial basis function network training approaches were proposed. Experimental results showed that the performance of the differential evolution algorithm is sensitive to parameter setting, and the best setting was found to be problem dependent. The fuzzy adaptive differential evolution algorithm releases the user load of parameter setting and performs better than those using all fixedparameters. Differential evolution-based approaches are effective for training Gaussian radial basis function networks.

Development of phase retrieval algorithm and techniques for optical spectrum analysis

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering is the powerful method of laser spectroscopy in which significant successes are achieved. However, the non-linear nature of CARS complicates the analysis of the received spectra. The objective of this Thesis is to develop a new phase retrieval algorithm for CARS. It utilizes the maximum entropy method and the new wavelet approach for spectroscopic background correction of a phase function. The method was developed to be easily automated and used on a large number of spectra of different substances.. The algorithm was successfully tested on experimental data.

Stress testing and risk evaluation of new capacity payment algorithm proposed by Market Council

In the Russian Wholesale Market, electricity and capacity are traded separately. Capacity is a special good, the sale of which obliges suppliers to keep their generating equipment ready to produce the quantity of electricity indicated by the System Operator. The purpose of the formation of capacity trading was the maintenance of reliable and uninterrupted delivery of electricity in the wholesale market. The price of capacity reflects constant investments in construction, modernization and maintenance of power plants. So, the capacity sale creates favorable conditions to attract investments in the energy sector because it guarantees the investor that his investments will be returned.

Solving Leontief Input-Output Model with Trapezoidal Fuzzy Numbers and Gauss-Seidel Algorithm

In this work a fuzzy linear system is used to solve Leontief input-output model with fuzzy entries. For solving this model, we assume that the consumption matrix from di erent sectors of the economy and demand are known. These assumptions heavily depend on the information obtained from the industries. Hence uncertainties are involved in this information. The aim of this work is to model these uncertainties and to address them by fuzzy entries such as fuzzy numbers and LR-type fuzzy numbers (triangular and trapezoidal). Fuzzy linear system has been developed using fuzzy data and it is solved using Gauss-Seidel algorithm. Numerical examples show the e ciency of this algorithm. The famous example from Prof. Leontief, where he solved the production levels for U.S. economy in 1958, is also further analyzed.

GAMS MINLP Solver comparisons and some improvements to the AlphaECP algorithm

I doktorsavhandlingen undersöks förmågan att lösa hos ett antal lösare för optimeringsproblem och ett antal svårigheter med att göra en rättvis lösarjämförelse avslöjas. Dessutom framläggs några förbättringar som utförts på en av lösarna som heter GAMS/AlphaECP. Optimering innebär, i det här sammanhanget, att finna den bästa möjliga lösningen på ett problem. Den undersökta klassen av problem kan karaktäriseras som svårlöst och förekommer inom ett flertal industriområden. Målet har varit att undersöka om det finns en lösare som är universellt snabbare och hittar lösningar med högre kvalitet än någon av de andra lösarna. Det kommersiella optimeringssystemet GAMS (General Algebraic Modeling System) och omfattande problembibliotek har använts för att jämföra lösare. Förbättringarna som presenterats har utförts på GAMS/AlphaECP lösaren som baserar sig på skärplansmetoden Extended Cutting Plane (ECP). ECP-metoden har utvecklats främst av professor Tapio Westerlund på Anläggnings- och systemteknik vid Åbo Akademi.

Public and private sector cooperative opportunities in the Finnish healthcare internationalization : views from the public sector’s perspective

Traditionally mostly publicly provided Finnish healthcare services are confronted today by the evident challenge of rising healthcare costs as the expenditure on health and social case has exceeded Finland’s national GDP growth significantly since the new millennium. While the opening of the traditional barriers through the EU’s new patient directive resulting in increasing international competition and the free flow of patients within the EU present opportunities for the Finnish healthcare services industry there are also several challenges for the existing healthcare system as proposed by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy in 2011. Due to the structure and nature of the current Finnish healthcare service system the greatest potential for internationalization is seen from a joint cooperation of the public and private sectors in an internationalization network for Finnish healthcare services. As its formation has recently also taken as a strategic initiative to be completed by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy and no earlier research exists on how this is seen in practice by the network actors, the purpose of this study is to examine the proposed solution of forming an internationalization network between the public and private sector actors in Finland in practice from the viewpoint of public sector actors. The research relied heavily on the reports by the Finnish Ministries in understanding the current situation of the Finnish healthcare services internationalization and its potential. Suitable theories were also used to build a more comprehensive view of the matter. The study applied a qualitative research approach on the explorative research problem. The data collection was achieved through expert interviews in two of the largest Finnish public healthcare service providers; the Turku and Helsinki Central University Hospitals. Expert interviews were considered as the most suitable method for data collection in order to create an in-depth understanding of the topic within the limitations of this thesis. In turn, two different public healthcare service providers were chosen to give a broader view of the field instead of focusing on a specific unit and also to allow a possible comparison between the two different organizations. The latter however was shown not to be suitable for the purposes of this study as the opinions of the respondents varied largely also within their own organizations. The conclusion is that while the actors agree on the evident internationalization of Finnish healthcare services, there are several large-scale structural challenges effectively preventing such activities while at the same time the opportunities within Finland vary, as there are several niches but no real large-scale advantages in the highly competitive industry. Interest towards cooperation between the sectors are seen especially in exploiting the advantages offered by the private sector in commercialization and marketization, yet however no clear views exist on how these activities should be governed or structured in the short-term as a larger reform of the entire Finnish healthcare service sector is needed in the long-term.

Raise All Ships: Cooperative Repository Strategies in a Boot-Strap Culture

Presentation at Open Repositories 2014, Helsinki, Finland, June 9-13, 2014

Cooperative strategy in emerging markets - analysis of interfirm r&d cooperation and performance in Russian manufacturing companies

Emerging markets have come to play a significant role in the world, not only due to their strong economic growth but because they have been able to foster an increasing number of innovative high technology oriented firms. However, as the markets continue to change and develop, there remain many companies in emerging markets that struggle with their competitiveness and innovativeness. To improve competitive capabilities, many scholars have come to favor interfirm cooperation, which is perceived to help companies access new knowledge and complementary resources and, by so doing, enables them to catch up quickly with Western competitors. Regardless of numerous attempts by strategic management scholars, the research field remains very fragmented and lacks understanding on how and when interfirm cooperation contributes to firm performance and competiveness in emerging markets. Furthermore, the reasons why interfirm R&D sometimes succeeds but fails at other times frequently remain unidentified. This thesis combines the extant literature on competitive and cooperative strategy, dynamic capabilities, and R&D cooperation while studying interfirm R&D relationships in and between Russian manufacturing companies. Employing primary survey data, the thesis presents numerous novel findings regarding the effect of R&D cooperation and different types of R&D partner on firms’ exploration and exploitation performance. Utilizing a competitive strategy framework enables these effects to be explained in more detail, and especially why interfirm cooperation, regardless of its potential, has had a modest effect on the general competitiveness of emerging market firms. This thesis contributes especially to the strategic management literature and presents a more holistic perspective on the usefulness of cooperative strategy in emerging markets. It provides a framework through which it is possible to assess the potential impacts of different R&D cooperation partners and to clarify the causal relationships between cooperation, performance, and long term competitiveness.

Power and Performance Management Strategies on NoC-Based Multicore Platforms, Using DVFS, Adaptive Algorithm and Task Parallelism

This work presents synopsis of efficient strategies used in power managements for achieving the most economical power and energy consumption in multicore systems, FPGA and NoC Platforms. In this work, a practical approach was taken, in an effort to validate the significance of the proposed Adaptive Power Management Algorithm (APMA), proposed for system developed, for this thesis project. This system comprise arithmetic and logic unit, up and down counters, adder, state machine and multiplexer. The essence of carrying this project firstly, is to develop a system that will be used for this power management project. Secondly, to perform area and power synopsis of the system on these various scalable technology platforms, UMC 90nm nanotechnology 1.2v, UMC 90nm nanotechnology 1.32v and UMC 0.18 μmNanotechnology 1.80v, in order to examine the difference in area and power consumption of the system on the platforms. Thirdly, to explore various strategies that can be used to reducing system’s power consumption and to propose an adaptive power management algorithm that can be used to reduce the power consumption of the system. The strategies introduced in this work comprise Dynamic Voltage Frequency Scaling (DVFS) and task parallelism. After the system development, it was run on FPGA board, basically NoC Platforms and on these various technology platforms UMC 90nm nanotechnology1.2v, UMC 90nm nanotechnology 1.32v and UMC180 nm nanotechnology 1.80v, the system synthesis was successfully accomplished, the simulated result analysis shows that the system meets all functional requirements, the power consumption and the area utilization were recorded and analyzed in chapter 7 of this work. This work extensively reviewed various strategies for managing power consumption which were quantitative research works by many researchers and companies, it's a mixture of study analysis and experimented lab works, it condensed and presents the whole basic concepts of power management strategy from quality technical papers.

Open Access in Times of Knowledge Unlatched : Cooperative Action for Books and Journals

Presentation at the seminar "Publishers and Funders for OA in Finland", Helsinki, May 24, 2016