The sources of complementary competitive advantages for systems’ manufacturers in the aircraft modernization market

Being a top of high technology industries, the aerospace represents one of the most complex fields of study. While the competitiveness of aircraft systems’ manufacturers attracts a significant number of researchers, some of the issues remain to be a blank spot. One of those is the after-sale modernization. The master thesis investigates how this concept is related to the theory of competitive advantages. Finding the routes in the framework of complex technological systems’ lifecycle, the key drivers of the aircraft modernization market are revealed. The competitive positioning of players is defined through multiple case studies in a form of several in-depth interviews. The key result of the research is the conclusion that modernization should be considered as an inherent component of strategy of any aircraft systems’ manufacturer, while the master thesis aims to support managerial decision making.

Creating generation Y sources of motivation for enhanced performance

New challenges have been created in the modern work environment as the diversity of the workforce is greater than ever in terms of generations. There will become a large demand of generation Y employees as the baby boomer generation employees retire at an accelerated rate. The purpose of this study is to investigate Y generation specific characteristics and to identify motivational systems to enhance performance. The research questions are: 1. What are Y generation characteristics? 2. What motivational systems organizations can form to motivate Y generation employees and in turn, create better performance? The Y generation specific characteristics identified from the literature include; achievement oriented; confident; educated; multitasking; having a need for feedback; needing management support; sociable and tech savvy. The proposed motivational systems can be found in four areas of the organization; HRM, training and development, communication and decision making policies. Three focus groups were held to investigate what would motivate generation Y employees to achieve better performance. Two of these focus groups were Finnish natives and the third consisted of international students. The HRM systems included flexibility and a culture of fun. It was concluded that flexibility within the workplace and role was a great source of motivation. Culture of fun was not responded to as favorably although most focus group participants rated enjoyableness as one of their top motivating factors. Training and development systems include training programs and mentoring as sources of potential motivation. Training programs were viewed as a mode to gain a better position and were not necessarily seen as motivational systems. Mentoring programs were not concluded to have a significant effect on motivation. Communication systems included keeping up with technology, clarity and goals as well as feedback. Keeping up with technology was seen as an ineffective tool to motivate. Clarity and goal setting was seen as very important to be able to perform but not necessarily motivating. Feedback had a highly motivating effect on these focus groups. Decision making policies included collaboration and teamwork as well as ownership. Teams were familiar and meet the social needs of Y generation employees and are motivating. Ownership was equated with trust and responsibility and was highly valued as well as motivating to these focus group participants.

The improvement of enclosure protection class of power electronics device

Tässä diplomityössä tutkittiin vaihtoehtoja tehoelektroniikkalaitteiden kotelointiluokan kehittämiseksi. Haasteena paremman suojauksen suunnittelussa on laitteiden tuottama suuri määrä lämpöä, joka vaatii tehokkaan jäähdytyksen. Työn tuloksena saatu prototyyppi IP33 luokkaa varten täyttää standardissa SFS-EN 60529+A1 asetetut vaatimukset kyseiselle kotelointiluokalle. Rakenteessa ja valmistettavuudessa havaittiin muutama ongelma, jotka ovat korjattavissa pienillä muutoksilla. Korkeampia suojausluokkia varten testattiin IP54-luokiteltujen filtterituulettimien vaikutusta laitteen jäähdytykseen. Testien perusteella jäähdytysteho on riittävä ja filtterituulettimet todettiin toimivaksi ratkaisuksi korkeammille suojausluokille. Työn perusteella voidaan todeta, että nykyiset laitteet voidaan muokata vastaamaan IP33 luokan vaatimuksia kohtuullisen pienillä muutoksilla. Tätä korkeammat suojausluokat vaatisivat niin suuria muutoksia designiin, että todennäköisesti täysin uuden laitteen suunnittelu olis kannattavin vaihtoehto.

Map of the sources of Snake River : with its tributaries together with portions of the headwaters of the Madison and Yellowstone from surveys and observations of the Snake River Expedition

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan

Map of the sources of Snake River : with its tributaries together with portions of the headwaters of the Madison and Yellowstone from surveys and observations of the Snake River Expedition

Kartta kuuluu A. E. Nordenskiöldin kokoelmaan

Economics of Power-to-Gas integration to wastewater treatment plant

Solar and wind power produce electricity irregularly. This irregular power production is problematic and therefore production can exceed the need. Thus sufficient energy storage solutions are needed. Currently there are some storages, such as flywheel, but they are quite short-term. Power-to-Gas (P2G) offers a solution to store energy as a synthetic natural gas. It also improves nation’s energy self-sufficiency. Power-to-Gas can be integrated to an industrial or a municipal facility to reduce production costs. In this master’s thesis the integration of Power-to-Gas technologies to wastewater treatment as a part of the VTT’s Neo-Carbon Energy project is studied. Power-to-Gas produces synthetic methane (SNG) from water and carbon dioxide with electricity. This SNG can be considered as stored energy. Basic wastewater treatment technologies and the production of biogas in the treatment plant are studied. The utilisation of biogas and SNG in heat and power production and in transportation is also studied. The integration of the P2G to wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is examined mainly from economic view. First the mass flows of flowing materials are calculated and after that the economic impact based on the mass flows. The economic efficiency is evaluated with Net Present Value method. In this thesis it is also studied the overall profitability of the integration and the key economic factors.

Characterization of new sources of derivative starches as wall materials of essential oil by spray drying

Starch derivatives of taro (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) and rice were characterized as wall materials of orange oil (d-limonene) by spray drying. Native starches were initially hydrolyzed with HCl and then esterified. Succinylated starches were modified using a conventional method in a slurry and were extruded; whereas, the phosphorylated starches were modified using the extrusion process. Viscosity and solubility of starches reduced after acid hydrolysis, derivatization, and extrusion. The particle size of the wall materials ranged between 20.05 and 31.81 µm. The encapsulation efficiency of the phosphorylated taro, rice, and waxy corn starches was 96.9, 96.8 and 97.1% respectively, and 98.6, 98.1, and 98.8% for succynilated taro, rice, and waxy corn starches, respectively. Starch derivatives of taro and rice could potentially be used as wall materials of orange oil d-limonene.

Main food sources of carotenoids, according to the purpose and degree of processing, for beneficiaries of the 'Bolsa Família' in Brazil

The intake of carotenoids is associated with antioxidant properties and some of these substances have activity of pro-vitamin A. This study aimed to estimate the intake of carotenoids (average values) by the Brazilian population focusing on beneficiaries of the 'Bolsa Família' Program and identify the dietary sources, according to the purpose and degree of processing and the inclusion of food additives. The database used is the personal food consumption module of the Household Budget Survey of 2008-2009, conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The content of carotenoids in foods was obtained primarily from a National data source. Food products were classified into three categories: 1) fresh and minimally processed foods; 2) processed foods (containing food additives, except for flavoring and coloring agents); and 3) highly processed foods (containing flavoring and coloring agents). Insufficient intakes were identified for the conditional cash transfer program beneficiaries (3,547.1 µg). Fresh and minimally processed foods supplied between 48.6% (for girls) and 65.7% (for male adults) of pro-vitamin carotenoids. Processed foods were sources of between 55.5% and 57.0% of lutein + zeaxanthin for elderly and between 58.0% and 67.8% of lycopene for adults. Highly processed foods contributed to less than 5.0% of total carotenoids.

Stretching the drum skin : an analysis of power relations in leadership and succession in the Evangelical Lutheran church in Tanzania-Northern diocese 1942– 1993

-

Asymmetrical balance of power in preadolescents' mutual friendships

Dyadic friendShip' asymmetry was examined in relation to gender, friendship quality, and friendship status. Sixty-nine grade five children and their mutual, same-sex, friends participated in a laboratory session comprised ofvarious activities and completed questionnaires to identify mutual friends and evaluate friendship quality. Asymmetry of power was assessed observationally during an origami task. Variations in balance of power were evident in children's friendships. Boys' dyads had significantly greater levels of asymmetry than girls' dyads. Regardless of gender, asymmetry was associated with lower friendship quality, particularly as indexed by validation and caring and conflict resolution. Asymmetry was unrelated to differences in friendship status. Furthermore, relative individual power within the friendship was not related to individual perceptions offriendship quality. The implications ofthese findings in the theoretical and empirical literature were considered and suggestions for future research were made.

Sources of perceived support from friends in exercise : an application of self-determination theory /

Background: This study examined three social factors (i.e., autonomy support, structure, and involvement) and their relationship with the motivational processes proposed by Vallerand ( 1 997). This study explored sources of support for exercise participation. -~ ' Methods: Participants (N = 425) completed self-reported instruments which assessed variables outlined within Vallerand's ( 1 997) HMIEM. Results: Structural equation modeling analyses predicting the cognitive/affective and exercise behaviour accounted for 23 percent of variance in positive affect, 10 percent of variance in negative affect, 38 percent of variance in physical self-concept, and 4 percent of variance in exercise behaviour. Exploratory analyses revealed that friends, romantic partners, and educators to be consistent sources for providing autonomy support, structure, and involvement, f !,< r - r* Summary: This study is among the first to examine perceived sources oi autonomy support, structure, and involvement from friends in the exercise context and suggest such perceptions may contribute to motivating exercise behaviour in post-secondary students.

A Foucaultian analysis of power relations in child protection case work with youth and families

This thesis takes some steps in examining the child protection system from a position that is rarely discussed. Specifically, I explore how Foucault's concept of disciplinary power can be used to demonstrate how power operates within the client/worker relationship. This relationship is shown to be quite complex with power flowing bidirectionally, rather than hierarchically. Instead of viewing power imbalances as a function of state control, I show how the client/worker relationship is constituted by the worker, the client, the organization and the social body. A postmodern auto ethnography is used to document my journey as I expose the disciplinary practices and instruments that I was subject to and used with my clients. 2 Given that the child protection system is constantly shifting and changing in order to improve its ability to safeguard children a greater emphasis is required to examine how workers operate within this complex, overwhelming and multi-dimensional world. This thesis has shown that by engaging in a reflexive examination of my position of power different approaches to making intervention beneficial to all involved become available. This is important if child protection work aims to work with clients rather than on clients.

Muscle strength and activation characteristics of power- trained and non-athlete boys and men

During maturation, muscle strength is enhanced through muscle growth, although neuro-muscular factors are also believed to be involved. In adults, training for power sports has been shown to enhance muscle strength and activation. The purpose of this study was to examine muscle strength and activation in power-trained athletes (POW) compared with non-athletes (CON), in boys and in adults. After familiarization subjects performed ten 5-s explosive maximal voluntary contractions for elbow and knee flexion and extension. The adults were stronger then the boys and the adult POW were stronger then the adult CON, even after correction for muscle size. Normalized rate of torque development was higher in the adults then in the boys and higher in the POW then CON boys. The rate of muscle activation was higher in the adults and POW groups. The results suggest that maturation and power-training have an additive effect on muscle activation.