Internationalization intentions: micro-foundations and psychological distance perceptions in immigrant and non-immigrant entrepreneurs

This dissertation project aims at shedding light on the micro-foundations of international entrepreneurship, focusing on the pre-internationalization phase and taking an individual-level perspective. Three research questions are investigated building on a cognitive model of internationalization intentions. First, what are the antecedents to internationalization intentions, i.e. desirability and feasibility, and how they interact with psychological distance towards internationalization options. Second, what is the role of previous entrepreneurs’ experience on such antecedents, in particular for immigrant vs. non-immigrant entrepreneurs. Third, how are these antecedent elements influenced by entrepreneurs’ individual-level motivations and goals. Using a new data set from 140 independent, non-internationalized, high-tech SMEs and their 169 owners, a variety of analytical techniques are used to investigate the research questions, such as structural equation modeling, hierarchical regression and a "laddering" technique. This project advances our theoretical understanding of internationalization and international entrepreneurship and has relevant implications for entrepreneurs and policy-makers.

Elaborazione del linguaggio naturale nell'IA e tecnologie moderne: Sentiment Analysis come caso di studio.

L'informatica e le sue tecnologie nella società moderna si riassumono spesso in un assioma fuorviante: essa, infatti, è comunemente legata al concetto che ciò che le tecnologie ci offrono può essere accessibile da tutti e sfruttato, all'interno della propria quotidianità, in modi più o meno semplici. Anche se quello appena descritto è un obiettivo fondamentale del mondo high-tech, occorre chiarire subito una questione: l'informatica non è semplicemente tutto ciò che le tecnologie ci offrono, perchè questo pensiero sommario fa presagire ad un'informatica "generalizzante"; l'informatica invece si divide tra molteplici ambiti, toccando diversi mondi inter-disciplinari. L'importanza di queste tecnologie nella società moderna deve spingerci a porre domande, riflessioni sul perchè l'informatica, in tutte le sue sfaccettature, negli ultimi decenni, ha portato una vera e propria rivoluzione nelle nostre vite, nelle nostre abitudini, e non di meno importanza, nel nostro contesto lavorativo e aziendale, e non ha alcuna intenzione (per fortuna) di fermare le proprie possibilità di sviluppo. In questo trattato ci occuperemo di definire una particolare tecnica moderna relativa a una parte di quel mondo complesso che viene definito come "Intelligenza Artificiale". L'intelligenza Artificiale (IA) è una scienza che si è sviluppata proprio con il progresso tecnologico e dei suoi potenti strumenti, che non sono solo informatici, ma soprattutto teorico-matematici (probabilistici) e anche inerenti l'ambito Elettronico-TLC (basti pensare alla Robotica): ecco l'interdisciplinarità. Concetto che è fondamentale per poi affrontare il nocciolo del percorso presentato nel secondo capitolo del documento proposto: i due approcci possibili, semantico e probabilistico, verso l'elaborazione del linguaggio naturale(NLP), branca fondamentale di IA. Per quanto darò un buono spazio nella tesi a come le tecniche di NLP semantiche e statistiche si siano sviluppate nel tempo, verrà prestata attenzione soprattutto ai concetti fondamentali di questi ambiti, perché, come già detto sopra, anche se è fondamentale farsi delle basi e conoscere l'evoluzione di queste tecnologie nel tempo, l'obiettivo è quello a un certo punto di staccarsi e studiare il livello tecnologico moderno inerenti a questo mondo, con uno sguardo anche al domani: in questo caso, la Sentiment Analysis (capitolo 3). Sentiment Analysis (SA) è una tecnica di NLP che si sta definendo proprio ai giorni nostri, tecnica che si è sviluppata soprattutto in relazione all'esplosione del fenomeno Social Network, che viviamo e "tocchiamo" costantemente. L'approfondimento centrale della tesi verterà sulla presentazione di alcuni esempi moderni e modelli di SA che riguardano entrambi gli approcci (statistico e semantico), con particolare attenzione a modelli di SA che sono stati proposti per Twitter in questi ultimi anni, valutando quali sono gli scenari che propone questa tecnica moderna, e a quali conseguenze contestuali (e non) potrebbe portare questa particolare tecnica.

Sistema Bluetooth-based di remarketing pervasivo

Il progetto si propone di dotare la realta fisica di un estensione digitale. Sensori, attuatori e tecnologie embedded hanno cambiato il nostro modo di lavorare, allenarci e seguire i nostri interessi. Il mondo del commercio non e rimasto a guardare ed ha dovuto adattarsi alla metamorfosi high-tech del settore dei servizi. Il sistema proposto costituisce un promotore per acquisti ed un raccoglitore intelligente di abitudini sullo shopping e si compone di applicazione mobile, microcontroller e web server. Caratteristica prima e principale del progetto e sicuramente la pervasivita. All'utente ed utilizzatore dell'app dello shopping center deve essere certamente resa nota la collaborazione al fine di raccogliere dati statistici sulle sue abitudini, tuttavia sono le modalita di tale operazione a dover rimanere velate, in modo da non appesantire il cliente con tediose operazioni di invio di feedback e valutazioni ed allo stesso tempo permettere una raccolta capillare delle informazioni. Parallelamente alla raccolta di dati funzionali al producer, sono state implementate features per il consumatore, come notifiche promozionali place-triggered e pubblicita mirata. Tra tutte le tecnologie adibite allo scambio di informazioni, si e scelto l'utilizzo del Bluetooth e del piu recente Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) per permettere ai dispositivi di comunicare tra loro.

VIRTOPSY - the Swiss virtual autopsy approach

The aim of the VIRTOPSY project () is utilizing radiological scanning to push low-tech documentation and autopsy procedures in a world of high-tech medicine in order to improve scientific value, to increase significance and quality in the forensic field. The term VIRTOPSY was created from the terms virtual and autopsy: Virtual is derived from the Latin word 'virtus', which means 'useful, efficient and good'. Autopsy is a combination of the old Greek terms 'autos' (=self) and 'opsomei' (=I will see). Thus autopsy means 'to see with ones own eyes'. Because our goal was to eliminate the subjectivity of "autos", we merged the two terms virtual and autopsy - deleting "autos" - to create VIRTOPSY. Today the project VIRTOPSY combining the research topics under one scientific umbrella, is characterized by a trans-disciplinary research approach that combines Forensic Medicine, Pathology, Radiology, Image Processing, Physics, and Biomechanics to an international scientific network. The paper will give an overview of the Virtopsy change process in forensic medicine.

Funktionales Konstruieren – Rapid Technologien für Architektur und Baukonstruktion

Nicht nur in der Medizintechnik, in der Luftfahrt und in der Automobilindustrie werden die generativen Verfahren zunehmend mehr als wichtige Produktionsverfahren angesehen. Auch die (Bau-) Industrie nimmt mehr und mehr die Möglichkeiten und Chancen wahr, welche diese Verfahren für andersartige Konstruktionen und Details eröffnen. Die Ergründung von Veränderungen und Auswirkungen dieser neuen Technologien auf den Entwurf und auf die Umsetzung von Architektur und Baukonstruktion ist Schwerpunkt der Forschungstätigkeiten von Dipl.-Ing. Holger Strauß an den Hochschulstandorten TU Delft, Niederlande und an der Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe in Detmold. Das erste, umfangreiche Forschungsprojekt zu diesem Thema - „Influence of Additive Processes on the development of facade constructions“ - wurde 2008 in Kooperation mit der international agierenden Firma Kawneer-Alcoa im Forschungsschwerpunkt „ConstructionLab“ an der Detmolder Schule für Architektur und Innenarchitektur etabliert. Der Fokus der Bestrebungen liegt zunächst auf der Ergründung von Möglichkeiten für die generative Herstellung von Bauteilen als Ergänzung der Standardprodukte in Systemfassaden. Die Verwendung der Additiven Verfahren und Hightech CAD-CAM Anwendungen bedingt eine neue Art des Konstruierens. Nämlich nicht mehr das fertigungsgerechte, sondern das funktionsgerechte – das „Funktionale Konstruieren“. Neben der Bereicherung der Forschung und Lehre an den Hochschulen durch eine praxisnahe und zielorientierte Aufgabenstellung, fließen alle Ergebnisse in die Promotion von Holger Strauß an der Technischen Universität in Delft am Lehrstuhl Design of Construction bei Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Knaack ein.

Lean Logistics - Innovative Bewertungsmethodik zur Auswahl schlanker Materialbereitstellungsstrategien

Die starke Individualisierung der Kundenwünsche hat eine stetig wachsende Variantenvielfalt zur Folge. Unternehmen, insbesondere aus dem Automotive- und High-Tech-Sektor, sind bestrebt, ein dauerhaftes Vorhalten aller Variantenteile im Montageprozess aufgrund hoher Kapitalbindung, zunehmenden Flächenbedarfs sowie steigenden Handlingaufwands zu vermeiden. Durch die konsequent wertschöpfungsorientierte Planung der Montageprozesse ist es möglich, innerhalb eines Montagetakts größere Teileumfänge zu verbauen. Das Angebot an Bereitstellflächen erhöht sich jedoch nicht, so dass Kosteneinsparungen aus Montageoptimierungen zum Teil nicht ausgeschöpft werden können. Diese Einsparungen können erst zusammen mit einem angepassten und standardisierten Materialbereitstellungsprozess voll wirksam werden. Die Materialbereitstellung muss darüber hinaus auch für individuelle Teilespektren eine adäquate Teileversorgung sichern sowie innerhalb ihrer Systemgrenzen einen optimalen Prozessablauf ermöglichen. Für die Auswahl geeigneter Bereitstellungsstrategien fehlt eine auf den Bereitstellungsprozess abgestimmte Bewertungsmethode, die eine nach Lean Management Grundsätzen vergleichende Prozessbetrachtung ermöglicht und zudem bauteilspezifische Kriterien wie Variantenvielfalt, Reichweite oder Größe berücksichtigt. Ziel des Beitrags ist es daher, eine neuartige Bewertungsmethode vorzustellen.

Accident or homicide - virtual crime scene reconstruction using 3D methods

The analysis and reconstruction of forensically relevant events, such as traffic accidents, criminal assaults and homicides are based on external and internal morphological findings of the injured or deceased person. For this approach high-tech methods are gaining increasing importance in forensic investigations. The non-contact optical 3D digitising system GOM ATOS is applied as a suitable tool for whole body surface and wound documentation and analysis in order to identify injury-causing instruments and to reconstruct the course of event. In addition to the surface documentation, cross-sectional imaging methods deliver medical internal findings of the body. These 3D data are fused into a whole body model of the deceased. Additional to the findings of the bodies, the injury inflicting instruments and incident scene is documented in 3D. The 3D data of the incident scene, generated by 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry, is also included into the reconstruction. Two cases illustrate the methods. In the fist case a man was shot in his bedroom and the main question was, if the offender shot the man intentionally or accidentally, as he declared. In the second case a woman was hit by a car, driving backwards into a garage. It was unclear if the driver drove backwards once or twice, which would indicate that he willingly injured and killed the woman. With this work, we demonstrate how 3D documentation, data merging and animation enable to answer reconstructive questions regarding the dynamic development of patterned injuries, and how this leads to a real data based reconstruction of the course of event.

Image and imaging an emergency department: expense and benefit of different quality assessment methods

Introduction. In this era of high-tech medicine, it is becoming increasingly important to assess patient satisfaction. There are several methods to do so, but these differ greatly in terms of cost, time, and labour and external validity. The aim of this study is to describe and compare the structure and implementation of different methods to assess the satisfaction of patients in an emergency department. Methods. The structure and implementation of the different methods to assess patient satisfaction were evaluated on the basis of a 90-minute standardised interview. Results. We identified a total of six different methods in six different hospitals. The average number of patients assessed was 5012, with a range from 230 (M5) to 20 000 patients (M2). In four methods (M1, M3, M5, and M6), the questionnaire was composed by a specialised external institute. In two methods, the questionnaire was created by the hospital itself (M2, M4).The median response rate was 58.4% (range 9-97.8%). With a reminder, the response rate increased by 60% (M3). Conclusion. The ideal method to assess patient satisfaction in the emergency department setting is to use a patient-based, in-emergency department-based assessment of patient satisfaction, planned and guided by expert personnel.

Power Games in Strategy Formation Processes – A Performative Interpretation

The article approaches an understanding of power within strategy formation processes established by verbal and bodily communication. On this note, we examined concepts of power constituted by hierarchy and developed a conceptual framework for a performative interpretation of power. In line with Austin’s (1962) and Butler’s (1990, 1993, 1997) concept of performativity as well as strategy-as-practice research (Balogun et al., 2007; Jarzabkowski & Spee, 2009) we ask: How is persuasion achieved by strategic actors during strategy formation processes? To explore verbal and bodily communication empirically we developed an experimental setting in a small high-tech company located in Germany in December, 2012. The Results indicate that (1) during critical incidents – when perspectives clash – actors use arguments to gain persuasion. (2) The data illustrates that independently of their hierarchical position within the company, strategic actors show an equal distribution of argumentative techniques.

The New Futuro College Plan: Facilitating College Access

Built on a free, bilingual, "high-touch, high-tech" platform, New Futuro has created a robust community of Latino students and parents, non-profit organizations, education institutions, government agencies, and corporations to connect those that need help with those that provide it. One of the resources developed by New Futuro is a proprietary 10-Steps College Plan that provides structured information targeted to Latino students and families to help them prepare, apply and pay for college.

Centre Bit Raiguer, Inca, Mallorca (Spain) 1998

The project was to build high tech offices on a triangular shaped site within an industrial area. = Se trataba de construir unas oficinas de alta tecnología en un solar de forma triangular en un polígono industrial.

Cool covered sky-splitting spectrum-splitting FK

Placing a plane mirror between the primary lens and the receiver in a Fresnel Köhler (FK) concentrator gives birth to a quite different CPV system where all the high-tech components sit on a common plane, that of the primary lens panels. The idea enables not only a thinner device (a half of the original) but also a low cost 1-step manufacturing process for the optics, automatic alignment of primary and secondary lenses, and cell/wiring protection. The concept is also compatible with two different techniques to increase the module efficiency: spectrum splitting between a 3J and a BPC Silicon cell for better usage of Direct Normal Irradiance DNI, and sky splitting to harvest the energy of the diffuse radiation and higher energy production throughout the year. Simple calculations forecast the module would convert 45% of the DNI into electricity.

Expresionismo tecnológico: Norman Foster en Hampstead

En 1978, Norman y Wendy Foster proyectan su propia vivienda en el barrio londinense de Hampstead. A caballo entre el Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts y el Banco de Hong Kong, esta casa, que no llegó a realizarse, representa el primer y único intento de aplicación en el campo de la arquitectura doméstica de un modelo, “la nave bien servida”, desarrollado por el Team 4 y posteriormente por Foster Associates durante los años sesenta y setenta. La casa de los arquitec- tos —como en tantos otros casos— permite rastrear, mejor que ninguna otra obra, los referentes, las obsesiones, los sueños y las frustraciones de sus autores. El desarrollo del proyecto refleja la evolución del estudio, inmerso en un intenso debate entre el funcionalismo fabril de “la nave bien servida” y el expresionismo tecnológico del denominado movimiento High-Tech.

La casa de Norman Foster en Hampstead: tecnología y domesticidad

Entre 1978 y 1979, Norman y Wendy Foster proyectan su propia vivienda en el barrio londinense de Hampstead. El proyecto más personal de los Foster permite —como en tantos otros casos— rastrear los referentes, obsesiones, sueños y frustraciones de sus autores. Este proyecto representa el primer y único intento de aplicación en el campo de la arquitectura doméstica de un modelo, denominado por Reyner Banham “la nave bien servida”, que utiliza la integración de sistemas como principal estrategia proyectual. Los 18 meses de intenso trabajo reflejan, a través de las múltiples opciones desarrolladas, la evolución de la obra de la pareja de arquitectos, que avanza desde el funcionalismo fabril de la “nave bien servida”, hacia el expresionismo tecnológico del denominado High-Tech. En los motivos del fracaso del proyecto, que no llegaría a construirse, subyacen los debates y conflictos —entre arquitectura e ingeniería, prefabricación y artesanía, expresionismo y funcionalismo— en los que el estudio se encuentra inmerso a finales de los años 70, y que precipitarán una nueva forma de entender la relación entre arquitectura y tecnología. | Between 1978 and 1979 Norman and Wendy Foster design their own home in the London neighbourhood of Hampstead. The most personal project of the Fosters allows us —as in many other cases— to trace the references, obsessions, dreams and frustrations of its creators. This project represents a unique attempt to apply the “well-serviced shed” concept —as described by Reyner Banham— to the domestic realm. A concept based in the use of systems integration as the main project strategy. The 18 months of intense work show, through the various options developed, the evolution of the production of the couple of architects, from the industrial functionalism of the “well-serviced shed”, towards the technological expressionism of the so-called High-Tech movement. In the reasons behind the failure of this unbuilt project, one can read the debates and conflicts —between architecture and engineering, prefabrication and craftsmanship, expressionism and functionalism— in which the practice is immerse by the end of the 1970s. A series of events that will precipitate a new way of understanding the relationship between architecture and technology.

Design and implementation of an adaptive dashboard and visualization interface for the dynamic optimization and control of Data Centers

Over the last few years, the Data Center market has increased exponentially and this tendency continues today. As a direct consequence of this trend, the industry is pushing the development and implementation of different new technologies that would improve the energy consumption efficiency of data centers. An adaptive dashboard would allow the user to monitor the most important parameters of a data center in real time. For that reason, monitoring companies work with IoT big data filtering tools and cloud computing systems to handle the amounts of data obtained from the sensors placed in a data center.Analyzing the market trends in this field we can affirm that the study of predictive algorithms has become an essential area for competitive IT companies. Complex algorithms are used to forecast risk situations based on historical data and warn the user in case of danger. Considering that several different users will interact with this dashboard from IT experts or maintenance staff to accounting managers, it is vital to personalize it automatically. Following that line of though, the dashboard should only show relevant metrics to the user in different formats like overlapped maps or representative graphs among others. These maps will show all the information needed in a visual and easy-to-evaluate way. To sum up, this dashboard will allow the user to visualize and control a wide range of variables. Monitoring essential factors such as average temperature, gradients or hotspots as well as energy and power consumption and savings by rack or building would allow the client to understand how his equipment is behaving, helping him to optimize the energy consumption and efficiency of the racks. It also would help him to prevent possible damages in the equipment with predictive high-tech algorithms.