Development of a Computer Controlled Underbody Plow: TR412, Final Report, January 2006

Underbody plows can be very useful tools in winter maintenance, especially when compacted snow or hard ice must be removed from the roadway. By the application of significant down-force, and the use of an appropriate cutting edge angle, compacted snow and ice can be removed very effectively by such plows, with much greater efficiency than any other tool under those circumstances. However, the successful operation of an underbody plow requires considerable skill. If too little down pressure is applied to the plow, then it will not cut the ice or compacted snow. However, if too much force is applied, then either the cutting edge may gouge the road surface, causing significant damage often to both the road surface and the plow, or the plow may ride up on the cutting edge so that it is no longer controllable by the operator. Spinning of the truck in such situations is easily accomplished. Further, excessive down force will result in rapid wear of the cutting edge. Given this need for a high level of operator skill, the operation of an underbody plow is a candidate for automation. In order to successfully automate the operation of an underbody plow, a control system must be developed that follows a set of rules that represent appropriate operation of such a plow. These rules have been developed, based upon earlier work in which operational underbody plows were instrumented to determine the loading upon them (both vertical and horizontal) and the angle at which the blade was operating.These rules have been successfully coded into two different computer programs, both using the MatLab® software. In the first program, various load and angle inputs are analyzed to determine when, whether, and how they violate the rules of operation. This program is essentially deterministic in nature. In the second program, the Simulink® package in the MatLab® software system was used to implement these rules using fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic essentially replaces a fixed and constant rule with one that varies in such a way as to improve operational control. The development of the fuzzy logic in this simulation was achieved simply by using appropriate routines in the computer software, rather than being developed directly. The results of the computer testing and simulation indicate that a fully automated, computer controlled underbody plow is indeed possible. The issue of whether the next steps toward full automation should be taken (and by whom) has also been considered, and the possibility of some sort of joint venture between a Department of Transportation and a vendor has been suggested.

Konsernitilinpäätöksen yhdistelyt IFRS-standardien mukaan

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on IFRS-standardien eli uusien kansainvälisten raportointistandardien tuomien muutosten selvittäminen koskien konsernitilinpäätöksen yhdistelyjä. Tutkimusmenetelmä on normatiivinen, teoreettinen ja kvalitatiivinen. IAS/IFRS (International Accounting Standards / International Financial Reporting Standards eli kansainväliset raportointistandardit) tulee pakolliseksi pörssiyrityksille 1.1.2005 alkaen Euroopan Unionin alueella. IAS/IFRS:n mukaan tytäryritykset yhdistellään hankintamenomenetelmällä, osakkuusyritykset pääomaosuusmenetelmällä ja yhteisyritykset suhteellisella yhdistelyllä. Yritysten yhteenliittymät – standardi on olennaisesti uudistettu 31.3.2004. Pooling-menetelmä kiellettiin kokonaan. Hankintamenomenetelmässä kaikki yksilöitävissä olevat varat ja velat arvostetaan käypiin arvoihin. Aineettomien hyödykkeiden ryhmittelyssä on tapahtunut muutoksia. Yksilöitävissä olevat aineettomat hyödykkeet, esimerkiksi asiakassuhteet, aktivoidaan taseeseen ja poistetaan. Aineettomat hyödykkeet, joille ei ole määriteltävissä rajallista käyttöikää, tulee testata pakollisilla arvonalentumistestauksella. Siihen ryhmään kuuluu esimerkiksi liikearvo.

Tuotekehityksen kansainvälistyminen

Työn tavoitteena on etsiä syitä tuotekehityksen kansainvälistymiseen ja selvittää sen seurauksia. Myös ilmiön kansainvälisyyden nykyistä astetta kartoitetaan. Tuloksia verrataan sekä tuotekehityksen että yritysten kansainvälistymisen teorioihin. Monikansallisten yritysten toimintamallin kautta pyritään ymmärtämään tuotekehityksen kansainvälistymisen prosesseja. Yritykset harjoittavat kansainvälistä tuotekehitystä lähes aina, kun ne erilaistavat tuotteitaan kotipesän ulkopuolisten, kasvavien markkinoiden tarpeisiin. Monikansalliset yritykset tekevät kansainvälistä tuotekehitystä etupäässä hankkiakseen markkina-asemia ja kyvykkyyksiä. Kohdemaan innovaatiosysteemillä on tärkeä asema verkostoitumisstrategian onnistumisen kannalta, joka on monikansallisten yritysten pääasiallinen toimintatapa. Ulkomaansijoitusten eri tyypeistä tuotekehityksessä ylivoimaisesti eniten käytetyt ovat yhteisyritys sekä fuusioituminen & haltuunotto. Tuotekehitysyksiköiden siirtäminen ulkomaille saattaa vähentää toimintaa Suomessa. T&K-toiminnan painopiste on siirtymässä Aasiaan, vaikkakin Eurooppa ja USA ovat yhä tehokkuussyistä kannattavia alueita.

Financial controlling and management in recovered paper joint ventures

The objective of this Master’s thesis is to examine financial functions, controlling and management in joint ventures of Manufacturing Corporation Oyj Recovered Paper business area. This case study investigated the current situation of financial functions and find out causes that have led the situation. Current situation of financial functions in joint ventures is variable. The most of the companies is outsourced at least some tasks. However, narrow reporting and problems in reliability are the biggest lack of financial controlling and management. The result of study consists of two parts: short-term and long-term improvement. Short-term improvement includes selected solution to outsource all routine financial tasks to new outsourcing partner and improve financial functions. Long-term improvements aim to create better controlling and management system to joint ventures. It is formed corporate governance and performance measurement. In this study it developed new Balanced Scorecard (BSC) for recovered paper joint ventures. Dimensions of BSC are quality, delivery (time), price and financial controlling and management. Earlier researched are showed problems in success of joint venture relationships. Similar results are obtained in this study. In future research, suitable of developed Balanced Scorecard for other industries could be studied

The best practices in the formation phase of Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China: For Finnish software companies

This study discusses the formation phase of Chinese-Finnish joint ventures in China. The purpose of this thesis is to create best practices for Finnish software companies in forming a joint venture with a local Chinese company in China. Therefore, the main research question, in what are the best practices for forming Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China for Finnish software firms, is examined through four different themes within the joint venture formation phase; the motives, the partner se- lection, the choice of a joint venture type and joint venture negotiations. The theoretical background of the study consists of literature relating to the establishment process of Sino-Western joint ventures in China. The empirical research conducted for this study is based on the expert interviews. The empirical data was gathered via nine semi-structured interviews with both Chinese and Finnish experts in software and technology industry, who have experience or knowledge in establishing Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China. Thematic analysis was used to cat- egorize and interpret the interview data. In addition, a thematic network was built to act as a basis of the analysis. According to the main findings, the main motives for Finnish software companies to establish a joint venture in China are lack of skills or experience, little resources to enter on their own, and China’s large market. The main motives for Chinese companies are to gain new technology or man- agerial skills, and expand internationally. The intellectual property rights (IPR) have recently im- proved a lot in China, but the Finnish companies’ knowledge on IPR is inadequate. The Finnish software companies should conduct a market and industry research in order to understand their po- sition in the market and to find a suitable location and potential joint venture partners. It is essential to define partner selection criteria and partner attributes. In addition, it is important to build the joint venture around complementary motives and a win-win situation between the joint venture partners. The Finnish companies should be prepared that the joint venture negotiations will be challenging and they will take a long time. The challenges can be overcome by gaining understanding about the Chinese culture and business environment. The findings of this study enhance understanding of the joint venture formation phase in China. This study provides guidelines for Finnish software companies to establish a joint venture in China. In addition, this study brings new insights to the Sino-Western joint venture literature with its soft- ware industry context. Future research is, however, necessary in order to gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of a joint venture as an entry mode into China for Finnish soft- ware companies

The best practices in the formation phase of Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China: For Finnish software companies

This study discusses the formation phase of Chinese-Finnish joint ventures in China. The purpose of this thesis is to create best practices for Finnish software companies in forming a joint venture with a local Chinese company in China. Therefore, the main research question, in what are the best practices for forming Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China for Finnish software firms, is examined through four different themes within the joint venture formation phase; the motives, the partner se-lection, the choice of a joint venture type and joint venture negotiations. The theoretical background of the study consists of literature relating to the establishment process of Sino-Western joint ventures in China. The empirical research conducted for this study is based on the expert interviews. The empirical data was gathered via nine semi-structured interviews with both Chinese and Finnish experts in software and technology industry, who have experience or knowledge in establishing Sino-Finnish joint ventures in China. Thematic analysis was used to cat-egorize and interpret the interview data. In addition, a thematic network was built to act as a basis of the analysis. According to the main findings, the main motives for Finnish software companies to establish a joint venture in China are lack of skills or experience, little resources to enter on their own, and China’s large market. The main motives for Chinese companies are to gain new technology or man-agerial skills, and expand internationally. The intellectual property rights (IPR) have recently im-proved a lot in China, but the Finnish companies’ knowledge on IPR is inadequate. The Finnish software companies should conduct a market and industry research in order to understand their po-sition in the market and to find a suitable location and potential joint venture partners. It is essential to define partner selection criteria and partner attributes. In addition, it is important to build the joint venture around complementary motives and a win-win situation between the joint venture partners. The Finnish companies should be prepared that the joint venture negotiations will be challenging and they will take a long time. The challenges can be overcome by gaining understanding about the Chinese culture and business environment. The findings of this study enhance understanding of the joint venture formation phase in China. This study provides guidelines for Finnish software companies to establish a joint venture in China. In addition, this study brings new insights to the Sino-Western joint venture literature with its soft-ware industry context. Future research is, however, necessary in order to gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of a joint venture as an entry mode into China for Finnish soft-ware companies.

Thorold Tunnel opening ceremony photographs, September 18,1968.

Construction on the Thorold tunnel began in 1965 and was completed in 1967. It was designed by H. G. Acres & Company Ltd. and built by Pitts-Atlas, a joint venture of C.A. Pitts, General Contractor Ltd., and Atlas Construction Company Ltd. The tunnel replaced two lift bridges (Bridge 9 at Ontario Paper Co. and Bridge 7) that carried traffic over the Welland Canal. The majority of the construction occurred during the winter months, when the canal was closed to shipping. The water was drained and concrete sections shaped liked tubes were poured, creating the tunnel. During the summer months, the end sections of the tunnel were constructed so that shipping could continue uninterrupted. The 24 million dollar project was financed jointly by the Department of Highways and the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority. The tunnel was officially opened on September 18, 1968.

L'étendue de la compétence ratione materiae du juge étatique dans le règlement des différends nés de l'exécution d'un contrat complexe.

Les arrêts sur l’affaire Beaudoin c. Université de Sherbrooke (Cour Supérieure et Cour d’Appel du Québec 2008-2010) ont porté sur l’intensité de l’obligation de consultation insérée dans l’accord de partenariat de recherche. Ce type de partenariat est souvent créé par un accord et peut prendre plusieurs formes. La plupart d’entre elles sont méconnues par le droit, c’est pourquoi la doctrine les considère comme étant des entreprises complexes puisque le choix des partenaires est souvent guidé par le souci d’échapper au formalisme qu’imposent les règles étatiques. Cependant, les pratiques connues dans le secteur d’activité des associés et les accords qui les lient sont souvent les seules règles qu’ils suivent. En cas de conflit, ils recourent généralement à un tiers expert pour régler leur litige, la saisine des tribunaux ne se faisant qu’exceptionnellement. Dans cette cause, les contractions entre les deux décisions ont soulevé quelques interrogations : d’une part, sur la capacité des tribunaux à trancher des conflits qui peuvent naître au cours de l’exécution de ce type de contrat, et d’autre part sur la compatibilité des règles matérielles applicables au fond par les juges lorsque les parties ne sont liées que par la lex contractus et les usages reconnus dans leur secteur d’activité. Cette étude tente donc d’identifier la forme de partenariat en cause afin de mesurer l’étendue de la compétence ratione materiae du juge dans la résolution des conflits nés d’un contrat complexe (PARTIE I), et d’examiner l’opportunité de recourir aux modes alternatifs de résolution des litiges (PARTIE II).

Dominant Mean Percentage Score Factors Of The Consumer Purchase Behaviour Of Passenger Cars

Globalization and liberalization, with the entry of many prominent foreign manufacturers, changed the automobile scenario in India, since early 1990’s. World Leaders in automobile manufacturing such as Ford, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Suzuki, Hyundai, Renault, Mitsubishi, Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and Nissan set up their manufacturing units in India in joint venture with their Indian counterpart companies, by making use of the Foreign Direct Investment policy of the Government of India, These manufacturers started capturing the hearts of Indian car customers with their choice of technological and innovative product features, with quality and reliability. With the multiplicity of choices available to the Indian passenger car buyers, it drastically changed the way the car purchase scenario in India and particularly in the State of Kerala. This transformed the automobile scene from a sellers’ market to buyers’ market. Car customers started developing their own personal preferences and purchasing patterns, which were hitherto unknown in the Indian automobile segment. The main purpose of this paper is to come up with the identification of possible parameters and a framework development, that influence the consumer purchase behaviour patterns of passenger car owners in the State of Kerala, so that further research could be done, based on the framework and the identified parameters.

Role of the cultural values as a key part in the implementing of healthy practices : exploratory research

El concepto de organización saludable cada vez toma más fuerza en el ámbito empresarial y académico, a razón de su enfoque integral y al impacto generado en distintos grupos de interés. Debido a su reciente consolidación como concepto, existe un limitado cuerpo de investigación en torno al tema. Para contribuir a la generación de conocimiento en este sentido, se desarrolló un estudio exploratorio el cual tenía como objetivo identificar la relación existente entre la implementación de prácticas saludables en las organizaciones y los valores culturales. En el estudio participaron 66 sujetos a quienes se les administró un cuestionario compuesto por nueve variables, cinco provenientes del modelo de Hofstede (1980) y cuatro más que evaluaban la implementación de prácticas organizacionales saludables. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que los valores culturales predicen la implementación de prácticas saludables.

Estrategias de internacionalización de la industria de panaderia en el mercado de la provincia de Shanxi China

China es el cuarto país más extenso del mundo así como el más densamente poblado. En la actualidad, se ha caracterizado por ser una economía con un papel importante en el comercio mundial. Es por este motivo, que en el año 2010 se convirtió en el país con más exportaciones en el mundo, ubicándose en las primeras economías después de los Estados Unidos. Por otro lado, China considera a Colombia como un país influyente en América Latina, lo que posibilita que en un futuro se puedan convertir en socios comerciales. Sin embargo, se debe resaltar que por su extensión, China es un país de diversas culturas por lo que el trabajo “Estrategias de internacionalización de la industria de panadería en Colombia hacia la provincia de Shanxi, China”, se centrara únicamente en la provincia de Shanxi. Dicha provincia es reconocida por su gran abundancia de recursos minerales, adicionalmente, juega un papel decisivo en la red eléctrica del Norte de China y planea convertirse en la base industrial del país por lo que promete un futuro próspero para su población convirtiéndose en un lugar potencial para centrar el trabajo. También, se debe resaltar el auge y crecimiento de la industria de panadería en Colombia ya que no solamente es perteneciente a la canasta familiar sino que es necesario y rentable para los empresarios. Además es una industria que genera productos de alta calidad y con valor agregado. Como toda industria colombiana esta también tienen ciertas falencias entre ellas se debe resaltar la falta de asociación; problemática en la cual se basara este trabajo ya que, como dice Anónimo 2011, “La importancia de su creación radica en que asociados, los panaderos podrían llegar fácilmente a encontrar soluciones a ese bajo consumo o incluso lograr alianzas para una mayor capacitación” y así facilitar la entrada a mercados internacionales. Para mostrar lo anterior, se analizaran 3 casos de empresas Colombianas, que muestran las diferentes etapas para entrar a un mercado internacional. La primera de ella Noel, con su trayectoria en el mercado Colombia, en este momento cuenta con presencia en varios países de Latinoamérica y Norteamérica. La segunda Pan Pa Ya que a través de su técnica de ultracongelación ha logrado conquistar países en Latinoamérica, Europa, Japón, Canadá entre otros. Finalmente se encuentra Ramo, empresa que aún no ha logrado entrar en mercados internacionales, pero se encuentra mejorando sus procesos para internacionalizarse y para llegar a aquellos colombianos que viven en el exterior. Como complemento se busca resaltar la importancia de la asociación y la creación de clústeres de las empresas colombianas para la generación de productos de alta calidad que satisfagan las condiciones requeridas para entrar en nuevos mercados, teniendo en cuenta las pautas necesarias para generar ventajas competitivas y estrategias de internacionalización

The standardization of contracts for construction

Contracts are put to a wide variety of uses. Those who draft construction contracts in the UK rarely consider all of the potential uses and therefore may produce documents that are less than ideal. The various uses are considered in their theoretical background before turning to the practical difficulties often encountered in trying to fulfil such diverse aims. The question of standardisation is examined within this context. Existing standard forms of contract in the UK are found to do little to overcome these difficulties, and this encourages either a significant level of amendment to the standards or experienced clients to draft their own forms. The solution is an approach to contract drafting which is designed to offer a compromise; better standard forms, based on the lessons learned from the drafting of non-standard forms and a pooling of experience, including that of lawyers, in the drafting process. Although this paper is based upon the experience of the UK, these conclusions are relevant for contract-drafting practice in general.

A review of growth for construction service companies in global markets

Throughout the developed world, professional services play an increasingly important part in an economy, with many countries showing a substantial positive trade balance for services. Yet, there has been relatively little research on construction services (CS) and, in particular, how well professional service companies (PSFs) perform in the international arena. The method for collecting services export information differs to the way in which goods and products exports data are gathered because of the intangible nature of services. Organisational growth of companies aims to share risks across different regions and sectors, however, the rapidly changing business environment challenges companies with the increasing foreign ownership and changes in procurement. The complexity of today’s international construction services organisations raises two questions: how the organisations can successfully manage growth and what are their motives for international trade. The research focuses on top UK consulting engineering companies to understand their organisational strategy, their export strategy, and drivers for overseas activities. The data will feed a model of professional services exports, which can help to inform the way services export data could be collected to better reflect the industry’s performance.

Changing HRM systems in two Russian oil companies: Western hegemony or Russian spetsifika?

We contrast attempts to introduce what were seen as sophisticated Western-style human resource management (HRM) systems into two Russian oil companies – a joint venture with a Western multinational corporation (TNK-BP) and a wholly Russian-owned company (Yukos). The drivers for Western hegemony within the joint venture, heavily influenced by expatriates and the established HRM processes introduced by the Western parent, were counteracted to a significant degree by the Russian spetsifika – the peculiarly Russian way of thinking and doing things. In contrast, developments were absorbed faster in the more authoritarian Russian-owned company. The research adds to the theoretical debate about international knowledge transfer and provides detailed empirical data to support our understanding of the effect of both organizational and cultural context on the knowledge-transfer mechanisms of local and multinational companies. As the analysis is based on the perspective of senior local nationals, we also address a relatively under-researched area in the international HRM literature which mostly relies on empirical data collected from expatriates and those based solely in multinational headquarters.

A influência do ambiente institucional na formação de joint ventures internacionais : um estudo de caso na Puig-Memphis

Este trabalho consiste em um estudo sobre a formação da joint venture Puig-Memphis, tendo como questão central investigar como o ambiente institucional e as relações de poder influenciam a formação de joint ventures internacionais entre empresas de países em diferentes estágios de desenvolvimento. O objetivo do trabalho é verificar a forma como as diferentes dimensões do ambiente moldam a decisão de entrar, ou não, em uma parceria, a decisão sobre o parceiro, a decisão sobre a estrutura da parceria e a influência na dinâmica de evolução da parceria. Objetiva, também, verificar como as relações de poder e o estágio de desenvolvimento dos países de origem das empresas-mãe influenciam nessas quatro fases. Para analisar o caso, foi desenvolvido um modelo teórico integrando três abordagens, as quais, no conjunto, permitiram uma melhor compreensão da natureza multifacetada desse fenômeno organizacional. As teorias que compõem o modelo são: a teoria institucional (aspectos sócio-culturais); a teoria dos custos de transação (aspectos econômicos e estratégicos) e a teoria da dependência de recursos (aspectos políticos). O método de pesquisa é eminentemente qualitativo, tipo estudo de caso, adotando a técnica de triangulação de dados (entrevista, questionário, pesquisa documental e observação direta). Concluiu-se que o ambiente institucional influenciou todas as etapas do processo de formação da joint venture Puig-Memphis por meio de uma interação entre fatores econômicos, políticos, sociais e culturais. Observou-se que as dimensões econômicas eram visualizadas claramente pelos dirigentes, enquanto que as dimensões políticas e sócio-culturais nem sempre eram compreendidas objetivamente. Observou-se, também, que as empresas-mãe deixaram de potencializar parte da sinergia estratégica em função de uma visão parcial do fenômeno em estudo.