Customer knowledge processing in key account management

The ability of the supplier firm to generate and utilise customer-specific knowledge has attracted increasing attention in the academic literature during the last decade. It has been argued the customer knowledge should treated as a strategic asset the same as any other intangible assets. Yet, at the same time it has been shown that the management of customer-specific knowledge is challenging in practice, and that many firms are better at acquiring customer knowledge than at making use of it. This study examines customer knowledge processing in the context of key account management in large industrial firms. This focus was chosen because key accounts are demanding and complex. It is not unusual for a single key account relationship to constitute a complex web of relationships between the supplier and the key account – thus easily leading to the dispersion of customer-specific knowledge in the supplier firm. Although the importance of customer-specific knowledge generation has been widely acknowledged in the literature, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the processes through which firms generate, disseminate and use such knowledge internally for enhancing the relationships with their major, strategically important key account customers. This thesis consists of two parts. The first part comprises a theoretical overview and draws together the main findings of the study, whereas the second part consists of five complementary empirical research papers based on survey data gathered from large industrial firms in Finland. The findings suggest that the management of customer knowledge generated about and form key accounts is a three-dimensional process consisting of acquisition, dissemination and utilization. It could be concluded from the results that customer-specific knowledge is a strategic asset because the supplier’s customer knowledge processing activities have a positive effect on supplier’s key account performance. Moreover, in examining the determinants of each phase separately the study identifies a number of intra-organisational factors that facilitate the process in supplier firms. The main contribution of the thesis lies in linking the concept of customer knowledge processing to the previous literature on key account management. Moreover, given than this literature is mainly conceptual or case-based, a further contribution is to examine its consequences and determinants based on quantitative empirical data.

The Li+, Na+ and K+ ion exchange reaction process on the surface of mixed oxide SiO2/TiO2/Sb2O5 surface prepared by the sol-gel processing method

The porous mixed oxide SiO2/TiO2/Sb2O5 obtained by the sol-gel processing method presented a good ion exchange property and a high exchange capacity towards the Li+, Na+ and K+ ions. In the H+/M+ ion exchange process, the H+ / Na+ could be described as presenting an ideal character. The ion exchange equilibria of Li+ and K+ were quantitatively described with the help of the model of fixed tetradentate centers. The results of simulation evidence that for the H+ / Li+ exchange the usual situation takes place: the affinity of the material to the Li+ ions is decreased with increasing the degree of ion exchange. On the contrary, for K+ the effects of positive cooperativity, that facilitate the H+ / K+ exchange, were revealed.

Adsorption of hidrogen peroxide on the surface of silica - titania mixed oxide obtained by the sol-gel processing method

This work describes the sol-gel mixed oxide SiO2/TiO2 property, ST, as prepared, and submitted to heat treatment a 773 K, STC. SEM and EDS images show, within magnification used, a uniform distribution of the TiO2 particles in SiO2/TiO2 matrix. Both, ST and STC adsorb hydrogen peroxide on the surface and through EPR and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, it was possible to conclude that the species on the surface is the peroxide molecule attached to the Lewis acid site of titanium particle surface, alphaTi(H2O2)+. As the material is very porous, presumably the hydrogen peroxide molecule is confined in the matrix pores on the surface, a reason why the adsorbed species presents an exceptional long lived stability.

Developing co-operation of business units – exploring synergies and a joint business model

The purpose of this study was to develop co-operation between business units of the company operating in graphic industry. The development was done by searching synergy opportunities between these business units. The final aim was to form a business model, which is based on co-operation of these business units.The literature review of this thesis examines synergies and especially the process concerning the search and implementation of synergies. Also the concept of business model and its components are examined. The research was done by using qualitative research method. The main data acquiring method to the empirical part was theme interviews. The data was analyzed using thematisation and content analysis.The results of the study include seven identified possible synergies and a business model, which is based on the co-operation of the business units. The synergy opportunities are evaluated and the implementation order of the synergies is suggested. The presented synergies create the base for the proposed business model.

The Influence of Certain Processing Factors on the Durability of Yttrium Stabilized Zirconia Used As Dental Biomaterial

In dentistry, yttrium partially stabilized zirconia (ZrO2) has become one of the most attractive ceramic materials for prosthetic applications. The aim of this series of studies was to evaluate whether certain treatments used in the manufacturing process, such as sintering time, color shading or heat treatment of zirconia affect the material properties. Another aim was to evaluate the load-bearing capacity and marginal fit of manually copy-milled custom-made versus prefabricated commercially available zirconia implant abutments. Mechanical properties such as flexural strength and surface microhardness were determined for green-stage milled and sintered yttrium partially stabilized zirconia after different sintering time, coloring process and heat treatments. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used for analyzing the possible changes in surface structure of zirconia material after reduced sintering time, coloring and heat treatments. Possible phase change from the tetragonal to the monoclinic phase was evaluated by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The load-bearing capacity of different implant abutments was measured and the fit between abutment and implant replica was examined with SEM. The results of these studies showed that the shorter sintering time or the thermocycling did not affect the strength or surface microhardness of zirconia. Coloring of zirconia decreased strength compared to un-colored control zirconia, and some of the colored zirconia specimens also showed a decrease in surface microhardness. Coloring also affected the dimensions of zirconia. Significantly decreased shrinkage was found for colored zirconia specimens during sintering. Heat treatment of zirconia did not seem to affect materials’ mechanical properties but when a thin coating of wash and glaze porcelain was fired on the tensile side of the disc the flexural strength decreased significantly. Furthermore, it was found that thermocycling increased the monoclinic phase on the surface of the zirconia. Color shading or heat treatment did not seem to affect phase transformation but small monoclinic peaks were detected on the surface of the heat treated specimens with a thin coating of wash and glaze porcelain on the opposite side. Custom-made zirconia abutments showed comparable load-bearing capacity to the prefabricated commercially available zirconia abutments. However, the fit of the custom-made abutments was less satisfactory than that of the commercially available abutments. These studies suggest that zirconia is a durable material and other treatments than color shading used in the manufacturing process of zirconia bulk material does not affect the material’s strength. The decrease in strength and dimensional changes after color shading needs to be taken into account when fabricating zirconia substructures for fixed dental prostheses. Manually copy-milled custom-made abutments have acceptable load-bearing capacity but the marginal accuracy has to be evaluated carefully.

Hakkuutähteestä valmistetun pyrolyysiöljyn elinkaaren kasvihuonekaasupäästöt

Kasvihuonekaasupäästöjen vähentämiseksi ja uusiutuvan energian käytön lisäämiseksi EU:ssa on säädetty direktiivi uusiutuvan energian käytön edistämisestä(RES-direktiivi). Direktiivissä annetaan ohjeet biopolttoaineiden ja bionesteiden kasvihuonekaasuvaikutusten laskemiseen. Tämän työn tarkoituksena oli selvittää, täyttääkö hakkuutähteistä valmistettu pyrolyysiöljy RES-direktiivin asettamat määrälliset vaatimukset kasvihuonekaasujen päästövähennykselle silloin, kun pyrolyysiöljyllä korvataan raskasta polttoöljyä lämmöntuotannossa. Laskenta suorittiin direktiivin ohjeiden mukaan. Lisäksi työssä pohdittiin laskentamenetelmän soveltuvuutta pyrolyysiöljyn ilmastovaikutusten arviointiin yleisesti. Laskennassa huomioitiin raaka-aineen tuotannosta, jalostuksesta sekä kuljetuksesta ja jakelusta aiheutuvat kasvihuonekaasupäästöt. Päästöt laskettiin ensin oletusarvoilla, jonka jälkeen suoritettiin todennäköisyyspohjainen herkkyystarkastelu valituille parametreille. Herkkyystarkastelun tuloksista huomattiin, että päästövähennys riippuu pääasiassa kahdesta tekijästä: maaperän hiilitaseen muutoksesta aiheutuvista päästöistä ja pyrolyysiprosessin tarvitseman lämmön tuotantoon käytetyistä polttoaineista. Eniten tuloksiin vaikutti kuitenkin se, oletettiinko pyrolysaattori ja kattila tarkastelussa erillisiksi yksiköiksi (tapaus 1) vai kokonaisuudeksi (tapaus 2). Tulosten perusteella näyttää siltä, että pyrolyysiöljyn käyttö lämmöntuotannossa raskaan polttoöljyn sijasta johtaa päästövähennyksiin. Saatuja tuloksia ei kuitenkaan voida pitää ennusteina pyrolyysiöljyn todellisista ilmastovaikutuksista, koska elinkaariarviointiin liittyy monia epävarmuuksia. RES-direktiivin laskentaohjeet esimerkiksi järjestelmärajausten muodostamisesta ja päästöjen kohdentamisesta ovat epätarkat. Tästä syystä direktiiviä on mahdollista tulkita usealla eri tavalla, jolloin toisistaan poikkeavat tulokset voivat silti olla kaikki direktiivin mukaisesti laskettuja. Jotta liika tulkinnanvaraisuus ei aiheuttaisi ongelmia, olisi RES-direktiivin laskentaohjetta hyvä tarkentaa.

Reading Development During Elementary School Years. Evidence from Eye Movements

The present dissertation examined reading development during elementary school years by means of eye movement tracking. Three different but related issues in this field were assessed. First of all, the development of parafoveal processing skills in reading was investigated. Second, it was assessed whether and to what extent sublexical units such as syllables and morphemes are used in processing Finnish words and whether the use of these sublexical units changes as a function of reading proficiency. Finally, the developmental trend in the speed of visual information extraction during reading was examined. With regard to parafoveal processing skills, it was shown that 2nd graders extract letter identity information approx. 5 characters to the right of fixation, 4th graders approx. 7 characters to the right of fixation, and 6th graders and adults approx. 9 characters to the right of fixation. Furthermore, it was shown that all age groups extract more parafoveal information within compound words than across adjectivenoun pairs of similar length. In compounds, parafoveal word information can be extracted in parallel with foveal word information, if the compound in question is of high frequency. With regard to the use of sublexical units in Finnish word processing, it was shown that less proficient 2nd graders use both syllables and morphemes in the course of lexical access. More proficient 2nd graders as well as older readers seem to process words more holistically. Finally, it was shown that 60 ms is enough for 4th graders and adults to extract visual information from both 4-letter and 8-letter words, whereas 2nd graders clearly needed more than 60 ms to extract all information from 8- letter words for processing to proceed smoothly. The present dissertation demonstrates that Finnish 2nd graders develop their reading skills rapidly and are already at an adult level in some aspects of reading. This is not to say that there are no differences between less proficient (e.g., 2nd graders) and more proficient readers (e.g., adults) but in some respects it seems that the visual system used in extracting information from the text is matured by the 2nd grade. Furthermore, the present dissertation demonstrates that the allocation of attention in reading depends much on textual properties such as word frequency and whether words are spatially unified (as in compounds) or not. This flexibility of the attentional system naturally needs to be captured in word processing models. Finally, individual differences within age groups are quite substantial but it seems that by the end of the 2nd grade practically all Finnish children have reached a reasonable level of reading proficiency.

Of pearls and pigs : a conceptual-semantic Tiernet approach to formal representation of structure and variation of phraseological units

"Helmiä sioille", pärlor för svin, säger man på finska om någonting bra och fint som tas emot av en mottagare som inte vill eller har ingen förmåga att förstå, uppskatta eller utnyttja hela den potential som finns hos det mottagna föremålet, är ointresserad av den eller gillar den inte. För sådana relativt stabila flerordiga uttryck, som är lagrade i språkbrukarnas minnen och som demonstrerar olika slags oregelbundna drag i sin struktur använder man inom lingvistiken bl.a. termerna "idiom" eller "fraseologiska enheter". Som en oregelbundenhet kan man t.ex. beskriva det faktum att betydelsen hos uttrycket inte är densamma som man skulle komma till ifall man betraktade det som en vanlig regelbunden fras. En annan oregelbundenhet, som idiomforskare har observerat, ligger i den begränsade förmågan att varieras i form och betydelse, som många idiom har jämfört med regelbundna fraser. Därför talas det ofta om "grundform" och "grundbetydelse" hos idiom och variationen avses som avvikelse från dessa. Men när man tittar på ett stort antal förekomstexempel av idiom i språkbruk, märker man att många av dem tillåter variation, t.o.m. i sådan utsträckning att gränserna mellan en variant och en "grundform" suddas ut, och istället för ett idiom råkar vi plötsligt på en "familj" av flera besläktade uttryck. Allt detta väcker frågan om hur dessa uttryck egentligen ska vara representerade i språket. I avhandlingen utförs en kritisk granskning av olika tidigare tillvägagångssätt att beskriva fraseologiska enheter i syfte att klargöra vilka svårigheter deras struktur och variation erbjuder för den lingvistiska teorin. Samtidigt presenteras ett alternativt sätt att beskriva dessa uttryck. En systematisk och formell modell som utvecklas i denna avhandling integrerar en beskrivning av idiom på många olika språkliga nivåer och skildrar deras variation i form av ett nätverk och som ett resultat av samspel mellan idiomets struktur och kontexter där det förekommer, samt av interaktion med andra fasta uttryck. Modellen bygger på en fördjupande, språkbrukbaserad analys av det finska idiomet "X HEITTÄÄ HELMIÄ SIOILLE" (X kastar pärlor för svin).

Detection of beetle damage in forests by X-ray CT image processing

Some beetle species can have devastating economic impacts on forest and nursery industries. A recent example is Anophophora glabripennis, a species of beetle known in the United States as the ''Asian Longhorrned beetle'', which has damaged many American forests, and is a threat which can unintentionally reach south American countries, including Brazil. This work presents a new method based on X-ray computerized tomography (CT) and image processing for beetle injury detection in forests. Its results show a set of images with correct identification of the location of beetles in living trees as well as damage evaluation with time.

Suomen ja Viron tehtaiden välisen uistinliiketoiminnan suorituskyvyn ja kannattavuuden kasvattaminen

Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää Päijät-Hämeessä toimivan uistimia valmistavan tehdasyksikön sekä saman konsernin Virossa toimivan tehdasyksikön välisen uistinliiketoiminnan kannattavuuden ja suorituskyvyn mahdollinen kasvattaminen. Konsernilla on käytössään kannattavan kasvun strategia, johon tämäkin yksi liiketoiminnan kehittämishankekin omalta osaltaan myös tähtää. Kannattavuutta tarkasteltiin tehtaiden välisen päätoimialan ja sen tuottavuuden ja suorituskyvyn näkökulmasta. Työssä on lähdetty rakentamaan tehtaiden väliselle uistinliiketoiminnalle uudenlaista mittaristoa operationaalisen johdon käyttöön. Suorituskykymittaristossa otetaan huomioon suunnittelutiimin avulla määritellyt avainmittarien osa-alueet ja niiden kehittäminen tulevaisuudessa. Työ käsittelee myös hieman toimipisteissä tapahtuvan muutosten hallitsemista sekä kehittävän ilmapiirin kasvattamista. Tässä tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että suorituskyvyn mittaamisesta oli hyötyä niin operationaaliselle toimipaikkakohtaiselle johdolle kuin tuotannon työntekijällekin. Tehtaiden välisestä suorituskyvystä saatiin vertailevaa tietoa, jota voidaan käyttää hyödyksi tulevaisuudessa. Tulevaisuudessa tästä järjestelmästä saatava tieto helpottaa tuotantolaitoksissa tapahtuvaa työvaiheiden kokonaisvaltaista prosessointia josta kuitenkin pitkällä tähtäimellä suurimmat kustannussäästöt tulevat yritykselle.

Start-up of horizontal anaerobic reactors with sludge blanket and fixed bed for wastewater treatment from coffee processing by wet method

In this study it was evaluated the start-up procedures of anaerobic treatment system with three horizontal anaerobic reactors (R1, R2 and R3), installed in series, with volume of 1.2 L each. R1 had sludge blanket, and R2 and R3 had half supporter of bamboo and coconut fiber, respectively. As an affluent, it was synthesized wastewater from mechanical pulping of the coffee fruit by wet method, with a mean value of total chemical oxygen demand (CODtotal) of 16,003 mg L-1. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) in each reactor was 30 h. The volumetric organic loading (VOL) applied in R1 varied from 8.9 to 25.0 g of CODtotal (L d)-1. The mean removal efficiencies of CODtotal varied from 43 to 97% in the treatment system (R1+R2+R3), stabilizing above 80% after 30 days of operation. The mean content of methane in the biogas were of 70 to 76%, the mean volumetric production was 1.7 L CH4 (L reactor d)-1 in the system, and the higher conversions were around at 0.20 L CH4 (g CODremoved)-1 in R1 and R2. The mean values of pH in the effluents ranged from 6.8 to 8.3 and the mean values of total volatile acids remained below 200 mg L-1 in the effluent of R3. The concentrations of total phenols of the affluent ranged from 45 to 278 mg L-1, and the mean removal efficiency was of 52%. The start-up of the anaerobic treatment system occurred after 30 days of operation as a result of inoculation with anaerobic sludge with active microbiota.

Energetic sustainability of three arabica coffee growing systems used by family farming units in Espírito Santo state

Three growing systems of Arabica coffee were evaluated under the energy perspective, in the state of Espírito Santo in Brazil. The systems are conventional cultivation (CC), cultivation with good agricultural practices (CGP) and organic farming (OF). It was made a comparison of the energy flows within these three systems to show sustainable levels of each one based on production average data of several family-farming units. Therefore, we analyzed crop yield, total energy efficiency reverse (TEER), energy efficiency of ripe coffee (EERC) and non-renewable energy efficiency (NREE). OF system had values for TEER, EERC and NREE of 3.3 4.7 and 7.9 respectively. Yet CC showed values of 1.8, 1.9 and 1.6 for TEER, EERC and NREE respectively. Furthermore, CGP presented values for TEER, EERC and NREE of 0.7, 1.3 and 1.4 respectively. The highest yield was observed in CGP, reaching an amount of 1794 kg ha-1(17,455 MJ); however, this system expends more energy than it converts. Thus, over those points, OF is the most sustainable system.

Hydrogen production from cassava processing wastewater in an anaerobic fixed bed reactor with bamboo as a support material

Attempting to associate waste treatment to the production of clean and renewable energy, this research sought to evaluate the biological production of hydrogen using wastewater from the cassava starch treatment industry, generated during the processes of extraction and purification of starch. This experiment was carried out in a continuous anaerobic reactor with a working volume of 3L, with bamboo stems as the support medium. The system was operated at a temperature of 36°C, an initial pH of 6.0 and under variations of organic load. The highest rate of hydrogen production, of 1.1 L.d-1.L-1, was obtained with application of an organic loading rate of 35 g.L-1.d-1, in terms of total sugar content and hydraulic retention time of 3h, with a prevalence of butyric and acetic acids as final products of the fermentation process. Low C/N ratios contributed to the excessive growth of the biomass, causing a reduction of up to 35% in hydrogen production, low percentages of H2 and high concentrations of CO2in the biogas.

Comparative study between patients with acute appendicitis treated in primary care units and in emergency hospitals

Objective: To retrospectively analyze the relationship of time of care, combined with possible post-appendectomy complications, with the promptness of transfer of patients seen in Emergency Care Units (UPA) to the emergency hospital.Methods: We analyzed patients with preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis undergoing appendectomy from January to July 2012. Patients were divided into two groups according to the site of the first care. Group A included patients who received initial care directly in the emergency department of the Lourenço Jorge County Hospital (HMLJ) and group B consisted of patients seen in the UPA and forwarded to HMLJ to undergo surgical treatment.Results: the average time between initial treatment and surgery in group A was 29 hours (SD = 21.95) and 54 hours in group B (SD = 54.5). Considering the onset of symptoms, the patients in group A were operated on average 67 hours after (SD = 42.55), while group B, 90 hours (SD = 59.58). After the operation, patients in group A were hospitalized, on average, for 94 hours (SD = 73.53) and group B, 129 hours (SD = 193.42).Conclusion: there was no significant difference in the time elapsed between the onset of symptoms, initial treatment and early surgical treatment, or time elapsed between surgery and discharge.