Selecting, testing and modifying a model for identifying potential key customers

Tämä työ tehtiin globaaliin elektroniikka-alan yritykseen. Diplomityö liittyy haasteeseen, jonka lisääntynyt globalisaatio ja kiristyvä kilpailu ovat luoneet: case yrityksen on selvitettävä kuinka se voi saavuttaa kasvutavoitteet myös tulevaisuudessa hankkimalla uusia asiakkaita ja olemalla yhä enenevissä määrin maailmanlaajuisesti läsnä. Tutkimuksen tavoite oli löytää sopiva malli potentiaalisten avainasiakkaiden identifiointiin ja valintaan, sekä testata ja modifioida valittua mallia case yrityksen tarpeiden mukaisesti. Erityisesti raakadatan kerääminen, asiakkaiden houkuttelevuuskriteerit ja kohdemarkkinarako olivat asioita, jotka tarvitsivat tutkimuksessa huomiota. Kirjallisuuskatsauksessa keskityttiin yritysmarkkinoihin, eri asiakassuhteenhallinnan lähestymistapoihin ja avainasiakkaiden määrittämiseen. CRM:n, KAM:n ja Customer Insight-ajattelun perusteet esiteltiin yhdessä eri avainasiakkaiden identifiointimallien kanssa. Valittua Chevertonin mallia testattiin ja muokattiin työn empiirisessä osassa. Tutkimuksen empiirinen kontribuutio on modifioitu malli potentiaalisten avainasiakkaiden identifiointiin. Se auttaa päätöksentekijöitä etenemään systemaattisesti ja organisoidusti askel askeleelta kohti potentiaalisten asiakkaiden listaa tietyltä markkina-alueelta. Työ tarjoaa työkalun tähän prosessiin sekä luo pohjaa tulevaisuuden tutkimukselle ja toimenpiteille.

Fusion weld metal solidification:Continuum from weld interface to centerline

We present a brief résumé of the history of solidification research and key factors affecting the solidification of fusion welds. There is a general agreement of the basic solidification theory, albeit differing - even confusing - nomenclatures do exist, and Cases 2 and 3 (the Chalmers' basic boundary conditions for solidification, categorized by Savage as Cases) are variably emphasized. Model Frame, a tool helping to model the continuum of fusion weld solidification from start to end, is proposed. It incorporates the general solidification models, of which the pertinent ones are selected for the actual modeling. The basic models are the main solidification Cases 1…4. These discrete Cases are joined with Sub-Cases: models of Pfann, Flemings and others, bringing needed Sub-Case variables into the model. Model Frame depicts a grain growing from the weld interface to its centerline. Besides modeling, the Model Frame supports education and academic debate. The new mathematical modeling techniques will extend its use into multi-dimensional modeling, introducing new variables and increasing the modeling accuracy. We propose a model: melting/solidification-model (M/S-model) - predicting the solute profile at the start of the solidification of a fusion weld. This Case 3-based Sub-Case takes into account the melting stage, the solute back-diffusion in the solid, and the growth rate acceleration typical to fusion welds. We propose - based on works of Rutter & Chalmers, David & Vitek and our experimental results on copper - that NEGS-EGS-transition is not associated only with cellular-dendritic-transition. Solidification is studied experimentally on pure and doped copper with welding speed range from 0 to 200 cm/min, with one test at 3000 cm/min. Found were only planar and cellular structures, no dendrites - columnar or equiaxed. Cell sub structures: rows of cubic elements we call "cubelettes", "cell-bands" and "micro-cells", as well as an anomalous crack morphology "crack-eye", were detected, as well as microscopic hot crack nucleus we call "grain-lag cracks", caused by a grain slightly lagging behind its neighbors in arrival to the weld centerline. Varestraint test and R-test revealed a change of crack morphologies from centerline cracks to grainand cell boundary cracks with an increasing welding speed. High speed made the cracks invisible to bare eye and hardly detectable with light microscope, while electron microscope often revealed networks of fine micro-cracks.

Cost evaluation and comparison of three decision strategies for cardiac revascularization : results of the suspected CAD protocol of the European CMR registry

Background: The public health burden of coronary artery disease (CAD) is important. Perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is generally accepted to detect and monitor CAD. Few studies have so far addressed its costs and costeffectiveness. Objectives: To compare in a large CMR registry the costs of a CMR-guided strategy vs two hypothetical invasive strategies for the diagnosis and the treatment of patients with suspected CAD. Methods: In 3'647 patients with suspected CAD included prospectively in the EuroCMR Registry (59 centers; 18 countries) costs were calculated for diagnostic examinations, revascularizations as well as for complication management over a 1-year follow-up. Patients with ischemia-positive CMR underwent an invasive X-ray coronary angiography (CXA) and revascularization at the discretion of the treating physician (=CMR+CXA strategy). Ischemia was found in 20.9% of patients and 17.4% of them were revascularized. In ischemia-negative patients by CMR, cardiac death and non-fatal myocardial infarctions occurred in 0.38%/y. In a hypothetical invasive arm the costs were calculated for an initial CXA followed by FFR testing in vessels with ≥50% diameter stenoses (=CXA+FFR strategy). To model this hypothetical arm, the same proportion of ischemic patients and outcome was assumed as for the CMR+CXA strategy. The coronary stenosis - FFR relationship reported in the literature was used to derive the proportion of patients with ≥50% diameter stenoses (Psten) in the study cohort. The costs of a CXA-only strategy were also calculated. Calculations were performed from a third payer perspective for the German, UK, Swiss, and US healthcare systems.

The fossil crown wasp Electrostephanus petiolatus Brues in Baltic Amber (Hymenoptera, Stephanidae): designation of a neotype, revised classification,and a key to amber Stephanidae.

The fossil crown wasp Electrostephanus petiolatus Brues comb. rev.(Stephanidae, Electrostephaninae) is re-described from a single male preserved in middle Eocene Baltic Amber. The holotype was lost or destroyed around the time of World War II and subsequent interpretations of its identity have been based solely on the brief descriptive comments provided by Brues in his original account. The new specimen matches the original description and illustration provided by Brues in every detail and we hereby consider them to be conspecific, selecting the specimen as a neotype for the purpose of stabilizing the nomenclature for this fossil species. This neotype exhibits a free first metasomal tergum and sternum, contrary to the assertion of previous workers who indicated these to be fused. Accordingly, this species does indeed belong to the genus Electrostephanus Brues rather than to Denaeostephanus Engel & Grimaldi (Stephaninae). Electrostephanus petiolatus is transferred to a new subgenus, Electrostephanodes n. subgen. , based on its elongate pseudo- petiole and slender gaster, but may eventually warrant generic status as the phylogenetic placement of these fossil lineages continues to be clarifi ed. A revised key to the Baltic amber crown wasps is provided.

A System-Level Simulation Model for a Protocol Processor

As the development of integrated circuit technology continues to follow Moore’s law the complexity of circuits increases exponentially. Traditional hardware description languages such as VHDL and Verilog are no longer powerful enough to cope with this level of complexity and do not provide facilities for hardware/software codesign. Languages such as SystemC are intended to solve these problems by combining the powerful expression of high level programming languages and hardware oriented facilities of hardware description languages. To fully replace older languages in the desing flow of digital systems SystemC should also be synthesizable. The devices required by modern high speed networks often share the same tight constraints for e.g. size, power consumption and price with embedded systems but have also very demanding real time and quality of service requirements that are difficult to satisfy with general purpose processors. Dedicated hardware blocks of an application specific instruction set processor are one way to combine fast processing speed, energy efficiency, flexibility and relatively low time-to-market. Common features can be identified in the network processing domain making it possible to develop specialized but configurable processor architectures. One such architecture is the TACO which is based on transport triggered architecture. The architecture offers a high degree of parallelism and modularity and greatly simplified instruction decoding. For this M.Sc.(Tech) thesis, a simulation environment for the TACO architecture was developed with SystemC 2.2 using an old version written with SystemC 1.0 as a starting point. The environment enables rapid design space exploration by providing facilities for hw/sw codesign and simulation and an extendable library of automatically configured reusable hardware blocks. Other topics that are covered are the differences between SystemC 1.0 and 2.2 from the viewpoint of hardware modeling, and compilation of a SystemC model into synthesizable VHDL with Celoxica Agility SystemC Compiler. A simulation model for a processor for TCP/IP packet validation was designed and tested as a test case for the environment.

Determinants of Broadband Access: Is Platform Competition always the Key Variable to Success?

Previous studies have identified the rivalry among technological platforms as one of the main driving forces of broadband services penetration. This paper draws on data from the Spanish market between 2005 and 2011 to estimate the main determinants of broadband prices. Controlling for broadband tariffs features and network variables, we examine the impact of the different modes of competition on prices. We find that inter-platform competition has no significant effects over prices, while intra-platform competition is a key driver of the prices charged in the broadband market. Our analysis suggests that the impact of different types of competition on prices is critically affected by the levels of development of the broadband market achieved by the considered country

Capability matrix – Identifying and evaluating the key capabilities of purchasing and supply management

Organizations gain resources, skills and technologies to find out the ultimate mix of capabilities to be a winner in the competitive market. These are all important factors that need to be taken into account in organizations operating in today's business environment. So far, there are no significant studies on the organizational capabilities in the field of PSM. The literature review shows that the PSM capabilities need to be studied more comprehensively. This study attempts to reveal and fill this gap by providing the PSM capability matrix that identifies the key PSM capabilities approached from two angles: there are three primary PSM capabilities and nine subcapabilities and, moreover, the individual and organizational PSM capabilities are identified and evaluated. The former refers to the PSM capability matrix of this study which is based on the strategic and operative PSM capabilities that complement the economic ones, while the latter relates to the evaluation of the PSM capabilities, such as the buyer profiles of individual PSM capabilities and the PSMcapability map of the organizational ones. This is a constructive case study. The aim is to define what the purchasing and supply management capabilities are and how they can be evaluated. This study presents a PSM capability matrix to identify and evaluate the capabilities to define capability gaps by comparing the ideal level of PSM capabilities to the realized ones. The research questions are investigated with two case organizations. This study argues that PSM capabilities can be classified into three primary categories with nine sub-categories and, thus, a PSM capability matrix with four evaluation categories can be formed. The buyer profiles are moreover identified to reveal the PSM capability gap. The resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities view (DCV) are used to define the individual and organizational capabilities. The PSM literature is also used to define the capabilities. The key findings of this study are i) the PSM capability matrix to identify the PSM capabilities, ii) the evaluation of the capabilities to define PSM capability gaps and iii) the presentation of the buyer profiles to identify the individual PSM capabilities and to define the organizational PSM capabilities. Dynamic capabilities are also related to the PSM capability gap. If a gap is identified, the organization can renew their PSM capabilities and, thus, create mutual learning and increase their organizational capabilities. And only then, there is potential for dynamic capabilities. Based on this, the purchasing strategy, purchasing policy and procedures should be identified and implemented dynamically.

β-Adrenergic modulation of skeletal muscle contraction: key role of excitation-contraction coupling.

Our aim is to describe the acute effects of catecholamines/β-adrenergic agonists on contraction of non-fatigued skeletal muscle in animals and humans, and explain the mechanisms involved. Adrenaline/β-agonists (0.1-30 μm) generally augment peak force across animal species (positive inotropic effect) and abbreviate relaxation of slow-twitch muscles (positive lusitropic effect). A peak force reduction also occurs in slow-twitch muscles in some conditions. β2 -Adrenoceptor stimulation activates distinct cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases to phosphorylate multiple target proteins. β-Agonists modulate sarcolemmal processes (increased resting membrane potential and action potential amplitude) via enhanced Na(+) -K(+) pump and Na(+) -K(+) -2Cl(-) cotransporter function, but this does not increase force. Myofibrillar Ca(2+) sensitivity and maximum Ca(2+) -activated force are unchanged. All force potentiation involves amplified myoplasmic Ca(2+) transients consequent to increased Ca(2+) release from sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). This unequivocally requires phosphorylation of SR Ca(2+) release channels/ryanodine receptors (RyR1) which sensitize the Ca(2+) -induced Ca(2+) release mechanism. Enhanced trans-sarcolemmal Ca(2+) influx through phosphorylated voltage-activated Ca(2+) channels contributes to force potentiation in diaphragm and amphibian muscle, but not mammalian limb muscle. Phosphorylation of phospholamban increases SR Ca(2+) pump activity in slow-twitch fibres but does not augment force; this process accelerates relaxation and may depress force. Greater Ca(2+) loading of SR may assist force potentiation in fast-twitch muscle. Some human studies show no significant force potentiation which appears to be related to the β-agonist concentration used. Indeed high-dose β-agonists (∼0.1 μm) enhance SR Ca(2+) -release rates, maximum voluntary contraction strength and peak Wingate power in trained humans. The combined findings can explain how adrenaline/β-agonists influence muscle performance during exercise/stress in humans.