| 41. |
- Awuah, Gabriel, et al.
(författare)
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The Internationalization of Multinational Companies (MNCs) : An intra-sector comparison among firms from developing and developed countries
- 2010
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- According to the international statistic data of the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development (Unctad, 2008), the majority of Multinational Companies (MNCs) are from developed countries. However, in the last decade the participation of MNCs from emerging economies in the international flows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased significantly, making them important global players. Although several scholars have addressed the internationalization process of emerging MNCs, no attempt has been made in the sense of directly comparing the internationalization process of firms from both developed and developing countries. To fill this gap, the aim of the present paper is to highlight the differences and similarities of the determinants and patterns of their internationalization. The integrated analytical model used in this study, which draws on insights from the Eclectic Paradigm and the Uppsala Internationalization approaches, has proved useful by helping to shed some light on the literature about MNCs’ internationalization process. The model in question has been structured in order to explore the differences and similarities of the internationalization processes of MNC from a developed and a developing country. This research uses a qualitative method with an exploratory nature, which allows deeper cross- cultural understanding. Multiple case studies of MNCs from countries with different levels of development (Brazil and Sweden) were carried out; this type of research allows addressing questions related to the determinants and patterns of internationalization. The results of the study show that there are strong evidences, which point out differences in term of ownership advantage development. However, the firms did not show substantial differences regarding internalization advantages. On the other hand, learning and experience of internationalization have been factors that have influenced the pattern and structure of the MNCs in both contexts. However, as the MNC from the developed country is more international and has longer experience, location decisions are no longer heavily influenced by these factors. The international network the MNC is part of and access to technology and knowledge partners are nowadays influencing the MNCs internationalization processes more. These findings are in line with earlier research that has pointed out that learning is most important in the early phases of MNCs international development while networks and location advantages are more important in later stages.
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| 42. |
- Persson, Anders, 1956-, et al.
(författare)
-
Kan läraryrkets hemligheter motstå kvalitetsarbetets styrning av lärarutbildningen?
- 2010
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lärarutbildningen är en yrkesutbildning på vetenskaplig grund. I vårt paper undersöker vi vad det innebär att lära till lärare i samspelet och spänningarna mellan praxiskunskap, kvalitet och profession. Praxiskunskap är yrkets tysta kunskap som kommer till uttryck i bland annat undervisningspraktikens krav, skolans villkor och socialt relationsarbete. Kvalitet är föreställ- ningar om vad som är en god lärarutbildning och hur dessa tar sig uttryck i en extern styrning omvandlad till kvalitetsarbete. Där möts graden av måluppfyllelse, utbildningskvalitet och vetenskaplig kvalitet. Profession är en motsägelsefull konstruktion som i någon mening intar en mellanställning mellan praxiskunskap och kvalitet genom att förkroppsliga både yrkesmakt och uppdragsgivares styrning av yrkesutövare. Genom att relatera våra egna undersökningar av styrning, lärares yrkesutövning och villkor – t.ex. Perssons artikel Nöjda som lärare, missnöjda som anställda - skolexistens mellan mening och missnöje (2006) och Ranagårdens doktorsavhandling Lärares lärande om elever (2009) – till det konkreta kvalitetsarbete vi är involverade i inom lärarutbildningen i Halmstad vill vi försöka besvara två frågor: 1. Finns det gränser för extern styrning av och insyn i läraryrket och hur konstitueras de i så fall?; 2. Vad vinner och förlorar vi på att läraryrket avförtrollas?
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| 43. |
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| 44. |
- Rudberg, Martin, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Advanced Planning Systems for Supply Chain Design
- 2011
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the APMS 2011 Conference. - 9788276444612
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The supply chain design defines the operating basis of a supply chain and thereby naturally affects the strategic and financial performance of a company. Yet, companies often tend to neglect to include supply chain design in their strategic planning processes, partly due to the fact that there has been a lack of decision support system for these crucial decisions. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to describe how advanced planning systems (APS), as a standard commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) decision support system, can be used to design and configure the most efficient supply chain structure. To illustrate this, the paper includes two case studies that have used APS to analyse and re-configure their respective supply chains. The cases show many similarities, but also differences in terms of modelling techniques and project management, impacting the results and usefulness of employing a standard APS for supply chain design.
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
- Belyaev, Yuri K
(författare)
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Assessing accuracy of statistical inferences by resamplings
- 2010
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Ingår i: Mathematical and Statistical Models and Methods in Reliability. - New York : Birkhäuser Verlag. - 9780817649708 - 9780817649715 ; , s. 193-206
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Suppose that a list of explanatory variables and corresponding random responses was obtained during a series of regression experiments. The characteristic of interest is the mean value of responses considered as a regression function of corresponding values of explanatory variables. For example, if responses are failure times of tested elements, then the conditional mean value of life time given the value of explanatory variable is one of the important reliability characteristics of the tested elements. The analysis of this type of data can be realized in the framework of linear heteroscedastic regression models. Here, one of the central problems is a consistent estimation of the unknown regression function when the size of data grows unboundedly. The problems related to analysis of regression data attracted many researches, see Wu [Ann. Statist. 14, 1261–1350 (1986)]. We give an approach to consistent solution of the problems under the assumption that values of explanatory variables are real numbers and the regression function is a polynomial with unknown degree and coefficients. The selection of regression function is based on resamplings from terms in the sum of the residuals estimated by the ordinary least squares method with various values of polynomial degree. In a similar way, resamplings from the weighted estimated residuals are used for consistent estimation of the deviations distributions of estimated coefficients from their true unknown values. The consistency of applied resamplings methods holds under certain assumptions, e.g. it is assumed that the residuals distributions have uniformly integrable second moments (assumption AW 2). Given in Appendix a variant of the Central Limit Resampling Theorem is used in the proofs of Theorems 1 and 2.
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| 47. |
- Isaksson, Raine, et al.
(författare)
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Barriers to and drivers for change : analysing causes for improvement potential in the building supply system in Dar es Salaam
- 2010
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 13th QMOD Conference, 30 August - 01 September 2010, Cottbus, Germany. ; , s. 1-14
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Business excellence needs constant reinvention with current challenges being such as how to integrate Learnability, Innovability and Sustainability. This paper looks at learning based on Innovation Action Research with focus on process innovation with the purpose of highlighting sustainability challenges in business core processes. A system based process model in combination with sustainability indicators is used to describe a value network and the existing potential for improved sustainability. A qualitative method for specifying generic causes for the existing improvement potential is used to discuss barriers and drivers for change. Results indicate that quality methodologies can be used as a powerful support for sustainable development.
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| 48. |
- Sjöstrand, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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Entrepreneurship in the Shade of a Multinational Corporation : a Story of Fancy Footwork
- 2011
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Ingår i: 21<sup>th</sup> Nordic Conference on Business Studies. - Stockholm University, School of Business, Sweden.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This paper takes a case study of an engineering company named FlexLink as a point of departure. The company, that produces conceivable applications of conveyors in industrial settings, has no production, no stock and no distribution within the legal boundary of the firm. It has developed as a network organization with organic growth both in the shade of, and ahead of, the global multinational corporation, from which it springs. In order to understand the emergence of this network organization, and the visionary and strong entrepreneur who manoeuvred it to where it stands today, and its rationale, we elaborate on a dialectic model of thesis, anti-thesis and synthesis. We also discuss the rational and rhetoric explanation of the organization's emergence through the examination of critical incidents as well as reactions towards more structural limitations and restrictions, as well as windows of opportunity in the shade of the multinational corporation. This article brings up a case of an extreme outsourcing strategy that has been depicted as an internalized business concept, but in our case study the rationale and the current picture is continuously undergoing change. In the analysis we also show how the emergence of the organization can be understood in the light of theories on Schumpeters concept “creative destruction” as well as in terms of the structuration and the process of change as a duality between actor and structure. In this paper we argue that the emergence of FlexLink can be described as dialectic interplay. The network structure emerged by opposition to the mother company's rigid structure and ideology. In the story of emergence it seems to be the unforeseen consequence of tactics played by one single and dominant actor, navigating in the early days to circumvent obstacles of internal policy. Thus the new organization emerges as an antithesis to the corporate policies and modes of operation. The new business was not produced according to a pre-established strategic plan, but rather evolved from a spirit of contradiction and a more or less explicit revolt and ambition to act differently. One important contribution from this study is that entrepreneurship has many faces and applications and also describes the practice of the entrepreneur as a problem solver and a master of fancy footwork. This is elaborated in the paper together with a discussion based on the risks for stagnation or how new – second order - entrepreneurship can emerge.
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| 49. |
- Jonsson, Patrik, 1967, et al.
(författare)
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Effects from implementing advanced planning & scheduling systems for supply chain planning
- 2011
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 2011 EurOMA conference.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose is to analyze the effects from Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) systems for supply chain planning, both in terms of experienced benefits and problems, and the impact of the planning context and implementation approach. The research is based on a multiple case study of five manufacturing firms. It is concluded that the APS implementation focus and APS use impact three effect types differently if applying a process or system focus and more positively if applying an APS lead, compared to lag, approach. It also shows that the organisation, individuals, technology impact the effects, no matter APS implementation focus.
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| 50. |
- Paju, Marja, et al.
(författare)
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Framework and Indicators for a Sustainable Manufacturing Mapping Methodology
- 2010
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 2010 Winter Simulation Conference. - 9781424498642 ; 42, s. 3411-3422
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reducing costs, improving quality, shortening the time-to-market, and at the same time act and think sus-tainable are major challenges for manufacturing industries. To strive towards these objectives, discrete event simulation (DES) has proven to be an effective tool for production system decision support. Large companies continuously log raw data, and are therefore able to collect large quantities of re-source event information. However, usually it is difficult to reuse data for future DES projects. Thus, the aim of this paper is to describe how to facilitate data sharing between data sources and DES models. A test implementation of a simulation data architecture has been realized. A data processing tool, a database and an interface were created, which provide reusable resource event data to pave the way for sustainable resource information in DES projects. The entirety data exchange is provided by standard XML documents following the latest Core Manufacturing Simulation Data recommendations.
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