| 1. |
- Andersson, Håkan A., 1948-
(författare)
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Svenska småföretags användning av reserveringar för resultatutjämning och intern finansiering
- 2006
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Small firms often have inadequate access to the capital necessary for sucessful management. The Swedish Government introduced in the mid-1990s allowance rules that facilitate retention of profit for sole proprietorships and partnership firms. The tax credits arising from the allowances give certain benefits as a source of financing compared to traditional forms of credits. Among the more essential benefits are that the payment for some parts of the tax credit can be put on hold almost indefinitely, or alternatively never be paid. The firms are free to use these means, and the responsibility of future payment of the postponed tax debt stays with the individual firms. The comprehensive purpose of the dissertation may be stated as to increase the understanding of small Swedish firms, especially sole proprietorships, utilizing possibilities for allowances for income smoothing and internal financing. At the beginning the dissertation describes case studies, comprising a smaller selection of microfirms. With a starting-point from the accounted and reported income-tax returns, alternative calculations are made where additional positive tax and finance effects appear possible to obtain. One purpose of these studies is to increase the insight regarding the possibilities of income smoothing and internal financing that arise from utilizing these allowances. These studies also illuminate, to what extent and in what way they are being used in reality. Another objective of these studies is to give a more substantive insight into the technics behind the different allowances, appropriation to positive or negative interest rate allocation appropriation or dissolving of tax allocation reserve appropriation or dissolving of “expansion fund” Theories regarding the creation of resources, through building of capital, and theories on financial planning and strategy are studied. The purpose is to find support for the choice of theoretical grounded underlying independent variables that can be used in cross-sectional studies to explain the use of the possibilities of appropriations. Theories of finance that are of greatest interest, in the operationalisation of these variables, are theories that discuss the choices of different financing alternatives for small firms. The “pecking order theory”, describes the firm’s order of priority when choices of finance alternatives are made. The concept of “financial bootstrapping” expands the frame for different forms of financing choices that especially very small firms have at their disposal.The last part of the theoretical frame deals with the phenomenon of “income smoothing,” which can be translated as leveling out profits/losses. A number of financial and non-financial variables are supported by and operationalised from these financial theories e.g., return on sales, capital turnover, quick ratio and debt-to-equity ratio, respectively age, gender and line of business. Cross-sectional studies are implemented for the taxation years of 1996 and 1999, on databases that have been extracted from Statistics Sweden. The group of 87,276 sole proprietorships included in the study were required to complete tax returns and pay taxes for the business activity according to the supporting schedule, N2, information from the sole proprietorships’ income statement and balance sheet in an accounting statement that comes with the income tax return form. The possibilities of allowances are considered as dependent variables. The intention of the cross-sectional studies is to survey and describe the utilization of possible allowances, with the support of the financial and non-financial independent variables. The connection of these variables to the decision of sole proprietorships to appropriate to the tax allocation reserve is also summarized in a logistic regression model. A number of theoretically based propositions are made for the purpose of observing how the variables are connected to the chances that sole proprietorships actually appropriate to this form of allowance. Appropriation to the tax allocation reserve stands out as the most practiced form of allowance. The studies also clarify that utilization varies among different forms of allowances, but that not all firms that have the prerequisites to utilize the possibilities really do so to the full. A further utilization of the different possibilities of allowances is often conceivable. For the sole proprietorships that are not utilizing these possibilities, the allowances should be considered eligible as a contribution to internal financing and to increase access to capital.
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| 2. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, 1964-
(författare)
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Essays of Financial Performance and Capital Structure
- 2003
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis consists of an introductory chapter and four self-contained essays on financial performance and capital structure. Essay I assesses the strength of strategic inputs into profitability among firms within several sub-sectors within the industrial service sector in the U.S. and Sweden. In this study we employ an ordinary least square regression. The results, coupled with structural observations on production sectors, suggest that significant differences may indeed occur in both productivity and pricing in the two systems, i.e. the U.S. and Sweden. Essay II estimates the impact of operating costs and cost of debt on revenue, profit generation and asset retention in public housing companies in Sweden. A general conclusion to draw from the empirical results is that expentitures on consolidated maintenance is not only associated with short-term rental revenues, but undoubtedly long-term viability as well. Further, first difference results suggested that negotiated rents produced operating profits that kept pace with revenues over the time period of study. Essay III examines the impact of selected financial and contextual variables on managers’ decisions to appropriate funds to tax allowances in small firms in Sweden. The motive for appropriating to the tax allocation reserve is twofold. First, the tax allocation reserve is intended to lower the tax levy on investments financed with internally generated income. Second, it creates a possibility for firms to smooth income over a number of years. The results, from the logistic regression, suggest that financial performance, financial position and prior appropriations do impact on managers’ decision to appropriate. Essay IV examines the association between the two sides of the balance sheet based on financial statement information from small firms in Sweden The results of the multivariate canonical correlation analysis provides some support to the hypotheses that firms develop patterns, in their use of assets and their financing.
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| 3. |
- Boström, Gert-Olof, et al.
(författare)
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Sweden : Bank of Year Recognition & Performance
- 2015
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Ingår i: Services Marketing Quarterly. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1533-2969 .- 1533-2977. ; 36:1, s. 1-21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Swedish banking has been recognized for financial prudence, innovations and service provision. Bank of the Year winners are characterized in terms of their prize-winning performance. It details and then generalizes items that led to awards and quantifies the financial rewards that come from providing superior performance. In most cases, growth slowed, but winners still tended to attain above average performance. It would appear that 1.) service really is the foundation for recognition; 2.) more recently, sound management, innovation and financial performance have come into play, and 3.) it is easier to be recognized if the organization is small.
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| 4. |
- Chiche, Ariel
(författare)
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On Hybrid Fuel Cell and Battery Systems for Maritime Applications
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Hydrogen is seen as a key player in leading to a sustainable energy sector and decarbonizing the transport sector. Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) consume hydrogen and oxygen to generate water, heat and electricity. If designed properly, a hydrogen-fuelled system can significantly increase the endurance of vehicles without increasing the weight or volume of the energy system, which makes it a promising solution for maritime applications. To take advantage of the high density of energy in hydrogen and of power in batteries, a sizing strategy for hybrid systems was developed and implemented for an underwater vessel and a rescue boat, considering various constraints, e.g. neutral buoyancy for underwater vehicles. Several types of storage for reactants were compared and their thermal properties were included in the sizing strategy. To understand the behaviour of fuel cells in an underwater environment, i.e. a closed environment without presence of oxygen, an experimental lab-scale setup was built, and various hydrogen supply methods were tested. Finally, modelling of the hybrid system was used to compare different energy management strategies (EMSs). The developed sizing strategy, tested through real power profiles, demonstrates that an optimized hybrid system becomes more compact and lighter than a battery system when the length of the mission increases. Such a system can also compete in terms of weight and volume with a diesel engine and help reduce the environmental impact of a vehicle. The heat balance analysis shows that the fuel cell is the major heat contributor, regardless of the combination of reactants storage units. The experimental work highlights that the fuel cell should deliver a low current density at a high relative humidity in order to limit the waste of hydrogen and increase the performance of the stack. The symmetric purging strategy appears to increase the stability of the stack over time. It is also shown that it is crucial to select an adapted EMS for each mission in order to fulfil it. Some EMSs tend to limit the hydrogen consumption while others deplete more battery power. To conclude, it is relevant to use fuel cell systems for maritime applications, and has the potential to increase the length of the missions performed.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Hedström, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Experimental results from a 5 kW PEM fuel cell stackoperated on simulated reformate from highly dilutedhydrocarbon fuels: Efficiency, dilution, fuel utilisation,CO poisoning and design criteria
- 2009
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Ingår i: International journal of hydrogen energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0360-3199 .- 1879-3487. ; :34, s. 1508-1514
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present article analyses the effects of dilute biogas on efficiency, fuel utilisation, dynamics, control strategy, and design criteria for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) system. The tested fuel compositions are exemplified by gas compositions that could be attained within various Swedish biofuel demonstration projects. Experimental data which can serve as a basis for design of PEFC biogas systems operating in load-following, or steady-state mode, are reported for a 5 kW PEFC stack.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Leijonmarck, Simon, et al.
(författare)
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Flexible nano-paper-based positive electrodes for Li-ion batteries- Preparation process and properties
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nano Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 2211-2855. ; 2:5, s. 794-800
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Flexible battery solutions is an emerging field due to a demand for bendable electronic devices. In this study, a route to make flexible positive electrodes for Li-ion batteries by utilizing nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) as binder material has been examined. These LiFePO4-based electrodes are made by filtration of a water dispersion of NFC, LiFePO4 and Super-P carbon particles, resembling a paper-making process. The resulting electrodes show good mechanical properties both dry as well as when soaked with battery electrolyte with a stress at break of typically at 5.2 and 2.2 MPa, respectively. The cycling performance was 151 mAh/g at C/10 and 132 mAh/g at 1C for samples dried at 170 degrees C. The drying temperature, after the filtration step, was found to be important and to affect both the mechanical properties, rendering the electrodes more ductile at lower temperatures, as well as the electrochemical properties, causing a higher coulombic efficiency at higher temperatures.
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| 10. |
- Leijonmarck, Simon, et al.
(författare)
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Single-paper flexible Li-ion battery cells through a paper-making process based on nano-fibrillated cellulose
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry. - : RSC Publishing. - 0959-9428 .- 1364-5501. ; 1:15, s. 4671-4677
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recently, a need for mechanically flexible and strong batteries has arisen to power technical solutions such as active RFID tags and bendable reading devices. In this work, a method for making flexible and strong battery cells, integrated into a single flexible paper structure, is presented. Nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC) is used both as electrode binder material and as separator material. The battery papers are made through a paper-making type process by sequential filtration of water dispersions containing the battery components. The resulting paper structure is thin, 250 mm, and strong with a strength at break of up to 5.6 MPa when soaked in battery electrolyte. The cycling performances are good with reversible capacities of 146 mA h g(-1) LiFePO4 at C/10 and 101 mA h g(-1) LiFePO4 at 1 C. This corresponds to an energy density of 188 mW h g(-1) of full paper battery at C/10.
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| 11. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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A Case Study in Swedish Municipal Public Housing Refurbishment
- 2016
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Swedish public housing has commanded special international interest and tends to be an aspiration for other countries. That is, at a time when countries struggle to provide adequate public housing, it has been noted, “(Public) housing quality in Sweden is very high by international standards”. Perhaps more importantly, it tends to be self-sustaining. Provision of this housing is controlled by Municipal Public Housing Companies which are the dominating landlords in Swedish rental housing. Some portion of the presentation is given to describing and discussing their operations, which relates to investment, rental negotiations and new public management. More focus, however, is taken to indicate where this sector happens to be presently in management of operations, which happens to be in a refurbishment mode. That is, there comes a time in a building’s life when its proprietor-investors must make the decision of whether money will be reinvested in extending the structure’s life or not. Much of this housing was developed during the 60 and 70s. Buildings with expected useful lives of fifty years built in the 60-70s have now reached the question of refurbishment – yes or no? In this paper the pilot portion of a refurbishment project conducted within a municipal public housing complex is described and discussed through a case study, Project Alidhem in northern Sweden, which has a significant sustainability objective. The overall energy efficiency goal within the project was a 40-50% reduction in the supplied energy for domestic hot water, building electricity and space heating. In order to evaluate if these goals were feasible, a measurement system was installed in a pilot building and in a neighboring building used as a reference. A 43% improvement was observed in energy utilization in the pilot building compared to its reference companion (99.8 vs 174.5 kWh/m2 per year). When the approach described herein was applied to new construction, the present goal of 65 kWh/m2 was approached as measured by Swedish standards. Refurbishment did not stop with energy and ecological considerations in the pilot installation, but also included refurbishing and refinishing of rental interiors, entrances and stairwells, as well as a glazed-in winter garden for residents, conversion of a thoroughfare to a low traffic city street, and old waste-rooms converted to functional recycling facilities.
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| 12. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, 1964-, et al.
(författare)
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A Comparative Study of Industrial Services in the U.S. and Sweden : Profitability, Productivity and Pricing
- 2001
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Ingår i: Journal of Global Marketing. - 0891-1762 .- 1528-6975. ; 14:4, s. 67-87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Industrialized countries now depend on the service sector, especially industrial services, for a significant portion of employment and GDP. Despite this importance, there has been little attention given to comparative studies in this area. Cross-sectional, financial data from Swedish and U.S. industrial service sectors were used to assess the dependence of profitability on four strategic factors--relative market share, revenue/employee, investment intensity, and segment growth rate. Both market share and revenue/employee were statistically significant in U.S. performance. Swedish results suggested that market share was not a significant contributor to a profitable strategy. Investment intensity and revenue/ employee, however, were significant contributions to profitability. These results, coupled with structural observations on production sectors, suggest that significant differences may indeed occur in both productivity and pricing in the two systems.
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| 13. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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A fourth look at public housing in Sweden: The business model
- 2016
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Economic Association Conference. - : Pennsylvania Economic Association. ; , s. 136-147
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Comparative housing analyses often find that the Swedish public housing model represents a success story. That is, a good class of housing is offered at a reasonable cost to all sections of the population – irrespective of income, ethnicity, age or type of household. This approach has been called the “Swedish public housing model” and the purpose of this paper is to describe and reflect upon its operation. The company utilized in this study as a research case, AB Bostaden, builds and manages housing in the Umeå municipality. With 15,400 apartments, it is the biggest actor in the Umeå housing rental market, with a market share of approximately 45 percent, and controls 27 percent of the Umeå housing market overall. The background section of the paper provides consideration of both the Swedish system of rental housing as well as aspects of business models. A typological-taxonomic approach to understanding business models is used to deconstruct Bostaden’s approach to its housing market. The business model that results through this approach indicates that the organization functions as a tenant-oriented, municipal utility with core values of human equality, transparency, care and a businesslike approach that captures a high return on rental revenue (~ 19.3% PBT) and a modest return on assets (7.9% ROA, including depreciation) within a value network of the kommun + the energy utility + the university by providing value-for-money rentals within the municipality and by helping tenants to turn their flats into homes and neighborhoods. Continued appreciation of its base assets and apparent economies of scale were instrumental in the success of the operations at the tactical level.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, 1964-, et al.
(författare)
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Cost Control and Revenue Generation : The Case of Public Housing Companies Experiences in Sweden
- 2004
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Ingår i: Regional studies. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0034-3404 .- 1360-0591. ; 38:7, s. 803-815
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increased competition for funds associated with the provision of public-sector housing, stock privatization, and attempts to introduce more tenant-centred and effective housing management services are trends seen in social housing throughout the European Union. Consequently, studies have been done that compare programmes worldwide and in Europe, or analyse changes in single countries. The Swedish system has received attention because of its long-term viability. An ordinary least-squares analysis of financial information from providers in this system has been made with special regard to revenue generation capabilities, the ability to remain profitable, and the retention of asset values for both level and first difference approaches. If one general lesson can be drawn from the empirical results, it would be that expenditures on consolidated maintenance are associated not only with short- term rental revenues, but also undoubtedly with long-term viability. Further, first difference results suggested that negotiated rents produced operating profits that kept pace with revenues over that period of the study. The results should be especially relevant to the interests of a wide range of local governments where public housing is of concern. In particular, those individuals bearing greater responsibility for running self-sufficient systems and also policy-makers interested in running efficient, effective systems should be interested in these observations.
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| 16. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, 1964-, et al.
(författare)
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Developments in Swedish Rental housing : unanticipated consequences of Public Municipal Housing Companies Act 2011
- 2018
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Ingår i: Competition Forum. - : American Society for Competitiveness. - 1545-2581. ; 16:1, s. 19-31
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper reflects some specific accommodations that have occurred in the Swedish rental sector as a consequence of Municipal Housing Companies (MHCs) complying with the Public Municipal Housing Companies Act of 2011, which required them to perform in a more business-like manner. It was not explicitly noted, but undoubtedly assumed, that the municipal sector of housing would function much as before. Unexpected consequences, however, have changed the competitive landscape. Not only have MHCs been affected, but independent rental companies as well. Further, tenants have not been particularly pleased with some of the developments. Three cases triangulate the observations.
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| 17. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, 1964-, et al.
(författare)
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Financial Management in Public Housing Companies as Related to the Negotiating Process in Sweden
- 2006
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Ingår i: Housing Studies. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0267-3037 .- 1466-1810. ; 21:1, s. 17-34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Social programmes tend to have some element of housing in their structure, and recent downward global trends have made studies popular that compare programmes or analyse changes. Within this context, the Swedish system has received attention because of its apparent long-term viability. Rents in this system are set through a negotiation process with tenant organisations, and this paper describes the process because it affects the financial condition of the housing. An ordinary least squares analysis of financial information has been made with regard to revenue generation capabilities, and the first difference results are discussed in terms of the negotiation process in the system. Those numbers suggest the system is improving revenue generation, but not operating profit.
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| 18. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Project Ålidhem : a case study of a sustainable Swedish municipal public housing installation
- 2017
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Ingår i: Energy Procedia. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 1876-6102. ; 121, s. 11-17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A refurbishment project conducted within a municipal public housing complex is described and discussed through Project Ålidhem in northern Sweden. The overall energy efficiency goal within the project was a 40-50% reduction in the supplied energy for domestic hot water, building electricity and space heating. In the pilot study, a 43% improvement was observed. This paper focuses on the performance of four buildings constructed under a Delegation for Sustainable Cities program that specified an energy efficiency goal of 65 kWh/m2. This goal was approached, but not attained. Observations of utilization in four free-standing buildings were 68.3, 76.8, 87.2 and 87.6 kWh/m2 per year respectively, which are described and discussed herein.
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| 19. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Public Housing in Sweden : The Umeå Two-Step
- 2017
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Comparative housing analyses often find that Swedish public housing represents an interesting story because it provides a good class of rental housing to all sections of the population. This approach has been called the “Swedish public housing model”. An in-depth case study has been used to develop a system-wide understanding of a participant’s involvement in its housing market. In this case study, the public utility/energy and water-sewage/solid waste companies played a significant role in the company’s ability to serve the local community. It thus behooves us to compare and connect the different components in the public housing company business model to complete the analysis of success in the value chain. Two-levels describe the situation. At the first level, the municipal public housing (MPH) organization is seen as functioning as a tenant-oriented, quasi-municipal utility within a value network composed of the municipality + the energy utility + the water-sewage/solid waste company. At the second level, a Shaffer analysis shows general harmony among the operations of each organization. In particular, the MPH provides value-for-money rentals within the municipality and helps tenants turn their flats into homes. Additionally, continued appreciation of its base assets and apparent economies of scale were instrumental in the success of the operations at the tactical level. Insofar as the Swedish public housing model is undergoing a shift to be more “business-like”, this study indicates how the model successfully works at the individual company level. Because there are certain commonalities with other organizations in public management, observations may be relevant in their successful operations.
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| 20. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Reflections on sustainable Ålidhem : a case study in Swedish municipal public housing refurbishment
- 2018
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Ingår i: Property Management. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 0263-7472 .- 1758-731X. ; 36:2, s. 203-220
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: This work is initiated under the premise that reliable evaluation methods are necessary to ensure investments in energy conservation, and the purpose of this paper is to contribute to that literature. It describes some pilot changes and their impact in an actual field study oriented toward upgrading municipal public housing (MPH) units.Design/methodology/approach: The research for this paper was connected to an MPH refurbishment project situated in northern Sweden. The overall energy efficiency goal within the project was a 40-50 percent reduction in the supplied energy for central electricity, domestic hot water and space heating. In order to evaluate if these goals were feasible, a measurement system was installed in a pilot building and in a neighboring building used as a reference. The evaluation was conducted by comparing the post-retrofit performance of the pilot building with the performance of the reference building when it was kept in its initial state (a comparison possible because both buildings had initial similarities).Findings: Impacts could be quantified insofar as a reference (control) building in the same environment was sustained for comparison purposes. A 43 percent improvement was observed in energy utilization in the pilot building compared to its reference companion (99.8 vs 174.5 kWh/m2 per year). When the approach described herein was applied to new construction, the present goal of 65 kWh/m2 was approached as measured by Swedish standards.Practical implications: Results should be of interest to academics in the housing field, professionals involved in refurbishment and residents themselves, renting MPH flats.Originality/value: This study is unique in the following ways: first, it really was a field experiment with a control, thus it did not have any exogenous interference in interpreting results. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of its kind. The second interesting characteristic was that results were subsequently used in the refurbishment of other buildings in the complex and in the construction of others. The major value of the paper may be associated with its timing. It comes at a time when the Kyoto agreement has raised concerns about sustainability, but also at a time when many buildings are facing a need for refurbishment.
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| 21. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Strategic Management in Swedish Municipal Housing : Indications of Change in Owner Directives
- 2016
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Ingår i: Property Management. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 0263-7472 .- 1758-731X. ; 34:2, s. 136-157
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Present directives in municipal housing have been imposed by the Public Municipal Housing Companies Act (PMCHA), put into force on January 2011 in Sweden. The Act, states that Public Municipal Housing Companies (PMHCs) should run their operation on “businesslike principles” e.g., commensurate with New Public Management (NPM). The purpose of this paper is to determine if forthcoming practices are apparent in the owner directives that govern operations of these companies.Method: The research is both exploratory and qualitative in nature and utilizes in-depth case studies of 20 selected PMHCs. Observations for 2013 were compared with similar documents collected 10 years prior (2004) using commercially available NVivo software to qualitatively analyze information.Findings: Results suggest that statistically significant changes in directives have occurred and adaptation to the new Act may already have started to take place at this relatively early date.Practical implications: Insofar as Sweden might be a model for other countries interested in extending their efforts in managing public housing, observations here provide some insights into possible results.Originality/value: This is the first attempt to determine the impact that complying with “businesslike principles” has on operations in Swedish housing, which tends to be a model of effectiveness in the global housing sector.
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| 22. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Sustainability in Sweden : reflections from Zhang and London
- 2013
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Ingår i: Competitive forum. - USA. ; , s. 134-141
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: To report on how sustainable development can be considered as one of the elements for industrial competitiveness in a country in which sustainable development has some priority. Method: The research is both exploratory and qualitative in nature and utilizes an in-depth case study approach to the Swedish international economy as might be reflected by Zhang and London’s International Sustainable Industrial Competiveness (ISIC) Model. Information drawn from current secondary information has been complemented by personal contemporaneous observations of individuals in the country of interest.Findings: Sweden does very well in nine of the ten categories the EU uses to measure sustainable development progress. Growth of gross domestic product, low risk of poverty, good employment rate of older workers and excellent health statistics suggests that short term competitive situation has not been hurt. Practical implications: Insofar as Sweden might be a model for other countries interested in extending their efforts in sustainable development, observations here provide some insights into possible results.Originality/value: The association of real-world observations with theory well serves underlying concepts and cannot help but build credibility of those concepts and theory.
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| 23. |
- Lindbergh, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Swedish sustainability through a Zhang and London lens
- 2016
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Ingår i: Competitiveness Review. - 1059-5422 .- 2051-3143. ; 26:4, s. 370-394
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: To describe how sustainable development has been initiated in a country (Sweden) in which sustainable development has priority and has produced observable results – essentially the definition and reshaping of contents (p. 107) referred to in the ZL paper therefore adding some validity to the model.Method: The research is both exploratory and qualitative in nature and utilizes an in-depth case study approach to the Swedish international economy as might be reflected by Zhang and London’s modified Porter model. Information drawn from current secondary sources is complemented by personal contemporaneous observations of individuals in the country of interest. Findings: The task of implementing Sweden’s strategy for sustainable development is holistic and the State has played a major role in its development. That is, sustainability is the responsibility of the Government Offices as a whole, which produces proactive programs in each of the interactions analyzed in the Zhang and London modified model. As an aside, the country has sustained a high level of competitiveness while producing a pleasant environment in which to live.Practical implications: Insofar as Sweden might be a model for other countries interested in extending their efforts in sustainable development, observations here provide some insights into possible approaches and results. Originality/value: The approach basically followed Siggelkow’s (2007) definition of the use of cases as illustrations, which is useful when the underlying development depends upon constructs. It follows that the association of real-world observations with theory well serves the underlying foundation and cannot help but build credibility of those concepts and theory.
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| 24. |
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| 25. |
- Långström, Sofia, et al.
(författare)
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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure in Annual Reports of Public Municipal Housing Companies in Sweden
- 2017
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the degree to which, and with what apparent intent, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is disclosed in Swedish Public Municipal Housing companies’ (PMHC) annual reports.Method: Although exploratory, the research uses a statistical approach to quantitatively assess four research questions developed to guide the research from a random sample of 50 firms from an industry population of 263 companies. The development depends upon a content analysis with qualitative assessment of the annual reports and utilizes NVivo software to analyze information. The framework for the content analysis is based on Clarkson et al. (2008) environmental index and Sutantoputra (2009) social index. In turn, they are based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).Findings: This study brings new information about CSR disclosure in the annual reports for PMHCs. Results suggest that PMHCs tend universally to include CSR material in their annual reports. Based on a random sample of 50 PMHC all had some citations, seven being the minimum. Further, there was a relationship between environmental and social citations.Research limitations/implications: The study is based on annual reports from 2014 and only limited companies were included in the study. Nevertheless, every annual report that was reviewed contained CSR information, which shows that it is important to organizations. Future studies could be done on another type of housing, for example privately owned rental properties. Another suggestion is to do a follow up study on this population to see if CSR reporting has increased. The framework could also be used to review CSR on another official document, for example the business plan.Practical implications: The study puts a spotlight on CSR in annual reports, both for PMHCs but also for other industries. This could lead to more CSR being integrated into annual reports in the future.Originality/value: This is the first attempt to report on the status of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Swedish Municipal Public Housing, which tends to be of interest in the global housing sector. Participants in public housing, as either managers, residents or academics should value these results. This study is also relevant for those studying or working with CSR since it is an industry specific study that has not been performed before.
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| 26. |
- Massoud, Al-Shimaà A A, 1980, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of Different Substituents on the Crystal Structures and Antimicrobial Activities of Six Ag(I) Quinoline Compounds
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Inorganic Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 52:7, s. 4046-4060
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The syntheses and single crystal X-ray structures of [Ag(5-nitroquinoline)(2)]NO3 (1), [Ag(8-nitroquinoline)(2)]NO3 center dot H2O (2), [Ag(6-methoxy-8-nitroquinoline)(NO3)](n) (3), [Ag(3-quinolinecarbonitrile)(NO3)](n) (4), [Ag(3-quinolinecarbonitrile)(2)]NO3 (5), and [Ag(6-quinolinecarboxylic acid)(2)]NO3 (6) are described. As an alternative to solution chemistry, solid-state grinding could be used to prepare compounds 1 and 3, but the preparation of 4 and 5 in this way failed. The Ag(I) ions in the monomeric compounds 1, 2, 5, and 6 are coordinated to two ligands via the nitrogen atoms of the quinoline rings, thereby forming a distorted linear coordination geometry with Ag-N bond distances of 2.142(2)-2.336(2) angstrom and N-Ag-N bond angles of 163.62(13)degrees-172.25(13)degrees. The 1D coordination polymers 3 and 4 contain Ag(I) centers coordinating one ligand and two bridging nitrate groups, thereby forming a distorted trigonal planar coordination geometry with Ag-N bond distances of 2.2700(14) and 2.224(5) angstrom, Ag-O bond distances of 2.261(4)-2.536(5) angstrom, and N-Ag-O bond angles of 115.23(5)degrees-155.56(5)degrees. Hirshfeld surface analyses of compounds 1-6 are presented as d(norm) and curvedness maps. The d(norm) maps show different interaction sites around the Ag(I) ions, i.e., Ag center dot center dot center dot Ag interactions and possible O-H center dot center dot center dot O, C-H center dot center dot center dot O, C-H center dot center dot center dot N, and C-H center dot center dot center dot C hydrogen bonds. Curvedness maps are a good way of visualizing pi-pi tacking interactions between molecules. The antimicrobial activities of compounds 1, 2, and 6 were screened against 15 different multidrug-resistant strains of bacteria isolated from diabetic foot ulcers and compared to the antimicrobial activities of the clinically used silver sulfadiazine (SS). Compound 2 showed activity similar to SS against this set of test organisms, being active against all strains and having slightly better average silver efficiency than SS (5 vs 6 mu g Ag/mL). Against the standard nonresistant bacterial strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, and Streptococcus pyogenes, compound 1 performed better than silver nitrate, with an average MIC of 6 mu g Ag/mL versus 18 mu g Ag/mL for the reference AgNO3. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) analyses of compounds 3 and 6 in DMSO/MeOH confirm the two-coordinated Ag+ complexes in solution, and the results of the H-1 NMR titrations of DMSO solutions of 5-nitroquinoline and 8-nitroquinoline with AgNO3 in DMSO suggest that 5-nitroquinoline is more strongly coordinated to the silver ion.
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| 27. |
- Mattsson, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Capacity of public-private collaborations to incorporate sustainable business models for housing development in Sweden : a resilience perspective
- 2022
-
Ingår i: IOP Conference Series. - : Institute of Physics (IOP).
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Moving toward social and ecological sustainable business models requires collaborations in housing development. However, collaborations today between public and private housing developers are often the subject of criticism in terms of their sustainability efforts. One way of moving forward for these collaborations is to consider resilience as a desired property for sustainable business models. Thus, guided by a resilience perspective, semi-structured interviews have been conducted and secondary data has been collected to depict the barriers and enablers for public-private collaborations to move toward resilience and truly sustainable business models. The results reveal that barriers are development costs, knowledge, stepwise processes, and different perspectives, meanwhile enablers are knowledge transfer, trust, clear roles and agendas, win-win, instruments/incentives, and sustainability leadership. To overcome the barriers and leverage the enablers identified, resilience attributes such as knowledge transfer, social capital, space for disturbance, diverse forms of governance, and knowledge about sustainability need to be understood and applied to achieve sustainable business models in public-private collaborations.
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| 28. |
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| 29. |
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| 30. |
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| 31. |
- Tingelöf, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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The influence of CO2, CO and air bleed on the current distribution of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell
- 2008
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Ingår i: International journal of hydrogen energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0360-3199 .- 1879-3487. ; :33, s. 2064-2072
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The influence of CO2, CO and air bleed on current distribution was studied during transient operation, and the dynamic response of the fuel cell was evaluated. CO causes significant changes in the current distribution in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. The current distribution reaches steady state after approximately 60 min following addition of 10 ppm CO to the anode fuel stream. Air bleed may recover the uneven current distribution caused by CO and also the drop in cell voltage due to CO and CO2 poisoning. The recovery of cell performance during air bleed occurs evenly over the electrode surface even when the O-2 partial pressure is far too low to fully recover the CO poisoning. The O-2 supplied to the anode reacts on the anode catalyst and no O-2 was measured at the cell outlet for air bleed levels up to 2.5%.
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| 32. |
- Wiezell, Katarina, 1977-
(författare)
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Modelling and Experimental Investigation of the Dynamics in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells
- 2009
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC) chemical energy, in for example hydrogen, is converted by an electrochemical process into electrical energy. The PEFC has a working temperature generally below 100 °C. Under these conditions water management and transport of oxygen to the cathode are the parameters limiting the performance of the PEFC.The purpose of this thesis was to better understand the complex processes in different parts of the PEFC. The rate-limiting processes in the cathode were studied using pure oxygen while varying oxygen pressure and humidity. Mass-transport limitations in the gas diffusion layer using oxygen diluted in nitrogen or helium was also studied. A large capacitive loop was seen at 1-10 Hz with 5-20 % oxygen. When nitrogen was changed to helium, which has a higher binary diffusion coefficient, the loop decreased and shifted to a higher frequency.Steady-state and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) models have been developed that accounts for water transport in the membrane and the influence of water on the anode. Due to water drag, the membrane resistance changes with current density. This gives rise to a low frequency loop in the complex plane plot. The loop appeared at a frequency of around 0.1 Hz and varied with D/Lm2, where D is the water diffusion coefficient and Lm is the membrane thickness. The EIS model for the hydrogen electrode gave three to four semicircles in the complex plane plot when taking the influence of water concentration on the anode conductivity and kinetics into account. The high-frequency semicircle is attributed to the Volmer reaction, the medium-frequency semicircle to the pseudocapacitance resulting from the adsorbed hydrogen, and the low-frequency semicircles to variations in electrode performance with water concentration. These low-frequency semicircles appear in a frequency range overlapping with the low-frequency semicircles from the water transport in the membrane. The effects of current density and membrane thickness were studied experimentally. An expected shift in frequency, when varying the membrane thickness was seen. This shift confirms the theory that the low-frequency loop is connected to the water transport in the membrane.
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| 33. |
- Wilson, Timothy, 1938-, et al.
(författare)
-
A Fifth Look at Swedish Public Housing : Operating under Business-Like Principles: Walking the Walk
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Pennsylvania Economic Association Annual Conference Proceedings, 2017. ; , s. 101-111
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this paper is to ascertain if financial observations parallel the text findings in owner directives that suggested Municipal Housing Companies (MHCs) in Sweden have complied with the Public Municipal Housing Companies Act of 2011 (PMHCA 2011) requiring them to act in a business-like manner. Results are reported here for 19 of the original 20 companies used in a sample suggesting MPHs were acting in a business-like manner as required by PMHCA 2011. Information for the study was obtained from the Retriever Business database, which included complete company financials for the period. Best straight lines were constructed through individual company data from 2005 to 2010 (pre-regulation) and 2010 to 2014 (post-regulation). A t-test of slope difference was used to indicate the significance of any change. Sample results suggest that the industry as a whole has adjusted overall to the business-like mandate insofar as revenue generation illustrates an upturn starting in 2011. Results for return on assets, operating profit margin and solvency did not show statistically significant results. Results for two individual firms illustrate how extreme reactions might occur.
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| 34. |
- Wilson, Timothy, 1938-, et al.
(författare)
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A seventh look at Swedish housing – Operating under Business-Like Principles: Some Unanticipated Consequences
- 2018
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Ingår i: PEA 2018 Conference Proceedings.
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this paper is to reflect on some specific observations that Municipal Housing Companies (MHCs) in Sweden have made as they complied with the Public Municipal Housing Companies Act of 2011. This act, PMHCA 2011, required MHCs to perform in a business-like manner. It was not explicitly noted, but undoubtedly assumed, by authors of this legislation that the municipal sector of housing would proceed much as before. In other words, the effect of passage would be a tweaking of present operations. As is frequently the case in examples of New Public Management (NPM) applications, however, there can be unexpected consequences to legislative activities. Results are reported here for a situation in which a particular MHC made a significant sale of properties to a private company, and an assessment is made of the apparent strategies involved for the two companies. Although specific in nature, it is emblematic of the manner in which all MHCs must be assessing their operations.
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| 35. |
- Wilson, Timothy, 1938-, et al.
(författare)
-
A third look at public housing in Sweden : The influence of owner directives
- 2015
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Economic Association. - : Pennsylvania Economic Association. ; , s. 127-137
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Strategic directives play an important role in directing and communicating the purpose of both private and public Swedish companies. The directives usually state purpose of ownership, the role of the company and required returns. In particular, present directives in municipal housing are assumed to have been affected by a new act, the Public Municipal Housing Companies Act, passed by the Swedish Parliament in June 2010 and put into force in January 2011. Thus, Public Municipal Housing Companies (PMHCs) have operated at least two full years under the new Act. The Act, states among other things, that PMHCs should run their operation on “businesslike principles”- commensurate with New Public Management (NPM). In this study we discuss some changes in owner directives over a decade for Public Municipal Housing Companies (PMHC) in Sweden. Preliminary results suggest that a subtle change in directives has occurred and adaptation to the new Act has taken place at this relatively early date.
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| 36. |
- Wilson, Timothy, 1938-, et al.
(författare)
-
An initial look at a basic Swedish finance course
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Northeastern Association of Business, Economicsand Technology Conference Proceedings 2017. - : National Association of Business, Economics and Technology (NABET). ; , s. 292-303
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The course that is described and discussed is a B level finance course - Räkenskapsanalys och värdering (Financial Analysis and Valuation). The course is designed to develop students' ability to view business information, and to use different methods and tools of financial analysis and valuation, especially in connection with business valuation. Business coverage is used in teaching, and emphasis is placed on the interpretation of results. Various problems are highlighted and discussed; measures such as how business valuation can affect various stakeholders and potential implications are related to ethics and sustainability. Analysis is based on a social and organizational perspective, which also affects the choice of the appropriate method of approach. The analysis is motivated by the need for ongoing evaluation of the company in financial terms. During the course, spreadsheet programs such as “analysis” and “decision support” are used. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a tool for managing the business and enables faster, more informed decisions.This course is offered about half-way through the undergraduate civilekonom management curriculum and it is carried out within the typical Swedish module of five weeks of conduct and is taught in Swedish. It normally plays to approximately 80 students in the spring (and to 40 other students in the Autumn). The students work independently and in groups of four. For the group assignment, students choose to work with one colleague and the pairs are then randomly coupled with another pair. The module is designed to develop students’ ability to absorb accounting information and to use different methods of financial analysis and assessment, especially in connection with business valuation. Text books are currently used are Berk and DeMarzo (2014), Nilsson et al. (2002) and Hansson et al. (2006). The latter two are currently being reviewed and will probably be exchanged or complemented with Palepu et al. (2016) and Berk et al. (2017) or corresponding in 2018. Course definitions are formally addressed in a Department’s permission to offer document. An important part of this document is an expectations of learning section. That section for this course is “after completed, students should be able to:review a company's accounting information and use measuring techniques to assess the company's profitability, solvency, efficiency, return and risk level,conduct a strategic analysis of the company's business environment,apply different methods of business valuation,analyze the pros and cons of a valuation method,relate environmental aspects to the company's risk and return, anddemonstrate an understanding of how business can be used as a basis and monitor activities”This learning is supported by lectures and tutorials, exercises, cases with seminars and labs associated with business activity monitoring. Students independently collect, process and analyze companies on the basis of annual report data and other available information.
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| 37. |
- Wilson, Timothy, 1938-, et al.
(författare)
-
An Initial Look at a Basic Swedish Finance Course
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Northeastern Association of Business, Economics and Technology Conference Proceedings.
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The course that is described and discussed herein is a B level (2nd year) finance course at Umeå University in Umeå, Sweden – Financial Analysis and Valuation (Räkenskapsanalys och Värdering). The course is designed to develop students' ability to comprehend business information and to use different methods and tools of financial analysis and valuation, especially in connection with business valuation. Existing corporate information is used in teaching, and emphasis is placed on the interpretation of observation. Analyses are motivated by the need for ongoing evaluations of companies in financial terms. Various problems are highlighted and discussed; measures such as how business valuation can affect various stakeholders and potential implications are related to ethics and sustainability. A group term paper (PM) is required in the course. The analysis within the term paper, although primarily financial, also has a social and organizational perspective, which affects the choice of the appropriate method of approach.
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| 38. |
- Wilson, Timothy L., 1938-, et al.
(författare)
-
The continued progression of Sweden's sustainable (green) economy
- 2019
-
Ingår i: Pennsylvania Economic Association 2019 Conference Proceedings (In press). - : Pennsylvania Economic Association. ; , s. 410-419
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The task of implementing Sweden's strategy for sustainable development has had a holistic approach and the State has played a major role in its development. The framework for this paper comes from a recent publication that associates sustain ability with Zhang and London’s modified Porter model and discusses current Swedish developments in municipal public housing, domestic air transportation and wood products. Insofar as Sweden might be a model for extending efforts in sustainable development, observations here provide some insight into possible approaches and results, particularly so in the U.S. current interest in a "Green Bill of Rights".
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| 39. |
- Wilson, Timothy, 1938-, et al.
(författare)
-
Onward and Upward: A Swedish Corporate Finance Course
- 2018
-
Ingår i: Northeastern Association of Business, Economicsand Technology Conference Proceedings. ; , s. 329-341
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Business education in Sweden has been characterized as the meeting of Mercury, the god of merchants, with Minerva, the patron of science. The understanding of corporate financing typifies that association, i.e., commerce is depicted in accepted, systematic formulations. The course that is described herein is a master’s level finance course at Umeå University in Sweden – Advanced Corporate Finance. The primary purpose of this course is to provide an integrated overview of the most important concepts in Corporate Finance in theory, practice and in some instances method. The course is designed to develop students’ ability toassess the impact of information asymmetry on corporate financial policy decisions,explain the theoretical basis and applicable strategies applied in corporate control,compare and contrast leverage strategies in ideal versus real capital markets and ably explain the impact of alternative taxation systems on the use of debt,argue for optimal levels of corporate debt and be able to value an offering under different financing strategies, andformulate and logically defend a position in regard to current issues, which confront corporations today.Highlighted and discussed are measures such as how business valuation can affect various stakeholders, and potential implications are related to ethics and sustainability. A group exercise and case study analysis, used in the course, are covered in the paper. The paper should be of interest to educators and administrators because of Michael Porter’s reflection that one of the competitive advantages of Sweden is the universally high educational level of its population.
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| 40. |
- Wilson, Timothy, 1938-, et al.
(författare)
-
Operating Under Business-Like Principles in Sweden : An Exploratory Study of Municipal Public Housing Companies’ Practice
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Northeastern Association of Business, Economics and Technology Proceedings. ; , s. 173-182
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This exploratory study attempts to ascertain if financial observations paralleled the text in owner directives that suggested Municipal Housing Companies (MHCs) in Sweden have complied with the Public Municipal Housing Companies Act of 2011 (PMHCA 2011) requiring them to act in a business-like manner. Results are reported for 2 of the original 20 companies used in a sample suggesting MHCs were acting in a business-like manner as required by PMHCA 2011. Information for the study was obtained from the Retriever Business database, which included complete company financials for the period. Best straight lines were constructed through individual company data from 2003 to 2010 (pre-regulation) and 2010 to 2014 (post-regulation). A t-test of slope difference was used to indicate the significance of any change. Sample results suggest that the industry as a whole has adjusted overall to the business-like mandate. Some, however, have done better than others in making changes. Others have lagged behind to the extent that they have not changed at all. It is likely that future policy will reflect results such as developed herein, as well as industry practice and individual company goals.
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| 41. |
- Wilson, Timothy, 1938-, et al.
(författare)
-
Reflections on a green new deal: Swedish sustainability
- 2019
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Presently, there has been a discussion of a “Green Bill of Rights” in the U.S. Two of the elements in this discussion include affordable housing and ecological sustainability, areas in which Sweden is an acknowledged leader. That is, Sweden is perceived as sustaining a high level of competitiveness while producing a pleasant environment in which to live. In effect, the Swedish State is involved in municipal public housing and sustainability is the responsibility of Government Offices as a whole, which produces proactive programs in these sectors. The task of implementing Sweden’s strategy for sustainable development has illustrated a holistic approach and the State has played a major role in its development. Insofar as Sweden might be a model for other countries interested in extending their efforts in sustainable development (perhaps the U.S.), observations here provide some insights into possible approaches and results. Put another way, the paper involves some consideration of “how did we get here and where are we going?” The framework for this paper associates sustainability with Zhang and London’s modified Porter model and treats elements of municipal public housing, domestic airline travel and forest products in construction.
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| 42. |
- Wilson, Timothy, 1938-, et al.
(författare)
-
Strategic Directives in Public Housing : Case of Owner Directives in Swedish Public Municipal Housing Companies
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Proceedings of the 22nd Nordic Academy of Management Conference (NFF), Reykjavik, Island, August 21-23, 2013..
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Strategic directives play an important role in directing and communicating the purpose of both private and public companies. These directives may be stated in many forms and are affected by laws, regulations, investors, customers and other stakeholders. The directives usually state purpose of ownership, the role of the company and required returns. In particular, present directives in municipal housing are assumed to have been affected by a new act, the Public Municipal Housing Companies Act, passed by the Swedish Parliament in June 2010 and put into force in January 2011. Thus, Public Municipal Housing Companies (PMHCs) have operated at least two full years under the new Act. The Act, states among other things, that PMHCs should run their operation on “businesslike principles”- commensurate with New Public Management. In this study we discuss some changes in owner directives over a decade for Public Municipal Housing Companies (PMHC) in Sweden. Preliminary results suggest that a subtle change in directives has occurred and adaptation to the new Act has taken place at this relatively early date.
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| 43. |
- Wilson, Timothy, 1938-, et al.
(författare)
-
The “Competitive Advantage of Nations” 20 years later : the cases of Sweden, South Korea and the USA
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Competitiveness Review. - : Emerald Group Publishing Limited. - 1059-5422 .- 2051-3143. ; 24:4, s. 306-331
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to reflect on some policy possibilities and outcomes for three countries of interest suggested in Porter’s Competitive Advantage of Nations.Design/methodology/approach: This research was both exploratory and qualitative in nature and utilized an in-depth case study approach of three major international economies reflecting previous observations in the Competitive Advantage of Nations. Personal contemporaneous observations of individuals in the countries of interest were complemented by current secondary information. The three countries selected for analysis, South Korea, Sweden and the U.S., reflected different stages of development at the time Competitive Advantage of Nations was published and certainly different progress since then.Findings: The Competitive Advantage of Nations advocated new, constructive and actionable roles for government and business. These observations can now be tested after a reasonable time of development. In terms of development, Korea would appear to be the star of the group; Sweden has made strong progress in comparison with other members of the European Union. Although there are areas of strength, the U.S. recently has lost much of the edge it had at the time of the Advantage’s publication.Research limitations/implications: Because this research was built on case studies, one has the reservations common with that approach. On the other hand, case studies are acknowledged as useful in the identification of important variables in situations in which there is little control over events in a real-world context. Practical implications: Countries must go their own way and find their own paths to success. In some ways directions are suggested by Schumpeter (1947) and in others Porter (1990/1996). Chance appears to have played a role in development in each instance, but government, seen as a fifth determinant possibility by Porter, heavily affected outcomes in each instance.Originality/value: Although relying heavily on Porter, results add insight into the development of economies over time.
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| 44. |
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| 45. |
- Öberg, Henrik
(författare)
-
Electronic structure and spectroscopy calculations in fuel cell catalysis
- 2011
-
Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis presents joint experimental and theoretical studies of surface phenomena at an electronic structure level in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEM-FC's). The fuel cell activity can be related to the oxygen reduction taking place at the cathodic surface through the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Under certain conditions the dissociative adsorption of O2 becomes the rate limiting reaction step and may therefore affect the overall fuel cell activity. Using core-level spectroscopy in terms of X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS), the O2 dissociation barrier on Pt(111) has been determined and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reproduce the estimate well, using structure models that account for lateral adsorbate-adsorbate interactions, a finding that may have implications on the approach to calculate electronic structure properties of heterogeneous surface catalysis. Through a Brønsted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) relation, the activation barrier for dissociation can be connected to the chemisorption energy of the atomic oxygen binding to the Pt surface. By affecting this energy, the activity of the fuel cell can be tuned; straining the Pt lattice weakens the O-Pt bond according to the Nørskov-Hammer d-band model which relates the adsorbate-substrate chemisorption energy to the position of the d-band center relative the Fermi level. X-ray Absorption (XAS) and Emission Spectroscopy (XES) have been used together with DFT to investigate the electronic structure effect in Pt due to strain, by depositing overlayers of Pt on Cu(111). The d-band model can to some extent be employed to describe the strain effect - but the discrepancies between the calculations and the experiments remain an open question at present. Furthermore, the oxidation of the Pt(111) surface have been studied using XPS and XAS. DFT calculations support the experimental picture and suggest an oxidation resulting in an α-PtO2 type of surface-oxide.
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