¡§The Wal-Mart Effect¡¨ indicates how Wal-Mart impacts the stakeholders such as employees, supplier, community and the environment when it becomes one of the biggest companies in the world. The effect on its suppliers is not only confined to the regular transaction relationship, but also their decision making. Even the Procter and Gamble, the giant company of consumer goods, has to increase its bargaining power to Wal-Mart by merging other brands. The ¡§mass selling¡¨, which was first introduced into Taiwan by foreign hypermarket in the 1980s¡¦ impacts the original retailing business of Taiwan. After being entering and withdrawing by several companies, the hypermarket business in Taiwan is now mainly dominated by three companies, Carrefour, RT-Mart and FE-Geant, which have fierce price competition between one another. This study attempts to find out whether the bargaining power of the hypermarketers to their suppliers is increased these years as well as the effect of this power to their suppliers by using the case-study method. We interviewed one hypermarket company and several suppliers of hypermarket companies in order to know their content of transaction. It is found that the hypermarket industry in Taiwan decayed in recent years, but the dominant companies, such as Carrefour, still has an increasing power to their suppliers. This increasing power reflects mainly on its imposition of sales commission and promotion fee. Besides, hypermarket retailers have more power to affect the smaller suppliers¡¦ the decision making of products. From the cases that are discussed in this paper, it¡¦s also found that the smaller suppliers would avoid price-competition of the hypermarket retailers by supplying products with few differences in specification. However, these suppliers should pay more attention to their cash flow to ensure their ability to contract with hypermarket retailers which usually have strict payment conditions.

<p><strong>Aim: </strong>The aim of this study is to investigate how retailer’s customer loyalty program can influence the channel power and what relationship between retailer with manufacturer can be created when channel power changes.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A case study was adopted, and a qualitative research and face-to-face interview were used to collect the fundamental data.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Result & Conclusions</strong>: The results exhibit that the customer loyalty program implemented by retailer can increase its channel power (both in basic power and market power) and create a dominant relationship with high channel conflict with its manufacturer. Based on the research of the case company, I found a close relationship with cooperation and trust could be developed based on the customer loyalty program between retailer and manufacturer to create benefit for the both.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Suggestions for future research: </strong>Only adopted one case and one interview in the research is the main limitation. Additionally, the limited sample size limited the research in some generalizations. It is difficult to use only one case to represent the whole situation of the market. In the further, a larger sample size adopted in research can increases the reliability of researcher’s generalization.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Contribution of the thesis:</strong> The research discloses how retailer’s customer loyalty program can influence the channel power. The drawbacks of the dominant relationship which caused by channel power rising have been researched. How to develop close relationship and what benefit it can bring to retailer have also been investigated in the end.</p>

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate how retailer’s customer loyalty program can influence the channel power and what relationship between retailer with manufacturer can be created when channel power changes.   Method: A case study was adopted, and a qualitative research and face-to-face interview were used to collect the fundamental data.   Result &amp; Conclusions: The results exhibit that the customer loyalty program implemented by retailer can increase its channel power (both in basic power and market power) and create a dominant relationship with high channel conflict with its manufacturer. Based on the research of the case company, I found a close relationship with cooperation and trust could be developed based on the customer loyalty program between retailer and manufacturer to create benefit for the both.   Suggestions for future research: Only adopted one case and one interview in the research is the main limitation. Additionally, the limited sample size limited the research in some generalizations. It is difficult to use only one case to represent the whole situation of the market. In the further, a larger sample size adopted in research can increases the reliability of researcher’s generalization.   Contribution of the thesis: The research discloses how retailer’s customer loyalty program can influence the channel power. The drawbacks of the dominant relationship which caused by channel power rising have been researched. How to develop close relationship and what benefit it can bring to retailer have also been investigated in the end.

在內外環境的衝擊之下，台灣的資訊業已經到了必須轉型的時候了。企業 為了追求長期的利潤及長期的競爭地位，通路的發展是最初也是最重要的 選擇，而直接外銷通路的發展是最能符合國際行銷導向的國際化拓展模式 ，對國際化觸角的延伸具有較大的貢獻。然而隨著公司所面臨內外環境的 不同，較適的通路拓展模式就不同的公司而言，未必相同。究竟那些內外 通路環境因素是廠商在 發展通路時，是較重要的考量因素，在本研究 裡，曾就以不同的角度來探討之（不同資訊產品、不同通路涉入程度、不 同通路控制群 @）。實證的結果顯示，公司的因素（通路內部環境）對通 路發展及通路權力來源的影響較大。在本研究中，特別探討產品特性（產 業因素）對通路策略的影響，以個人電腦及監視器為例。在國際行銷通路 上，通路權力結構是否仍存在，通路權力與通路發展型態之間的關係在過 去並未被探討，事實是否存在，能否透過通路的發展來改善通路權力或通 路權力來源。實證的結果顯示， 廠商可透過通路的發展來改善通路權力 來源，然而其改善的效果並 不是非常好。且由於在國際行銷通路上，通 路權力來源與通路權力 之間的迴歸關係的薄弱，使得經由通路的發展所 改善的通路權力來 源，無法傳遞至通路權力，故無法透過通路發展來 改善通路權力。

Comments and Discussions : Hitoshi HIRAKAWA (平川均)

No description available.

<p> Best estimate and analysis of uncertainty methods are used to examine the variability of the H factor, which converts the global flux in a lattice cell to power. The assumption of a constant H factor is tested, by examining the sensitivity of the components of the H factor to perturbations in reactor conditions, such as, moderator temperature, boron content in the moderator, moderator purity, RIH temperature, ROH pressure, and exit burnup. The local flux profile, which is a component of the H factor, is calculated for a typical CANDU reactor lattice cell using WIMS 2.5d. Another component of the H factor, the distribution of fission energy in a lattice cell, is found by exploring the location of each source of energy released from a fission event. To examine the location of the gamma ray energy deposition a two dimensional Monte Carlo code was created and subsequently benchmarked against an analysis done by C.R.Boss. Using the Monte Carlo code, the best estimate of the percentage of gamma ray energy deposited in the heat transport system was found to be 83.7%. The moderator temperature and the exit channel burnup are shown to have the largest influence on the H factor, which was found to vary between 99.6% and 100.4% of the best estimate value.</p> / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

The objectives of this work were to investigate, design and implement Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna arrays for mobile phones. Several MIMO antennas were developed and tested over various wireless-communication frequency bands. The radiation performance and channel capacity of these antennas were computed and measured: the results are discussed in the context of the frequency bands of interest. A comprehensive study of MIMO antenna configurations such as 2 × 1, 3 × 1, 2 × 2 and 3 × 3, using polarisation diversity as proposed for future mobile handsets, is presented. The channel capacity is investigated and discussed, as applying to Rayleigh fading channels with different power spectrum distributions with respect to azimuth and zenith angles. The channel capacity of 2 × 2 and 3 × 3 MIMO systems using spatial polarisation diversity is presented for different antenna designs. The presented results show that the maximum channel capacity for an antenna contained within a small volume can be reached with careful selection of the orthogonal spatial fields. The results are also compared against planar array MIMO antenna systems, in which the antenna size considered was much larger. A 50% antenna size reduction method is explored by applying magnetic wall concept on the symmetry reference of the antenna structure. Using this method, a triple dual-band inverted-F antenna system is presented and considered for MIMO application. Means of achieving minimum coupling between the three antennas are investigated over the 2.45 GHz and 5.2 GHz bands. A new 2 2 MIMO dual-band balanced antenna handset, intended to minimise the coupling with the handset and human body was proposed, developed and tested. The antenna coupling with the handset and human hand is reported in terms the radiation performance and the available channel capacity. In addition, a dual-polarisation dipole antenna is proposed, intended for use as one of three collocated orthogonal antennas in a polarisation-diversity MIMO communication system. The antenna actually consists of two overlaid electric and magnetic dipoles, such that their radiation patterns are nominally identical but they are cross-polarised and hence only interact minimally.

The subject of this thesis is a design of a precision dual channel laboratory power supply with output voltage range from 0 to 30 V and adjustable current limit up to 1 A. The proposed solution is based on linear regulators and input voltage switching system to minimize power dissipation. Galvanically isolated channels of the power supply share the same microcontroller that processes the user inputs. Microcontroller code allows the calibration of the device or it’s communication with computer. The cover of the device is designed with good cooling performance and 3D printing manufacturing method in mind. The properties of the designed laboratory power supply are verified by the final test measurements.

Yes / The issues of channel conflict and channel power have received widespread research attention, including Geylani et al.’s (2007) work on channel relations in an asymmetric retail setting. Specifically, these authors suggest that a manufacturer can respond to a dominant retailer’s pricing pressure by raising the wholesale price for a weak retailer over that for the dominant retailer while transferring demand to the weak retailer channel via cooperative advertising. But, is online expansion another kind of strategic manufacturer’s optimal response to a dominant retailer? In this paper, we extend this work by adding a direct online selling channel to illustrate the impact of the manufacturer’s internet entry on firms’ demands, profits, and pricing strategies and on consumer welfare. Our analysis thus includes a condition in which the manufacturer can add an online channel. If such an online channel is opened, the channel-supported network externality will always benefit the manufacturer but hurt the retailers. Consumers, however, will only benefit from the network externality when a dominant retailer is present and will be hurt when both retailers are symmetric. / National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chongqing’s Natural Science Foundation, British Academy