Master’s thesis in International Logistics and Supply Chain Management Title:  Logistics Management in Retail Industry: a case study 7-Eleven in Thailand Author:  Latika Supasansanee and Patthaveekarn Kasiphongphaisan Tutor:     Susanne Hertz and Benedikte Borgström Date:      June 1, 2009 Keywords: 7-Eleven Thailand, Logistics, Retail     Convenience, Distribution Center and Warehouse, IT-Apply in retail store, and Competitive advantage Introduction: In today’s challenging competition in the consumer goods, the manufacturers strive for their products to reach final customers before they turn their heads to the rival’s ones. This research attempts to understand and investigate how 7-Eleven company manages its logistics activities, distribution and applying information technology to achieve competitive advantages. Purpose: The purpose of thesis is, in retailing industry and retailing convenience store’s perspective, to identify and describe the way 7-Eleven manages and operates its retail convenience business focusing on several aspects; strategic fits, distribution and IT, which support 7-Eleven’s activities and how they contribute to competitive advantages for the firm. Frame of reference: Based on various sources of literature concerning competitive advantage and strategic fits, distribution related to marketing and retail, distribution centers and warehousing, and information system apply in retail store.   Method: The study is considered as qualitative single-case study. Data is collected from the interviews with several parties involve with retail convenience industry in Thailand. Secondary data is retrieved from the information system, research and reports, publication sources as well as internet sources.  Lastly, data analysis is followed by the literature chapter.   Conclusion: By applying the synchronized strategies between supply chain members to adjust and modify the capabilities of firms, leads to supply chain benefits and competitive advantage for retail firm. The applications of IT and Distribution Centers enhance supply chain capabilities, reliability, and dependability which result in better service and market performance. They are also the keys that facilitate the operations of supply chain and retail store.

Syfte:                     Syftet med uppsatsen är att beskriva, analysera samt tillhandahålla rekommendationer om huruvida stimulans av sinnena, leder till att kundernas beslutsfattande förändras genom taktil beröring. Vi vill med hjälp av en empirisk studie klargöra om kunder ändrar sitt känselbeteende efter att sinnet syn blivit påverkat.   Metod:                   Uppsats är baserad på en kvantitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats. Arbetet kretsar kring de experiment som utförts med tillhörande kundintervjuer på heminredningsavdelningen på Åhléns i Kalmar. Hypoteser har formats ur instuderad teori, som sedan har testats under experimenten på Åhléns.   Slutsats:        Genom stimulans av sinnena syn och känsel, har författarna med hjälp av experiment kunnat registrera ett förändrat beteende gällande kunders beslutsfattande. Resultatet tyder på att företag kan använda sig av sinnesstimuli för att skapa kontakt med sina kunder. Det har även framkommit att stimulans av synen och känseln har påverkat den tid kunderna känner på produkterna, och då också tagit dem ett steg längre i deras beslutsfattande i köpprocessen.

Optogenetics has emerged as a branch of biotechnology that combines genetic engineering with optics to observe intracellular changes as well as control cellular function. Despite recent progress, there still remains the need for an optogenetic tool that can specifically control Ca2+. Such a tool would greatly facilitate the study of highly Ca2+-dependent cellular processes that are regulated both spatially and temporally. Ca2+ signaling regulates many cellular processes in both healthy and diseased cells. The ability to modulate the shape, duration, and amplitude of Ca2+ signaling is important for elucidating mechanisms by which endogenous Ca2+ concentrations are maintained. In this thesis, we used optogenetic approaches to explore a number of strategies to control Ca2+ influx through store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) mediated by Stim1 and Orai1. To better study Ca2+ signaling in live cells, protein-based biosensors can be developed to monitor intracellular Ca2+ changes. To aid in this, we developed a computational modeling tool called FPMOD to improve both new and existing biosensor designs. Although FPMOD was initially intended for evaluating biosensor designs, other research groups have since used it to construct models of other proteins to answer questions related to protein conformation. We next studied the modulation of SOCE by using drug-inducible fusion proteins to study the regulation of Stim1 puncta formation. Interestingly, recruiting a Ca2+-buffering protein to Stim1 led to puncta formation, a previously unknown means of inducing puncta. These results suggest Stim1 may additionally be regulated by cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels. Finally, we developed LOVS1K, an optogenetic tool to directly activate Orai1 channels and specifically control Ca2+ influx. Photo-sensitive LOVS1K was used to generate both local Ca2+ influx at the membrane and global cytoplasmic Ca2+ signals. As proof of concept, LOVS1K was further used to modulate engineered Ca2+-dependent proteins. Ca2+ is a remarkably versatile intracellular messenger. The combination of high spatiotemporal control of irradiation and the ability of LOVS1K to generate both local and global Ca2+ changes provides a promising platform to study cellular processes that are highly dependent on different Ca2+ signals. Together, biosensors and engineered Ca2+-modulating tools can be used to study the many different aspects of Ca2+ signaling and controllably manipulate endogenous Ca2+ signaling pathways.

Optogenetics has emerged as a branch of biotechnology that combines genetic engineering with optics to observe intracellular changes as well as control cellular function. Despite recent progress, there still remains the need for an optogenetic tool that can specifically control Ca2+. Such a tool would greatly facilitate the study of highly Ca2+-dependent cellular processes that are regulated both spatially and temporally. Ca2+ signaling regulates many cellular processes in both healthy and diseased cells. The ability to modulate the shape, duration, and amplitude of Ca2+ signaling is important for elucidating mechanisms by which endogenous Ca2+ concentrations are maintained. In this thesis, we used optogenetic approaches to explore a number of strategies to control Ca2+ influx through store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) mediated by Stim1 and Orai1. To better study Ca2+ signaling in live cells, protein-based biosensors can be developed to monitor intracellular Ca2+ changes. To aid in this, we developed a computational modeling tool called FPMOD to improve both new and existing biosensor designs. Although FPMOD was initially intended for evaluating biosensor designs, other research groups have since used it to construct models of other proteins to answer questions related to protein conformation. We next studied the modulation of SOCE by using drug-inducible fusion proteins to study the regulation of Stim1 puncta formation. Interestingly, recruiting a Ca2+-buffering protein to Stim1 led to puncta formation, a previously unknown means of inducing puncta. These results suggest Stim1 may additionally be regulated by cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels. Finally, we developed LOVS1K, an optogenetic tool to directly activate Orai1 channels and specifically control Ca2+ influx. Photo-sensitive LOVS1K was used to generate both local Ca2+ influx at the membrane and global cytoplasmic Ca2+ signals. As proof of concept, LOVS1K was further used to modulate engineered Ca2+-dependent proteins. Ca2+ is a remarkably versatile intracellular messenger. The combination of high spatiotemporal control of irradiation and the ability of LOVS1K to generate both local and global Ca2+ changes provides a promising platform to study cellular processes that are highly dependent on different Ca2+ signals. Together, biosensors and engineered Ca2+-modulating tools can be used to study the many different aspects of Ca2+ signaling and controllably manipulate endogenous Ca2+ signaling pathways.

The dream of weaving technology into our everyday fabric of life is recently being made possible by advances in ubiquitous computing and sensor technologies. Countless sensors of various sizes have made their way into everyday commercial applications. Many projects aim to explore new ways to utilize these new technologies to aid and interact with the general population. Context-aware systems use available context information to assist users automatically, without explicit user input. By inferring user intent and configuring the system proactively for each user, context-aware systems are an integral part of achieving user-friendly ubiquitous computing environments. <br /><br /> A common issue with building a distributed context-aware system is the need to develop a supporting infrastructure providing features such as storage, distributed messaging, and security, before the real work on processing context information can be done. This thesis proposes a coordination framework that provides an effective common foundation for context-aware systems. The separation between the context-processing logic component and the underlying supporting foundation allows researchers to focus their energy at the context-processing part of the system, instead of spending their time re-inventing the supporting infrastructure. <br /><br /> As part of an ongoing project, Impress, the framework uses the open standard, Jabber, as its communication protocol. The Publish-Subscribe (pubsub) extension to Jabber provides interesting features that match those needed by a context-aware system. The main contribution of this thesis is the design and implementation of a coordination framework, called the Impress Context Store, that provides an effective common foundation for context-aware systems. The separation between the context-processing logic and the underlying supporting foundation allows researchers to focus their energy at the context-processing part of the system, instead of spending their time re-inventing the supporting infrastructure.

The dream of weaving technology into our everyday fabric of life is recently being made possible by advances in ubiquitous computing and sensor technologies. Countless sensors of various sizes have made their way into everyday commercial applications. Many projects aim to explore new ways to utilize these new technologies to aid and interact with the general population. Context-aware systems use available context information to assist users automatically, without explicit user input. By inferring user intent and configuring the system proactively for each user, context-aware systems are an integral part of achieving user-friendly ubiquitous computing environments. <br /><br /> A common issue with building a distributed context-aware system is the need to develop a supporting infrastructure providing features such as storage, distributed messaging, and security, before the real work on processing context information can be done. This thesis proposes a coordination framework that provides an effective common foundation for context-aware systems. The separation between the context-processing logic component and the underlying supporting foundation allows researchers to focus their energy at the context-processing part of the system, instead of spending their time re-inventing the supporting infrastructure. <br /><br /> As part of an ongoing project, Impress, the framework uses the open standard, Jabber, as its communication protocol. The Publish-Subscribe (pubsub) extension to Jabber provides interesting features that match those needed by a context-aware system. The main contribution of this thesis is the design and implementation of a coordination framework, called the Impress Context Store, that provides an effective common foundation for context-aware systems. The separation between the context-processing logic and the underlying supporting foundation allows researchers to focus their energy at the context-processing part of the system, instead of spending their time re-inventing the supporting infrastructure.

Denna magisteruppsats behandlar e-handlares anpassning av en fysisk köpprocess till en virtuell. Med detta syftar vi mer specifikt på e-handlare av modekläder som i högre grad är beroende av en fysisk köpprocess. Vår frågeställning var således: Hur gör e-handlare inom klädbranschen för att anpassa den fysiska köpprocessen till ett virtuellt sammanhang? För att undersöka detta använde vi oss av Overbys artikel "Process Virtualization Theory and the Impact of Information Technology" från 2008 där han beskriver fyra olika faktorer som spelar in vid ett köp: sinnliga krav, förhållandekrav, synkroniseringskrav samt identifikations- och kontrollkrav. Denna teori har byggde vi även upp med stöd från Belks (1975) så kallade situationsvariabler samt allmän teori om Internetmarknadsföring. Detta utmynnade sedan i en teoretisk modell som vi byggde vår analys kring. För vår empiriska datainsamling utgick vi ifrån en kvalitativ ansats. Efter att ha utarbetat en intervjumall utifrån den teoretiska referensramen gjorde vi två telefonintervjuer och tre e-postintervjuer med e-handlare inom genren modekläder. Resultatet visade på att e-handlarna i olika grad har använt sig av faktorerna inom processvirtualisering. Marknadsföringen var av nödvändighet nästan helt anpassat till Internet. Den fysiska upplevelsen däremot kopierades i så hög grad som möjligt, och målet var att kunderna skulle få en uppfattning om hur produkterna såg ut och kändes i verkligheten. Vi kom fram till att virtualiseringsprocessen i slutändan handlar om en kompromiss, en kombination av fysiska processer anpassade till ett virtuellt sammanhang och nya idéer som inte hade varit möjliga i något annat medium. Att hitta en balans mellan dessa faktorer kommer att vara en av Internethandlarnas största utmaningar i framtiden. / This master thesis deals with e-traders adaptation of a physical shopping experience into a virtual one. More specifically we examine e-retailers of fashion apparel, a market that more dependent on the physical purchasing experience. Our research question is as follows: How do e-retailers of fashion apparel adapt the physical purchasing process to a virtual context? To examine this, we used Overby’s article "Process Virtualization Theory and the Impact of Information Technology" from 2008 where he describes four different factors that influence a purchase: sensory requirements, relationship requirements, synchronization requirements and identification and control requirements. To strengthen Overby’s theory we also used Belk’s (1975) theory about situation variables and the general theory of Internet marketing. These theories are summarized in a theoretical model which we have based our analysis on. For our empirical data collection we use a qualitative approach. After establishing an interview template based on the theoretical framework, we executed two telephone interviews and three e-mail interviews with e-retailers of fashion clothing. The results shows that e-retailers have used these factors in slightly different ways in the process of virtualization. Marketing is by necessity almost adapted to the Internet. The physical experience, however, is copied as closely as possible, and the goal is that customers gets an idea of what the products look like and feels like in reality. Our conclusion is that in the end, the virtualization process is a compromise between physical processes adapted to a virtual context, and new ideas that would not have been possible in any other medium. Finding a balance between these factors will be one of the greatest challenges for e-retailers in the future.

Denna uppsats syfte är att ta reda på om euron är en internationell valuta och om euron kan konkurrera med dollarn om titeln som världens ledande valuta. Teori om valutamarknaden, en valutas uppgifter och vad som avgör vilken valuta som används internationellt behandlas och för att kunna svara på uppsatsens frågeställningar (syfte) redogörs siffror på eurons internationella användning. Sådana siffror visar att euron är en internationell valuta då den används i valutans funktioner internationellt, men att dollarn fortfarande är den världsledande valutan utan att vara särsklit hotad i sin ställning av euron.

This study explores the application of wireless local area network (WLAN) in retailing industy for enhancing experiential marketing. As competition in the retailing industry increases, added with new entrants competing for old customers, department stores nowadays must consider new ways of attracting customers. Against that backdrop , experiential marketing becomes increasing important. Taking Kaohsiung¡¦s six department stores as cases for study, the author conducted a two-wave survey to examine whether and to what extent visitors of deparment stores appreciate the introduction and possible deployment of wireless local area networks as a means for enhancing experiential marketing. Using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as a research method, this study sorts out not only the key success factors of introducing wireless Internet in the context of department stores but also the priority setting of those key success factors, which includes seventeen elements falling into five categories. Broadly put, marketing and promotion stands out as the first priority setting, followed by business model and infrastructure. The finding of such priority setting has deep implications for experiential marketing which also falls into five modules of analysis: sense, feel, think, act and relate. It shows that visitors are more satisfied with the aspects of sense and feel, whereas the other three leave rooms for improvement. By introducing and deploying information and communications technologies, such as WLAN, that weakness of experiential marketing can be improved.

This thesis consists of two different research problems. In the first one, the aim is to model and simulate a solar-powered, single-effect, absorption refrigeration system using a flat-plate solar collector and LiBr-H2O mixture as the working fluid. The cooling capacity and the coefficient of performance of the system are analyzed by varying all independent parameters, namely: evaporator pressure, condenser pressure, mass flow rate, LiBr concentration, and inlet generator temperature. The cooling performance of the system is compared with conventional vapor-compression systems for different refrigerants (R-134a, R-32, and R-22). The cooling performance is also assessed for a typical year in Tampa, Florida. Higher COP values are obtained for a lower LiBr concentration in the solution. The effects of evaporator and condenser pressures on the cooling capacity and cooling performance are found to be negligible. The LiBr-H2O solution shows higher cooling performance compared to other mixtures under the same absorption cooling cycle conditions. For typical year in Tampa, Florida, the model shows a constant coefficient of performance of 0.94. In the second problem, a numerical model is developed for a typical food retail store refrigeration/HVAC system to study the effects of indoor space conditions on supermarket energy consumption. Refrigerated display cases are normally rated at a store environment of 24ºC (75ºF) and a relative humidity of 55%. If the store can be maintained at lower relative humidity, significant quantities of refrigeration energy, defrost energy and anti-sweat heater energy can be saved. The numerical simulation is performed for a typical day in a standard store for each month of the year using the climate data for Tampa, Florida. This results in a 24 hour variation in the store relative humidity. Using these calculated hourly values of relative humidity for a typical 24 hour day, the store relative humidity distribution is calculated for a full year. The annual average supermarket relative humidity is found to be 51.1%. It is shown that for a 5% reduction in store relative humidity that the display case refrigeration load is reduced by 9.25%, and that results in total store energy load reduction of 4.84%. The results show good agreement with available experimental data.