Techn. Univ., Diss.--Dresden, 2006.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-86).

Package management systems are very effective and comfortable solution of installing, maintaining and erasing software from computer. Their basic idea is that all information about installed software is kept in one place and is managed by common utilities. RPM database is such place, where information are being kept. Currently used solution is obsolete and needs some improvements. This thesis analyzes current solution, possible alternative options and based on this a new database design is proposed. A prototype implementation is also included and it is compared with current solution.

Job satisfaction or dissatisfaction stems from the value alignment of a person's work-related needs and what the organization is offering. To increase job satisfaction can be seen as something worth pursuing in its own right, but it also has societal benefits in how it affects the health of employees. For organisations, job satisfaction is associated with lower levels of absenteeism and employee turnover, as well as better financial performance.   The relation between the management control package and its effect on job satisfaction has not been studied to any great extent. Most studies in the management field have focused on one management control system or management control practice at the time. Yet most practices and systems are working together as a package with different levels of dependencies. The thesis of the paper is to explore how configurations of the management control package can explain differences in job satisfaction between organizations, by comparing a highly successful organization in regard to job satisfaction to a more normal performing. To answer the question a case study was conducted with the company Sankt Kors Fastighets AB and their equally sized subsidiary Dukaten. Sankt Kors is an estate company that has had a very high level of job satisfaction in recent years, while Dukaten, which mainly manages parking lots and car parks, has had lower and more standards levels of job satisfaction. The cases companies’ management control (MC) package configurations were compared to Bedford & Malmi’s (2015) configurations, and then the configurations were compared to MC package characteristics that the literature review found should be associated with higher levels of job satisfaction. The characteristics were high autonomy, nonbureaucratic, high participation in decision making, emphasis on values, and knowledge sharing. The devolved MC package configuration that Sankt Kors has, is characterized by a flat organization structure, a governance structure where authority is decentralized, a high degree of horizontal communication in the origination, and autonomy in the work processes. These characteristics responds to the MC package characteristics associated with higher levels of job satisfaction the most compared to the other MC package configurations, and therefor the devolved MC package configurations is suggested to be associated with higher levels of job satisfaction. The characteristics of the devolved MC package of Sankt Kors were also found to be enablers of self-leadership that were strongly expressed to be important for the job satisfaction of Sankt Kors. The result indicates that the MC package characteristics that were found associated with job satisfaction, are characteristics of the MC package designed around self-leadership, indicating designing an MC package around self-leadership is associated with higher levels of job satisfaction.

In recent years, the SiC power semiconductor has emerged as an attractive alternative that pushes the limitations of junction temperature, power rating, and switching frequency of Si devices. These advanced properties will lead converters to higher power density. However, the reliability of the SiC semiconductor is still under investigation, and at the same time, the standard Si device packages do not meet the requirement of high temperature operation. In order to take full advantage of SiC semiconductor devices, high density, high temperature device packaging needs to be developed. In this dissertation, a high temperature wirebond package for multi-chip phase-leg power module using SiC devices was designed, developed, fabricated and tested. The details of the material selection and thermo-mechanical reliability evaluation are described. High temperature power test shows that the presented package can perform well at the high junction temperature. In order to increase the power density, reduce the parasitic parameters, and enhance the electrical, thermo-mechanical performance over wirebond packages, planar package is utilized to better take advantages of SiC device. This dissertation proposed a novel package, in which the interconnections can be formed on small dimensional pads and enclosed pads that may baffle the regular solder based connection in other planar packages. Electrical and thermo-mechanical tests of the prototype module demonstrate the functionality and reliability of the presented planar packaging methodology. In this dissertation, together with the design example, the manual module layout design and automatic module layout design process are also presented. Furthermore, a systematic optimal design process and parametric study of the heatsink-fan cooling system by applying the analytical model is described. This dissertation also established a systematic testing procedure which can rapidly detect defects and reduce the risk in high temperature packaging testing. Finally, a wirebond module and a planar module are designed for 175 ºC junction temperature and 250 ºC junction temperatures. All the key concepts and ideas developed in this work are implemented in the prototype module development and then verified by the experimental results. / Ph. D.

As consumers walk through the grocery store they encounter a vast range of products. In this setting information printed on food packages play a role in consumer decision making. One way of influencing consumer behaviour is by using package panels where detailed communication claims can be placed. This study investigates the effect of package communication claims on propensity to switch brand through quantitative research design. Variations among consumer of private label brands versus consumers of name brands are also investigated. Results show that package communication claims have an effect on consumer propensity to switch brand, however there are differences depending on type of claims. Environmental packaging claims have a negative effect on propensity to switch while nutritional claims do not have a significant effect. Production process claims and product origin claims both have a positive effect on consumer propensity to switch and is thus more favourable for brands to use. Furthermore, package communication claims have a larger positive effect on propensity to switch among consumers of private label brands than among consumers of name brands. Since there is a lack of research in the area of package communication this thesis contribute by proving that packages have an effect on consumer behaviour and argues for further research in this area.

Plain packaging first appeared on the UK policy agenda in the Department of Health’s 2008 ‘Consultation on the Future of Tobacco Control’. Since then, plain (or standardised) packaging has been framed through the potential benefit to young people. Within the period of this thesis, plain packaging has been actively debated and draft plain packaging regulations were published in June 2014. An extended literature review of academic and practitioner marketing literature, internal tobacco company documents and public health packaging research, establishes that the research informing the policy debate, while consistent in its approach and findings, fails to recognise the strategic nature of pack design, the full extent of the influence that branded design can have on consumer responses, and the importance of product design as a marketing tool. This thesis attempts to address these gaps in the plain packaging evidence base. It explores if, and how, adolescents engage with different styles of packaging and product design, whether or not an association between tobacco packaging and adolescent smoking exists, and whether it is possible to observe cognitive, affective and behavioural responses to packaging. The study uses a sequential exploratory mixed methodology design with two stages of research. First, focus groups were conducted with 15 year olds (n=48) to explore adolescent responses to tobacco packaging and product design. The findings show that adolescents are most appreciative of ‘novelty’ pack designs. These ‘novelty’ packs, for instance with innovative structures or distinctive designs and colours, generated positive user imagery and influenced affective feelings among participants. Cigarettes with slim diameters, white tips and decorative designs increased appeal and communicated a weaker tasting and less harmful product. Conversely, a plain pack eliminated positive perceptions and feelings, and exposed tobacco as harmful, dirty and not for young people. The qualitative findings were used to develop measures and hypotheses which were tested in a quantitative survey. The second stage of research utilised a cross-sectional in-home survey (n=1373) with 11 to 16 year olds. Respondents were asked to rate three different pack styles - ‘novelty’, ‘regular’ and ‘plain’ - on 11 pack ratings items and four pack feelings items. The findings show adolescents hold ‘novelty’ packaging in higher regard than ‘regular’ packaging across pack ratings items. There were fewer differences between ‘novelty’ and ‘regular’ packaging for the pack feelings items. Plain packaging was consistently rated most negatively across all survey items. Logistic regressions, controlling for factors known to influence youth smoking, showed that susceptibility to smoke was associated with positive appraisal and also receptivity for ‘novelty’ packaging. There was no association with pack appraisal or receptivity for the plain pack. While susceptibility is not a direct behavioural response it is a reasonable predictor of future tobacco use. Collectively the findings show that ‘novelty’ packaging and product design holds greatest appeal for adolescents. Plain packaging limits the opportunity for tobacco companies to communicate with, mislead and influence consumers. Based upon the role of packaging for consumer goods in general, and tobacco in particular, plain packaging would effectively reduce the promotional role of packaging.

The study explores the role of management control systems in a strategy formulation process, this by viewing management control systems as a package and addressing its role in the Value Based Health Care (VBHC) strategy formulation process at Uppsala University Hospital. Previous studies exploring the relationship between management control systems and strategy have found the relationship to be interrelated and that management control systems can take either an interactive or diagnostic role. However, these studies are limited in their approach as they do not address management control systems as a package, thus failing to capture the importance of informal control systems and the impact separate controls have on each other. Applying a case study design using semi-structured interviews, the study partly supports the findings of earlier studies emphasizing how management control systems can be classified and used for both interactive as well as diagnostic purposes. The study however, expands the view of earlier research by emphasizing how diagnostic controls should be further classified as either enforcing or reinforcing control systems, as well as emphasizing the importance of timing for understanding the different roles of management control systems in a strategy formulation process.

R, a software package for statistical computing and graphics, has evolved into the lingua franca of (computational) statistics. One of the cornerstones of R's success is the decentralized and modularized way of creating software using a multi-tiered development model: The R Development Core Team provides the "base system", which delivers basic statistical functionality, and many other developers contribute code in the form of extensions in a standardized format via so-called packages. In order to be accessible by a broader audience, packages are made available via standardized source code repositories. To support such a loosely coupled development model, repositories should be able to verify that the provided packages meet certain formal quality criteria and "work": both relative to the development of the base R system as well as with other packages (interoperability). However, established quality assurance systems and collaborative infrastructures typically face several challenges, some of which we will discuss in this paper. / Series: Research Report Series / Department of Statistics and Mathematics

Master of Science / Food Science / Terry Houser / The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of natural nitrites on objective color of vacuum packaged fresh pork. Sections of longissimus dorsi muscle (approximately 18 cm) were injected with solutions containing 0, 3, 6, 9 or 12 ppm of natural nitrite. Sections were sliced into chops (2.54 cm) and individually vacuum packaged. Raw chop surface L*, a* and b* values were measured at 1, 5, 15 and 30 days post packaging. At 1, 15 and 30 days post packaging chops were cooked and surface L*, a* and b* values were measured. Hue and Chroma values were calculated for all color measurements. Linear and quadratic contrasts were evaluated on treatments for all measured and calculated color values. A linear (P<0.05) increase was detected on the L* values for days of vacuum storage treatment, all other raw color measurements and calculations for levels of natural nitrite and days of vacuum package storage were found to be quadratic (P<0.05). Cooked L* and Hue values for days of vacuum storage were found to decrease linearly (P<0.05), all other days of storage and levels of nitrite treatments were found to be quadratic (P<0.05) in relationship to the measured and calculated cooked color values. All raw chops containing nitrite had higher a* and Chroma values at all evaluation days than those containing no added nitrite. Raw chops containing nitrite had lower L*, higher b* and Hue values than the 0 ppm chops (P<0.05). Raw chops containing natural nitrite were darker, redder, more yellow and more intense in color than those without nitrite. The longer the chops were vacuum packaged and then cooked, the lower the L* values were (P<0.05). Cooked chops containing nitrite were redder, less yellow and lower in Hue and Chroma values than cooked chops with no added nitrite P(<0.05). These results indicate that low levels of nitrite can alter fresh and cooked pork color during vacuum storage. To balance the increased redness and darkness of the raw chops with the increased redness of the cooked chops, 3 ppm of natural nitrite was found to be the optimal treatment.