<p>During the early 1990´s, the Swedish commercial air traffic was de-regulated and the new market-condition made it possible for low-budget airlines to enter the Swedish market. The former monopolistic airline company, Scandinavian Airline Systems (SAS), was facing a new type of competition which had the advantage of offering much cheaper air trips than SAS. Adding the decrease of profitability that struck SAS as well as other airline companies after the terrorist attacks on the 11th of September, forced them to carry out a mayor reorganization programme. The programme, called “Turn Around 2005”, was a direct economical measure that begun in 2002 and lasted until 2005 and resulted in a cost saving of 14,5 billion SEK as well as a notice or a transfer of 6000 employees.</p><p>The purpose of this essay is to investigate if the opinion of the consumer, the image, corresponds with the profile that SAS wishes to mediate today. Our intentions are also to see if the changes during the reorganization have reached the consumers. This essay is a case study based on both a quantitative and a qualitative method. The quantitative study included questionnaires handed out to 143 persons and a former costumer satisfaction study made by “Svenskt Kvalitetsindex”. The qualitative study included deep interviews with employees on SAS. The results of the questionnaires, interviews and theories about image, profile, identity and GAP-analysis, clearly shows that SAS’s profile of being a low- cost airline and being the most price worthy alternative doesn’t correspond with the opinion of the consumers. The result also shows that the consumers have not detected any of the changes, apart from the price reduction, that was made during the reorganization. However SAS have succeeded to be known by the business-passengers as a bit better regarding the ground services and departures, and that part of their image are therefore close to their profile. Our conclusion states that there is an indistinctness regarding SAS profile since the costumers cannot decide if SAS is a low-cost or a traditional airline company.</p>

During the early 1990´s, the Swedish commercial air traffic was de-regulated and the new market-condition made it possible for low-budget airlines to enter the Swedish market. The former monopolistic airline company, Scandinavian Airline Systems (SAS), was facing a new type of competition which had the advantage of offering much cheaper air trips than SAS. Adding the decrease of profitability that struck SAS as well as other airline companies after the terrorist attacks on the 11th of September, forced them to carry out a mayor reorganization programme. The programme, called “Turn Around 2005”, was a direct economical measure that begun in 2002 and lasted until 2005 and resulted in a cost saving of 14,5 billion SEK as well as a notice or a transfer of 6000 employees. The purpose of this essay is to investigate if the opinion of the consumer, the image, corresponds with the profile that SAS wishes to mediate today. Our intentions are also to see if the changes during the reorganization have reached the consumers. This essay is a case study based on both a quantitative and a qualitative method. The quantitative study included questionnaires handed out to 143 persons and a former costumer satisfaction study made by “Svenskt Kvalitetsindex”. The qualitative study included deep interviews with employees on SAS. The results of the questionnaires, interviews and theories about image, profile, identity and GAP-analysis, clearly shows that SAS’s profile of being a low- cost airline and being the most price worthy alternative doesn’t correspond with the opinion of the consumers. The result also shows that the consumers have not detected any of the changes, apart from the price reduction, that was made during the reorganization. However SAS have succeeded to be known by the business-passengers as a bit better regarding the ground services and departures, and that part of their image are therefore close to their profile. Our conclusion states that there is an indistinctness regarding SAS profile since the costumers cannot decide if SAS is a low-cost or a traditional airline company.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Universitat̋ St Gallen, 1998. / "Dissertation Nr. 2122." Includes bibliographical references (p. 311-360).

A presente dissertação investiga a adequação do método da Corrente Crítica para a programação dos projetos de parada de plataformas marítimas de exploração de petróleo, que envolvem processos de tomada de decisões em condições de risco. O método da Corrente Crítica (Critical Chain Project Management - CCPM), baseado na Teoria das Restrições (TOC), se propõe a oferecer instrumentos de controle mais precisos e focados que os tradicionalmente utilizados no método do Caminho Crítico (Critical Path Method - CPM), indicando em que momento agir, onde e como deve ser direcionada a ação. A hipótese subjacente à pesquisa é a de que a Corrente Crítica (CCPM) traduz, de forma mais adequada que o Caminho Crítico (CPM), a incerteza existente na parada de plataforma, permitindo a elaboração de um cronograma a um só tempo mais realista e mais desafiador, no sentido de atender metas de menor interrupção na produção. Com base nessa hipótese, as duas principais perguntas que nortearam toda a investigação foram: 1. O método da Corrente Crítica é adequado à programação da parada de plataformas marítimas de exploração de petróleo? 2. Que vantagens poderia trazer em comparação aos métodos tradicionais de programação de projetos em uso nas paradas de plataformas? Para responder a tais perguntas, além de revisar a bibliografia existente sobre o assunto, optou-se por coletar depoimentos de diversos especialistas do setor, por meio de três abordagens qualitativas: pesquisa-ação, entrevistas semi-estruturadas e grupo focal. A análise e interpretação dos dados revelaram que, devido aos seus instrumentos de controle de restrição de recursos serem mais afinados, o Método da Corrente Crítica (CCPM) é mais adequado ao problema da parada de plataformas marítimas - caracterizado pelo ambiente de alta limitação de recursos e por grande paralelismo de atividades. O presente estudo leva a concluir que a implantação do novo método, por oferecer aos gestores ferramentas mais precisas de controle, resulta em melhores chances de cumprimento do prazo dos projetos. / The present study discusses the adequacy of the Critical Chain Project Management Method (CCPM) - also known as the Critical Chain Method - for scheduling projects involving shutdowns on oil platforms, as such projects involve decision-making processes under risk conditions. The CCPM is based on the Theory of Constraints and aims at providing more precise and more clearly focused control instruments than those traditionally used in the Critical Path Method (CPM). The CCPM also indicates the best moments to act and where and how the action should be directed. The hypothesis underlying the research is that the CCPM portrays, more adequately than the CPM, the uncertainty that exists in a platform shutdown. This characteristic also makes it possible to draw up a schedule that is both more realistic and more challenging, as it addresses the goal of causing less interruption of production. On the basis of this hypothesis, the two main questions that oriented the entire investigation were: 1) Is the CCPM suitable for scheduling the shutdown of an offshore oil platform and, 2) What advantages might it have over the traditional scheduling methods in use on platform shutdown? To answer these questions the authors reviewed the existing bibliography on the topic and made direct on-site observations during an actual shutdown. In addition, interviews were held with a number of specialists in the area using qualitative approaches, namely, semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and action research. The Data analysis revealed that the instruments used in the CCPM for controlling the constraints of resources are more refined, so the method has been proven to be more adequate than others for facing problems that come up in offshore platform shutdowns, which are characterized by strict constraints on resources and considerable parallelism of activities. The results have led to the conclusion that the implementation of the CCPM provides managers with more precise tools for control than the CPM, and may thus increase the chances for complying with the timeframes set down for projects.

Ionic self-assembled multilayers (ISAMs) can be formed by alternately dipping a substrate in anionic and cationic polyelectrolytes. Each immersion deposits a monolayer via electrostatic attraction, allowing for nanometer-scale control over film thickness. Additionally, ISAM films can be applied to arbitrary substrate geometries and can easily incorporate a variety of polymers and nanoscale organic or inorganic inclusions. The ISAM technique was used to tune and functionalize a rapid, sensitive fiber optic biosensor for textit{Brucella}, a family of bacteria that are detrimental to livestock and can also infect humans. The sensor was based on a turn-around point long period fiber grating (TAP-LPG). Unlike conventional LPGs, in which the attenuation peaks shift wavelength in response to environmental changes, TAP-LPGs have a highly sensitive single wavelength peak with variable attenuation. ISAMs were applied to a TAP-LPG to tune it to maximum sensitivity and to facilitate cross-linking of receptor molecules. Biotin and streptavidin were used to attach biotinylated hybridization probes specific to distinct species of textit{Brucella}. The sensor was then exposed to lysed cell cultures and tissue samples in order to evaluate its performance. The best results were obtained when using samples from textit{Brucella} infected mice, which produced a transmission change of 6.0 ± 1.4% for positive controls and 0.5 ± 2.0% for negative controls. While the sensor was able to distinguish between positive and negative samples, the relatively short dynamic range of the available fiber limited its performance. Attempts to fabricate new TAP-LPGs using a CO2 laser were unsuccessful due to poor laser stability. A second application of the ISAM technique was as a source of second-harmonic generation (SHG). SHG is a nonlinear optical process in which light is instantaneously converted to half its wavelength in the presence of intense electric fields. Localized surface plasmons (LSPs) in metal nanoparticles produce strong electric field enhancements, especially at sharp tips and edges, that can be used to increase SHG. Colloidally grown silver nanoprisms were deposited onto nonlinear ISAM films and conversion of 1064 nm Nd:YAG radiation to its 532 nm second-harmonic was observed. Little enhancement was observed when using nanoprisms with LSP resonance near 1064 nm due to their large size and low concentration. When using shorter wavelength nanoprisms, enhancements of up to 35 times were observed when they were applied by immersion, and up to 1380 times when concentrated nanoprisms were applied via dropcasting at high enough densities to broaden their extinction peak towards the excitation wavelength. A maximum enhancement of 2368 times was obtained when concentrated silver nanoprisms with LSP resonance around 900 nm were spincast with an additional layer of PCBS. / Doctor of Philosophy / Polyelectrolytes are long molecules composed of chains of charged monomers. When a substrate with a net surface charge is dipped into an oppositely charged polyelectrolyte solution, a single layer of molecules will be electrostatically deposited onto the substrate. Because the surface charge now appears to match the charge of the solution, no further deposition occurs. However, the process can be repeated by rinsing the substrate and immersing in a solution with the opposite charge. This technique forms ionic self-assembled multilayers (ISAMs), which can be assembled with nanometer-level control over thickness. The flexibility of polymer chemistry allows ISAMs to be formed from polyelectrolytes with a wide variety of properties. Additionally, the technique can easily incorporate other nanoscale materials, such as nanoparticles, clay platelets, and biological molecules, and has been investigated for applications ranging from dye-sensitized organic solar cells to drug delivery and medical implant coatings. This dissertation presents two applications of ISAM films. In one, ISAM films were used to tune and functionalize an optical biosensor for Brucella. Brucellosis primarily infects livestock, in which it causes significant reproductive problems leading to economic losses, but can also cause flu-like symptoms and more serious complications in humans. A rapid, sensitive test for Brucella is required to monitor herds and adjacent wild carriers, such as elk and bison. Optical biosensors, which operate by detecting changes due to the interaction between light and the stimulus, could satisfy this need. Long period fiber gratings (LPGs) are periodic modulations induced in the core of an optical fiber that cause transmitted light to be scattered at a resonant wavelength, resulting in attenuation. Conventional LPGs respond to changes in strain, temperature, or external refractive index by shifting their resonant wavelength. When special conditions are met, an LPG may exhibit a turn-around point (TAP), where dual peaks coalesce into a single peak with a constant wavelength but variable attenuation depth. TAP-LPGs are more sensitive than ordinary LPGs, and could be developed into inexpensive sensors with single-wavelength light sources and detectors. In this work, ISAMs were deposited onto an LPG to tune it near its TAP. Segments of single-stranded DNA, called hybridization probes, that were specific to individual species of Brucella were attached to the ISAM film before the sensor was exposed to lysed bacterial cultures. It was found that the sensor could distinguish between Brucella and other types of bacteria, but was less successful at distinguishing between Brucella species. The project was limited by the available TAP-LPGs, which had less dynamic range than those used in prior work by this group. Attempts were made to establish a new supply of TAP-LPGs by fabrication with a CO2 laser, but these efforts were unsuccessful due to poor laser stability. The second project discussed in this dissertation investigated ISAM films as a source of second-harmonic generation (SHG), a nonlinear optical process in which light is converted to half its fundamental wavelength in the presence of intense electric fields. Nonlinear ISAMs were constructed by choosing a polyelectrolyte with a hyperpolarizable side group in which SHG can occur. The SHG efficiency was increased by factors of several hundred to several thousand by the addition of silver nanoprisms. Metal nanoparticles can produce strong electric field enhancements, especially at their tips and edges, when incident light causes resonant collective oscillations in their electrons called localized surface plasmons (LSPs). It was found that while silver nanoprisms whose LSP resonant wavelength matched the fundamental wavelength were too dilute to produce noticeable enhancement, better results could be obtained by depositing shorter wavelength nanoprisms at sufficient density to broaden their extinction peak via interparticle interactions. The best enhancement observed was for a sample where concentrated silver nanoprisms with LSP resonance around 900 nm were dropcast onto an ISAM film and coated with an additional polymer layer, resulting in 2368 times more SHG than the plain ISAM film.

The aim of this thesis is to break new ground by investigating the interactional organisation of real events that comprise live business-to-business cold calls. Despite being a ubiquitous part of everyday life, we know very little about how cold calls are initiated, progressed, and completed. Cold calls are unsolicited telephone encounters, initiated by salespeople aiming to get prospective clients ( prospects ) interested in their services, with the distal goal of turning them into clients and the proximal goal of getting them to agree to an initial meeting. Cold calls are often treated as a nuisance by call-takers, and salespeople must deal with reluctant gatekeepers, recurrent sales resistance, and the occasional hang-up. The training they receive often draws on outdated theories of communication and is rarely supported by empirical evidence. Thus, this study not only addresses an important domain for interactional research, but also fulfils a practical necessity for empirical research that will inform sales training and improve callers and call-takers experiences. The data comprise 150 recorded calls supplied by three British companies that sell, service, and lease office equipment. The data were collected, transcribed, and analysed within an ethnomethodological framework using conversation analysis and discursive psychology. The first analytic chapter outlines the overall structural organisation of cold calling. It documents the constituent activities within the opening, the business of the call, and the closing. It identifies and describes two types of cold calls. Freezing calls are initiated by salespeople who are contacting a prospect for the very first time. Lukewarm calls feature salespeople who claim to have been in contact with the prospect s organisation in the past. The second chapter excavates the initial turns of lukewarm calls in which salespeople ask to speak to another person within the company, with whom they indicate to be acquainted. The analysis revealed that this third-party acquaintanceship was crucial for establishing the legitimacy of the switchboard request and for improving the chances of getting it granted. The third chapter focused on appointment-making sequences in both freezing and lukewarm calls, showing that they comprise two components: a preamble and a meeting request sequence. I also highlight how salespeople exploit sequential and turn-taking mechanisms to secure meetings with prospects without giving the latter the opportunity to refuse. The final chapter examines two practices for enacting resistance in cold calls blocks and stalls and documents the range of methods salespeople employ for dealing with each type of resistance. Sales blocks expose the salesperson s commercial agenda, attempt to stop the prospecting activity, and move towards call pre-closure. In response, salespeople can challenge, counter, or circumvent blocks as well as redo their initiating actions. Stalls slow down the progress of the sales process by delaying the next phase of the sale or by proposing less commitment-implicative alternatives. Salespeople deal with stalls by either justifying their initial proposal or by spontaneously introducing new action plans, both being more conducive to the progress of the sale. The thesis contributes to a growing body of interactional research on commercial encounters by shedding empirical light on a previously unexamined setting, business-to-business cold calls. It also moves forward discursive psychology s project of respecifying psychological phenomena by documenting the communicative practices associated with persuasion and resistance. Finally, it expands the extant conversation analytic toolkit by examining new practices (such as appointment-making) and by providing new insights into key conversation analytic topics (such as requests, pre-sequences, and accounts for calling). Overall, the findings presented in this thesis challenge existing conceptions of prospecting through cold calling that are prevalent in the sales literature. The thesis puts forward a strong argument for opening the black box of cold calls to better understand these interactions and to identify good practices as the basis for communication training. Research presented in this thesis has already been used in the development of CARM (Conversation Analytic Role-play Method) training for salespeople, who reported having doubled their appointment rates. Based on the findings in this thesis, I plan to develop further training not only for salespeople but also for prospective customers, thus improving the overall outcome of cold call encounters.