The Front End of Innovation (FEI) is the early phase of the Product Development Process, responsible for the concept generation and an important driver of innovation success. The FEI is characterized by roles\' dynamism, ambiguity, and uncertainty. Several authors divide the FEI into other sub-phases in order to organize its activities, roles, and understand the function of each role. Despite the growing research about the FEI in recent years, there is a need for further research on the theme to better understand the dynamics and help to reduce the uncertainty in the critical concept phase. The formal processes designed for the front end are insufficient, the rules and roles are not fully described, and it is necessary to balance the interactions between the activities in the FEI to get a better-structured New Product Development - NPD - later. The main FEI models developed at the literature have discussed some key roles such marketing, engineering, customers, but they do not discussed the role of design, which is critical in creative activities which, in turn, are the nature of the new product development process. The literature also has not discussed the external integration in the FEI, that is, how the Brand Owners integrate the partners, especially the suppliers and design agencies, in this critical and uncertain phase. To tackle this issue, this research aims to examine the FEI in a dynamic industry, examining the integration of roles in an iterative process. The objective of this research is to identify the roles that play in the Front End of Innovation and the mechanisms of integration, whether internal through cross-functional teams; or external through interfirms integration. The main question that guided this research is \"What roles are involved in each FEI activity and what are the mechanism that integrate these roles in the FEI?\". This is qualitative and exploratory research, based on multiple-cases-studies. For this study, the packaging industry was selected because of its value chain in the concept phase, which has a complex set of relationships among its parties, Brand Owner, Design Agencies and Packaging Producers. The consumers buy the product by the performance of the same and also by the packaging. Packaging is considered a second product at the point of sale and a vital buying decision factor. Brand Owners understand that they need to integrate suppliers into the FEI to assist them in identifying opportunities, ideation, and conceptualization. Five brand owners were interviewed, and the FEI has been divided into five activities: Opportunity Identifications and Analysis, Idea Generation, Idea Enrichment, Idea Selection, and Concept Development. / O Front End de Inovação (FEI) é a fase inicial do processo de desenvolvimento de produtos, responsável pela geração de conceitos e um importante motor de sucesso na inovação. O FEI caracteriza-se pelo dinamismo, a ambiguidade e a incerteza dos papéis. Vários autores dividem o FEI em outras subfases, a fim de organizar suas atividades, papéis e compreender a função de cada função. Apesar da crescente pesquisa sobre o FEI nos últimos anos, há necessidade de novas pesquisas sobre o assunto para entender melhor a dinâmica e ajudar a reduzir a incerteza na fase conceitual crítica. Os processos formais projetados para o front-end são insuficientes, os papéis e as regras e não são totalmente descritos e é necessário equilibrar as interações entre as atividades no FEI para obter um melhor estruturado Desenvolvimento de Novos Produtos - NPD - depois. Os principais modelos de FEI desenvolvidos na literatura discutem alguns papéis fundamentais como marketing, engenharia, consumidores, mas não discutem o papel do design, crítico nas atividades criativas, que, por sua vez, são a natureza do processo de desenvolvimento de novos produtos. A literatura também não tem discutido a integração externa no FEI, ou seja, como os clientes integram os parceiros, especialmente os fornecedores e agências de design, nesta fase crítica e incerta. Para abordar esta questão, esta pesquisa visa examinar o FEI em uma indústria dinâmica, examinando a integração de papéis em um processo iterativo. O objetivo desta pesquisa é identificar os papéis que desempenham no Front End de Inovação e os mecanismos de integração, sejam eles internos através de equipes multifuncionais; ou externos através da integração entre firmas. A principal questão que guiou esta pesquisa é \"Quais papéis estão envolvidas em cada atividade do FEI e quais são os mecanismos que integram estes papéis no FEI?\" Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa e exploratória, baseada em estudos de casos múltiplos. Para este estudo, o setor de embalagens foi selecionado por sua cadeia de valor na fase conceitual, que possui um conjunto complexo de relacionamentos entre suas partes, as Indústrias de Bens de Consumo, as Agências de Design e os Produtores de Embalagens. Os consumidores compram o produto pela performance do mesmo e também pela embalagem. A embalagem é considerada um segundo produto no ponto de venda e um fator de decisão de compra vital. As Indústrias de Bens de Consumo entendem que precisam integrar fornecedores no FEI para ajudá-las a identificar oportunidades, ideação e conceituação. Foram entrevistados cinco Indústrias de Bens de Consumo e o FEI foi dividido em cinco atividades: Identificações e Análises de Oportunidades, Geração de Ideias, Enriquecimento de Ideias, Seleção de Ideias e Desenvolvimento de Conceitos.

This dissertation investigates the dynamics of the tidally modulated outflow from the Columbia River mouth using high resolution measurements of velocity, density and turbulent microstructure. At high tide, flow through the river mouth reverses from flood (onshore) to ebb (offshore). During ebb, buoyant fluid issues from the river mouth and spreads offshore across the ocean surface. This is the Columbia River tidal plume. The fluid velocity of the tidal plume is super-critical (greater than the wavespeed of coastal stratification), which creates a zone of sharp surface velocity convergence at its leading edge, causing a front to form. From early ebb to peak ebb, constant front propagation speed and plume expansion rate are controlled by a linearly increasing volume-flux through the river mouth. Within the plume, turbulence at the plume base is strongly related to the difference between the shear-squared, S², and four times the buoyancy frequency squared, 4N². A parameterization based on the excess shear-squared, S² - 4N², represents Reynolds stress well, indicating that it is driven by Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. During peak ebb of large tides, high volume-flux through the mouth drives high S² - 4N², causing high plume-base stress, which forces significant deceleration of the plume. During smaller tides the volume-flux is smaller, S² - 4N² lower, and the stress too weak to significantly decelerate the plume. During mid-ebb of both small and large ebbs, increasing buoyancy flux from the river mouth raises plume stratification, which suppresses S² - 4N² and stress. As ebb ends, decreasing volume flux and deflection by the Coriolis effect limit plume expansion. This weakens surface velocity convergence, causing the front to diffuse. On longer timescales, plume N² is modulated by changes in river flow; higher river flow causes higher N². During peak ebb of large tides this increase in N² supports higher S², resulting in higher S² - 4N², which causes larger internal stress. These results describe the primary dynamics of the Columbia River tidal plume from front formation to late-ebb, and relate variability in those dynamics to tidal and river-flow forcing. / Graduation date: 2011 / Access restricted to the OSU Community at author's request from Jan. 26, 2011 - Jan. 26, 2013

In the last decade historians have focused greater attention on the Canadian home front during the Second World War. This increased scrutiny has led to studies of not only the wars impact on the nation at large, but also on specific urban communities. A weakness in all of these urban accounts, however, is that patriotism is too often taken for granted. An examination of Saskatoon between 1939 and 1945 provides a case study for how patriotism was fostered in a community thousands of kilometers away from the battlefield. Of particular interest here were the ways in which Saskatoons collective imagination, stifled for nearly a decade by the Great Depression, nourished the citys patriotic zeal. Patriotism is considered from three main perspectives. The ways in which Saskatoon re-created at home the war over there are examined first. Instrumental to this endeavour were a deep and sympathetic interest in Englands weathering of the Nazi Blitz, a fear that the Germans might attack North America, and an idolization of the Canadian soldier, both abroad and in the citys own midst. Secondly, Saskatoons vicarious experience of the Second World War in turn energized the countless patriotic initiatives in the city. Saskatonians, from women to the smallest children, were encouraged to do their bit to contribute to the war effort on the home front. Finally, there was also a darker side to the patriotic imagination: a disturbing xenophobia dominated Saskatoon during the war years. People of German and Japanese ancestry, as well as those on the left of the political spectrum, were suspected of being fifth columnists. Using the Star-Phoenix newspaper as a mirror of the community, this thesis provides new insight into patriotism, Saskatoon, and the Second World War.

In the last decade historians have focused greater attention on the Canadian home front during the Second World War. This increased scrutiny has led to studies of not only the wars impact on the nation at large, but also on specific urban communities. A weakness in all of these urban accounts, however, is that patriotism is too often taken for granted. An examination of Saskatoon between 1939 and 1945 provides a case study for how patriotism was fostered in a community thousands of kilometers away from the battlefield. Of particular interest here were the ways in which Saskatoons collective imagination, stifled for nearly a decade by the Great Depression, nourished the citys patriotic zeal. Patriotism is considered from three main perspectives. The ways in which Saskatoon re-created at home the war over there are examined first. Instrumental to this endeavour were a deep and sympathetic interest in Englands weathering of the Nazi Blitz, a fear that the Germans might attack North America, and an idolization of the Canadian soldier, both abroad and in the citys own midst. Secondly, Saskatoons vicarious experience of the Second World War in turn energized the countless patriotic initiatives in the city. Saskatonians, from women to the smallest children, were encouraged to do their bit to contribute to the war effort on the home front. Finally, there was also a darker side to the patriotic imagination: a disturbing xenophobia dominated Saskatoon during the war years. People of German and Japanese ancestry, as well as those on the left of the political spectrum, were suspected of being fifth columnists. Using the Star-Phoenix newspaper as a mirror of the community, this thesis provides new insight into patriotism, Saskatoon, and the Second World War.

In order to reduce the risks, banks has two ways to evaluate the loan exposure. One is credit rating, and the other one is pledge collaterals. Many literatures and financial regulations are emphasizing on the importance of credit rating. However, with the illustration of a plenty of empirical study, the pledging collaterals are the popular way which was using by “lazy” banks. Credit rating or pledging with collaterals is the gap between theories and practices.  The aim of this thesis is to figure the factors which make the gap between the theories and practices. At last, the front-line employees are paid attention on. Since front-line employees are the first and direct one who contact customers. Reliability and responsiveness has a space to develop by training first-line employees, moral hazard controlling, and sectoral specialization the credit inspection.

Texte remanié de: Th. doct.--Hist.--Bruxelles--Université libre. / FDF = Front démocratique des francophones. Bibliogr. p. 333-359. CEGES = Centre d'études et de documentation Guerre et sociétés contemporaines.

Texte remanié de: Th.--Hist. militaire et études de défense nationale--Montpellier 3, 1990.

Diss. : Freiburg (Breisgau) : 2000. / Bibliogr.

Decision-makers have many defined and widely accepted tools in place to manage projects and programs. However, can the same be said for the very early stages of projects? This research investigates what researchers are now referring to as the Fuzzy Front End of Innovation, which is defined as the territory leading up to organizational-level absorption and commercialization of the innovation process. Despite all of the actions in establishing new operational efficiencies and project management guidelines to improve New Product Development (NPD), a formalized model does not exist for the screening and filtering of the most exceptional opportunities. The ALAS Fuzzy Front End of Innovation Process Model is proposed to help manage the innovation process. This model is based on an in-depth literature review and respondent interview data. As a secondary topic this thesis will look to understand and propose the organizational structure required to support pre-phase Fuzzy Front End activities, governance and management’s role. This will not be a discussion on organizational types within development or engineering organizations (i.e.: matrix, product, platform organizational structures) but rather from the findings propose a structure that helps define who the key stake holders are in approving or rejecting development efforts. / text

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