~ 3 ~ Abstract Master Program in Business process and Supply Chain Management Degree Project in Logistics 15 hp, Course 4FE06E Authors: Alexandra Dagberg, Alexander Thorén, Giovanni Tozzi, Kalin Velichkov Tutor: Roger Stokkedal Examiner: Helena Forslund Title: “Minimizing the risk of material shortage and waiting times via an improved order to delivery process – A study conducted within IV Produkt in Växjö” Background: Inventory Management activities have gained a relevant importance over the time in reducing uncertainties at both upstream as well as downstream levels of the supply chain, allowing a smooth material flow between chain members while responsively meeting customer demand. Control activities over the inventory represent a challenged and controversial aspect for most of today’s companies, including IV Produkt. Problem discussion: IV Produkt has, due to the rapid growth during the last ten years, fallen behind the area of inventory management as well as internal material handling process. The reason is that the company has not been able to develop these functions with the same pace as the economic growth. Consequently, the firm is facing difficulties to efficiently supply assembly lines, causing material shortage and waiting times. Research questions: RQ1: - How is the order to delivery process, from material supply functions to the Assembly line 2, at IV Produkt built up today? RQ2: - How can the order to delivery process of raw material and semi-finished products, between material supply functions and the Assembly line 2, be improved in order to minimize the risk of material shortage and waiting times? RQ3: - How can the physical storage of raw material and semi-finished products be structured within the studied area in order to support RQ2? Method: This thesis represents a descriptive case study conducted via a positivistic perspective and a deductive approach. Data was collected by interviews, observations and questionnaires, as well as via academic literature procured via a research in Linnaeus University’s library and via the use of approved web databases. Results are based on quantitative data collected from the studied company, guaranteeing the scientific credibility of the thesis. The respect of ethical principles were ensured by a discussion with company to mutually agree on the confidentiality of the presented information. Conclusion: The conclusion shows how the studied order to delivery process is built up today, highlighting several kind of waste in the current material and information flows. As a result, several actions, such as an extended use of the data system, the application of Kanban and the implementation of the ABC logic, in combination with a new proposed storage layout, were identified and proposed in order to minimize the risk of material shortage and waiting times.

Multilayered structures have many application in industry and society: they have peculiar properties and serve a variety of purposes, like structural support, thermal insulation, vibrational and acoustic isolation. This thesis concerns the prediction of sound transmission in multilayered structures. Two problems are herein investigated: the transmission of energy through structures and the transmission of energy along structures. The focus of the analysis is on the mid to high frequency range. To predict sound transmission in these structures, statistical energy analysis (SEA) is used.SEA models are devised for the prediction of the sound reduction index for two kinds of multilayered structures, double-walls used in buildings and trim-panels in vehicles; the double-walls comprise an air cavity in between flat plasterboard or glass plates, whereas the trim-panels a porous layer in between curved aluminium and rubber layers. The SEA models are based upon the wave-types carrying energy. The novelty in these SEAs is an element describing the waves in the air cavity, or in the porous layer, fully coupled to the mass-impeded external layers. Compared to measurements, the proposed SEA performs well: for double-walls, it performs better than previous models; for trim-panels, it is an original result. The parameters of the new SEA element, such as modal density, are derived from the coupling equations describing the fully coupled waves. For double-walls, these equations are derived via Newton's laws. For trim-panels, a variational approach based upon a modified Hamilton's principle valid for non-conservative systems is preferred, because it is a powerful machinery for deriving equations of motion and coupling conditions of a medium as complex as the porous layer. The modified Hamilton's principle for non-conservative systems is based upon a self-adjoint functional analogous to the Lagrangian, inspired by Morse and Feshbach's construction. A self-adjoint variational principle for Biot's equations in the displacement formulation is devised. An equivalent mixed formulation is obtained changing the coordinates of the displacement formulation via Lagrange multipliers. From this mixed formulation, the Lagrangian for a porous material with a limp frame is derived, which yields the continuity of the total displacement of the porous layer. Lagrange multipliers help to obtain the correct coupling functionals between a porous material and a solid. The Lagrange multipliers introducing the continuity of the frame and the solid displacements equal the traction of the in-vacuo frame, thus disappearing if the latter is limp. Measurements to gather material parameters for a Biot model of the porous layer have been conducted.The effects of spatial energy decay in the transmission along structures predicted by SEA is studied: a major effect is the increased relevance of indirect coupling loss factors between SEA elements. This may jeopardize the usefulness of SEA at higher frequencies. / <p>QC 20130218</p>

No description available.

This thesis investigates self-guiding sociopragmatic interactional principles (SIP) in communication and choice of linguistic strategies of politeness during service encounters in Turkish and English. To this end, two questionnaires were administered to 67 monolingual native speakers of English (ENS) by online administration and 85 monolingual native speakers of Turkish (TNS) by pen and paper administration who were all university students. Data were collected (1) by a SIP questionnaire to determine what principles are important in deciding what to say, and (2) by a linguistic strategies of politeness questionnaire (LSQ) to determine the strategies subjects would employ in conflict-generating service encounters. Three sociopragmatic interactional superprinciples were identified through factor analysis, namely (a) Tact (cost-benefit), (b) Relational Communicative Style, and (c) Task achievement. It has been found that face is of central value in communication and the key to the design of politeness and that its maintenance appears to be a prerequisite to adjusting communicative style and goal-orientation. Results indicate that the major differences between TNS and ENS were related to the principles of &amp / #8216 / sounding restrained&amp / #8217 / , &amp / #8216 / sounding humorous&amp / #8217 / , and &amp / #8216 / sounding warm and friendly&amp / #8217 / . The principles of &amp / #8216 / hinting&amp / #8217 / and &amp / #8216 / clarity&amp / #8217 / were not found as opposites for the TNS whereas they were in negative correlation for the ENS. Moreover, findings for the LSQ demonstrate that realization of self-goal was more important for TNS than ENS as reflected in conflict-maximizing linguistic strategy choice. The study underscores the need for a novel approach to politeness that incorporates SIPs choice of linguistic strategy.

Giving written feedback to students&rsquo / essays has gained importance by the emergence of the process approach to teaching writing. In the literature, many studies have been conducted to when and how to provide teacher feedback to students&rsquo / writing. In contrast, there have been very few studies on the teacher and students&rsquo / perceptions of teacher feedback. The aim of the present study is to investigate the EFL students&rsquo / expectations of, preferences for and handling of teacher feedback and to investigate the instructors&rsquo / perception of written feedback and their expectations of the students. To this end, the researcher designed this study and carried it out in ENG 102 course at Middle East Technical University. The data for the study were collected through both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools. These tools were the questionnaire and the Writing Self-Efficacy Scale administered to the students and the interviews held with some of the students and instructors teaching at the Department of Modern Languages. The data were collected in the spring semester of the 2009-2010 academic year. Analyses of the collected data revealed that both the teachers and the students think that teachers play a key role in improving a student&rsquo / s writing ability. However, there seems to be a kind of mismatch between what the students expect and what the teachers provide. The study also displays that the students&rsquo / expectations of, preferences for and their handling of teacher feedback changes according to some factors such as the students&rsquo / gender or faculty. The teachers should be aware of such differences and reflect this knowledge in their teaching practices. Finally, the study reveals that there is a positive correlation between the students&rsquo / writing self-efficacy beliefs and their perceptions regarding the value they attach to teacher feedback in general.

This thesis presents a new methodology based on directly measuring user behavior and making decisions based on experimental results. I have built and tested a tool which will enable researchers to use the methodology to determine whether particular financial statement presentations are more beneficial than others. The tool records user movement on a computer screen with mouse tracking, which allows researchers to track user behavior in greater detail than ever before. The methodology was tested on a subject pool of non-professional financial analysts and junior professionals, who were presented with a company’s financial data in the current GAAP and a new proposed FASB presentation format. The results show that this methodology could be useful in differentiating between present GAAP and proposed alternatives.

This thesis work was performed at AB Sandvik Coromant and aimed to enhance the knowledge about the relationships between the performance of TiN and TiAlN-coated cutting tools in metal turning and their mechanical and chemical properties. Measurements of coating material properties and turning wear tests in annealed tool steel Sverker 21, stainless steel 316L, grey cast iron V314 and nodular cast iron SS0727 were performed. The cutting temperatures were estimated from FEM-simulations. To find the dominant wear mechanism and identify the properties that are most important for the resistance against that particular wear, a correlation analysis was performed together with a wear study using LOM, SEM and EDS. The results show that relations between cutting performance and mechanical properties and/or composition of the coatings can be established. The FEM-simulations suggested that the peak tool temperature was highest, ~750°C, for turning in 316L and lowest for turning in Sverker 21, ~300°C. Turning in cast iron resulted in temperatures around 500-550°C. A mechanism for the growth of the crater on inserts tested in stainless steel 316L is proposed. Wear due to thermo-mechanical load and adhesion are believed to be the dominating wear mechanisms. The performance of the tool showed a high correlation to the composition of the coatings, with a decreased tool life for higher Al-contents. The reason for this might lie in an increased brittleness of these coatings, accelerating formation of lateral cracks above the crater. Calculated ratios of bulk and shear modulus suggests an increased brittleness for higher Al-contents. A higher tendency to stick to the work piece material might also contribute to a decrease in tool life. An Increased Al-content could also drive the formation of c-AlN to h-AlN, causing even higher wear rates. The coatings with higher substrate bias showed an enhanced performance, even though the crack pattern was worsened for these variants. The reason for the enhanced performance seen for these variants might instead originate in an enhanced adhesion to the substrate. In the flank wear resistance test in Sverker 21 the Al-content proved to be important, with an improved performance for higher Al-contents. In contrast to the test in 316L, a change in bias or hardness had no effect on the performance in this test. Scratch patterns on the flank supports that an abrasive wear mechanism is present, but no correlation between hardness and tool life could be obtained. Either some other material property than hardness is of importance for the abrasive resistance in this test, or another wear mechanism, occurring simultaneously with abrasion, is the wear rate deciding. The second part of this thesis work was to evaluate the ability of a quantum mechanical computational method, density functional theory, to predict material properties. The method predicts the lattice parameters and bulk moduli in excellent agreement with experimental values. The method also well predicts other elastic properties, with results consistent with reference values. There seems to be a constant shift of about 50-100 GPa between the calculated elastic modulus and the experimentally measured values, probably originating in contributions from grain boundaries, texture, stresses and defects present in the real coatings, and possibly also in errors in the experimental method due to an influence from the substrate. The calculated hardness values did not follow the trend of an increased hardness for TiAlN compared to TiN, which is seen in experiments.

Varför ser både din kropp och tröjan som du hittade i butiken annorlunda ut iprovrummet? Belysning i provrum är ett återkommande problem.Belysningsbranschens blomstrande framfart borde ha löst denna angelägenhet förflera år sedan. I denna studie utreds problematiken ur tre olika intressenterssynvinklar för att kunna redogöra för rekommendationer som behandlarbelysningen i provrum. Följande frågeställningar formulerades:1. Vilka kriterier definierar god belysning i provrum?2. Vilken funktion har belysningen i provrum sett ur butikspersonalens ochkundernas perspektiv?3. Anser kunden att upplevelsen av sig själv i provrummet påverkar köpbeslutet?Inledningsvis genomfördes en förstudie med observation av befintliga provrumoch intervjuer med belysningsplanerare. Efter det intervjuades butikschefer frånfem olika butiker i Jönköping. Studiens två metoder, enkätundersökning ochljusmätning, användes på butikerna. 70 enkätsvar ställdes i relation tillprovrummens fysiska förutsättningar som dokumenterats genom ljusmätningar iprovrummen.Resultatet visar att korrekt visuell färgupplevelse följt av rättvis bild av kroppenoch ansiktet är belysningens viktigaste funktioner i provrum. Överraskandeförekommer det provrum där belysningen medvetet gjorts bristfällig för attmanipulera kunden till att gå ur provrummet. Detta ger butikspersonalen ökadechanser att skapa en relation med kunden för att påverka köpbeslutet, ettförhållningssätt vi inte skulle vilja rekommendera.God provrumsbelysning karakteriseras av belysningstekniska val som välharmonierar med provrummets övriga utformning för att ge en rättvis bild avbåde färger, detaljer och kroppens form. Belysningen ska dessutom samspela medbutikens övriga belysning.I enkätundersökningen frågade vi kunderna i hur hög grad fyra olika faktorerpåverkat deras beslut att köpa eller inte köpa klädesplagget som provats. Denfaktor som mest påverkar kundens beslut till köp är kundservicen (vid köp) ochpriset (vid uteblivet köp), efter dessa kommer upplevelsen av sig själv iprovrummet (vid båda). Detta resultat stämmer väl överens med hur bådebelysningsplanerare och butikspersonal resonerar kring frågan vad som avgör omkunden köper eller inte.Vår slutsats är att belysningen i provrum ska ge en rättvis bild av kropp, färg ochkläder. Rekommendationer för provrum skulle underlätta planering, men någonoptimal lösning går inte att redogöra för då alla människor är olika ljuskänsliga ochhar skilda behov i provrummet. Upplevelsen av provrummet går att koppla tillköpbeslutet. / Why do both your body and the shirt look different in the fitting room comparedto how they did in the store area? The continuing problem with lighting in fittingrooms is a fact. The lighting industry should have resolved this matter severalyears ago through the development process. This study investigates the problemfrom the viewpoint of three different stakeholders in order to presentrecommendations for lighting in fitting room. The following concerns are raised:1. What criteria’s defines good lighting in the fitting room?2. Seen from the store staff and customers perspective, what function does lightingin the fitting room have?3. Does the customers’ perception of themselves in the fitting room affect theirdecision to buy?Initially there was a pilot study with an observation of existing fitting rooms, andinterviews with lighting designers. After these, additional interviews with storemanager from five different stores in Jönköping were undertaken. Our two studymethods, survey and measuring of light, were used in these stores. The 70 surveyresponses were compared directly with the fitting rooms physical attributes thatwere documented by light measurements in the fitting rooms.The most important features with regard to lighting in fitting rooms are anaccurate visual color experience and a fair image of the body and face.Surprisingly, there are fitting rooms where lighting is deliberately weakened inorder to manipulate the customer to exit the fitting room. This will allow the storestaff to increase the chances of creating a relationship with the customer toinfluence purchasing decisions; an approach we would not like to recommend.Good lighting in fitting rooms is characterized by technical lighting choices thatharmonize with other features in the fitting room to create an unbiased image ofcolors, details and body shape. The lighting must also interact with all otherlighting in the store.In the survey we asked customers to what extent the four different factors listedabove influenced their decision of buying the tested garment. The factor that mostaffects the customer decision of purchase is the customer service (purchase doesoccur) and the price (purchase does not occur), thereafter the experience ofthemselves in the fitting rooms (for both). This result is congruent with well withlighting designers and store staff’s reasoning about what affects the customerspurchasing decision.Our conclusion is that the lighting in fitting rooms should give a fair picture ofbody, color and clothing. Recommendations for lighting in the fitting room wouldease the planning, but an optimal solution cannot account for the reality that allpeople have different sensitivity to light and diverse needs in the fitting rooms.The experience of the fitting room and specifically the lighting within can belinked to the decision of purchases.

Nowadays in a turbulent market, developing and launching a new product is one of most competitive strategies implemented by many large and small enterprises. In fact, launching a new product depends upon the performance of four critical functions: design, manufacturing, distribution and marketing. Their performances would increase or decrease the total time-to-market and consequently time-to-money. Time-to-market would be improved if the manufacturing system can diminish time-to-volume/quality/cost during production start-up phase. In order to overcome the impediment during a start-up phase, the significant parameters which are influencing a production start-up phase should be identified and managed. Hence, a system-wide approach would facilitate a product realization process so as to achieve global optimization throughout the entire process. One of such systems is Concurrent Engineering which can be applied owing to being enable to choose the best practice to improve product introduction process, being capable to improve cross functional integration and communication, and being empowered to apply a set of comprehensive methods for design analysis so that designers can select the most optimal design solution which is not only considering the design constraints, but also taking the constraints of production system, logistics and distribution into account. Hence, it can cover majority of problems in start-up phase which are generated due to lack of empathy between design and manufacturing. This research studied the significant parameters influencing a production start-up phase. Then, it investigated whether the principle of concurrent engineering would support an efficient start-up phase. The selected research methodology is based on a conceptual and supportive literature review of the current scholars. The research design is according to a three-step process which is applied to catch most relevant literatures. The research implements an analogy reasoning logic to establish the outcome of the research through the comparison between principles of a concurrent engineering program and significant parameters. As a result of the research, the significant parameters are identified, in addition, a managerial framework is structured that can present the requirements to manage an efficient start-up phase. Moreover, the results indicate how a concurrent engineering program would support a start-up phase.

The basis for this thesis involved a four month Accelerate Canada internship at the Grand River Hospital Emergency Department in Kitchener, Ontario. The Emergency Department (ED) Process Committee sought insight into strategies that could potentially reduce patient length of stay in the ED, thereby reducing wait times for emergency patients. This thesis uses discrete event simulation to model the overall system and to analyze the effect of various operational strategies within the fast track area of the emergency department. It discusses the design and development process for the simulation model, proposes various operational strategies to reduce patient wait times, and analyzes the different scenarios for an optimal fast track strategy. The main contribution of this thesis is the use of simulation to determine an optimal fast track strategy that reduces patient length of stay, thereby reducing patient wait times. Wait times were most significantly reduced when there was an increased physician presence/availability towards the fast track system. This had the greatest impact on the total time spent in the ED and also on queue length. The second most significant reduction to the performance measures occurred when an additional emergency nurse practitioner was supplemented to the fast track system. Accordingly, the nurse practitioner’s percent utilization increased. There was only one two-way interaction effect that was statistically significant in reducing the primary performance measure of wait times; however, the effect did not change the queue length, a secondary performance measure, by a significant amount. Finally, the implementation of a See-and-treat model variant for fast track had a negligible effect on both the average length of stay and queue length.