The results show that political connection has positive relation with ROE, but negative with ROA which means businessmen seek rent by from government and meanwhile, politicians extract rents from companies they manage. If members of Committee of the Chinese¡¦s People¡¦s Political Consultative Conference and firms¡¦ Community Party also serving on the board have great influence on firms¡¦ performance and resource. Besides, poor performance does not lead firms to gain political connection. Most import, power transition does not influence firms¡¦ value, especially those with old political connection.

For a long time ,the whole performance of the Taiwan¡¦s terminals that present both the passengers and the aircraft movements decline tendency.This research was from 2003 to 2007 the Taiwan¡¦s top 10 terminals as the object of study. The aim of study was providing the government and managers understood the implying of performance. This study based on Avkiran & Rowands (2008) Three-Stage SBM-DEA for the main methodology that excluded both external factor and statistic interference. And applied auxiliary by Malmquist index, carried on the performance measurement of the Taiwan¡¦s top 10 terminals with more detached and more impartial. According to the analysis it provided the government and managers to improve and work out a better future.

År 2013 var den globala omsättningen för modeindustrin ca 76 tusen miljarder svenska kronor (Office of Textiles and Apparel, 2014). Bara i Sverige omsattes det 229 miljarder svenska kronor år 2012 inom denna sektor, en ökning på 11 % från föregående år (Tillväxtverket, 2014). Att modebranschen är under ständig utveckling och ökar i tillväxt kan man se då dessa siffror stiger varje år. Statistik från 2014 visar att trots denna ökning så överlever endast 47 % av nystartade modeföretag de tre första åren (Statistic Brain, 2014). Så hur lyckas man som modeföretag i early stage-fasen att med begränsade resurser stärka sitt varumärke och hålla sig kvar på marknaden? I denna studie berörs olika delar så som traditionell marknadsföring, okonventionell marknadsföring, branding samt transparens, där huvudfokus ligger på företag i early stage- fasen av sin uppstart. I uppsatsen genomfördes sju intervjuer med svenska modeföretag som är eller nyligen varit i denna fas för att få ett resultat med så hög validitet som möjligt. Brist på kunskap och kapital är inte ovanligt i denna bransch och med ökad medvetenhet hos konsumenter om de olika processerna, så kan det ibland uppstå svårigheter att försvara sig som nystartat företag. Då modebranschen är i ständig rörelse med stora förändringar från säsong till säsong måste man som nytt företag vara beredd på reformation samt att alltid tänka innovativt. Det är även viktigt att vara uppmärksam på kommande och rådande trender gällande alla aktiviteter ett företag arbetar med. Eftersom olika marknadsföringsstrategier både kan hjälpa och stjälpa ett varumärkes position på marknaden är den stora utmaningen att hitta rätt metod för just sitt företag (Easy, M. 2009). Resultatet av denna studie kommer alltså att bygga på de kvalitativa intervjuer som genomförts med de utvalda företag som har valt att medverka. De beskriver hur deras uppstart sett ut när det kommer till branding samt hur de i olika kanaler väljer att marknadsföra sig. I dessa intervjuer tittar vi även närmare på hur de lyckades starta sin verksamhet och vilka kapitalmedel de använt, deras syn på okonventionell marknadsföring samt hur marknadsföring och branding hänger samman.

The primary objective of this research is to develop a visual design process for gear trains with multiple stages of reduction and varying configurational architectures. One of the main challenges in the design of such gear trains is in the sizing of the individual gears such that high levels of performance are obtained in spite of constraints due to different gear configurations. Formal design procedures that successfully meet this challenge are developed. A key contribution of this research is the utilization of these design procedures to create sets of three-dimensional design maps. The design procedures help a designer manage more than 20 design parameters in designing for a broad range of gear train requirements (Rated torque capacity, Volume, Weight, Inertia, Responsiveness, Torque Density etc.) while accounting for assembly constraints. Each set of design maps corresponds to a given set of design parameters, some of which are held fixed and some of which are put in the hands of the designer. The latter set of design parameters are termed in this research as design knobs. They can be ‘tuned’ by a designer in order to generate new sets of design maps. The idea is that a designer, using the design information conveyed to him/her graphically through a given set of design maps, is able to then tune the design knobs to generate an updated set of design maps which reflect design solutions that are more desirable in terms of the application requirements. By adjusting the design knobs and looking at updated design maps, a designer is able to quickly assess the effect of his/her design decisions. The end result is that a single designer is empowered with the ability to quickly arrive at a preliminary design of a gear train that satisfies the design requirements. This preliminary design would be a good starting point for more detailed design development. / text

Due to variations in process, voltage, and temperature (PVT), amplifiers are almost solely designed for use in a negative feedback loop. The feedback loop mitigates the effect of PVT, however maintaining stability becomes the main design challenge. Further, multi-stage amplifiers with high open-loop gain are used for powering headphone speakers in modern portable electronics. As there are many different headphone manufacturers and compatibility specifications, headphone amplifiers are subjected to a wide variation in capacitive and resistive loads, which further complicates the stability upkeep. This thesis explores a two-stage (Common-Gate Feedback) and three-stage (Impedance Adapting Compensation) amplifier topology with respect to performance under wide load variations. For both compensation topologies, an analytical analysis is presented, followed by a design proposal for a headphone amplifier application. Finally, the trade-offs for maintaining stability under varying loads are discussed. / text

Purpose: Cardiovascular events and complications are the major causes of death in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD)¹⁻³. Antihypertensive agents that block the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) are considered first-line therapy in patients with ESRD as these patients have a propensity for RAAS overactivation⁴⁻⁷. Studies show that aldosterone receptor blockade reduces BP in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and helps prevent negative outcomes from continued renal cellular damage⁸⁻¹⁰. Spironolactone, an aldosterone antagonist, has the potential to provoke hyperkalemia. Consequently, current guidelines do not recommend spironolactone to manage hypertension in ESRD because of this risk⁶⁻⁷. Our primary objectives were to determine the change in BP and serum potassium levels following spironolactone use. Methods: This study was a retrospective, pre-post cohort study in ESRD patients with difficult-to-control BP receiving HD. Patients prescribed spironolactone (25 mg to 50 mg) between January 2009 and January 2013 were identified using an e-prescribing record from three HD clinics in San Antonio, TX. Patients were included if they were prescribed spironolactone as 'add-on' therapy to control BP for at least 8 weeks. Results: Seventy patients were evaluated and the majority of them were overweight, diabetic, Hispanic females with a mean 65 years of age. Mean SBP and DBP decreased from baseline to week 8 [-20.74 mmHg (p < 0.0001) and -9.7 mmHg (p < 0.0426), respectively]. Mean serum potassium levels increased by an average of 0.18 mEq/L (4.5 mEq/L to 4.68 mEq/L, p = 0.09). Data analysis revealed that only 9 of 70 patients had a serum potassium level > 5.5 mEq/L at week 8. There were no adverse cardiac events reported as a result of these potassium concentrations. A two-fold decrease in SBP was seen in patients with a body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m² compared to patients with a BMI of ≤ 25 kg/m². At the end of the study, 23 patients (33%) achieved the goal BP for healthy adults of < 140/90 mmHg. Conclusion: These findings demonstrated that using spironolactone use in ESRD patients receiving HD can be effective and safe. / text

Purpose: During the planning phase of a construction there are many participants involved; architects, building contractors, constructors, developers and so on. Communication problems occur between these participants and may lead to wrong planning and high costs. Partnering focuses on relationship-building, transparency and trust, which in theory should reduce the problems for a project. The objective of this study is to analyse the communication in the planning phase to identify how communication problems can be prevented in a partnering. Method: To achieve the objective, literature studies and interviews have been selected as methods. The interviewees were selected from two partnering projects that Skanska was involved in. Findings: Results show that partnering reduces communication problems and create a greater involvement and commitment of the project planners. However, some problem still exists such as the use of project portals, choice of communication channels, coordination and information transfer on a formal and informal level. To prevent these problems, literature studies and interviewees contributed a few examples; a detailed meeting agenda, add comments on the blueprints, production personnel should participate in planning meetings and economic incentives. The interviewees have felt that partnering has worked well which has produced good results during the project planning. Implications: To create an effective planning group and remove the participants own interest, partnering should be applied. Planners should work with one project at a time and should be located with each other to benefit the work and communication at formal and informal level. Planners should work in a project portal that they are experienced and comfortable with. Limitations: This thesis will only analyze the planning stage. The two analyzed partnering projects were under planning stage during the thesis, which made it impossible to continue the research on the handover phase from planning to production. The interviewees have been limited to architects, contractors, constructors, developers, electrical and plumbing planners. Keywords: Planning stage, communication, partnering, communication problems / Syfte: När ett byggnadsverk ska projekteras är det många aktörer som är inblandade; arkitekter, byggentreprenörer, byggherrar, konstruktörer, el- och VVS-projektörer. Kommunikationsproblem förekommer mellan dessa aktörer vilket leder till felprojektering och extra kostnader. Samverkansformen partnering fokuserar på relationsbyggande, öppenhet och förtroende vilket i teorin ska minska problemen för kommunikation inom ett projekt. Målet med detta examensarbete är att analysera kommunikationen i projekteringsskedet för att identifiera hur kommunikationsproblem kan överbryggas för partnering. Metod: För att uppnå målet har litteraturstudier och intervjuer valts som metoder. Elva stycken intervjupersoner valdes utifrån två partneringsprojekt som Skanska var delaktiga i. Resultat: Resultat visar på att partnering minskar kommunikationsproblem och skapar en större delaktighet och engagemang hos projektörerna enligt intervjupersonerna själva. Tyvärr förekommer det fortfarande vissa problem så som användning av projektportaler, val av kommunikationskanaler, samordning samt informationsöverföring på en formell och informell nivå. För att förhindra dessa problem har litteraturstudierna och intervjupersonerna bidragit med några förslag; en detaljerad mötesagenda, infoga kommentarer på ritningar, produktionspersonal bör delta i projekteringsmöten, samlokalisering och införa ett ekonomiskt incitament. Intervjupersonerna har annars ansett att partnering har fungerat bra och gett goda resultat under projekteringen. Konsekvenser: För att skapa en effektiv projekteringsgrupp och få bort aktörernas eget intresse bör partnering tillämpas. Projektörerna bör arbeta med ett projekt i taget och gärna samlokaliserat för att underlätta arbetet och kommunikationen på den formella och informella nivån. Projektörerna bör jobba i en projektportal som de är erfarna och bekväma med. Begränsningar: Examensarbetet kommer endast behandla projekteringsskedet. De två undersökta partneringsprojekten befann sig under projekteringsskedet under rapportens gång vilket omöjliggjorde vidare forskning kring överlämnandet från projektering till produktionen. Intervjupersonerna har avgränsats till arkitekter, byggentreprenörer, byggherrar, konstruktörer, el- och VVS-projektörer. Nyckelord: Projektering, kommunikation, partnering, kommunikationsproblem

This thesis revolves around product development in a medium-sized Swedish company. The company in question is called S:t Erik and manufactures a wide range of products made out of concrete and operates in several locations in Sweden. The study has been carried out during 20 weeks with a starting point in January, year 2015. The goal of the study is to deliver a directly implementable development process that support the company's vision and aim towards a more reliable and resource-saving product development process. The study has been conducted through interviews with people directly involved in the product development process. In addition to the interviews, an observational study carried out in the company's production unit in Uppsala and a benchmarking at S:t Eriks plant in Staffanstorp. Which though co-examination with theory revolving the Stage gate process formed the basis for the developed proposals for improvement. To achieve a more accurate product development S:t Erik is recommended to work with its product development on a project basis with clear guidance in the form of a dedicated project manager in combination with a standardized development procedure. Through a proposed model including the work guidelines and though structured development phases S:t Eriks is presented with the opportunity to drastically decrease the risk involved with the company’s product development. The result also includes a proposal to carry out the proposed working model through the online feature in Word, in response to discovered problems revolving communication, access to information and transfer of knowledge. To ensure that S:t Erik is able to interpret and meet the expressed customer need, and at the same time simplify the internal communication they are recommended to incorporate a 3D printer in the early stages of the product development. For additional ways to meet customer needs a concept collection folder available for quick and easy collection of ideas and suggestions online or alternatively on the company intranet is suggested. Finally a procedure for how the working model could be used in practise is presented in an effort to archive a successful implementation at S:t Eriks.

Purpose &amp; research questions: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the roleand influence trend institutes have on the decision a designer makes in the designand development of a garment/product’s lifecycle. Theoretical approach: The theoretical framework is based on the theories ofsustainability and trends but also on previous studies and models concerning thefashion design process and the environmental aspects of a garment’s lifecycle. Research Approach: The research uses a qualitative method based on multiple casestudies as research design. Conclusion: This research reveals that trend institutes have little or no influence atall for small, independent and high-end fashion designers, especially in sustainablefashion design because trend institutes are not perceived as knowledgeable enough oradvocates, yet. However, it is important to bear in mind the need to maintain thepicture of the high-end fashion designer as the one and only fashion contributor.Furthermore, The research evidences that there is no such thing as sustainabilitycommunication at trend institutes.

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