Clusters and Regional Management Structures by Western MNCs in Asia: Overcoming the Distance Challenge

Recent literature suggests that multinational companies pursue regional rather than global strategies. Therefore, this study investigates regional management structures, using French multinational companies (MNCs) in the Asia–Pacific region as an empirical context, to address two research questions: first, do MNCs split Asia into subregions and, if so, what are the resulting clusters of countries and clustering criteria? Second, what kind of regional management structures do MNCs establish in Asia, and what are their roles and functions? Factors, such as MNC size, the size of host markets, or the nature of their activities, might explain some differences. The authors conducted 77 face-to-face interviews with expatriated managers in charge of the subsidiaries or regional management structures of 47 French MNCs located in 11 countries in Asia, then crossed these data with secondary sources of information. Nearly half the MNCs subdivide the Asia–Pacific region into clusters of countries, where they locate regional management centres (regional headquarters, regional offices, distribution centres, local offices) with substantial functions and roles. The main drivers of a regional Asian strategy and organisation are the overall size of the MNC and its sales in Asia; the presence of manufacturing activities does not exert any influence. This research identifies ten clusters of countries in Asia, determined by the French MNCs in our sample, on the basis of four main criteria: market orientation/economic logic, geographical and institutional proximity, cultural differences, and the MNC’s own characteristics. Smaller MNCs do not slice Asia into clusters but rather centralise regional decisions and control procedures, implementing few regional management centres in Asia and giving them limited roles and functions.     

Native arteriovenous fistula placement in three patients after implantation of a left ventricular assist device with non‐pulsatile blood flow

Patients with left ventricular assist device have an increased risk for postoperative acute kidney injury and long‐term requirement of dialysis. As a chronic access for dialysis, native arteriovenous fistulae are uncommon options due to suspected maturation failure. We present three patients who received successful arteriovenous fistulae placement after left ventricular assist device implantation with assisted long term patency.     

Between laboratory and simulator: a cognitive approach to evaluating cockpit interfaces by manipulating informatory context

An evaluation approach for correspondence-driven domains is suggested and implemented. Touch screen and trackball controls were evaluated as interaction devices for large-area displays in the cockpits of highly agile jet aircraft. To account for the context conditions of selected use cases, informatory quality and the difficulty of situational demands were analysed and manipulated experimentally in dual-task scenarios, which were completed by experienced pilots. Results indicate a clear performance advantage of touch compared to trackball interaction, accompanied by less workload. Informatory dimensions induce different performance and workload ratings. Cognitive demands interfere the least with aiming performance, followed by visual and motor. Task and device influences are interdependent. Motor components of an additional task interfere especially with trackball control actions. Workload operates as a buffer. When difficulty increases, performance decrements are lower than workload increments. It is argued that this cognitive manipulation of informatory context is advisable for correspondence-driven domains, where context is expected to influence human–machine interaction. Transfer to automotive display evaluation appears to be straightforward.     

Organic food processing: a framework for concept,starting definitions and evaluation

In 2007 EU Regulation (EC) 834/2007 introduced principles and criteria for organic food processing. These regulations have been analysed and discussed in several scientific publications and research project reports. Recently, organic food quality was described by principles, aspects and criteria. These principles from organic agriculture were verified and adapted for organic food processing. Different levels for evaluation were suggested. In another document, underlying paradigms and consumer perception of organic food were reviewed against functional food, resulting in identifying integral product identity as the underlying paradigm and a holistic quality view connected to naturalness as consumers' perception of organic food quality. In a European study, the quality concept was applied to the organic food chain, resulting in a problem, namely that clear principles and related criteria were missing to evaluate processing methods. Therefore the goal of this paper is to describe and discuss the topic of organic food processing to make it operational. A conceptual background for organic food processing is given by verifying the underlying paradigms and principles of organic farming and organic food as well as on organic processing. The proposed definition connects organic processing to related systems such as minimal, sustainable and careful, gentle processing, and describes clear principles and related criteria. Based on food examples, such as milk with different heat treatments, the concept and definitions were verified. Organic processing can be defined by clear paradigms and principles and evaluated according criteria from a multidimensional approach. Further work has to be done on developing indicators and parameters for assessment of organic food quality. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Trait,state or artefact? Assessing experts’ regulatory focus in nuclear power plant control

We apply the theory of regulatory focus in the field of nuclear power plant (NPP) control. The first pilot study was conducted at the German simulator centre for NPPs. Here, we tested the influence of accident training lessons on the experts’ regulatory focus. In a second study, we tested and validated two chronically regulatory focus questionnaires to decide which measurement would be more suitable for future research. The Work Regulatory Focus scale was translated into German, and the Regulatory Concerns Questionnaire was adapted to a work environment. The combined evidence of both studies shows that the regulatory focus of the experts does not change during the training lessons. Study 2 shows that both questionnaires were able to adequately measure the regulatory focus, but that they produce artificially contradictory outcomes that could be misleading. Recommendations and considerations for using the questionnaires are provided. Theoretical and practical implications on the influence of experts’ regulatory focus on working and decision-making behaviour using standard procedures in NPP control are given.     

Turbulence-radiation interaction in confined combustion systems

A new approach for modeling turbulence-radiation interaction is proposed. The formulation is based upon equations for statistical moments. Additional to the balance equations for the velocity and mixture fraction, equations for the mean, variance, covariance of heat release rate, and mixture fraction is solved. The coupling with the chemistry model is formulated by means of a two dimensional pdf of mixture fraction and heat release rate. The proposed approach is open for improvement by more sophisticated submodels. A natural gas fired combustion chamber is designed and constructed, and the temperature field measured by CARS spectroscopy. The main features of the modified combustion system are discussed. The comparison of experimental temperatures with the numerical simulation of the combustion system shows the good quality of our approach. The modeling of the two dimensional pdf is found to be most suitable for the hot region near the burner, where most radiation effects take place.     

Schnelle Untersuchung kleinster Oxidmengen mit RFA

Das bekannte Verfahren zur Analyse von ca. 1 mg beruht auf spektralanalytischen Messungen, die einen hohen Arbeitsaufwand erfordern. Bei der RFA werden für die eigentliche Messung nur kleine Massen gebraucht; durch geeignete Aufbereitung gelingt es, die gewonnenen Oxide in die nötige dünne Schicht zu bringen. Eine korrekte Kalibration ist möglich. Damit ist die erforderliche Genauigkeit, die sich aus dem metallurgischen Untersuchungsziel ergibt, zu erreichen. Der Arbeitsaufwand ist wesentlich kleiner als bei den beschriebenen Verfahren.