Substrate integrated nonradiative dielectric waveguide

A new substrate integrated circuits (SICs) fabrication technique is proposed for realizing nonradiative dielectric (NRD) waveguide circuits. This new technique called substrate integrated NRD (SINRD) guide allows the NRD guide be integrated within a dielectric substrate by drilling a pattern of air holes. Dispersion analysis and design considerations of the new structure are discussed. A hybrid integrated scheme of planar and SINRD circuits is demonstrated for the first time with simulation and measurement results.     

Joint collaborative planning as a governance mechanism to strengthen the chain of IT value co-creation

Drawing on the relational view of the firm, this paper examines the chain of IT-based co-creation of value and how joint collaborative planning between partners can strengthen this chain. Using data from 51 suppliers in the telecommunication equipment industry, our analysis demonstrates that the greater the partner-specific IT investments made by the firm, the greater its use of supply chain collaborative systems (SCCSs) with those partners and the greater the firm uses SCCSs with partners, the greater its benefits, through the generation of relational rents. Further investigation also shows that partner-specific IT investments is not a predictor of firm benefits and hence confirms the hypothesized chain of IT-based co-creation where IT investments encourage IT use, which in turn creates business value. Finally, our findings also show that joint collaborative planning between partners is an important governance mechanism, anchored on control and trust, that can strengthen the relationship between SCCSs use and firm benefits by impacting the other sources of relational rents tied to the use of SCCSs. This contribution should give academics and practitioners alike a better understanding of how both SCCSs and joint collaborative planning can foster the co-creation of value.     

Dispersion characteristics of substrate integrated rectangular waveguide

Dispersion properties of the substrate integrated rectangular waveguide (SIRW) are rigorously obtained using the BI-RME method combined with the Floquet's theorem. Our analysis shows that the SIRW basically has the same guided-wave characteristics as the conventional rectangular waveguide. Empirical equations are derived from the calculated dispersion curves in order to estimate the cutoff frequency of the first two dominant modes of the SIRW To validate the analysis results, an SIRW guide was designed and measured. Very good agreements between the experimental and theoretical results were obtained.     

Low cost microwave oscillator using substrate integrated waveguide cavity

A topology is proposed for designing a low-cost microwave oscillator. This new feedback oscillator makes use of a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity that acts as a frequency selector as well as a feedback-coupling device. The oscillator is stabilized by using an injection-locking scheme. A 12.02-GHz oscillator prototype was designed. Experimental results for phase noise, locking range, and quality factor of the new circuit are presented. An external Q of 178 was measured.     

Hybrid planar NRD-guide magic-tee junction

A new magic-tee circuit is proposed and developed, which is based on the hybrid integration technology of a planar and nonradiative dielectric (NRD) guide. The magic-tee junction combines an NRD-guide T-junction with a microstrip T-junction. Furthermore, LSM/sub 10/-mode radiators are introduced in the magic-tee circuit to reduce its resonance problem. Measured results show that an isolation of 20 dB can easily be achieved between the sum and difference ports.     

E-collaboration within one supply chain and its impact on firms’ innovativeness and performance

The central premise of this paper is that e-collaboration plays a major role in achieving a sustainable competitive edge. In particular, we propose to examine the relative efficiency of electronic collaboration tools and to assess their impacts on the innovativeness and performance of individual firms positioned along a single supply chain. Empirical data from both the upstream and downstream perspectives for firms positioned at different points of one supply chain suggest that e-collaboration and its impacts create a one-sided benefit for the upstream side of the chain: the overall efficiency of e-collaboration tools is higher and the impacts of e-collaboration are more beneficial when used with suppliers than when used with customers. The results also point to a stage model for implementing collaboration tools in a supply chain: efficiency is higher for e-collaboration tools that support strongly that collaboration tools can have significant impacts on the supply chain and that these tools need to be implemented progressively, both upstream and downstream, thereby yielding different and, most probably, cumulative benefits over time. An earlier version of this paper was published in the Proceedings of the 36th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-36).     

Collaborative e-product development and product innovation in a demand-driven network: the moderating role of eCRM

Customer relationships, product development, data integration and demand-driven supply chains are key concepts for companies that wish to remain competitive in today’s global economy. To address this important information management issue, the present study examines how, within a demand-driven network context, an eCRM can influence the interorganizational product development process between a manufacturer and its key customers. The theoretical model, built on research related to a technology assimilation model based on Fichman’s (2000) work, was tested on data from 104 manufacturers in the wireless equipment sector. The results show that the adoption of an eCRM does not moderate the relationship between collaborative e-product development involving a manufacturer and its key customers and product innovation within the manufacturer itself. Moderated regression analyses also demonstrate that, among the manufacturers that have adopted an eCRM, the impact of collaborative e-product development by the manufacturer and its key customers on product innovation within the company will be stronger when investments in the eCRM implementation, internal integration of the eCRM, and eCRM usage are higher than lower. Finally, the findings show that investments in the eCRM implementation, internal integration of eCRM and eCRM usage are also antecedents of product innovation within the manufacturer. This contribution, at the intersection of the CRM and product development research streams, should give academics and practitioners alike a better understanding of the role of eCRMs in the product development process.