Insourcing Creativity with Listening Posts in Decentralized Firms

Technological listening posts as a means of technological knowledge sourcing were observed to be a widespread empirical phenomenon in centres of technological excellence and innovation clusters. Our research is based on 55 semi‐structured interviews with 12 technology‐intensive companies and 6 benchmarking‐workshops on external knowledge sourcing with 11 companies. We reveal three archetypes of listening posts: trend scout, technology outpost and matchmaker. We describe their respective mission, organizational structure and critical success factors. Each type is illustrated with case studies.     

Dosimetric characterization of a new preparation of BaSO4 activated by Eu ions

The results of a thermoluminescent investigation carried out on a new preparation of BaSO₄ activated by Eu ions at different concentrations (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 mol%) are reported in this paper. Several batches were prepared by varying Dy, Tm and Sm ions concentrations. The TL sensitivity property of each of the doped barium sulphate samples were compared to the BaSO₄:Eu. The highest sensitivity was found for BaSO₄:Eu (0.5 mol%). The main dosimetric characteristics, i.e. thermoluminescent (TL) response as a function of the dose, reproducibility, lower detection limit, and fading, have been investigated for the BaSO₄:Eu. Furthermore, the kinetic parameters, i.e. activation energy, E, the frequency factor, s, the pre-exponential factor s^* and the kinetic order, b, have been calculated using initial-rise and deconvolution methods. The peak shape methods related to the geometric properties of a TL peak were also used. In order to analyse the TL response at different energies, the effective atomic number (Z_eff = 45–47) for this material was determined.