Search results

Scenarios have become a vital methodological approach in business as well as in public policy. When scenarios are used to guide analysis and decision-making, the aim is typically robustness and in this context we argue that two main problems at scenario set level is conservatism, i.e. all scenarios are close to a perceived business-as-usual trajectory and lack of balance in the sense of arbitrarily mixing some conservative and some extreme scenarios. The purpose of this paper is to address these shortcomings by proposing a methodology for generating sets of scenarios which are in a mathematical sense maximally diverse.

In this paper, we develop a systematic methodology, Scenario Diversity Analysis (SDA), which addresses the problems of broad span vs conservatism and imbalance. From a given set of variables with associated states, SDA generates scenario sets where the scenarios are in a quantifiable sense maximally different and therefore best span the whole set of feasible scenarios.

The usefulness of the methodology is exemplified by applying it to sets of storylines of the emissions scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This ex-post analysis shows that the storylines were not maximally diverse and given the challenges ahead with regard to emissions reduction and adaptation planning, we argue that it is important to strive for diversity when developing scenario sets for climate change research.

The proposed methodology adds significant novel features to the field of systematic scenario generation, especially with regard to scenario diversity. The methodology also enables the combination of systematics with the distinct future logics of good intuitive logics scenarios.

The purpose of this paper is to report on a study which has been carried out on a timber floor construction above a ground‐supported concrete slab, which was used in small detached houses built in Sweden during the period 1960‐1990. This method of building has turned out to be a risky construction nowadays, but there are 800,000 houses built this way in Sweden.

By using the patented Air Gap Method inside building constructions, harmful water can be dried out. The method ventilates air gaps inside walls and floors with an air flow driven by thermal buoyancy caused by a heating cable in the vertical air gaps. The drying out process has been studied both by measuring the moisture level in the slab and also by measuring the humidity transport and comparing this with air flow measurements.

The paper shows that the Air Gap Method manages to dry out water from both the slab and the overlaying wooden construction. The study shows also that the relative humidity (RH) levels in the air space below the floor are reduced in a significant way, thus minimizing mould growth. It is also shown that a thin layer of concrete upon floor beams prevents mould to grow even in a humid situation.

The research reported in this paper is only concerned with timber‐framed small detached houses. Similar studies of apartment buildings are ongoing.

The Air Gap Method can thus be useful in the context of renovating a water damaged house of this type built during this 30‐year period. The method provides a possibility of drying out such damage without a separate drying period. The inhabitants could therefore be able to use a renovated water‐damaged kitchen six/eight weeks earlier compared to ordinary building methods.

The paper is useful because it provides better understanding of the mechanism of RH inside a building construction and how this parameter could be lowered. The paper is also useful in the context of renovating water‐damaged small detached houses built by the risky method of construction used in the last decades of the twentieth century.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the development of the quality movement in Sweden since the mid-20th century. The authors are convinced that a summary of the Swedish quality journey so far will offer important lessons for further quality improvements in Sweden and elsewhere.

The authors study how the quality movement has been included in the industrial agenda and how it has been adopted in student curricula and in research. The authors have a focus on how business leaders have learnt, adopted, adapted and innovated with respect to quality development. often in collaboration with academia.

Although the quality movement has fit well with the Swedish culture and that successful corporate leaders have successfully used the specific cultural characteristics there is still a lot to be learnt with respect to the public sector, where the ideas from the quality movement have problem to overcome institutional barriers.

The study is limited to the Swedish context.

There is a serious need to revitalize the public sector by getting leaders and politicians to understand the need for systematic quality improvement.

If future Swedish achievements with respect to healthcare and other social welfare elements are to once again become world-class, the public sector needs to be open-minded and collaborate with the industrial sector and academia to find cost-effective strategies for making quality improvements. However, the private sector must also be alert not to be overtaken by some highly active Asian countries.

Swedish large companies have been very successful in applying quality leadership – however, in the public sector, this has not been the case. Suggestions for improvement are made.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of film holes’ arrangements and jet Reynolds number on flow structure and heat transfer characteristics of jet impingement conjugated with film cooling in a semicylinder double wall channel.

Numerical simulations are used in this research. Streamlines on different sections, skin-friction lines, velocity, wall shear stress and turbulent kinetic energy contours near the concave target wall and vortices in the double channel are presented. Local Nusselt number contours and surface averaged Nusselt numbers are also obtained. Topology analysis is applied to further understand the fluid flow and is used in analyzing the heat transfer characteristics.

It is found that the arrangement of side films positioned far from the center jets helps to enhance the flow disturbance and heat transfer behind the film holes. The heat transfer uniformity for the case of 55° films arrangement angle is most improved and the thermal performance is the highest in this study.

The film holes’ arrangements effects on fluid flow and heat transfer in an impingement cooled concave channel are conducted. The flow structures in the channel and flow characteristics near target by topology pictures are first obtained for the confined film cooled impingement cases. The heat transfer distributions are analyzed with the flow characteristics. The highest heat transfer uniformity and thermal performance situation is obtained in present work.

The method applied to carry out the study of the transformation of strategic alliances in emerging markets is discussed in this chapter. Specifically, this chapter discusses how the whole study is conducted, i.e. the identification and development of the research issues, the research aim and problem, the development of the conceptual framework, the development of the research method, how the empirical study is analyzed and conclusions are drawn. The specific research strategy applied to conduct the current study is a longitudinal research approach. A short discussion on how the ECE countries are classified into various groups is conducted in the current chapter and a detailed discussion on the classification of ECE countries into different groups is also conducted in chapter eight. Moreover, the logic for adopting a longitudinal research strategy to conduct the current study of the transformation of strategic alliances is also justified. The identification and choice of the case companies, the logic followed in the development of the questionnaire and how much and to what extent the questionnaire is modified are also discussed in detail. The identification of the interviewees, the execution of the interviews and the transcription of the interview materials and the structuring of the cases are also discussed in detail.

This study aims to focus on the surface curvature, jet to target spacing and jet Reynolds number effects on the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of a slot jet impinging on a confined concave target surface at constant jet to target spacing.

Numerical simulations are used in this research. Jet to target spacing, H/B is varying from 1.0 to 2.2, B is the slot width. The jet Reynolds number, Rej, varies from 8,000 to 40,000, and the surface curvature, R2/B, varies from 4 to 20. Results of the target surface heat transfer, flow parameters and fluid flow in the concave channel are performed.

It is found that an obvious backflow occurs near the upper wall. Both the local and averaged Nusselt numbers considered in the defined region respond positively to the Rej. The surface curvature plays a positive role in increasing the averaged Nusselt number for smaller surface curvature (4-15) but affects little as the surface curvature is large enough (> 15). The thermal performance is larger for smaller surface curvature and changes little as the surface curvature is larger than 15. The jet to target spacing shows a negative effect in heat transfer enhancement and thermal performance.

The surface curvature effects are conducted by verifying the concave surface with constant jet size. The flow characteristics are first obtained for the confined impingement cases. Then confined and unconfined slot jet impingements are compared. An ineffective point for surface curvature effects on heat transfer and thermal performance is obtained.

Psychiatric care for adult asylum seekers has been an area of conflict and turbulence in Sweden over the last 20 years. Sweden has been criticised for being one of the most restrictive EU countries in providing health care for asylum seekers. Mental health care for asylum seekers is characterised by short‐term emergency measures and inequality. The complex regulatory framework tends to be interpreted in a rather arbitrary fashion, which in many cases may lead to unnecessary restrictions. In this paper we present guidelines for care givers and decision makers aiming to improve psychiatric care for adult asylum seekers in Stockholm, Sweden. In this context it is necessary to highlight and discuss the importance of understanding and implementing human rights among health professionals. The overall goal for these guidelines is mental health care for asylum seekers on the same terms, as far as possible, as for Swedish citizens.

The purpose of this research paper is to contribute to strategy theory by differentiating different types of top management narratives and trying to understand the interplay between them as well as the dynamics over time.

The study was designed from an interpretative narrative approach. Narratives were produced from deep interviews and organisational documents covering a period of more than 25 years.

Two kinds of narratives were detected – builders and cleaners. The builders' narratives illustrate how personal life‐stories are embedded in the strategic development processes but the cleaners' narratives are organisational stories without personal life‐stories and cover no actual development. The concept meta‐narrative helped to understand strategic changes over time and was embedded in the myth‐periods involved. The meta‐narrative identified was built on an idea of a going concern and on the role to produce physical large objects for long‐term use.

Owing to the longitudinal design of the study a cyclical pattern with related managerial narratives were produced. The dichotomy builders and cleaners could be developed studying other longitudinal business strategies and also by connections to meta‐narratives derived from more general economic theories.

Builders and cleaners focus on either business or organisational/financial aspects but neither of both. Awareness of this, learning strategic management requires co‐operation between different actors.

The longitudinal design describes and analyzes a cyclical pattern of managerial patterns, while other studies based on narratives cover more limited organisational events in time and space.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ongoing development of quality management, and whether the concepts being discussed can be agreed – and what influence this might have on the quality movement and quality practice.

Literature review and meta‐analysis of current trends has been used to create a conceptual basis for current quality management questions.

A large part of the development of the quality concept and quality management has taken place without much consideration of what quality management really is or should be. Over time their definitions have been widened to incorporate wellbeing of society, the environment and future generations. Whereas top managers need to address all parts of business, there is a need to separate quality issues from other issues. It is believed that there is a need for quality experts and a discipline of quality management. Quality excellence with a strong customer focus should be one prerequisite to attain true business excellence. There are of course legitimate reasons to address issues as organizational and global sustainability, human rights, financial stability and environmental protection. To properly address these issues, concepts such as business management or stakeholder management might be more appropriate.

In the paper, the point is made that there is a need for quality management focusing on its core purpose: management of quality to provide customer satisfaction. In relation to current trends of adding aspects into quality management to develop concepts that are mere dialectal variants to the original, this “back‐to‐basics” approach is novel.