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Marketing as a concept pays a great deal of attention to the individual market transactions, ignoring the impact of marketing practices on society at a macro level. The paper argues that, in a multicultural marketplace, marketers and consumers of different ethnic backgrounds co‐exist, interact and adapt to each other. In doing so, consumers act as skilled navigators who frequently engage in culture swapping to sample the many tastes, themes and sounds of different cultures. Marketing facilitates this culture swapping and contributes towards tolerance and acceptance of lifestyle among consumers. However, traditional racial or ethnic segmentation could become problematic due to the fact that consumers no longer conform either individually or as a group to any one specific segment or category. The paper is based on an ethnographic study of ethnic minority and mainstream consumers in the UK.

ICI Paints Division acquires German powder coatings manufacturer. ICI Paints Division continues its programme of expansion in Europe with the acquisition of the manufacturing business of German powder coatings specialist Knopp K.G. The business will operate under the name Knopp Pulverstar GmbH.

A transient magneto-quasistatic vector potential formulation involving nonlinear material is spatially discretized using the finite element method of first and second polynomial order. By applying a generalized Schur complement the resulting system of differential algebraic equations is reformulated into a system of ordinary differential equations (ODE). The ODE system is integrated in time by using explicit time integration schemes. The purpose of this paper is to investigate explicit time integration for eddy current problems with respect to the performance of the first-order explicit Euler scheme and the Runge-Kutta-Chebyshev (RKC) method of higher order.

The ODE system is integrated in time using the explicit Euler scheme, which is conditionally stable by a maximum time step size. To overcome this limit, an explicit multistage RKC time integration method of higher order is used to enlarge the maximum stable time step size. Both time integration methods are compared regarding the overall computational effort.

The numerical simulations show that a finer spatial discretization forces smaller time step sizes. In comparison to the explicit Euler time integration scheme, the multistage RKC method provides larger stable time step sizes to diminish the overall computation time.

The explicit time integration of the Schur complement vector potential formulation of eddy current problems is accelerated by a multistage RKC method.

Knowledge management systems and related initiatives have become a popular focus in many firms, yet many knowledge management systems initiatives fail to achieve their goals. Focuses on systems that are implemented to achieve deliberate performance improvement objectives in organizations, rather than to support discretionary communication. Employs constructs from system dynamics – a discipline that recognizes that the relationships between complex organizing technologies and human behavior are dynamic, evolving, and interconnected. Drawing from recent studies employing system dynamics, proposes a framework to analyze the implementation challenges posed by knowledge management systems adopted as part of a deliberate performance improvement program. Illustrates the framework with a case study of an initiative within a university “help desk” department where conflicting incentives hindered employees’ efforts to leverage the systems. The framework underscores the complex and interdependent effects triggered by managers’ actions and cognitions, in conjunction with users’ actions and cognitions. Offers insights for practitioners and researchers to recognize the downward spiral that can occur when conflicting incentives thwart the behavioral changes required for performance improvement initiatives to succeed.

In high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable systems, space charges accumulate because of the constant applied voltage and the nonlinear electric conductivity of the insulating material. The change in the charge distribution results in a slowly time-varying electric field. Space charges accumulate within the insulation bulk and at interfaces. With an operation time of several years of HVDC systems, typically the stationary electric field is of interest. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of interfaces on the stationary electric field stress and space charge density.

An analytic description of the stationary electric field inside cable insulation is developed and numerical simulations of a cable joint geometry are applied, considering spatial variations of the conductivity in the vicinity of the electrodes and interfaces.

With increasing conductivity values toward the electrodes, the resulting field stress decreases, whereas a decreasing conductivity results in an increasing electric field. The increased electric field may cause partial discharge, resulting in accelerated aging of the insulation material. Thus, interfaces and surfaces are characterized as critical areas for the reliability of HVDC cable systems.

This study is restricted to stationary electric field and temperature distributions. The electric field variations during a polarity reversal or a time-varying temperature may result in an increased electric conductivity and electric field at interfaces and surfaces.

An analytical description of the electric field, considering surface effects, is developed. The used conductivity model is applicable for cable and cable-joint insulations, where homo- and hetero-charge effects are simulated. These simulations compare well against measurements.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the accuracy of finite element method simulations for high voltage equipment featuring resistive field grading.

In such simulations, the order of the mesh used and the polynomial order of the ansatz functions are varied while maintaining mesh and simulation parameters. The resulting accuracy of the simulations is analyzed by an error convergence study which shows the relative errors against the number of degrees of freedom the computational time and the memory consumption.

Simulation results of simplified benchmark geometry and applications to large‐scale 3D high voltage equipment are presented herein.

The impact of the order of the mesh and the Ansatz functions are studied for realistic high voltage setups. The paper helps the user of simulation software to choose adequate simulation parameters.