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Threadneedle Investments, a leading UK Investment management company, was engaged in strategic discussions about future growth in its retail mutual funds business. The firm's Vice Chairman, Alan Ainsworth, was leading the discussion of strategic alternatives. The following options were being considered: expanding distribution of its funds in the UK by distributing directly; expanding its presence in the UK through the independent financial advisor (IFA)network; and/or building a larger presence in Germany, where Threadneedle was already established. The case takes place in June 2000 and draws much of its rationale and immediacy from the great bull market of the 1990's and the arrival of a new millennium. Investors were looking for new investment media to capture these returns. The case is based on field research including conversations with Mr. Ainsworth and his associates, internal company documents, interviews with experts in the field and library research.

Over the last several years, the range of applications of photopolymerization process has been steadily increasing, especially in areas such as rapid prototyping, UV inks, UV coats and orthodontic applications. In spite of this, there are still several challenges to be overcome when the application concerns materials with thick layers. In this context, the main goal of this work is to outline a scheme to optimize the process of photopolymerizarion for thick layers, identifying its differences in relation to those applicable for thin layers.

For this research, the authors have applied multivariable analysis methods which allow the identification of principal conclusions, based on analytical and experimental results. For analytical analysis, the authors applied numerical optimization for multivariables, while experimental analysis was done based on design of experiments. Both the analyses were based on methyl methacrylate as monomer and Omnirad 2500 as photoinitiator, with the adjustable variables being initiator concentration; power of light source; light wave length; and thickness of layer. The range of values chosen for initiator concentration was between 1 and 10 per cent, while for light power, the range was 5‐9 W. For light wave length, the authors selected 325 and 400 nm as limits for their study and 0.12 and 4 mm as the range for thickness of layers. For the analytical approach of their study, it was possible to identify optimum conditions for curing thick layers, besides looking at optimum condition at each step along the varying thickness. On the other hand, in the experimental approach, the authors just considered the initiator concentration and thickness as variables, applying gravimetric and photometric analysis to determine the conversion curve of material.

In conclusion based on these studies, it was possible to identify the influence of thickness and initiator concentration as function of penetration depth, polymerization rate and homogeneity of material, in addition to determining the effect of light power and light wave length over the process. As a result of these studies, it was possible to identify situations wherein the material will possibly undergo a high degree shrinkage in addition to showing consequences of high quantity of initiator. On the other hand, low concentration of initiator is shown to provide more homogeneous solution besides being more suitable for deep layers. It was also possible to compare analytical and experimental results, making it possible to predict the behaviour of material for other conditions.

The main value of this work is to show the possibility of optimizing photopolymerizable systems through an analytical approach. In addition, it emphasized the viability of the application of UV curable material for producing moulded parts.

Over the last several years, the range of applications for the photopolymerisation process has been steadily increasing, especially in such areas as rapid prototyping, UV inks, UV coats and orthodontic applications. In spite of this increase, there are still several challenges to be overcome when the application concerns materials formulation and their mechanical properties. In this context, the main aim of this work is to outline the contribution of the formulation components for the parameters of the photopolymerisation process and the resultant mechanical properties of the material.

For this research, the authors have applied multivariable analysis methods, which allow the identification of principal conclusions based on experimental results. For the experimental analysis, the authors applied design of experiment, while the material formulation was based on methyl methacrylate as a monomer, Omnrad 2500 as a photoinitiator and trimethylolpropane triacrylate as an oligomer. The authors analysed the photopolymerisation rate, viscosity, mechanical tensile strength, flexural stiffness and softening. These results comprise a multiobjective optimisation study to identify the ideal material formulation for additive manufacturing applications. The values chosen for the materials were the following: the initiator concentration was 2 and 5% wt., the monomer volume was 5 and 10 ml and the oligomer volume was 3 and 5 ml. To analyse the system kinetics and the photopolymerisation rate, the authors identified the polymer conversion rate through a photometric-cum-gravimetric method with a wavelength of 390 nm at the peak intensity. For the softening test, the authors identified the stiffness of the material as a function of temperature, characterising the thermal-mechanical behaviour of the material and determining its degree of crystallinity (cross-linking). Additionally, the authors performed an optimisation to maximise the mechanical tensile strength, flexural stiffness, softening temperature and photopolymerisation rate while minimising the viscosity.

Based on these studies, it was possible to identify the influence of the monomer/oligomer ratio and the initiator concentration as function of polymerisation rate, viscosity, mechanical tensile strength, stiffness and softening of the material. It was also possible to determine the photopolymerisation rate in addition to the constants of propagation and termination. As a result of these studies, the authors identified a material formulation that resulted in a softening temperature greater than 70°C, while the viscosity of material remained lower than 3 cP. The mechanical ultimate tensile strength was between 10 and 50 MPa, and the stiffness was between 1.6 and 5.8 GPa. The effect of cross-linking on the process highlighted the interaction between the monomer/oligomer ratio and the initiator. The contribution of the initiator and the inhibitor to the polymerisation rate was identified via a numerical model, which allows the prediction of the material's behaviour in different process conditions, as such curing time and penetration depth.

The main value of this work is to show the possibility of optimized photopolymerizable systems through an experimental approach as a function of the mechanical properties of material. In addition, it emphasised the possibility of predicting the material behaviour in front of different situations.

Over the past few years, the number of related research to additive manufacturing (AM) has risen. The selective composite formation (SCF) can also be found among the new technologies that were developed. This technology was first introduced in 2013, and because of its innovative character, there are still many challenges to be overcome. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to present a finite element method which allows to investigate the processing of the material during the selective formation of a composite material based on cellulose and acrylic.

In the beginning, we introduced a brand new finite element method approach which is based on light transmittance network and photopolymerisation in transient state. This method is mainly characterised by internal light absorption, transversal reflectance, light transmittance coefficient and photopolymerisation kinetics. The authors defined experimentally the main model coefficients besides investigating the formation of composite material in six case studies. The main variables evaluated in those studies were the number of layers and the number of lines. By the end, the degree of polymer conversion and the preliminary evaluation of adherence between layers were identified in addition to the formation profile of composite material.

The presented method evidence that the SCF resulted in a profile of polymerisation which is different from profiles found in vat polymerisation processes. It was shown that the light diffraction increases polymerisation area to outside of laser limits and reduces the penetration depth. It was also exposed that the selective formation of composite material on the top layer interferes with the polymerisation of previous layers and might increase the polymerised area in about 25 per cent per layer. By the end, adherence between layers was evidenced because of a high-pass filter that limited polymer conversion to over 60 per cent. In this case, the adherence between the top layers was provided by the interface between layers, while the deeper layers resulted in a solid formed by composite.

This paper presents research results related to a very new AM technology and also proposes a new method to characterise this concept. Because of this new analytic approach, the process planning can be simulated and optimised, in addition to being a useful tool for other researches related to photocurable polymers and AM technologies.

Sets out to investigate business modeling techniques (BMTs) which can be used to support and improve innovation processes within small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).

Based on a literature review, different analysis perspectives on innovation processes are identified and discussed, and some firm needs and problems are pointed out. The importance of BMTs to firms is further tested by an empirical study whose initial results are reported. Finally, by matching problems and techniques characterized by the same ontology, the BMTs most suitable to address SME needs are identified and their role within the innovation process discussed.

The main result of the paper is the identification of the problems facing SMEs in innovation processes and the possible support offered by BMTs. Though methods and models alone do not assure the success in the innovation development process (IDP), they are enabling factors and can support the creation of strategies, reasoning, insights and communication.

The adoption of such BMTs, facilitating the codification of the characteristics of the IDP, might be particularly useful in those environments where, due to the lack of specialized resources, it is difficult to structure all of the information related to the innovation process and to exploit the related benefits and opportunities

A hybrid approach for integrating group Delphi, fuzzy logic and expert systems for developing marketing strategies is proposed in this paper. Within this approach, the group Delphi method is employed to help groups of managers undertake SWOT analysis. Fuzzy logic is applied to fuzzify the results of SWOT analysis. Expert systems are utilised to formulate marketing strategies based upon the fuzzified strategic inputs. In addition, guidelines are also provided to help users link the hybrid approach with managerial judgement and intuition. The effectiveness of the hybrid approach has been validated with MBA and MA marketing students. It is concluded that the hybrid approach is more effective in terms of decision confidence, group consensus, helping to understand strategic factors, helping strategic thinking, and coupling analysis with judgement, etc.

This paper reports a web‐based intelligent system, called WebStra, for the formulation of marketing strategies and associated e‐commerce strategies. In the paper, the architecture and functional components of the WebStra system are described. The system's effectiveness and efficiency are also evaluated. WebStra can be applied to support real‐world strategic marketing decision making. It may also be used as a useful tool for training and consultancy purposes.