Search results

This study aims to introduce a novel approach in form of a comprehensive software suite to help understanding and optimizing the build orientation toward maximizing the fatigue lifetime of complex geometries. The objective is to find an optimized build orientation under a given in-service loading state, which brings on smoother surfaces in stressed regions, mitigated roughness-induced stress concentration and deferred crack initiation stage. The solution addresses scenarios that no post-build surface treatment can be applied.

To account for the surface topography, the staircase induced surface roughness is registered as a function of build angle using the white light interferometry characterization, based on which the stress concentration factor (k_t) is calculated. Thereafter, the developed module in “Fatlab toolbox” is used to find the optimum build angle, considering the integrated surface orientations and stress analysis under a given loading condition.

Surface topography creates local stress concentrations upon loading, directly influencing the fatigue lifetime. It is a well-established fact that the conditions of the staircase geometry and surface roughness affect the magnitude of the stress concentration upon loading, which is influenced by the build orientation of the component. The proposed solution suggests the best build orientation that mitigates staircase-related surface roughness.

The suggested numerical approach assists the designers with positioning of the part on the build plate to minimize the build orientation-induced surface roughness and improve the as-built fatigue lifetime of the component.

The purpose of this study has been to evaluate the technology of autonomous mobile manipulation in a real world industrial manufacturing environment. The objective has been to obtain experience in the integration with existing equipment and determine key challenges in maturing the technology to a level of readiness suitable for industry. Despite much research within the topic of industrial mobile manipulation, the technology has not yet found its way to the industry. To mature the technology to a level of readiness suitable for industry real-world experience is crucial. This paper reports from such a real-world industrial experiment with two mobile manipulators.

In the experiment, autonomous industrial mobile manipulators are integrated into the actual manufacturing environment of the pump manufacturer Grundfos. The two robots together solve the task of producing rotors; a task constituted by several sub-tasks ranging from logistics to complex assembly. With a total duration of 10 days, the experiment includes workspace adaptation, safety regulations, rapid robot instruction and running production.

With a setup time of less than one day, it was possible to program both robots to perform the production scenario in collaboration. Despite the success, the experiment clearly demonstrated several topics in need of further research before the technology can be made available to the industry: robustness and cycle time, safety investigations and possibly standardization, and robot and workstation re-configurability.

Despite the attention of research around the world, the topic of industrial mobile manipulation has only seen a limited number of real-world integrations. This work reports from a comprehensive integration into a real-world running production and thus reports on the key challenges identified from this integration.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of CEO narcissism in corporate acquisitions with a focus on frequency and size and furthermore to examine the subsequent stock market reaction.

The authors investigate 751 acquisitions made by 158 UK nonfinancial firms and 202 CEOs in the 10-year period 2007–2016. The authors use the ratio of first-person singular pronouns to total first-person pronouns in CEO speech as the main proxy for CEO narcissism but the results are robust to the use of signature size and picture as alternative measures.

The authors find that increased CEO narcissism is associated with an increase in M&A expenditures, an increase in deal size and a decrease in deal frequency. Thus, the authors find that narcissistic CEOs favor size over frequency (“go big”). Furthermore, the authors find that the stock market reacts less favorably to acquisitions announced by firms run by narcissistic CEOs.

The paper contributes to upper echelon research by investigating the association between CEO narcissism and corporate decisions in a UK setting. More specifically, the paper contributes to the existing literature by investigating how CEO narcissism is associated with corporate acquisitions in terms of the size and frequency of deals and how such irrational behavior is penalized by the stock market. Previous literature has focused on the more broad association between CEO narcissism and M&A expenditures.

This study investigates barriers to social impact bond (SIB) implementation through a review of academic and gray literature. A SIB is a type of public policy instrument that leverages payment for performance (P4P), contracting together with private investments in the delivery of welfare programs. Outcome-based contracts, such as SIBs, are gaining attraction for public service providers in developed countries, but research regarding their implementation remains underexplored both empirically and theoretically.

A literature review is conducted in which two types of documents are included: (1) empirical research papers and (2) evaluations of completed SIB projects. In total, 43 documents have been investigated. The study engages in a comparative design where insights across sectors (healthcare, social care and employment/education), are leveraged. The insights rest on evidence from the UK and US.

The investigation reveals five types of barriers to SIB implementation related to: (1) the SIB model, (2) organizational competencies, (3) data infrastructure, (4) stakeholder engagement and (5) the institutional context. The study discusses ways of managing these barriers and develops a conceptual framework for empirically investigating SIB implementation.

This study is the first academic paper to systematically assess insights regarding the implementation of SIBs. Also, the article proposes a conceptual framework for investigating SIB implementation.

This article aims to discuss the contradiction between signing an agreement to work for sustainable universities and the lack of practical commitment in one case, namely at Aalborg University (AAU). Focus is placed both on the University's core processes such as education, research and outreach; on the necessary inputs and outputs related to transport, food and operation, and maintenance of buildings, and on the university's products counting published results of research and educated students and researchers.

The study is based on a desk study of official university documents from the period 1990 to 2007, and a number of student reports that have focused on the sustainability or environmental merits of the University.

Although adopting an environmental policy and signing the Copernicus Charter back in the early 1990s, AAU soon lost momentum. This was due to reasons defined as: the lack of commitment from top management, the missing acceptance from technical staff, and a narrow understanding of the university's environmental impacts. Obviously, a model of the environmental impacts should not only take into account the environmental impacts related to the impacts occurring in the present, e.g. related to the running and maintenance of buildings and laboratories, but also integrate considerations about the impacts in the processes (education, research and outreach). Thereby, the model shall provide the basis for more sustainable products, such as students considering aspects of sustainability in the solutions and approaches they apply in their future careers.

This article forms the basis for future research identifying how universities can contribute to sustainable development in a more coherent way by implementing new policies and plans. The article takes its starting point in a general model of a university's environmental impacts involving key processes at the university, the related inputs and outputs (emissions), and the transformation of intermediate products such as high school students and existing research results into products such as graduate students, PhDs, and new research results.

The processes and the related inputs, outputs, intermediate products, and end‐products are analysed and discussed in order to illustrate the relevant environmental issues that need to be addressed by universities.

The paper identifies a number of key issues of sustainability that universities need to address and offers inspiration to staff and students on how to push these agendas at their home universities.

The purpose of this paper was to consider 52 conceptual frameworks identified during a systematic literature review with the aim of providing insights into various aspects of outsourcing relationships. Many authors propose these frameworks to contribute to our understanding of how outsourcing relationships are conceived, operate and evolve. A meta-analysis of these frameworks was completed.

The approach consisted of five stages: a systematic, but focused literature review to identify relevant frameworks; a study of the selected frameworks to enable the design of a typology of framework styles, so that frameworks adopting similar styles can be compared and analysed; grouping of the frameworks into families addressing different aspects of relationships as they form, operate and evolve; using the types (from the typology) within these family groups to facilitate a meta-analysis of each group by identifying common or contrasting themes; and deriving overall observations and identifying the most robust frameworks in each group.

Nine framework types are identified and named as nominal categorisation, matrix, pyramid, dependency, interaction, flowchart, two-dimensional progression, life cycle and stepped. Five logical family groups were identified addressing how relationships form, operate and evolve. These groups cover the scope of outsourcing relationship, the relationship governance, the climate of the relationship, relationship tactics and relationship evolution. Common themes were identified, and overall observations were drawn. Recommendations are also provided on the frameworks which were assessed as being most robust and likely to be of most use to practitioners and researchers.

The study considered a representative sample of frameworks identified during a systematic review of literature relating to outsourcing relationships. However, it cannot be considered fully comprehensive, and frameworks from other sources also exist.

Outsourcing success depends on the establishment and management of a constructive relationship between the client and supplier. Frameworks assist understanding of this important aspect of outsourcing.

This paper provides a reference point for scholars and practitioners who are interested in outsourcing relationships and may value the sources identified and the summaries, comparisons and recommendations provided.