Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Fishbone'

Fishbone stimulation was simulated using ECLIPSE 100 in autumn semester project, 2013. I used LGR (Local Grid Refinement) Options in ECLIPSE to emulate fishbone needles extending to reservoir for a single vertical well. It was concluded that fishbone stimulation could increase well productivity, reduce skin factor, and reduce potential water or gas coning. ECLIPSE simulation requires some simplification, as the nature of the software itself does not enable for flexible grid shape and size, two important requirements needed for near well bore simulation.BRILLIANT is designed to deal with several physical models calculated simultaneously in the fluid flow from reservoir to well bore. It utilizes flexible grid size and shape and claims to calculate fluid flow equation accurately and effectively. Recently, BRILLIANT is furtherly developed to be compatible with porosity flow option in reservoir (Darcy flow) and update the calculation stability algorithm. Accurate simulation result is expected from BRILLIANT detail simulation for fishbone case. The goal for this master thesis is to perform fishbone simulation using BRILLIANT and compare it with ECLIPSE simulation result. The case conducted in semester project will be simulated using the latest version of BRILLIANT. This comparison result determines direction of the research afterwards. In the case of insignificant difference of both simulation results, it would be confirmed that ECLIPSE could guarantee accurate result for well performance in fishbone stimulation case. In other words, it is unnecessary to simulate reservoir and near well bore details using BRILLIANT. However, different result between ECLIPSE and BRILLIANT simulation would divulge a good recommendation to use BRILLIANT simulation result as an input to ECLIPSE simulation. Result of this research is as follows. BRILLIANT and ECLIPSE simulation gives a different result for fishbone simulation case, thus it is required to upscale BRILLIANT as an input to correct ECLIPSE fishbone simulation. The upscaling technique in ECLIPSE could be conducted by two methods: permeability or skin modification, in order to match BRILLIANT simulation result. Furthermore, controllable and uncontrollable parameters are varied to quantify those effect to fishbone well performance. The parameters include fishbone needles number, fishbone annulus size, fishbone needle length, reservoir thickness, and reservoir heterogeneity. Fishbone stimulation is also compared with the existing conventional fracturing to analyze the most effective method for increasing well performance.

L'interaction onde-particule dans les plasma est un sujet de recherche important, pour la compréhension des phénomènes physiques fondamentaux comme pour l'opération de réacteurs à fusion tels que les tokamaks. Cette intéraction peut être responsable de l'existence de modes instables, comme l'instabilité "fishbone" dans les plasmas de tokamak. Celle-ci est causée par l'interaction résonante entre un mode vivant dans la plasma et une population de particules supra-thermiques. Cette instabilité cause l'éjection d'une partie de ces particules énergétiques. Elle est par ailleurs caractérisée par une diminution de sa fréquence durant son évolution. Dans cette thèse, un modèle pour l'instabilité "fishbone", décrivant le plasma thérmique avec un traitement fluide et les particlules énergétiques avec un traitement cinétique, est développé. Ce modèle est simplifié de manière à permettre la compréhension des mécanismes les plus basiques qui causent la destabilisation du mode, sa diminution en fréquence durant son évolution ainsi que l'éjection de particules qu'il engendre. La théorie linéaire de ce modèle est faite, montrant les conditions qui permettent l'existence de l'instabilité, et permettant la caractérisation de son comportement linéaire. Les résultats analytiques sont ensuite comparés aux résultats linéaires numériques, obtenus grâce à un code développé durant cette thèse et basé sur les hypothèses du modèle, et ils sont en accord. Enfin, ce code est utilisé pour explorer le comportement non linéaire des particules énergétiques. Le mécanisme principalement responsable du changement de fréquence du mode ainsi que de l'éjection des particules est identifié et étudié en detail
The wave-particle interaction in plasmas is an important research subject, for fundamental physical understanding as well as for the operation of fusion devices such as tokamaks. This interaction can cause the existence of unstable modes, such as the fishbone instability that is observed in tokamak plasmas. It results from the resonant interaction between an electro-magnetic wave living in the plasma and a population of supra-thermal particles. This mode causes the ejection of a portion of these energetic particles, and is thus detrimental to the confinment of energy in a tokamak, and it is characterized by a frequency down-chirping, i.e. a decrease of frequency of the mode during its evolution. In this thesis, a model for the fishbone instability is developed, that describes the thermal plasma with fluid equations and the supra-thermal particles with the kinetic Vlasov equation. This model is highly simplified in order to understand the basic mechanisms leading to destabilization, frequency chirping, and particle ejection. The linear theory of this model is then done, showing the conditions that lead to the existence of an instability, and that allow the characterization of its linear behavior. The linear analytic results are then compared to numerical linear results obtained with a code, based on the assumptions of the model, that was developed during this PhD and the results are found to be in good agreement. Finally, the code is used to explore the nonlinear behavior of energetic particles in the later phase of the fishbone instability. The main mechanism responsible for the frequency chirping and energetic particle ejection is identified and studied in detail

Dans les plasmas de tokamak, les particules rapides générées par les réactions de fusion et par les méthodes de chauffage non-inductives peuvent interagir avec les instabilités Magnéto-Hydro-Dynamiques, conduisant potentiellement à leur transport en dehors du plasma de coeur. Cette problématique est importante dans le contexte des plasmas en combustion, où la relaxation collisionnelle des particules alphas est nécessaire pour compenser la perte d’énergie lors la décharge. Le temps de transport résonant des particules rapides étant bien plus petit que leur temps de thermalisation sur le plasma thermique, ces instabilités MHD-cinétiques peuvent engendrer une dégradation de l’efficacité énergétique de la réaction, qui est d’importance cruciale pour les futurs réacteurs commerciaux. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions l’interaction des ions énergétiques avec le mode de kink interne, qui conduit à l’émergence de l’instabilité fishbone. À cette fin, nous utilisons le code non-linéaire hybride XTOR-K, pour simuler les phases non-linéaires du fishbone ionique, durant lesquelles les particules rapides sont transportées. Dans un premier temps, la théorie linéaire de l’instabilité fishbone est reproduite, retrouvant une relation de dispersion similaire à celle du modèle de Porcelli. Un écart est constaté pour les particules très passantes. Un code linéaire a été implémenté pour résoudre de façon non perturbative la relation de dispersion du fishbone obtenue. Les résultats obtenus avec ce code sont cohérents avec ceux d’XTOR-K dans la phase linéaire des simulations, avec des taux de croissance, des fréquences de rotation et des surfaces de résonance similaires. Ces résultats fournisent une vérification linéaire de XTOR-K, permettant son utilisation sur des équilibres plus complexes, et durant des phases non-linéaires. Dans un second temps, une étude paramétrique est fournise par XTOR-K sur la stabilité linéaire du fishbone alpha, avec des équilibres pertinents pour le cas ITER 15 MA. Nos simulations montrent que ce scénario sera probablement instable à l’égard du fishbone alpha, pour des densités de particules alpha réalistes dans ITER. Les résultats non-linéaires obtenus avec XTOR-K sur un équilibre circulaire peu énergétique et sur le cas ITER 15 MA sont ensuite présentés. Ces résultats documentent la dynamique auto-cohérente des particules rapides et des modes MHD lors d’une oscillation fishbone. Le transport résonant de particules rapides est une caractéristique commune dans ces simulations, accompagnée d’une décroissance charactéristique de la fréquence du mode MHD-cinétique. Les différences dans ces simulations sont discutées, ainsi que le régime non-linéaire charactérisant le mode observé sur la base des théories existantes. Durant une oscillation fishbone, dans nos diffrentes simulations, le transport total de particules alpha au coeur du plasma est de l’ordre de 5 à 10% de la population initiale, ce qui montre que la réduction des performances de fusion due à l’instabilité fishbone-alpha est limitée. À partir de ces simulations, un mécanisme expliquant le couplage non-linéaire entre le transport résonant de particules et la décroissance en fréquence du mode MHD-cinétique est présenté
In tokamak plasmas, fast particles generated by fusion reactions and by non-inductive heating techniques can resonantly interact with Magneto-Hydro-Dynamic (MHD) instabilities, potentially leading to their transport out of the plasma core. This topic is important in the context of burning plasmas, where the collisional relaxation of alpha particles is expected to compensate the energy losses. The resonant transport time of fast particles being much lower than their typical relaxation, these Kinetic-MHD instabilities can adversely impact the plasma energy balance, and therefore the fusion performance of future commercial reactors. In this thesis, we study the interaction of energetic ions with the internal kink mode, resulting in the onset of the fishbone instability. To this end, we use the nonlinear hybrid Kinetic-MHD code XTOR-K to simulate the nonlinear phases of the fishbone instability, during which fast particles are being transported. Firstly, the linear theory of the fishbone instability is re-derived, recovering similar expressions with Porcelli’s dispersion relation. Differences arise when considering deeply passing particles. A linear code has been implemented to solve non-perturbatively the fishbone dispersion relation obtained. Results with this code are consistent with those obtained from XTOR-K linear simulations, in terms of mode growth rates, rotations frequencies and resonant surfaces. This provides a linear verification of XTOR-K, that enables its use on complex equilibria and during nonlinear phases. Secondly, a parametric study is provided by XTOR-K regarding the alpha fishbone linear stability with equilibria relevant for the ITER 15 MA case. Our simulations show that this scenario is likely to be fishbone unstable for ITER relevant alpha particle densities. Finally, nonlinear results obtained with XTOR-K in low energy circular equilibria and in the ITER 15 MA case are presented. These results document the self-consistent dynamics of fast particles and MHD modes during one fishbone oscillation. Resonant fast particle transport is a common feature of these simulations, together with frequency chirping of the Kinetic-MHD mode. Differences between these simulations are discussed, as well as the nonlinear regime characterizing the observed mode based on existing theories. During one fishbone oscillation, in our different simulations, the overall alpha particle transport in the core plasma impacts from 5 to 10% of the initial population, which shows that the reduction of fusion performance due to the alpha-fishbone instability is limited. From these simulations, a mechanism explaining the nonlinear coupling between resonant particle transport and mode chirping is presented

Magister Commercii - MCom
This research project focuses on the application of process improvement techniques in a clothing manufacturer to address delay problems in workflow in the factory. The objective of the research is threefold; investigate delays at the beginning of production and make suggestions, show the usefulness of continuous improvement techniques in improving activities in a clothing manufacturer and demonstrate how action research can be used in doing research in production and operation management. Using tools such as flow charts, check sheets, pareto analysis, fishbone diagrams, interviews and the "ask why five times" tool, an investigation into delays led to a second investigation into sewing defects. This established that these sewing defects are caused mainly by time constraints, the malfunctioning of machines, the wrong handling of garments, and previous operations. After an investigation using the above tools it was established that these defects could be addressed by setting realistic targets, doing regular maintenance on machines, cautioning operators to be more careful during their operations, and encouraging regular checks on garments before the next operation. The action learning methodology led to the following lessons; selecting a correct measuring tool is important, that not all tools need to be used, and that it takes time to do a research project using this method.

Thesis (Honors)--Ohio State University, 2006.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages: contains 61 p.; also includes graphics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 44-45). Available online via Ohio State University's Knowledge Bank.

This diploma thesis deals with application of quality tools in production plant. Theoretical part deal with history of quality, current situation in quality management and describe some of quality tools. In practical part will be applied some of described quality tools. Some of them are already implemented in production but only partially and they are not used in full for more flexible and efficient production. Conclusions and results of this diploma thesis should prove that if we are using these tools in full, we can decrease extra cost in production.

The problem being researched. The integration of Middle and Eastern European states into democratic processes has determined changes in public sector management and with rationalization of sectors of Lithuanian economy the system of justice was also involved: in the year 1993 the Parliament approved the outlines of the reform of the system of justice which set that legal bases of the reform have to be formed, specialists are to be prepared employees selected, the necessary financial and economical basis created, new legal institutions have to be created and the old ones reformed in order to ensure the stable system of justice. The reform has revealed both the advantages and disadvantages of the system of justice: not all the areas of the system of justice have received the appropriate attention. A similar situation occurred when carrying out the outlines of the Reform of the System of Justice approved in the year 1998. An appropriate and effective functioning of legal proceeding has been emphasized in international acts of law and experts’ meetings: democratization of management of prosecution system and improvement of the legal regulation of its management as well as more operative fulfillment of its functions are necessa ry; the reorganization has not only to strengthen prosecutors’ professionalism but also to ensure the adequate working conditions. This position was approved by the resolutions of the Tenth Congress of the United Nations which took place in Vienna on the 1... [to full text]
Tiriamoji problema. Vidurio ir Rytų Europos valstybių įsijungimas į demokratinius procesus sąlygojo viešojo sektoriaus valdymo pokyčius, o racionalizuojant Lietuvos ūkio sritis, nebuvo aplenkta ir teisinė sistema: 1993 m. Seimas patvirtino Teisinės sistemos reformos metmenis, kuriose nustatyta, kad turi būti formuojami reformos teisiniai pamatai, rengiami specialistai, renkami darbuotojai, kuriama būtina finansinė–ūkinė bei materialinė bazė, pertvarkomos bei kuriamos naujos teisinės institucijos, kurios užtikrintų stabilią teisinę sistemą. Reforma atskleidė tiek teisinės sistemos privalumus, tiek ir trūkumus: ne visoms teisinės sistemos sritims skirtas tinkamas dėmesys. Panaši situacija susiklostė ir įgyvendinant 1998 m. patvirtintas Teisinės reformos metmenis. Ne vieną kartą tinkamas ir efektyvus baudžiamosios teisenos funkcionavimas yra akcentuotas tarptautinės teisės aktuose bei ekspertų susitikimuose: būtinas prokuratūros sistemos valdymo demokratizavimas, jos veiklos teisinio reglamentavimo tobulinimas bei operatyvesnis funkcijų vykdymas, reorganizacija turi ne tik stiprinti prokurorų profesionalumą, bet ir užtikrinti adekvačias darbo sąlygas. Šią poziciją patvirtina 2000 m. balandžio 17 d. Vienoje vykusio dešimtojo Jungtinių Tautų Kongreso dėl nusikaltimų prevencijos bei elgesio su nusikaltėliais sprendimai, kuriais buvo konstatuota, jog tinkamas baudžiamosios teisės sistemos administravimas yra viena iš efektyviausių kovos su nusikalstamumu priemonių. 2002 metų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Detta är ett naturvetenskapligt arbete som omfattas både av en kvantitativ och en kvalitativ undersökning. Syftet med arbetet är att undersöka mellanskarvens födoval i sjön Sommen, samt att närmare studera huruvida det unika beståndet av röding och öring ingår i mellanskarvens födoval. Sommens Fiskevårdsområde har fått tillstånd till skyddsjakt på mellanskarv av Länsstyrelsen och det främsta skälet skulle vara att fågeln prederar röding och öring. Genom att analysera mellanskarvens spyboll och jämföra innehållet med referensfiskar fångade från samma sjö ska vi se om beslutet från Länsstyrelsen är befogat. Insamling av spybollar och referensfiskar utfördes i fält medan analys av spybollar utfördes på laboratorium. I resultatet av undersökningen konstaterades att mellanskarven i Sommen nästan uteslutande äter abborre. I de analyserade spybollarna som omfattas av denna undersökning återfanns inte röding och öring. Detta skulle innebära att Länsstyrelsens beslut om skyddsjakt på mellanskarv i Sommen p.g.a. predation av röding och öring inte är befogad.

Background Warehouse efficiency has gained a lot of attention in the recent years where racking layout and slotting of the SKUs are essential. The efficiency can be measured in the total traveling distance that occur in the warehouse. Two of the most central racking layout and slotting policies are the fishbone layout and ABC class-based slotting. These policies offer many new advantages for the traveling distance compared to others.   Objectives The purpose of this paper is to investigate how a combination of a fishbone layout and ABC class-based slotting affects the total traveling distance relative to a traditional layout with random slotting. This will then be analyzed in order to investigate to what degree it can be implemented depending on the situation a company has.   Methods The study was carried out as a simulation study, simulating the forklift traveling distance between four different warehouse layout and slotting configurations. This simulation was done by gathering of information in the form of observations, interviews, measuring and data from the EDI system of the company. The simulation was made in excel and featured eight possible scenarios depending on different events which could occur in the warehouse. The data in the study were then analyzed through a one-way ANOVA test, Scheffe’s post hoc test and t-Tests.   Results The result of the study shows that the different events which can occur in the warehouse is affected by a change in layout and slotting configurations. With the implementation of new layout and slotting configurations it is also shown that the forklift traveling distance in the warehouse can be reduced. The result also shows that the isolation of the effects that the respective layout or slotting policies provides reduces the forklift traveling distance individually as well as a combination would do.   Conclusions The conclusion is that the Fishbone layout with ABC class-based slotting is the optimal solution considering the reduction in traveling distance in a warehouse. When considering the implementation process and the potential benefits with the configurations, a general company is recommended to consider what amount of resources they are willing to invest before they carry out the implementation.   Delimitations This paper is delimited to the total travelling distance that occur in a warehouse because of the time restriction. The study will not examine the intangible part of a warehouse which means that the WMS- system will not be addressed. The paper will not create an investment calculus for the proposed solution.
Bakgrund Lagereffektivitet är ett område som dem senaste år fått mycket uppmärksamhet där layout av ställage och sortering av inventarier är väsentliga begrepp. Ett lagers effektivitet kan mätas i den totala transportsträckan som förekommer i ett lager. Två av de mest centrala principer för layout av ställage och sortering av inventarier är fiskbens-layouten och ABC klassbaserad sortering. Dessa principer erbjuder nya fördelar för den totala transportsträckan jämfört med de gamla.   Syfte. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur en kombination av fiskben-layout och en ABC-klassbaserad sortering kan påverka den totala körsträckan för truckar gentemot en traditionell layout med slumpmässig lagersortering. Resultatet kommer därefter analyseras och undersökas hur det kan implementeras för andra organisationer med olika förutsättningar   Metod Tillvägagången för denna studie var att göra en simuleringsstudie som skall simulera den totala transportsträcka som sker i ett lager. Fyra olika konfigurationer av ställage-layout och sorterings-policys simulerades. Denna simulering skapades genom införskaffandet av information i form utav observationer, intervjuer, mätningar av lager och data från företagets EDI-system. Simuleringen gjordes i Excel med innehåll av åtta olika scenarion beroende på olika händelser som kan uppstå i ett lager. Resultaten i studien blir därefter analyserad genom de olika dataanalyseringstesterna, ANOVA: en faktor, Scheffes post hoc test och därefter genom t-Tester.   Resultat Resultatet av studien visar hur de olika händelser som kan uppstå i ett lager förändras beroende på konfiguration av ställage-layout och sortering-policy. Vid implementering av ny ställage-layout och sorteringskonfiguration framstår det att transportsträckan kan reduceras. Resultatet visar också att en isolering av effekterna de olika konfigurationerna ger bidrar precis som en kombination, till reducerad transportsträcka.   Slutsatser Slutsatsen av denna studie är att fiskbens-layout i kombination med ABC klassbaserad sortering är den optimala lösningen med avseende på att minska den totala transportsträckan i ett lager. När implementeringsprocessen and de potentiella fördelarna med konfigurationerna övervägs rekommenderas ett generellt företag att överväga vilke resurer de är villiga att spendera innan de implementerar en ny lösning.   Avgränsningar Denna studie är avgränsat till den totala transportsträcka som sker inom ett lager. Detta på grund av den tidsgräns som existerar. Studien kommer inte undersöka den immateriella delen av ett lager. Detta betyder att lagerhantering systemet inte kommer undersökas. Investeringskalkyler kommer inte att göras för den lösning som föreslås.

La stabilité des modes magnéto-hydrodynamiques dans les plasmas de tokamaks est modifiée par la présence de particules rapides. Dans un tokamak tel qu'ITER ces particules rapides peuvent être soit les particules alpha créées par les réactions de fusion, soit les ions et électrons accélérés par les dispositifs de chauffage additionnel et de génération de courant. Les modes appelés fishbones électroniques correspondent à la déstabilisation du mode de kink interne due à la résonance avec le lent mouvement de précession toroidale des électrons rapides. Ces modes sont fréquemment observés dans les plasmas des tokamaks actuels en présence de chauffage par onde cyclotronique électronique (ECRH) ou de génération de courant par onde hybride basse (LHCD). La stabilité de ces modes est particulièrement sensible aux détails de la fonction de distribution électronique et du facteur de sécurité, ce qui fait des fishbones électroniques un excellent candidat pour tester la théorie linéaire des instabilités liées aux particules rapides. Dans le tokamak Tore Supra, des fishbones électroniques sont couramment observés lors de décharges où l'utilisation de l'onde hybride basse crée une importante queue de particules rapides dans la fonction de distribution électronique. Bien que ces modes soit clairement liés à la présence de particules rapides, la fréquence observée de ces modes est plus basse que celle prévue par la théorie. En effet, si on estime l'énergie des électrons résonants en faisant correspondre la fréquence du mode avec la fréquence de précession toroidale des électrons faiblement piégés, on obtient une valeur comparable à celle des électrons thermiques. L'objet principal de cette thèse est l'analyse linéaire de la stabilité des fishbones électroniques. La relation de dispersion de ces modes est dérivée et la forme obtenue prend en compte, dans la condition de résonance, la contribution du mouvement parallèle des particules passantes. Cette relation de dispersion est implémentée dans le code MIKE qui est ensuite testé avec succès en utilisant des fonctions de distributions analytiques. En le couplant au code Fokker-Planck relativiste LUKE et à la plate-forme de simulation intégrée CRONOS, MIKE peut estimer la stabilité des fishbones électroniques en utilisant les données reconstruites de l'expérience. En utilisant des fonctions de distributions et des équilibres analytiques dans le code MIKE nous montrons que les électrons faiblement piégés ou faiblement passants peuvent déstabiliser le mode de kink interne en résonant avec lui. Si l'on s'éloigne de la frontière entre électrons passants et piégés, les effets résonants s'affaiblissent. Cependant les électrons passants conservent une influence déstabilisante alors que les électrons piégées tendent à stabiliser le mode. D'autres simulations avec MIKE, utilisant cette fois des distributions complètes similaires à celles obtenues en présence de chauffage de type ECRH, montrent que l'interaction avec les électrons faiblement passants peut entraîner une déstabilisation du mode à une fréquence relativement basse ce qui pourrait permettre d'expliquer les observations sur le tokamak Tore Supra.

The rules and specifications of competition Formula Student are the main guidelines at frame design of students' formula. This diploma work discusses frame safety and structural requirements and also requirements on mounting of engine, single axles, rear-axle differential, engine intake and exhaust system, fuel tank, control elements, and so on. In the final parts of this diploma work analysis of maximum state of stress in material of on-load frame is made and total frame torsional rigidity is calculated. Total frame torsional rigidity is compared with those of Formula Ford and with other variants of Formula Student.

El desarrollo de la presente tesis forma parte de un estudio realizado en una empresa que brinda servicios de mantenimiento y reparación de motores eléctricos para minería, industria y generación de electricidad. La tesis tiene como finalidad proponer un modelo de gestión que permita agilizar el tiempo de reparación de motores eléctricos de corriente continua, debido a que los clientes se vienen quejando por incumplimientos en la fecha de entrega del servicio, esto genera pérdida de credibilidad, imagen de la empresa y futuros negocios. Para remediar la problemática se utilizaron herramientas de mejora continua tales como análisis de Pareto, espina pescado, 5 por qué y matriz de priorización para determinar el estado actual del servicio de reparación de motores y determinar cuál será nuestro foco para la investigación, basado en este diagnóstico se ha establecido un estándar en la nomenclatura de actividades de un servicio completo de reparación de motor y se implementó un análisis de muestreo de trabajo para determinar el tiempo de estas actividades sin cabida a los tiempos improductivos. Una vez determinado los tiempos se implementó la Hoja de Ruta la cual sirve de fuente para el seguimiento y supervisión más exacta de las actividades durante la ejecución del servicio y de esta manera cumplir con el tiempo de entrega prometido al cliente. El modelo propuesto logra disminuir el tiempo de ejecución de un servicio completo de motor eléctrico del tipo CC en un 17%, así mismo se obtuvo un incremento significativo en nuestro indicador de cumplimiento con la fecha de entrega pactada y una disminución de quejas de los clientes. The development of this thesis is about of a company that provides maintenance and repair services of electric motors for mining, industry and electricity generation. The thesis aims to propose a management model that allows speed up the repair time DC electric motors, because customers have been complaining about violations on the date of delivery of the service, which entails loss of credibility, image of the company and future business. To remedy the problems we used quality tools such as Pareto analysis, fishbone, 5 why’s and prioritization matrix to determine the current state of the service engine repair and determine what will be our focus for research, based on this diagnosis it has set a standard in the nomenclature of activities of a full-service repair, also Work sampling was used to determine the time to accommodate these activities without downtime. Once determined the times we set the Roadmap which serves as a source for more accurate monitoring and supervision of the activities during the execution of the service and thus meet the promised delivery time to the customer was implemented. It managed to reduce the execution time of a full service type DC electric motor by 17%, also a significant increase was obtained in our indicator of compliance with agreed delivery date and a decrease in customer complaints.

Thesis (MA (English))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts at the University of Stellenbosch
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since 1995, three female authors have published novels narrating the events of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita from Lolita’s point of view. What is it about the character Lolita that prompts writers to rework Nabokov’s text? In an attempt to answer this question this thesis explores reader-responses to Lolita. The grand narrative of girlhood is illuminated, and it emerges that, influenced by the discourse of Romanticism, girls’ subjectivity in the Western world is governed by an ‘innocent-or-corrupt’ dichotomy. As a result, Lolita, who seduces her stepfather, Humbert Humbert, has been vilified by readers through the decades, so that very little further critical attention has been given to her representation in the text. However, in recent years rising concern over the representation of girls has seen renewed interest in Lolita from feminist quarters, with Lolita’s non-representation being critics’ main concern. These derivative novels work towards compiling a body of feminist criticism on Lolita. A secondary function of the derivatives is the restructuring of the grand narrative of girlhood: in other words, the erasure of the ‘innocent-or-corrupt’ dichotomy in favour of a wide range of conceivable subjectivities. This is necessary because the sexualised images of girls in the media are in danger of representing girl-children as one-dimensional sexual objects. Both feminist critics and critical theorists are calling for a new form of resistance to these hegemonic media forms, so that a collaboration between the two fields seems useful. This thesis argues that the existence of the derivative novels point to the emergence of a new form of feminist resistance to the oppressive representations of advancing technological society. Consequently, the thesis performs a reading of Lolita and three derivative novels to ascertain how the girl-child is represented. Issues of interest include the Romantic discourse of childhood, the representational practices of advancing technological society, and girls’ agency. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the effectiveness of each derivative novel in terms of their contributions to both the Lolita-discourse and the feminist endeavour to restructure the grand narrative of girlhood.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Drie vroueskrywers het sedert 1995 romans gepubliseer wat die gebeure van Vladimir Nabokov se roman Lolita uit Lolita se oogpunt oorvertel. Wat is dit omtrent die karakter Lolita wat skrywers aanspoor om Nabokov se teks te hersien? In ‘n poging om hierdie vraag te beantwoord verken hierdie tesis leser-reaksies op Lolita. Die meesternarratief oor jongmeisieskap word blootgelê en dit kom na vore dat meisies se subjektiwiteit in die Westerse wêreld, onder die invloed van die Romantiese diskoers, regeer word deur die digotomie van ‘onskuldig-of-korrup’. Gevolglik is Lolita, wat haar stiefpa, Humbert Humbert, verlei, oor die dekades heen deur lesers sleggemaak, sodat baie min kritiese aandag verder aan haar gewy is. Toenemende kommer onder feministe rondom die uitbeelding van meisies het egter in die afgelope klompie jare tot hernieude belangstelling in Lolita gelei, met die gebrek aan aandag aan Lolita se uitbeelding as hoofbekommernis. Die Lolita-verwerkings dra by tot die saamstel van ‘n versameling van feministiese kritiek oor Nabokov se teks. Die sekondêre funksie van die verwerkings is die herstrukturering van die meesternarratief aangaande jongmeisieskap: met ander woorde, die uitwissing van die onskuldig-ofkorrup digotomie ten gunste van ‘n wye reeks denkbare subjektiwiteite. Dít is nodig omdat die geseksualiseerde beelde van meisies wat in die media voorkom, die gevaar loop om meisies as een-dimensionele seksobjekte uit te beeld. Beide feministe en kritiese teoretici beywer hul vir ‘n nuwe vorm van teenstand teen hierdie verdrukkende uitbeeldings, so samewerking tussen die twee is nuttig. Hierdie tesis doen dit aan die hand dat die bestaan van Lolita-verkwerkings bewys is van die ontluiking van ‘n nuwe vorm van feministiese teenstand teen die verdrukkende uitbeeldings van die vooruitgaande tegnologiese samelewing. Gevolglik analiseer hierdie tesis Lolita en drie verwerkings om vas te stel hoe die meisiekind uitgebeeld word. Sake van belang sluit die Romantiese diskoers van kindwees, die uitbeeldingspraktyke van die toenemend tegnologiese samelewing, en meisies as agente in. Uiteindlik word gevolgtrekkings gemaak oor die effektiwiteit van elke roman ten opsigte van hul bydraes tot beide die Lolita-diskoers en die feministiese poging om die meesternarratief aangaande jongmeisieskap te herstruktureer.

Syon Abbey, established as the first Birgittine monastery in England in 1415, quite soon became a powerful institution within the order. Although often asserting their own conceptions of the Rule, the English Birgittines still sought the advice of Vadstena, their mother house, when it came to certain important matters concerning monastic life. The present work contains editions of two Latin texts: Responsiones, a document consisting of 175 questions and answers on the Birgittine Rule and daily life in the monastery, and Collacio, a sermon reflecting similar matters. The first part of the Responsiones consists of answers to five questions, sent from Syon to Sweden by letter. An important issue concerns the leadership in the monastery and the role of the Birgittine brothers. Were they to be seen as monks, living in their own monastery, or as religious assistans to the sisters? The second part was written as a direct result of two English brothers visiting Vadstena in 1427 and contains 170 questions and answers dealing with various matters of importance: how to interpret certain Birgittine texts, regulations on food, silence and speech as well as questions on preaching, liturgy and introduction into the monastery. The Collacio, in the manuscript said to have been presented to the Swedish community, was probably written by Syon’s conservator, the Benedictine abbot John Whethamstede of St Albans. Written in a highly metaphorical language rich in references to the Bible and Classical authors, the message to the Birgittine order is clear: first, it is wrong to have two leaders (confessor general as well as abbess) in one community; second, the Birgittines should strive to dispose of later additions and explanations and seek the original and true intentions of the foundress, Saint Birgitta. The thesis contains an introduction, editions with translations, glossary, indices, bibliography and plates.

碩士
國立臺灣大學
流行病學研究所
88
Abstract Objectives. Fishbone injection is a common problem in emergency service but is seldom studied. In this study we examined the epidemiology of fishbone injection and compared the condition between fishbone present group and fishbone absent group. Methods. The study was a hospital-based retrospective study on 207(71.1% 0f 291) subjects who visited the ER of NTUH with the chief complaint of fishbone injection. Questionnaire based on Haddon Matrix was conducted through telephone interview. The characteristics of human, vector(environment), agent(fish) were described. Logistic regression was used as the prediction of the presence of fishbone. Results. Fishbone injection usually happened to people without special medical history. Those fish generally have fishbone difficult to clean up. Inattention, eating too fast and fish mixed with other food were frequently associated with the occurrence of fishbone injection. Fishbone was more frequently present if the fish was fried way and more commonly found if the patient visited hospital within 6 hours after the injury. The symptoms usually relieved within 3 days and relieved soon if the fishbone was removed. No specific clinical symptom was associated with the diagnosis of the presence of fishbone. The utilization rate of neck X ray examination was high but the sensitivity was low. Conclusions. General population should pay attention when eating fish with fishbone difficult to clean up. Paying attention to eat fish, avoiding eating fish mixed with other food, and eating slowly can reduce fishbone injection. The way of cooking and the interval of visiting hospital could be applied to diagnose whether the fishbone was present. Laryngoscopy rather than neck X ray should be extensively used to examine the patient.

碩士
高苑科技大學
機械與自動化工程研究所
104
In the semiconductor manufacture, the purpose of IC packaging, one of the back end processes, is to build the complete frameworks of IC chips while to protect the chips from physical damage and chemical change caused by the surroundings which will affect IC’s efficiency. For electronic signal distribution, on the other hand, an IC chip has to be connected with substrate or lead frames to form circuits and transmit signal between the chip and the carrier. Currently, wire bonding is the best approach of electrical interconnection. In this research we use PLASKON_SMT-B-1LV to analyze one pair, two pairs and four pairs IC molding process. CAE simulation analysis of small size IC packaging has been developed for years. However, to predict the flow behavior of IC packages is still a huge challenge due to its geometric limitations. In this paper, one pair, two pairs and four pairs molding are studied for the investigation of the flow balance in different geometries with various GATE designs by using a CAE simulation software, Moldex3D R10. Furthermore, an optimized geometric design can be gained through the assistance of simulation and its results.

A plasma instability has been associated with loss of fusion rate in tokamaks since the introduction of beam-heating in the 1980’s: the Fishbone. Losses of fusion rate on tokamaks during the heating phase present a significant obstacle in reaching the ignition condition required to harness nuclear fusion as a power source. If the conditions exacerbating fusion rate losses during these events can be understood, they can be mitigated. We examine a wide selection of fishbone events from MAST to determine the characteristics associated with greater losses in fusion rate. Quantities for expressing the behaviour of fusion rate are discussed, and statistically significant changes in fusion rate as a function of fishbone phase are examined. Using correlation analysis and sub-classifying the dataset based on observed loss characteristics indicates that fishbone behaviour is significantly more complex than previously believed. Correlation analysis using the full dataset found no reliable quantity that relates plasma conditions during the fishbone to changes in the fusion rate. To study a fishbone undergoing loss, a reduced model of wave-particle resonant interaction between fishbone harmonics and fast ions was built. This models the physical process of fast ions losing energy to the plasma by redistributing the fast ion distribution function in velocity-space. When resonant interactions with higher fishbone harmonics are included, the reduced-model accesses regions of the fast ion distribution function at higher velocities. This results in a larger effect on the modelled fusion rate. Small changes in the fast ion distribution in these regions produces changes in fusion rate that match experimentally observed losses. These results suggest the possibility of developing inference diagnostics for the fast ion distribution function using MHD spectroscopy.

Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Informática apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
Este relatório de mestrado, dissertação sob o tema “Transition Design – Shared Online Canvas”, tem por objetivo apresentar o trabalho realizado, ao longo do ano letivo 2019/2020, no âmbito da unidade curricular de estágio, integrada no mestrado de Engenharia Informática da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de Coimbra. Através do estudo efetuado ao longo dos primeiros três meses fez-se uma síntese sobre os conceitos-chave relacionados com a temática do Design de transição, Design participativo e suas relações com media dinâmicos interativos. Essa investigação decorreu, principalmente, da necessidade de desenvolver uma plataforma computacional que, através de ferramentas web, permitisse a partilha de posições entre “stakeholders”, em tempo real, utilizando “canvas”. O projeto desenvolvido, visa suportar processos de Transition Design, utilizando uma plataforma informática de colaboração, permitindo que um conjunto de utilizadores possam desenhar soluções que respondam às necessidades de mudança ou inovação social. Com o objetivo de desenvolver um protótipo para o propósito anteriormente descrito, facilitando processos colaborativos, fez-se um primeiro levantamento dos requisitos e das especificações do projeto. A conceção da ferramenta web desenvolvida implicou também o desenho das interfaces com o utilizador, necessárias para acomodar os canvas delineados para o design de transição. Para garantir a interligação entre o frontend de utilizador e o backend do servidor, e respetiva base de dados, projetou-se uma arquitetura adequada ao respetivo suporte de dados. Como o sistema precisava de ser cooperativo, e o desenvolvimento duma plataforma desse tipo envolveria muito tempo e elevada complexidade, utilizou-se uma forma inovadora de alcançar este objectivo através de substratos web (webstrates), que permitem criar uma interface distribuída e cooperativa, aproveitando potencialidades dos media dinâmicos existentes na web. Dessa forma, utilizando dois servidores, um servidor web e um servidor de “webstrates” implementou-se a plataforma de canvas partilhados para Transition Design, de uso cooperativo, partilhado e na web, que agora se apresenta.A plataforma desenvolvida, nas suas funcionalidades, permite a credenciação e o login dos utilizadores, a definição e consulta de projetos, o lançamento de temas e objetivos em cada projeto, e a criação de diagramas associadas a cada projeto, além de permitir um blog de discussão entre os participantes em cada projeto. Os canvas que são possíveis associar aos projetos são: wicked problem diagrams, fishbone diagrams, future vision, spatio-temporal matrices, e stakeholder perspective maps. A plataforma tem por principal objetivo, permitir a discussão de ideias e o desenho de soluções através da cooperação entre stakeholders envolvidos no projeto de transição.
This master's dissertation report, under the theme “Transition Design - Shared Online Canvas”, aims to present the work carried out, during the academic year 2019/2020, within the scope of the internship curricular unit, integrated in the Master of Informatics Engineering of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra.Through a study carried out over the first three months, a synthesis was made about the key concepts related to the theme of Transitional Design, Participatory Design and its relations with dynamic interactive media. This investigation resulted mainly from the need to develop a computational platform that, through shared web tools, would allow sharing positions between stakeholders, using canvas. The developed project aims to support Transition Design processes, allowing to design solutions that would respond of change and social innovation needs.In order to develop a prototype, with the aim previously described, and facilitating collaborative processes, the requirements and specification of the project were initially surveyed. For the conception of this web tool, the user interfaces were also designed, necessary to accommodate the canvas outlined to the transition design. An architecture was designed to guarantee the interconnection between the user frontend and the server backend and the respective data support database. As the system needed to be cooperative, and given that there is not enough time and resources to develop a platform of such complexity, an innovative way was used to do it through web substrates (webstrates), which allows a distributed and cooperative way, taking advantage of potentialities of dynamic web media. Thus, using two servers, a web server and a webstrate server, the Transition Design platform was implemented, offering shared canvas for Transition Design, for cooperative use, shared on web.The developed platform, in its functionalities, allows the accreditation and login of users, the definition or consultation of projects, the launching of themes and objectives in each project, and the creation of canvas associated with each project, and in addition, allow a blog of discussion between project participants. The canvas that can be associated with the projects are: wicked problema diagrams, fishbone diagrams, future visions, spatio-temporal matrices, and stakeholder perspective maps. The main objective of the platform is to allow the discussion of ideas and the cooperative design of solutions between stakeholders.

Die komprimierte Darstellung der Fishbowl bietet Einblicke in die aktuelle Diskussion fachspezifischer Fragen. Vier Experten (Ursula Brandstätter, Anne Niessen, Christine Stöger und Christopher Wallbaum) diskutieren nach ihren vier Einzelvorträgen miteinander über Grundfragen der Musikdidaktik. An der Diskussion können sich auch Einzelne aus dem Publikum beteiligen. Moderiert wird die Diskussion von Christian Rolle. Im Zentrum stehen das Verhältnis von Unterrichtspraxis und wissenschaftlicher Musikdidaktik bzw. –pädagogik („Theorie und Praxis“) zueinander sowie die Rolle des Fachs Musik in der fachdidaktischen Diskussion
The abridged fishbowl-discussion gives an idea of currently discussed problems in the german discourse on music education at general schools (=music didactic). In Fishbowl A four experts (Ursula Brandstätter, Anne Niessen, Christine Stoeger and Christopher Wallbaum with Christian Rolle as moderator) after their lectures discuss the relation between teaching in the classroom and research about it, in other words the relation between theory and practice/praxis Furthermore they discuss the role of the subject ‘music’ in exploring and investigating in educational practice/praxis and concepts

Die komprimierte Darstellung der Fishbowl bietet Einblicke in die aktuelle Diskussion fachspezifischer Fragen. Vier Experten (Werner Jank, Hans-Ulrich Schäfer-Lembeck, Constanze Rora und Dorothee Barth) diskutieren nach ihren vier Einzelvorträgen miteinander über Grundfragen der Musikdidaktik. An der Diskussion können sich auch Einzelne aus dem Publikum beteiligen. Moderiert wird die Diskussion von Ursula Brandstätter. Im Zentrum stehen der Lernbegriff in Bezug auf offenere und geschlossenere Konzepte zur Gestaltung von Musikunterricht. Bezugsgrößen stellen dabei das Konzept des „Aufbauenden Musikunterrichts“ und der (konstruktivistischen) Erfahrungsorientierung dar. In diesem Zusammenhang werden auch der kulturbezogene Musikbegriff und die Einbeziehung der Schüler als Individuen thematisiert
The abridged fishbowl-discussion gives an idea of currently discussed problems in the german discourse on music education at general schools (=music didactic). In Fishbowl B four experts (Werner Jank, Hans-Ulrich Schäfer-Lembeck, Constanze Rora und Dorothee Barth with Ursula Brandstätter as moderator) after their lectures discuss the term of learning in relation to more formal and more informel concepts of learning. These subjects are discussed in relation to following focuses: concrete german concepts, which focus on learning or experience, the term of culture-related music and including the pupils as individuals

Die komprimierte Darstellung der Fishbowl bietet Einblicke in die aktuelle Diskussion fachspezifischer Fragen. Drei Experten (Thomas Ott, Christian Rolle und Wolfgang Martin Stroh) diskutieren nach ihren Einzelvorträgen miteinander über Grundfragen der Musikdidaktik. An der Diskussion können sich auch Einzelne aus dem Publikum beteiligen. Die Moderation hat Anne Niessen. Die Diskussion dreht sich wesentlich darum, was verschiedene Musikdidaktiker unter ästhetischen, musikalischen, musikbezogenen Wahrnehmungspraxen bzw. –tätigkeiten und Erfahrungen verstehen, außerdem um das Verhältnis dieser Begriffe zu Bildung, Symbolbildung, Bedeutungszuschreibung und Lernen. Die Theorie wird nicht nur an den Videos, sondern auch an erzählten Unterrichtsbeispielen festgemacht
The abridged fishbowl-discussion gives an idea of currently discussed problems in the german discourse on music education at general schools (=music didactic). In Fishbowl C three experts (Thomas Ott, Christian Rolle und Wolfgang Martin Stroh with Anne Niessen as moderator) after their lectures discuss their understanding of aesthetic, musical and music-related kinds of praxis or activities of perception and experience in different theories of music education, and they relate this to the terms Bildung, learning and construction of symbols and meaning. Experts and guests from the audience illustrate their considerations with examples from the DVDs and with explained examples

Die komprimierte Darstellung der Fishbowl bietet Einblicke in die aktuelle Diskussion fachspezifischer Fragen. Vier Experten (Ursula Brandstätter, Anne Niessen, Christine Stöger und Christopher Wallbaum) diskutieren nach ihren vier Einzelvorträgen miteinander über Grundfragen der Musikdidaktik. An der Diskussion können sich auch Einzelne aus dem Publikum beteiligen. Moderiert wird die Diskussion von Christian Rolle. Im Zentrum stehen das Verhältnis von Unterrichtspraxis und wissenschaftlicher Musikdidaktik bzw. –pädagogik („Theorie und Praxis“) zueinander sowie die Rolle des Fachs Musik in der fachdidaktischen Diskussion.
The abridged fishbowl-discussion gives an idea of currently discussed problems in the german discourse on music education at general schools (=music didactic). In Fishbowl A four experts (Ursula Brandstätter, Anne Niessen, Christine Stoeger and Christopher Wallbaum with Christian Rolle as moderator) after their lectures discuss the relation between teaching in the classroom and research about it, in other words the relation between theory and practice/praxis Furthermore they discuss the role of the subject ‘music’ in exploring and investigating in educational practice/praxis and concepts.

Die komprimierte Darstellung der Fishbowl bietet Einblicke in die aktuelle Diskussion fachspezifischer Fragen. Vier Experten (Werner Jank, Hans-Ulrich Schäfer-Lembeck, Constanze Rora und Dorothee Barth) diskutieren nach ihren vier Einzelvorträgen miteinander über Grundfragen der Musikdidaktik. An der Diskussion können sich auch Einzelne aus dem Publikum beteiligen. Moderiert wird die Diskussion von Ursula Brandstätter. Im Zentrum stehen der Lernbegriff in Bezug auf offenere und geschlossenere Konzepte zur Gestaltung von Musikunterricht. Bezugsgrößen stellen dabei das Konzept des „Aufbauenden Musikunterrichts“ und der (konstruktivistischen) Erfahrungsorientierung dar. In diesem Zusammenhang werden auch der kulturbezogene Musikbegriff und die Einbeziehung der Schüler als Individuen thematisiert.
The abridged fishbowl-discussion gives an idea of currently discussed problems in the german discourse on music education at general schools (=music didactic). In Fishbowl B four experts (Werner Jank, Hans-Ulrich Schäfer-Lembeck, Constanze Rora und Dorothee Barth with Ursula Brandstätter as moderator) after their lectures discuss the term of learning in relation to more formal and more informel concepts of learning. These subjects are discussed in relation to following focuses: concrete german concepts, which focus on learning or experience, the term of culture-related music and including the pupils as individuals.

Die komprimierte Darstellung der Fishbowl bietet Einblicke in die aktuelle Diskussion fachspezifischer Fragen. Drei Experten (Thomas Ott, Christian Rolle und Wolfgang Martin Stroh) diskutieren nach ihren Einzelvorträgen miteinander über Grundfragen der Musikdidaktik. An der Diskussion können sich auch Einzelne aus dem Publikum beteiligen. Die Moderation hat Anne Niessen. Die Diskussion dreht sich wesentlich darum, was verschiedene Musikdidaktiker unter ästhetischen, musikalischen, musikbezogenen Wahrnehmungspraxen bzw. –tätigkeiten und Erfahrungen verstehen, außerdem um das Verhältnis dieser Begriffe zu Bildung, Symbolbildung, Bedeutungszuschreibung und Lernen. Die Theorie wird nicht nur an den Videos, sondern auch an erzählten Unterrichtsbeispielen festgemacht.
The abridged fishbowl-discussion gives an idea of currently discussed problems in the german discourse on music education at general schools (=music didactic). In Fishbowl C three experts (Thomas Ott, Christian Rolle und Wolfgang Martin Stroh with Anne Niessen as moderator) after their lectures discuss their understanding of aesthetic, musical and music-related kinds of praxis or activities of perception and experience in different theories of music education, and they relate this to the terms Bildung, learning and construction of symbols and meaning. Experts and guests from the audience illustrate their considerations with examples from the DVDs and with explained examples.

Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Informática
The need for computer supported collaboration has grown over the last years and made collaboration processes an important factor within organizations. This trend has resulted in the development of a variety of tools and technologies to support the various forms of collaboration. Many collaborative processes, e.g. strategy building, scenario analysis, root cause analysis and requirements engineering, require various collaboration support tools. Within these synchronous collaborative applications to create, evaluate, elaborate, discuss, and revise graphical models, e.g. data flow, fishbone and brainstorming diagrams, play an important role. Currently, the necessary tools are not integrated and flexible enough to support such processes. In this thesis, we present a synchronous collaborative brainstorming diagram editor that is integrated in a flexible group support system. By this our approach goes beyond the current state of the art as we can be seamlessly integrated with other collaboration support tools such as text-based brainstorming or voting.
A necessidade de colaboração suportada por computador tem crescido nos últimos anos e fez dos processos colaborativos um factor importante dentro das organizações. Esta tendência resultou no desenvolvimento de uma variedade de ferramentas e tecnologias para apoiar as diversas formas de colaboração. Muitos processos colaborativos (por exemplo, análise estratégica, cenários de causa ou engenharia de requisitos), exigem o suporte de várias ferramentas de colaboração. Dentro destas aplicações colaborativas síncronas para criar, avaliar, elaborar, discutir e rever modelos gráficos destacam-se dois diagramas de fluxo de dados (data flow), diagrama “espinha de peixe” (fishbone diagrams) e brainstorming, desempenham um papel importante. Atualmente, as ferramentas necessárias não estão integradas e flexíveis o suficiente para suportar tais processos. Nesta dissertação, apresentamos um editor síncrono de diagramas de colaboração de brainstorming, integrado num sistema de apoio a grupos (GSS) flexível para este efeito. Assim, esta abordagem vai além do nosso estado da arte atual, uma vez que pode ser perfeitamente integrado com outras ferramentas de colaboração, tais como brainstorming baseado em texto ou sistemas de votação.

У роботі досліджено основні підходи до сутності поняття «конкурентна стратегія» та вивчено класифікації конкурентних стратегій діяльності підприємства. Проаналізовано ринок перукарських та косметологічних послуг України з використанням методу п’яти конкурентних сил М. Портера. Сформовано збалансовану систему показників ПП «ЮРРО» та розроблено заходи з реалізації конкурентної стратегії підприємства.
The master’s thesis investigates the main approaches to the study of the concept of «competitive strategy» and studies the main classifications of enterprise’s competitive strategies. Author analyzed the Ukrainian market of hairdressing and cosmetology services using the method of five competitive forces of M. Porter. Author formed a balanced scorecard of the «URRO» LLC and developed measures to implement the competitive strategy of the enterprise.

The internal and external challenges construction companies face such as variability, low productivity, inefficient processes, waste, uncertainties, risks, fragmentation, adversarial contractual relationships, competition, and those resulting from internal and external challenges such as cost overruns and delays negatively affect company performance and profitability. Though research publications abound, these challenges persist, which indicates that the following gaps exist. Lean construction, process improvement, and performance improvement research have been conducted wherein improvement principles, and best practices are used to ameliorate performance issues, but several knowledge gaps exist. Few companies use these improvement principles and best practices. For those companies applying improvements, there is no established link between these improvements and performance/profitability to guide companies. Further, even when companies use improvement principles and best practices, they apply only one or two, whereas an integrated application of these improvement principles and best practices would be more effective. The other gap the author identified is the lack of strategic tools that construction companies can use to improve and manage their profitability. This thesis tried to fill the knowledge gap, at least partially, by developing a two-part excellence model for profitability improvement of construction companies. The excellence model lays out strategies that would enable companies to overcome the challenges and improve their profitability. The excellence model also gives an iterative and recursive continuous improvement model and flowchart to improve the profitability of construction companies. The researcher used high impact principles, guidelines, and concepts from the literature on organizational effectiveness, critical success factors, strategic company profitability growth enablers, process improvement, and process maturity models, performance improvement, and organizational excellence guidelines to develop the two-part excellence model.

The author also translated the two-part excellence model into the diagnostic tool and Decision Support System (DSS) by use of process diagrams, fishbone diagrams, root cause analysis, and use of improvement principles, countermeasures and best practices at the most granular (lowest intervention) levels to do away with root causes of poor performance. The author developed the diagnostic tool and Decision Support System (DSS) in Access 2016 to serve as a strategic tool to improve and manage the profitability of construction companies. The researcher used improvement principles, and best practices from scientific and practitioner literature to develop company and project process flow diagrams, and fishbone (cause and effect) diagrams for company, department, employee, interactions and project performance for the profitability improvement, which are the engines of the diagnostic tool and DSS. The diagnostic tool and DSS use continuous improvement cycles iteratively and recursively to improve the profitability of construction companies from the current net profit of 2-3 percent to a higher value.