Hybrid Arrangement Research Articles

Small-Firm Networks: hybrid arrangement or organizational form?

In the field of organizations, one relevant question is whether or not to consider networks as organizational forms. On the one hand, Williamson (1985) says that networks are hybrid arrangements. On the other, authors like Powell (1990) argue that networks constitute themselves as organizational forms. Given this dilemma, the present article proposes the analysis of organizational characteristics of small-firm networks (SFN). To reach such objective, twelve SFNs in distinct stages of development were analyzed. The results show that SFNs constitute themselves as singular organization forms which boundaries and identities are delineated by strategy, structure, coordination, processes and relationships.

Constitutional hybridity and constitutionalism in Ghana

Ghana's 1992 Constitution is a hybrid arrangement that combines some features of both the US Presidential and British Westminster systems of Government. Having modelled three different constitutions along the lines of both systems since 1960, there emerged the preference for constitutional hybridity in 1992. This was based on the assumption that the best constitution is a mixed system that borrows from the features of the two main systems of government. Nevertheless, after over 20 years of operation, this study shows that Ghana's 1992 Constitution upsets the balance of power between the arms of government, particularly between the executive and legislature and in favour of the former in a manner that undermines constitutionalism. This paper discusses the specific arrangements and provisions of the hybrid constitution and how they facilitate the exercise of unbridled as well as unmitigated executive power. It makes a call for the abolition of the hybrid system and an adherence to either of the two main systems, but not both.

Hybrid electrodialysis reverse osmosis system design and its optimization for treatment of highly saline brines

AbstractThe demand is rising for desalination technologies to treat highly saline brines arising from hydraulic fracturing processes and inland desalination. Interest is growing in the use of electrical desalination technologies for this application. The hybridization of electrodialysis (ED) with reverse osmosis (RO) allows high salinities (beyond the range of RO alone) to be reached while avoiding the operation of ED with a low conductivity diluate stream. Such hybrid systems have been experimentally investigated for concentrates from brackish and seawater desalination. However, progress is required in the modelling and optimization of hybrid systems at higher concentrations. A novel hybrid arrangement of counterflow ED systems with reverse osmosis is presented to concentrate a saline feed at 120 ppt. The system is considered from the perspective of efficiency, membrane productivity and the levelised cost of water, with emphasis on the optimisation of current density. In contrast to brackish ED systems, ...

Fatigue strength of a hybrid joint formed between a PA6-GF60 polymer matrix and a S420MC steel insert

A vehicle’s brake pedal is considered to be one of its most important safety components. In the past, vehicle weight-reduction initiatives resulted in a highly optimized design of steel brake pedal with an increased strength-to-weight ratio. However, any further reduction in the weight of the brake pedal is only possible by using combined, i.e., hybrid, materials. In this case the joint between the two different materials in the hybrid arrangement must be as strong as possible. Many methods for improving the joint between two highly dissimilar materials are known from the literature, but conventional joining techniques lack either the fatigue resistance, because of a poor notch-effect design (shape-based joints), or are unsuitable for low-cost serial production (material-based joints). This article presents an innovative approach to joining the reinforcing insert with a glass-fiber-reinforced polyamide 6 (PA6-GF) base structure, where the reinforcing insert is molded into the PA6-GF. The improved shape of the reinforcing insert contributes the required strength, while the PA6-GF base structure provides the final form of the specimen/product. The innovative shape of the metal insert not only provides the strength of the component; it also ensures the proper joint between the two dissimilar materials. For different types of reinforcing inserts static durability tests as well as fatigue-life tests of the insert-PA6-GF-matrix joints were performed. Our experimental research shows that the most promising shape-based hybrid joints reported in the literature are not the best solution when the hybrid joint’s fatigue life is the decisive criterion for a product’s durability.

Sharing competences in strategic alliances: a case study of the Cosan and Shell biofuel venture

In a competitive world, the way a firm establishes its organizational arrangements may determine the enhancement of its core competences and the possibility of reaching new markets. Firms that find their skills to be applicable in just one type of market encounter constraints in expanding their markets, and through alliances may find a competitive form of value capture. Hybrid forms of organization appear primarily as an alternative to capturing value and managing joint assets when the market and hierarchy modes do not present any yields for the firm's competitiveness. As a result, this form may present other challenging issues, such as the allocation of rights and principal-agent problems. The biofuel market has presented a strong pattern of changes over the last 10 years. New intra-firm arrangements have appeared as a path to participate or survive among global competition. Given the need for capital to achieve better results, there has been a consistent movement of mergers and acquisitions in the Biofuel sector, especially since the 2008 financial crisis. In 2011 there were five major groups in Brazil with a grinding capacity of more than 15 million tons per year: Raizen (joint venture formed by Cosan and Shell), Louis Dreyfus, Tereos Petrobras, ETH, and Bunge. Major oil companies have implemented the strategy of diversification as a hedge against the rising cost of oil. Using the alliance of Cosan and Shell in the Brazilian biofuel market as a case study, this paper analyses the governance mode and challenging issues raised by strategic alliances when firms aim to reach new markets through the sharing of core competences with local firms. The article is based on documentary research and interviews with Cosan's Investor Relations staff, and examines the main questions involving hybrid forms through the lens of the Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), Agency Theory, Resource Based View (RBV), and dynamic capabilities theoretical approaches. One focal point is knowledge appropriability and the specific assets originated by the joint venture. Once the alliance is formed, it is expected that competences will be shared and new capabilities will expand the limits of the firm. In the case studied, Cosan and Shell shared a number of strategic assets related to their competences. Raizen was formed with economizing incentives, as well to continue marshalling internal resources to enhance the company's presence in the world energy sector. Therefore, some challenges might be related to the control and monitoring agents' behavior, considering the two-part organism formed by distinctive organizational culture, tacit knowledge, and long-term incentives. The case study analyzed illustrates the hybrid arrangement as a middle form for organizing the transaction: neither in the market nor in the hierarchy mode, but rather a more flexible commitment agreement with a strategic central authority. The corporate governance devices are also a challenge, since the alignment between the parent companies in the joint ventures is far more complex. These characteristics have led to an organism with bilateral dependence, offering favorable conditions for developing dynamic capabilities. However, these conditions might rely on the partners' long-term interest in the joint venture.

A Crisis of Executive Managerialism in the EU: No Alternative?

Against a backdrop of rapidly evolving crisis management in the European financial and sovereign debt crisis this essay aims both to explore and to re-consider the role of law in the EU integration process: What did law accomplish? Where did it fail? What is law going to endure? What kind of future can it envisage? The essay traces back the evolution of the law-politics relationship in both EU legal scholarship and practice from the foundational period of ‘integration-through-law’ to the advent of ‘new governance’ in the EU, and finally to the current deep transformations of EU law in new economic governance and the financial crisis. The centrality of law as ‘both the object and the agent’ of European integration, and the legal enshrinement of EU’s economic constitution has recently neglected the weight of ‘the social’ in the societies of post-war Europe, a failure which was to become detrimental to both domestic social stability and the legitimacy of integration. Attempts to cure Europe’s social deficit by re-conceptualizing the notion of law as new governance have widened the theoretical perspective of EU legal scholarship. Yet new governance has not delivered more social democracy and justice in Europe in practical terms, and continues to suffer from the methodological problems of its ‘definition-by-contrast.’ These problems re-emerge in current new economic governance, which Europe’s crisis management is generating. This hybrid arrangement of hard and soft law instruments has, to date, been economically unsuccessful and socially disastrous, especially in the South of Europe. Equally disquieting, the notion of democratic law (either in traditional or experimentalist understandings) has been replaced by a praxis of authoritarian executive managerialism. The essay concludes by sketching out an alternative understanding of law-mediated legitimacy in the integration process, namely ‘conflicts-law constitutionalism’. This approach stresses the normative value of conflicts and pluralism in the process of European integration. Instead of ‘ever more Europe’ it aims to secure the existing democratic credentials of EU law, namely its ability to correct the democratic deficit of the Member States while respecting their constitutional integrity.

A Review of Hybrid Power Ampli!er Technologies

With the aim of synthesizing high-fidelity voltage waveforms without penalizing the system efficiency, several works have proposed hybrid power amplifiers (HPAs), composed of linear and switching amplifiers, combining the benefits of each approach. According to the connection of the linear and the switched amplifiers, the HPAs are classified as envelope, parallel and series configurations. Each configuration holds particular characteristics that can be advantageous in some applications meanwhile to be quite stringent in others. This way, through a review of literature, this work aims to identify the features of each configuration, highlighting its benefits and possible limitations. The topologies proposed hitherto are analyzed from the circuit and control perspective. Therefore, this paper can be useful for one who is starting researching on this field or aims to select a suitable hybrid arrangement for a given application. Finally, an experimental case study is analyzed and future trends in research on HPAs are addressed.

Conditions for parallel realizable configurations in synthesis of constraint-based flexure mechanisms

In synthesis of flexure mechanism, parallel arrangement is paid more attention due to its advantages, such as compact structure and higher stiffness. Researchers have derived many parallel flexure mechanisms, but seldom discuss which kind of flexure mechanism can be realized via fully parallel arrangement. The realizable conditions proposed in current work are complicated to engineering applications. To solve two problems on how to judge whether a flexure mechanism can be realized via fully parallel arrangement and how to realize those flexure mechanisms which cannot be realized via fully parallel arrangement, the algebraic condition is derived to judge whether a freedom space is parallel realizable after introducing the definition of parallel realizable and some propositions, and the condition is there exist 6-n independent line constraints in constraint space reciprocal to dimensional freedom space. Then the realizable constraint spaces reciprocal to freedom spaces with 1–3 dimensions are provided. As a result, not all freedom spaces are parallel realizable. For freedom spaces that are not parallel realizable, the criterion of decomposing DOF is proposed to achieve all motion patterns via parallel or hybrid arrangement, that is a high dimensional freedom space can be realized via combining several low dimensional freedom spaces which are parallel realizable. Specific decomposing strategies for 4 and 5 DOF are provided and a complete flowchart is presented to guide designing flexure mechanisms, particularly those which are not parallel realizable. As case studies, synthesis processes of two helical and 3T1R motions are provided to illustrate the proposed approach. The proposed method provides a feasible approach to realize all motion patterns.

Utilization of Direct and Diffuse Sunlight in a Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell — Silicon Photovoltaic Hybrid Concentrator System

The concept of a tandem hybrid concentrator solar module was demonstrated from a dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cell (DSSCs) and a silicon p−n junction solar cell. The test system employed DSSC and Si cells with indoor AM1.5G efficiencies of 9.1 and 18.1%, respectively. Two different optical filters were used to selectively reflect and concentrate near-infrared light from the DSSC onto the Si cell. On the basis of outdoor testing in a 2× concentrator−reflector arrangement, the tandem system generated 93 and 96% of the output power of directly illuminated Si cells under altostratus/cirrostratus and clear sky irradiances, respectively, despite a DSSC-to-Si active area ratio of only 0.92. Similar performance is expected at higher (5−10×) concentration ratios. The hybrid arrangement of visible- and IR-absorbing solar cells addresses the problem of lower performance of conventional concentrators under diffuse irradiance conditions. These proof-of-concept results suggest that system level efficiencies approaching 20...

Wideband microstrip‐to‐CPS transition with good out‐of‐band performance for UWB application

AbstractA novel wideband microstrip‐to‐coplanar stripline (CPS) transition with good out‐of‐band performance for ultra‐wideband (UWB) has been proposed and developed. This transition consists of a coupled‐line structure and a stepped‐impedance shunt stub. This hybrid arrangement not only realizes impedance/field matching simultaneously in the desired passband but also achieves sharpened out‐of‐band rejection rate as inquired in UWB communication. As its operating mechanism is described, a single transition is designed to cover the whole UWB band (3.1–10.6 GHz). Predicted results are then reasonably verified in experiment in a wide band via fabrication and measurement of a back‐to‐back transition circuit. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 53:836–838, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.25882

Using staggered grids with characteristic boundary conditions when solving compressible reactive Navier–Stokes equations

AbstractA specific (hybrid) arrangement of variables is discussed to solve reactive compressible Navier–Stokes equations on staggered‐like grids with high‐order finite difference schemes. The objective is to improve the numerical flow solution at boundaries. Hybrid arrangement behaviour is compared with ‘pure’ colocated and staggered strategies. Classical Fourier analysis shows accuracy to be significantly improved in the hybrid case. One‐dimensional laminar flame test demonstrates increased robustness (in terms of mesh resolution), whereas computation of 1D exiting pressure wave propagation gives evidence that the method also improves accuracy in the prediction of non‐reflecting outflows, compared e.g. with the fully staggered scheme of (J. Comput. Phy. 2003). Multidimensional extension is illustrated through turbulent 2D planar and 3D expanding flames simulations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Internalisation or externalisation?

PurposeManufacturing firms primarily organise service provision internally, externally or through a hybrid arrangement. This paper aims to analyse how firm‐, offering‐, and market‐specific factors influence the way in which a firm organises its service provision. In addition, the paper analyses the specific challenges that each organisational arrangement presents for a firm.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed a qualitative, multiple‐case research design that involved seven manufacturing firms with different organisational arrangements for service provision.FindingsContrary to certain explicit assumptions, few firms organise for service provision solely through an in‐house organisation. Analysis of firms in a wide variety of industries has shown that the organisational arrangements (internal, external or hybrid configuration) are contingent on factors such as market strategy, customer relationships, product‐service linkages, internal competences and market channel characteristics.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is an initial attempt to understand the strategic choices that firms make in terms of inter‐organisational arrangements for service provision. The research should be extended by way of a cross‐sectional survey in order to test and further validate the importance of the determinants of the organisational arrangements for service provision.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the service marketing and management literature by examining factors that determine whether firms organise for service provision internally, externally or through a hybrid configuration. Prior research has not explicitly addressed this issue.

A Study into the Characteristics of Strife Patterns in Modern Fashion

This study is about the strife patterns in modern fashion and the characteristics inherent in them. The study was aimed at offering the basic materials to develop the creative design that can show various visual expression effects. In terms of method, the study was led by the analysis of documents; domestic and foreign fashion, collection magazines etc were used to analyze the strife patterns in modern fashion. According to the findings, the study used the rearrangement of the strife patterns at the same intervals, the arrangement of different strife patterns within one single item, the hybrid arrangement of strife patterns and different patterns, and the use of strife patterns for a certain part of clothing for the purse of emphasis or decoration. First, the characteristics inherent in such strife patterns showed clear simplicity using the same repetition of simple lines or the two colors of black and white. Second, strife patterns changed silhouettes by causing optical illusion, and showed the rhythm effects, such as swelling, wave or movement by distorting and controlling lines or forms. Third, based on irregular intervals or multi-strife, the concept of unclear disharmony and inconsistency was shown with the beauty of hybridharmony by blending various strife patterns with each other, or strife patterns with different patterns, and thus expressing composite images.

Full-scale measurements of dynamic response of suspension bridge subjected to environmental loads using GPS technology

Nowadays, there are many larger and taller engineering structures than in the past. These structures are commonly designed to be more flexible. Thus, they are sensitive to severe wind gust and earthquake tremor. For the dynamic response prediction, finite element (FE) modal updating and structural health monitoring, the dynamic characteristics of a structure are becoming increasingly important. The aim of this paper is to show an emerging tool-the real time kinematic (RTK) global positioning system (GPS), which is used to measure and monitor the low-frequency vibration of Dalian BeiDa Bridge, a medium span suspension bridge. The modal analysis is firstly performed on the developed three-dimensional FE model according to the original blue prints of the bridge to provide the analytical frequencies and mode shapes. The field ambient vibration tests using the accelerometers on the bridge deck are conducted just prior to the use of the GPS system in order to validate the FE model. And then, the calibration test is done to assess the dynamic displacement measurement accuracy of the GPS in three orthogonal directions. The GPS signal properties, such as the amplitude, standard deviations (STD), power spectral density (PSD), and probability density functions (PDF), are studied in details. After that, a structural health monitoring system based on the GPS is devised and installed on the bridge to provide real-time measurement of deck movement. The output-only modal parameter identification is carried out by using the Periodogram method to investigate the responses of the bridge. The result shows that the spectral densities of the displacements measured by the GPS correspond well with the results by the FEM analysis and the accelerometer vibration test. It is concluded that the GPS method is reliable and useful to clarify the ambient vibration response behaviors of the flexible structures. The integration of the GPS and accelerometer methods results in a hybrid arrangement that can help to eliminate some disadvantages of the two devices used separately.

Energy system feasibility study of an Otto cycle/Stirling cycle hybrid automotive engine

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of utilising a Stirling cycle engine as an exhaust gas waste heat recovery device for an Otto cycle internal combustion engine (ICE) in the context of an automotive power plant. The hybrid arrangement would produce increased brake power output for a given fuel consumption rate when compared to an ICE alone. The study was dealt with from an energy system perspective with design practicalities such as power train integration, location of auxiliaries, manufacture costs and other general plant design considerations neglected. The study necessitated work in two distinct areas: experimental assessment of the performance characteristics of an existing automotive Otto cycle ICE and mathematical modelling of the Stirling cycle engine based on the output parameters of the ICE. It was subsequently found to be feasible in principle to generate approximately further 30% useful power in addition to that created by the ICE by using a Stirling cycle engine to capture waste heat expelled from the ICE exhaust gases over the complete range of engine operating speeds.

Who Does the Numbers? The Role of Third-Party Technology Assessment to Inform Health Systems' Decision-Making about the Funding of Health Technologies

Background There is an increasing number of health-care systems using economic evaluations to inform decisions about the reimbursement of health technologies. There are usually two separate elements of this process: assembling relevant evidence and undertaking analyses (technology assessment), and decision-making. In most systems, technology assessment is undertaken by the manufacturer of the technology. In a few, “third-party” assessment is used. Methods In the United Kingdom, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence used a combination of third-party and manufacturer assessments between 1999 and 2005. After this point, a Single Technology Appraisal program (using manufacturer-based assessment) was instituted for some technologies. Here the role of third-party assessment is considered in this from of decision-making. The article reviews the requirements of economic evaluation to support decision-making, and considers the extent to which each type of assessment is likely to meet these requirements. It also attempts to address whether the two forms of assessment differ in their impact on decision-making using a comparison of the decisions made by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) (under its multiple-technology appraisal system) and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), which relies on manufacturer assessment. Results The comparison is limited by the small number of technologies considered by both bodies. Nevertheless, it suggests that there are potentially important differences between the two bodies, with NICE generally placing more restrictions of the use of technologies. Conclusions The article concludes that there are potential advantages to third-party assessment, but its cost and timing may preclude its use for all new technologies. A hybrid arrangement is suggested where third-party assessment is used in particular circumstances.

Energy Management Strategies based on efficiency map for Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles

The addition of a fast auxiliary power source like a supercapacitor bank in fuel cell-based vehicles has a great potential because permits a significant reduction of the hydrogen consumption and an improvement of the vehicle efficiency. The Energy Management Strategies, commanding the power split between the power sources in the hybrid arrangement to fulfil the power requirement, perform a fundamental role to achieve this objective. In this work, three strategies based on the knowledge of the fuel cell efficiency map are proposed. These strategies are attractive due to the relative simplicity of the real time implementation and the good performance. The strategies are tested both in a simulation environment and in an experimental setup using a 1.2-kW PEM fuel cell. The results, in terms of hydrogen consumption, are compared with an optimal case, which is assessed trough an advantageous technique also introduced in this work and with a pure fuel cell vehicle as well. This comparative reveals high efficiency and good performance, allowing to save up to 26% of hydrogen in urban scenarios.

Financing Arrangements and Industrial Organisation for New Nuclear Build in Electricity Markets

The paper studies how the risks specific to a nuclear power investment in liberalised markets – regulatory, construction, operation and market risks – can be mitigated or transferred away from the plant investor through different contractual and organisational arrangements. It argues that at least for the first new reactors significant risk transfers onto governments, consumers, and, vendors are likely to be needed to make nuclear power attractive to investors in liberalised markets. These different types of risk allocations will in turn induce different investment financing choices. Four case studies of recent new nuclear projects illustrate the alternative consistent combinations of contractual, organization, and financial arrangements for new nuclear build depending on the industrial organisation, the market position of the company and the institutional environment prevailing in different countries. The most likely financing structure will likely be based on corporate financing or some form of hybrid arrangement backed by the balance sheet of one or a consortium of large vertically integrated companies.

Hybrid Multilevel Converters: Unified Analysis and Design Considerations

The concept of hybrid multilevel converters has been generalized for different arrangements of direct-current voltage levels, modulation strategies, topologies of series-connected cells, and/or semiconductor technologies to optimize the power processing of the overall system. Therefore, a given number of levels can be synthesized by several multilevel configurations, significantly increasing flexibility and complexity in the design of hybrid multilevel converters. However, a generalized design methodology to define the main parameters of these topologies for distinct design criteria has not yet been presented. To overcome this lack, this paper presents a comparative analysis among various hybrid multilevel topologies, and it proposes some design considerations for distinct applications. Consequently, this paper constitutes a useful basis for defining an adequate hybrid arrangement for any application

Hidden change: disaggregation of welfare state regimes for greater insight into welfare state change

In this article, we propose a method for the disaggregation of welfare state regimes that enhances our insight into innovative welfare state change; that is, change beyond the borders of regime logic. Welfare states, we argue, are composed of different approaches to various social risks, and the approach to each social risk is often ‘hybrid’: it consists of various types of arrangements. It is no coincidence that risk approaches, and consequently welfare states, are often hybrid entities. We argue that a singular approach to a social risk creates a social residue that may evoke social pressure which can in turn be diminished by hybridizing the arrangement; that is, changing allocation rules to include new social groups or to cover previously uncovered needs. In itself, however, a hybrid arrangement is unstable. This is why hybridization may be followed by either a return to a singular risk approach so that social pressure re-emerges, or by the establishment of a new, additional arrangement so that a hybrid risk approach emerges. This is innovative change. We do not argue that innovative change inevitably occurs. Change requires that groups facing residues are able to employ sufficient power resources. However, some level of autonomous institutional welfare state change is to be expected as an outcome of the continuous creation of residues.