Industry Alliance Research Articles

The Selection of Strategic Alliance in IC Packaging and Testing Industry with DEA Resampling Comparative Evaluation

Merger and acquisition (M&A) cases and the speed of horizontal integration have increased rapidly in the integrated circuit (IC) packaging and testing industry. Therefore, cooperation with suitable strategic alliance partner is a vital success factor for enterprises. This study proposes a “comparative evaluation” model that searches out appropriate strategic alliances on the basis of the resampling model acquired via data envelopment analysis (DEA). The realistic public data of 20 companies was collected from 2015 to 2019 in the IC packaging and testing industry. The super slacks-based measure model was used to evaluate the performance before alliance in the period from 2015 to 2019. The resampling past–present–future model was used to forecast the performance in 2020–2024. Afterward, a future strategic alliance for comparative evaluation of efficiency was established. The results of the alliance were divided into the groups “ineffective” and “effective”. The results show that 11 companies in the “effective” group achieved both improvements and 8 companies in the “ineffective” group achieved only unilateral improvements. The comparison model describes the efficiency of both sides simultaneously, not only from the perspective of the target but also from the perspective of the partner company. The evaluation model proposed in the study enables enterprises to find suitable alliance partners.

Scientific and technological activities of TNC: current trends and prospects

In the article the authors consider the features of scientific and technological activities of transnational corporations, highlight the main trends and prospects for its development. In particular, it is emphasized that the source of modern development of society and human activity is innovation, and accordingly innovation becomes an important tool for all radical changes in human development and the economic system in general. Scientific and technological development of transnational corporations is a crucial prerequisite for ensuring their profitable activities. The purpose of the article is to analyze current trends and prospects for the development of scientific and technological activities of transnational corporations. The article examines the features of the R & D organization in multinational corporations. The dynamics of expenditures in individual leading TNCs on R&D is given. It is noted that the global nature of competition not only makes innovations more significant for TNCs, but also necessitates the search for new ways to innovate. The paper identifies the main types of technological policy, identifies the reasons for the centralization and decentralization of R & D, as well as possible risks that arise in the implementation of these policies. The experience of developed countries shows that competitiveness is ensured by a number of conditions, the main of which are the accumulated scientific and technological potential, institutional factors of technological progress and the presence of large knowledge-intensive corporations. Therefore, the current trend of scientific and technological activities of TNCs is a new wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). The authors present the largest mergers and acquisitions at the beginning of the XXI century. In the last two decades, as a result of the growing internationalization of research, the trend of forming strategic alliances has sharply increased, especially due to the merger of companies in such high-tech industries as pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, semiconductors, etc. Special attention is paid to analysis of the reasons for the formation of strategic alliances. It is shown that in some cases competitors become partners in strategic alliances in high-tech industries. In conclusion, it is noted that in conditions of fierce competition in both international and domestic markets, the ability of companies to operate and develop depends on their ability to create and implement innovations. It is innovations that cause continuous economic change, contribute to the dynamic development and increase the efficiency of both the economic system as a whole and individual enterprise. The scientific and technological development of corporations is the main prerequisite for ensuring and increasing their international competitiveness.

Instacash: The Ethics of Leveraging Medical Student Status on Social Media.

Some medical students leverage their medical student status for profit as social media influencers on platforms such as Instagram. Depending on the size of their following and the brand they are promoting, students can make thousands of dollars per year by advertising products ranging from scrubs to protein powder to mattresses. Yet, they receive few tools as part of their education to help them understand how to reconcile their professional obligations with a desire to generate an income. After examining the potential benefits and harms of social media use, this article considers the possibility of medical student financial gain from being an influencer in light of seasoned physicians' own efforts to profit from industry alliances. Through both historical and contemporary lenses, the authors consider the tension between doctors as healers and moneymakers, before concluding with practical and philosophical approaches for guiding medical student influencers.

A Perspective of O-RAN Integration with MEC, SON, and Network Slicing in the 5G Era

The deployment of 5G mobile networks has begun in earnest. The 5G network is built on a service-based architecture (SBA) which enables programmability of the control plane of 5G Core (5GC) and supports network slicing (NS) in both core and access networks. NS enables the creation of multiple, isolated network slices tailored for specific services with diverse KPI objectives [1]. SBA of 5GC facilitates core network user plane functions (UPF) being deployed near the network edge, which has triggered intense interest in edge activities such as Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC), whereas the traditional Self-Organizing Network (SON) functions are being enhanced continuously in 5G RAN. Meanwhile, the development of open and smart RAN led by an industry alliance, O-RAN, has received great attention. In this short paper we would like to sort out if and how all of the above would fit together in a consistent and efficient manner regarding their architecture aspects and functionalities.

Study on the Role of Government in the Alliance of Industry, Education and Research

Economic globalization has greatly promoted the development and integration of global industries and greatly intensified competition and cooperation among enterprises in various countries. On the basis of combing the practical characteristics of the industrial, education and research alliances in various developed countries, this paper makes a comprehensive study on the role that the government should play in the process of the industrial, education and research alliances in China, and puts forward that the government should flexibly use the means of finance, finance and taxation in the industrial, academic and research alliances and play a leading role.

A Comparative Study of Two Fractional-Order Equivalent Electrical Circuits for Modeling the Electrical Impedance of Dental Tissues.

Background: Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a fast, non-invasive, and safe approach for electrical impedance measurement of biomedical tissues. Applied to dental research, EIS has been used to detect tooth cracks and caries with higher accuracy than visual or radiographic methods. Recent studies have reported age-related differences in human dental tissue impedance and utilized fractional-order equivalent circuit model parameters to represent these measurements. Objective: We aimed to highlight that fractional-order equivalent circuit models with different topologies (but same number of components) can equally well model the electrical impedance of dental tissues. Additionally, this work presents an equivalent circuit network that can be realized using Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) standard compliant RC component values to emulate the electrical impedance characteristics of dental tissues. Results: To validate the results, the goodness of fits of electrical impedance models were evaluated visually and statistically in terms of relative error, mean absolute error (MAE), root mean squared error (RMSE), coefficient of determination (), Nash–Sutcliffe’s efficiency (NSE), Willmott’s index of agreement (WIA), or Legates’s coefficient of efficiency (LCE). The fit accuracy of proposed recurrent electrical impedance models for data representative of different age groups teeth dentin supports that both models can represent the same impedance data near perfectly. Significance: With the continued exploration of fractional-order equivalent circuit models to represent biological tissue data, it is important to investigate which models and model parameters are most closely associated with clinically relevant markers and physiological structures of the tissues/materials being measured and not just “fit” with experimental data. This exploration highlights that two different fractional-order models can fit experimental dental tissue data equally well, which should be considered during studies aimed at investigating different topologies to represent biological tissue impedance and their interpretation.

Op-Ed

On 29 September 2020, the European Commission officially launched the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA), a publicly supported “industrial alliance dedicated to securing a sustainable supply of raw materials in Europe”. The announcement amounts to the firing of a starting pistol for a publicly funded race to explore and extract mineral deposits outside the European Union and especially withinits borders.

Application of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process in Intelligent Manufacturing Resources Allocation Evaluation System of Alliance Enterprises

With the increasing global competition, more and more enterprises form the industrial alliance. In order to solve the problem of resource allocation and scheduling optimization of industrial alliance enterprises in intelligent manufacturing environment, an efficient resource allocation method and evaluation index of industrial alliance service platform are established. A set of systematic intelligent manufacturing resources evaluation scheme is established by using FAHP, which can be used to evaluate and analyze several manufacturing resources conveniently. According to different needs of customers, the weight assignment is also changing, and the most suitable manufacturing resources can be obtained.

Research on Evaluation System of Alliance Enterprises in Intelligent Manufacturing Environment Based on BP Neural Network

In an intelligent manufacturing environment, fierce global market competition has made more and more companies form industrial alliances to gain an advantage. The basic goal of enterprise alliance is achieving high efficiency and a win-win situation. This paper mainly studies the necessity of partner selection, determines the principle of partner selection, and establishes an evaluation index system for dynamic alliance enterprise cooperation. At the same time, multi-attribute decision analysis and BP neural network are used to identify the ultimate partner. Finally, an example is analyzed with MATLAB to verify its feasibility.

Paradox Intensification: Navigating Coopetition in Industry-Wide Alliance Formation

Organizations increasingly collaborate with competitors to advance technology, build industry ecosystems and address grand challenges. However, the tensions between cooperation and competition foster ongoing challenges that thwart the success of these important initiatives. We offer new insights to unpack the nature and management of coopetition challenges by applying paradox theory to rich data from the formation of a cooperative alliance addressing industry threats by environmental activists in one of the most competitive industries, the Alberta oil sands. Our in-depth analysis of the formation of this industry alliance over three years reveals a model of paradox intensification. Whereas scholars have described how challenges of navigating such paradoxical tensions diminish over time, we find the opposite. As the collaboration grew in scale and in specificity, the tensions between collaborating and competing grew in quantity and challenge. We find that in addition to requiring formal structures, effectively addressing such intensifying paradoxical tensions required informal interactions by individuals, who we describe as champions, who built the alliance through fostering personal relationships and trust. This model of paradoxical intensification advances the growing literature on the paradoxes of coopetition by unpacking the challenges and responses to navigating the tensions between cooperation and competition over time.

Excellent dielectric properties and enhanced temperature stability of CaZrO3-modified BaTiO3 ceramic capacitors

x wt% CaZrO3–BaTiO3 (x is the wt% of CaZrO3) was synthesized by a two-step preparation process, using the sol–gel method followed by precipitation. The effect of CaZrO3 content on the ceramic composition, structure, and dielectric performances was systematically investigated. The X-ray diffraction analysis results show that the structure of x wt% CaZrO3–BaTiO3 ceramics changed from tetragonal phase to pseudocubic phase with increasing CaZrO3 content. The addition of CaZrO3 effectively decreased the sintering temperature of BaTiO3 ceramics and promoted the ceramic grain growth. The ceramic density increases first and then decreases with increasing CaZrO3 content. The dielectric performances of ceramics were optimal at a CaZrO3 content of 8 wt%. Owing to its larger grain and intensity of polarization, 8 wt% CaZrO3–BaTiO3 shows that a stable high permittivity (7145), a low dielectric loss (0.004), and the ceramic temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) values were within ± 22% in the range of –55 to 150 °C, thus meeting to Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA)-X8S regulations. The experimental results indicate that this two-step preparation process is an extremely effective method to enhance the ceramic dielectric performances, and adding a small amount of CaZrO3 effectively reduced the TCC absolute value of ceramics.

From Purpose to Impact - An Investigation of the Application of Impact Measurement and Valuation Methods for Quantifying Environmental and Social Impacts of Businesses

Currently, a group of companies is developing new methods of Impact Measurement and Valuation (IMV) which may soon become accepted standards. This paper investigates the current status quo of the application of IMV approaches, defined as a set of tools and methodologies that enable companies to identify, measure, and manage their non-financial, i.e., social and environmental impacts. Specifically, the paper examines the motivation of companies to apply IMV, the extent of integration of IMV within internal processes, the challenges that companies face when applying IMV, and how IMV will potentially evolve in the near future. To do so, the authors conducted a total of 13 non-standardized, semi-structured expert interviews with representatives of companies as well as experts from consultancies, accounting and professional services, and organizations that work in the field of IMV. The findings of this research contribute to the existing literature by providing seminal insights into the current movement of industry alliances developing new standards of IMV. Despite their obvious promises, these new approaches are not without limitations and the authors take a critical look at the developments. The findings of this research also assist business professionals to understand the benefits and limitations of IMV and can support them in successfully implementing and evolving IMV within their own organizations.

Guest Editorial: Special Issue on IEEE RFID 2019 Conference

With the proliferation of the Internet of Things, there is an increased demand to enhance every day physical objects with sensors and communication abilities so that they can have digital counterparts (“digital twins”) in a connected world. While many solutions based on protocols such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, ANT, LoRa, LPWAN, NB-IoT, HaLow, etc. do exist, RFID technology presents a compelling alternative. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a generic term for a variety of active and passive RF technologies. RFID transponders have varying degrees of sophistication and their design is often a tradeoff between functionality and cost. At one end of the spectrum, there are active RFID tags that offer on-board battery and memory, sensor integration, active RF transmitters and hence communication range up to kilometers albeit at increased costs. At the other end, passive and semi-passive RFID tags rely on a simple load modulation to backscatter ID and data back to the reader over several meters distance. Passive RFID tags, in particular, lend themselves well for applications needing large-scale, low-cost, automatic identification and are a good option for imparting digital identity to a host of physical assets. Industry alliances such as the NFC forum (for HF RFID) and the RAIN RFID alliance (for UHF RFID) have been formed to motivate and promote these efforts.

Exploring the Key Driving Forces of the Sustainable Intergenerational Evolution of the Industrial Alliance Innovation Ecosystem: Evidence from a Case Study of China’s TDIA

Why does an industrial alliance upgrade sometimes quickly and sometimes very slowly? The answer to this question can scientifically reveal the key driving forces of the sustainable intergenerational evolution of industrial alliance innovation ecosystems. From the perspective of structural evolution, we analyzed and compared the key driving forces using a longitudinal case study from the 2G to 3G, and then to the 4G innovation ecosystems of China’s Time Division Industrial Alliance (TDIA). The findings showed that the internal key driving forces influencing the intergenerational evolution of the industrial alliance innovation ecosystem include the superiority of the new innovation ecosystem, the sustainability of the old ecosystem, and inheritance between the new and old ecosystems. Market demand and government policy indirectly affect the intergenerational evolution by shaping the environment in which the innovation ecosystems are embedded. This research will support industrial alliances and core members in making strategic innovation ecosystem decisions and support governments in designing related policies with scientific theoretical guidance and decision-making references. In particular, this study aimed to offer inspiration for the promotion of the successful sustainable evolution of China’s TDIA towards 5G.

AAMA and IGMA Combine to Form Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance

AAMA and IGMA Combine to Form Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance

Research on the Integration of Industrial Design and Mechanical Product Design

The purpose of this paper is to integrate industrial design into mechanical design, improve the core competitiveness of mechanical products, and become a benign development path for the transformation and upgrading of traditional machinery enterprises. To provide perfect and feasible ideas, theories and concrete methods and means for traditional enterprises; Through the research and analysis of the present situation of the development of traditional machinery industry, this paper finds out a series of problems existing in the upgrading and transformation of traditional manufacturing industry in the emerging stage, combined with the core ideas of informatization and industrialization under the background of industrial design 4.0, taking Anshan old industrial base as an example. An innovative development model suitable for the integration of industrial design and regional machinery manufacturing industry is developed. Relying on the platform of Anshan Industrial Design Center, the development model of “industrial design industrial alliance + association + university” led by the government is established. And take the industrial design public service as the support, adjust measures to the local conditions. Focusing on “public service, platform construction, design competition, talent training, publicity and promotion, brand activities, standard formulation, basic research” and other aspects, to achieve the integration of new industrial design industry ecological model of machinery manufacturing industry.

A Survey on 5G Usage Scenarios and Traffic Models

The fifth-generation mobile initiative, 5G, is a tremendous and collective effort to specify, standardize, design, manufacture, and deploy the next cellular network generation. 5G networks will support demanding services such as enhanced Mobile Broadband, Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications and massive Machine-Type Communications, which will require data rates of tens of Gbps, latencies of few milliseconds and connection densities of millions of devices per square kilometer. This survey presents the most significant use cases expected for 5G including their corresponding scenarios and traffic models. First, the paper analyzes the characteristics and requirements for 5G communications, considering aspects such as traffic volume, network deployments, and main performance targets. Secondly, emphasizing the definition of performance evaluation criteria for 5G technologies, the paper reviews related proposals from principal standards development organizations and industry alliances. Finally, well-defined and significant 5G use cases are provided. As a result, these guidelines will help and ease the performance evaluation of current and future 5G innovations, as well as the dimensioning of 5G future deployments.

Use of 1-bromopropane (N-propyl bromide) in dry cleaning is rare and rapidly declining toward obsolescence

Ten years ago, the Halogenated Solvents Industry Alliance (HSIA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation petitioned the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to classify 1-bromopropane (1-BP) as a hazardous air pollutant (HAP), the first such classification of a chemical since 1990. The USEPA plans to classify 1-BP as a HAP. One of the putative exposures supporting HAP classification is 1-BP-based dry cleaning solvents. Only two 1-BP-based dry cleaning solvents have ever been marketed domestically, i.e. the dominant market share product DrySolv® (DrySolv) and less commonly used FabrisolvTM XL (Fabrisolv). The use of 1-BP-based dry cleaning solvents has been declining for several years. Fabrisolv is no longer marketed as a dry cleaning agent. In the first half of 2020, less than 1,600 pounds of DrySolv have been sold for the remaining six dedicated dry cleaning machines still in operation in the United States. It is expected that the number of dedicated DrySolv dry cleaning machines in operation will be reduced to three by the end of 2020. In addition, no 1-BP-based spot cleaner has ever been marketed in the United States. USEPA currently classifies 187 chemicals as HAPs, with a subset of 30 HAPS classified as urban air toxics. Dry cleaning is considered to be one of the 68 “area sources” that contribute to sub-classification of 1-BP as an urban air toxic. In the near future, 1-BP-based products will not be employed in the dry cleaning industry.

The Standard for Biometric Multi-modal Fusion IEEE P2859TM has been Initiated

The mobile payment industry has been rapidly developing globally. Biometric payment accounts for a large proportion of mobile payments.IIFAA, an influential industry alliance in China, has proposed a Local Password-free Protocol and provided a complete security solution.Based on the success of the IIFAA standard and solution, IEEE P2859 - Standard for Biometric Multi-modal Fusion was initiated.

The Influencing Factors of the Technology Standard Alliance Collaborative Innovation of Emerging Industry

As the important carrier for patent sharing, joint creation and application promotion, the industrial technology standard alliance has increasingly become the main organization pattern for technology standardization around the world. Particularly, technology standard alliance collaborative innovation is more conducive to accelerate the independent innovation pace and technology standard internationalization process of emerging industries in China. Based on analyzing the connotation, characteristics and influencing factors of technology standard alliance collaborative innovation, this paper puts forward the research hypothesis and theoretical framework of alliance collaborative innovation, and then uses a questionnaire survey and a Structural Equation Model to test the influencing factors and their effect path through 196 technology standard alliance enterprises samples. The results indicate that compared with strategy collaboration and process collaboration, patent collaboration has more significant positive impacts on alliance innovation performance; further, resource integration, knowledge sharing and revenue distribution, become the main influencing factors of alliance collaborative innovation. Finally, this paper proposes the mechanism framework of technology standard alliance collaborative innovation, which provides effective reference for strengthening the technology standard alliance collaborative innovation management of emerging industry.