Applied Mechanics and Materials Vols. 548-549

Abstract: This paper proposes an effective model to integrate shareholders’ requirements with regard to Bank’s investment categories in an effort to rank the best project portfolios in order of importance whereby they reap the benefits of their secured investments. This study attempts to utilize Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in an investment bank sector, a customer oriented design tool which starts with House of Quality (HOQ). In this manner, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach was employed to fulfill the intended HOQs through measuring the relative importance of shareholders’ needs as well as finding the relative weight of each investment more precisely. For this purpose, a well-structured questionnaire initially should be developed to identify the selection-criteria “wants” and thereby analyzing the intensity of internal relationships through cooperation with the Bank’s Decision makers (BDMs). The results of project portfolio selection revealed that Project D has been nominated as the most potential investment category, followed by Project C, Project B, Project E and Project A. Hopefully, with implementation of the proposed model, investment banks will become more adaptive and competitive.

Abstract: Disruptive innovations go along with new requirements concerning cost, quality and scalability while the market environment is considered as uncertain and highly dynamic. Many companies form cooperation to acquire competencies and spread the business risk as well as to cope with these new requirements. This leads to new opportunities for value-added networks, as they can be designed to perform best in terms of cost and quality, to handle scalability as well as to define a collective strategy to align the specific goals of network participants. For companies it remains unsure which value-added network to join, which strategic program to initiate and whether the collective strategy of the network fits the corporate strategy of the company. So far there is no methodology that allows network participants to assess the strategic fit towards a value-added network. This paper discusses and addresses the need for action in fit assessment in theory and practice. As a result a methodology to assess the strategic fit of value-added networks is presented. Parts of the strategic fit assessment are: fit in strategic success positions and potentials, structural fit, cultural fit and fit in motives. The electric engine production for electric vehicles is chosen as an example for disruptive innovation and serves as the application case for the methodology of network fit assessment.

Abstract: Customer reactions to products are an important way to explore trends in new product development. The reputation of a brand represents the perceived corporate image that is held by its ultimate customers. Complaints from the ultimate customers to brands are messages that can be used to obtain their true demands with regard to products. Therefore, this research depicts the mental simulation of customer cognition for brands and creates a product positioning model based on cognitive psychology and the theory of reflexivity. The perceptual factors as a pioneering examination used to analyze customer complaints, include appearance, function, and cosmetic elements, are used for the measurement of the trend of future product positioning.

Abstract: Convergence means that independently existing entities create a new entity with a larger value through chemical bonding. Such convergence requires consilience of knowledge or discipline. Green technology shows a strong nature of convergence, having strong links between technologies rather than being an independent technology. Green technology can help the energy convergence society by producing energy through renewable energy, abandoning the way of growth of inputting large amount of fossil fuel like petroleum and gas, managing energy through a smart grid, storing energy in energy storage facility, and using LED or environment-friendly vehicle. In this study, we will measure the degree of convergence in green technology field to consider which field of technology actually converges in green technology. In the result, it was found that convergence was continuously increasing in green technology field, and the link between solar energy and LED lighting technology was especially strong. This means that convergence is happening between a technology of energy production and a technology that uses energy, and that the society is going forward to energy convergence society through green technology.

Abstract: By analyzing the domestic and foreign enterprise logistics system , a logistics simulation control system suitable for those general enterprises has been designed and developed. Simulation control system is in the form of adding plug-in units to the main program, speeding up processing tasks and improving flexibility of the system. Combining the characteristics and complex adaptability of the enterprises' logistics system, this article builds a simulation control model.

Abstract: . Amid the fierce rising competition in the market, accelerating the problem solving and decision making process have become major issues in product design especially in conceptual design stage. For years, Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) has been extensively applied in problem solving. In this paper, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was proposed to strengthen three major steps in TRIZ methodology namely as problem definition, root cause identification and solution generation. The integration was then structured in the form of computer-based system. The integration, application and software in AHP and TRIZ method have been discussed in this paper. This proposed support system not only provided evidence that TRIZ methodologies improved by the support of AHP and also aided the designers in early design phase such as concept, process and material selection.