This study explores the decision-facilitating role of performance measurement systems (PMSs) in firms attempting to translate competence ambidexterity (i.e., the simultaneous pursuit of exploration ...and exploitation) into innovation ambidexterity outcomes (i.e., the achievement of both radical and incremental innovations). Drawing on paradox and organisational conflict literature, this study emphasises the role of cognitive conflict, generated by PMSs, in shaping the relationships between competence ambidexterity and innovation ambidexterity. Based on survey data from a sample of 90 Irish firms, our findings indicate that competence ambidexterity is associated with (a) the choice to have a balanced set of performance measures, and (b) the use of PMSs for frequent and intensive debate between top managers. Furthermore, the study reveals that these choices are interdependent, as they function as complements in generating cognitive conflict, which in turn drives the realisation of innovation ambidexterity outcomes. The results also show that cognitive conflict is not directly associated with the development of competence ambidexterity, but is instead generated through the conjoint action of a balanced PMS design and the use of PMSs for intensive debate. Overall, this study demonstrates the interdependent nature of choices concerning the design and use of PMSs, and the significant role of PMSs as generators of cognitive conflict in firms attempting to achieve ambidexterity.
► This paper develops a conceptual framework for understanding the literature on the consequences of contemporary performance measurement (CPM) systems. The framework classifies the consequences of ...CPM into three categories: consequences for people's behaviour, consequences for organizational capabilities, and consequences for performance. ► The paper provides a typology of CPM systems. Four CPM system types have been identified. ► The paper reviews the theoretical underpinnings of the consequences of CPM systems, finding that the theories more commonly used in this area of research are agency theory, resource-based view of the firm, contingency theory, and goal-setting theory. ► The paper presents a number of avenues for future research looking at the impact of CPM systems.
The main purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the literature on the consequences of contemporary performance measurement (CPM) systems and the theories that explain these consequences. The framework is based on an in-depth review of 76 empirical studies published in high-quality academic journals in the areas of accounting, operations, and strategy. The framework classifies the consequences of CPM into three categories: people's behaviour, organizational capabilities, and performance consequences. This paper discusses our current knowledge on the impact of CPM, highlighting inconsistencies and gaps as well as providing direction for future research.
Emissions of major reactive nitrogen compounds, including nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ammonia (NH3), from heavy-duty diesel vehicles (HDDVs) place substantial pressure on air ...quality for many large cities in China. To control nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions from HDDVs, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems have been widely used since the China IV standards. To investigate the impacts of aftertreatment technologies and driving conditions on real-world emissions of reactive nitrogen compounds, a portable emissions measurement system was employed to test eighteen heavy-duty diesel trucks in China. The results showed that the China IV and China V HDDVs with appropriate SCR functionality could reduce NOX emissions by 36% and 53%, respectively, compared to the China III results, although their real-world emissions were still higher than the corresponding emission limits for regulatory engine tests. For these HDDVs, five samples were tested with NH3 emissions, ranging from 1.67 ppm to 51.49 ppm. The NH3 emission rates tended to significantly increase under high-speed driving conditions. The results indicate that the current SCR technology may have certain risks in exceeding the future China VI NH3 limit. However, five China IV/V HDDVs were found to have SCR temperature sensors that were intentionally tampered with, resulting in comparable or even higher NOX emissions and zero NH3 emissions. Increased NO2 emissions due to the adoption of diesel oxidation catalysts and diesel particulate filters were also found from our experiments. This study highlights the importance of enhancing in-use compliance requirements and eliminating aftertreatment tampering for China IV and China V HDDVs.
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•Tampered trucks emitted twice as much NOX as normal trucks although no NH3 detected.•Current selective catalytic reduction may emit NH3 above the China VI limit.•Oxidation catalysts increased NO2 by 79%, but little effect on NOX and NH3.
The article presents the influence of the camera and its optical system on the uncertainty of object position measurement in vision systems. The aim of the article is to present the methodology for ...estimating the combined standard uncertainty of measuring the object position with a vision camera treated as a measuring device. The identification of factors affecting the location measurement uncertainty and the determination of their share in the combined standard uncertainty will allow determining the parameters of the camera operation, so that the expanded uncertainty is as small as possible in the given measurement conditions. The analysis of the uncertainty estimation presented in the article was performed with the assumption that there is no influence of any external factors (e.g., temperature, humidity, or vibrations).
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most common gas used in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) to protect packaged foods from spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms and thus extend the shelf life of food ...products. Non-destructive measurement of CO2 concentration of the packaging headspace is of great interest as it could be used at various stages of the value chain, from outgoing goods inspection to storage tests and possible monitoring of the modified atmosphere at retail. Therefore, the aim of this work was to develop a measuring device operating non-destructively on closed MAP trays. Absorption measurement in the mid-infrared range at four different wavelengths proved to be a suitable principle for determining the CO2 gas concentration in a closed packaging system: 4.26 μm (2347 cm−1) and 4.27 μm (2342 cm−1) in the range of the antisymmetric stretching vibration, as well as 4.45 μm (2247 cm−1) at the edge of the antisymmetric stretching vibration, and 3.95 μm (2532 cm−1) as a reference measurement outside the absorption band with a thermal infrared source. Measurement principle and setup - the measurement in the absorbing and non-absorbing range and the guiding of the thermal infrared (IR) emitter at a 45° angle through the corner of the tray - allows a measurement largely independent of tray shape, height, and packaged product. The measurement can also be used for pigmented and printed trays - except for carbon black pigments. Optical impairments of the packaging and labeled areas of the lidding film appeared to have the greatest influence on the measurement accuracy. The applicability of the measurement system was evaluated and successfully demonstrated using commercially available food packaging from a local supermarket by comparing the CO2 gas concentrations yielded with those obtained using a destructive measurement device.
•Successful construction of a non-destructive device for the measurement of the CO2 gas concentration in polymer-based food packaging.•The guidance of the measurement path at a 45° angle enables a precise measurement (no filling-good interruption).•All packaging materials and pigmented packaging can be tested by the developed device – except carbon black pigment.•The usability of the device for different tray shapes and sizes was successfully demonstrated.
Background. All tasks for maintaining the integrity of the signal fall on both the circuit engineer and the tracer of the printed circuit assembly. The task of the circuit engineer in solving the ...problem of signal integrity is to know the limitations of the high-speed interface. The task of the tracer is to know and follow the rules for designing high-speed devices. For the design of printed circuit assemblies, there are currently a huge variety of software packages. It is obvious that the new tasks that faced the designers of printed circuit boards could not but be reflected in the development of CAD. Materials and methods. If in the early stages the use of CAD for PCB design was limited to topological tasks and technological support, then as the problems of ensuring signal integrity and EMC became more relevant, leading CAD manufacturers began to include certain procedures and subsystems in their products. The beginning of 2023 was marked by the release of a number of new versions of popular PCB design systems. Some of them have undergone minor changes, some have been completely updated, but all, without exception, have expanded their capabilities in the direction of signal integrity and EMC. Results. Various electrophysical parameters of printed wiring, the effects of which negatively affect the integrity of the signal, lead to the fact that the process of designing the board and the printed circuit assembly becomes iterative. Even when using a virtual prototype, a physical prototype is needed, after testing which certain changes are made to it. Conclusions. The presence of a virtual prototype reduces the time and cost of design, but it is possible to completely eliminate all the shortcomings only when testing a real design.
As products evolve towards greater precision and intelligence, their components also develop towards miniaturisation and increasing complexity. In the era of intelligence, the demand for complex ...small components continues to grow. The point-autofocus microscopy (PAM), with its attributes such as small measurement spots and high vertical resolution, holds a comprehensive advantage in instruments for measuring the geometry of complex small components. The performance of the spot positioning sensor directly determines the capability of the PAM to measure complex small components. This study introduces the basic measurement principles of the PAM and commonly used spot positioning sensors. The analysis explored the feasibility of applying different sensors to the PAM. An automatic segmentation and weighted localisation algorithm of the spot based on the centroid method was proposed. Using this algorithm, the spot positioning error of the complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) sensor can be controlled within 0.48 μm, with a measurement uncertainty of no more than ±0.19 μm. This study focuses on comparing the performance of CMOS and position-sensitive detector sensors with the performance of seven indicators. In addition, a measurement system of the PAM was constructed, and measurements of the test object were conducted using both types of sensors. The experimental results show that when the measurement system employs the CMOS sensor, it achieves higher measurement accuracy. The maximum measurement error was approximately 0.22 μm, with a measurement uncertainty of no more than ±0.10 μm.
•This paper analyses and compares seven performance characteristics of PSD and CMOS sensors in the point-autofocus microscopy.•A spot segmentation method is proposed, effectively eliminating stray light interference during the measurement process.•A weighted positioning algorithm is proposed, which improves the accuracy and stability of spot positioning for CMOS sensors.•CMOS sensors improve measurement accuracy and stability in point-autofocus microscopy compared to PSD.
Sustainability benchmarking is gaining importance in industry. Despite its increasing popularity, the existing research utilizing theory to explain the organizations intention to shape performance ...measurement systems (PMS) for sustainability benchmarking is limited. Drawing upon institutional theory and organizational culture, this study investigates how institutional pressures motivate organizations to shape PMS for sustainability benchmarking and how such effects are moderated by organizational culture. The results of a survey of 277 respondents, gathered from Indian manufacturing firms, suggest that two of the dimensions of the institutional pressures (i.e. coercive pressures and normative pressures) are positively related to the PMS whereas the third dimension (i.e. mimetic pressures) does not affect PMS. Furthermore, organizational culture (i.e. flexible orientation and control orientation) plays a different role on the differential effect of coercive pressures, normative pressures and mimetic pressures on shaping PMS for sustainability benchmarking. The current manuscript offers an interesting contribution to the sustainability benchmarking literature: we integrate the perspectives of ‘external pressures’ and ‘organizational culture’ –as neither perspective, can on, its own can shape the PMS for sustainability benchmarking–, and ‘organizational structure’ under which the external pressures are most effective. From a practitioners' perspective, our study provides theory-driven and empirically-proven guidance for managers to understand the effect of external pressures and the role of organizational structure on PMS for sustainability benchmarking.
This article presents a six degree of freedom dual stage sample-tracking system for compensating relative motion and enabling high precision 3-D surface measurements on moving objects. The system ...comprises a 3-D measurement module for fine positioning, which is mounted as end effector to an industrial robot being used for coarse positioning. The embedded free-floating measurement platform actively tracks a sample to locally establish lab-like conditions for the integrated 3-D measurement tool. A dual stage position control scheme is designed to dynamically reposition the long-range actuator for tracking a moving sample, such that the measurement platform is kept within its actuation range. Experiments on a moving sample demonstrate a residual tracking error of 490 nm rms in sample-motion direction, corresponding to a performance increase by factor 32, as compared to the state-of-the-art approach. The analysis of the performed measurements shows an uncertainty reduction by one order of magnitude to 610 nm rms, enabling 3-D measurements on a moving sample with submicrometer precision.
The 2016 London atmospheric emissions inventory estimates that, the construction sector contributes 34% of the total PM10 and 7% of the total NOX – the largest and 5th largest sources, respectively. ...Recent on-road light duty diesel vehicle emission tests have shown significant differences between real-world NOX emissions compared with results from laboratory based regulatory tests. The aim of this study was therefore to quantify the ‘real-world’ tail-pipe NOX, CO2, and particle emissions, for 30 of the most commonly used construction machines in London under normal working conditions. The highest NOX emissions (g/kWh) were from the
older engines (Stage III-A ~4.88 g/kWh and III-B ~4.61 g/kWh), these were reduced significantly (~78%) in the newer (Stage IV ~1.05 g/kWh) engines due to more advanced engine management systems and exhaust after treatment. One Stage IV machine emitted NOX similar to a Stage III-B machine, the failure of this SCR was only detectable using PEMS as no warning was given by the machine. Higher NOX conformity factors were observed for Stage IV machines, due to the lower NOX emission standards, which these machines must adhere to. On average, Stage III-B machines (~525 g/kWh) emitted the lowest levels of CO2 emissions, compared to Stage III-A (~875 g/kWh) and Stage IV (~575 g/kWh) machines. Overall, a statistically significant (~41%) decrease was observed in the CO2 emissions (g/kWh) between Stage III-A and III-B machines, while no statistically significant difference was found between Stage III-B and IV machines. Particle mass measurements, which were only measured from generators, showed that generators of all engine sizes were within their respective Stage III-A emission standards. A 95% reduction in NOX and 2 orders of magnitude reduction in particle number was observed for a SCR-DPF retrofitted generator, compared to the same generator prior to exhaust gas after-treatment strategy.
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•NOX, CO2, and particulate exhaust emissions from a total of 30 construction machines, including 9 different types.•PEMS measurements were carried out on active construction sites in London, giving an indication of ‘real-world’ emissions.•Measured NOX emissions indicate that approximately 75% of the machines tested conform to within a factor of 2.1.
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