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We have carried out a pilot study for the SCUBA-2 'All-Sky' Survey, SASSy, a wide and shallow mapping project at 850 microns, designed to find rare objects, both Galactic and extragalactic. Two distinct sets of exploratory observations were undertaken, and used to test the SASSy approach and data reduction pipeline. The first was a 0.5 by 0.5 degrees map around the nearby galaxy NGC 2559. The galaxy was easily detected at 156 mJy, but no other convincing sources are present in the map. Comparison with other galaxies with similar wavelength coverage indicates that NGC 2559 has relatively warm dust. The second observations cover 1 square degree around the W5-E HII region. As well as diffuse structure in the map, a filtering approach was able to extract 27 compact sources with signal-to-noise greater than 6. By matching with data at other wavelengths we can see that the SCUBA-2 data can be used to discriminate the colder cores. Together these observations show that the SASSy project will be able to meet its original goals of detecting new bright sources which will be ideal for follow-up observations with other facilities.

PurposeThe purpose of this research paper is to explore the learning process associated with international mergers and acquisitions (M&A) integration strategies.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs a comparative case study methodology, utilising qualitative data through in‐depth interviews with top management responsible for integration strategies. Three pairs of major international firms from the USA and the UK, USA and Sweden and USA and Germany were studied.FindingsThe paper empirically demonstrates that careful and well‐planned integration strategies are responsible for sustainable learning occurring, leading to desirable synergies between firms engaged in a merger process.Research limitations/implicationsThe interviews took place at higher/top levels of the organisations. A more comprehensive picture would include other lower levels of each organisation structure.Practical implicationsBased on the data analysis, an integrative model for learning related to M&A is developed. This model would help organisations, planning on engaging in international M&A activity, to maximise the learning from the process.Originality/valueThis is a practical/empirical study, supporting the available theory on the subject in the literature. The research approach was innovative, as it collected relevant data from top executive board members, exploring their own views on the barriers for learning and on the ways to minimise them.

Redistribution of arsenic (As) during silicidation of a 13-nm Ni film on an n+/p junction at 450°C is investigated. NiSi formation is observed by x-ray diffraction, micro-Raman scattering spectroscopy, and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). Both secondary ion mass spectroscopy and RBS data indicate the redistribution and accumulation of As into two layers after the low-temperature annealing. The deeper accumulation peak, located just near the silicide/silicon interface, is attributed to As segregation from silicide into Si substrate. The shallower accumulation peak is located in a vacancy-cluster layer several nanometers below the silicide film surface. The vacancy-cluster layer, characterized by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, separates the silicide film into two layers, and is attributed to the well-known Kirkendall effect.

The bullwhip effect is the observed amplification in order-size variance for upstream nodes in a supply chain. Lee et al. (1997, Management Science, 43, pp. 546–558) identified four causes for a single-product demand: (1) nodes updating their forecasts independently; (2) order batching; (3) price fluctuations; and (4) rationing. Chen et al. (2000, Management Science, 46, 436–443) provided a lower bound of the impact of the first cause. We contribute by quantifying the impact of the other three causes individually through simulation. We require any order to be an integer multiple of the batch size and posit price fluctuations and rationing as causing random i.i.d. errors or deviations from the optimal order size. We find with high R2 that the increase in order variance over a “core” order variance (when none of the four causes is present) is directly proportional to the square of the batch size and to the variance of the order deviations.

Explores the challenges and opportunities in integration processes, and the factors responsible for the success of cross‐boarder acquisitions within related industries. Emphasises the corporate strategies the three partnered companies used to maximise synergies, and to minimise the negative effects of the unavoidable, but necessary and complex, acculturation process. Evidence extracted from these case studies highlights that successful co‐operation between the firms resulted from the learning process developed by the partners. Knowledge acquisition and the subsequent organisational learning were the important desirable outcomes of the acquisition processes experienced by the organisations under study. The paper is structured as follows: a literature review on integration strategies and cultural impact on mergers and acquisitions precedes the three success stories. Accounts originating from semi‐structured interviews with top executives of Deutsche Bank – Bankers Trust; British Petroleum – Amoco; and Ford – Volvo are compared and contrasted with the literature. Outlines the results achieved in this self‐contained initial stage of an ongoing research project.