Johannes Kepler University of Linz

About: Johannes Kepler University of Linz is a education organization based out in Linz, Oberösterreich, Austria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Computer science & Thin film. The organization has 6605 authors who have published 19243 publications receiving 385667 citations.

Adaptive large neighborhood search for service technician routing and scheduling problems

Abstract: Motivated by the problem situation faced by infrastructure service and maintenance providers, we define the service technician routing and scheduling problem with and without team building: a given number of technicians have to complete a given number of service tasks. Each technician disposes of a number of skills at different levels and each task demands technicians that provide the appropriate skills of at least the demanded levels. Time windows at the different service sites have to be respected. In the case where a given task cannot be serviced by any of the technicians, outsourcing costs occur. In addition, in some companies technicians have to be grouped into teams at the beginning of the day since most of the tasks cannot be completed by a single technician. The objective is to minimize the sum of the total routing and outsourcing costs. We solve both problem versions by means of an adaptive large neighborhood search algorithm. It is tested on both artificial and real-world instances; high quality solutions are obtained within short computation times.

Strain-Tunable GaAs Quantum Dot: A Nearly Dephasing-Free Source of Entangled Photon Pairs on Demand.

Abstract: We report on the observation of nearly maximally entangled photon pairs from semiconductor quantum dots, without resorting to postselection techniques. We use GaAs quantum dots integrated on a patterned piezoelectric actuator capable of suppressing the exciton fine structure splitting. By using a resonant two-photon excitation, we coherently drive the biexciton state and demonstrate experimentally that our device generates polarization-entangled photons with a fidelity of 0.978(5) and a concurrence of 0.97(1) taking into account the nonidealities stemming from the experimental setup. By combining fine-structure-dependent fidelity measurements and a theoretical model, we identify an exciton spin-scattering process as a possible residual decoherence mechanism. We suggest that this imperfection may be overcome using a modest Purcell enhancement so as to achieve fidelities >0.99, thus making quantum dots evenly matched with the best probabilistic entangled photon sources.

The Relationship between Transformational Leadership, Product Innovation and Performancein SMEs

Abstract: In small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), the leadership style of the top management can have a strong impact on the innovativeness and the performance of the firm. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of a particular leadership style, transformational leadership, on innovations, growth, and profitability. Drawing on a sample of 300 innovative SMEs from Carinthia (Austria), we analyzed a structural equation model (SEM), in which these constructs are linked (n=97). The results indicate that transformational leadership has a positive direct impact on innovation, growth and profitability. In addition to that, innovation positively impacts on growth and profitability. Our results indicate that transformational leadership might be an appropriate approach for the management of SMEs.

The influence of worldmindedness and nationalism on consumer evaluation of domestic and foreign products

Abstract: When countries differ in the perceived quality of their products, country‐of‐origin (CO) labelling influences consumer choice. While the influence of nationalism on perceived quality has been well documented in the literature, the effect of worldmindedness has not been examined in this context. Primarily explores the role of worldmindedness in product quality perception. Confirms the impact of CO and nationalism on product evaluation. In studying 593 Austrian consumers, the research finds the effect of CO is moderated by the characteristics of consumer groups. Reveals that the effect of worldmindedness on product evaluation is enhanced for foreign products and is diminished for domestic products, however, the impact of nationalism on product evaluation is enhanced for domestic products and is diminished for foreign products. Suggests promotional and positioning implications for targeting both groups.