Stephan Laske – författare

There is a major lack of fundamental knowledge and understanding on the interaction between a filler and the polymer matrix. When it comes to nanoscale fillers, such as layered silicates, carbon nanotubes, graphene or cellulose nanofibers it is even more important to know accurate structure-property relationships as well as identifying the parameters influencing material behavior.

The reason for the lack of knowledge on how to process nanocomposites and why there are so few applications is that several scientific fields are affected and a joint effort of those scientific communities involved is necessary - starting from the filler manufacturing or pre-processing over polymer chemistry to the polymer processing.

In Polymer Nanoclay Composites, all involved scientific areas are viewed together for the first time, providing an all-embracing coverage of all stages of polymer clay nanocomposites processing from lab-scale to industrial scale - stages from the raw material over manufacturing of polymer clay nanocomposites to characterization and the final products.

Readers will gain insight in the physical/chemical pre-processing of layered silicates and their incorporation into a polymer matrix using sophisticated technologies (such as advanced compounding) as well as in real-time quality control of the nanocomposite production and future prospects. The book also describes nanotoxicological and nanosafety aspects.

Covers the whole processing route with all aspects of the nanocomposites industry with particular focus on the processing of polymer clay nanocomposites Includes quality control and nanosafety Multidisciplinary approach from an industrial perspective

There is a major lack of fundamental knowledge and understanding on the interaction between a filler and the polymer matrix. When it comes to nanoscale fillers, such as layered silicates, carbon nanotubes, graphene or cellulose nanofibers it is even more important to know accurate structure-property relationships as well as identifying the parameters influencing material behavior.The reason for the lack of knowledge on how to process nanocomposites and why there are so few applications is that several scientific fields are affected and a joint effort of those scientific communities involved is necessary – starting from the filler manufacturing or pre-processing over polymer chemistry to the polymer processing.In Polymer Nanoclay Composites, all involved scientific areas are viewed together for the first time, providing an all-embracing coverage of all stages of polymer clay nanocomposites processing from lab-scale to industrial scale – stages from the raw material over manufacturing of polymer clay nanocomposites to characterization and the final products.Readers will gain insight in the physical/chemical pre-processing of layered silicates and their incorporation into a polymer matrix using sophisticated technologies (such as advanced compounding) as well as in real-time quality control of the nanocomposite production and future prospects. The book also describes nanotoxicological and nanosafety aspects.- Covers the whole processing route with all aspects of the nanocomposites industry with particular focus on the processing of polymer clay nanocomposites- Includes quality control and nanosafety- Multidisciplinary approach from an industrial perspective

Recent years have seen a growing emphasis upon the need for universities to contribute to the economic, social and environmental well-being of the regions in which they are situated, and for closer links between the university and the region. This book brings together a cross-disciplinary and cross-national team of experts to consider the reasons for, and the implications of, the new relationship between universities and territorial development. Examining the complex interactions between the 'inner life' of the university and its external environment, it poses the question: 'Can the modern university manage the governance and balancing of these, sometimes conflicting, demands'? Against a backdrop of ongoing processes of globalization, there is growing recognition of the importance of sub-national development strategies - processes of regionalization, governmental decentralization and sub-national mobilization, that provide a context for universities to become powerful partners in the process of managing sub-national economic, social and environmental change. Allied to this, the continued evolution of the knowledge economy has freed up location decisions within knowledge-intensive industries, while paradoxically innovation in the production of goods and services has become still more 'tied' to locations that can nurture the human and intellectual capital upon which those industries rely. Thus cities and regions in which higher education services are concentrated have, or are thought to have, a competitive advantage. With universities facing ever increasing pressures of commercialization, which deepen the engagement between universities and external stakeholders, including those based in their localities, the tension between the university's academic (basic research and teaching) mission and external demands has never been greater. This book provides a long overdue analysis, bringing all the competing issues together, synthesizing the key conceptual debates and analyzing the way in which they have been experienced in different local, regional and national contexts and with what effects.

Recent years have seen a growing emphasis upon the need for universities to contribute to the economic, social and environmental well-being of the regions in which they are situated, and for closer links between the university and the region. This book brings together a cross-disciplinary and cross-national team of experts to consider the reasons for, and the implications of, the new relationship between universities and territorial development. Examining the complex interactions between the 'inner life' of the university and its external environment, it poses the question: 'Can the modern university manage the governance and balancing of these, sometimes conflicting, demands'? Against a backdrop of ongoing processes of globalization, there is growing recognition of the importance of sub-national development strategies - processes of regionalization, governmental decentralization and sub-national mobilization, that provide a context for universities to become powerful partners in the process of managing sub-national economic, social and environmental change. Allied to this, the continued evolution of the knowledge economy has freed up location decisions within knowledge-intensive industries, while paradoxically innovation in the production of goods and services has become still more 'tied' to locations that can nurture the human and intellectual capital upon which those industries rely. Thus cities and regions in which higher education services are concentrated have, or are thought to have, a competitive advantage. With universities facing ever increasing pressures of commercialization, which deepen the engagement between universities and external stakeholders, including those based in their localities, the tension between the university's academic (basic research and teaching) mission and external demands has never been greater. This book provides a long overdue analysis, bringing all the competing issues together, synthesizing the key conceptual debates and analyzing the way in which they have been experienced in different local, regional and national contexts and with what effects.

Recent years have seen a growing emphasis upon the need for universities to contribute to the economic, social and environmental well-being of the regions in which they are situated, and for closer links between the university and the region. This book brings together a cross-disciplinary and cross-national team of experts to consider the reasons for, and the implications of, the new relationship between universities and territorial development. Examining the complex interactions between the ''inner life'' of the university and its external environment, it poses the question: ''Can the modern university manage the governance and balancing of these, sometimes conflicting, demands''? Against a backdrop of ongoing processes of globalization, there is growing recognition of the importance of sub-national development strategies - processes of regionalization, governmental decentralization and sub-national mobilization, that provide a context for universities to become powerful partners in the process of managing sub-national economic, social and environmental change. Allied to this, the continued evolution of the knowledge economy has freed up location decisions within knowledge-intensive industries, while paradoxically innovation in the production of goods and services has become still more ''tied'' to locations that can nurture the human and intellectual capital upon which those industries rely. Thus cities and regions in which higher education services are concentrated have, or are thought to have, a competitive advantage. With universities facing ever increasing pressures of commercialization, which deepen the engagement between universities and external stakeholders, including those based in their localities, the tension between the university''s academic (basic research and teaching) mission and external demands has never been greater. This book provides a long overdue analysis, bringing all the competing issues together, synthesizing the key conceptual debates and analyzing the way in which they have been experienced in different local, regional and national contexts and with what effects.

Recent years have seen a growing emphasis upon the need for universities to contribute to the economic, social and environmental well-being of the regions in which they are situated, and for closer links between the university and the region. This book brings together a cross-disciplinary and cross-national team of experts to consider the reasons for, and the implications of, the new relationship between universities and territorial development. Examining the complex interactions between the ''inner life'' of the university and its external environment, it poses the question: ''Can the modern university manage the governance and balancing of these, sometimes conflicting, demands''? Against a backdrop of ongoing processes of globalization, there is growing recognition of the importance of sub-national development strategies - processes of regionalization, governmental decentralization and sub-national mobilization, that provide a context for universities to become powerful partners in the process of managing sub-national economic, social and environmental change. Allied to this, the continued evolution of the knowledge economy has freed up location decisions within knowledge-intensive industries, while paradoxically innovation in the production of goods and services has become still more ''tied'' to locations that can nurture the human and intellectual capital upon which those industries rely. Thus cities and regions in which higher education services are concentrated have, or are thought to have, a competitive advantage. With universities facing ever increasing pressures of commercialization, which deepen the engagement between universities and external stakeholders, including those based in their localities, the tension between the university''s academic (basic research and teaching) mission and external demands has never been greater. This book provides a long overdue analysis, bringing all the competing issues together, synthesizing the key conceptual debates and analyzing the way in which they have been experienced in different local, regional and national contexts and with what effects.

This book shows that in business, moral questions are not just theoretical; they arise in practice and have to be dealt with in practice. It illustrates that 'ethics as practice' is an important area of study because it focuses on how ethics are enacted and embedded in everyday organizational reality. In contrast to the approaches dominating mainstream literature, the authors of this thought provoking volume focus on the tensions, paradoxes and ambiguities that underpin ethics in practice.Recent corporate scandals such as those involving Enron, Worldcom and Parmalat have brought to the fore a problem which mainstream economics and management studies have long ignored: the fact that neither rules, regulations, nor the laws of the market can ensure ethical behaviour. The authors of this fascinating book take the tension between 'morals or money' and 'profits or principles' as the starting point of their investigations into how ethical problems emerge and are managed. They show that ethics are at stake in ambiguous situations where different, often contradicting, sets of moral values and rules clash. Business Ethics as Practice will prove a stimulating and fascinating read for scholars of organization theory, organizational behaviour, business and management, and more generally, humanities and the social sciences. Business practitioners will also find much illuminating material to reflect upon and consider within this book.

Der Ruf nach Flexibilisierung von Institutionen und Personen macht auch vor den Universitäten und Bildungseinrichtungen nicht halt. Je stärker neue Technologien es ermöglichen, zeit- und raumunabhängig zu arbeiten, desto weniger eignen sich bisherige Organistationsstrukturen und gewohnte Handlungsmuster für die Zukunft.Anläßlich eines Workshops an der Universität Innsbruck zum Thema "Universitätsentwicklung und neue Medien" kamen führende ExpertInnen aus Hongkong, vom japanischen NIME, der Griffith University (Australien), der Berkeley University (USA) und mehreren anderen Universitäten und Fernstudienzentren zusammen. Sie berichten in diesem Buch über ihre Erfahrungen, wie "traditionelle" Universitäten und Bildungseinrichtungen neue Medien und flexible Studienprogramme nutzen können.