Tiers Of Cities Research Articles

Understanding the standard of care in the treatment of type 2 diabetes in China: results from a national survey

Background Given the pace with which standards of care have changed, timely assessment of their impact on routine clinical practice and patient outcomes is needed. In coordination with the Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS), we developed a quantitative survey to explore the implementation of standards of care for type 2 diabetes (T2D) in China. Methods A national online survey of physicians involved in the management of T2D in China was conducted over a 4-week period in 2012. Completed responses were obtained from 1 028 physicians. Participants responded to 52 questions designed to capture information relating to their demographic and clinical practice profiles. The questionnaire was divided into three sections: basic information, diagnosis practices and screening methods on main complications, and treatment and control practices. The questionnaire was developed in conjunction with the CDS. Results Overall, 83% of surveyed physicians were at least “aware” of the CDS guidelines on standards of care for T2D. Level of awareness was directly related to hospital grade, specialty, geographic location, professional rank and participation in CDS training. The 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test was reported as the most ever-used approach across all three hospital grades and physician specialties, with a usage rate of 97%. Respondents selected their choice of primary treatment for newly diagnosed T2D patients. Just over half (52%) indicated the use of oral anti-diabetic drugs (OAD) monotherapy, in line with CDS recommendations. However, OAD use varied considerably between different regions and city tiers. Despite hemoglobin A1c being defined as the gold standard for glucose control, it was not universally measured, with more physicians indicating routine use of glucose before fasting and glucose non-fasting. Conclusion The standards-of-care analysis has provided important insights into the current management of T2D among physicians in China across different geographical regions, hospital grades, specialties, professional statuses, and levels of CDS guideline awareness and training.

Acceptability of Reverse Supply Chain by Manufacturers\' of Hosiery Products, Tamil Nadu (India) -an Empirical Study

The concept of sustainability is an important concept in an organization and has permeated to increasing number of managerial decisions. Reverse supply chain helps the organization to achieve this sustainability by been more efficient and effective which they achieve minimizing on their cost. The study observes the status of reverse supply of hosiery products industry in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The study focuses on the current status of the reverse supply chain and what is the acceptance level of reverse supply chain in the industry. The study was carried out in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is an exploratory study with a sample size of 125 from different tiers of cities. The study confirms that all the manufacturers of hosiery products in the state are engaged in reverse supply and are willing to offer replacement guarantee to the dealers and customers. Refurbished products are offer to the retailers/customers at a discounted rate. The limitation of the study is that it is limited to a few locations and with one product; hence generalization is very narrowed down.

Making connections: Global Production Networks and World City Networks

AbstractThis article offers a sympathetic critique of recent attempts to forge a dialogue between Global Commodity Chain (GCC) and World City Network (WCN) approaches to global economic change. While broadly supportive of the endeavour, we make three observations about this ongoing project. First, we question the utility of emphasizing the common roots of these approaches in World Systems Theory given that both have subsequently moved into new epistemological terrain and, additionally, that the language of core and periphery seems ever less pertinent to global economic realities. Second, we seek to highlight the potential dangers of essentializing the global system as one that is primarily shaped by certain kinds of connections – namely the intra‐firm relationships of advanced producer service firms – between certain kinds of cities – namely the leading tiers of global cities. Third, we point to the need to expand the interpretations of relationality within global networks to include a wider variety of actors, particularly beyond the corporate realm, and to explore the dynamic power relations between those actors. We also discuss the methodological challenges of expanding the purview of research in this way. This commentary has been stimulated by the articles in the special issue of Global Networks on ‘World City Networks and Global Commodity Chains’.

Corporate knowledge transfer via interlocking directorates: a network analysis approach

This paper explores spatial changes to knowledge transfer by Canadian and American corporate networks from 1976 to 1996. Results support facets of a World Cities approach for Canada. Toronto lies at the top of the hierarchy, while Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver fall into a third tier of specialized regional cities. The American knowledge network also possesses facets of the world cities approach. The world city, New York, lies at the top of the hierarchy. Further down, Chicago is a specialized national city, while a number of regional centers have emerged to play a larger role over the twenty-year study period. A third tier of cities has emerged to play the critical role of specialized regional cities. This geographical phenomenon can be explained in terms of industry, headquarters locations, and network maturity. Finance, insurance and real estate, as well as “other manufacturing” are three sectors of the economy that are prominent in the network. In Canada, these sectors have increasingly centralized in Toronto while decentralizing in the United States. Similarly, the headquarters location of American firms is decentralizing from New York and Chicago, while Canadian headquarters continue to be centralized in Toronto. Finally, results indicate that the potential for knowledge transfer depends upon maturity of the system under investigation. The mature US network with a large pool of qualified business individuals is better suited for knowledge transfer at the regional level. The Canadian network is less developed and not appropriate for regional systems of knowledge transfer. The result is a Canadian corporate knowledge threshold that encompasses the entire country while a number of much smaller corporate knowledge thresholds appear across the United States.

SPATIAL INTERLOCKING DIRECTORATES IN THE CANADIAN URBAN SYSTEM, 1971–1989

This research investigates the evolution of the system of Canadian decision-making centers using the location of corporate board members as a surrogate for the location of economic control. The major premise examined by this study states that, through much of the study period, board linkages should tend to concentrate on Toronto, Canada's dominant corporate administration center. While Toronto gains importance, Montreal loses connections, devolving from close competition with Toronto for national influence to become a major regional center for Quebec. At the same time, cities in other parts of the country gain importance as they evolve into major centers for their region. The result of these changes is the emergence of a dominant national center, along with a second tier of cities of regional importance. The results of the board member analysis reveal that the economy as a whole increasingly concentrates control in Toronto through the 1970s and 1980s. Montreal loses director connections with the rest of t...