Response Competition Research Articles

Technological convergence in financial services: AI, blockchain, and cloud innovation driving cost efficiency in modern banking

This article examines the technological transformation reshaping the banking and financial services industry through the convergence of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cloud computing. It analyzes how these technologies are simultaneously driving cost efficiency and service enhancement across the sector. The article explores the evolution of AI applications from experimental implementations to comprehensive ecosystems that now underpin critical banking operations, detailing how machine learning and generative AI are revolutionizing everything from customer service to fraud detection. The article further shows blockchain's impact on transaction processing, particularly in cross-border payments, and the emergence of Banking-as-a-Service models that are fundamentally altering service delivery paradigms. Digital transformation strategies, including mobile-first approaches and real-time processing capabilities, are evaluated for their financial impact on operational efficiency and customer experience. The article concludes with an analysis of future strategic priorities, including innovation funding patterns, competitive responses to fintech disruptors, ESG integration, and personalization strategies, providing a comprehensive overview of how technological adaptation is creating substantial economic benefits throughout the banking ecosystem.

Individual asymmetric competition responses across multidimensional niches may enable coexistence of closely related species

Abstract Many studies have focussed on niche differentiation at the population level to explain the coexistence of similar species. However, information on how individual‐level processes across multidimensional niches shape community dynamics and species coexistence, especially for nocturnal, small and highly mobile animals, is limited. In this study, we employed a combination of metabarcoding and GPS tracking technologies to investigate the coexistence mechanisms between two sympatric bat species, Hipposideros armiger and H. pratti, by analysing individual niche responses to competition across temporal, spatial and dietary dimensions. Results showed that (1) traditional population‐level analysis revealed no significant niche partitioning along single dimensions. However, (2) individual‐level analyses uncovered sophisticated coexistence mechanisms through asymmetry responses to interspecific competition via temporal and dietary dimensions within limited habitat ranges. (3) This asymmetry response ensures stability of complementary relationships through coordinated interactions across three dimensions. (4) Intraspecific competition contributes to species asymmetry stabilization by modifying temporal activity patterns of both species, thereby reducing interspecific competition and facilitating coexistence. In conclusion, H. armiger and H. pratti achieved stable coexistence through coordinated responses across all three niche dimensions, with individuals demonstrating complementary patterns between dietary utilization and temporal activity, rather than single‐dimensional partitioning. Our work provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how individual‐level multidimensional niche adjustments and asymmetric competitive responses facilitate stable coexistence in sympatric species. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Mycorrhizal dominance and species richness inconsistently modify tree competition–facilitation balance along climatic gradients

Plant interactions are pivotal to community assembly, but they are largely influenced by above‐ and belowground biotic responses to climate changes. Despite this, the roles of mycorrhizal dominance and species richness in modulating tree competition–facilitation balance along regional climatic gradients remain unclear. Here, we disentangled how precipitation and temperature affect the responses of tree competition and facilitation to mycorrhizal dominance and species richness, using 319 tree species associated with ectomycorrhizal (EcM) and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi from forest plots across the contiguous USA. We observed that competition intensity increased among EcM species with rising EcM proportion, whereas it decreased both among AM species and between EcM and AM species (EcM × AM). Conversely, tree species richness consistently enhanced facilitation across mycorrhizal types. Across climatic gradients, precipitation altered the effects of EcM proportion and species richness on EcM or AM species interactions, while temperature only modified the effects of EcM proportion on EcM × AM interactions. This clarifies contexts mediate the direction and magnitude of plant dependence on species composition, with precipitation having a greater effect on conspecific mycorrhizal associations and temperature more strongly affecting heterospecific mycorrhizal interactions. Our study provides novel insights into how climate changes alter species interactions through above‐ and belowground biotic strategies.

Mapping Competitive Dynamics Research: A Bibliometric Analysis (2000–2024)

Abstract Background Competitive dynamics has been a central theme in business, management, and finance research, addressing how firms interact strategically to gain and sustain competitive advantage. Over the past 25 years, this field has evolved significantly, incorporating theoretical and empirical advancements to analyse competitive actions and responses. Objectives This paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the literature on competitive dynamics published between 2000 and 2024, focusing on key contributions, trends, and gaps in the fields of business, management, and finance. Methods/Approach A systematic literature review was conducted using peer-reviewed articles from leading academic databases, applying predefined inclusion criteria to identify relevant studies. The review is structured to highlight thematic developments and methodological approaches. Results The findings reveal significant growth in the study of competitive actions and responses, with an increasing emphasis on technology-driven competition and dynamic capabilities. Key trends include the integration of big data analytics, sustainability strategies, and cross-industry rivalry. Conclusions This review synthesises critical insights into competitive dynamics, providing a roadmap for future research and practical implications for strategic management in dynamic markets.

New Insights Into Epiphytic Biofilm Formation, Composition, and Their Role in Submerged Macrophyte Decline Under Environmental Pollution.

Over evolutionary time, submerged macrophytes and their epiphytic biofilms have developed complex interactions, particularly mutualistic interactions. However, environmental pollution can alter biofilms, potentially shifting their influence from supportive to neutral or even inhibitory. This change may be one of the significant driving factors for the decline of submerged macrophytes, yet a systematic review of this phenomenon is still lacking. To this end, we examine the formation and composition of epiphytic biofilms, summarize their effects on submerged macrophyte growth in freshwater lakes, and discuss how they mediate plant changes under increasing exposure to environmental pollution. Epiphytic biofilms, composed of complex biotic and abiotic components, influence submerged macrophytes by modifying light conditions and gas exchange, modulating nutrient competition and antioxidant responses, and releasing allelopathic substances; the magnitude of these effects varies with the biofilm's composition. Environmental pollution might favor resistant or fast-growing species that better compete for nutrients, impair light capture and gas exchange, and release harmful allelopathic substances. This diminishes the beneficial effects of epiphytic biofilms on submerged macrophytes, sometimes even resulting in detrimental impacts. This review examines how environmental pollution alters epiphytic biofilm composition and influences submerged macrophyte communities, providing novel insights into the dynamics of submerged macrophyte communities.

COMPETITION RESPONSE OF PSMA-I&T RADIOLABELED WITH LUTETIUM-177 TO LNCAP, PC-3 AND RWPE-1 CELLS

COMPETITION RESPONSE OF PSMA-I&T RADIOLABELED WITH LUTETIUM-177 TO LNCAP, PC-3 AND RWPE-1 CELLS

Legal Review of Government Policies in Handling Agrarian Conflicts

This research examines the complex landscape of agrarian conflicts and the legal frameworks employed by governments worldwide to address these disputes. Agrarian conflicts remain persistent challenges for many nations, often stemming from historical injustices, overlapping land claims, resource competition, and inadequate policy responses. Through qualitative descriptive research utilizing a library research approach, this study analyzes existing legal frameworks, policy implementation strategies, and resolution mechanisms across various jurisdictions. The research identifies critical gaps in current governance structures, highlighting the need for more inclusive, transparent, and culturally sensitive approaches to agrarian conflict resolution. The study concludes that effective management of agrarian conflicts requires a comprehensive legal framework that balances development objectives with the protection of vulnerable communities' rights, while emphasizing participatory approaches to policy formulation and implementation. This research contributes to scholarly understanding of how legal systems can better address the multifaceted nature of agrarian conflicts and proposes policy reforms to enhance conflict resolution outcomes.

Context-dependent disturbance synergies: Subcortical competitors may constrain bark beetle outbreaks following wildfires.

Wildfires and bark beetles have historically interacted to create complex and resilient forests. However, recent record-breaking wildfires in western North America raise concerns that the large areas of injured and dead trees could facilitate increases in insect populations that respond to resource pulses. Populations of Douglas-fir beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae), the primary mortality agent of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), often irrupt following fires due to the resultant ephemeral pulses of defensively compromised hosts. Other subcortical phloeophagous insects are also attracted to fire (e.g., woodboring Coleoptera: Buprestidae, Cerambycidae) and similarly colonize damaged trees. Although Douglas-fir beetle and woodboring beetle species are known to colonize the phloem of injured trees, the potential for interactions among them following fire is relatively unknown. Rapid colonization by woodborers of the bark beetle niche following fires could constrain bark beetle population growth, potentially suppressing population irruptions through subcortical competition. To evaluate this hypothesis, we studied three wildfire complexes in mature Douglas-fir forests that burned in British Columbia in 2017. We found that Douglas-fir beetle preferentially colonized mature stands containing large-diameter trees with moderate fire injury and that these trees were frequently co-colonized by woodborers. In the absence of woodborers, we found that potential rates of increase in Douglas-fir beetle populations (i.e., offspring per female) were sufficient to lead to a local population irruption. Conversely, when woodborers were common (>50% of trees infested per stand), potential rates of increase in Douglas-fir beetle populations fell below replacement. These findings suggest that competition by woodboring beetles may suppress irruptions of Douglas-fir beetle in fire-injured forests. Our results reveal complex, context-dependent interactions among disturbance agents and indicate that population irruptions by resource pulse-driven bark beetles following fire may depend upon the response of local subcortical competitors. Forest management practices that enhance the diversity and abundance of non-irruptive phloeophagous insects such as many woodboring beetle species may limit the potential for wildfires to contribute to subsequent bark beetle outbreaks.

Instrumenting While Experimenting: An Empirical Method for Competitive Pricing at Scale

Injecting Little Variations to Create Large Gains: Rethinking Online Retail Pricing In today’s fast-changing markets, businesses rely on precise, timely causal insights to guide effective operational decisions. In a new study, “Instrumenting While Experimenting: An Empirical Method for Competitive Pricing at Scale,” the authors introduce an idea of “instrumenting while experimenting.” By introducing small, random variations into routine decision-making processes, they generate causal insights on the impact of business decisions across different competitive dynamics, enabling large-scale operational improvements without disrupting daily business operations. Partnering with a major U.S. e-commerce retailer, the researchers apply this approach to develop a competitive pricing method that enhances response accuracy to competitors’ price changes at scale. Implemented on over 10,000 products, the method delivers significant gains—boosting revenue by more than 15% and profit by over 10%. These gains stem from the successful implementation of the instrumenting while experimenting idea as well as the joint use of experimentation, causal inference, and optimization tools. Moreover, this framework and its implementation provide deeper substantive insights into competitive response strategies and offer a promising blueprint for businesses navigating dynamic online markets.

Analysing Determinants of Business Growth in Indigenous Small-Scale Businesses: A Case Study of Manufacturing Food Processing in Ndola

This study investigates the determinants of business growth among indigenous small-scale businesses within Ndola's manufacturing food processing industry. Employing a descriptive research design, data was gathered from 50 indigenous small-scale businesses using a probability sampling method and structured questionnaires, with analysis conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The objectives were to assess the effects of innovative capacity, entrepreneurial orientations, and market orientations on business growth and competitiveness. Regarding innovative capacity, the study found that enhancing it correlates with increased market share, improved product quality, and enhanced competitiveness, as perceived by respondents. The study revealed significant correlations between innovation, entrepreneurial orientation, and market orientation on business performance, with key statistics indicating: 100% of respondents reporting improved operational efficiency due to new technologies, 56% reporting increased market share and profitability from innovation, 50% reporting high risk-taking, 58% affirming customer needs understanding contributed to competitive advantage, suggesting innovation, entrepreneurial strategies, and market responsiveness drive growth for indigenous small-scale businesses in Ndola. In conclusion, the findings suggest that innovation, entrepreneurial strategies, and market responsiveness are key drivers of growth for indigenous small-scale businesses in Ndola. However, the effectiveness of these strategies varied across firms, with some experiencing profitability declines and limited market expansion. These mixed outcomes highlight the importance of integrating innovative efforts with a balanced approach to risk management and market orientation to achieve sustained growth and competitiveness.

Competition response of cloud supersaturation explains diminished Twomey effect for smoky aerosol in the tropical Atlantic

The Twomey effect brightens clouds by increasing aerosol concentrations, which activates more droplets and decreases cloud supersaturation in response to more competition for water vapor. To quantify this competition response, we used marine low cloud observations in clean and smoky conditions at Ascension Island in the tropical South Atlantic during the Layered Aerosol Smoke Interactions with Cloud (LASIC) campaign. These observations show similar increases in droplet number for increased accumulation-mode particles from surface-based and satellite cloud retrievals, demonstrating the importance of below-cloud aerosol measurements for retrieving aerosol-cloud interactions (ACI) in clean and smoky aerosol conditions. Four methods for estimating cloud supersaturation from aerosol-cloud measurements were compared, with cloud scene-based and parcel-based methods showing sufficient variability for a strong dependence on both aerosol accumulation number concentration and cloud-base updraft velocities. Decomposing aerosol-related changes in cloud albedo and optical depth shows the calculated competition response accounts for dampening the activation response by 12 to 35%, explaining the diminished Twomey effect at high aerosol concentrations observed for smoky conditions at LASIC and previously around the world. This result was consistent for independent supersaturation retrievals by cloud scene-based droplet number and cloud condensation nuclei and parcel-based multimode size-resolving Lagrangian methods. Translating aerosol effects to local radiative forcing with clean conditions as a proxy for preindustrial and smoky conditions for present-day showed that the competition response reduces cooling from the Twomey radiative forcing by 12 to 35%, providing an essential process-specific constraint for improving the representation of aerosol competition in climate model simulation of indirect aerosol forcing.

Verbalisation of processes underlying prospective memory

ABSTRACT Although prospective memory (PM) has been studied extensively, relatively little research has addressed errors in different steps of PM performance. The aim of this study was to examine errors occurring in different phases of the microstructure model in PM performance and whether verbalisation can serve in their measurement. We report the results of two experiments in which young adults were divided into experimental and control groups. Both groups solved either a 3-day (Experiment 1) or a 5-day (Experiment 2) version of the Virtual week (VW) task. Experimental groups had to verbalise each PM task before performing it. The results of Experiment 1 showed that verbalisation may prolong the time to execute the task, but in both experiments, verbalisation did not affect the PM performance. In analysing different types of errors, we found that: (1) prospective component errors are more often caused by tasks requiring greater strategic monitoring (only Experiment 1), (2) recall component errors are evident in irregular tasks, and (3) execution errors are more often evidenced in tasks with greater response competition. This confirms that there is a wide range of processes that can lead to PM failures, and verbalisation is one method by which we can detect them.

Strategic Pricing of Generic Medicines in Emerging Markets: A Competitive Analysis

This study examines strategic pricing methodologies for generic medicines within emerging markets, emphasizing the competitive dynamics that shape pricing decisions. Through an extensive literature review up to 2017, this manuscript synthesizes theoretical and empirical findings regarding market structures, regulatory influences, and competitive responses. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines statistical analysis with simulation research, the paper investigates how pricing strategies can be optimized to balance profitability and affordability in price-sensitive environments. Findings indicate that successful pricing strategies incorporate both market segmentation and adaptive pricing models, which are sensitive to local economic conditions and regulatory frameworks. The implications of these strategies for market competitiveness and public health outcomes are discussed, offering policymakers and industry stakeholders practical guidelines for navigating the complex competitive landscape.

Elevated CO2 and drought modify plant–plant and plant–mycorrhizal interactions in two codominant grasses

Abstract Plant–plant interactions play a critical role in shaping plant communities and influencing ecosystem services. However, how these interactions shift between positive (facilitation) and negative (competition) in response to environmental factors, including changes in symbiotic relationships with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), remains less understood. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted an experiment investigating the plant–plant interactions and AMF root colonization of two codominant grasses of tallgrass prairie, Andropogon gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans. We established three neighbor treatments (no neighbor, interspecific, and intraspecific interactions), and exposed the grasses to a combination of water and CO2 treatments: drought with ambient CO2, well‐watered with ambient CO2, drought with elevated CO2, and well‐watered with elevated CO2. We hypothesized that elevated CO2 would ameliorate the negative effect of drought on biomass and AMF root colonization in these grasses, and that competition would be most prominent under less stressful conditions (well‐watered with ambient or elevated CO2), decreasing as stress increased (drought with ambient CO2), eventually leading to facilitation under more stressful conditions. Our findings demonstrated that elevated CO2 ameliorated the negative effects of drought on the aboveground biomass of both grasses. Additionally, drought with ambient CO2 treatment resulted in competition between plant individuals, which decreased as stress levels increased. Facilitation was observed under the least stressful condition (well‐watered with elevated CO2) for belowground biomass. Interestingly, AMF root colonization was higher under drought with ambient CO2 treatment and decreased under drought with elevated CO2 treatment in the presence of a neighbor, suggesting a stress‐dependent response in AMF colonization. Our study revealed a shift in plant–plant and plant–AMF interactions driven by the combined effects of drought and elevated CO2. These findings have important implications for understanding how codominant grasses and their symbiotic relationships with AMF may respond to changing climatic conditions in tallgrass prairie.

Competitive Effects of Dwarf Bean Cultivars (Phaseoulus vulgaris L.) on Maize (Zea mays L.) Intercrop Productivity Influenced by Spatial Arrangements

Competitive effects and responses influenced by spatial arrangements and dwarf bean interactions were assessed in traditional maize/bean intercropping systems in northern Malawi at the Meru Experimental Research Station between the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 growing seasons. A revised maize population with reduced plant spacing as a response to crop intensification limited the inclusion of bean intercrops and, hence, reduced bean productivity. Increasing dwindling landholding per capita aggravated the need to identify suitable bean cultivars for intercropping. Five dwarf bean varieties bred for a sole cropping system were evaluated in four spatial intercropping arrangements with maize at two bean planting densities in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) replicated four times in an additive series. Interactions between companion crops were assessed with the land equivalent ratio (LER) and aggressivity (A). Crop yields were measured to ascertain crop interactions. The PLER showed significantly higher values for maize than bean intercrops. Across the two cropping seasons and at any bean sowing density, alternate-row intercropping showed statistically better land and resource use efficiencies than within-row intercropping. The A values for maize were higher than beans in the intercropping systems. In the intercropping system, maize and beans had positive and negative A values, respectively. In both growing seasons, LER and A values increased in alternate-row over within-row intercropping systems, demonstrating that maize/dwarf bean intercropping has the potential to improve productivity among smallholder farmers in Malawi. All bean cultivars performed well in intercropping arrangements in both seasons except for Mnyambitira, which performed inferiorly in within-row intercropping except for alternate-rows. At any bean sowing density, farmers can realise more benefits if the bean intercrops are spatially sown in alternate-row than within-row arrangements

Responses of rhizosphere microbial communities and resource competition to soil amendment in saline and alkaline soils

Responses of rhizosphere microbial communities and resource competition to soil amendment in saline and alkaline soils

Вызывает ли имплицитная конкуренция ответов эффекты последействия?

Introduction. Information is often ambiguous. Several theories suggest that the resolution of ambiguity involves an implicit selection of solution options, the result of which manifests itself in long-term negative and/or positive after-effects. However, in experimental studies, these effects are often mixed, leading to interpretations of the results. This study aims to identify and distinguish these effects. Methods. In this study a within-subject design was used. A total of 56 volunteers (21 males, 35 females; mean age: 25, SD = 5.8) took part in the study. In the first stage, the participants completed unambiguous and ambiguous fragmented word combinations. In the second stage, the participants completed fragmented nouns, some of which appeared in the first stage and some were alternatives not selected in the first stage of completion. Results. In the first stage of the experiment, ambiguous stimuli were completed slower and with more errors (ambiguity disadvantage effect). In the second stage, presentation of the same nouns resulted in the positive priming effect for both ambiguous and non-ambiguous stimuli. Positive and negative after-effects of resolving implicit competition have not been identified. Discussion. The results obtained can be explained by the fact that the implicit response competition has no long-term aftereffects. Another explanation is that the second stage uses tasks that do not require semantic processing and that the word is retrieved by a low-level letter processing before aftereffects of a previous choice appear. Conclusion. Experimental data may support theories that consider only the short-term aftereffects of implicit competition. However, additional verification of the results is required using a task involving the semantic level of information processing.

How language proficiency and age of acquisition affect executive control in bilinguals: continuous versus dichotomous analysis approaches

Abstract Researchers have argued that grouping heterogeneous linguistic profiles under a dichotomous condition might mask the cognitive effects of bilingualism. The current study used two different analysis approaches (i.e., continuous versus dichotomous) to examine inhibitory control in a sample of 239 young adult bilinguals. Dividing the sample into dichotomous groups based on L2 proficiency (i.e., high-proficient versus low-proficient) and L2 AoA (i.e., early versus late) did not lead to reliable group differences in any of the measurements used. However, the use of a continuous measure revealed that higher L2 proficiency predicted better visual inhibition and earlier L2 AoA was associated with better auditory inhibition. Furthermore, the observed differences were limited to tasks involving stimulus–stimulus competition, but not stimulus–response competition. These findings shed new light on the importance of conceptualising bilingualism as a continuous measure rather than a dichotomous measure and previous research on bilingual performance in different cognitive tasks.

An insight into the competition in the coupling response of an S-shaped flexible riser subjected to both internal and external flows

An insight into the competition in the coupling response of an S-shaped flexible riser subjected to both internal and external flows

Prey or protection? Access to food alters individual responses to competition in black widow spiders.

Animals influence the phenotype and reproductive success of their conspecifics through competitive interactions. Such effects of competition can alter the intensity of selection and ultimately change the rate of evolution. However, the magnitude of the effects of competition, and their evolutionary impact, should vary depending on environmental conditions and individual responses among competitors. We tested whether a key environmental variable, resource availability, affects the response to competition in black widow spiders by manipulating access to prey and the level of competition. We examined if focal spiders modify their web structure and aggressiveness towards prey stimuli when a competitor is present, and whether these responses depend on prior prey access. We also tested if any effects of competition vary with individual differences among competitors. Access to resources changed how individuals respond to competition. Spiders with limited access to prey were less likely to attack prey stimuli in the presence of a conspecific competitor than spiders with greater access to prey, suggesting that limiting resources hinders competitive responses. In contrast, all spiders built better-protected webs in the presence of competitors, regardless of prior access to prey. Crucially, these responses differed among focal spiders and depended on individual competitors. Our findings highlight the importance of environmental conditions and individual differences in mediating the impact of social interactions on phenotypes and eventually on their evolution.