Competitive Strategy Research Articles

Green Innovation And Organizational Culture Toward Corporate Value: Moderation Role Of Competitive Advantage

The study aims to analyze the impact of green innovation and organizational culture on corporate value and competitive business strategy as moderating variables. This type of research is quantitative, with secondary data sources. During the 2016–2020 period, the population of this study consisted of 74 energy sector companies. Purposive sampling, the chosen sampling technique, yielded a total sample of 53 energy sector companies. The technique for collecting data involves accessing financial report documentation from the Indonesian Stock Exchange website. The SPSS program facilitates the data analysis technique, which employs descriptive analysis and regression with moderation effects. The research results show that green product innovation, hierarchical culture, clan culture, and competitive business strategy do not affect corporate value. The competitive business strategy strengthens the influence of product innovation and organizational culture on corporate value in the energy sector. Theoretically, this research can complement the factors influencing corporate value through the moderating role of competitive business strategy. This research can be a practical reference and illustration for companies considering competitive business strategy factors.

Business Model Innovation and Corporate Competitive Advantages in the Digital Economy Era

In the digital economy era, enterprises face unprecedented challenges and opportunities driven by the rapid advancement of digital technologies. To thrive in this dynamic environment, enterprises must continuously innovate their business models to create and capture value in new ways. This paper explores the relationship between business model innovation and corporate competitive advantage in the context of digital transformation. Drawing on the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities framework, and other theoretical perspectives, this paper examines the characteristics, mechanisms, and strategies of business model innovation in the digital age. Through a comprehensive literature review and analysis of representative cases, we identify three key trends shaping business model innovation: digitalization, platformization, and intelligentization. We argue that enterprises need to leverage these trends to design customer-centric value propositions, build digital capabilities, construct open and collaborative value networks, and foster an agile and innovative organizational culture. Our findings highlight the importance of value creation, value capture, and value network effects in driving competitive advantage through business model innovation. We propose a framework that integrates these mechanisms with the core components of business models, providing a holistic and systemic view of business model innovation in the digital economy. We also discuss the implications of our research for theory and practice, emphasizing the need for further studies on the dynamics and outcomes of business model innovation in different contexts and industries. This paper contributes to the growing literature on business model innovation and competitive strategy in the digital age. By bridging the gaps between different theoretical perspectives and providing actionable insights for practitioners, we aim to advance the understanding and application of business model innovation as a key driver of corporate competitive advantage. Our research suggests that enterprises that can effectively align their business models with the evolving digital landscape will be better positioned to create and sustain superior performance in the face of increasing complexity and uncertainty.

Do competitive strategies affect working capital management efficiency?

PurposeThis study examines the effects of CLS and DS on companies' WCME and analyses the differences in WCME at company and market levels.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts the DEA approach, regression, differences, and additional analyses to achieve its objectives. This study employs 235 non-financial companies and 1,175 company-year observations from eight active industries in the United States from 2016 to 2020.FindingsThe findings indicate that CLS and DS strategies positively influence companies' WCME. Additionally, WCME differed across size categories and industries, with large companies and those operating in the communication services industry showing better WCME. By contrast, WCME did not differ between the periods before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Practical implicationsThis study scrutinizes the impact of CLS and DS strategies on companies' WCME to bridge the gap in this field. It extends the investigation of competitive strategies as explanatory variables for a company's WCME and examines the differences in companies' WCME at the company and market levels, which may assist decision-makers in improving their strategies and efficiencies for continuous improvement.Originality/valueThis study enhances current knowledge by uncovering the influence of CLS and DS strategies on improving companies' WCME, an underexplored topic. It also explores companies' WCME trends and patterns regarding company size, industry type, and the pandemic period to draw interesting conclusions about the essence of WCME.

Optimal decision-making and coordination of the shipping logistics service supply chain cooperation mode under the carbon quota and trading mechanism

Carbon cap-and-trade policy based on market mechanism becomes an important means to restrain shipping logistics enterprises' carbon emission reduction. This paper studies the new requirements of shipping enterprises under the pressure of carbon emission reduction. Considering the logistics service supply chain composed of two competing providers and one integrator under the constraint of carbon cap-and-trade policy, this paper explores the optimal pricing and revenue decision of shipping logistics service supply chain through vertical cooperation, horizontal cooperation between providers and revenue sharing cooperation among integrators. This paper obtains feedback strategies under different cooperation modes by constructing a game model. In the vertical game, the shipping logistics supplier is the Stackelberg leader, and the shipping logistics integrator is the follower; there is a Nash equilibrium in the emission reduction decisions among suppliers in the horizontal game. On this basis, the results of different cooperation modes are compared, and the influence of competitive strategies on the optimal results is discussed. We found that the vertical cooperation of the shipping logistics service supply chain has a higher carbon emission reduction rate and a lower sales price, and the horizontal cooperation of shipping logistics suppliers can improve their own profits but reduce the income of the shipping logistics integrators and consumer welfare. When the revenue sharing contract provides the shipping logistics integrator with a share proportion in a certain range, the revenue sharing contract can generate higher supply chain profits than the integration of two chains, which can urge shipping logistics suppliers to forfeit the horizontal cooperation and help the shipping logistics service supply chain achieve win-win results.

An Exploratory Study on the Competitive Strategies of Colgate Palmolive India Limited to Sustain Success in the Market

In today's competitive consumer goods market, maintaining a competitive edge is crucial for companies to thrive. This report explores the strategies employed by Colgate Palmolive India Limited to distinguish itself from its competitors and sustain its position as a market leader in the oral care segment. Colgate-Palmolive, a global leader in consumer goods, has carved a niche for itself in the competitive landscape of the oral care industry. With a rich heritage spanning over decades, Colgate-Palmolive India Limited has emerged as a beacon of innovation, quality, and trust in the Indian market. In an era marked by dynamic consumer preferences and intense market competition, understanding the factors that contribute to Colgate-Palmolive's competitive edge becomes paramount. This report aims to delve into the strategies and practices employed by Colgate-Palmolive India Limited to distinguish itself from its competitors and maintain its market leadership position. By exploring various dimensions such as brand reputation, product innovation, distribution network, marketing strategies, and commitment to oral health education to provide a comprehensive analysis of Colgate-Palmolive's competitive edge. Critical examination of these aspects helps to gain insights into how Colgate-Palmolive has continuously evolved and adapted to meet the evolving needs of consumers while staying ahead of the competition., the information will shed light on the significance of a robust competitive edge in sustaining growth, profitability, and relevance in today's dynamic business environment. On this exploration, it will be very evident that Colgate-Palmolive's journey towards maintaining a competitive edge is not merely a testament to its past successes but also a blueprint for future endeavors in the ever-evolving landscape of the consumer goods industry.

Khalti: a digital wallet in Nepal

Learning outcomes After completion of the case study, the students will be able to understand competitive business and corporate strategies; understand various standard models and frameworks related to business and corporate strategy development such as Porter’s five forces model, Ansoff matrix, three value disciplines frameworks, scenario planning matrix and value chain analysis; and practice competitive strategy formulation using the latest analyzing tools/frameworks/models. Case overview/synopsis Although the digital wallet industry in Nepal was in its initial stage, it was growing rapidly. A digital wallet brand – Khalti, launched in 2017, could secure the second position in the industry within two years of establishment. In recent times, the leading digital wallet brand was eSewa which was developed by Kathmandu-based company – F1Soft International in 2009. Khalti team was better for creativity, risk-bearing capability, intact bond among co-founders, innovative skills and aggressive growth. Mr Amit Agrawal, the chief executive officer of Sparrow Pay Pvt. Ltd, was preparing to formulate some strategies for his company’s product, Khalti, on March 24, 2020. The next day, he was going to present his ideas about the future directions of Khalti with the co-founders of Janaki Technology, the parent company of Sparrow Pay Ltd. Therefore, his major agenda was how to design effective strategies to make Khalti more competitive against eSewa and probably lead the industry. Based on such a scenario, this case study deals with various competitive business and corporate strategies such as marketing, product and cost differentiation that Khalti could formulate to maintain its position and further become a leading firm in the industry. Complexity academic level This case study is suitable for business training programs at the master’s level, including Master of Business Administration and executive education. It is also appropriate for undergraduate students, particularly those who want to understand more about competitive business, strategic management and corporate strategy in developing economies. It is especially useful for students who have taken courses in strategic management, corporate strategy, marketing management and business expansion management. This case study is suitable for provoking skills of students such as critical and creative thinking, risk analysis and business planning. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 11: Strategy

Relationship between innovation and firm performance and the role of strategic orientations

Purpose The purpose of the present paper is to analyse the impact of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and customer orientation (Co.) on innovation in the restaurant industry, as well as how innovation also positively influences financial and market performance. Likewise, it is analysed whether human capital (HC) and competitive strategy (CS) have a moderating effect between innovation and performance. Design/methodology/approach To reach the stated goals, a survey was applied to 129 entrepreneurs in the restaurant industry in Baja California, Mexico and using partial least squares structural equation modelling, the research hypotheses were verified. Findings Results indicate that EO and Co positively influence innovation, which also furthers better financial and market firm performance; however, no moderating effect was found for HC nor CS. Practical implications The findings allow contributing from a practical-entrepreneurial standpoint, as it raises awareness about the importance of developing strategies that allow efficiently gaining knowledge to encourage a culture in the restaurant industry focused on EO and Co, which, for their part, will boost the design and implementation of innovations. Social implications The paper contributes to understanding the behaviour of HC and CS, which may have an influence or not, depending on the role they have within a system. Originality/value This paper contributes to raising awareness of the importance of developing strategies that allow efficient knowledge to foster a culture in the restaurant industry focused on entrepreneurship and clientele.

КРЕАТИВНИЙ МЕНЕДЖМЕНТ В СИСТЕМІ СТРАТЕГІЧНОГО УПРАВЛІННЯ ЗМІНАМИ ТА РОЗВИТКОМ КОНКУРЕНТОСПРОМОЖНОСТІ ПІДПРИЄМСТВА

The article examines the essence and components of creative management in the system of strategic management of changes and development of the enterprise's competitiveness. The works of Ukrainian and foreign scientists devoted to the issues of creativity, competitiveness and strategic management of changes and development, considered by them from the point of view of philosophical, psychological, pedagogical, sociological, economic and strategic analysis, were studied and analyzed. A clear interaction of concepts such as "competitiveness", "creative management", "strategic management of changes and development" was determined. The most common criteria for strategic management of changes and development of the enterprise's competitiveness within the framework of creative management are highlighted. Accordingly, similarly to the criteria of creative management, the main criteria of strategic management of changes and development of the enterprise's competitiveness within the framework of creative management were defined. The division of competitiveness factors into external and internal was carried out, in relation to the strategic management of changes and development of the enterprise's competitiveness. The main indicators of the enterprise's activity and the components of creative management are proposed, which will form its system of strategic management of changes and development of competitiveness, which should include the following creative components, such as: intelligence and knowledge; experience and communications; creative abilities of employees; willingness to experiment; motives and incentives; critical thinking and self-assessment. They are related to the performance indicators of the enterprise, namely: financial indicators; staff productivity; new business models; corporate culture; innovation management; competitive advantages and strategies. The scheme of creative management in the system of strategic management of changes and development of competitiveness of the enterprise was formed, which will include the main indicators of the effectiveness of its activity, the constituent elements of creative management and strategic management of changes and development of competitiveness.

Comparative Configurational Process Analysis: A New Set-Theoretic Technique for Longitudinal Case Analysis

In the past 20 years, researchers have significantly advanced various management fields by examining organizational phenomena through a configurational lens, including competitive strategies, corporate governance mechanisms, and innovation systems. Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) has emerged as a primary method for empirically investigating organizational configurations. However, QCA has traditionally struggled to capture the temporal aspects of configurational phenomena. In this paper, we present configurational comparative process analysis (C2PA), which merges QCA with sequence analysis. We introduce the concept of configurational themes—recognizable temporal patterns of recurring combinations of explanatory conditions—to identify and track the temporal dynamics among these phenomena. We also outline configurational matching—a method for empirically identifying these themes by distinguishing theme-defining from theme-supporting conditions. C2PA allows researchers to explore the temporal dynamics of configurational phenomena, such as their stability, emergence, and decline at critical junctures. We illustrate the application of C2PA through a study of shareholder value orientation and discuss its potential for addressing key questions in management research.

FORMATION OF MECHANISM FOR ENSURING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF LARGE BREAD FACTORY (IN THE EXAMPLE OF “KHLIB-TRADE” LLC)

The article considers the possibilities of creating a mechanism for ensuring competitiveness for a large bread factory with increased attention to its personnel, property (resource), production and sales, and organizational subsystems. The principle of building a scheme for a comprehensive assessment and ensuring the competitiveness of a bread factory with basic parameters and indicators is shown in the example of "Khlib-Trade" LLC. The main parameters and indicators of such an assessment are named. A step-by-step scheme for the development and implementation of an innovative competitive strategy for this enterprise based on the developed matrix of its SWOT analysis is presented.

Dynamic Security Rule Optimization Based on Deep Learning and Adaptive Algorithms

Compared with traditional computer network security identification techniques, deep learning algorithms are based on their own distributed network structure for storage, processing, classification, comparison, and automatic identification functions. The distribution and dynamism of cloud databases increase the difficulty of route prediction and recognition in the cloud, affecting the efficiency of cloud computing. In response to the above issues, the author proposes a dynamic path optimization process for cloud databases based on adaptive immune grouping polymorphic ant colony algorithm. By setting up two states of ant colony, reconnaissance ant and search ant, and introducing an adaptive polymorphic ant colony competition strategy, the defect of general ant colony algorithms being prone to falling into local optima is improved; On this basis, an artificial immune algorithm with fast global search capability is further integrated to improve the search ant path optimization process, improving search speed and accuracy. Simulation experiments show that the IPANT algorithm outperforms the other three algorithms, maintaining a throughput of 1000 kbps and relatively stable; The data of OSPF, SPF, and FR are not significantly different, significantly lower than IPANT. The immune polymorphic ant colony algorithm (IPANT) has the lowest time delay for packet routing and performs better than the other three algorithms, with FR and SPF having higher latency. It has been proven that this algorithm can better solve convergence speed and global optimization problems, and can quickly and reasonably find the database to be accessed in the cloud.

USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS BY TOURIST ENTERPRISES AT THE CURRENT STAGE

The article focuses on highlighting issues related to the use of the internet, specifically social media, in the activities of tourism enterprises. Due to high competition in the tourism business, it is necessary to utilize a full range of effective tools to attract clients. One of the most effective channels of interaction between tour operators and end consumers is the Internet in general and social media in particular. The tourism industry was one of the first to enter the realm of social media: tour operators have long been exploring opportunities for business promotion that social media platforms provide. Using social media to build relationships with target audiences is essential to ensure the prospects of development for tourism enterprises and to maintain or increase their economic indicators. Social media marketing (SMM) has become a crucial tool for the tourism industry, allowing businesses to capture attention and engage with potential travelers in the virtual environment. The use of SMM allows tourism enterprises to address many tasks. Tourism companies must be present on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest. Each platform offers unique opportunities to showcase different aspects of the travel experience. Collaboration with influencers and travel bloggers expands the coverage and trust in the tourism enterprise on social media. Worldwide, there are over 4.5 billion people using some form of social media—approximately 57% of the world's population. By the beginning of 2024, there were 24.3 million social media users in Ukraine, equivalent to 64.9% of the country's total population. At the same time, 21.18 million Ukrainians aged 18 and older used social media, accounting for 69.3% of the adult population. In general, 82% of internet users used at least one social media platform. Social media platforms provide companies with the opportunity to establish direct contact with their target audience. Publishing interesting content and interacting with clients helps better understand the audience, receive feedback in real-time, and create more personalized offers. Social media marketing is a relatively new area of activity for tourism enterprises, which they actively explore regardless of the scale and specifics of their operations. SMM is a special tool of internet marketing that involves promoting a product, service, company, or brand through the use of social media, the connections of which are created and updated by the efforts of their visitors. Researching the potential of social media is a strategic tool for improving the tourist experience, monitoring the reputation and image of the tourism company, and analyzing current competitive strategies. As the number of social media users continues to grow rapidly, this trend will increasingly be taken into account in the tourism services market, and therefore, the importance of effective marketing activities of tourism organizations in this segment will grow. Keywords: social networks, tourist enterprise, SMM marketing.

An Improved Multi-Strategy Crayfish Optimization Algorithm for Solving Numerical Optimization Problems.

The crayfish optimization algorithm (COA), proposed in 2023, is a metaheuristic optimization algorithm that is based on crayfish's summer escape behavior, competitive behavior, and foraging behavior. COA has a good optimization performance, but it still suffers from the problems of slow convergence speed and sensitivity to the local optimum. To solve these problems, an improved multi-strategy crayfish optimization algorithm for solving numerical optimization problems, called IMCOA, is proposed to address the shortcomings of the original crayfish optimization algorithm for each behavioral strategy. Aiming at the imbalance between local exploitation and global exploration in the summer heat avoidance and competition phases, this paper proposes a cave candidacy strategy and a fitness-distance balanced competition strategy, respectively, so that these two behaviors can better coordinate the global and local optimization capabilities and escape from falling into the local optimum prematurely. The directly foraging formula is modified during the foraging phase. The food covariance learning strategy is utilized to enhance the population diversity and improve the convergence accuracy and convergence speed. Finally, the introduction of an optimal non-monopoly search strategy to perturb the optimal solution for updates improves the algorithm's ability to obtain a global best solution. We evaluated the effectiveness of IMCOA using the CEC2017 and CEC2022 test suites and compared it with eight algorithms. Experiments were conducted using different dimensions of CEC2017 and CEC2022 by performing numerical analyses, convergence analyses, stability analyses, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and Friedman tests. Experiments on the CEC2017 and CEC2022 test suites show that IMCOA can strike a good balance between exploration and exploitation and outperforms the traditional COA and other optimization algorithms in terms of its convergence speed, optimization accuracy, and ability to avoid premature convergence. Statistical analysis shows that there is a significant difference between the performance of the IMCOA algorithm and other algorithms. Additionally, three engineering design optimization problems confirm the practicality of IMCOA and its potential to solve real-world problems.

CREATIVE AND PURE IMITATION UNDER ENVIRONMENTAL TURBULENCE: EVIDENCE FROM AN EMERGING ECONOMY

Due to the significance of imitation in business success and economic growth, there is an increasing interest of scholars in exploring different dimensions of imitation, illuminating the ‘black box’ of imitation. Given the increasingly turbulent nature of business environments, this study aims to investigate creative and pure imitation-based competitive strategies and their performance under different levels of environmental turbulence. A theoretical framework was tested using a sample of manufacturing firms in Vietnam. The results revealed that creative imitation is positively associated with sustained competitive advantage, while the impact of pure imitation on sustained competitive advantage is negligible. Furthermore, environmental turbulence affects both creative and pure imitation, with only creative imitation mediating the effects of environmental turbulence on sustained competitive advantage. Lastly, environmental turbulence amplifies the effect of pure imitation on sustained competitive advantage, while it has minimal moderating effects on the relationship between creative imitation and sustained competitive advantage. This study contributes to the literature by being the first to examine the effect of environmental turbulence on the performance of both creative and pure imitation strategies.

A enzyme-free fluorescence quenching sensor for amplified detection of kanamycin in milk based on competitive triggering strategies.

In this work, we constructed a FAM fluorescence quenching biosensor based on an aptamer competition recognition and enzyme-free amplification strategy. We design a competing unit consisting of an aptamer chain and a complementary chain, and a catalytic hairpin self-assembly (CHA) unit consisting of two hairpins in which the complementary chain can trigger the catalytic hairpin self-assembly. In the initial state, the aptamer chain is combined with the complementary chain, the catalytic hairpin self-assembly unit is inhibited, the FAM fluorescence group was far away from the BHQ1 quenching group, and the fluorescence is turn-on. In the presence of kanamycin, the aptamer chain recognizes kanamycin and doesn't form double chains, resulting in the free complementary chain triggering hairpin 1 (H1), and then H1 triggering hairpin 2 (H2), FAM fluorophore is close to the BHQ1 quenching group, and the fluorescence is off-on. When H1 and H2 form a cyclic reaction, enzyme-free amplification is achieved and there is significant output of the fluorescence signal. Therefore, the biosensor has good performance in detecting kanamycin, the detection line is 54 nM, the linear range is 54 nM-0.9 μM, and it can achieve highly selective detection of kanamycin. Kanamycin residue may cause serious harm to human health. The high sensitivity detection of kanamycin is urgent, so this project has a great application potential for food detection.

Adaptive convergence and divergence underpin the diversity of Asteraceae in a semi-arid lowland region

Asteraceae is the most diverse family primarily found in semi-arid areas and species from the same botanical family have comparable phenotypes, occupy semi-arid habitats, and have adaptive convergences to environmental stress. Such characteristics aid in understanding adaptive radiations of recent groups on a regional scale and their successful establishment in habitats with challenging climatic and edaphic conditions. We investigated the adaptive convergence of the family as well as the fragile balance between fine-scale variation in adaptive traits and general convergence towards stress-tolerance and adaptation to aridity, using thorough field surveys and trait-based ecological approaches. Data was collected between 2020 and 2022 using the quadrat approach encompassed across 60 sites and five habitat types. Multivariate statistical methodologies were applied to analyze plant traits and soil variables. The tribes Cichorieae, Cardueae, and Heliantheae emerged as dominant contributors to the flora, illustrating their adaptability to varied ecological conditions. Microphyll emerged as the dominant leaf type, and therophytes prevailed as the most abundant life form. Urban habitats exhibited heightened sensitivity to Asteraceae species, as reflected in diversity indices. Canonical Correspondence Analysis demonstrated the significant influence of soil moisture, pH, phosphorus, and soil saturation on species distribution, with indicator species analysis highlighting habitat-specific plant-environment relationships. The study further classified species into adaptive strategies using CSR (competitive strategy-stress tolerant strategy-ruderal strategy) categorization. While some species exhibited pronounced R or S strategies, a majority demonstrated mixed strategies, such as R/CR, R/CSR, CS/CSR, emphasizing the versatility of adaptation strategies within the Asteraceae family. The findings underscore the intricate interplay between environmental variables and Asteraceae phylogenetic and functional diversity, highlighting the significance of soil properties in influencing plant distribution in semi-arid ecosystems. This research contributes valuable insights into the ecological dynamics of Asteraceae, shedding light on their responses to diverse environmental conditions and providing a nuanced understanding of the factors influencing their spatial distribution.

Laser-assisted electrohydrodynamic jet printing of hierarchical nanostructure

The hierarchical nanostructures had the advantages of large available space, specific surface area, low density, variable chemical composition, and controllable porosity, and have been widely used in energy, sensor, and catalysis. Traditional methods for preparing hierarchical nanostructures had limitations of a long process, few available materials, and un-customizable size. Electrohydrodynamic jet (E-Jet) printing is a competitive strategy for high-resolution printing. In this paper, a novel laser-assisted E-Jet printing employed a transient high-energy laser effect instead of a traditional continuously thermal effect for printing hierarchical nanostructure. The colorless ZnO ink was prepared with zinc acetate, diethanolamine, PVP, and ethanol. The transient thermal effect of laser irradiation focused a fine jet and induced Taylor cone expansion. The heat accelerated the solvent evaporation and increased the viscous force of the jet. The effects of laser on jet velocity, electric field, and jet behavior were analyzed theoretically. Characterization and 3D morphology of printed nanostructures with and without laser were investigated. The hierarchical nanostructures with size down to 180 nm could be laser-assisted E-Jet printed and its surface area increased multiply. The laser-assisted E-Jet printing method provides a simple, efficient, and low-cost strategy for preparing hierarchical nanostructure, having potential applications in high-performance devices.

Equilibrating the impact of fluid scattering attenuation on underwater optical imaging via adaptive parameter learning

Fluid scattering attenuation is a pervasive and intricate physical phenomenon in underwater environment, which challenges optical imaging for various visual tasks. This paper presents a Learnable Physical Imaging Model (LPIM) for equilibrating the impact of the fluid scattering attenuation on underwater optical imaging. Whereas the imaging medium has the liquidity and diversity, an adaptive physical imaging framework is proposed to learn the nonlinear degradation parameter for various complex underwater environment. This adaptive imaging model is jointed by adversarial competition and directional learning strategy, which makes our model learn more excellent properties from the unpaired referring image, and guides the restoration network to directionally adjust the imaging model parameters. To describe the real scenarios better, a multi-branch network, i.e., R-Net, D-Net and BN-net, is developed to learn and capture the color, light intensity and attenuation information. Experimental results on several datasets demonstrate that our approach outperforms the state-of-the-arts in both color balance and visual effect. The LPIM provides an innovative framework designed to counteract image degradation resulting from fluid scattering and attenuation.

Politeness Strategies of Romantic Conflicts in Bridgerton’s Netflix Series (2020)

Romantic conflicts can be managed with the use of politeness strategies. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the usage of politeness strategies performed by main male and female characters in Bridgerton’s Netflix Series (2020) while dealing with romantic conflicts. The aims of this present study are at identifying the types of politeness strategies employed by main male and female characters in Briedgerton’s Netflix Series (2020) and revealing politeness strategies impact romantic conflicts of main male and female characters in Bridgerton’s Netflix series (2020). In order to conduct this study, this study adapted theory of politeness strategies proposed by Brown and Levinson (1987) and conflict resolution strategies as proposed by Sillars et al (1983). The method applied was a descriptive qualitative method since the data were in the forms of utterances and being identified descriptively based on the theory adapted. This recent study found that all types of politeness strategies employed by main male and female characters in Bridgerton’s Netflix series (2020) while dealing with romantic conflicts. This research revealed that there are differences regarding Simon and Daphne applying types of politeness strategies. Other than that, positive politeness is mostly employed to actualize cooperative strategy in dealing with romantic conflicts. Furthermore, in applying competitive strategy in dealing with romantic conflict, main male and female characters preferred adapting off-record. The least strategy in solving romantic conflicts used by main male and female characters is that avoidance strategy. This strategy can be done with mostly negative politeness.

The U.S. Household Liquid Non-Disinfectant Cleaner Market: A Competitive Profile

This is the nineteenth paper—and twentieth study--that follows the footsteps of nineteen studies that have tried to analyze the competitive profiles of U.S. consumer markets: Men’s Shaving Cream, Beer, Shampoo, Shredded/Grated Cheese, Refrigerated Orange Juice, Men’s Razor-Blades, Women’s Razor-Blades, Toothpaste, Canned Soup, Coffee, Potato Chips, Alkaline AA Battery, Facial Tissue, Toilet Paper, Paper Towel, Disposable Diapers, Sanitary Pads, Automatic-Dishwasher Detergent, and Hand-Dishwashing Detergent. Michael Porter associates high market share with cost leadership strategy, which is based on the idea of competing on a price that is lower than that of the competition.However, customer-perceived quality—not low cost—should be the underpinning of competitive strategy, because it is far more vital to long-term competitive position and profitability than any other factor. So, a superior alternative is to offer better quality vs. the competition.In most consumer markets, a business seeking market share leadership should try to serve the middle class by competing in the mid-price segment; and offering quality better than that of the competition: at a price somewhat higher to signify an image of quality, and to ensure that the strategy is both profitable and sustainable in the long run. The middle class is the socio-economic segment that represents about 40% of households in America.Quality, however, is a complex concept, consumers generally find difficult to understand. So, they often use relative price, and a brand’s reputation, as a symbol of quality.The U.S. Household Liquid Non-Disinfectant Cleaner market had retail sales of $381 million in 2008. It was by far the largest segment of the eleven-segment Household Cleaners market, which had 2008 retail sales of $1,747 million. We have focused our attention on the 24-40 Oz size because it was the most popular, constituting 46% sales of the former market.The Household Liquid Non-Disinfectant Cleaner market was highly competitive, with no dominant player. In 2008 it had 24 brands each with sales over $ 1 million.Using Hierarchical Cluster Analysis, we tested two hypotheses: (I) That the market leader is likely to compete in the mid-price segment, and that (II) Its unit price is likely to be higher than that of the nearest competition.For 2008--and 2007--the data supported both Hypothesis I and II, because the market leader, Formula 409, was a member of the mid-price segment, and its unit price was higher that of the runner-up, Fantastic, also a member of the same segment. We found that relative price was a strategic variable, as we have hypothesized.We also discovered four strategic groups in this market.A pattern is emerging in price-quality segmentation analysis. In thirteen studies—that exclude Men’s Razor-Blades, Women’s Razor-Blades, Coffee, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Disposable Diapers, and Sanitary Pads—the market leader was found to be a member of the mid-price segment, as we have hypothesized.Also, results in ten markets supported Hypothesis II.