Different Levels Of Competition Research Articles

Is Education Beneficial to Environmentally Friendly Behaviors? Evidence from CEOs.

Corporate environmental investment decisions play a crucial role in the protection of the public environment. As the decision-maker and executor, the environmental consciousness and social responsibility of the chief executive officer (CEO) has a long-term impact on the company’s environmental protection strategy, and the CEO’s level of education is a significant factor influencing the CEO’s environmental protection decisions. In this paper, we investigate the extent to which CEO education influences environmental protection investment decisions. A CEO education index is constructed as a proxy for CEO education based on the CEO’s educational background, using a panel sample of Chinese listed firms from 2010 to 2019 and providing robust evidence supporting the notioin that firms with highly educated CEOs are likely to engage in environmental protection spending activities. However, the positive relationship between CEO education and corporate environmental protection investment is reduced when the CEO also holds the position of chairman. The heterogeneity analysis shows that the positive relationship between CEO education and corporate environmental investment behavior is stronger in non-manufacturing and highly monopolistic market competitive industries. Our study contributes to the sustainability literature by providing a new impetus for corporate environmental activities from the perspective of CEO education and sheds light on the impact of the internal and external factors of firms on the investment in environmental protection. It may also help decision makers to decide whether to hire highly educated CEOs and use a dual structure of CEOs in markets with different levels of competition.

Enhancing Height Predictions of Brazilian Pine for Mixed, Uneven-Aged Forests Using Artificial Neural Networks

Artificial intelligence (AI) seeks to simulate the human ability to reason, make decisions, and solve problems. Several AI methodologies have been introduced in forestry to reduce costs and increase accuracy in estimates. We evaluate the performance of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) in estimating the heights of Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze (Brazilian pine) trees. The trees are growing in Uneven-aged Mixed Forests (UMF) in southern Brazil and are under different levels of competition. The dataset was divided into training and validation sets. Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP) networks were trained under different Data Normalization (DN) procedures, Neurons in the Hidden Layer (NHL), and Activation Functions (AF). The continuous input variables were diameter at breast height (DBH) and height at the base of the crown (HCB). As a categorical input variable, we consider the sociological position of the trees (dominant–SP1 = 1; codominant–SP2 = 2; and dominated–SP3 = 3), and the continuous output variable was the height (h). In the hidden layer, the number of neurons varied from 3 to 9. Results show that there is no influence of DN in the ANN accuracy. However, the increase in NHL above a certain level caused the model’s over-fitting. In this regard, around 6 neurons stood out, combined with logistic sigmoid AF in the intermediate layer and identity AF in the output layer. Considering the best selected network, the following values of statistical criteria were obtained for the training dataset (R2 = 0.84; RMSE = 1.36 m, and MAPE = 6.29) and for the validation dataset (R2 = 0.80; RMSE = 1.49 m, and MAPE = 6.53). The possibility of using categorical and numerical variables in the same modeling has been motivating the use of AI techniques in different forestry applications. The ANN presented generalization and consistency regarding biological realism. Therefore, we recommend caution when determining DN, amount of NHL, and using AF during modeling. We argue that such techniques show great potential for forest management procedures and are suggested in other similar environments.

A Comparative Analysis of the Competitiveness of Central American Countries Based on the Global Competitiveness Index before the COVID-19 Pandemic

A country’s global competitiveness is a fundamental element that facilitates the understanding of why some countries generate more wealth than others, as well as better sources of income in a sustainable manner. With globalization and market integration, governments are reviewing the current values of economic, business, social, and environmental variables that define multidimensional competitiveness indices. Central American countries face difficult economic situations with challenging political and social ramifications. This study presents a comparative analysis of the competitiveness of Central American countries in a globalized environment before the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, multivariate statistical analysis and Cluster analysis have been applied to data from the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index 2018, contrasting it with the publication of the same index for 2019. This methodology allows to rank countries with similar levels of competitiveness and shows the relative position of each country about countries belonging to the same group and countries belonging to other groups with different levels of competitiveness. The results show differences in competitiveness at the country level in 12 variables or composite indicators of the Global Competitiveness Index, the most important being Macroeconomic Stability, IT Adoption, and Infrastructure, with the most significant differences between countries. This result contributes to the current policy discussion on measures to achieve sustainable competitiveness of Central American economies.

Mediating CO2 Electroreduction Activity and Selectivity over Atomically Precise Copper Clusters.

Atomically precise copper clusters are highly desirable catalysts for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR) and provide an ideal platform for elaborating structure-activity relationships. However, systematic comparative studies of Cu cluster isomers for electrocatalytic CO2 RR are lacking because they are challenging to synthesize. A group of structurally precise Cu8 cluster isomers with different core structures (cube- and ditetrahedron-shaped) were developed and investigated for highly active and selective CO2 reduction. Electrocatalytic measurements showed that the ditetrahedron-shaped Cu8 cluster exhibited a higher FEHCOOH (≈92 %) at -1.0 V and higher selectivity than the cube-shaped cluster. Theoretical investigations revealed different levels of competitiveness with the hydrogen evolution reaction on the respective core-shaped Cu8 clusters and decreased free energies for the adsorbed HCOO* intermediates on the ditetrahedron-shaped Cu8 clusters.

Mediating CO2 Electroreduction Activity and Selectivity over Atomically Precise Copper Clusters

AbstractAtomically precise copper clusters are highly desirable catalysts for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) and provide an ideal platform for elaborating structure–activity relationships. However, systematic comparative studies of Cu cluster isomers for electrocatalytic CO2RR are lacking because they are challenging to synthesize. A group of structurally precise Cu8 cluster isomers with different core structures (cube‐ and ditetrahedron‐shaped) were developed and investigated for highly active and selective CO2 reduction. Electrocatalytic measurements showed that the ditetrahedron‐shaped Cu8 cluster exhibited a higher FEHCOOH (≈92 %) at −1.0 V and higher selectivity than the cube‐shaped cluster. Theoretical investigations revealed different levels of competitiveness with the hydrogen evolution reaction on the respective core‐shaped Cu8 clusters and decreased free energies for the adsorbed HCOO* intermediates on the ditetrahedron‐shaped Cu8 clusters.

Characteristics of the level of psychomotor abilities of female handball players.

BackgroundHandball is a high-intensity game, during which players run, change directions with or without the ball, interact with the opponent and make different decisions in both offensive and defensive actions. Players‘ performance may depend on a number of factors, including explosive force, power, speed and agility. Players‘ results may be significantly influenced by their, psychomotor abilities. This article presents an analysis of selected psychomotor abilities of female handball players at different level of competition.MethodsTest2Drive computer tests were used. The following four tests were used to measure psychomotor abilities: the Simple Reaction Time Test (SIRT), the Choice Reaction Time Test (CHORT), the Hand-Eye Coordination Test and the Spatial Anticipation Test (SPANT). The study covered a group of 118 female handball players (average age 19.6 ± 3.16), playing in the PGNiG Polish Women’s Superliga, the Polish 1st Handball League and 2nd the Polish 2nd Handball League, in the playing positions: goalkeepers, centre players, pivot players and wing players. The study also included analyses of the players‘ body composition and aerobic capacity through the use of the multistage 20-m shuttle run test. In addition, the players‘ psychomotor abilities were analysed depending on the level of competition and playing position.ResultsThe analysis of the reaction time and movement time showed statistically significant differences between the results obtained by the female handball players on different levels of competition. Moreover the female players from the Polish Women’s Superliga exhibited the fastest reaction times according to the SIRT, the CHORT and the SPANT. Additionally, on the basis of the linear Pearson correlation coefficient, a statistically significant relationship was determined between the players‘ psychomotor abilities (movement time in the SIRT, the CHORT and the SPANT) and elements of their body composition or aerobic capacity.ConclusionsThe analysis showed that the higher the level of competition (leagues), the shorter the female handball players‘ reaction times. The study also revealed that the players‘ body mass index and percentage of fat content reassociated with movement times, while their aerobic capacity (measured in the multistage 20-m shuttle run test) had a significant influence on their reaction times. This study shows that reaction time it’s one of ability which should be consider to develop in training of female handball players.

Contract design in electricity markets with high penetration of renewables: A two-stage approach

The interplay between risk aversion and financial derivatives has received increasing attention since the advent of electricity market liberalization. One important challenge in this context is how to develop economically efficient and cost-effective models to integrate renewable energy sources (RES) in the electricity market, which constitutes a relatively new and exciting field of research. This paper proposes a game-theoretical equilibrium model that characterizes the interactions between oligopolistic generators in a two-stage electricity market under the presence of high RES penetration. Given conventional generators with generation cost uncertainty and renewable generators with intermittent and stochastic capacity, we consider a single futures contract market that is cleared prior to a spot market where the energy delivery takes place. We introduce physical and financial contracts to evaluate their performance and assess their impact on the electricity market outcomes and examine how these depend on the level of RES penetration. Since market participants are usually risk averse, a coherent risk measure is introduced to deal with both risk neutral and risk averse generators. We derive analytical relationships between contracts, study the implications of uncertainties, test the performance of the proposed equilibrium model and its main properties through numerical examples. Our results show that overall electricity prices, generation costs, profits, and quantities for conventional generators decrease, whereas quantities and profits for RES generators increase with RES penetration. Hence, both physical and financial contracts efficiently mitigate the impact of uncertainties and help the integration of RES into the electricity system. However, each type of contract has different quantitative impacts on the market outcomes. Moreover, risk aversion increases profit and decreases generators’ risk under different levels of competition by shielding them from the risk associated with cost, demand, and RES uncertainties.

Anaerobic Capacity Level Differences of Each Player Position in Volleyball

Volleyball is one of the most popular sports in the world. To be a professional volleyball player, a coach needs to know how to train their athletes. According to the physiological component, the most used energy of a volleyball player comes from ATP-PC and glycolysis. This study aimed to classify an anaerobic capacity standard of male volleyball athletes in Indonesia. In this study, 60 athletes participated in 2 levels: Junior 15-17-year-old High School student level and 18-25-year-old University student level. The samples were chosen according to their achievement in national-level competitions in the last few years. The measurement used the Running Anaerobic Sprint Test, Vertical Jump Test, and 5-Meter Multiple Shuttle Repeat Sprint Test. The analysis employed an ANOVA test using SPSS 16 and Tukey post hoc test. This study found differences in several anaerobic performance aspects of each position in the same level of competition and at the different levels of competition. In the junior-level athletes, a significant difference was found in the average power between outside hitter and libero, peak power vertical jump between middle blocker and libero, and total distance achieved among outside hitter, opposite hitter, and setter. Senior-level athletes showed a significance different in maximum power, average power, and fatigue index of outside hitters, middle blocker, opposite hitters, setter, and libero, peak power of vertical jump among hitters, setter, and libero, and total distance achieved by hitters, setter, and libero. In conclusion, senior-level athletes showed superiority shown by higher scores of anaerobic capacity than junior-level athletes. It is suggested to conduct more research on the characteristics of each position in volleyball to train athletes more effectively and efficiently according to their position.

Cross-Country Analysis of Competitiveness Towards Innovation Potential Assessment for Industrials

The global competitiveness report reveals cross-regional and cross-country disparities, and the innovation development of industrials shows how difficult it is to build and support competitiveness at a high level and increase innovation potential. The bibliometric analysis proves the diversity of the studies in the field and the increasing trend in paper production. The lack of understanding of the link between different levels of competitiveness and the need to monitor and forecast innovative development necessitated the cross-country benchmarking of industrials' innovation potential. The offered methodology is a seven-stage algorithm of innovation potential assessment, based on an existing GCI methodology modified to reveal innovation development differences, and tendencies for particular industries. The ranking was performed for major industrial countries to reveal the gaps in innovative activities and develop catch-up strategies.

Integrated LC-MS and GC-MS-Based Metabolomics Reveal the Effects of Plant Competition on the Rye Metabolome.

Plants compete with their neighbors about the limited resources available to them. Plants under induced stress resulting from competition may alter their metabolome to increase their resilience or enhance their defense mechanisms. In the present study, rye (Secale cereale) plants were cocultivated with different densities (3, 12, and 18 plants per pot) of Austrian pea (Pisum sativum subsp. arvense), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), and Alexandrian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.) to elucidate the changes in the rye metabolome in response to the different levels of competition. Global metabolic profiling by liquid chromatography triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QqQ-MS), liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS), and gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) was performed on rye plants, and the acquired data were analyzed using uni- and multivariate statistics. Targeted analysis showed that a high level of competition reduced the concentration of aglycone benzoxazinoids (BXs) and increased glycoside BXs in rye roots. Untargeted metabolomics analysis indicated an increase in the rye root content of the allelopathic compounds 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and uracil in response to competition. Untargeted analysis of rye shoots revealed that the plant competition increased the d-pyroglutamic acid, which is an elicitor of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Our results have enhanced the knowledge of the biochemical response of plant species to cocultivation.

The Stance, Factors, and Composition of Competitiveness of SMEs in Poland

The research aims to present a comparative and cause–effect assessment of the competitiveness of small and medium production enterprises. The author’s research comprises 13,943 enterprises in 2007–2019—the entire population of enterprises included in public statistics in Poland as macro-, meso- and micro-structures. The research study presents the extent, trends, and intensity of changes in competitiveness and its factors. The author analyses the characteristics of structures—the stability of positions and changes in the ranking of objects, and presents the classification and comparative analysis of structure profiles. In the methodological approach, the study makes use of a specially designed multivariate competitiveness measure (statistical procedure), its partial measures (productivity of labour cost and cost productivity in regard to export), and determinants. The research on object relocation is based on the ranking method. The research of the relocation of objects is based on the ranking method. The average rank position and its variability are determined. The assessment of the density of objects is based on the specially designed density measure. Analysis of profile similarities are based on the taxonomic similarity measure. As research results have proven: first, small and medium enterprises represent different levels of competitiveness, and the intensity of changes varies in the course of time; second, increased competitiveness in both groups of companies results from export activities rather than an increase in labour productivity; third, in the context of great similarities between small and medium enterprise profiles in terms of their normative competitiveness patterns, the results of the analysis of the existing differences are in favour of medium entities. The value of the research lies in the usage of a unique set of enterprises and the constructed multivariate model for assessing competitiveness, structure variability, and its profiling.

Indices of technical and tactical training during kickboxing at different levels of competition in the K1 Formula

Study aim: The objective of analysis was to determine indices of technical and tactical training (activity, efficacy, attack effectiveness) during a kickboxing fight according to K1 rules, carried out at various levels of competition. Materials and methods: The study comprised 24 kickboxing fights, analysed according to K1 Rules. From the World Championships, National Championships and local tournaments, 8 fights were considered and analysed. The technical and tactical training indices were determined on the basis of formulas provided in the literature. Results: Statistically significant changes in the level of technical and tactical training indices for fighters were demonstrated between the world championships, the national championships and the local tournament, p<0.001. Conclusions: The highest values of the measured technical and tactical training indices occurred during the World Championships, while the lowest during the local tournament. The results of the research allow for a preliminary interpretation of the level of technical and tactical preparation during fights according to K1 rules.

Ad Blocking

In recent years, ad blocking has become a significant threat to advertising-supported content. Adblockers typically negotiate with publishers, allowing some ads to go through in return for a payment, a practice called (partial) whitelisting in the industry. Ad blocking has a direct positive effect on consumers by reducing advertising intensity. On the other hand, the practice clearly hurts publishers and reduces their incentives to invest in content quality. Lower content quality, in turn has an indirect negative effect on consumers. This paper builds an analytic model to explore the net impact of ad blocking on consumers, how it depends on various market characteristics, and how uniformly it affects consumers. The results show that under a broad set of market conditions, total consumer surplus and even total welfare decline under ad blocking. Whereas some consumers are always better off with an ad blocker, for the average consumer, the impact of quality decline is larger than that of ad reduction. The analysis highlights the detrimental role of ad blockers’ current revenue model—in which value is created for the consumers but it is captured from publishers—in decreasing quality, consumer surplus, and total welfare. Analyzing the impact of varying levels of negotiation power between the ad blocker and publisher reveals that full negotiation power is not preferred by the ad blocker. A lower negotiation power allows the ad blocker to commit to less value extraction from the publisher, thereby leading to higher content quality. Additional model extensions show that the main results are robust. In the case of multiple publishers with different levels of competition between them, the strong negative effect of ad blocking on quality holds. This paper was accepted by Juanjuan Zhang, marketing.

The Duration of the Sports Career as a Determinant of the Second Professional Career

Theoretical background: A sports career is a specific activity because it starts at an early age, lasts a relatively short time, and usually athletes are most successful when their peers are just starting to develop their typical professional careers. In previous research on the second careers of ex-athletes, mainly the top performers were described, forgetting that many athletes play in the lower leagues and sport is also their main profession. In this study, athletes who played at different levels of competition were analysed. Purpose of the article: The article aims to determine how the length of a sports career affects the second professional career of former athletes. Research methods: The studied population were Polish basketball players of working-age after finishing their sports careers. The survey was conducted online in 2021 and 301 people took part in it. The average duration of a sports career of participants was 10.13 years. Former basketball players were divided into 2 groups according to their career length. The first group consisted of those whose basketball careers lasted at least 10 years (160 people), and the second group consisted of those whose careers were shorter than 10 years (141 people). Main findings: Former players whose sports careers lasted for at least 10 years are more satisfied with them than those whose sports careers were shorter, but they assess their current career prospects worse. It may result from the fact that among those whose sports careers were shorter, a greater percentage have higher education. The results also show that those whose basketball careers were longer, are now more likely to work in the field of sport. In conclusion, it can be said that earlier retirement from sports, favours to a greater extent university graduating and also allows a faster transition to a second professional career.

Developing trans-athlete policy in Australian National Sport Organizations

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the way Australian national sport organisations (NSOs) create, develop and implement their policies relevant to trans athletes. Representatives of nine NSOs were interviewed utilising in-depth semi-structured interviews. Four key themes emerged from the organisation spokespersons’ accounts: a) finding the right policy, b) underfunded and under resourced, c) challenges of educating employees and the public, and lastly, d) communication between NSOs and the trans athletic community. Findings revealed that only two NSOs reported had specific policies directed at trans athlete’s sport participation. Several NSOs indicated that they had plans to develop separate policies for the different levels of competition to assist trans athletes to participate in their sport as their identified gender. This is the first study to explore the perspective and views of NSOs on the participation of trans athletes in sport.

From Potential to Real Threat? The Impacts of Technology Attributes on Licensing Competition—Evidence from China during 2002–2013

Prior studies have extensively discussed firms’ propensity of licensing under different levels of competition. This study clarifies the differences between potential technology competition (PTC) and actual licensing competition (ALC). We investigate the relationship between these two types of competition in the context of Chinese patent licensing landscape, using patent licensing data during 2002–2013. We find that the positive effect of PTC on ALC is contingent upon the nature of licensed patent, such as generality, complexity, and newness. Our findings help scholars and managers interested in licensing to understand and monitor the likelihood of licensing competition. Policy implications are presented at the end of this study.

Path for China's high-tech industry to participate in the reconstruction of global value chains

With the deepening of the international division of labor, the change of the national interest distribution pattern, and the spread of de-globalization in some developed countries, the Global Value Chains (GVCs) are undergoing a new round of large-scale restructuring, and the situation of GVCs being dominated by developed countries is changing. Industries of different countries have different paths of participation in the reconstruction of GVCs, including active embedding in GVCs, constructing National Value Chains, and leading to the creation of Regional Value Chains (RVCs). Different high-tech industries in China choose different ways to participate in reconstruction of GVCs due to their different levels of competitiveness. Based on the Value-Added Revealed Comparative Advantage index, this study constructs the basis and criteria for choosing the path of reconstruction of GVCs and designs the appropriate path for Chinese high-tech industry. Pharmaceutical manufacturing and transportation equipment manufacturing industry tend to constructing National Value Chains against the background of globalization, and the chemical products manufacturing, electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing, and optical equipment manufacturing industries tend toward “indigenous innovation” while dominating the RVC reconstruction path, integratinging global and domestic Value Chains, to achieve the domestic and international double cycle goals.

Do competition and efficiency lead to bank stability? Evidence from Bangladesh

Financial deregulation after financial repression during 1980s and 1990s has stimulated a fierce competition among banks across the world. In pace with this, banking industry of Bangladesh is also experiencing an intense competition, since it is composed of a large number of banks. Considering this upsurge, our study aims to explore the impact of competition and efficiency on financial stability of Bangladeshi banks over 2009–2017. For exploring this nexus, we calculate Boone indicator and Z-score, construct banking efficiency index by principal component analysis, using bank-level data to measure competition, stability and efficiency, respectively, and analyze the impact of efficiency on financial stability at different levels of competition. We address the endogeneity of the estimation by employing two-step system GMM and different robustness checks. The findings of our study suggest a nonlinear competition–stability relationship, and though efficiency contributes to stability, the impact is moderated in the presence of competition. Our findings are robust to alternative measures of competition, stability and control variables, which could be useful for policy makers to formulate strategies and policies to maintain financial stability.

BODY HEIGHT, BODY MASS, BODY MASS INDEX OF ELITE BASKETBALL PLAYERS IN RELATION TO THE PLAYING POSITION AND THEIR IMPORTANCE FOR SUCCESS IN THE GAME

The morphological characteristics of elite basketball players are of great interest to some authors in order to define the best morphological profile for a particular playing position and different levels of competition. The aim of the research was to determine the differences in morphological characteristics in professional basketball players in relation to the playing position in different league competitions and to determine the relevance of these characteristics for success in the game. The survey included a sample of 773 elite basketball players competing in five different leagues in Europe. In our study, we found that centers are significantly taller and heavier than guards and forwards are. In addition to other components of basketball (technique, tactics, coach strategy), body height, body mass and body mass index play a major role in overall performance in a basketball game in all positions. The obtained data can help coaches in the scouting process in which leagues in Europe are played by players with certain morphological characteristics in relation to the playing position.

Sport arbitration as an emergent process in a complex system: Decision-making variability is a marker of expertise in national-level football referees

This study examined the experiential knowledge of eight Australian national-level football referees (3.2 yrs mean national-level experience) about the notion of consistent decision-making during competitive matches. Using a grounded theory approach, the analysis revealed that participants view “consistency” as context-dependent, rather than a rigid process of uniformly responding to isolated foul-play transgressions with putatively correct responses. Our results present two key conceptual abstractions—”referential and game dependent” and “purpose and context”—as a framework for understanding referee decision-making consistency. Results evidence that in higher level referees, consistent decision-making performance is an emergent process defined by the decision-making actions of the referee, and exploitation of specifying contextual game factors. Our discussion outlines how this process can be understood as dynamical transactions within a complex system (i.e. competitive football game), in which varying decision-making responses to superficially similar incidents is a marker of expertise, rather than inconsistency. These findings draw attention to the limitations of isolated foul-play video assessment, suggesting that training orientated toward complete uniform agreement on game incidents may reduce attention (attunement) to key contextual information that is necessary to prospectively control player behaviors and thus, the emergent trajectory of each game. Instead, findings support more representative game opportunities for referees to practice making decisions with key contextual information sources present. Future research could consider the extent context and/or variability define performance at different levels of competition and across sports with distinct cultural structures.