Mainstream Strategy Research Articles

Fractal Gold Nanoframework for Highly Stretchable Transparent Strain-Insensitive Conductors.

Percolation networks of one-dimensional (1D) building blocks (e.g., metallic nanowires or carbon nanotubes) represent the mainstream strategy to fabricate stretchable conductors. One of the inherent limitations is the control over junction resistance between 1D building blocks in natural and strained states of conductors. Herein, we report highly stretchable transparent strain-insensitive conductors using fractal gold (F-Au) nanoframework based on a one-pot templateless wet chemistry synthesis method. The monolayered F-Au nanoframework (∼20 nm in thickness) can be obtained from the one-pot synthesis without any purification steps involved and can be transferred directly to arbitrary substrates like polyethylene terephthalate, food-wrap, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and ecoflex. The F-Au thin film with no capping agents leads to a highly conductive thin film without any post-treatment and can be stretched up to 110% strain without significantly losing conductivity yet with the optical transparency of 70% at 550 nm. Remarkably, the F-Au thin film shows the strain-insensitive behavior up to 20% stretching strain. This originates from the unique fractal nanomesh-like structure which can absorb external mechanical forces, thus maintaining electron pathways throughout the nanoframework. In addition, a semitransparent bilayered F-Au film on 100% prestrained PDMS could achieve to a high stretchability of 420% strain with negligible resistance changes under low-level strains.

Operational capabilities and entrepreneurial opportunities in emerging market firms

PurposeThe academic inquiry of operational capabilities (OCs) has claimed focal interest in mainstream strategy research. Recent theoretical advances suggest these capabilities are a fundamental trigger to the identification and exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities. However, the extant literature has been, at best, partial with regard to empirical insights that integrate OCs with entrepreneurial opportunities. Addressing this theoretical lacuna from the standpoint of organisational learning theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the interplay between OCs and entrepreneurial opportunities and their overall impact on exporting SME’s growth.Design/methodology/approachTo realise the empirical aims a descriptive research design employing a survey methodology was used. The authors are generated data from a sample of 117 exporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in Croatia. Ordinary least squares regression was employed to test the conceptual model and five derived hypotheses.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that market-sensing capabilities are vital in enhancing exporting SME’s opportunity recognition capacity and the rate of international opportunity exploitation that leads to increased firm growth. Also, study findings show that the link between the increased rate of international opportunity exploitation contributes more to the growth when exporting SMEs have highly developed adaptive and innovation capabilities.Research limitations/implicationsThis study brings to surface some novel insights about how exporting SMEs can better design their export marketing strategy. The results suggest, OCs occupy key role in the exporting SMEs international venturing efforts by delivering higher growth.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the export marketing strategy field by offering empirical evidence that both capability and opportunity-based views should be assessed simultaneously in explaining exporting SME’s competitiveness. Finally, we offer valuable theoretical and practical implications as well as avenues for further research that should extend our knowledge in the field.

Biopolitics and Hegemony in Contemporary Russian Cultural Policy

Since 2011, Russian ‘licensing civil society’ 1 has predominated through censorship and the restrictive regulation of arts and cultural societies. The current conservative project has turned artistic space into public space, indicating moral abuse and a threat to the spiritual health of the Russian nation. Consequently, the symbolic borders of human creativity and individual freedom in arts and cultural societies have been reduced to patriotism, nationalism and moral deductive functions of the state-approved program. This paper will explore Russian state cultural policy and argue that biopolitics is its mainstream strategy. It examines how the ensemble of sovereign and disciplinary power defines and instrumentalizes the concept of culture while also producing lines of inclusion and exclusion within the conservative political project. The major emphasis is placed on the question of political control over the body, spirit and national identity.

Suppressing Dendritic Lithium Formation Using Porous Media in Lithium Metal-Based Batteries.

Because of its ultrahigh specific capacity, lithium metal holds great promise for revolutionizing current rechargeable battery technologies. Nevertheless, the unavoidable formation of dendritic Li, as well as the resulting safety hazards and poor cycling stability, have significantly hindered its practical applications. A mainstream strategy to solve this problem is introducing porous media, such as solid electrolytes, modified separators, or artificial protection layers, to block Li dendrite penetration. However, the scientific foundation of this strategy has not yet been elucidated. Herein, using experiments and simulation we analyze the role of the porous media in suppressing dendritic Li growth and probe the underlying fundamental mechanisms. It is found that the tortuous pores of the porous media, which drastically reduce the local flux of Li+ moving toward the anode and effectively extend the physical path of dendrite growth, are the key to achieving the nondendritic Li growth. On the basis of the theoretical exploration, we synthesize a novel porous silicon nitride submicron-wire membrane and incorporate it in both half-cell and full-cell configurations. The operation time of the battery cells is significantly extended without a short circuit. The findings lay the foundation to use a porous medium for achieving nondendritic Li growth in Li metal-based batteries.

Project capabilities for operational outcomes in inter-organisational settings: The case of London Heathrow Terminal 2

Project and strategic management scholarship recognises the importance of project capabilities that allow firms to deliver projects. Although work on project capabilities is a fast-growing line of inquiry, little is still known about how clients assemble project capabilities to achieve operational outcomes in inter-organisational settings. This study seeks to apply theoretical work on project capabilities to the domain of infrastructure project delivery in order to understand how the assembly of project capabilities in temporary inter-organisational settings contributes to the delivery of operational outcomes. The empirical enquiry takes place in the context of the delivery of London Heathrow Terminal 2. Through an inductive theory building approach drawing upon semi-structured interviews with client-side project leadership, internal documents, publicly available data and ongoing engagement with the field, we identified three key capability-enabling mechanisms that help explain the genesis of project capabilities in inter-organisational settings: (1) reconfiguring project capabilities, (2) adapting project capabilities and (3) maintaining project capabilities. We discuss and expand these findings by engaging with theoretical ideas from project studies, and mainstream strategy, organisation, and management research to induce a dynamic model that can be helpful to guide future research, policy and management practices relating to the client side management of project capabilities.

Behavioural Study of Shear Wall with Correlational to Bracing under Seismic Loading

The reinforced concrete structures, not designed for seismic conditions, amid the past earthquakes have shown us the significance of assessment of the seismic limit state of the current structures. During seismic vibrations, every structure encountered seismic loads. Seismic vibrations in high rise building structure subjects horizontal and torsional deflections which consequently develop extensive reactions in the buildings. Subsequently, horizontal stiffness can produce firmness in the high rise structures and it resists all the horizontal and torsional movements of the building. Therefore, bracing and shear wall are the mainstream strategies for reinforcing the structures against their poor seismic behaviours. It is seen before that shear wall gives higher horizontal firmness to the structure when coupled with bracing however it will be another finding that in building model, which location is most suitable for shear wall and bracing to get better horizontal stability. In this study, a 15 story residential reinforced concrete building is assessed and analyzed using building code ACI 318-14 for bracing and shear wall placed at several different locations of the building model. The technique used for analysis is Equivalent Static Method by utilizing a design tool, finite element software named ETABS. The significant parameters examined are lateral displacement, base shear, story drift, and overturning moment.

Towards a Theory of Ecosystems

The recent surge of interest in “ecosystems” in strategy research and practice has mainly focused on what ecosystems are and how they operate. We complement this literature by considering when and why ecosystems emerge, and what makes them distinct from other governance forms. We argue that modularity enables ecosystem emergence, as it allows a set of distinct yet interdependent organizations to coordinate without full hierarchical fiat. We show how ecosystems address multilateral dependences based on various types of complementarities - super modular or unique, unidirectional or bidirectional, which determine the ecosystem’s value-add. We argue that at the core of ecosystems lie non-generic complementarities, and the creation of sets of roles that face similar rules. We conclude with implications for mainstream strategy and suggestions for future research. Managerial Abstract We consider what makes ecosystems different from other business constellations, including markets, alliances or hierarchically managed supply chains. Ecosystems, we posit, are interacting organizations, enabled by modularity, not hierarchically managed, bound together by the non-redeployability of their collective investment elsewhere. Ecosystems add value as they allow managers to coordinate their multilateral dependence through sets of roles that face similar rules, thus obviating the need to enter into customized contractual agreements with each partner. We explain how different types of complementarities (unique or supermodular, generic or specific, uni- or bi-directional) shape ecosystems, and offer a “theory of ecosystems” that can explain what they are, when they emerge and why alignment occurs. Finally, we outline the critical factors affecting ecosystem emergence, evolution, and success -- or failure.

Longitudinal performance of self-collected human papilloma virus testing and other mainstream strategies in detecting prevalent and incident cervical precancer: a 15-year cohort study in china

BackgroundComprehensive long-term evaluation for self-collected human papilloma virus (HPV) testing is not well established. We aimed to assess its predictive capacity from a long-term perspective compared with other cervical cancer mainstream screening methods. Methods1997 women aged 35–45 years from Shanxi, China were screened by self-collected HPV testing, doctor-collected HPV testing, liquid based cytology, and visual inspection with acetic acid in 1999. The women were followed up in 2005, 2010, and 2014 with doctor-collected HPV testing, liquid based cytology, and visual inspection with acetic acid (except in 2014). On the basis of baseline screening results, we calculated cross-sectional and prospective clinical performance and 15-year cumulative incidence rates (CIRs) of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or higher (CIN2+). FindingsIncident sensitivities for CIN2+ of all methods decreased with time, whereas incident specificity remained stable. Self-collected HPV testing predicted 84·2%, 53·2%, and 43·4% CIN2+ incident cases in 2005, 2010, and 2014, respectively, showing no significant difference with doctor-collected HPV testing and cytology at cutoff atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US), but higher than cytology (p=0·008, 0·004 and 0·008) and visual inspection with acetic acid (p=0·004, 0·003, 0·029) at cutoff low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions at follow-up in 2005, 2010, and 2014, respectively. The difference of incident sensitivity between self-collected HPV testing and cotest was comparable until at 15-year follow-up (43·4% vs 56·6%, p=0·006). Women with baseline-positive self-collected HPV testing showed comparable CIN2+ CIRs with those women who were baseline-positive by doctor-collected HPV testing during 15-year follow-up, but higher than cytology at cutoff ASC-US (p=0·004), cotest (p<0·0001), and visual inspection with acetic acid (p<0·0001). The assurance provided by baseline negative results of self-collected HPV testing was better than visual inspection with acetic acid (p=0·006) and comparable with other screening methods. InterpretationSelf-collected HPV testing showed comparable longitudinal performance to doctor-collected HPV testing and cytology, indicating an alternative role in primary cervical cancer screening. Self-collected HPV with 5 year interval could be an option. FundingNational Natural Science Foundation of China (81322040) and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Initiative for Innovative Medicine (CAMS-I2M-1-019).

Single interval longwave radiation scheme based on the net exchanged rate decomposition with bracketing

The main obstacle to efficient calculation of longwave radiative transfer is the existence of multiple radiative sources, each with its own emission spectrum. The work presented here overcomes this problem by combining the full spectrum broadband approach with the net exchanged rate decomposition. The idea is worked out to suit the needs of numerical weather prediction, where the most costly contribution representing the sum of internal exchanges is interpolated between cheap minimum and maximum estimates, while exchange with the surface and dominant cooling to space contributions are calculated accurately. The broad‐band approach must address the additional problems related to spectral integration and many ideas developed previously for the solar spectrum are reused. Specific issues appear, the dependence of broadband gaseous transmissions on the temperature of the emitting body being the most important one. The thermal spectrum also brings some simplifications—aerosols, clouds and the Earth's surface can safely be treated as grey bodies. The optical saturation of gaseous absorption remains the main complication and non‐random spectral overlaps between gases become much more significant than in the solar spectrum. The broadband character of the proposed scheme enables the use of an unreduced spatial resolution with an intermittent update of gaseous transmissions and interpolation weights, thus ensuring a full response of longwave radiation to rapidly varying cloudiness and temperature fields. This is in contrast to the mainstream strategy, where very accurate and expensive radiative transfer calculations are performed infrequently, often with reduced spatial resolution. The approach proposed here provides a much better balance between errors coming from the radiation scheme itself and from the intermittency strategy. The key achievement, ensuring a good scalability of the scheme, is a computational cost essentially linear in the number of layers, with straightforward inclusion of scattering as an additional bonus.

Influential Factors in IT Outsourcing Relationship in a Swedish Municipality

Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) has generated considerable interest within Information Systems (IS) research as a consequence of its benefits in terms of cost efficiency and freedom to focus on core capabilities. This study covers the area of ITO in the public sector, specifically, in Swedish Municipalities where ITO has become a mainstream strategy. The influential ITO factors of the post-contract stage of an ITO relationship are examined and debated in light of existent research literature. The research is based on a case study of a Swedish Municipality and a direct IT vendor. A thematic analysis brings light upon three new ITO influential factors which are: (1) mutual understanding and long-term engagement; (2) Multi-sourcing, and (3) Communication between Municipalities, together with other seven factors present in the research literature that have an influence on the ITO relationship. The findings of this study can support ITO decision-makers from Swedish municipalities in improving the ITO relationship between their organizations and IT vendors.

SAR study to find optimal cholinesterase reactivator against organophosphorous nerve agents and pesticides.

Irreversible inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) by organophosphates leads to many failures in living organism and ultimately in death. Organophosphorus compounds developed as nerve agents such as tabun, sarin, soman, VX and others belong to the most toxic chemical warfare agents and are one of the biggest threats to the modern civilization. Moreover, misuse of nerve agents together with organophosphorus pesticides (e.g. malathion, paraoxon, chlorpyrifos, etc.) which are annually implicated in millions of intoxications and hundreds of thousand deaths reminds us of insufficient protection against these compounds. Basic treatments for these intoxications are based on immediate administration of atropine and acetylcholinesterase reactivators which are currently represented by mono- or bis-pyridinium aldoximes. However, these antidotes are not sufficient to ensure 100% treatment efficacy even they are administered immediately after intoxication, and in general, they possess several drawbacks. Herein, we have reviewed new efforts leading to the development of novel reactivators and proposition of new promising strategies to design novel and effective antidotes. Structure-activity relationships and biological activities of recently proposed acetylcholinesterase reactivators are discussed and summarized. Among further modifications of known oximes, the main attention has been paid to dual binding site ligands of AChE as the current mainstream strategy. We have also discussed new chemical entities as potential replacement of oxime functional group.

Saccharin induces alterations in sugar homeostasis as assessed with an animal model of menopause

O is currently considered a pandemic, worldwide, and finding ways to reduce its incidence has become a paramount objective of health-policies in many countries. Limiting the number of ingested calories is a strategy that has shown beneficial to reduce the prevalence of obesity. With this in mind, the use of artificial sweeteners is often advised in order to reduce the amount of ingested calories. Other studies would, however, pose caution on the use of artificial sweeteners, which would have been shown to be able to induce glucose intolerance, one of the landmarks of obesity and diabetes, in animal models and humans. Indeed, artificial sweeteners would, themselves, have been proposed as main contributors to the spread of obesity worldwide. But still, research is needed to clarify the role played by these compounds in the obesity problem. In menopausal women, obesity has been found to be an important risk factor for the development of postmenopausal breast cancer, and replacing caloric beverages with diet beverages, usually, artificially sweetened, continues to be a mainstream strategy in weight control in adult and peri-menopausal women. Unfortunately, to date, little is known about the effects of artificial sweeteners on weight gain or metabolic control in menopausal women. For this reason, we decided to assess the possible impact of the common artificial sweetener, saccharin, in an animal model of menopause, namely, the ovarectomized mouse. To this end, we selected 12 female ovarectomized C57BL/6 mice and assessed their metabolic control with a glucose tolerance test. Then, they were offered a 0.1% saccharin in water solution at their home cages for 16 days, after what, the glucose tolerance test was repeated. We found significant differences (p<0.005 and p<0.05) in basal glucose levels of the animals, after the 16 hour fasting preceding the glucose tolerance test posterior to the 16d saccharin treatment and these differences lasted for at least 45 days. Further studies should explore the importance of the observed alterations in the development of obesity and its possible role in human postmenopausal health.

Secure data deduplication in data centre: state of the art and perspectives

Along with the arrival of the age of big data, lots of data processing must rely on distributed processing of cloud computing, and the amount of data stored in the cloud is sharply increasing. Therefore, the management of massive data has become a noticeable challenge. One of the crucial challenges is how to delete the duplicate data while ensuring data privacy, wherefore the secure deduplication techniques appeared on the scene. In this paper, we first present three different mainstream secure deduplication strategies, convergent encryption, proof of ownership and twin data centre architecture, and make a brief description of their work process. Some variants on top of the three strategies which extend their functions or remedy old deficiencies and analysis of their own performance efficiency or their advantages and disadvantages are given. This paper also includes some state-of-the-art deduplication systems which are not based on the three above-mentioned strategies such as DupLESS, etc. They provide some new design ideas about secure deduplication in cloud data centre and may inspire people to design a better system.

Chinese Herbal Mixture, Tien-Hsien Liquid, Induces G2/M Cycle Arrest and Radiosensitivity in MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells through Mechanisms Involving DNMT1 and Rad51 Downregulation.

The Chinese herbal mixture, Tien-Hsien Liquid (THL), has been proven to suppress the growth and invasiveness of cancer cells and is currently regarded as a complementary medicine for the treatment of cancer. Our previous study using acute promyelocytic leukemia cells uncovered its effect on the downregulation of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) which is often overexpressed in cancer cells resulting in the repression of tumor suppressors via hypermethylation. Herein, we explored the effects of THL in MCF-7 breast cancer cells that also demonstrate elevated DNMT1. The results show that THL dose-dependently downregulated DNMT1 accompanied by the induction of tumor suppressors such as p21 and p15. THL arrested cell cycle in G2/M phase and decreased the protein levels of cyclin A, cyclin B1, phospho-pRb, and AKT. DNMT1 inhibition was previously reported to exert a radiosensitizing effect in cancer cells through the repression of DNA repair. We found that THL enhanced radiation-induced clonogenic cell death in MCF-7 cells and decreased the level of DNA double-strand break repair protein, Rad51. Our observations may be the result of DNMT1 downregulation. Due to the fact that DNMT1 inhibition is now a mainstream strategy for anticancer therapy, further clinical trials of THL to confirm its clinical efficacy are warranted.

A New FPGA Based Green Controller Using Modeling Language

In recent years, the renewable energy system requires the modeling language based control and the high-performance CPU. As for CPU, the improvement of the CPU performance reaches its limitation caused from its clock frequency. Therefore, the multi-core and the virtualization are mainstream strategies for its improvement and such mechanisms have some issues including complicated algorithm of controller and inheritance of design on CPU architecture generation. For such reasons, Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is expected to replace the role of CPU since it has several advantages such as long period supply, inheritance and power-saving. It is applied to the small machinery control so far, and there are few researches to apply it to the power plant control. For such purpose, a flexible control with the modeling language like CPU and on-line modification of the control logics are necessary. In this paper, to fulfill such requirements on the control system for the infrastructure like the power system, a new FPGA based controller named "green controller" is proposed. An architecture to realize it and required conditions based on FPGA are clarified. Furthermore, performance and FPGA resource usage are measured in the experiment with the proposed architecture for evaluation.

Does Geoengineering Present a Moral Hazard

Geoengineering, a set of unconventional, untested, and risky proposals for responding to climate change, has attracted growing attention in the wake of our collective failure so far to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Geoengineering research and deployment remain highly controversial, however, not only because of the risks involved, but also because of concern that geoengineering might undermine climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. The latter concern, often described as a moral hazard, has been questioned by some but not carefully explored. This Article examines the critical question of whether geoengineering presents a moral hazard by drawing on empirical studies of moral hazard and risk compensation and on the psychology literature of heuristics and cultural cognition. The Article finds it likely that geoengineering efforts will undermine mainstream strategies to combat climate change and suggests potential measures for ameliorating this moral hazard.

Value co-creation and stakeholder complexity: what strategy can learn from churches

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend understandings of the demand-side view of strategy and how organizations co-create value with stakeholders. Through an iterative process of theory development, data collection, data analysis and writing, the authors propose a value co-creation perspective that more fully takes into account stakeholder complexity. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data derives from a wider exploratory study on value creation and competitive advantage in Christian churches in Canada. Here the authors explore one case study from that wider study and analyze interviews with church members and leaders. Findings – The authors discuss two mutually constitutive processes of value co-creation, building a culture of community and enacting relational and shared leadership. Research limitations/implications – The authors propose a stakeholder-complex understanding of value creation where stakeholders can enact multiple roles, often simultaneously, in co-creation and where products/services are consumed for their symbolic, rather than material value. Further, co-creation may involve ongoing interactions and value creation can occur in non-monetary transactions. Originality/value – The authors offer, through an empirical exploration of a religious organization, an illustrative account of how value co-creation might be tied to stakeholder complexity. This study stretches the boundaries of mainstream strategy research by challenging two fundamental assumptions: that stakeholder roles must be distinct and that “value” must be clearly defined and explicitly linked to exchange value.

A hybrid multiple-criteria decision analysis framework for corporate social responsibility implementation applied to an extractive industry case study

Integration of corporate social responsibility (CSR) into a company’s mainstream strategy is a complex task. Practical implementation of CSR requires analysis of both the external and internal environments to determine the prospects and challenges significantly influencing integration of sustainability into business strategy. In order to overcome limitations of single multiple-criteria decision analysis models, this paper proposes a hybrid integrated framework combining cognitive mapping and analytic networks process (ANP) to determine, prioritise and select CSR programmes for implementation. The strategic cognitive map serves as a foundation to build the ANP network and identify the importance of CSR programmes. A knapsack optimisation method is then used to optimally assign resources to CSR alternatives. We demonstrate the usefulness of the framework through a case study in the extractive sector. The framework was empirically tested with 61 respondents using postal and online surveys, MBA workshops, and conference networking.

The Dialectic of Institutional and Extra-institutional Tactics: Explaining the Trajectory of Taiwan’s Labor Movement

This article offers an interpretation of the development of Taiwan’s labor movement as an evolving dialogue and conflict between two tendencies. Due to democratization and liberal labor law reform, the usage of institutional tactics in the form of parliamentary lobbying and tripartite participation became the mainstream strategy of the movement over the years. This current, however, was periodically contested by the radical wing, which relied on extra-institutional social movements. This divide reflected an organizational division within Taiwan’s working class, that is, the growing gap between unionized workers and marginalized workers (foreign workers, laid-off workers and part-timers). While the contention between two streams might seem irreconcilable, I shall argue there have been possibilities for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Recent trends in biodiesel production

This article fully discusses the recent trends in the production of one the most attractive types of biofuels, i.e., biodiesel.with a focus on the existing obstacles for its large scale production. Moreover, recent innovations/improvements under three categories of upstream, mainstream, and downstream processes are also presented. Upstream strategies are mainly focused on seeking more sustainable oil feedstocks and/or enhancing the quality of waste-oriented ones. The mainstream strategies section highlights the numerous attempts made to enhance agitation efficiency including chemical and/or mechanical strategies. Finally, the innovative downstream strategies basically dealing with 1) separation of biodiesel and glycerin, 2) purification of biodiesel and glycerin, and 3) improving the characteristics of the produced fuel, are comprehensively reviewed.