Performance Targeting Research Articles

Meeting Targets in Competitive Product Markets

ABSTRACTWe show that public banks face negative stock return jumps after missing their earnings per share (EPS) targets, and theoretically and quantitatively link these jumps to bunching behavior in the EPS surprise distribution. Bunching banks cut deposit rates to meet their targets, but do so at the expense of deposit outflows and franchise value losses. Local competitors, including private banks unexposed to capital market pressure, increase deposit rates, compensating depositors for switching. Our results provide new evidence that performance targeting incentives can affect consumer product prices, and suggest that competition may provide a check on public firms' targeting efforts.

Catalytic activity of laundering durable fiber-based manganese dioxide catalyst targeting indoor formaldehyde

Fiber-based MnO2 nanocatalysts show high practical potential for their easy recovery. While significantly reducing specific surface area, catalytic performance, and poor laundering durability hinder their further applications for formaldehyde removal. Here, surface –OH and –COOH on PMIA were finely regulated by varying the plasma treatment durations. –OH plays as a reduction agent to facilitate the production of Mn3+ close to the PMIA surface and thus promote subsequent output of oxygen vacancy (OV). The plasma introduced and –OH oxidated –COOH acted together as multiple binding sites to bridge the MnO2 catalyst and PMIA fiber, which endows the MnO2@PMIA excellent laundering durability evidenced by the almost unchanged catalytic performance targeting formaldehyde even after 20 home laundering cycles. The mechanism of modulation of oxygen vacancy and specific surface area and water fastness by in situ –OH and –COOH on the relevant surfaces is proposed and confirmed by FTIR, XPS, SEM, and BET. MnO2@PMIA-6 demonstrated the highest catalytic activity for the degradation of formaldehyde, up to 95.43 % in 1 h at room temperature. The catalytic activity remained at 90.97 % with only 0.94 % loss of catalyst mass after 20 home laundering cycles.

Division Situation Analysis and Performance Targeting: Input to Education Development

Division Situation Analysis and Performance Targeting: Input to Education Development

Division Situation Analysis and Performance Targeting: Input to Education Development Plan

This research aimed to determine the situation of the Schools Division of Lucena City in terms of the Basic Education Development Plan (BEDP 2030) intermediate outcomes and to set its performance targets for 2023-2028. This used convergent mixed research design through survey, data capturing tool, FGD, and EBEIS. WAM, Pearson’s chi-square, PLS-SEM, and thematic analysis were used in analyzing data. The respondents are 154 teachers, principals, supervisors, and program locals. Access to basic education is improved as indicated by increasing enrollment rates with projects on access as the leading practice of schools. Equity is addressed through the mobilization of SPED learning resources, increasing contact time in IPEd, and participation of Muslim learners in school activities. Quality is best considered through projects and remediation. Resiliency and well-being are promoted through partnerships, observance of DRRM guidelines, regular monitoring of the health status of personnel, and information dissemination on child protection policy. SBM implementation and LAC are practices under enabling mechanisms, with the need for more classrooms as a leading issue. A provision of an enabling mechanism entails β = 0.9120 times assurance in the provision of access to quality basic education. Quality strategies support most “future orientation competency” where a change in the provision of quality strategies results to β = 0.6571 times change in the acquisition of the competency. These research results and recommendations served as guides and input to Division Education Development Plan (DEDP 2023-2028). Keywords: BEDP 2030, DEDP 2023-2028, access, equity, quality, resiliency and well-being, enabling mechanisms

Performance management system in developing countries: A case study in Jordan

The performance management system (PMS) is critical to the success of any organisation, and this article investigates the PMS of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) in Jordan, which is one of the largest public entities in the country. The article identifies various problems that are faced by GAM, such as HRM and staff, management behaviour, and performance management, which significantly affect GAM's performance. Additionally, the article discusses the process of goal and indicator setting and development of the PMS of GAM. The article adopts a phenomenological approach and a qualitative case study methodology to collect primary data from 15 purposeful semi‐structured interviews with GAM's experts. Thematic analysis is used as the data analysis technique to identify the PMS activities and address problems and difficulties in GAM's performance. The findings highlight eight major activities of GAM's PMS, which include performance sourcing, targeting, development, setting and responsibility, gauging, information, results, and alignment. These activities need to be managed properly if GAM wanted to meet its performance targets. Hence, the article presents a set of recommendations to improve GAM's PMS and overcome the identified difficulties, such as improving HRM practices and staff role, enhancing management behaviour, and establishing a performance management culture. Overall, the article provides valuable insights into the PMS of GAM and highlights the importance of an effective PMS to achieve organisational success.

The Influence of Death Perception and Terminal Care Stress on Terminal Care Performance of Nurses Working in Long-Term Care Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of death perception and terminal care stress on terminal care performance of nurses working in long-term care hospitals.Methods: The participants included 160 nurses working in 7 long-term care hospitals with more than 150 beds in Gyeonggi Province. Data collection was conducted from July 12 to August 13, 2021. The independent t-test, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis.Results: Of the participants, 126 (78.8%) were women, and 76 (47.5%) had a religion. The mean total clinical experience was 11.48±9.14 years; 80 (50.3%) participants had been involved in 1-18 terminal care nursing sessions, and 87 (54.4%) had been involved in terminal care nursing education. Gender (β=.17, p=.030) and positive death perception (β=.27, p=.001) affected terminal care performance.Conclusion: A professional and systematic terminal nursing care education program that can facilitate positive death perceptions of hospital nurses is needed, and it is necessary to prepare a specialized system that considers nursing hospitals’ characteristics. In addition, research on terminal care performance targeting male nurses in hospitals and the effects of the working environment and health care system of hospitals on the terminal care performance of hospital nurses is suggested.

Points of intersection between sustainability and project management

The goal of this paper is to explore the dimension of sustainability in project management through a systematic literature review; more specifically, the article aims at reviewing the approaches to ensure the performance of urban projects performance targeting sustainable objectives. An attempt to explore the way the two fields intersect by means of exchanging both strengths: project management know-how areas, on the one hand, and sustainability tools, a win–win for improving the efficiency of implementing sustenability in every project. The research objective is to define concepts, terminology and conceptual clarifications on the management of sustainable urban development projects, the bibliographic reference, which will present the historical evolution and the current state of knowledge in the field (theories, studies and relationships, good practices, definitions). The scope of this effort is to dive into the maze of a literature review in order to identify the link between project management and sustainability and the transition paved by unique and challenging experiences which shifts towards a green and inclusive future.

Hyaluronic Acid-Functionalized Nanomicelles Enhance SAHA Efficacy in 3D Endometrial Cancer Models.

Simple SummaryOne of the major limitations to cancer therapies are the side effects caused by the drug interacting with any tissue in the body. There is often a balance between patient health and effectively treating the disease. To by-pass this balancing act nanoparticles are being used to deliver therapeutics straight to the tumors, acting as “Trojan Horses”. Endometrial cancers are known to have more of the cell surface protein CD44 than healthy tissues. Here, to efficiently target endometrial cancer, hyaluronic acid, which naturally binds to the CD44 protein was attached to the surface of nanoparticles and tested on microtissues or spheroids to better model a tumor and understand drug delivery performance. We show that our hyaluronic acid-nanoparticle formulations improve drug effects and interact with the cancer cells more than without this targeting agent.Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes are upregulated in cancer leading to the development of HDAC inhibiting compounds, several of which are currently in clinical trials. Side effects associated with toxicity and non-specific targeting indicate the need for efficient drug delivery approaches and tumor specific targeting to enhance HDAC efficacy in solid tumor cancers. SAHA encapsulation within F127 micelles functionalized with a surface hyaluronic acid moiety, was developed to target endometrial cancer cells expressing elevated levels of CD44. In vitro viability and morphology analyses was conducted in both 2D and 3D models to assess the translational potential of this approach. Encapsulation enhanced SAHA delivery and activity, demonstrating increased cytotoxic efficacy in 2D and 3D endometrial cancer models. High-content imaging showed improved nanoparticle internalization in 2D and CD44 enhanced penetration in 3D models. In addition, the nano-delivery system enhanced spheroid penetration resulting in cell growth suppression, p21 associated cell cycle arrest, as well as overcoming the formation of an EMT associated phenotype observed in free drug treated type II endometrial cancer cells. This study demonstrates that targeted nanoparticle delivery of SAHA could provide the basis for improving its efficacy in endometrial cancer. Using 3D models for endometrial cancer allows the elucidation of nanoparticle performance and CD44 targeting, likely through penetration and retention within the tumor model.

Tandem post-synthetic modification of a zeolitic imidazolate framework for CXCR4-overexpressed esophageal squamous cell cancer imaging and therapy.

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) as emerging porous materials have attracted remarkable attention for their unprecedented porosity and acidic sensitive degradation that enables high drug loading and microenvironment responsive fast payload release. However, the limited functions and disadvantages of ZIFs such as early drug release, potential cytotoxicity inducing damage to major organs, and even death of animals, impede their further biomedical application. In this work, we report the first tandem post-synthetic modification of ZIF-7 with both metal ions and organic ligands. Inspired by the benzimidazole-like inhibitors that are similar to the organic ligand of ZIF-7, a chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4 (CXCR4) inhibitor AMD-070 (AMD) and magnesium ions (Mn2+) were successfully tandem exchanged to the ZIF-7 framework, forming an active-targeting framework AMD-ZIF-7(Mn) for CXCR4-overexpressed esophageal squamous cell cancer. The obtained AMD-ZIF-7(Mn) showed good biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, it exhibited an excellent T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging performance and CXCR4 targeting ability. With 5-Fu loading, AMD-ZIF-7(Mn)/5-Fu showed a synergistic therapeutic effect in DNA damage and CXCR4 inhibition of esophageal squamous cell cancer. Therefore, we propose a structural reconstruction method to effectively explore and improve the biomedical application of ZIFs in esophageal squamous cell cancer theranostics.

P5377A SUMO1-SIM motif within the C-terminal alpha-helical domain of S100A1 prevents its proteasomal degradation in cardiomyocytes

Abstract S100A1, a EF-hand calcium (Ca2+) sensor protein, predominantly expressed in cardiomyocytes, improves contractile performance and energy metabolism targeting activity of downstream key factors such as SERCA2a and F1ATPase. Vice versa, decreased cardiac S100A1 expression in heart failure thereby accelerates the progression to contractile and energetic failure. Although previous studies showed that transcriptional inhibition may contribute to the loss of S100A1 expression, little is known with respect to its post-translational stability in cardiomyocytes. As such, advanced understanding of the molecular mechanisms that may regulate S100A1 degradation may be of interest to target its stability in the failing heart. In search of protein stabilizing motifs, we identified a Small Ubiquitin-related Modifier1 (SUMO1) interaction motif (SIM) in the S100A1 C-terminal domain extending from AA 69–87 as well as multiple ubiquitylatable Lysin-residues within the N-terminal domain by an in silico structural analysis. Given the role of the C-terminal domain of S100A1 in accommodating target binding and activity modulation, we hypothesized that these residues may convey a dual function and also contribute to S100A1 protein stability. To answer this question, we generated different Myc-tagged and non-tagged C-terminal deletion mutants (Myc-S100a1ΔCTs/S100a1ΔCTs) within the SIM motif encompassing AA 1–74 and AA 1–83 besides the full length AA 1–94 (S100A1 -FL). Constructs packaged into bicistronic recombinant Adenovirus Serotype 5 also contained GFP to control for sufficient transduction. Ad5-mediated gene delivery of S100a1-Fl to cell culture resulted in robust S100A1-FL protein expression. In contrast, delivery of the truncated S100a1 mutants did not yield detectable S100A1ΔCT protein variants, whereas the presence of mRNA from all S100a1ΔCT variants by PCR excluded transcriptional inhibition or blockade as a potential cause for the failure to detect S100A1ΔCT protein variants. When a proteasomal inhibitor (MG-132) was then used, S100A1ΔCT variants were detected at protein level in tested models indicating that proteasomal degradation may target SIM deleted S100A1 ΔCT variants. This notion was corroborated by unchanged expression levels of FL-S100A1 as well as deletion C-terminal mutants containing the entire SIM motif. Our novel results indicate that the C-terminal domain of S100A1 may contain a SIM motif which shields S100A1 protein against proteasomal degradation. SUMOylation analysis as well as site-directed mutagenesis of the motif is subsequently required to determine conditions where S100A1 SUMOylation may be decreased (i.e. heart failure) and which specific AA residues may convey this action. Overall, the S100A1 C-terminus may play a role in target recognition as well as in the regulation of S100A1's protein stability. In vivo studies will be required to provide the ultimate proof for this novel hypothesis. Acknowledgement/Funding DZHK

Effects of linear periodization versus daily undulating periodization on neuromuscular performance and activities of daily living in an elderly population.

Periodization is a systematic training calendar designed to provide variations in performance targeting, while maximizing results and reducing the potential for overtraining. When provided across multiple weeks, termed a mesocycle, it may also incorporate active recovery periods using specified drills designed to translate neuromuscular gains into targeted functional abilities. There are a number of models that can be used when applying periodization to resistance training (RT). Among the most common are the linear (LP) and daily fixed non-linear (NLP) models. It is currently unknown whether an optimal periodization strategy exists that will maximize benefits for older adults; therefore, we compared the impact of these two periodization models on neuromuscular and functional measures in a group of older persons living independently in the community. Thirty-six older adults, 58-80 years of age, were randomly assigned to either a LP (n = 16; 69.3 ± 4.6 y) or NLP (n = 14; 68.9 ± 6.7 y) group. The LP group performed 12 weeks of training comprised of separate 4-week strength and power training cycles, each followed by a 2-week recovery period incorporating translational exercises. The NLP group performed the strength, power, and translational training on three separate days during the week. Neuromuscular testing included seated chest press and leg press strength and power tests, while physical function testing included the gallon jug shelf test, laundry transfer test, floor stand-up, chair-to-stand test, and 8 foot timed up-and-go. 3 (time) × 2 (sex) × 2 (group) repeated measures ANOVA revealed both periodization strategies were equally effective at inducing neuromuscular and functional improvements and that men generally produced more strength and power than women. Both LP and NLP can be used to improve strength, power, and functional performance in healthy untrained older adults when strength, power and functional training cycles are involved. Therefore, personal preference and variety should be considered when deciding which approach to use, provided high-speed power and translational recovery components are included.

Rod‐Shaped Drug Particles for Cancer Therapy: The Importance of Particle Size and Participation of Caveolae Pathway

It is disclosed how the sizes of rod‐shaped paclitaxel‐nanosuspensions (PTX‐Ns) that are less than 500 nm affect their in vitro and in vivo performances. A size reduction from 500 to 160 nm enhances the cellular uptake and subsequent cytotoxicity, due to the participation of caveolae‐mediated endocytosis; moreover, the ability of the PTX‐Ns to penetrate tumors is well correlated with the extent to which the caveolae pathway participates in cellular uptake, as their ability to target caveolae is markedly promoted as their size decreased to 160 nm. Also, the size reduction markedly alters the in vivo performance and tumor targeting. It is disclosed that via enhanced tumor penetration and retention but not simply increased tumor accumulation, size reduction of PTX‐Ns results in significant improvement in antitumor activities. Overall, this study highlights the importance of the size of the PTX‐Ns and the participation of caveolae‐mediated endocytosis in controlling their biological functions and will assist in the design and optimization of new nanosuspension formulations for disease therapy.

Abstract B39: Computational modeling of therapy using nanovectors altering macrophage subtypes to treat hypo-perfused tumor lesions

Abstract We hypothesize that an interdisciplinary approach integrating computational modeling with experimental measurements enables rational design of cancer nanotherapy using tumor-associated macrophages targeting hypo-vascularized tumor lesions. Background: Hypovascularization in liver metastases, typically surrounded by macrophages, has been shown to correlate with poor chemotherapeutic response and higher mortality. Poor prognosis is linked to impaired transport into the lesions of both high- and low-molecular weight drugs as well as high washout rates. Further, macrophage infiltration is known to provide a mix of cancer-suppressing and cancer-promoting signals through the M1 and M2 subtypes, respectively. Experimental Procedures: In vitro multi-cellular tumor spheroids mimicking hypovascularized lesions were established using magnetic 3D bioprinting. In vivo studies were performed in breast cancer liver metastasis models in mice characterized by low vascularization patterns. We employ a multi-stage nanovector system encapsulating albumin-bound-paclitaxel (nAb-PTX) into nanoporous biocompatible and biodegradable nanoparticles, which promote nAb-PTX retention in macrophages. The M1-M2 transition was assesed following several treatment schedules. The concentration of inflammatory chemokines in the microenvironment of breast cancer liver metastases was measured using MILLIPLEX MAP 25-Plex Mouse Cytokine/Chemokine Magnetic Bead Panel, and the transition between the two macrophage subtypes was assessed using F4/80 antibody to recognize a total number of macrophages and CD204 antibody as M2 macrophage marker. The infiltration of macrophages into the spheroids and their respective subtypes were anlyzed in response to therapy. The reaction-diffusion equation-based mathematical model simulates hypovascularized tumor tissue and the associated intra-tumoral transport barriers, as well as macrophage infiltration and related nanotherapy effects. Viable and necrotic tumor tissue are represented with transport of molecules and macrophages through this tissue, and with structure similar to liver metastasis. Tumor growth is calculated based on the balance of cell proliferation and death. Proliferation depends on adequate cell nutrients, oxygen, and is promoted by M2 macrophages. Death is induced by levels of oxygen below a certain threshold as well as paclitaxel above a certain level of cytotoxicity released from nAb-PTX carried by the macrophages. Death is also induced by interaction with M1 macrophages. We calibrate the model parameters from the experimental data in vitro, and then validate the computational simulation results by comparing with the in vivo experiments. Results: The longer-acting and spatially focused drug release from macrophages achieves a more pronounced lesion regression over the course of therapy than bolus injection. Balance of M1 (cytotoxic) vs. M2 (tumorigenic) macrophages can be manipulated based on therapeutic modality to maximize tumor cytotoxicity. Fine-tuning of the therapeutic parameters with the mathematical model shows that lesion eradication is attainable, and that it depends on the specific tumor parameters. Conclusion: An interdisciplinary approach combining experiments with computational simulation enables assessment of tumor-associated macrophage-based nanotherapeutic performance targeting hypo-vascularized tumor lesions, thus providing a platform for potential clinical assessment based on patient tumor-specific parameters. Citation Format: Fransisca Leonard, Louis T. Curtis, Elias Nassar, Xuewu Liu, Mauro Ferrari, Kenji Yokoi, Biana Godin, Hermann B. Frieboes. Computational modeling of therapy using nanovectors altering macrophage subtypes to treat hypo-perfused tumor lesions. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Engineering and Physical Sciences in Oncology; 2016 Jun 25-28; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B39.

Facile preparation of rare-earth based fluorescence/MRI dual-modal nanoprobe for targeted cancer cell imaging

Nowadays, cancer has become a serious threat to public health worldwide. Early and precise diagnosis is critical for the detection, monitoring and management of cancer. Herein, a facile strategy for developing a fluorescence/MRI dual-modal nanoprobe (FA-PEI-NaGdF4:Eu nanoparticles) has been reported for targeted cancer cell imaging. The fluorescence/MRI nanoprobes have strong fluorescence and the high signal-to-noise ratio, which is suitable for the fluorescence imaging. Moreover, the FA-PEI-NaGdF4:Eu nanoprobes have high longitudinal relaxivity, making them suitable for T1-weighted MR imaging. Additionally, due to modification with FA, the fluorescence/MRI nanoprobes could target cancer cells that possessed large numbers of folate receptors. The results of the cytotoxicity assay revealed that the nanoprobes had the excellent biocompatibility. With the high biocompatibility, excellent imaging performance and superior targeting, the FA-PEI-NaGdF4:Eu nanoprobes can be used as a promising candidate for targeted fluorescence/MRI cancer cell imaging and would bring more opportunities for the biomedical applications.

Organic Rankine Cycle system performance targeting and design for multiple heat sources with simultaneous working fluid selection

This work presents a systematic approach toward the design of Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) for the generation of power from multiple heat sources available at different temperature levels. The design problem is approached in a mixed-integer non-linear programming (MINLP) formulation where an inclusive and flexible ORC model is automatically evolved by a deterministic algorithm for global optimization. The basic building block of the model is the ORC cascade which consists of a heat extraction, a power generation, a condensation and a liquid pressurization section. The aim of the optimization is to determine the optimum number of ORC cascades, the structure of the heat exchanger network shared among different cascades, the operating conditions and the working fluid used in each cascade in order to identify an overall ORC structure that maximizes the power output. The approach is illustrated through a case study which indicates that a system of two waste heat sources is best exploited through two interconnected ORC utilizing different working fluids.

Towards Petabit/s All-Optical Flat Data Center Networks Based on WDM Optical Cross-Connect Switches with Flow Control

Scaling the capacity while maintaining low latency and power consumption is a challenge for hierarchical data center networks (DCNs) based on electrical switches. In this work we present a novel all-optical flat DCN architecture OPSquare that potentially addresses the scaling issues by employing parallel intra-/inter-cluster switching networks, distributed fast WDM optical cross-connect (OXC) switches, and a novel top-of-rack (ToR) switch architecture. The fast (nanoseconds) WDM OXC switches allow flexible switching capability in both wavelength and time domains and statistical multiplexing. The OPSquare DCN performance targeting Petabit/s capacity has been thoroughly assessed. First the packet loss, latency, throughput, and scalability are numerically investigated under realistic data center traffic model. Results indicate that when scaling the DCN size up to 1024 ToR switches, a packet loss ratio below 10−6 and a server end-to-end latency lower than 2 µs can be guaranteed at load of 0.3 with limited 20 kB buffer. Then, the experimental evaluation of the DCN by employing 4 × 4 OXC prototypes shows multi-path dynamic switching with flow control operation. The case deploying 32 × 32 and 64 × 64 OXC switches connecting 1024 and 4096 ToRs are emulated and limited performance degradation has been observed. The potential of switching higher-order modulation and waveband signals further proves the suitability of OPSquare architecture for Petabit/s and low-latency DCN by using optical switches with moderate radix.

An efficient fast-response content-based image retrieval framework for big data

In this paper, an efficient fast-response content-based image retrieval (CBIR) framework based on Hadoop MapReduce is proposed to operate stably with high performance targeting big data. It provides a novel bag of visual words (BOVW) technique based on a proposed chain-clustering binary search-tree (CC-BST) algorithm to build the visual statements for representing the image. As well, it introduces a proposed methodology for creating representatives for these visual statements as a solution for big-data' high-dimensionality. Further, those representatives are utilized to provide an indexing scheme for building one large file as an input for Hadoop. Moreover, an efficient-MapReduce technique is presented to exploit the created visual-representatives of the images to retrieve the top-relevant images for the input query. Empirical tests for the proposed techniques outperform the state-of-art compared techniques.

Online virtual isocenter based radiation field targeting for high performance small animal microirradiation

Advances in precision microirradiators for small animal radiation oncology studies have provided the framework for novel translational radiobiological studies. Such systems target radiation fields at the scale required for small animal investigations, typically through a combination of on-board computed tomography image guidance and fixed, interchangeable collimators. Robust targeting accuracy of these radiation fields remains challenging, particularly at the millimetre scale field sizes achievable by the majority of microirradiators. Consistent and reproducible targeting accuracy is further hindered as collimators are removed and inserted during a typical experimental workflow. This investigation quantified this targeting uncertainty and developed an online method based on a virtual treatment isocenter to actively ensure high performance targeting accuracy for all radiation field sizes. The results indicated that the two-dimensional field placement uncertainty was as high as 1.16 mm at isocenter, with simulations suggesting this error could be reduced to 0.20 mm using the online correction method. End-to-end targeting analysis of a ball bearing target on radiochromic film sections showed an improved targeting accuracy with the three-dimensional vector targeting error across six different collimators reduced from mm (mean ± SD) to mm for an isotropic imaging voxel size of 0.1 mm.

A modified innovation model for e-trading systems in South Korean businesses

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the adoption, use, and performance of e-trade systems in South Korean businesses. Design/methodology/approach – The authors developed a modified Technology Acceptance Model extended through resourced-based view theory, to address the performance aspect, hitherto neglected in previous studies. Using the new model, 114 businesses were surveyed, measuring relationships between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, e-system usage, and business performance. Latent mean analysis was performed to examine the moderating effects of high and low e-trading system usage. Findings – Through latent mean analysis, the authors determined that the influence of variables varies depending on the level of e-trading system usage. In both the high and low usage groups, perceived convenience influenced reuse of e-trading systems and reuse also had effects on business performance. Research limitations/implications – The authors only examined Korean enterprises, so it would be useful to also examine the foreign counterparts in international e-trade transactions. Follow-up studies could examine how the dynamics of the sector change over time. Qualitative case study approaches could better understand the perspectives of firms in relation to management strategy formulation and decision making. Practical implications – The results provide important insight for managers and policymakers concerned with developing electronic trading system strategies, and e-trading system contexts. Originality/value – Although many studies have explored relationships among perceived advantages, such as usefulness and convenience and use and performance, none have investigated the relationship between usage and business performance targeting e-trading systems.

The Effects of Central Bank Independence and Inflation Targeting On Macroeconomic Performance: Evidence from Natural Experiments

I investigate the effects of central bank independence and inflation targeting on macroeconomic performance in 26 advanced economies during the period 1980 to 2011. I find that both improve macroeconomic performance but inflation targeting is the more effective arrangement. When a central bank becomes more independent, it lowers the inflation rate and the variability of inflation but has no effect on real GDP or unemployment. When a central bank becomes an inflation targeter, it lowers the inflation rate, the variability of inflation, the variability of real GDP growth and the output gap, and has no effect on unemployment.