Relative Competitive Strength Research Articles

The strategic positioning and configuration of national mapping organisations as enablers of economic and social growth in South Africa

This paper explores the transferability and application of business-driven strategic thinking to that of a public sector context, namely national mapping organisations. These organisations exist throughout the world because the economies of the world require geospatial information to support economic and social growth. As such their strategic positioning within government is of prime importance. In South Africa, however, there is a paucity of knowledge in this regard and consequently triggered the research which forms the basis of this paper.A macro-environmental analysis suggests significant growth opportunities for the South African geospatial industry, fuelled by a micro-industry borne out of the 2010 Soccer World Cup event. A profile description of the characteristics of consequence, boundaries between the private and public the industry and expected changes reflect a large industry which is expanding at a rapid rate but is fragmented and displays a complex network-system of inter and intra-industry relationships. As such it is attracting increasing numbers of competitors but, as an industry, appears to be slow to adjust to technological advancement. An internal analysis of the value chain of the National Mapping Organisation (NMO), the single most important player in the local public sector geospatial industry, reveals significant value creation in its inhouse activities. However, the external deconstructed operations, outbound logistics and procurement processes are not allowing the organisation to realise any benefits from efficiencies it may introduce. Key to achieving efficiencies lies in the human capital, which by all accounts, it is failing to retain.Future strategic thrusts for the NMO have been identified by constructing a SWOT model and by analysing its relative competitive strength. These thrusts were found to concentrate on actions and themes related to staff, communication, marketing, general management, production (cost and capacity) and product (quality and innovation). Interpreting and applying those themes on an interorganisational basis will enable the NMO to best position itself in the industry. In this regard sufficient related strategic fit is evident between the value chains of the NMO, The Satellite Application Centre (SAC) and Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), enabling the NMO to leverage on the sales, marketing and distribution activities of SAC and the financial leveraging capabilities of Stats SA.This paper has presented an example of how delivering an efficient and effective service delivery may be hampered through the inappropriate strategic configuration of South African public sector activities. It is therefore suggested that the government revisits the strategic positioning of public sector organisations engaged in the provision of geospatial information.

Effects of heavy metal soil pollution and acid rain on growth and water use efficiency of a young model forest ecosystem

In a 4-year lysimeter experiment, we investigated the effects of topsoil heavy metal pollution (3,000 mg kg−1 Zn, 640 mg kg−1 Cu, 90 mg kg−1 Pb and 10 mg kg−1 Cd) and (synthetic) acid rain (pH 3.5) on tree growth and water use efficiency of young forest ecosystems consisting of Norway spruce (Picea abies), willow (Salix viminalis), poplar (Populus tremula) and birch (Betula pendula) trees and a variety of understorey plants. The treatments were applied in a Latin square factorial design (contaminated vs uncontaminated topsoil, acidified rain vs ambient rain) to 16 open-top chambers, with 4 replicates each. Each open-top chamber contained two lysimeters, one with a calcareous, and the other with acidic subsoil. The four tree species responded quite differently to heavy metal pollution and type of subsoil. The fine root mass, which was only sampled at the end of the experiment in 2003, was significantly reduced by heavy metal pollution in P. abies, P. tremula and B. pendula, but not in S. viminalis. The metal treatment responses of above-ground biomass and leaf area varied between years. In 2002, the heavy metal treatment reduced above-ground biomass and leaf area in P. tremula, but not in the other species. In 2003, metals did not reduce above-ground growth in P. tremula, but did so in the other species. It appears that the responses in above-ground biomass and leaf area, which paralleled each other, were related to changes in the relative competitive strength of the various species in the two experimental years. S. viminalis gained relative to P. tremula in absence of metal stress, in particular on calcareous subsoil, while P. abies showed the largest increases in growth rates in all treatments. Above- and below-ground growth was strongly inhibited by acidic subsoil in S. viminalis and to a lesser degree also in P. abies. In P. abies, this subsoil effect was enhanced by metal stress. Acid rain was not found to have any substantial effect. Whole-system water use efficiency was reduced by metal stress and higher on calcareous than on acidic subsoil.

THE INCOMPLETE‐INFORMATION SPLIT‐STREAM FISH WAR: EXAMINING THE IMPLICATIONS OF COMPETING RISKS

ABSTRACT. . It is now widely recognized that climactic regime shifts, which aperiodically alter a harvested fish stock's biomass and spatial distribution, may lead to distorted fisheries management decisions which negatively impact the fishery, both biologically and economically. This is particularly true for trans‐boundary migratory stocks, where optimal management relies on coordination among independent nation‐states. Unanticipated changes in stock distribution and abundance can upset expectations of national authorities, leading them to sanction inappropriate harvesting levels by their separately managed fleets targeting the same breeding fish stock.Our theoretical studies are based on a spatially‐distributed stochastic model, which we have called the “split‐stream model,‘ where two separately managed fleets harvest simultaneously at two separate sites. Our key assumption is that competing fleet managers, when harvesting noncooperatively, hold incomplete and asymmetric private information of current stock recruitment and spatial distribution. When subsequently negotiating to coordinate their harvests, they agree that they will share their information and then bargain over partition of the gains from their cooperation. This bargaining process takes into account the fleet's relative competitive strengths, particularly due to private information asymmetries.In this present article we introduce a more complex information structure than had been assumed in our earlier work (McKelvey and Golubtsov [2002], McKelvey, Miller and Golubtsov [2003], Mckelvey et al. [2004]). Specifically, both stock‐growth and stock‐split parameters vary stochastically and asynchronously. Thus, when harvesting noncooperatively, each fleet may possess private knowledge which is unavailable to the other. We examine the interplay of the harvesting game's information structure with other fishery characteristics, such as the fleets' economics and operating characteristics and their attitudes toward risk, to determine the implications of such structure for the outcome of the harvesting game. All of these changes are made to capture new conceptual phenomena and expand the range of applicability of the model.

Competitive dynamics in two‐ and three‐component intercrops

Summary Intercropping is receiving increasing attention because it offers potential advantages for resource utilization, decreased inputs and increased sustainability in crop production, but our understanding of the interactions among intercropped species is still very limited. We grew pea Pisum sativum, barley Hordeum vulgare and rape Brassica napus as sole crops and intercrops under field conditions using a replacement design. We collected total dry matter data from sequential harvests and fitted the data to a logistic growth model. At each harvest we estimated the relative Competitive Strength (CS) of the three crops by fitting the data to a simple interspecific competition model. The pea monocrop produced the largest amount of biomass from the middle to the end of the growth period, but pea was not dominant in intercrops. Fitting data to a logistic growth model emphasizes the importance of initial size differences for interactions among intercrops. Barley was the dominant component of the intercrops largely because of its initial size advantage. The competitive effect of barley on its companion crops, measured as CS, increased throughout most of the growing season. The performance of each crop species was very different when it grew with a second species rather than in monoculture, but addition of a third crop species had only minor effects on behaviour of the individual crops. Synthesis and applications. Including sequential harvests in experiments on intercropping can provide important information about how competitive hierarchies are established and change over time. Our results suggest that increased understanding of the role of asymmetric competition among species and the resulting advantages of early germination and seedling emergence would be valuable in designing intercrops. More focus on understanding the mechanisms that govern interactions between intercropped species is needed for designing optimized intercropping systems.

Effects of stressors on invasive and halophytic plants of New England salt marshes: A framework for predicting response to tidal restoration

Salt marsh restoration practices based on the reintroduction of tides to hydrologically-altered wetlands may be hindered by a lack of specific knowledge regarding plant community response to environmental change. Since saltmarsh plant communities are controlled by physical stress tolerance and competition, we conducted a field experiment that measured effects of saltwater flooding and competitive interactions on plants as a guide for predicting habitat response to tidal restoration. Six plant species of New England salt marshes were studied: halophytes Spartina alterniflora, Spartina patens, and Juncus gerardii and brackish invasive species Phragmites australis, Typha angustifolia, and Lythrum salicaria. Plant shoots were transplanted across a gradient of three flooding and three salinity regimes and arranged into pair-wise competitive combinations. After one growing season, saltwater flooding was found to decrease transplant survival, biomass production, and/or relative growth for all species. Reduction in halophyte growth was largely due to increased flood duration; brackish species were most reduced by increased salinity. Interspecific competition also influenced species growth, although the short duration of the study may have weakened these effects. Transplants paired with S. alterniflora had reduced growth, but combinations with Juncus produced increased growth. Standardized factors of stress tolerance and relative competitive strength were derived for the six study species as a framework for understanding community-level changes in marshes. As an aid to resource managers, experimental results can be used to predict plant community response to existing and potential alterations in saltmarsh tidal hydrology.

Information content of female copulation calls in yellow baboons.

In a wide variety of animal species, females produce vocalizations just before, during, or immediately after copulation. Observational and experimental evidence indicates that these copulation calls are sexually selected traits, functioning to promote competition between males for access to the calling female. In this paper, we present an acoustic analysis of variation in the form of copulation calls of female yellow baboons, Papio cynocephalus cynocephalus. In particular, we examine whether information about three factors-the calling female's reproductive state, the occurrence or absence of ejaculation, and the dominance rank of the mating male-is encoded in call structure and hence is potentially available to male receivers attending to the signal. Although several features of copulation calls were correlated with each of these factors, when all three were included in multiple regressions only reproductive state and rank of the mating male had independent effects on call form. These findings indicate that female copulation calls in this species signal information about the proximity to ovulation of the calling female and also the relative competitive strength of her mating partner.

The Interaction between Competition and Predation: A Meta-analysis of Field Experiments.

Ecologists working with a range of organisms and environments have carried out manipulative field experiments that enable us to ask questions about the interaction between competition and predation (including herbivory) and about the relative strength of competition and predation in the field. Evaluated together, such a collection of studies can offer insight into the importance and function of these factors in nature. Using a new factorial meta-analysis technique, we combined the results of 20 articles reporting on 39 published field experiments to ask whether the presence of predators affects the intensity of competitive effects and to compare the average effects of competition and predation. Across all studies, the effects of competition in the presence of predators were less than in the absence of predators, and the interaction between competition and predation for most response variables was statistically significant. Removal of competitors had much more positive effects on organisms' growth and mass than did exclusion of predators. Predator exclusion had much more beneficial effects on organisms' survival than did competition. The mean effects of competition and predation on density did not differ from one another. The results differed among trophic levels. Further understanding would benefit greatly from more field experiments that manipulate both competition and predation, that focus on a wider range of organisms and environments, that focus on population-level parameters such as density, and that report results more completely, including data such as sample sizes and variances.

Competition and Dispersal in Predator–Prey Waves

Dispersing predators and prey can exhibit complex spatio-temporal wave-like patterns if the interactions between them cause oscillatory dynamics. We study the effect of these predator–prey density waves on the competition between prey populations and between predator populations with different dispersal strategies. We first describe 1- and 2-dimensional simulations of both discrete and continuous predator–prey models. The results suggest that any population that diffuses faster, disperses farther, or is more likely to disperse will exclude slower diffusing, shorter dispersing, or less likely dispersing populations, everything else being equal. It also appears that it does not matter whether time, space, or state are discrete or continuous, nor what the exact interactions between the predators and prey are. So long as waves exist the competition between populations occurs in a similar fashion. We derive a theory that qualitatively explains the observed behaviour and calculate approximate analytical solutions that describe, to a reasonable extent, these behaviours. Predictions about the cost of dispersal are tested. If strong enough, cost can reverse the populations' relative competitive strengths or lead to coexistence because of the effect of spiral wave cores. The theory is also able to explain previous results of simulations of coexistence in host–parasitoid models (Comins, H. N., and Massell, M. P., 1996, J. Theor. Biol. 183, 19–28).

The Scope for Exchange Rate Passthrough in a Duopolistic Supergame

This paper represents one of the first analyses of exchange rate passthrough in a dynamic context. It explores the impact of exchange rate fluctuations in a duopoly where the firms interact over an indefinite period. In these circumstances there exists an incentive for the duopolists to tacitly collude. The paper investigates the manner in which exchange rate changes influence the inherent tension that exists between the incentives to collude and compete. It is shown that the sign and degree of exchange rate passthrough depends critically upon the expected duration of a change in the exchange rate and the relative competitive strengths of the firms. The predictions of the model closely accord with the empirical evidence on exchange rate passthrough.

Interspecific competition and juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): on testing effects and evaluating the evidence across scales

A review of 17 controlled experiments of interspecific competition between juveniles of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and other fishes revealed relatively little evidence to judge competitive effects at any scale. More than half were unreplicated and so inadequate to test either the existence or relative strength of interspecific competition. Most replicated experiments used one of two designs appropriate to address questions of interest, such as whether nonnative species affect Atlantic salmon via competition or whether interspecific competition from coevolved salmonids is greater than intraspecific competition. Replicated experiments spanned a broad range of spatial and temporal scales, and one well-designed field experiment yielded the strongest inference at useful scales. Nonnative salmonids being introduced worldwide into Atlantic salmon waters have the potential to invade, so experiments testing their effects are most urgently needed. Overall, juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) are suspected to have the greatest effect, partly due to their inherent size advantage. The potential for complex interactions or indirect effects to modify effects of nonnative species is completely unknown but may be important and needs investigation.

A Model of Woody-Herbaceous Biomass Relationships in Eucalypt and Mesquite Communities

A spatial simulation model was developed to examine the community-level relationships between woody overstory and herbaceous understory. The influences of individual trees on herbaceous understory were aggregated into stimulatory and competitive effects which were represented as indices. The net index at a particular point on the landscape was calculated by multiplying the indices of all trees having an effect at that point. Simulated sampling of computer-generated communities (calculating the net index at a number of randomly selected points) enabled the herbaceous production to be estimated for communities of defined tree density and size. The model was parameterized for eucalypt (Eucalyptus crebra F. Muell.) communities in northeastern Australia and for honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa var glandulosa Torr.)-mixed brush areas in southwestern U.S.A. When a net competitive effect exists around individual trees, a negative curvilinear relationship between herbaceous yield and tree density was observed in the simulations. If stimulatory effects dominate at the individual tree level, herbaceous yield at the community level was highest at intermediate tree densities. Thus the extremes of relationships seen in the literature can be reproduced simply by altering the relative strength of stimulation and competition in this model. The model can be used to examine the change in herbaceous yield at the community level following manipulation of woody cover.

Interactions between freshwater snails and tadpoles: competition and facilitation.

Freshwater snails and anuran tadpoles have been suggested to have their highest population densities in ponds of intermediate size where abiotic disturbance (e.g. desiccation) is low and large predators absent. Both snails and tadpoles feed on periphytic algae and, thus, there should be a large potential for competitive interactions to occur between these two distantly related taxa. In a field experiment we examined the relative strength of competition between two closely related snail species, Lymnaea stagnalis and L. peregra, and between L. stagnalis and tadpoles of the common frog, Rana temporaria. Snail growth and egg production and tadpole size at and time to metamorphosis were determined. Effects on the common food source, periphyton, were monitored with the aid of artificial substrates. Periphyton dry weight was dramatically reduced in the presence of snails and/or tadpoles. There were no competitive effects on growth or egg production of the two snail species when they were coexisting. Mortality of L. peregra was high (95%) after reproduction, but independent of treatment. Growth of L. stagnalis was reduced only at the highest tadpole densities, whereas egg production was reduced both by intraspecific competition and by competition with tadpoles. Differences in egg production were retained after tadpole metamorphosis. Tadpole larval period increased, weight of metamorphosing frogs decreased and growth rate was reduced as a function of increasing tadpole density. However, contrary to expectation, snails had a positive effect on tadpole larval period, weight and growth rate. Further, in experimental containers without snails there was a dense growth of the filamentous green alga Cladophora sp. We suggest that the facilitative effects of snails on tadpoles are due to an "indirect mutualistic" mechanism, involving competition between food sources of different quality (microalgae and Cladophora sp.) and tadpoles being competitively dominant over snails for the preferred food source (microalgae). In the presence of tadpoles snails will be forced to feed on low-quality Cladophora, increasing nutrient turnover rates, which results in enhanced productivity of microalgae, increasing tadpole food resources. Thus, tadpoles have a negative effect on snails through resource depression, while snails facilitate tadpole growth through an indirect enhancement of food availability.

The mathematical model as an aid to developing concepts concerning the soil-atmosphere-crop relation

The relation between light absorption rate and crop growth rate may be deduced from the kinetics of net photosynthesis showing that for a crop, such as winter wheat, growing from winter to summer this relation must be S-shaped. Altering the soil-solution nutrient level changes, in an opposite sense, the root:shoot ratio, thereby changing light interception. Destruction of live roots by soil organisms by increasing root growth enhances the long-life organic content of the soil. The relation between growth of the plant and the growth of seeds or tubers on the plant is determined by their relative competitive strengths for attracting nutrients.

Process and response in contemporary Urban development: Melbourne in the 1980s

SUMMARY In the current climate of economic restructuring, technological change and demographic transition, cities such as Melbourne are experiencing new and different pressures. That these pressures are exerted upon an already developed urban structure, and within a particular planning and administrative structure, means that outcomes vary from city to city. However, Melbourne, in common with a number of cities, is facing substantial changes in many aspects including the nature and location of economic enterprise, the structure and composition of the population, and the relative competitive strength of the region. The result is that Melbourne has experienced problems both in its ability to hold and continue to attract activities which provide a basis for further growth and development, and in the exacerbation of internal variations in the level of opportunity and quality of life available to different groups in the population. The role of government has traditionally been relatively minor in guiding the p...

The international competitiveness of Europe, the USA and Japan

The growing importance of Japan on the world market has brought with it changes in the international division of labour and a shift in the focus of the expansion in world trade away from the EC and the USA. What factors determine the shares of the EC, the USA and Japan in international trade? How dependent are these three economic powers on the world market? What conclusions can be drawn regarding their relative competitive strength?

Strategic Choice and Marketing Managers: An Examination of Business-Level Marketing Objectives

The author examines the choice of strategic marketing thrust for business units in multiproduct firms. In a survey, 86 managers in six firms provided their perception of several product/market and organizational context factors thought to influence strategic choice. The variables which best differentiated among business units with build, hold, or pull back strategies were the attractiveness of the market, the business unit's relative competitive strength, the level of entry barriers, and the organization reward system's relative emphasis on short-run business unit performance.

Structural changes in import market shares for apples in the United Kingdom

Changes in the composition of U.K. apple imports during the period 1963–79 are analyzed using a first-order Markov model applied to market share data. The goodness of fit of the model indicates that changes in market share have been systematic, stable and of long duration. The estimated transitional probability matrix sheds some light on the nature of this change by indicating the relative competitive strength of different exporters. The large increase in France's market share is examined and an estimate derived of the effect of U.K. membership of the EC For the years 1978–9, the two years after transition was completed, it is estimated that EC membership increased French market share in the U.K. market by more than 26 percentage points and decreased the shares of Australia and South Africa by 18 and 10 percentage points respectively.

Competitive interactions in Drosophila melanogaster. II. Measurement of competition

When individuals of two genotypes, A and B, are raised together in a single culture (a duoculture) the proportion of the two types which develop successfully into adults, and the phenotypes of these adults, will reflect both inter-genotypic competition between the genotypes and the intra-genotype competition within them. When only a single genotype (A or B) is used in a series of monocultures and the character is defined in such a way that its expression shows a linear regression on the density of the culture, the regression coefficient, bm, provides a measure of the strength of intra-genotypic competition. Where to a reference number, N, of genotype A (the indicator genotype) is added a variable number, x, of the other genotype B, comparison of bd, the regression on x of the expression of the character in A, with bm provides a means of measuring the relative strength of intergenotypic competition as it affects A; and if B is used as the indicator with A as the added genotype, the effect on B can also be measured. Substitution experiments, in which a number, x, of the added genotype are substituted for x of the indicator, can be used as an alternative to simple addition experiments, and indeed have certain advantages. The regression lines bm and bd must pass through a common point at density N, where only the indicator genotype is present and the expression they show of the character is a. A general method is described for obtaining least squares estimates of a, bm and bd (or bd’s if more than one series of duocultures is raised, each with a different added genotype). The standard errors of the estimates are derived, as is a test of goodness of fit of observation and hypothesis. The use of the method is illustrated by data from monocultures and duocultures of two inbred lines, Wellington (T) and 6CL (L), the characters followed being p, the probability of an egg developing successfully into an adult, and w, the mean weight of these adults.

Price-Cost Punning

Manufacturing and marketing equally share the responsibility of producing acceptable profits by effectively managing the product line price-cost structure. Marketing is responsible for establishing the firm marketing and pricing strategy and establishing reasonable long-range cost goals. Manufacturing is responsible for achieving these goals. The most successful firms will aggressively manage the price-cost structure rather than let it evolve in response to competitive pressures or as a result of normal cost reduction or process improvement efforts. This article presents a systematic process for effectively establishing price-cost goals in the context of long-range marketing strategy, and the firm's relative competitive strengths.

The Economic Forces Shaping Land Use Patterns

Abstract This urban land use model is based on the thesis that all activities in urban areas depend on convenient proximity to certain other activities. The owner of a business activity tries to minimize transportation costs to his outlets by minimizing distance. The relative competitive economic strength of activities is a major determinant of their locational patterns. The ability of any activity to compete for a good location depends on an income-density combination. If population, economic composition, household incomes, business incomes, and input-output patterns of business are known, a generalized land use projection can be constructed.