Strategic Groups Research Articles

Essential Oils: Chemistry and Pharmacological Activities-Part II.

The importance of essential oils and their components in the industrial sector is attributed to their chemical characteristics and their application in the development of products in the areas of cosmetology, food, and pharmaceuticals. However, the pharmacological properties of this class of natural products have been extensively investigated and indicate their applicability for obtaining new drugs. Therefore, this review discusses the use of these oils as starting materials to synthesize more complex molecules and products with greater commercial value and clinic potential. Furthermore, the antiulcer, cardiovascular, and antidiabetic mechanisms of action are discussed. The main mechanistic aspects of the chemopreventive properties of oils against cancer are also presented. The data highlight essential oils and their derivatives as a strategic chemical group in the search for effective therapeutic agents against various diseases.

A Framework for Integrating Freight Transport, Urban Land Planning, and Infrastructure Management under Economic Geography Principles

This study presents a conceptual framework proposal for integrating urban freight initiatives (UFIs), or city logistics initiatives, into urban planning and urban management (UPUM) land use and infrastructure systems. As a novel approach, this framework integrates three components: Firstly, a conceptual basis on three economic geography theory principles—location, agglomeration, and urbanisation. Secondly, spatial analysis and subsequent clustering integrate companies’ spatial positions, their proximity to other companies, their freight intensity, and the characteristics of the zonal road infrastructure; these clusters are defined as freight traffic zones (FTZs). Thirdly, a functional yet strategic UFI clustering or grouping is proposed to work in an optimised and integrated manner with the FTZs’ opportunities for efficiency and reduced externalities. It is expected that the integrated result of these three components can serve to optimise freight initiatives and road infrastructure from a city governance perspective, reduce freight externalities, and function as a stakeholder cooperation tool from government-led, policy-driven perspectives. This research also identifies and characterises various variables influencing the emergence and existence (planned or organic) of FTZs and shows how these could be incorporated into high-level UPUM processes. Although it is deemed that the principles and methodological approach followed here could be common to urban areas, an example for the Metropolitan Area of the Aburra Valley (MAAV), in Colombia, is presented as an initial case study. Conclusively, this paper introduces a pioneering methodology for integrating UFIs into city or metropolitan governance, offering guidance for policymakers to promote sustainable freight systems.

Space tourism: an industry with a future?

Research methodology The case is derived from secondary sources, including publicly available reports and information about all companies directly or indirectly engaged in the industry. No primary sources were available. Case overview/synopsis This teaching case is designed for students to demonstrate their mastery of industry-level analysis in the emerging space tourism industry. It allows students to understand what constitutes the industry within the broader space sector and to apply analytical tools such as PESTEL and Porter’s Five Forces, with the option to discuss strategic groups. Students gain insights into how the industry is evolving within its broader environment and how companies could respond or differentiate themselves. Information is also provided for students to consider the broader social impact of a relatively new industry from the perspective of sustainable development. Complexity academic level The case is written for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in strategic management courses. The case placement is ideally in conjunction with industry-level analytical frameworks such as Porter’s Five Forces, PESTEL analysis, strategic groups (optional) and industry life cycle. Most strategic management textbooks cover these concepts in the first few chapters. For example, “Strategic Management, 14th edition” by Hill, Schilling and Jones (2023) covers these topics in chapter 2. Given that space tourism is an embryonic industry dependent on technological innovation, instructors might also use this case in innovation or entrepreneurship-related courses. This case could also be used to address critical issues, such as sustainability, in tourism management courses.

Efficiency of fluralaner pour-on in different strategic control protocols against Rhipicephalus microplus on Brangus cattle in a tropical area

BackgroundThe occurrence of higher winter temperatures in Brazilian areas with tropical and highland climates may result in a fifth peak of tick populations during winter in addition to the four generations previously described. Therefore, a strategic control protocol was developed with treatments in two seasons with the objective of controlling the generations of ticks that occur in spring/summer and those that occur in autumn/winter.MethodsThe study was conducted in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, from the beginning of the rainy season, November 2020, to October 2021. In a randomized block design, 36 calves were distributed into three groups: (i) negative control; (ii) traditional strategic control in one season (SC1S), at the beginning of the rainy season; and (iii) strategic control in two seasons (SC2S), at the beginning and end of the rainy season. The SC1S strategic control group was treated on day 0, November 2020, and twice more with intervals of 42 days. The SC2S group received three more treatments beginning on day 182, May 2021, with intervals of 42 days. All treatments consisted of 5% fluralaner (Exzolt® 5%) delivered via a pour-on dose of 1 mL/20 kg body weight. Counts of semi-engorged female ticks were performed on day 3 and every 14 days thereafter, and the animals were weighed at the same time.ResultsFluralaner showed a mean efficacy of more than 95% up to day 294. The two treated groups showed a decrease (P < 0.05) in the average number of ticks on day 3. In the SC2S group, the means were close or equal to zero throughout the study, while in the SC1S group, the means did not differ (P > 0.05) from those of the control group from day 231 onward. The final mean weight gain of each group was 76.40 kg, 98.63 kg, and 115.38 kg for the control, SC1S, and SC2S groups, respectively, differing (P < 0.05) from each other.ConclusionsTherefore, three applications of fluralaner, with one application every 42 days from the beginning of the rainy season in the middle spring, resulted in effective tick control for 224 days. When three additional treatments were given in autumn/winter with intervals of 42 days between applications, tick counts were reduced throughout the year. This strategic control approach may be indicated in years with climatic conditions that allow that population peaks are expected to occur in the autumn/winter period.Graphical

Identification of strategic groupsin the agribusiness sector

En los estudios sobre problemas de crecimiento económico de América Latina, es limitado el empleo del enfoque de la eficiencia empresarial como posible solución a las diferentes carencias, lo cual constituyó la motivación para centrar esta investigación en la caracterización de grupos estratégicosdel agronegocio brasileño con la inclusión de otros países concurrentes en la base de datos Economatica. El sustento epistemológico consiste en la concepción de una relación entre los conceptos, los grupos estratégico, el desempeño empresarial y el crecimiento económico. El principal aporte de este estudio consiste en la creación de grupos estratégicos que configuranel desempeño empresarial sugiriendo elementos para explicar el comportamiento de indicadores que explican el crecimiento económico, lo cual fue posible mediante el empleo de la teoría de los conjuntos fuzzy. La muestra fue compuesta por 34 empresas listadas en Economatica, con observaciones de los diferentes indicadores en estudio en once años (2005-2015).

Over-investigation and overtreatment in pediatrics: a survey from the European Academy of Paediatrics and Japan Pediatric Society.

Avoiding over-investigation and overtreatment in health care is a challenge for clinicians across the world, prompting the international Choosing Wisely campaign. Lists of recommendations regarding medical overactivity are helpful tools to guide clinicians and quality improvement initiatives. We aimed to identify the most frequent and important clinical challenges related to pediatric medical overactivity in Europe and Japan. Based on the results, we aim to establish a (European) list of Choosing Wisely recommendations. In an online survey, clinicians responsible for child health care in Europe and Japan were invited to rate 18 predefined examples of medical overactivity. This list was compiled by a specific strategic advisory group belonging to the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP). Participants were asked to rate on a Likert scale (5 as the most frequent/important) according to how frequent these examples were in their working environment, and how important they were considered for change in practice. Of 2,716 physicians who completed the survey, 93% (n = 2,524) came from 17 countries, Japan (n = 549) being the largest contributor. Pediatricians or pediatric residents comprised 89%, and 51% had 10-30 years of clinical experience. Cough and cold medicines, and inhaled drugs in bronchiolitis were ranked as the most frequent (3.18 and 3.07 on the Likert scale, respectively), followed by intravenous antibiotics for a predefined duration (3.01), antibiotics in uncomplicated acute otitis media (2.96) and in well-appearing newborns. Regarding importance, the above-mentioned five topics in addition to two other examples of antibiotic overtreatment were among the top 10. Also, IgE tests for food allergies without relevant medical history and acid blockers for infant GER were ranked high. Overtreatment with antibiotics together with cough/cold medicines and inhaled drugs in bronchiolitis were rated as the most frequent and important examples of overtreatment across countries in Europe and Japan.

The U.S. Automatic-Dishwasher and Hand-Dishwashing Detergent Markets: A Competitive Profile

The U.S. Automatic-Dishwasher and Hand-Dishwashing Detergent Markets: A Competitive Profile

Welcome to the neighborhood, what brings ya? Digital storytelling between strategic groups for winery authenticity

ABSTRACT Advantageously, smaller regional wineries need to differentiate themselves, but also need to build partnerships with their local competitors in order to develop regional brand identity. Wineries will form geographical strategic groups to create a common identity and communicate with buyers through digital storytelling. Regional wineries that perform this strategy have the advantage of collectively drawing customers into the region before attempting to distinguish themselves individually. This paper is to conceptually demonstrate the benefits of strategic groups and how they operate via digital storytelling methods. Oftentimes, regional winery groups can craft a collective identity that provides benefits, such as mutual trust and reputation. More importantly, the collective identity is done as a strategic group to reinforce authenticity to the individual wineries’ digital storytelling, to connect with buyers. Through a strategic group lens, we attempt to understand how collective winery groups use digital storytelling to create authenticity and enhance individual efforts. We investigate these efforts via regional wine collectives to understand authenticity development through digital storytelling. We introduce examples of wineries utilizing digital storytelling within their regions as a justification to study these concepts in the winery business. A call to empirically investigate winery strategic groups at a regional level is presented.

Inferring Point-of-Interest Relationship for Strategic Group Discovery Guided by User Demands

Inferring Point-of-Interest Relationship for Strategic Group Discovery Guided by User Demands

JOINT INTEROPERABILITY AND THE IMPORTANCE OF STRATEGIC COORDINATION GROUPS

On November 14, 2023, Director General Liam Price, International Special Services, International Policing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), presented Joint Interoperability and the Importance of Strategic Coordination Groups for this year’s West Coast Security Conference. The key points discussed were that the nature of criminality is evolving to increasingly encompass cross-border, technologically adept, and highly adaptable strategies, and policing organizations must advance and expand their tactics and training to create effective solutions. This involves creating common legal frameworks, emphasizing shared policing values and enhancing information sharing capabilities.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 12-18-2023&#x0D; Revised: 01-26-2024

A collaboration to harmonize COVID-19 health messaging and fill communication gaps during initial U.S. refugee resettlement.

To communicate with U.S.-bound refugees during travel to the United States during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, five federal and international organizations collaborated in a strategic work group to synergize COVID-19 prevention health messaging and COVID-19 considerations before, during, and after travel, as well as promote shared resources. This work group sought to establish consistent COVID-19 messaging, disseminate messages to partners, and identify message gaps as the pandemic evolved. In early Fall 2020, CDC released new communication materials, including a fact sheet, a welcome booklet, and infographics translated into 19 languages, to address refugee health partners' need for culturally and linguistically concordant educational materials for refugees. Rapidly changing health communications needs during the pandemic fostered opportunities for collaboration among federal and refugee health partners and highlighted a long-standing need among agencies to address health messaging across the continuum of care for refugees.

Interpol activities against environmental crime

The article focuses on describing the main areas of Interpol’s activities in combating environmental crime. It is indicated that Interpol’s activities in combating environmental crime include the following areas: crimes against wildlife, crimes in the field of fisheries, crimes in the field of forestry, pollution and related crimes. It is noted that an extensive structure has been created within the Organization to combat these crimes. In particular, a group responsible for combating environmental crimes was created - the Environmental Security Programme (ENS). The ENS aims to assist member states in effectively enforcing national legislation and international environmental law, as well as to ensure law enforcement cooperation, combine the efforts of various government agencies and encourage coordinated cross­border actions to maintain environmental security. It is noted that the activities of ENS are closely interrelated and supported by the Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Committee (ECEC). The ECEC helps INTERPOL to identify emerging patterns and trends in environmental crime and develop law enforcement responses to address identified threats; it acts as a strategic advisory group of INTERPOL on policy development and project implementation related to the prevention and suppression of environmental crime and law violations. It is emphasised that the ECEC has four working groups on crimes: Fisheries (FCWG), Forestry (FoCWG), Wildlife (WCWG) and Pollution (PCWG). Each group brings together forensic scientists and experts from around the world who work on threat-based activities and provide the Committee and INTERPOL with expert advice on how to respond to various threats. It is noted that INTERPOL also provides a range of other tools and services in the field of combating environmental crime: the I-24/7 system, notices, ecomessages, Regional Investigative and Analytical Case Meetings (RIACMs), Investigative Support Teams (ISTs), operations, National Environmental Security Task Forces (NeSts) etc.

Navigating Opportunities and Challenges: A Comprehensive Study of Venture Companies' Strategies and Competitiveness

To establish a competitive position in the era of relentless competition, the enduring secrets of venture companies lie in continuous technological innovations and ground breaking ideas. The categorization of strategic types and groups derived from the strategic dimensions of venture firms is expected to provide valuable insights for aspiring new entrants into the venture industry. This study examines the managerial shortcomings and financial constraints faced by venture firms in existing research, aiming to identify the core competitiveness of these firms by scrutinizing government support for start-ups and the challenges venture companies encounter in their interactions with large corporations. Additionally, the research analyzes the factors contributing to the failure of venture firms and examines the successful strategies employed by successful venture companies, endeavoring to address various challenges and illuminate success strategies through the perspective of successful ventures.

SHALLOTS PRICE PARADIGM IN INDONESIA AND ITS INFLUENCED FACTORS

Shallot is a horticultural commodity that, although it is minor, works as a culinary flavor enhancer in Indonesia. The fluctuations and dynamics of shallot prices contribute to the inflation rate in the Republic of Indonesia. Consequently, the government includes this commodity in the national strategic food group. This study aims to examine the factors that influence the dynamics of shallot prices in Indonesia. It analyzes the causes and provides alternative solutions to stabilize the shallot price. This research is a systematic literature review, which utilizes secondary data available on government information/data websites and several supporting articles. It used descriptive and explanatory methods to analyze the qualitative and quantitative components. The research also used the statistical regression methods, anova by Excel, and R software as differential analysis. This study shows that the most significant factors in determining shallot price are trade margin and transportation margin. Meanwhile, production factors have almost no effect regionally. The consumption factor and the length of the supply chain considerably affect certain areas. Expansion of the planting area, especially in the northern part of Indonesia, can be used as a complementary means to meet the demand for shallots on an ongoing basis. This research is a compilation of advanced analyses of reports on the performance of departments in the government of the Republic of Indonesia, taking into account and referring to the results of research by other academics.

Firm Competitive Structure and Consumer Reaction in Search Advertisings

Sponsored search advertising has become an important venue for firms competing for consumers. As a result, many keywords attract a large number of bidders, and the competing advertisers may be quite heterogeneous. We examine whether this heterogeneity impacts how consumers perceive and react to such competitions. To this end, we draw on the theory of strategic groups to prescribe the structure of the competitive environment and investigate how strategic groups impact consumers’ clicking and website-visit behavior when viewing sponsored search results. Our unique datasets that combine search results from Google and consumers’ clickstream data enable us to disentangle such an impact. We find strong positive externality for within-group competitors relative to across-group competitors: (1) consumers are more likely to co-visit two firms that belong to the same strategic group, as opposed to two firms from different groups when both firms appear in the search results; (2) the presence of a firm in the search results primes consumers to visit other firms from the same strategic group even when the other firms do not appear in the search results. Our findings contribute to the sponsored search and strategic group literature by theorizing and empirically verifying consumers’ website-visit behaviors from the strategic group perspective.

Side group dependent room temperature crystallization-induced phosphorescence of benzil based all organic phosphors.

In this work, we report alkoxy substituted benzil based all organic room temperature phosphors which showed crystallization induced phosphorescence (CIP). Nine title compounds were prepared with various alkyl lengths (OCnH2n+1: n = 8-16) and the effect of alkyl side group length on the phosphorescence performance was investigated, as compared to p-anisil. It was found that both phosphorescence quantum yield and lifetime increased concomitantly as the alkyl length increased up to nonyloxy (BZL-OC9). Further increase in the carbon number caused the phosphorescence performance to deteriorate due to greater conformational freedom of the side groups. An incredible quantum yield of 70% was achieved for BZL-OC9. A promising finding is that the increased quantum yield was accompanied by the increase in the lifetime relative to p-anisil, which has been historically challenging. Single crystallography coupled with UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed that a higher level of intermolecular π-π interactions was observed from p-anisil while more alkyl interactions with less intermolecular π-orbital overlap were found for BZL-OC8. As a result, molecular rigidification with less phosphorescence quenching was achieved for BZL-OC8 leading to enhanced performance. A precipitation study on a dichloromethane solution as a function of the content of MeOH (poor solvent) proved that the emission of the BZL-OCn system is truly aggregation-induced. The current work demonstrates that strategic side group engineering could be a promising approach to developing high-performance all organic phosphors as well as improving the properties of existing phosphors.

Конкурентоспособность и характер экономической модели вуза: эмпирические закономерности реализации программы «Приоритет-2030»

The relevance of the work is due to the complication of the quasi-competition model formed in Russian higher education, the severity and resource intensity of the tasks set by the state for universities not only to attract the resources and competencies of key stakeholder groups, but also to choose a strategy for developing competitiveness relevant to the chosen economic model, to develop a scientifically based approach to the formation of parameters of the economic model of a higher educational institution. A number of government support projects are being consistently implemented in Russia, including the Priority 2030 program, which takes into account the lessons and difficulties of its predecessors. However, with a sufficient number of studies focused on various aspects of the development of higher education, the issues of the coordinated choice of the development strategy and economic model by universities remain insufficiently studied. The subject of the study is the organizational and economic relations that arise in the process of forming and adjusting the economic model of the university, consistent with its strategic goals and objectives. The purpose of the work is to establish the features of the economic models of universities participating in the Priority 2030 program and applicants for participation in it in order to identify its empirical patterns. The article provides a typology of economic models of universities. The high stability of research universities with highly paid staff is shown, and strategic risk groups are identified. The proposals on the choice of the economic model of the university are formulated in accordance with the orientation and structuring of the strategic planning process.

The African Light Source: history, context and future.

The African Light Source (AfLS) project is now almost eight years old. This article assesses the history, current context and future of the project. There is by now considerable momentum in building the user community, including deep training, facilitating access to current facilities, growing the scientific output, scientific networks and growing the local laboratory-scale research infrastructure. The Conceptual Design Report for the AfLS is in its final editing stages. This document specifies the socio-economic and scientific rationales and the technical aspects amongst others. The AfLS is supported by many national and Pan-African scientific professional bodies and voluntary associates across many scientific disciplines, and there are stakeholders throughout the continent and beyond. The current roadmap phases have expanded to include national and Pan-African level conversations with policy makers through new Strategic Task Force groups. The document summarizes this progress and discusses the future of the project.

Making Malaysia A Logistic HUB: A Vision of PKT Logistics Group Sdn Bhd

Dato' Seri Michael Tio (DMT), the CEO of PKT Logistics, is returning to his residence after a busy day at his office in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. He will have dinner with his family and, after dinner, must consider next week’s crucial strategic group meeting. As a visionary entrepreneur, DMT is not just focused on the present success of PKT Logistics but is deeply invested in the company's core values and long-term ambitions. His leadership has already navigated PKT through numerous challenges, significantly contributing to its strong reputation and leadership position in the logistics and supply chain industry.&#x0D; &#x0D; DMT’s aspiration is not limited to maintaining PKT's current success; he envisions elevating Malaysia as a central hub in the ASEAN region. This goal reflects his commitment to advancing his company and boosting the nation's standing in the global logistics arena. Under his guidance, PKT has demonstrated remarkable growth, and its value system has been a cornerstone in differentiating it from competitors.&#x0D; &#x0D; As DMT prepares for the strategic meeting, he contemplates the future trajectory of PKT. He plans to propose a forward-thinking strategy to steer the company towards significant achievements in the next five to ten years, targeting 2025 to 2030. His vision includes expanding PKT's reach, embracing innovative technologies, and further integrating sustainable practices while nurturing the company's human capital.&#x0D; &#x0D; DMT understands that the logistics industry is rapidly evolving, driven by technological advancements and changing global trade dynamics. He recognizes the importance of adapting to these changes and staying ahead of the curve. Thus, his strategy for the meeting will focus on exploring new market opportunities, investing in cutting-edge logistics technology, and fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation within PKT.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Supplier selection of companies providing micro mobility service under type-2 neutrosophic number based decision making model

Environmental approaches play an active role in the production platform as well as in the supply chain. Studies that deal with supplier selection problems in the supply chain with a green focus have recently intensified. In this research, the supplier selection problem of companies providing “last mile” service, which is seen as the last step of transportation, is handled with a green focus. The supplier selection problem of these companies is differentiated according to strategic and non-strategic product groups. In this study, a green-oriented supplier selection proposal is presented for both the strategic product group and the non-strategic product group. The supplier selection problem is accepted as a multi criteria decision making problem (MCDM). Thus, the type-2 neutrosophic numbers (T2NNs) - based CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) – based Multi-Attributive Border Approximation Area Comparison (MABAC) hybrid model is applied to evaluate the green-oriented supplier. The motivation of the study is to determine the best alternative supplier type for strategic and non-strategic products groups. In this context, two cases are created, ten criteria are selected, and three supplier types are determined. Supplier types are as follows: (i) Classical suppliers, (ii) Hybrid-Classical to green centric suppliers, and (iii) Start-Ups & green centric suppliers. To devise a solution for addressing the research problem, the selection of the optimal green supplier type was accomplished through a recommended T2NN-CRITIC-MABAC hybrid model. Accordingly, for both strategic and non-strategic product groups, micro-mobility service providers identified Hybrid-Classical to Green Centric Suppliers as the most suitable green supplier type. In addition, the findings are strengthened by creating twenty-two sensitivity analysis scenarios. In conclusion, the T2NN-CRITIC-MABAC hybrid method introduced in this study represents a methodologically diverse, fuzzy logic-based approach with practical implications for supplier selection in the micro mobility services sector. Its application and empirical testing contribute to the literature and provide valuable insights for decision-makers in the industry.