Competitive Success Research Articles

The Effect of Public Safety Policies on Crime Reduction in France

Purpose: To aim of the study was to analyze the effect of public safety policies on crime reduction in France. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Leadership in Indian organizations plays a pivotal role in enhancing organizational learning and knowledge management by promoting knowledge sharing, continuous learning, and innovation. Effective leaders facilitate the retention of critical knowledge and improve decision-making processes, thereby driving competitive advantage and organizational success. This leadership approach fosters a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability, essential for thriving in dynamic business environments. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Routine activity theory, social disorganization theory & broken windows theory may be used to anchor future studies on the effect of public safety policies on crime reduction in France. Enhance training programs for police officers to include comprehensive modules on community engagement, cultural competency, and communication skills. Encourage the adoption of diverse public safety policies tailored to the unique needs of different communities. Policymakers should prioritize flexibility and adaptability in policy design, allowing for the integration of multiple strategies based on local crime dynamics and community feedback.

Feedback, training, goal-setting, planning and performance: understanding the pathway to improved organizational outcomes

PurposeAs competitive pressures persist and global economic influences continue to present new challenges, businesses need to be able to respond to emerging circumstances. Goal-setting and planning are key mechanisms contributing to organizational competitive success, yet organizations underappreciate the role of competency and capacity building factors that contribute to successful planning. This paper integrates three theoretical models enabling an investigation into the positive relationships between managerial activities generating information feedback, training in planning and skills and organizational performance outcomes, while exploring the positive mediating roles of goal-setting and planning.Design/methodology/approachA unique organizational sample of agribusiness producers (n = 499) in Canada is examined. A structural equation path analysis model is used to evaluate the main relationships.FindingsThe results suggest that organizations are finding that managerial and training activities should not be considered in isolation, but rather as supports for goal-setting, planning and performance outcomes. Thus, the implications are that managers can find organizational value enhanced through the building of human resource competency (e.g. management activities and training) with these emerging capacities aiding goal setting and planning activities.Originality/valueThis study makes three main contributions: first, by adopting a rational-design perspective and integrating theoretical frameworks focusing on (a) planning-performance and (b) goal-setting-planning. This extended model goes beyond previous studies by including managerial activities, training, goals, planning and performance outcomes. Second, this study uniquely accounts for a more comprehensive set of key confounding factors such as operational activities, organizational strategy and organizational size in the integrated framework. Finally, as far as the authors are aware, there has not been a survey study at the organizational level that has explored the role of managerial activities and training in planning within a similarly comprehensive model.

Are the Positions in the Word Ranking of Competitive Alpine Skiers Explainable by Prominent Polymorphisms in Regulatory Genes of Mechanical and Metabolic Muscle Functioning?

ABSTRACT Background: The success of competitive alpine skiers with respective to their world ranking (WR) positions might be associated with prominent gene polymorphisms. Methods: Twenty-six competitive alpine skiers were followed from 2015 to 2019 for their WR positions (FIS-ranking). Using PCR, the genotypes of ACE-I/D, TNC, ACTN3, and PTK2 were identified. The correlations between the discipline-specific WR position (slalom—SL, giant slalom—GS, super G—SG, downhill—DH, and alpine combined—AC) and gene polymorphisms were analyzed concerning an influence with multivariate regression models. Results: The WR position and the ACE gene as well as the copy number of the ACE I-allele exhibited reciprocal relationships for speed specialists (SG and DH) but not for technical specialists (SL and GS). Similarly, the gene polymorphisms ACTN3 and (partly) PTK2 were associated with the WR position in disciplines characterized by a high number of turns (technical specialists—SL and GS) and speed (speed-specialists—SG and DH), respectively. Conclusions: Our findings emphasize the contributions of aerobic and cardiovascular metabolism in fueling muscle work and recovering from muscle fatigue for competitive success in slalom-driven skiing disciplines and highlight the contributions of sequence variants in the genes ACE, TNC, and ACTN3.

Vpit: real-time embedded single object 3D tracking using voxel pseudo images

In this paper, we propose a novel voxel-based 3D single object tracking (3D SOT) method called Voxel Pseudo Image Tracking (VPIT). VPIT is the first method that uses voxel pseudo images for 3D SOT. The input point cloud is structured by pillar-based voxelization, and the resulting pseudo image is used as an input to a 2D-like Siamese SOT method. The pseudo image is created in the Bird’s-eye View (BEV) coordinates; and therefore, the objects in it have constant size. Thus, only the object rotation can change in the new coordinate system and not the object scale. For this reason, we replace multi-scale search with a multi-rotation search, where differently rotated search regions are compared against a single target representation to predict both position and rotation of the object. Experiments on KITTI [1] Tracking dataset show that VPIT is the fastest 3D SOT method and maintains competitive Success and Precision values. Application of a SOT method in a real-world scenario meets with limitations such as lower computational capabilities of embedded devices and a latency-unforgiving environment, where the method is forced to skip certain data frames if the inference speed is not high enough. We implement a real-time evaluation protocol and show that other methods lose most of their performance on embedded devices; while, VPIT maintains its ability to track the object.

Innovation vs. Tradition: A SWOT Analysis of 360 and Huawei Investment in R&D and Its Financial Outcomes

In the fast-evolving technology sector, the dynamic relationships between innovation and tradition form a critical pivot for companies that make their efforts to achieve sustained growth. This study conducts a comprehensive SWOT analysis to explore how two leading Chinese technology giants, 360 Security Technology Inc. (360) and Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei), face the challenge through their strategic investments in Research and Development (R&D). Utilizing qualitative and quantitative approaches, this research examines secondary data sources, including annual reports, financial statements, and industry publications, to analyze the impact of R&D investments on the companies' financial outcomes and market positioning. The findings reveal distinct strategies, with Huawei aggressively pursuing innovation, particularly in telecommunications and consumer electronics, while 360 adopts a balanced approach between innovative internet security solutions and traditional business models. The study highlights the double-edged nature of innovation - as a driver of growth and a source of vulnerability - and underscores the stabilizing role of tradition in the volatile technology market. By comparing and contrasting these approaches, the research sheds light on the strategic decisions technology firms face in allocating resources to R&D. The implications of this study extend to practitioners and policymakers, offering insights into fostering environments that support both innovation and tradition. This research contributes to the strategic management literature by providing a nuanced understanding of how technology companies can leverage R&D investments to navigate the complexities of innovation and tradition, ensuring a competitive edge and financial success.

Machine Learning (ML) Modeling, IoT, and Optimizing Organizational Operations through Integrated Strategies: The Role of Technology and Human Resource Management

In the dynamic contemporary business environment, the efficient optimization of organizational operations is crucial for companies to maintain competitiveness and secure enduring success. To achieve this goal, organizations can leverage a range of elements including human resource management, the Internet of Things (IoT), technology, time management, employee training, development, and customer relationship management. Enhancing operations through these factors offers numerous benefits such as increased productivity, cost efficiency, better decision-making, work–life balance, heightened satisfaction among employees and customers, boosted revenue, improved competitiveness, and sustained success. This research employed a blended research methodology, encompassing quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, to explore the effective application of these elements in optimizing organizational operations. Additionally, an artificial neural network (ANN) model was utilized to deepen the understanding of the relationships between key parameters and their impacts on organizational outcomes like productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness. The results indicated that technology had the most significant impact at 76.28%, underscoring the substantial influence of new technologies on organizational performance. Moreover, factors like human resource management, employee training and development, and customer relationship management also played significant roles in optimizing operations. The study identified various challenges to implementation, such as resistance to change among employees, lack of technical expertise, integration issues with legacy systems, and incomplete data, along with best practices to overcome these hurdles including regular performance evaluations, robust security measures, and personalized customer experiences. By adopting a holistic approach that integrates internal and external factors, this study offers valuable insights for organizations seeking to improve their operations, enhance productivity, and achieve their goals more efficiently. The findings emphasize the importance of a multifaceted strategy that harnesses technological advancements and efficient human resource management practices to propel organizational success in today’s fast-paced business landscape. Further research on the intricate interactions between these factors can provide additional guidance for organizations striving to enhance their performance and secure long-term competitive advantages.

Multidimensional performance characteristics of talented youth judoka: Dynamic balance and coping skills relate to international competitive performance

Understanding of the multidimensional performance characteristics (MPCs) that underlie performance and distinguish athletes of varying performance levels are key for talent development programs. However, in the Olympic combat sport of judo, including MPCs in talent development research is still a recent approach. Hence, little is known about the MPCs of talented youth judoka. Therefore, this study aimed to determine differences in MPCs of talented youth (U18) judoka with varying levels of success in international competition, specified by sex and corrected for body weight. Fifty-two international level judoka (males: n = 28, age: 16.7 ± 0.9 and females: n = 24, age: 16.3 ± 0.9) participated. Multiple linear regressions were performed with performance level as the dependent variable. Performance level was defined as the win rate at international competitions in one competitive season. Anthropometrical (e.g., body height), physiological (e.g., dynamic balance), and psychological (e.g., coping skills) characteristics were used as independent variables. Results showed that win rate of females positively relates to dynamic balance and coping with adversity, and negatively relates to goal setting and mental preparation ( R2 = .611, p < .001). Peaking under pressure positively relates to the win rate of males ( R2 = .152, p < .05). The extent to which MPCs explain competition performance differs between sexes. However, for both sexes, coping skills seem to be important. Therefore, it is recommended that psychological characteristics are integrated in talent programs of youth judoka next to the judo-specific, physiological and/or technical-tactical trainings whilst taking in consideration the individual differences.

Competing for research funding: Key elements impacting the evaluation of grant proposal

As funding is one of the key pillars of research activity, identifying the factors that impact the evaluation results in research funding competitions remains challenging, due to the heterogeneity of funding instruments. In this context, our study aims to identify the elements that ensure the application's success, comparing two perspectives: one of the applicant and the other based on the evaluation grid. The empirical investigation focuses on a survey of 243 Romanian researchers. As analysis methods, we use a binary logistic regression model to correlate the success in funding competitions for research projects with a set of factors considered determinants. The results show that the researcher's past performance influences the proposal's future performance/success, with the quality of the project director's previous publications, and its international visibility being the key drivers of successful research project applications.

A Study on the Percentage of Pacing Strategies in Elite Asian Rowers: Analysis of Crew, Boat Type, and Gender

Background: For optimal performance, rowers should maintain a consistent rowing cadence over the entire distances. However, the rowing cadence of each category can be influenced by several factors. Understanding the rowing strategy related to these factors may help improve rowing performance. Objective: This analytical research aimed to examine the pacing strategies used by elite Asian rowers in different categories: crew, boat type, and gender during competitions at the 2023 Asian Games. Methods: The official Final A competition results of 14 events, comprising 42 male and 37 female rowers, totaling 79 datasets, were used for statistical analysis. Pacing techniques for each category were analyzed in the 500 m intervals and expressed as a percentage. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess rowing interval correlation. Results: The 2- and 2X showed the most percentage change (9.56%), while the 8+ showed the lowest (6.83%). After 8.33% and 8.37% adjustments, sweeps and sculls were essentially identical. Male rowers changed 7.08%, while female rowers changed 9.49%. The 500 m and 1000 m interval had a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.462), while the 2000 m distance had a significant negative correlation (r = -0.750) and the 1000 m had a strong negative correlation (r = -0.818) (p0.05). Conclusion: Rower’s size and gender are the major factors influencing pacing percentage. Smaller boats are more affected than larger ones. Males are less different per interval than females. Crew, boat type, and gender may impact rowing performance during certain intervals. Coaches and athletes need specialized pacing strategies for competition success.

Relationships between sprint skating performance and insole plantar forces in national-level hockey athletes

BackgroundSprint skating is essential for competitive success in hockey. Previous studies have highlighted various measures of lower-body strength and power as key factors influencing sprint performance. However, while these studies have indicated a significant association between the ability to exert greater force and impulse into the ice surface, and the capacity to achieve faster sprint skating speeds, the direct relationship between these factors remains largely inferred. Research questionWhat are the relationships between insole plantar force variables, sprint skating performance, and their association with physical capacity measures, in national-level male hockey athletes? MethodsAthletes (n=13) performed 25 m sprint skating trials with insole force sensors and completed: ankle dorsiflexion and hip abduction range-of-motion (ROM), countermovement jump (CMJ), seated single-leg jump, and 10–5 repeated-hop test (RHT) assessments. ResultsRelationships were assessed using Kendall’s Tau rank correlations (τ), with significant relationships identified between mean relative weight acceptance impulse [WAI] and 0–5 m (τ=0.47) and total distance (τ=0.46) times. Additionally, significant associations were observed between mean relative WAI and: CMJ relative eccentric deceleration impulse (τ=0.44), CMJ eccentric peak velocity (τ=-0.46) and RHT concentric impulse (τ=-0.56). Finally, significant relationships were identified between mean relative PI for all strides and the 10–20 m split, with peak velocity (PV) (τ=-0.58 to −0.73); and between ankle dorsiflexion ROM and PV (τ=-0.57). SignificanceAthletes with faster initial acceleration and overall sprint performance times demonstrated lower relative WAI during their strides and employed a jump strategy that optimized concentric impulse with a rapid eccentric phase. To attain a high PV the athletes appeared to require a stride that maximized glide and minimized vertical force, with greater ankle dorsiflexion ROM potentially facilitating this.

Effective and Imperceptible Adversarial Textual Attack Via Multi-objectivization

The field of adversarial textual attack has significantly grown over the past few years, where the commonly considered objective is to craft adversarial examples (AEs) that can successfully fool the target model. However, the imperceptibility of attacks, which is also essential for practical attackers, is often left out by previous studies. In consequence, the crafted AEs tend to have obvious structural and semantic differences from the original human-written text, making them easily perceptible. In this work, we advocate leveraging multi-objectivization to address such an issue. Specifically, we reformulate the problem of crafting AEs as a multi-objective optimization problem, where the attack imperceptibility is considered as an auxiliary objective. Then, we propose a simple yet effective evolutionary algorithm, dubbed HydraText, to solve this problem. HydraText can be effectively applied to both score-based and decision-based attack settings. Exhaustive experiments involving 44,237 instances demonstrate that HydraText consistently achieves competitive attack success rates and better attack imperceptibility than the recently proposed attack approaches. A human evaluation study also shows that the AEs crafted by HydraText are more indistinguishable from human-written text. Finally, these AEs exhibit good transferability and can bring notable robustness improvement to the target model by adversarial training.

Organic Food in Athletes Diet-Narrative Review of Alternative Products in Sports Nutrition.

Athletes are characterized by special nutritional needs. Meeting their dietary needs associated with intensive exercise is a prerequisite for effective training and success in sports competitions. Hence, it is important to supply key performance nutrients, such as macronutrients, antioxidants, calcium, vitamin D, or iron, in adequate quantities. The increased need for these nutrients makes it necessary to look for food products on the market that more fully cover these needs. Such products may include organic foods. According to research, they have unique properties and are richer in selected nutrients, such as antioxidants. Hence, the aim of this review was to analyze the available literature as to whether organic foods have the potential to more fully cover the increased nutritional requirements of athletes for selected nutrients compared to conventionally produced foods. A narrative review of current literature was carried out. As the analysis showed, organic foods are characterized by a higher content of antioxidant bioactive compounds, a higher content of n-3 fatty acids, a better n:3/n:6 ratio, and a more optimal amino acid composition, which may result in an appropriate dietary ration design for athletes. In conclusion, organic food appears to be an interesting alternative to meet the special nutritional needs of professional and amateur athletes.

Setting sail for Paris 2024: Retrospective analysis of world-class ILCA 7 Olympic sailors' cardiorespiratory fitness (2015-2020).

The aim of this retrospective analysis was to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the cardiorespiratory profile of world-class ILCA-7 sailors (n=3, all males), through a longitudinal evaluation offering real-world data on physiological profile and exercise intensity domains. The cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) was performed by the same researchers using the same equipment during the study. Assessments took place twice a year, aligning with major international competition preparations. Participants trained and competed at the same sailing club in Split, Croatia, under consistent supervision from the same team throughout the study, winning a total of 21 medals at major international competitions. The recorded ranged from 51.7±1.6 to 61.9±3.0mLmin-1kg-1, respectively. Similarly, peak power output varied from 352±10 to 426±34W. The changes in physiological responses at the ventilatory thresholds were proportional to the changes in peak cardiorespiratory fitness capacity. Interestingly, the oxygen pulse measured in 2015 was 25±1mLO2beat-1. Over the subsequent 6 years, the O2 pulse marginally increased and appeared to stabilize at 27±1mLO2beat-1 in 2020, when these athletes were 32±3 years old. This work offers a broader understanding of world-class Olympic sailors' cardiorespiratory fitness, going beyond the standard assessment of peak to incorporate an analysis of ventilatory thresholds. While a direct link between cardiorespiratory fitness and competitive success remains ambiguous, the importance of a well-rounded aerobic capacity for excellence in ILCA-7 sailing class is evident. HIGHLIGHTS: What is the central question of this study? What are the temporal changes in the physiological profiles of three world-class ILCA-7 sailors? What is the main finding and its importance? Data on oxygen pulse adjustments suggest the involvement of compensatory cardiovascular mechanisms, likely associated with the isometric and quasi-isometric contractions inherent in ILCA-7 sailing. This is evidenced by the absence of an age-related increase in oxygen pulse, a phenomenon often observed in endurance athletes throughout their competitive careers.

An energy coupling factor transporter of Streptococcus sanguinis impacts antibiotic susceptibility as well as metal and membrane homeostasis.

Streptococcus sanguinis is a prevalent member of human microbiome capable of acting as a causative agent of oral and respiratory infections. S. sanguinis competitive success within the infection niche is dependent on acquisition of metal ions and vitamins. Among the systems that bacteria use for micronutrient uptake is the energy coupling factor (ECF) transporter system EcfAAT. Here we describe physiological changes arising from EcfAAT transporter disruption. We found that EcfAAT contributes to S. sanguinis antibiotic sensitivity as well as metal and membrane homeostasis. Specifically, our work found that disruption of EcfAAT results in increased polymyxin susceptibility. We performed assessment of cell-associated metal content and found depletion of iron, magnesium, and manganese. Furthermore, membrane composition analysis revealed significant enrichment in unsaturated fatty acid species resulting in increased membrane fluidity. Our results demonstrate how disruption of a single EcfAAT transporter can have broad consequences on bacterial cell homeostasis. ECF transporters are of interest within the context of infection biology in bacterial species other than streptococci, hence work described here will further the understanding of how micronutrient uptake systems contribute to bacterial pathogenesis.

Sistem Informasi LFC Digital Printing (Studi Kasus Pemesanan Online) Berbasis Web Pada CV. LFC Multimedia Grafindo

Good service to customers is the main key to success in business competition in the printing sector. By providing good service, customers will feel happy and with good service, of course, customers will always believe in continuing to use the products produced by the company. LFC Digital Printing is a company that serves and is engaged in Digital Printing, Printing, Merchandise, and Advertising. This company gets many online orders every day, especially online orders made by customers who are already members of the company. Ordering online at LFC Digital Printing is still using the Whatsapp chat application, which is quite a hassle because of the many chats from other customers. Based on these problems, it is necessary to create an integrated system from the customer with the LFC Digital printing company, namely "LFC Digital Printing Information System (Online Ordering Case Study) Web-Based on CV. LFC Multimedia Grafindo” in which there is an online ordering feature. So that with this system, it can meet the needs of customer orders more quickly and more efficiently. The author built this system designed using ERD and UML and using the PHP and MySql programming languages ​​as the database.

Anthropometric and Somatotype Profile of Elite Finn Class Sailors.

Determining the reference base of anthropometric parameters on a sample of elite athletes is one of the foundations of further research and forming a clearer picture of each sport and sports discipline. In this study, the aim was to describe the anthropometric and somatotype profiles of elite Finn class sailors and to determine the differences in the measured parameters between sailors at different levels of general competitive success. The subject sample included 57 Finn class sailors who competed at the open Finn European Championship. A set of 25 anthropometric variables were applied. The sailors were divided into three groups according to their level of general competitive success using World Sailing Rankings. Finn sailors had higher average values in almost all morphological characteristics when compared to the sailors in other Olympic classes. Considering the average values of somatotype categories, we determined that Finn sailors fit the endomorphic mesomorph somatotype category (3.94 ± 1.19 - 5.50 ± 1.19 - 1.63 ± 0.74). Significant differences were observed between more-successful, medium, and less-successful sailors in the variables of age, body mass, muscle mass, arm muscle mass, and endomorphy rating. These results indicate the possibility of selection processes and/or adaptation to sailing occurring in the Finn class. The anthropometric characteristics of Finn sailors compared to sailors in Olympic classes further "support" the Finn class being called the "heavy dinghy" male class. This study on anthropometric parameters, determined via a sample of top Finn sailors, may be of great help to coaches and young sailors when deciding on the selection of an adult sailing class.

Ecological and functional niches comparison reveals differentiated resource‐use strategies and ecological thresholds in four key floating‐leaved macrophytes

AbstractNiche theory has been widely used in ecology; however, few studies have attempted to combine information on functional and ecological niches (i.e., variation in traits and environmental requirements), especially for freshwater macrophytes. In this study, we aim to describe the functional and ecological niches of four key nymphaeid species (Nuphar lutea, Nymphaea alba, Nelumbo nucifera, and Nymphoides peltata) to investigate their environmental tolerance and functional adaptability. Twelve Italian populations per species were sampled. Functional and ecological niches were determined using hypervolumes based on eight functional traits and environmental variables, related to leaf structure and economics spectrum, and to water and sediment quality. Among the three Italian native species, N. lutea and N. alba showed intermediate niche size and position in the functional and ecological space, although N. alba appears to be less competitive due to a small functional niche and lower trait performance, which could explain its general tendency to decline. N. peltata appeared more specialized in its environmental requirements and characterized by highly acquisitive leaves, while the invasive alien N. nucifera exerted its competitive success by distinguishing its functional niche and expanding its ecological niche, through high investment of resources in leaves. Overall, all four target species share similar ecological niches, colonizing eutrophic ecosystems typical of intensive agricultural landscapes, but show different patterns in their functional niche. We demonstrate the applicability of an approach based on both functional and ecological niches to unravel species' adaptation and strategies.

Competitive interactions affect introgression and population viability amidst maladaptive hybridization.

The deliberate release of captive-bred individuals, the accidental escape of domesticated strains, or the invasion of closely related conspecifics into wild populations can all lead to introgressive hybridization, which poses a challenge for conservation and wildlife management. Rates of introgression and the magnitude of associated demographic impacts vary widely across ecological contexts. However, the reasons for this variation remain poorly understood. One rarely considered phenomenon in this context is soft selection, wherein relative trait values determine success in intraspecific competition for a limiting resource. Here we develop an eco-genetic model explicitly focussed on understanding the influence of such competitive interactions on the eco-evolutionary dynamics of wild populations experiencing an influx of foreign/domesticated individuals. The model is applicable to any taxon that experiences natural or human-mediated inputs of locally maladapted genotypes ('intrusion'), in addition to phenotype-dependent competition for a limiting resource (e.g. breeding sites, feeding territories). The effects of both acute and chronic intrusion depended strongly on the relative competitiveness of intruders versus locals. When intruders were competitively inferior, density-dependent regulation limited their reproductive success (ability to compete for limited spawning sites), which prevented strong introgression or population declines from occurring. In contrast, when intruders were competitively superior, this amplified introgression and led to increased maladaptation of the admixed population. This had negative consequences for population size and population viability. The results were sensitive to the intrusion level, the magnitude of reproductive excess, trait heritability and the extent to which intruders were maladapted relative to locals. Our findings draw attention to under-appreciated interactions between phenotype-dependent competitive interactions and maladaptive hybridization, which may be critical to determining the impact captive breeding programmes and domesticated escapees can have on otherwise self-sustaining wild populations.

Sperm performance in the race for fertilization, the influence of female reproductive fluid.

In studies of sperm competition, particularly in external fertilizers, the importance of the fertilization environment on the paternity share among rival males often goes overlooked. The female reproductive fluid (FRF), produced and released by females, creates the microenvironment that sperm encounter on their quest for fertilization and can generate paternity biases by affecting key traits in sperm competition. Yet, whether there is a direct link between FRF effects on sperm traits and its effect on competitive fertilization dynamics remains to be explored. Here, using the zebrafish Danio rerio, we compare within-female paternity share among two competing males and predictors of fertilization success (i.e. sperm traits) in the presence/absence of FRF. Our results unequivocally reveal a direct link between the direction and magnitude of the effect of FRF on sperm traits and the change in the competitive fertilization success of each male. This study demonstrates that the FRF directly mediates post-mating female control through its differential effect on sperm performance and that the FRF's effect on sperm quality alone is sufficient to predict the magnitude of the fitness effects. These findings highlight the need to consider the role of FRF in fertilization, avoiding biases resulting from an exclusive focus on male intrinsic sperm quality.

INTEGRATING KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION: A PATHWAY TO COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between Innovation and Knowledge management practices in organizations. The impact Innovations can have in sustaining competitive advantage and success in firms. There will also be a discussion on what kind of management strategies are usually used in businesses that enable easy access to Knowledge and results in novel Innovations. Although well-positioned KM is the most appropriate strategic response to resolve the challenges of Innovation, still some firms struggle to implement it successfully into practice. One important reason might be that even though KM is accepted as a very important resource at higher strategic level, in many cases it is not communicated with layers of organization properly. As a result, KM usually operates in isolation or addressed by simple IT solutions. This article discusses academic research articles, reports, and relevant books written by the experts of Innovation and Knowledge management. It concludes with a research gap, discussion and recommendations part.