Three-tier Model Research Articles

Uncovering the factors behind new ventures’ international performance: Capabilities, alertness and technological turbulence

This research is based on the perception that the explanation of International New Ventures' (INVs) performance demands a process view, going deeper than the standard approach, in empirical papers, of testing a direct relationship between company-level antecedents and performance. A three-tier model was developed to investigate the process leading to INVs international performance, emphasizing the role of entrepreneurial alertness. Based on the dynamic capabilities framework, entrepreneurial alertness was envisaged as the mediating element between firms' capabilities and their international performance. Empirical research confirmed the hypothesized model. Firms' capabilities (entrepreneurial orientation, foreign market knowledge, and absorptive capacity) significantly influence the level of entrepreneurial alertness, which impacts on the levels of self-reported satisfaction with the company's international performance. The paper makes four contributions to International Entrepreneurship literature. First, it highlights the key role played by entrepreneurial alertness in explaining INVs' international performance. This is convergent with the dynamic capabilities view on firms' ability to sense and seize specific international business opportunities. Second, this study considers entrepreneurial alertness as a capability that is not limited to the entrepreneur, but it is an organizational capability. Third, it shows that entrepreneurial alertness does not exist in the vacuum, is based on a set of base capabilities, namely entrepreneurial orientation, foreign market knowledge, and absorptive capacity, that simultaneously leverage the INVs to sense possible opportunities and constrain the focus of opportunities to international markets, as a key element to foster INVs' higher performance. Fourth, it underlines the role of technological turbulence as a moderator of the relationship between entrepreneurial alertness and INVs' international performance.

Modelling Enterprise’s Coordinated Development Strategy with a Soft Fuzzy Rough Set

With the concept of sustainable development, enterprises are facing severe challenges in ecological protection and economic development. Approaches to improving effectiveness of the coordinated development strategy must continue to evolve to address uncertainty and hazards that may be encountered in the future. We propose a coordinated development strategy model based on the combination of soft fuzzy and rough set theory and construct its prediction model. For the multistrategy dataset in the paper, parameter for each kind shall be selected through converting the multistrategy data into two prediction datasets. An algorithm transformed by SFRC shall be subject to weighted average for each parameter. Furthermore, we use training methods and soft fuzzy rough sets’ learning algorithm to calculate, and the evaluating indicator rough set is constructed with a three-tier model structure. After the final rough set training is completed, test results show that the rough set model which has a higher rating accuracy builds a better completed business performance evaluation. By comparing the prediction effect, both SVM algorithm and multistrategy prediction model for the soft fuzzy rough set in the paper can realize effective prediction for the enterprise’s coordinated development strategy. Moreover, the prediction result obtained at the time of adopting boundary to get the expected value is superior to that of giving one fixed threshold. It shows that the prediction performance of the algorithm in the paper is more excellent and represents the advantage of the algorithm prediction performance at the time of adopting boundary to get the expected value. The model provides support methods to assist enterprise management in making more efficient and scientific decisions for enterprise’s coordinated development.

Frequency-size distributions of Wadati-Benioff zone and near-boundary intraplate earthquakes: Implications for intermediate and deep seismicity

We conduct a systematic analysis of the frequency-moment distribution of earthquake populations in Wadati-Benioff zones, motivated by a three-fold increase in the available GlobalCMT database since the previous study by Okal and Kirby (1995), in which some datasets may have been undersampled. We use 100-km depths bins, processed with both least-squares and maximum-likelihood algorithms, and apply an F-test methodology to assess the robustness of our results, in particular regarding multi-segment behavior within individual depth bins. Our results generally support Okal and Kirby's (1995), and the new enlarged dataset suggests the resolution of the third segment predicted by these authors for the 500–600 km bin in Tonga, in the framework of their three-tier model for two-step source saturation of seismicity generated by transformational faulting within a wedge of metastable olivine. In the 200–300 and 300–400 km depth bins, we find comparable behaviors, revealing the artificial nature of the traditional 300-km boundary between “intermediate” and “deep” earthquakes. Our view is that it may be deeper than 300 km, and fundamentally variable between distinct subduction zones.We extend our study by considering frequency-moment distributions for intraplate earthquakes in oceanic lithosphere before it subducts at trenches. Those results support the interpretation of seismicity in the shallowest portions of slabs as involving the reactivation of existing faults under a process of dehydration embrittlement. However, outer rise events occurring immediately before subduction feature different population statistics, which are probably related to the release of bending stresses of a different origin.

Parental surveillance and parenting styles: Toward a model of familial surveillance climates

This study examines parental surveillance of preadolescents based on location-tracking applications installed on their smartphones. Applying reflexive thematic analysis to 24 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with mothers of middle-school children, the study asks how mothers with different parenting styles describe their surveillance ideologies and practices, and what are the sociocultural imageries that motivate their use of location-tracking applications. The findings offer six criteria for evaluating different familial surveillance climates, organizing them in a three-tier model that demonstrates the multidimensionality of digital parental surveillance. Consequently, the study challenges the presumed link between parental surveillance and strict parenting styles (e.g., authoritarian, helicopter). Acknowledging the increasing normalization of digital parental surveillance, the study advances a balanced and pragmatic view of this trend while illuminating participatory methods of implementing what is often considered a suppressive practice.

A mixed-methods approach to developing and evaluating an SME business support model for innovation in rural England

Cumbria is a geo-political county in Northwest England within which the Lake District National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site is located. Whilst the area has a formidable reputation for natural beauty and historic assets, the innovation ecosystem is described as ‘patchy’ for a number of reasons. The county is one of the largest in England by area and is sparsely populated. This paper describes the needs, development and delivery of an SME business-support programme funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Lancaster University and the University of Cumbria. The Cumbria Innovations Platform (CUSP) Project has been designed to respond to the nuanced needs of SMEs in this locale, whilst promoting the adoption of research and innovation. CUSP utilizes a funnel method to support rural businesses with access to university innovation intervention. CUSP has been built on a three-tier model: Communicate, Collaborate and Create. The paper describes this project in detail and presents results in terms of output indicators achieved, a beneficiary telephone survey and wider economic forecasts. From a pragmatic point-of-view, the paper provides experiences and reflections of those people who are delivering and evaluating knowledge exchange. The authors discuss some of the benefits, challenges and implications for both policy makers and practitioners. Finally, the paper aims to serve as an invitation to others who may consider adopting a similar method of university-industry collaboration in their own region.

Bereavement interventions to support informal caregivers in the intensive care unit: a systematic review

BackgroundInformal caregivers of critically ill patients in intensive care unit (ICUs) experience negative psychological sequelae that worsen after death. We synthesized outcomes reported from ICU bereavement interventions intended to improve informal caregivers’ ability to cope with grief.Data sourcesMEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycINFO from inception to October 2020.Study selectionRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) of bereavement interventions to support informal caregivers of adult patients who died in ICU.Data extractionTwo reviewers independently extracted data in duplicate. Narrative synthesis was conducted.Data synthesisBereavement interventions were categorized according to the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence three-tiered model of bereavement support according to the level of need: (1) Universal information provided to all those bereaved; (2) Selected or targeted non-specialist support provided to those who are at-risk of developing complex needs; and/or (3) Professional specialist interventions provided to those with a high level of complex needs. Outcome measures were synthesized according to core outcomes established for evaluating bereavement support for adults who have lost other adults to illness.ResultsThree studies of ICU bereavement interventions from 31 ICUs across 26 hospitals were included. One trial examining the effect of family presence at brain death assessment integrated all three categories of support but did not report significant improvement in emotional or psychological distress. Two other trials assessed a condolence letter intervention, which did not decrease grief symptoms and may have increased symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, and a storytelling intervention that found no significant improvements in anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, or complicated grief. Four of nine core bereavement outcomes were not assessed anytime in follow-up.ConclusionsCurrently available trial evidence is sparse and does not support the use of bereavement interventions for informal caregivers of critically ill patients who die in the ICU.

If it ducks like a quack: balancing physician freedom of expression and the public interest

Physicians expressing opinions on medical matters that run contrary to the consensus of experts pose a challenge to licensing bodies and regulatory authorities. While the right to express contrarian views...

Energy and Makespan Aware Scheduling of Deadline Sensitive Tasks in the Cloud Environment

Cloud computing enables the execution of various applications submitted by the users in the virtualized Cloud environment. However, the Cloud infrastructure consumes a significant amount of electrical energy to provide services to its users that have a detrimental effect on the environment. Many of these applications (tasks), like those belonging to the healthcare system, scientific research, the Internet of Things (IoT), and others, are deadline-sensitive. Hence efficient scheduling of tasks is essential to prevent deadline violation, decrease makespan, and at the same time reduce energy consumption. To address this issue, we have considered the bi-objective optimization problem of minimization of energy and makespan and have proposed two scheduling approaches for independent, deadline-sensitive tasks in a heterogeneous Cloud environment. Our first approach is a greedy heuristic based on the Linear Weighted Sum technique. The second one is based on Ant Colony Optimization and uses a combination of heuristic search and positive feedback of information to improve the solution. Both approaches use a three-tier model where tasks are scheduled by taking into account the properties of three entities- tasks, VMs, and hosts. Moreover, we have proposed a suitable strategy for scaling of Cloud resources to improve energy-efficiency and task schedulability. Extensive simulations using Google Cloud trace-logs and comparison with some state-of-art approaches validate the effectiveness of our proposed scheduling techniques in achieving a proper trade-off between the energy consumption of the virtualized Cloud infrastructure and the average makespan of the tasks.

Data sharing to improve concordance in variant interpretation across laboratories: results from the Canadian Open Genetics Repository

BackgroundThis study aimed to identify and resolve discordant variant interpretations across clinical molecular genetic laboratories through the Canadian Open Genetics Repository (COGR), an online collaborative effort for variant sharing and...

Creation of Center for Public Health and Medical Prevention of Moscow as a structure for population-level prevention in metropolis

Introduction. Since 2011, Moscow has been implementing a three-level model for prevention of noncommunicable diseases. At the first (population) level, as part of interagency interaction, health authorities are developing measures to promote population's commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Aims. To provide rationale for management decision on creation of the Center for Public Health and Medical Prevention of Moscow in State Budgetary Institution “Research Institute for Healthcare Organization and Medical Management of Moscow Healthcare Department”. The goal of the Center is to develop new urban policy in improving public health based on interdepartmental interaction by providing scientific, methodological and organizational support to promote population’s commitment to a healthy lifestyle. Materials and methods. Authors analyzed and assessed development issues of primary prevention at the population level using open data on the Internet, statistical databases of Rosstat and Mosgorstat. Content, statistical and documentary analyses were also used. Results. Currently, Moscow puts an emphasis on prevention, and for this purpose implemented a three-tier model for prevention of non-communicable diseases. At the population level, as part of interdepartmental interaction, it is required to develop measures aimed at improving healthcare, creating a health-preserving environment in the city, and forming a commitment to a healthy lifestyle among the population. Implementation gaps to a decree have been narrowed; and health authorities have created an institution that works towards the goal of strengthening public health in Moscow, covering the entire population of Moscow, and that interacts in the interests of healthcare with government bodies, departments, media and civil society. The current situation, including challenges due to COVID-19 pandemic, required wider participation of authorities and departments, leadership of administrative districts in strengthening public health, coordination and monitoring of all business processes to improve public health. Conclusion. It has been substantiated that public participation in preventive measures is not enough. To solve the issues one should develop and implement large-scale programs and projects to improve public health with more active involvement of authorities and departments of administrative districts, consultative and methodological support, taking into account the existing territorial characteristics of administrative and municipal districts of Moscow, including improving health quality of workers.

Оцінка готовності України до міжнародного автоматичного обміну інформацією в податкових цілях

The implementation of a constituent element of a three-tier model of transfer pricing documentation – a report in the context of the countries of the multinational group of companies – is a prerequisite for Ukraine's joining the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement as a measure for implementation of Action 13. The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, together with the State Tax Service of Ukraine, developed a Roadmap on preparation and harmonization of the draft regulatory legal acts necessary to ensure implementation of the Law of Ukraine dated January 16, 2020 No. 466-IX, according to which the development, approval and registration of the regulatory legal acts for the country-by-country reporting and the procedure for filling it out must be completed until November 23, 2020. The purpose of the article is to determine the institutional basis for improving the legislation of Ukraine in the field of international exchange of information for tax purposes, in particular, the development of recommendations and proposals of the OECD in the field of country-by-country reporting of the multinational group of companies. In the course of study, the authors examined the OECD documents that form the institutional basis for the development of methodological and organizational support for reporting in the context of countries. In accordance with Action 13 of the BEPS Action Plan, jurisdictions of the world have undertaken to increase the transparency of taxation by enshrining in law the requirement to disclose information on the general distribution of their income, taxes and other indicators by the location of economic activity of multinational group of companies. The comparative analysis of the termino­logy and content of information to be disclosed in the country-by-country reporting in accordance with OECD documentation and Law № 466-IX shows that there is a discrepancy in terminology, indicators and degree of data disclosure in some indicators.

A Community-Based Model to the COVID-19 Humanitarian Crisis.

A multidisciplinary group, mainly from Bergamo region - the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in Italy on march 2020– has developed concept of creating intermediate care facilities and proposes a three-tier model of community-based care, with the goal of reducing hospital admissions, contagion and mortality related to hospital overloading and optimizing human resources.

Responding to the new International Classification of Diseases-11 prolonged grief disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic: a new bereavement network and three-tiered model of care

The field of bereavement research and care is at a tipping point. The introduction of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) has ignited clinical interest in this new disorder, along with debate over challenges in validating and implementing these new criteria. At the same time, the global COVID-19 pandemic has launched several local and international efforts to provide urgent support and comfort for individuals and communities suffering from grief. Recently, grief experts have called for a collective response to these complicated bereavements and possible increase in PGD due to COVID-19. Here we outline a new European network that aims to unite a community of grief researchers and clinicians to provide accessible, evidence-based support particularly during times of unprecedent crisis.The Bereavement Network Europe (BNE) has been developed with two main aims. Firstly, to develop expert agreed, internationally acceptable guidelines for bereavement care through a three-tiered approach. Secondly, to provide a platform for researchers and clinicians to share knowledge, collaborate, and develop consensus protocols to facilitate the introduction of PGD to diverse stakeholders.This article outlines the current status and aims of the BNE along with the plans for upcoming network initiatives and the three-tiered bereavement care guidelines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Self-Paced Formative Assessment: Concept and Applications in Learning ESL Vocabulary

The concept paper discusses the self-paced formative assessment in the context of the ESL classroom vocabulary instruction. In this paper, the concept is discussed along with the history and emergence of language learning strategies from the core of language theories. The explorations of past studies reveal the importance of an assessment method that helps learners identify their needs and their preferred learning strategies. The self-paced assessment technique is described as self-directed and important in helping learners acquire vocabulary more effectively. The study focuses on past studies that document the implications, issues of employing self-paced assessment in the second language classroom, the advantage and constrains on self-paced assessment in contextof second language classroom. Primary ideas like word recognition, the three-tier model and word meanings are discussed to elaborate the concept of self-paced assessment and how it should work in vocabulary instruction. The major implications of this study are in the designing and implementation of second language lessons where teachers should focus more on providing room for learners to direct their assessments. As for future researches, a sound methodology for experimentation is recommended to fully explore the feasibility of self-paced assessments in the ESL classroom. It is believed that self-paced formative assessment would enhance vocabulary mastery among ESL learners. Hence, this paper explains how self-paced formative assessment assists in learning vocabulary.

Implementation and Performance Analysis of Hybrid Cryptographic Schemes applied in Cloud Computing Environment

Cloud computing provides customers with infrastructure, platform, and software as services through the internet in a cost-effective way based on user demand. Sensitive or confidential information might be stored on the cloud servers and infrastructures that are neither controlled nor maintained by the customers, which might be a potential data breach. Therefore, security is the basic concern that limits the advantages of cloud computing. Cryptography plays a vital role to achieve that level of security required on the cloud. Hybrid cryptography takes the advantage of integrating more than one cryptographic algorithms to enhance the overall security and performance. In our research, we have proposed a comparative study for two-tier versus three-tier hybrid cryptographic models applied to secure data on the cloud. Practical implementation was made to the studied hybrid models using python simulation. Finally, a performance analysis was conducted in terms of encryption time, decryption time, average throughput, and efficiency using relatively larger data files. According to the experimental results, we observed the superiority of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) hybrid model among the other algorithms in terms of performance. Also, we found that the two-tier hybrid cryptographic model is more efficient than the three-tier model, but the latter provides more security. We intend to present a scientific contribution in the field of cloud computing data security.

Technological Strikebreaking: A Case Study of Quebec’s Anti-Scab Legislation

The right to strike has been constitutionally protected in Canada since 2015. In other jurisdictions where the right to strike is explicitly recognized in the constitution, protection against strikebreaking is recognized as part of that right. Only two Canadian provinces restrict the use of replacement workers during a strike or a lockout. Quebec’s Labour Code has provisions that prohibit the use of replacement workers at the employer’s establishment. Quebec arbitrators, courts, and boards have interpreted this ill-defined concept as a strictly physical location of production, while ignoring technological advances that make remote work possible. This paper examines how the restrictive interpretation of establishment allows a form of strikebreaking that the Spanish Constitutional Court has described as “technological strikebreaking” (esquirolaje technologico), while also allowing the use of technology already at the employer’s disposal to circumvent restrictions on replacement workers even when such technology is not routinely used. The impact of technology on strikebreaking is examined through two case studies: the successive lockouts at the Journal de Québec and the Journal de Montréal. In both cases, external contributors provided the newspapers with content electronically, thus allowing uninterrupted publication. Using Katz, Kochan and Colvil’s three-tier model of collective bargaining, this paper looks at how technological strikebreaking disrupts not only the balance of bargaining power but also bargaining strategy, and how, in the case of the Journal de Montréal, it led to devastating bargaining outcomes. Though the lockouts led to a call for legislative reform in 2011, legislative change is not necessary to align existing provisions with the goal of shortening labour disputes.

Mathematical Analysis of a Three-Tiered Model of Anaerobic Digestion

In this paper, we are interested in a mechanistic model describing the anaerobic mineralization of chlorophenol in a three-step food-web. The model is a six-dimensional system of ordinary differential equations. In our study, we take into account the phenol and the hydrogen input concentrations as well as the maintenance terms. Moreover, we consider the case of a large class of growth rates, instead of specific kinetics. In this general case, a recent study shows that the system can have up to eight steady states and their existence conditions were analytically determined. We focus here on the necessary and sufficient conditions of the local stability of the steady states, according to the four operating parameters of the process, which are the dilution rate and the chlorophenol, phenol and hydrogen input concentrations. In previous studies, this stability analysis was performed only numerically. Using the Lienard-Chipart stability criterion, we show that the positive steady state can be unstable and we give numerical evidence for a supercritical Hopf bifurcation with the appearance of a stable periodic orbit. We give two bifurcation diagrams with respect to the dilution rate, first, and then to the chlorophenol input concentration as the bifurcating parameters, showing that the system can present rich behavior including bistability, coexistence and occurrence of limit cycle.

ІМПЛЕМЕНТАЦІЯ ВИМОГ МІЖНАРОДНОГО ТРАНСФЕРТНОГО ЦІНОУТВОРЕННЯ НА ПІДПРИЄМСТВАХ УКРАЇНИ: ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ

The features of transfer pricing in Ukraine have been considered. It has been established that transfer pricing in Ukraine is at the stage of formation. The features and prospects for the implementation of international transfer pricing requirements using the «Three-tier model of transfer pricing documentation recommended by the OECP (step 13 of the BEPS plan)» have been identified. The legal aspects of regulating the prevention and minimization of the movement of profits, tax evasion by transnational corporations, in particular, the BEPS package, and others have been considered. The place of Ukraine in the Paying Taxes rating in 2015-2020 is determined. Trends 2015-2020 testify to the formation of tax discipline regarding the timeliness and completeness of reporting on transfer pricing. The dynamics of the submitted reports on controlled transactions in Ukraine in quantitative and value terms in 2013-2020 has been analyzed. The volume of controlled transactions by country and by subject of transactions in 2020 was investigated. It was found that the largest share in the total volume of controlled transactions is occupied by banking services (37%) and transactions with goods (35%), and the largest volume of controlled transactions is carried out in Switzerland. The features of the implementation in Ukraine of the BEPS plan as an international project of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the G20 countries are considered. The innovations in tax legislation in the field of transfer pricing and the peculiarities of introducing a three-level reporting structure on transfer pricing in Ukraine have been described. The World Transfer Pricing 2022 rating of Ukrainian companies offering transfer pricing services is presented. The problems that hinder the effective implementation of the requirements of international transfer pricing in Ukraine have been identified and measures have been proposed that should be taken to overcome them.

Best practices for Impact Benefit Agreements

Impact benefit agreements (IBAs) are an increasingly common tool in resource development. However, the effectiveness of IBAs in achieving community and development objectives can vary widely depending on the negotiating process, the components of the IBA, and implementation and management of the IBA. This paper provides a comprehensive best practices framework for developing and managing IBAs from the perspective of impacted communities, based on a synthesis of recommendations from academic, industry, governmental, and non-governmental organization literature. The best practices are presented in a three-tier model comprised of 10 general best practice criteria, 44 sub-criteria and 89 indicators. The criteria are presented in the form of a checklist that can be used to guide the negotiation, implementation and management of IBAs and to conduct ex post IBA evaluations. While the best practices have been developed from the perspective of impacted communities to achieve better IBA outcomes, these best practices will also be helpful to academics and others who want to evaluate IBAs, and to resource developers who are interested in negotiating effective IBAs with their community partners.

Veganism as Left Praxis

ABSTRACT The production of meat and other animal-sourced foods, especially in their industrialized form, entails significant exploitation of animals, labor, and the natural environment. However, concern with animals is often sidelined in left and progressive politics, and veganism is often derided by leftists as a liberal project. Many contend that veganism is fixated on consumerism, asceticism, identity, and deontological ethics, and is insensitive to the oppressions perpetrated by Western, capitalist epistemologies and economic structures. Responding to these charges, this article argues that veganism conceived as a boycott aligns with existing Left commitments to social and environmental justice, and also those concomitant with a trans-species anti-exploitation ethic. The authors elaborate a specific definition of veganism as a boycott, situate it as a tactic within the broader political horizon of total liberation – schematized as a three-tier model for political action – and explain why it offers an effective form of eroding capitalism and other systems of domination. The authors conclude that refusing to consume animal products has tangible economic and social impacts, increases solidarity between human and nonhuman populations, and sensitizes individuals and communities to the socio-political effects of their consumer behavior.