Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Balanced Sourcing As An Important Attribute Of Operations Strategy: Reality Or Myth Among Ghanaian Firms?

Today's business context is more complex than the environment in the past due to globalisation, new technologies, rapidly shifting conditions in the marketplace, and competition arising from the most unexpected places. These important events have posed challenges for companies as far as sourcing is concerned. The process view of an operations strategy is particularly important because it focuses on how work is done. For example “how is sourcing done? ” Thus, it becomes important to answer the questions “who should perform an activity or process in the value chain? ” and “how we should manage the supply relationship? ” (Van Mieghem, 2008). The answers to these questions bring to focus the need to strike the optimal balance between a sense of cooperation and a commitment to competitive pricing. This is what Laseter (1998) termed “Balanced Sourcing”. This paper therefore seeks to classify firms used in the research into the four quadrants of the “ commitment to a cooperative relationship ” and “ commitment to cooperative pricing ” matrix. Such a classification should serve as a guide to operation managers of firms to review sourcing strategies for a better financial performance of their firms. A survey approach was adopted using 150 firms in the Tema-Accra metropolis. The operation managers of the firms were served with questionnaire and were also interviewed. The collection of the questionnaire took a period of three months and the interviews spanned one-and-a-half months. The collected data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). All four quadrants were represented by the firms though majority of them are found in the balanced sourcing quadrant. It was found that many of the firms have serious challenges pertaining to the sustainability of their positions. We also found out that benefits accrued to firms which have implemented sourcing strategies that emphasise cost and quality management. Keywords: Balanced Sourcing, Operations Strategy, Strategic Sourcing, Sustainable Competitive Advantage, Transactions
TAILORED FINITE CELL METHOD FOR SOLVING HELMHOLTZ EQUATION IN LAYERED HETEROGENEOUS MEDIUM

In this paper, we propose a tailored finite cell method for the computation of two- dimensional Helmholtz equation in layered heterogeneous medium. The idea underlying the method is to construct a numerical scheme based on a local approximation of the solution to Helmholtz equation. This provides a computational tool of achieving high accuracy with coarse mesh even for large wave number (high frequency). The stability analysis and error estimates of this method are also proved. We present several numerical results to show its efficiency and accuracy.
An examination of conditional asset pricing models in the Australian equities market

This article examines the link between macroeconomic variables and equity returns in Australia by testing conditional asset pricing models. We find that conditioning the Fama–French model with a series of macroeconomic variables does not considerably improve its performance. However, we do find that the Fama–French factors, SMB and HML, retain their ability to explain equity returns even after the model is conditioned on macroeconomic variables. Our findings suggest that investors do not adjust their risk premiums according to the changes in the macroeconomic variables we employ.
Impact of Intangible Capital on Productivity and Growth: Lessons from the Indian Information Technology Software Industry

This paper examines the impact of intangible capital, including human capital and organisational capabilities on productivity, using India as an illustrative example. The research breaks new ground in creating measures of intangible capital at a micro level. Measures of tangible and intangible capital are used to estimate a 'new economy' production function with panel data. Generalised method of moments techniques are used to account for unobserved firm heterogeneity and endogenous explanatory variables. The results indicate that intangible assets have a major impact on software sector output. This has important implications for public policy and corporate strategy towards the information technology industry, including for Australia. Copyright © 2007 The Economic Society of Australia.
Supplier involvement and customer involvement effect on new product development success in the financial service industry

This research investigates the relationship between customer involvement, supplier involvement, cross-functional department integration, and new product development (NDP) in the financial services industry. A survey tool was constructed and pre-tested. A total of 125 effective questionnaires distributed to financial services firms in Taiwan were returned. We found that customer involvement has a significant positive effect on the NPD process and on cross-functional integration, whereas cross-functional integration has a significant positive effect on the NPD process.
A Framework for the Quantitative Evaluation of Disentangled Representations

Recent AI research has emphasised the importance of learning disentangled representations of the explanatory factors behind data. Despite the growing interest in models which can learn such representations, visual inspection remains the standard evaluation metric. While various desiderata have been implied in recent definitions, it is currently unclear what exactly makes one disentangled representation better than another. In this work we propose a framework for the quantitative evaluation of disentangled representations when the ground-truth latent structure is available. Three criteria are explicitly defined and quantified to elucidate the quality of learnt representations and thus compare models on an equal basis. To illustrate the appropriateness of the framework, we employ it to compare quantitatively the representations learned by recent state-of-the-art models.
Interaction of aflatoxin B1 and fumonisin B1 in mice causes immunotoxicity and oxidative stress: Possible protective role using lactic acid bacteria

Abstract Aflatoxins (AF) are important foodborne mycotoxins implicated in human health and have immunocytotoxic effects. The aims of this study were to evaluate a new aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and fumonisin B1 (FB1)-binding/degrading micro-organism for biological detoxification, to examine its ability to degrade AFB1 and FB1 in liquid medium, and to evaluate its potential in vivo protective role against any combined effects from AFB1 and FB1 on host splenocyte caspase-3 activity (reflecting DNA damage/cell death) and mRNA levels of select inflammation-regulating cytokines. Balb/c mice were divided into groups (10/group) and treated daily for 2 weeks by oral gavage with AFB1 (80 µg/kg BW), FB1 (100 µg/kg), AFB1 + FB1, or lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus paracasei BEJ01, 2 × 109 CFU/L, ∼2 mg/kg) – alone or in combination with the AFB1 and/or FB1. After the exposures, spleens were collected for measures of caspase-3 activity, lipid peroxidation (LP), and glutathione (GSH) content, expression of anti-oxidation protective enzymes (GPx and SOD), and mRNA levels of inflammation-regulating cytokines (e.g. IL-10, IL-4, IFNγ, TNFα). Thymii were also removed for analysis of apoptosis. The results indicated that, in the spleen, exposure to the mycotoxins led to increased caspase-3 activity, LP, and IL-10 and IL-4 mRNA levels, but decreased GSH content and down-regulated expression of GPx and SOD, and of IFNγ and TNFα mRNA. Co-treatment using Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) with AFB1 or FB1 suppressed levels of DNA fragmentation, normalized splenic LP and increased GSH levels, up-regulated expression of GPx and SOD, and normalized mRNA levels of the analyzed cytokines. It is concluded that AFB1 and FB1 might have combinational (synergistic moreso than additive) toxic effects in situ. Further, it can be seen that use of LAB induced protective effects against the oxidative stress and (immuno)toxicity of these agents in part through adhesion (and so likely diminished bioavalability).
Investments in Ski Areas: Effects of Compensation Payments in a Complementary Value Network

This study focuses on a complementary value network consisting of a snow sports company operating in a ski resort and accommodation businesses located in that resort. If the snow sports company increases the resort's attractiveness by investing in new infrastructure, such as ski lifts or snowmaking facilities, its investment has positive external effects on the revenue of local accommodation businesses. If the cost of these external effects is not compensated by the accommodation businesses, this situation typically creates an underinvestment problem at the expense of the snow sports company. In this context, the authors analyse the extent to which revenue-based and quantity-based compensation payments can mitigate the problem. First, they identify conditions under which such payments increase the profits of both the snow sports company and the accommodation businesses. They further show that a revenue-based compensation payment dominates a quantity-based compensation payment with respect to company profit maximization, because it distorts neither the price nor the quantity decisions of the accommodation businesses.
Gemcitabine alone versus gemcitabine plus radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer: an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group trial.

PURPOSE The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the role of radiation therapy with concurrent gemcitabine (GEM) compared with GEM alone in patients with localized unresectable pancreatic cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with localized unresectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas were randomly assigned to receive GEM alone (at 1,000 mg/m(2)/wk for weeks 1 to 6, followed by 1 week rest, then for 3 of 4 weeks) or GEM (600 mg/m(2)/wk for weeks 1 to 5, then 4 weeks later 1,000 mg/m(2) for 3 of 4 weeks) plus radiotherapy (starting on day 1, 1.8 Gy/Fx for total of 50.4 Gy). Measurement of quality of life using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary questionnaire was also performed. RESULTS Of 74 patients entered on trial and randomly assigned to receive GEM alone (arm A; n = 37) or GEM plus radiation (arm B; n = 34), patients in arm B had greater incidence of grades 4 and 5 toxicities (41% v 9%), but grades 3 and 4 toxicities combined were similar (77% in A v 79% in B). No statistical differences were seen in quality of life measurements at 6, 15 to 16, and 36 weeks. The primary end point was survival, which was 9.2 months (95% CI, 7.9 to 11.4 months) and 11.1 months (95% CI, 7.6 to 15.5 months) for arms A and B, respectively (one-sided P = .017 by stratified log-rank test). CONCLUSION This trial demonstrates improved overall survival with the addition of radiation therapy to GEM in patients with localized unresectable pancreatic cancer, with acceptable toxicity.
Throughput Comparison of Multi-Gbps WPAN (IEEE 802.15.3c) PHY Layer Designs under Non-Linear 60-GHz Power Amplifier

The millimeter-wave 60-GHz wireless personal area network (WPAN) is being standardized by the IEEE 802.15 Alternative PHY Task Group 3c (IEEE 802.15.3c). The physical (PHY) layer design targets data rates of multi-giga bits per second (multi-Gbps). In this paper, two physical (PHY) layer designs based on single-carrier frequency-domain equalization (SC-FDE) and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) were compared in packet error rate (PER) and throughput. The performance evaluation and comparison were conducted with the non-linear distortion, induced by the 60-GHz power amplifier (PA), taken into account. It was shown that the PHY layer design based on SC-FDE has much better PER performance and higher throughput than the one based on OFDM. The SC-FDE based PHY layer design exhibits itself as a strong candidate for the 60-GHz WPAN (IEEE 802.15.3c) standard.
Damping inter-area oscillations using phase imbalanced series compensation schemes

The recently proposed phase imbalanced series capacitive compensation concept has been shown to be effective in enhancing power system dynamics as it has the potential of damping power swing as well as subsynchronous resonance oscillations. In this paper, a comparative effectiveness of two “hybrid” series capacitive compensation schemes in damping inter-area oscillations is evaluated. A hybrid scheme is a series capacitive compensation scheme, where two phases are compensated by fixed series capacitor (C) and the third phase is compensated by either a TCSC or SSSC in series with a fixed capacitor (Cc). The effectiveness of both schemes in damping inter-area oscillations for various network conditions, namely different system faults and tie-line power flows is evaluated using the EMTP-RV time simulation program.
Archetypes of Strategy Formulation

There have been few attempts to understand the strategy making process by examining the organizational and environmental context in which it occurs. Rather than adopting the stance of contingency theorists who focus mainly on bivariate relationships, we decided to look for simultaneous associations among a fairly large number of variables. It was hoped that these variables would configure into models or archetypes which describe a series of different, though very frequently occurring modes or organizational failure and success. The methodology used to isolate archetypes is explained. Ten archetypes are described. Successful archetypes are: the adaptive firm under moderate challenge, the adaptive firm in a very challenging environment, the dominant firm, the giant under fire, the entrepreneurial conglomerate, and the innovator. Failure archetypes include: the impulsive firm, the stagnant bureaucracy, the headless giant, and the aftermath.
Basis variations and regime shifts in the oil futures market

The conditional volatility of crude oil futures returns is modelled as a regime switching process. The model features transition probabilities that are functions of the basis. Consistent with the theory of storage, in volatile periods, an increase in backwardation is associated with an increase in the likellihood of switching to or remaining in the high-volatility state. Conditional on regimes, GARCH persistence is significantly reduced. Out-of-sample tests show that incorporating regime shifts improves the accuracy of short-term volatility forecasts.
Strategic symbiotic alliances and market orientation: an empirical testing in the Chinese car industry

Based on social capital theory, we test the effect of market orientation on the stability of strategic symbiotic alliances in China. It is predicted that firms' market orientation has a positive effect on social capital, which, in turn, has a positive effect on the stability of the large–small symbiotic alliances. Moreover, social capital also has a positive effect on the sharing of resources among the partners, which should also influence the stability of the alliance. This paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for academics and practitioners of the research.
Preferential Trade Agreements

This paper examines how free-trade agreements and customs unions affect the location of foreign direct investment (FDI) and social welfare, taking into account that governments may adjust taxes and external tariffs to compete for FDI. Conditions are identified under which a free-trade agreement leads to FDI and under which this improves welfare. The welfare effect is shown to depend on the relative size of efficiency gains in production and government revenue losses due to tax competition. A free-trade agreement may fail to induce welfare-improving FDI, creating a role for a customs union. JEL Classification: H25, F13, F23.
Emotional exhaustion and job performance: the mediating role of organizational commitment

We analyze the impact of emotional exhaustion (EE) on turnover intention, task performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among hospital nurses in China. The differential mediating effects of affective organizational commitment on the associations between EE and turnover intention, task performance and OCB were examined. Data were collected from both nurses and their supervising physicians using a questionnaire survey in Mandarin. The results revealed full mediation effect for turnover intention and for OCB directed at the organization. There was a significant indirect effect for OCB directed at individuals and no mediation effect for task performance.
Asymmetric Effects in Emerging Stock Markets - The Case of Iran Stock Market

In view of the mixed empirical results in the literature, this paper assesses the extent of asymmetric volatility effects in the Iranian stock market as an emerging stock market, using a variety of nonlinear autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity specifications. Tests based on standardized residuals from a fitted GARCH model suggest a lack of asymmetric effects in the dynamic volatility of the Iranian stock market. Empirical analyses with asymmetric GARCH models also reject the hypothesis of asymmetric volatility, in contrast to most developed and emerging markets. Hence, good and bad news of the same magnitude have similar impacts on the volatility level in the Iranian stock market. The leverage effect modified by inflation advantage and price limit may be the main reasons for lack of asymmetric effect in emerging stock markets.
Fast Anion-Exchange in Highly Luminescent Nanocrystals of Cesium Lead Halide Perovskites (CsPbX3, X = Cl, Br, I)

Postsynthetic chemical transformations of colloidal nanocrystals, such as ion-exchange reactions, provide an avenue to compositional fine-tuning or to otherwise inaccessible materials and morphologies. While cation-exchange is facile and commonplace, anion-exchange reactions have not received substantial deployment. Here we report fast, low-temperature, deliberately partial, or complete anion-exchange in highly luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals of cesium lead halide perovskites (CsPbX3, X = Cl, Br, I). By adjusting the halide ratios in the colloidal nanocrystal solution, the bright photoluminescence can be tuned over the entire visible spectral region (410–700 nm) while maintaining high quantum yields of 20–80% and narrow emission line widths of 10–40 nm (from blue to red). Furthermore, fast internanocrystal anion-exchange is demonstrated, leading to uniform CsPb(Cl/Br)3 or CsPb(Br/I)3 compositions simply by mixing CsPbCl3, CsPbBr3, and CsPbI3 nanocrystals in appropriate ratios.
Clinical application of an active electrode using an operational amplifier

An active electrode (d10 mm, t6 mm) that functions as an impedance transformer (with an input impedance >10 G Omega and an output impedance <1 Omega ) by means of which one can derive surface EMG without any skin preparation and paste is presented. This electrode was compared with a conventional one, and it was ascertained that the electrode could replace the conventional one and was preferable because it required less preparation time and was less affected by environmental noise. <<ETX>>
Efficient unified semi-systolic arrays for multiplication and squaring over GF(2m)

: In this paper, we propose a uni ﬁ ed algorithm to concurrently perform multiplication and squaring over GF (2 m ) using the bipartite modular multiplication method and deriving common operations. Also we design e ﬃ cient uni ﬁ ed semi-systolic arrays from our proposed algorithm for fast exponentiation. The proposed arrays can be used as a core circuit for various applications. Also our architectures are well suited to VLSI implementation as well.
Demand Under Conditions of Oligopoly

T IS pretty well agreed among economists that the ordinary concept of a demand curve is inapplicable to the study of oligopoly. What would be sold at various prices if everything else remained unchanged does not concern an entrepreneur when he knows that everything else, and in particular the prices charged by his rivals, is most unlikely to remain unchanged. What does concern him is his own estimate of what can be sold at various prices, making the best allowance he can for the probable reactions of his rivals. These estimates can conveniently be arranged in the form of a demand schedule, but the result must not, of course, be confused with the type of demand schedule which is commonly used in economic discussion. Mr. Nicholas Kaldor has suggested the name "imagined demand curve" for the concept which is applicable to the oligopoly case, and in this article I propose to follow this usage.I So far as I know no attempt has yet been made to investigate the characteristics of imagined demand curves, though it should be obvious that such an investigation is desirable. Oligopoly is probably the typical case throughout a large part of the modern economy, and yet the theory of oligopoly can scarcely be said to be in a very advanced state, consisting as it does of a number of special cases which allow of little generalization. My purpose in this note is to show that a very considerable degree of clarification might be introduced into the study of this subject by a systematic inquiry into the nature of imagined demand curves. The most important consideration in this connection seems to me to be the obvious fact that rivals react differently according to whether a price change is upward or downward. If producer A raises his price, his rival producer B will acquire new customers. If, on the other hand, A lowers his price, B will lose customers. Ordinarily the reaction to a gain in business is a pleasurable feeling calling for no particular action; the reaction to a loss in business, however, is likely to be some viewing with
Private Label Expansion and Supermarket Milk Prices

This article investigates the impacts of private labels (PLs) on fluid milk prices and price differentials using 2,759 supermarket-level observations from 10 cities. Non-parametric results reveal that although PL milk prices decrease as PL milk shares expand, eventually the effect is to increase the prices of manufacturers brands as well as the price gap between private labels and manufacturers brands. Econometric results further reveal that supermarkets exert some degree of price discrimination through controlling the brands of milk sold.
The Asian Perspective: Which International Conference Destinations in Asia Are the Most Competitive?

Abstract Like mushrooms, conference and meeting facilities have sprouted across the world and Asia. Why? Conferences and meetings are a function of a societal need to exchange ideas. More and improved telecommunications has changed the basis for meetings and conferences, i.e., personal development and/or development of the organisation. Statistics on the number of international meetings and conferences held world-wide show that Asian cities are becoming increasingly popular as a conference destination. However, because of the stagnating growth in the total number of international meetings held wo rid-wide, competition is increasing. Therefore, it becomes more important for conference destinations to compete on the basis of key success criteria and a better understanding of the clients' expectations. In this paper a framework is presented which is used to measure the competitive strength of international conference destinations. First, the relative importance of seven site selection criteria is determined,.