Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Vertical Co-Ordination an Effective Response to Economic and Technological Ties in Industrial Purchasing Relationships?

ABSTRACT Vertical co-ordination of business-to-business relationships figures prominently as an effective response to inter-firm dependence. Current empirical works based on transaction costs economics, however, have scantily examined whether the alignment of inter-firm coordination really serves governance efficacy and lowers transaction costs. This study focuses on the transaction costs efficacy of vertical co-ordination in industrial purchasing relationships. Building on transaction costs arguments and related works within marketing and contingency theory, the author explores whether vertical co-ordination is an effective means to adapt to technologcal and economic inter-firm ties. This research examines in particular possible impacts the buyer's manufacturing technology and deployment of specific assets on the governance efficacy of vertical co-ordination. Empirical findings from a survey of 171 industrial buying firms demonstrate that when asset specificity is substantial, increased vertical co-ordination reduces ex post transaction costs. Further, the governance efficacy of inter-firm co-ordination turned out to be more evident in purchasing relationships among buyers with flexible manufacturing technology (e.g., order based industries) than was the case in process production with high workflow rigidity.
An Experiment in Brand Choice

The experiment shows how effects of marketing action on the consumer can be investigated by use of small ad hoc consumer panels and door-to-door selling. The effects of price differentials, a promotion, advertising, an out-of-stock condition, the introduction of a new product, and certain weak forms of brand differentiation are examined. The experiment also confirms earlier findings that buyer behavior under semi-artificial conditions resembles that in real life.
Reading What the Mind Thinks From How the Eye Sees

Human eyes convey a remarkable variety of complex social and emotional information. However, it is unknown which physical eye features convey mental states and how that came about. In the current experiments, we tested the hypothesis that the receiver’s perception of mental states is grounded in expressive eye appearance that serves an optical function for the sender. Specifically, opposing features of eye widening versus eye narrowing that regulate sensitivity versus discrimination not only conveyed their associated basic emotions (e.g., fear vs. disgust, respectively) but also conveyed opposing clusters of complex mental states that communicate sensitivity versus discrimination (e.g., awe vs. suspicion). This sensitivity-discrimination dimension accounted for the majority of variance in perceived mental states (61.7%). Further, these eye features remained diagnostic of these complex mental states even in the context of competing information from the lower face. These results demonstrate that how humans read complex mental states may be derived from a basic optical principle of how people see.
Impact of Over the Top (OTT) Services on Telecom Service Providers

The telecom industry has been one that has had to deal with a continuously changing business and technology environment more than most other industries over the past half century. Traditionally the principal revenue streams for telecom operators have been voice and messaging (SMS) with data coming in at a far third till recently. But while telcos had been quick to react to previous game changing developments such as the internet explosion and the emergence of cellular mobile communications in the 1990s, they seem to have been caught napping in the face of the newest challenge to their revenues, Over The Top (OTT) service providers. The growing impact of OTT services on telcos' voice and messaging revenue is a widely accepted phenomenon. Their impact on mobile data traffic and telco data revenue is also areas that have been acknowledged as critical points for consideration. This study attempts to link these issues to shift in consumer preferences, identify the underlying factors there of and to understand the factors driving users towards OTT services.
PENGARUH PROFITABILITAS,UKURAN PERUSAHAAN, PERTUMBUHAN ASET, DAN STRUKTUR ASET TERHADAP STRUKTUR MODAL

Abstract:The variables analyzed in this study are profitability, firm size, asset growth and asset structure Real estate and Property companies listed as sample, in which period the observations 2008-2012. The sample of this study is 23 companies. samples were taken by using purposive sampling method. multiple linear regression model by collecting data used in this study as a method of research analysis. The results showed that the structure of assets has a significant negative effect on the capital structure, while profitability, firm size, and growth of assets has no effect on the capital structure. Four independent variables simultaneously significant effect on the capital structure. The result of t-test shows that only structure of asset affect the capital structure significantly, while the result of F-test shows that the independent variabels affect five comma eight percentand ninety four comma two percent influenced by other factors not included in other research models. Keywords:capital structure, profitability, firm size, asset growth, and the structure of assets.
A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS ON NEWLY COLLECTED DATA ON NON-TARIFF MEASURES

This paper makes use of data newly collected by UNCTAD and the World Bank to investigate he use of non-tariff measures (NTMs) in about 26 countries. The analysis is based on simple inventory methods: frequency indices and coverage ratios. The results indicate that the use of NTMs is extensive and increasing, especially with regard to technical measures. Technical barriers to trade (TBTs) are found to affect a large share (about 30 per cent) of international trade. Given the more limited scope for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, these affect only about 15 per cent of trade but more than 60 per cent of agricultural products. In regard to non-technical measures, their use varies greatly across countries and economic sectors. The use of quantity controls has increased but is now largely limited to non-automatic licences. As a whole, quantity control measures affect approximately 16 per cent of products and 20 per cent of trade. Pre-shipment inspection requirements affect about 11 per cent of trade. These are implemented especially in low-income countries to help custom administrations in the correct evaluation of imports and their proper taxation. Price-control measures are only rarely used and affect less than 5 per cent of trade and only 2 per cent of products. The results also suggest the presence of correlation between the use of NTMs and traditional forms of trade policy. This may indicate that NTMs have been used, at least to some degree, as substitutes to tariffs in order to continue protecting key economic sectors in spite of the tariff liberalization of the last 10 years.
Strategic partnering with Chinese companies: hidden motives and treasures

In this paper we aim to investigate the key drivers of international alliance formation from the perspective of Chinese companies. Our results indicate that Chinese companies enter into alliances with Western companies mainly to get accesses to international markets and to develop their technological and managerial competences further. Therefore we can say that Chinese companies particularly value task-related criteria when selecting Western partners. Nevertheless we also find that Chinese companies also include 'soft' factors such trust, compatibility or reputation in their partner selection process. We therefore conclude that in searching for Western partners, Chinese companies try to find a combination of 'hard' competencies such as technology and other resources as well as more 'soft' attributes such as trust, mutual understanding and commitment.
Determinants of telemarketer misselling in life insurance services

Purpose – The purpose of the article is to present and test a model regarding important factors that may help reduce unethical behavior (i.e. misselling) of salespeople in the financial services industry.Design/methodology/approach – To test the hypotheses, telemarketers from the life insurance industry in South Korea were surveyed (n=204). Findings – Using structural equation modeling, the results indicate that: ethics training is positively related to salesperson ethical attitude; ethical climate is positively related to salesperson ethical attitude; selling pressure is unrelated to ethical attitude; competitive intensity is positively related to salesperson ethical attitude; competitive intensity is unrelated to misselling; and misselling is inversely related to salesperson ethical attitude, positively associated with product complexity, and positively related to product variety.Research limitations/implications – Future empirical work could: investigate different variables from those utilized in this s.
An Empirical Investigation of Knowledge-Sharing in Networks

Summary Given the growing importance of knowledge-sharing, the primary purpose of this research is to develop and test a series of hypotheses regarding interorganizational knowledge-sharing with different actors in networks. Findings, based on responses from 182 firms, reveal that a firm's degree of knowledge-sharing with research institutions and customers is positively influenced by the firm's resource commitment. As expected, the firms' satisfaction is positively related to the frequency of communication. Consistent with the proposed hypotheses, knowledge tacitness diminishes the effect sharing knowledge with suppliers has on satisfaction. Contrary to expectations, tacitness positively moderates the effect sharing knowledge with customers has on satisfaction. Overall, this paper establishes the foundation for a more fine-grained analysis of knowledge-sharing with customers, suppliers and research institutions in a network setting.
Mobile Initiative and Firm Equity Value: An Event Study

Mobile application market shows an unprecedented prospect. This research employs the event study methodology to examine the short-term effect of mobile initiative on firm value in the period of 2008 to 2016. Our findings show that overall the stock market reacts negatively to the launch of mobile apps by public firms. In addition, we find that the negative market reaction mainly comes from mobile initiative by late followers in the mobile market and small firms. This research is the first study to empirically test the value relevance of IT investment in the form of mobile app development and provides important managerial implications for companies that plan to enter the mobile app market .
Marketing power and CMO power: could market orientation break the link? An exploratory case study

The commonly accepted assumption of a need for a market orientation for companies to be profitable led many authors to suggest an increase marketing power in strategic decision making. To achieve an enhanced marketing power, they encourage a growing power of Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs). In reality, while companies are becoming more and more market oriented, CMOs seem not to be increasing their power. This apparently controversial situation has generated a vivid debate in the marketing community aimed at understanding the phenomenon. We try to contribute to the debate by arguing that the correlation between marketing power and CMO power may be problematic in a market-oriented strategic paradigm. To do that we show the evidence of a longitudinal case study in a company shifting from product centricity to market orientation, observing that it has experienced a noticeable increase of marketing power without a significant increase of CMO power. The case suggested implications for practitioners and academicians alike.
Microcystic Adnexal Carcinoma of the Eyebrow

Purpose To describe a case of the largest reported microcystic adnexal carcinoma of the eyebrow in an 89-year-old woman and to review the literature regarding the periorbital occurrence of this tumor. Methods Case report and literature review. Results This case was treated with primary excision and radiotherapy, with no clinical signs of recurrence in the past 6 months. Conclusions Microcystic adnexal carcinoma is a rare tumor; however, because of its aggressive local infiltration, ophthalmologists should consider this diagnosis and complete surgical excision. Long-term data are needed to establish outcomes from the different treatment options.
Creditor Rights, Systemic Risk and Bank Regulations: Evidence from Cross-Country Study

In this paper, we investigate the extent in which creditor rights protection in bankruptcy induces banks to take more risk, leading to a higher level of systemic risk in the financial system. We apply ∆CoVaR, introduced by Adrian and Brunnermeier (2011), as the measure of systemic risk. Our sample uses 744 listed commercial banks and covers 34 countries. Our work shows that more legal protection leads to higher level of systemic risk. This result supports the “dark side” of the strong creditor rights in bankruptcy. We further find that developed countries contribute to the increase of systemic risk while we find neutral impact for developing countries. Moreover, our results hold when we apply different measures for bank risk taking and creditor rights.
Conditional Accounting Conservatism and Bank Risk Taking

We investigate the effect of an exogenous change in loan loss provisioning rules on bank risk taking. To identify the effect we exploit that only banks with a high conditional accounting conservatism (CAC) in the pre-adoption period should respond to the change. We conduct a difference-in-differences analysis using a large sample of matched bank-firm data around the introduction of dynamic loan loss provisioning in Spain in 2000. The main result is that banks with a high CAC in the pre-adoption period significantly increased their risk taking in the post-adoption period. These banks lend significantly more to ex ante riskier borrowers, lend more to borrowers with lower accounting quality, and lend more to borrowers that exhibit higher loan growth. Our findings on bank risk taking are consistent with reduced screening and monitoring incentives and highlight unintended effects of the change in the loan loss provisioning rules.
Alternative Estimation Methods for Conjoint Analysis: A Monté Carlo Study

Conjoint analysis has been applied in a large number of commercial projects as well as in many noncommercial studies. Often MONANOVA, a nonmetric technique, is applied to a preference rank order obtained for a set of hypothetical objects. The authors report simulation results obtained for four alternative estimation procedures, ANOVA, LINMAP, LOGIT, and MONANOVA. The results suggest, within the limitations of the simulation study, that ANOVA may be the preferred procedure for compensatory models, whereas LINMAP is most likely to provide the best predictive validity for models with a dominant attribute.
The Long-Run Elasticity of Electricity Demand: Evidence from Municipal Electric Aggregation∗

Understanding the long-run response of consumers to electricity prices is essential for efficient market regulations, evaluating climate change policy, and the planning decisions of suppliers. We study the dynamics of residential electricity demand by exploiting price variation arising from a natural experiment: the introduction of an Illinois policy that enabled communities to select new electricity suppliers on behalf of their residents. Participating communities experienced average price decreases in excess of 10 percent in the three years following adoption. Using a flexible difference-in-differences matching approach, we estimate a one-year average price elasticity of -0.14 and three-year elasticity of -0.29. We also present evidence that consumers increased usage in anticipation of the price changes. Finally, we estimate a forward-looking demand model and find a long-run price elasticity between -0.29 and -0.39. Our findings demonstrate the importance of accounting for long-run dynamics in this context. JEL codes: Q41, Q48, D12 ∗We thank ComEd for generously sharing electricity usage data with us, and are particularly grateful to Renardo Wilson for many helpful discussions. We also thank Torsten Clausen and the Illinois Commerce Commission. We thank Severin Borenstein, Mike Florio, Don Fullerton, Katrina Jessoe, Nolan Miller, Erica Myers, Mar Reguant, and participants at the University of Illinois IGPA seminar, 2017 ASSA meetings, the 2017 CeMENT workshop, the EPIC lunch series, and the POWER Conference on Energy Research and Policy for excellent comments and suggestions. Noah Baird, Dylan Hoyer, and Chitra Jogani provided excellent research assistance. Views reflected here are solely those of the authors. Emails: deryugin@illinois.edu, amackay@hbs.edu, and jreif@illinois.edu.
NUPACK: Analysis and design of nucleic acid systems

The Nucleic Acid Package (NUPACK) is a growing software suite for the analysis and design of nucleic acid systems. The NUPACK web server (http://www.nupack.org) currently enables: Analysis: thermodynamic analysis of dilute solutions of interacting nucleic acid strands. Design: sequence design for complexes of nucleic acid strands intended to adopt a target secondary structure at equilibrium. Utilities: evaluation, display, and annotation of equilibrium properties of a complex of nucleic acid strands. NUPACK algorithms are formulated in terms of nucleic acid secondary structure. In most cases, pseudoknots are excluded from the structural ensemble. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010
Enhancing bioactivity of chitosan film for osteogenesis and wound healing by covalent immobilization of BMP-2 or FGF-2

This study compares the efficacy of growth factors that are covalently immobilized to those that are adsorbed in improving the bioactivity of a biomaterial. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) or fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) was covalently bonded to chitosan films using carbodiimide chemistry. For BMP-2, a growth factor loading efficiency of ∼64% was obtained with this method compared to ∼25% from adsorption. As for FGF-2, the growth factor loading efficiency of the two methods was similar at ∼50%. The covalently immobilized BMP-2 promoted attachment, proliferation, and differentiation of osteoblasts in a dose-dependent manner, whereas the covalently immobilized FGF-2 stimulated fibroblast attachment, proliferation, and collagen synthesis. After three weeks immersion in phosphate buffered saline, about 80% of the covalently immobilized growth factors were retained on the films, while only ∼16 and ∼21% of the adsorbed BMP-2 and FGF-2 remained on the corresponding films. The higher retention rate of the covalently immobilized growth factors enabled their stimulatory effects to persist for a longer period than when adsorbed growth factors were used.
Brain tumor stem cells

Abstract Since the end of the ‘no-new-neuron’ theory, emerging evidence from multiple studies has supported the existence of stem cells in neurogenic areas of the adult brain. Along with this discovery, neural stem cells became candidate cells being at the origin of brain tumors. In fact, it has been demonstrated that molecular mechanisms controlling self-renewal and differentiation are shared between brain tumor stem cells and neural stem cells and that corruption of genes implicated in these pathways can direct tumor growth. In this regard, future anticancer approaches could be inspired by uncovering such redundancies and setting up treatments leading to exhaustion of the cancer stem cell pool. However, deleterious effects on (normal) neural stem cells should be minimized. Such therapeutic models underline the importance to study the cellular mechanisms implicated in fate decisions of neural stem cells and the oncogenic derivation of adult brain cells. In this review, we discuss the putative origins of brain tumor stem cells and their possible implications on future therapies.
Therapeutics , Targets , and Chemical Biology Translesion Polymerase h Is Upregulated by Cancer Therapeutics and Confers Anticancer Drug Resistance

DNA repair processes are a key determinant of the sensitivity of cancer cells to DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics, which may induce certain repair genes as a mechanism to promote resistance. Here, we report the results of a screen for repair genes induced in cancer cells treated with DNA crosslinking agents, which identified the translesion polymerase h (PolH) as a p53-regulated target acting as one defense against interstrand crosslink (ICL)-inducing agents. PolH was induced by fotemustine, mafosfamide, and lomustine in breast cancer, glioma, andmelanoma cells in vitro and in vivo, with similar inductions observed in normal cells such as lymphocytes and diploidfibroblasts. PolH contributions to the protection against ICL-inducing agentswere evaluated by its siRNAmediated attenuation in cells, which elevated sensitivity to these drugs in all tumor cell models. Conversely, PolH overexpression protected cancer cells against these drugs. PolH attenuation reduced repair of ICL lesions as measured by host cell reactivation assays and enhanced persistence of gH2AX foci. Moreover, we observed a strong accumulation of PolH in the nucleus of drug-treated cells along with direct binding to damaged DNA. Taken together, our findings implicated PolH in ICL repair as a mechanism of cancer drug resistance and normal tissue protection. Cancer Res; 74(19); 5585–96. 2014 AACR.
The Insurance Sector in the Middle East and North Africa: Challenges and Development Agenda

This paper studies the causes of the low development of the insurance sector in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region, particularly for long term insurance. The paper shows that life and non-life premiums, as well as assets, are very low relative to expected levels given per capita income and demographic characteristics, and examines the causes of such poor performance. There is a wide range of factors constraining the development of the industry, including the absence of mandatory insurance in key areas, the predominant presence of the state in some countries, gaps in regulation and supervision, unsupportive tax regimes, fragmented market structures, a chronic lack of suitably skilled people, as well as the absence of products that conform with cultural/religious preferences, especially in the case of life insurance. The lack of development of the insurance sector is a matter of concern, as research shows that the sector can contribute to both financial and economic development. Key recommendations to accelerate the development of the sector include wider introduction of mandatory insurance lines that have clear positive externalities, continuing the privatization process for government owned insurers, employing non capital techniques to force rationalization of insurance sectors with too many small and inefficient players, removing tax distortions, taking steps to stabilize motor third party liability markets (typically the largest line of business), strengthening reporting and disclosure, regulating banc-assurance, improving consumer protection, further developing Takaful long term insurance ('Family Insurance'), and establishing regional centers of excellence for skills development.