Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identifying successful marketing strategies by export regional destination

This study develops a model that explains export sales volume by destination based on a company's export marketing strategy. A seemingly unrelated regression model (SURE) simultaneously estimates the explanatory value of the different elements of the marketing strategy, as well as company characteristics, such as experience, size and motivation to export, on entry decisions to six different regional markets made by exporting companies in a southern European country. The data were collected from a sample size of 2,264 exporting companies. Findings confirm the importance of exporting experience and proactiveness in determining high export sales volumes in every regional market except for those psychologically close. Nevertheless, different marketing strategies depending on the region lead to high export sales volumes. For example, low price strategies in the case of Latin America or differentiation strategies based on the augmented product in the case of the USA generate high export sales. Promotional expenditures are of higher importance for distant markets, but for closer markets channel development is the key.
‘Melão croá’ (Sicana sphaerica Vell.) and ‘maracujina’ (Sicana odorifera Naud.): chemical composition, carotenoids, vitamins and minerals in native fruits from the Brazilian Atlantic forest

Introduction. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, indigenous fruits are part of the eating habits of the population. Among these, ‘melao croa’ (Sicana sphaerica Vell.) and ‘maracujina’ (S. odorifera Naud) are rich in bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and antioxidant vitamins. The physical characteristics, physicochemical and proximate composition, concentration of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E and minerals were investigated in both fruits found in Atlantic Forest of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Materials and methods. Titratable acidity was analyzed by volumetric neutralization; soluble solids (SS) by refractometry; pH by potentiometry; moisture and ash by gravimetry after drying in an oven and muffle furnace, respectively; proteins by the micro-Kjeldahl method; lipids by gravimetry using soxhlet; dietary fibers by non-enzymatic gravimetry; carotenoids and vitamin C by HPLC-DAD; vitamin E by HPLC-fluorescence; minerals by ICP-AES. Results and discussion. S. sphaericapresented the highest concentrations of SS (5.80 °Brix), TA (0.51 g of citric acid 100 g-1 ), pH (6.95), moisture (83.4 g 100 g-1 ), carbohydrate (13.38 g 100 g-1 ), vitamin A (123.33 ¯g RAE 100 g-1 ), vitamin C (4.97 mg 100 g-1 ), vitamin E (334.66 ¯g 100 g-1 ), K (28.79 mg 100 g-1 ), Fe (1.92 mg 100 g-1 ), and Zn (1.04 mg 100 g-1 ); while S. odorifera had the highest concentrations of total dietary fibers (1.33 g 100 g-1 ), lipids (1.00 g 100 g-1 ), proteins (2.62 g 100 g-1 ), ash (0.77 g 100 g-1 ), P (1.26 mg 100 g-1 ), and Ca (1.74 mg 100 g-1 ). Conclusion. The analyzed fruit showed a potential source of nutrients that can contribute to reducing food and nutrition insecurity of rural people, especially in the American continent, occurrence region of these fruits.
Do Ratings of Firms Converge? Implications for Managers, Investors and Strategy Researchers

Raters of firms play an important role in assessing domains ranging from sustainability to corporate governance to best places to work. Managers, investors, and scholars increasingly rely on these ratings to make strategic decisions, invest trillions of dollars in capital and study corporate social responsibility (CSR), guided by the implicit assumption that the ratings are valid. The authors document the surprising lack of agreement across social ratings from six well-established raters. These differences remain even when we adjust for explicit differences in the definition of CSR held by different raters, implying the ratings have low validity. The authors' results suggest that users of social ratings should exercise caution in interpreting their connection to actual CSR and that raters should conduct regular evaluations of their ratings.
Staging Innovation Projects: (When) Does it Pay Off?

Building on real options literature, this study shows that the use of a staged approach for the management of innovation projects affects the innovation output of firms differently depending on firm characteristics and ambitions. In particular, while staged project management increases the effect of inno- vation expenditures on new product sales for firms envisaging incremental or continuous innovations, this moderating effect is absent for firms aspiring radical innovations. In addition, while staged project management has a pos- itive moderating effect in firms with resource slack, this is not the case when firms are resource-constrained. We further investigate the underlying mecha- nisms to this latter finding by demonstrating that in resource-abundant firms staged project organization is associated with delaying projects until more information becomes available. Thereby these firms reap the waiting value inherent to real options reasoning. By contrast, resource-constrained firms using staged project management are shown to abandon a larger share of their innovation projects and to concentrate resources on fewer projects. It appears, however, that, due to budgetary pressure, they make the decision to abandon at a too early stage where uncertainty is insufficiently resolved. This can explain why there is no effect of staged project management on the sales of resource-constrained firms from new products. The paper contributes to theory development on when and why the staging of innovation projects affects the innovation output of firms and to the literature on real options reasoning in general.
Modeling drifting snow in Antarctica with a regional climate model: 1. Methods and model evaluation

To simulate the impact of drifting snow on the lower atmosphere, surface characteristics and surface mass balance (SMB) of the Antarctic ice sheet regional atmospheric climate model (RACMO2.1/ANT) with horizontal resolution of 27 km is coupled to a drifting snow routine and forced by ERA-Interim fields at its lateral boundaries (1989–2009). This paper evaluates the near-surface and drifting snow climate of RACMO2.1/ANT. Modeled near-surface wind speed (squared correlation coefficient R2 = 0.64) and temperature (R2 = 0.93) agree well with observations. Wind speed is underestimated in topographically complex areas, where observed wind speeds are locally very high (>20 m s! 1). Temperature is underestimated in winter in coastal areas due to an underestimation of downward longwave radiation. Near-surface temperature and wind speed are not significantly affected by the inclusion of drifting snow in the model. In contrast, relative humidity with respect to ice increases in regions with strong drifting snow and becomes more consistent with the observations. Drifting snow frequency is the only observable parameter to directly validate drifting snow results; therefore, we derived an empirical relation for fresh snow density, as a function of wind speed and temperature, which determines the threshold wind speed for drifting snow. Modeled drifting snow frequencies agree well with in situ measurements and novel estimates from remote sensing. Finally, we show that including drifting snow is essential to obtaining a realistic extent and spatial distribution of ablation (SMB < 0) areas.
Phase relations in the system anorthite–potassium-feldspar at 10 kbar with emphasis on their solid solutions

Abstract Phase relations in the binary system anorthite-K-feldspar at 10 kbar were studied with a solid-media piston cylinder apparatus. The eutectic character of this system is confirmed, with the eutectic point located at An30Kf70 (± 3 mol%), and 1215 ± 15°C, 10 kbar. The mutual solubilities between anorthite and K-feldspar at the solidus are greatly increased at 10kbar compared with those at 1 atm. The maximum solubility of K-feldspar in anorthite is c. 5% at 1 atm, c. 18% at 10 kbar; and that of anorthite in K-feldspar is c. 3% at 1 atm, c. 7% at 10 kbar. The increased solubilities are attributed to the increase in the eutectic temperature at high isostatic pressures. The results imply increased ternary feldspar solid solutions at high pressures and support the existence of homogeneous feldspars with extensive ternary composition under high-P, T and anhydrous conditions.
Analyst Characteristics, Timing of Forecast Revisions, and Analyst Forecasting Ability

We first examine whether analysts with certain characteristics that prior research has identified are related to superior forecasting ability systematically time their forecast revisions later in the fiscal quarter. We then examine whether this superior ability persists after controlling for the timing advantage by using relative forecast error, a measure that largely eliminates the timing advantage of recent forecasts. Using a sample of quarterly earnings forecast revisions over the 20-year period from 1990 to 2009, we find that analysts with more firm-specific and general experience and more accurate prior-period forecasts, analysts employed by larger brokerage firms, and analysts who follow fewer industries and companies tend to revise forecasts later in the quarter. We also find that analyst characteristics that are positively correlated with revision timing are negatively related to relative forecast errors. These results are consistent with analyst characteristics being useful proxies for analyst forecasting ability and analysts with greater ability revising forecasts later in the quarter.
Estimating volcanic deformation source parameters with a finite element inversion: The 2001–2002 unrest at Cotopaxi volcano, Ecuador

Deformation at Cotopaxi was observed between 2001 and 2002 along with recorded seismicity beneath the northeast (NE) flank, despite the fact that the last eruption occurred in 1942. We use electronic distance meter deformation data along with the patterns of recorded seismicity to constrain the cause of this unrest episode. To solve for the optimum deformation source parameters we employ inverse finite element (FE) models that account for material heterogeneities and surface topography. For a range of source shapes the models converge on a shallow reservoir beneath the southwest (SW) flank. The individual best fit model is a small oblate‐shaped source, approximately 4–5 km beneath the summit, with a volume increase of roughly 20 × 106 m3. This SW source location contrasts with the NE seismicity locations. Subsequently, further FE models that additionally account for temperature‐dependent viscoelasticity are used to reconcile the deformation and seismicity simultaneously. Comparisons of elastic and viscous timescales allude to aseismic pressurization of a small magma reservoir in the SW. Seismicity in the NE is then explained through a mechanism of fluid migration from the SW to the NE along fault systems. We extend our analyses to further show that if future unrest crises are accompanied by measurable seismicity around the deformation source, this could indicate a higher magma supply rate and increased likelihood of a forthcoming eruption.
Prognostic value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in patients with bladder cancer : a meta-analysis

Many studies reported the prognostic value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for bladder cancer, however, these studies presented conflicting results. In the present study, we intended to comprehensively investigate the associations between pretreatment NLR and overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS)/diseasespecific survival (DSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) through meta-analysis. The values of hazard ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from 9 studies with 2,300 patients were extracted and combined. The results suggested that increased NLR was correlated with shorten OS (HR=1.48, 95% CI=1.05-2.09, P=0.027) and CSS/DSS (HR=1.58, 95% CI=1.01-2.46, P=0.044), but had no correlation with RFS (HR=1.41, 95% CI=0.92-2.17, P=0.112). Furthermore, subgroup analyses stratified by different clinicopathological factors demonstrated that elevated NLR still predicted poor OS in large sample size studies and held prognostic value for RFS when NLR≤2.5. In conclusion, the current study identifies NLR as a prognostic factor for poor OS and CSS/DSS, but not for RFS in bladder cancer.
A Factorial Analysis of Strategic Planning Dimensions among Small and Medium Enterprises and Variations in Terms of Gender in a Developing Country

The study sought to examine the strategic planning dimensions applicable among SMEs in South Africa. In addition, the study investigated whether strategic planning practices vary according to gender. A survey was conducted with 200 SMEs, which were identified though convenience sampling. The results indicated that a majority of SMEs practice strategic planning. A factor analysis procedure resulted in the extraction of eight factors, namely, environmental scanning, business mission and vision, formality of strategic plans, evaluation and control, informing sourcing, strategy implementation incentives, employee participation and time horizons. No significant differences were found between SME managers/owners, based on gender with regard to the eight strategic planning dimensions. The results therefore demonstrated that sexual orientation does not play a role in one’s strategic planning practices. The results of the study could assist managers in understanding the strategic paths through which a business achieves a future desired position. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n6p131
Virtual reality simulations as a new tool for practicing presentations and refining public-speaking skills

Presentations are typically practiced alone while talking to oneself in a silent room. It is not only questionable whether such a rehearsal setting is a proper preparation for a real pub-lic-speaking situation. Giving the same talk repeatedly to one-self also bears the risk that speaking "erodes" from the communicative act of conveying a message into a mere mechanical exercise that is neither content-nor audience-oriented. Against this background, it is tested from a digital-humanities perspective whether a VR public-speaking simulation, in which a speaker can rehearse his/her talk in a virtual conference room and in front of a virtual audience, is a suitable and preferable alternative to practicing a presentation on one's own. Prosodic measures of speaking style are analyzed and compared between two groups of 12 speakers, a control group and a VR test group, each of which performed several rounds of practicing. Results suggest that test-group speakers take the VR environment seriously and show, unlike control group speakers, an audience-oriented, more charismatic speaking style, with reduced signs of prosodic erosion due to repeated rehearsal. These findings are discussed in the light of digital-humanities applications of VR technology.
TQM and Customer Satisfaction towards Business Excellence

In the 1980s, Total Quality Management (TQM) became popular as the key to survive in this competitive world. It was introduced and known as a main factor to become a pioneer and a leading edge in any business. The whole idea of total quality management is about change. It implies that since change is one of the unavoidable issues of our lives, why not lead this change. We can be the leaders of this change and let it happen whenever and wherever we need it, and not at the wrong place and at the wrong time. Since the customer satisfaction plays almost the most essential role in the market and business excellence, one of the major objectives of TQM is customer satisfaction. This study tries to introduce the most attended issues about TQM and customer satisfaction and the relation between them in the literature. This paper then seeks to identify the effects and methods of gaining the customer satisfaction towards business excellence through the application of TQM. Keyword: Total Quality Management, Business Excellence, Customer Satisfaction, Market Competition, Customer Focus.
The stellar mass function of star-forming galaxies and the mass-dependent SFR function since z = 2.23 from HiZELS

We explore a large uniformly selected sample of Ha selected star-forming galaxies (SFGs) at z = 0.40, 0.84, 1.47, 2.23 to unveil the evolution of the star formation rate (SFR) function and the stellar mass function. We find strong evolution in the SFR function, with the typical SFR of SFGs declining exponentially in the last 11 Gyr as SFR*(T[Gyr]) = 104.23/T + 0.37 M⊙ yr-1, but with no evolution in the faint-end slope, α -1.6. The stellar mass function of SFGs, however, reveals little evolution: α -1.4, M* 1011.2 ± 0.2 M⊙ and just a slight increase of 2.3× in φ * from z = 2.23 to z = 0.4. The stellar mass density within SFGs has been roughly constant since z = 2.23 at 107.65 ± 0.08 M⊙ Mpc-3, comprising 100 per cent of the stellar mass density in all galaxies at z = 2.23, and declining to 20 per cent by z = 0.40, driven by the rise of the passive population.We find that SFGs with 1010.0 ± 0.2 M⊙ contribute most to the ρSFR density (ρSFR) per d log10M, and that there is no significant evolution in the fractional contribution from SFGs of different masses to ρSFR or ρSFR(d log10M)-1 since z = 2.23. Instead, we show that the decline of SFR* and of ρSFR is primarily driven by an exponential decline in SFRs at all masses. Our results have important implications not only on how SFGs need to be quenched across cosmic time, but also on the driver(s) of the exponential decline in SFR* from 66 M⊙ yr-1 to 5 ⊙; yr-1 since z 2.23.
Voluntary Disclosure of Profit Forecasts by Target Companies in Takeover Bids

This paper examines factors influencing voluntary forecast disclosure by target companies, whether good/bad news forecasts are disclosed and the influence of forecasts on the outcome of hostile bids. Disclosure was significantly more likely during contested bids. In agreed bids, probability of forecast disclosure was greater the shorter the bid horizon. In contested bids, forecasts were more likely where there were large block shareholdings, for larger targets and for targets in the capital goods industry. There was a clear tendency to disclose good news forecasts. A significant positive association between forecast disclosure and increase in offer price was found.
Gut contents of two European Seahorses Hippocampus hippocampus and Hippocampus guttulatus in the Aegean Sea, coasts of Turkey.

This study investigates the diet of adult wild seahorses, Hippocampus hippocampus and Hippocampus guttulatus from the Aegean Sea, along the coasts of Turkey. A total of 47 fish stomachs (H. hippocampus = 25, H. guttulatus = 22) were analyzed to determine diet according to fish size and sex. Twenty one of specimens of H. hippocampus (84%) had prey in their stomachs. The remaining 4 fish (16%) had empty stomachs. Sixteen H. guttulatus (72.73%) had prey in their stomachs. The remaining 6 fish (27.27%) had empty stomachs. Whereas Mysidaceae (26.92%) and Amphipoda (23.08%) were the main prey groups in diet of H. hippocampus, Mysidaceae (42.59%) and Decapod crustacean larvae (22.22%) constituted the most important food source of H. guttulatus. Because H. guttulatus is a moderately generalized benthonic predator, the food diversity in its gut was greater than in H. hippocampus. There were no differences in diets between males and females of either seahorse species.
Decomposing multivariate information

Pairwise relationships between random variables are well understood in information theory, but there are a number of important open questions on how to understand and quantify the relationships between three or more random variables. The intricacies of the multivariable case were lucidly highlighted in [8]. James and Crutchfield [4] give another useful framing; they raise the following questions: how much of the information in a three-variable system is in the form of three-way interactions, as opposed to pair-wise ones? More generally, how can we decompose the joint entropy of n variables to properly understand all of the k-way interactions (with 1 ≤ k ≤ n) and their relationships?
Regional Groundwater Evapotranspiration in Illinois

The role of shallow unconfined aquifers in supplying water for evapotranspiration (i.e., groundwater evaporation) is investigated in this paper. Recent results from regional land surface modeling have indicated that in shallow water table areas, a large portion of evapotranspiration comes directly from aquifers. However, little field evidence at the regional scale has been reported to support this finding. Using a comprehensive 19-yr (1984‐2002) monthly hydrological dataset on soil moisture, water table depth, and streamflow in Illinois, regional recharge to and evaporation from groundwater are estimated by using soil water balance computation. The 19-yr mean groundwater recharge is estimated to be 244 mm yr 21 (25% of precipitation), with uncertainty ranging from 202 to 278 mm yr 21 . During the summer, the upward capillary flux from the shallow aquifer helps to maintain a high rate of evapotranspiration. Groundwater evaporation (negative groundwater recharge) occurs during the period of July‐September, with a total of 31.4 mm (10% of evapotranspiration). Analysis of the relative soil saturation at 11 depths from 0 to 2 m deep supports the dominance of groundwater evaporation across the water table in dry periods. The zero-flux plane separating the recharge zone from the evapotranspiration zone propagates downward from about 70- to 110-cm depth during summer, reflecting the water supply from progressively lower layers for evapotranspiration. Despite its small magnitude, neglecting regional groundwater evaporation in shallow groundwater areas would result in underestimated root-zone soil moisture and hence evapotranspiration by as large as 20% in the dry summer seasons.
Foreign Ownership and Skillbiased Technological Change

This paper examines the economic implications of a novel concept of trade diversification—latent diversification. In contrast to traditional measures, latent diversification accounts for potential movements of factors of production into activities where the country has previous exporting experience, hence presenting an additional margin through which countries can respond to shocks. The paper shows that the gap between traditional measures of diversification and latent diversification is sizeable and that latent diversification is in its own right an important determinant of macroeconomic stability. More diversified latent export baskets are associated with lower terms-of-trade volatility and, in turn, lower GDP per capita volatility, even after controlling for the degree of contemporaneous export diversification and other country characteristics.
Estimation of the current population total for a four-phase sampling design

Abstract. The combined ratio-type estimators of the finite population total and their variances in the case of sample rotation for two-phase and four-phase sampling schemes are constructed in the paper. Combined estimators of the finite population total without and with the use of auxiliary information known from the previous survey are built. Two types of sampling design are used for sample selection in each of the phases: simple random sampling without replacement and successive sampling without replacement with probabilities proportional to size. A simulation study, based on the real data, is performed, and the accuracy of the estimators proposed is compared.