Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coordination in innovation‐generating business networks – the case of Finnish Mobile TV development

Purpose – In this study the authors seek to discuss and empirically analyze coordination mechanisms in innovation‐generating business networks. Their aim is to explore how these coordination mechanisms, as well as the roles of actors, evolve during the development of such networks.Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses an in‐depth single case study on the development of Finnish Mobile TV in an innovation‐generating business network comprising a heterogeneous range of actors.Findings – The findings suggest that coordination of innovation‐generating business networks combines “management” and “orchestration”, both of which have their distinct roles throughout the development of the network. The latter is used throughout the case in question to communicate vision and build social capital, and the former to coordinate phases closer to commercialization.Research limitations/implications – The study provides novel evidence in explicating how network coordination mechanisms of management and orchestrat.
Transport, logistics and the region

Cargo transport and logistics have a huge impact on sustainable (regional) economic development. Two broad (policy) challenges are center stage: enhancing co-location of logistics activities and improving efficiency in intermodal transport chains. Academic research can provide relevant insights for both challenges. Co location in logistics has economic as well as societal benefits, but does not just happen. Instead, it requires firm strategies with regard to the location of logistics facilities and investments to develop logistics sites, as well as public policies, for instance on developing and managing infrastructure and land. For intermodal chains, many different companies such as shipping lines, terminal operators and forwarders, design competing services. These companies have different business models. Such differences have an important – but not well understood – effect on design choices and influence the overall efficiency of intermodal transport chains.
Ethnicity and Prostate Cancer in Southern Nigeria: A Preliminary Report

Introduction: The natural history of prostate cancer varies among patients. The aim of this study is to detect any variations in clinical and pathological characteristics of the tumor in patients from different ethnic groups in Southern Nigeria. Patients and Methods: Consecutive patients who presented with features of prostatic diseases at the Urology Units of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt and Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, were evaluated prospectively with history, physical examination, and relevant investigations using a proforma. Data obtained were collated and analyzed statistically using the Chi-square test and Microsoft Excel. Results: Of 187 patients studied, 169 were analyzed. Eighty-six were Ibos, 31 Ijaws, 25 Ikwerres, and 12 Ogonis. Two were from each Etche, Urhobo, Opobo, and Effik; 4 from Andoni, and 3 Ibibio. Fifty-seven (66.3%) Ibos presented with the disease at higher ages (70–80 years) than 19 (61.3%) Ijaws and 11 (91.7%) Ogonis. These age differences were statistically significant with 95% and 99.9% confidence, respectively. All cases were adenocarcinomas. Clinical features, pattern of serum prostate-specific antigen levels, grades of the tumors, tumor metastases, and complications were similar for all ethnic groups. Although more Ibos had tumors with relatively more aggressive metastatic features, there was no statistical significance. Conclusion: Clinical and pathological features of adenocarcinoma of the prostate in Ibos, Ikwerres, Ijaws, and Ogonis were found to be similar. However, Ibos presented with the disease at older ages than Ijaws and Ogonis.
The Acid Test of Corporate Identity Management

This article introduces a new approach to corporate identity scholarship and practice entitled "The ACID Test of Corporate Identity Management. "™ The researchers undertook empirical research within a major corporate identity consultancy with the objective of evaluating and contrasting the techniques used by the consultancy with the latest developments in corporate identity scholarship. An analysis of the documentary material produced by the UK's top 20 corporate identity consultancies and of the conceptual models of corporate image/corporate identity produced by academics was undertaken. A qualitative research design was adopted, based on in-depth interviews, desk research and content analysis. The research revealed that most corporate identity projects adopted a "vision driven approach. " In other words corporate identity strategies were being built around the corporate vision as articulated by an organisation's chief executive and/or board of management. Furthermore, visual identification was used as the.
Modeling firm-specific internationalization risk

Drawing on internationalization process theory, we develop a new model for firm-specific internationalization risk assessment. Our model shows that firm-specific internationalization risks can be determined from a firm’s experiences and from current business activities in a firm’s network. Experiential risks are categorized as international, country market, network, or relationship experience risks. Risk assessment in current network activities can be determined from a firm’s dependency on a network and from the network’s performance and evolution. We apply our model to credit risk assessment by banks and other credit institutions. This article adds to research on financial institutions credit risk assessment by focusing on firmspecific internationalization risk assessment, an area that has previously received little attention in the literature. In addition, this article provides a better understanding of risk assessment in the internationalization process, shedding light on not only firms’ commitment to internationalization but also the commitment of banks and other institutions to internationalizing firms.
Can Private Equity Funds Foster Corporate Social Responsibility

Is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), defined as the commitment of business to contribute to sustainable development and take responsibility for their impacts on society, coherent with Private Equity? To answer this question, the Chapter 1 of this Ph.D. dissertation surveys the literature on the economic determinants of CSR behaviors and its impacts on market structure, economic performance and society. Chapter 2 then tackles how firms can both succeed on profitability and sustainability levels and shows that the diverse policies encompassed in CSR do not equally matter to do well and do good. Chapter 3 empirically assesses where the French Private Equity industry stands in terms of CSR integration, and why. Responsible investment practices spread among mainstream Private Equity investors, characterized by a specific investor engagement and strategically driven by a need for new value creation sources, increased risk management and differentiation. Chapter 4 uses signaling theory to ask whether CSR could be used by Private Equity investors to better select their investments. It presents a money-burning investment game and experimentally tests it comparing a public good signal to a standard advertising signal. Results indicate that CSR does not improve firm selection, but it does not perfectly substitute to standard money-burning signals and impacts equilibrium selection. Finally, Chapter 5 turns to professional Private Equity investors to quantify the impact sustainable and unsustainable corporate practices have on equity financing in a unique field experiment. An asymmetric effect is observed, entrepreneurs having more to loose from unsustainable practices than to gain from sustainable ones. The dissertation concludes by discussing main results, implications for the Private Equity industry and public policies, and the limits and possible extensions of this research.
Marketing artistic careers: Pablo Picasso as brand manager

Purpose – In recent years, scholars have begun suggesting that marketing can learn a lot from art and art history. This paper aims to build on that work by developing the proposition that successful artists are powerful brands. Design/methodology/approach – Using archival data and biographies, this paper explores the branding acumen of Pablo Picasso. Findings – Picasso maneuvered with consummate skill to assure his position in the art world. By mid-career, he had established his brand so successfully that he had the upper hand over the dealers who represented him, and his work was so sought-after that he could count on selling whatever proportion of it he chose to allow to leave his studio. In order to achieve this level of success, Picasso had to read the culture in which he operated and manage the efforts of a complex system of different intermediaries and stakeholders that was not unlike an organization. Based on an analysis of Picasso's career, the authors assert that in their management of these powe.
Burden of chronic kidney disease in an urban city of Pakistan, a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease in an urban city and to assess the risk factors associated with the condition. METHODS The cross-sectional study was carried out from June to December 2012 by arranging health camps for asymptomatic population in Karachi at busy shopping areas frequented by people of all socioeconomic classes. The camps provided free screening tests for the general public. Serum creatinine was checked and estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. SPSS 17 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS Of the 301 subjects who came to the camps, 293(97%) had their serum creatinine checked. The age range was 30-80 years. Chronic Kidney Disease was found in 75(25.60%)subjects. A significant relationship was found between the disease and Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension (p=0.006). There was also a significant relationship between Hypertension and Diabetes with mean Glomerular Filtration Rate (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS In view of the prevalence rate of Chronic Kidney Disease, early screening and risk factor stratification is recommended.
Efficacy of an inactivated vaccine against hydropericardium syndrome in broilers

Field trials were used to assess the efficacy of an inactivated vaccine against hydropericardium syndrome in broiler chickens. A single vaccination at 10 to 12 days old was effective for the control of the syndrome; mortality in the vaccinated birds was 0.52 per cent compared with 5.34 per cent in unvaccinated birds kept at the same premises. Vaccination was also effective when carried out in the face of an outbreak; mortality in the vaccinated infected birds was 2.33 per cent compared with 10.27 per cent in unvaccinated infected birds. The data indicate that a formalinised vaccine prepared from the liver of experimentally infected birds could be used for the control of hydropericardium syndrome.
Developing a National Framework for Introducing REITs in China – A Lengthy Process

This article proposes a process by which a new national framework for listing real estate investment trusts (REITs) on the Shanghai stock exchange in China could be developed and implemented. It makes some assumptions about the actors involved and the action required, and presents a timeline for the plan. While theoretically, good REIT legislation is a price-stabilizing factor on the market, there is some reluctance in government circles to permit listing of a publicly tradable REIT vehicle. There are questions to resolve, what structure could a REIT take in Shanghai and, if the REIT is introduced, whether it can be a factor that would contribute to market stability in an emerging capital market and have a stabilizing effect on Shanghai’s overheated real estate market and volatile capital market. If this could be proven with econometric tests, it would make an effective argument for the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) and Shanghai Securities Exchange (SSE) to permit the listing of REITs. The process outlined in this article would be carried out in three stages, the first resulting in an unlisted pilot product, the restricted institutional REIT; then an interim, slightly expanded version, the development REIT; and finally a truly liquid, tax-neutral, stable, publicly traded REIT. The prerequisites for the first, restricted vehicle are discussed extensively in this article. The trust laws, tax regimes and regulatory and professional feature development are benchmarks in the process. The whole process is likely to take three and a half to four years. The Chinese government, rightly so in this author’s opinion, is proceeding in a stepwise fashion by first developing appropriate tools, standards, guidelines, regulations and laws before fully opening its capital markets to instruments that may have little meaning and could even threaten its economic stability. It will be some time before we see a full fledged REIT on the market in Shanghai.
Passing probation : earnings management by interim CEOs and its effect on their promotion prospects

Drawing on chief executive officer (CEO) succession research and the impression management literature, we examine earnings management by interim CEOs, its impact on interim CEOs’ promotion prospects, and the moderating effect of governance mechanisms on the relationship between the two. Based on a sample of 145 interim CEO succession events in U.S. public firms from 2004 to 2008, we find that (a) an interim CEO is more likely than a noninterim CEO to engage in earnings management to improve firm earnings performance (“income-increasing earnings management”), (b) the greater the income-increasing earnings management, the more likely it is that the interim CEO will be promoted to the permanent position, and (c) the relationship between earnings management and the likelihood of interim CEO promotion is weakened when effective internal and external governance mechanisms are in place.
INFORMATION SECURITY AWARENESS: AN INNOVATION APPROACH

I declare that this assignment is all my own work and that I have acknowledged all quotations from the published or unpublished works of other people. I declare that I have also read the statements on plagiarism in Section 1 of the Regulations Governing Examination and Assessment Offences and in accordance with it I submit this project report as my own work. I would like to dedicate the effort imprinted in this dissertation project, to those persons who suffered my absence while I was writing it; my son and my daughter. I am especially grateful for the support that I received from my wife, who made this adventure possible.
Disparities despite coverage: gaps in colorectal cancer screening among Medicare beneficiaries.

BACKGROUND Despite its effectiveness in reducing mortality, colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates are low, especially among low-income and minority groups; however, physician recommendation can increase screening rates. METHODS We performed a multilevel analysis of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data linked to Medicare claims and the Area Resource File to identify determinants of racial and socioeconomic disparities in CRC screening among 9985 Medicare Parts A and B beneficiaries with a usual physician. Recent CRC screening was defined as receipt of either a home fecal occult blood test, flexible sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy at recommended intervals. RESULTS Unadjusted rates of screening were 48% for white and 39% for black beneficiaries (P<.001). Racial differences in CRC screening receipt were eliminated after adjustment for socioeconomic status as measured by income and education. Socioeconomic status disparities decreased but remained significant after adjustment for personal and health system factors. Awareness of CRC (adjusted odds ratio, 2.76; 95% confidence interval, 2.29-3.33) and having a primary care generalist (vs another specialist) as one's usual physician (adjusted odds ratio, 1.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-1.53) were associated with higher odds of screening, controlling for other factors. The odds of screening were also higher among those whose usual physician was rated more highly on information-giving skills. CONCLUSIONS Racial differences in CRC screening rates among Medicare beneficiaries with a usual physician are explained by differences in socioeconomic status. Beneficiaries with a primary care generalist as their usual physician had higher rates of CRC screening receipt. Increased efforts to make Medicare beneficiaries aware of the benefits of CRC screening may capitalize on the associations found in this study between CRC knowledge, physician information giving, and timely screening.
The ownership of many homes in Northern Ireland & Australia : issues for states and localities.

This paper examines new evidence relating to comparative aspects of the ownership and use of multiple residences in affluent societies, especially in Australia and Northern Ireland (NI). The paper assesses the extent of the ownership of second homes ('holiday homes' in Australia) based on data from two recent surveys: an omnibus survey by the NI Statistics and Research Agency and the 2007Australian Survey of Social Attitudes Survey (AuSSA). The paper suggests that 3-4 percent of households in both countries own holiday homes and/or dwellings used for other non-commercial purposes related to individual and household mobilities. We consider evidence indicating likely further growth of the ownership of many homes by affluent households, albeit in the changed context of a major downturn in many housing markets, including the UK and Ireland. We also review the relevance of these findings to issues and debates in both societies, especially relating to concerns of local government in regional Australia.
An internet‐based approach to environmental scanning in marketing planning

Purpose – This paper introduces a new approach for autonomous internet‐based environmental scanning, which combines concept of weak signals with “information foraging theory”. Design/methodology/approach – Early detection and rapid action with respect to developments in the operating environment is a prerequisite for successful marketing planning. Accordingly, this paper proposes a three‐stage process for overcoming practical obstacles to the detection and use of weak signals from the operating environment, in particular how to identify relevant and useful documents in harsh information environments such as the internet. Its functionality is demonstrated by means of a human‐machine experiment.Findings – A framework based on information foraging theory is well suited to the task of determining the relevance of documents and facilitates the automation of information search processes. A prototype environmental scanning system of this type outperformed human experts in a typical scanning task.Research limitati.
State clustering in hidden Markov model-based continuous speech recognition

Abstract A key problem in the use of context-dependent bidden Markov models is the need to balance the desired model complexity with the amount of available training data. This paper describes a method which uses a simple agglomerative algorithm to cluster and tie acoustically similar states. The main properties of the algorithm are explored using phone recognition on the TIMIT database where it is shown that there is an optimum between the clustering extrema of an untied context-dependent system and a fully tied monophone system. At this optimum, phone recognition performance was 76·7% correct and 72·3% accuracy. The use of state-tying in the HTK continuous speech recognition system is then described and results are presented using the Resource Management database. The average error rate across the Feb '89, Oct '89 and Feb '91 test sets was less than 4·3% and this was achieved without cross-word triphones. Gender-dependent models were also compared to gender-independent models but found to give little improvement.
Self-Expanding Metal Stents Versus Polyethylene Stents for Palliative Treatment in Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Objectives: Endoscopic biliary drainage is widely accepted as palliative treatment in patients with pancreatic cancer. The current study was designed to compare self-expanding metal stent and polyethylene stent in a homogeneous patient group with advanced pancreatic cancer. Methods: The study included 154 patients initially treated with a metal or plastic stent. Median survival time, stent patency, and stent-associated hospital admissions were evaluated. Results: The median survival time in patients treated with metal and plastic stent was 5.9 and 4.4 months (P = 0.074), respectively. Self-expanding metal stents have a significantly higher patency rate than polyethylene stents. Stent occlusion was observed in 21 (33%) of 63 patients in the plastic stent group after a median period of 57 days and in 17 (19%) of 91 patients in the metal stent group after a median period of 126 days. The total time of hospital stay after initial implantation of metal or plastic stent was 7 and 16.5 days, respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Self-expanding metal stents have a longer patency than polyethylene stents. Additionally, the number of stent-associated hospital admissions and the total time of hospital stay were higher in the plastic stent group. The median survival time was not significantly different in both groups.
Early Morbidity and Perioperative Course of Neonates with Esophageal Atresia and Tracheoesophageal Fistula in a Tertiary Pediatric Surgical Center

Background: The management of infants (infs.) with esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (EA ± TEF) is demanding and complex. The aim of this study was to evaluate early morbidity, the timing of surgery, and the results of surgery. Patients and Method: We collected data of 30 consecutive infs. treated for EA ± TEF between 2006 and 2014. Results: The median gestational age was 38 weeks (12 preterm), and the median Birth Weight (BW) was 2660 g (4 infs. had a BW 1500 g). The median Apgar score at 10 minutes was 10 (range 7 - 10). The median umbilical artery pH (UapH) was 7.30. According to the Spitz classification, 19 infs. were group 1, 9 infs. were group 2, and 2 infs. were group 3. Surgical repair was performed in 29 cases (25 EA; 4 isolated TEF). Once the infs. arrived at the pediatric surgery department, surgery was postponed overnight in 11 cases. The duration of postoperative (p.o.) mechanical ventilation was significantly shorter for operations performed on day 2 after delivery. Twenty-four infs. (83%) underwent surgery within 2 days after delivery, and 5 infs. had later surgery. Chest drains (p.o.) for pneumothorax were inserted in 6 infs. (21%), and gastrostomy was performed in 6 cases (21%). No re-thoracotomy was required. The median length of hospital stay was 17.5 days (6 to 120). The incidence of p.o. mortality was 1 in 29 (3%). Discussion: The majority of the infs. presented growth retardation (indicated by low birth weight) and a stable immediate postnatal course. The data from this study support the concept of early but not emergent surgery for the majority of infs. with EA ± TEF. However, a remarkable rate of perioperative morbidity must be taken into account. Conclusion: Surgery for EA ± TEF can be performed safely during the first postnatal days with exception of very unstable preterm infants.