Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measuring new product success: The difference that time perspective makes

Management is often criticized for overemphasizing short-term profits at the expense of long-term growth. On the other hand, although numerous studies have explored the factors underlying new product success and failure, such studies rarely distinguish between short- and long-term success. In fact, little research has been conducted to explore the relationship between a company's time perspective and its choice of criteria for measuring new product success. For that matter, little consensus exists as to just what we mean by the term success. Expanding on work done by a PDMA task force on measurement of new product success and failure, Erik Jan Hultink and Henry S.J. Robben identify 16 core measures of new product success. In a survey of large Dutch companies, they explore managers' perceptions of new product success, hypothesizing that the importance attached to each of the 16 core measures depends on the company's time perspective. For example, they propose that criteria such as development cost and speed-to-market are more important in the short term, and return-on-investiment (ROI) is more important in the long term. The study also examines the type of market served, the innovation strategy, and the perceived innovativeness of the company's products. It is hypothesized that these factors will influence the importance the company attaches to the core measures of new product success. For example, it is expected that speed-to-market is probably more important for technological innovators than for fast imitators or cost minimizers. The findings support the hypothesis that the firm's time perspective influences the perceived importance of the core measures of success. For the short term, the respondents emphasize product-level measures such as speed-to-market and whether the product was launched on time. In the long term, the focus is on customer acceptance and financial performance, including attaining goals for profitability, margins, and ROI. Four factors are perceived as being equally important for short-term and long-term success: customer satisfaction, customer acceptance, meeting quality guidelines, and product performance level. Customer satisfaction was found to be the most important measure, regardless of a company's time perspective. Contrary to expectations, the perceived importance of the 16 core measures does not differ on the basis of the type of market, the innovation strategy, or the product's perceived innovativeness. In addition, the firm's functional orientation—technology push or market pull—does not affect the importance attached to the core measures of new product success.
Development of a behavioural marker system for scrub practitioners' non-technical skills (SPLINTS system).

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Adverse events still occur despite ongoing efforts to reduce harm to patients. Contributory factors to adverse events are often due to limitations in clinicians' non-technical skills (e.g. communication, situation awareness), rather than deficiencies in technical competence. We developed a behavioural rating system to provide a structured means for teaching and assessing scrub practitioners' (i.e. nurse, technician, operating department practitioner) non-technical skills. METHOD Psychologists facilitated focus groups (n = 4) with experienced scrub practitioners (n = 16; 4 in each group) to develop a preliminary taxonomy. Focus groups reviewed lists of non-technical-skill-related behaviours that were extracted from an interview study. The focus groups labelled skill categories and elements and also provided examples of good and poor behaviours for those skills. An expert panel (n = 2 psychologists; n = 1 expert nurse) then used an iterative process to individually and collaboratively review and refine those data to produce a prototype skills taxonomy. RESULTS A preliminary taxonomy containing eight non-technical skill categories with 28 underlying elements was produced. The expert panel reduced this to three categories (situation awareness, communication and teamwork, task management), each with three underlying elements. The system was called the Scrub Practitioners' List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills system. A scoring system and a user handbook were also developed. CONCLUSION A prototype behavioural rating system for scrub practitioners' non-technical skills was developed, to aid in teaching and providing formative assessment. This important aspect of performance is not currently explicitly addressed in any educational route to qualify as a scrub practitioner.
Effect of rosuvastatin on insulin sensitivity in patients with familial combined hyperlipidaemia

Background By influencing the mevalonate pathway, statins may have multiple effects besides lipid lowering. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of rosuvastatin on serum lipids and insulin sensitivity in nondiabetic subjects with familial combined hyperlipidaemia (FCH), a population characterized by decreased insulin sensitivity.
Feline Intestinal Adenocarcinoma

Twenty-two cases of intestinal adenocarcinoma were diagnosed in an 11-year survey of 3145 feline necropsies. Histologically, tumors were grouped into four classes: (1) carcinoma with solid groups of cells, (2) adenocarcinoma with solid and acinar cells, (3) papillary adenocarcinoma, and (4) mucinous adenocarcinoma. Tumors were commonest in the ileum. Connective tissue, as well as epithelial metaplasia, were associated more often in this group of intestinal adenocarcinomas than seen before. Hypertrophy and hyperplasia of muscular layers of the unaffected sections of intestines were seen in most of the small bowel and in half of the large bowel carcinomas in this series.
Advances on information processing and management

 This paper observes on the sources of information used or not used by Greek internationalized manufacturing companies, in order to trace foreign market opportunities and insights into functions of foreign marketplaces, and the subsequent relevant strategies followed by these companies, as well as the special features that characterize and discern them. Factor analysis recognises two groups of information sources regarding foreign markets, named “institutional sources” and “inter-organizational and market cooperations’ sources”. Cluster analysis classifies companies into two groups, the “aggressive information acquisition strategy adopting” and the “passive information acquisition strategy adopting”. Discriminant analysis and logistic regression revealed in most cases weak discriminating effects, with some interesting exceptions, that mainly have to do with internationalization intensity and the existence and implementation of outward looking strategies and commitment to the internationalization vision. Keywords Foreign market information, Strategy
Pattern of relapse in low‐risk breast cancer patients followed within a community care network

International guidelines have set the frame and methods of patients’ surveillance after early breast cancer (BC) treatment. Since 1998, delegation of low‐risk BC patients follow‐up to nonhospital practitioners has been developed within a care network in the Paris region. We used the Gynecomed care network digital database to describe the characteristics of oncological events which occurred in the cohort, and to assess the quality of BC follow‐up in relapsing patients. Events were defined as any local, contralateral, or metastatic recurrence, as well as second cancer or death due to any cause. We developed a ranked evaluation method of our surveillance program. Among the 3019 patients followed in the network, 116 (4.3%) patients had 116 events. Median follow‐up was 7.1 years (0‐51). First events were local‐regional relapses, contralateral BCs, metastatic events, second primaries in respectively 52, 26, 14, 24 cases. During the first 5 years, 68.4% of surveillance visits were performed on time, 13.5% were behind schedule and 18.1% were not performed, while 79.1% of mammographies were performed on time, 7.7% behind schedule, and 13.2% were not performed. On schedule examinations allowed diagnosis of 77% of the local‐regional, ipsilateral relapses or contralateral BCs, including 38 (69%) discovered by mammographies and 17 (31%) by clinical examination. A nonhospital practitioner care network is able to comply with good surveillance practices and deliver high quality surveillance, in accordance with international guidelines. Delegation of low‐risk BC surveillance to nonhospital practitioners is reliable.
Legislation and SME retailers – compliance costs and consequences

Purpose – The introduction, implementation and enforcement of new laws governing the conduct of business can result in substantial additional costs to retailers. Focusing on small to medium sized (SME) retailers in rural areas and market towns, the study reported here aims to provide an understanding of perceptions of potentially disproportionate implementation costs and the resulting consequences.Design/methodology/approach – A three‐stage design was used. An exploratory focus group with representatives of the Rural Shop Alliance was followed by seven semi‐structured depth‐interviews with SME retail representatives. Thematic analysis of the qualitative findings formed the basis for a survey of SME retailers in five market towns.Findings – Findings show SME retailers' perceptions of the differential burden related to the impact of new legislation, with the key factors of direct cost, time costs and information costs. Consequently, business growth and the formalisation of staffing arrangements, in particul.
Heat Sterilization of Glucose-Containing Fluids for Peritoneal Dialysis: Biological Consequences of Chemical Alterations

G lucose solutions used for medical purposes are sterile. Sterilization is commonly performed through the addition of energy , either in the form of radiation or heat. It has been known for many years that such a treatment leads to derangement and breakdown of the glucose molecules (1,2). The degree of degradation, however, depends on several factors other than the mode of sterilization, such as storage time, pH, light, glucose concentration, catalyzing substances, and temperature. Reports in the past have pointed out that glucose degradation products are toxic to different cell species. One of the first reports concerning this was published more than lOO years ago. The paper published in 1887 inAnnales de l'Institute Pasteur by E. Roux demonstrated the killing of spores due to the carbohydrate fraction of a medium exposed to sunlight (3). In 1935 it was demonstrated that 20 different carbohydrate (including glucose) solutions exposed to ultraviolet radiation inhibited the growth of bacteria ( 4). Since then, many other reports have described toxicity for microorganisms (5-7). Later, side effects due to glucose degradation products were observed on plant cells (8) as well as mammalian cells (9). It has also been shown that the degradation products can cause chromosomal breaks in human lymphocytes (10). For many years the interest in glucose degradation has focused mainly on safety in food production, cell culture media, and fluids for intravenous injection. In spite of the fact that a patient on peritoneal dialysis is exposed to around 3000 L of fluid every year, very little attention to date has been paid to glucose degradation products in heatsterilized peritoneal dialysis fluids.
Physiological effects of gasoline on the freshwater fish Prochilodus lineatus(Characiformes: Prochilodontidae)

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the effects of the water-soluble fraction of gasoline (WSFG) on the Neotropical freshwater fish Prochilodus lineatus. The WSFG was prepared by mixing gasoline in water (1:4) and animals were exposed for 6, 24 and 96h to 5% diluted WSFG or only to water. After exposure, blood was collected from the caudal vein and the gills were removed. The following parameters were analyzed: hematological (hemoglobin, hematocrit, number of red blood cells), osmo-ionic (plasma Na+, Cl- and K+ and plasma osmolarity), metabolic (total plasma proteins and glucose), endocrine (cortisol), density and distribution of chloride cells [CC] in the gills (immunohistochemistry), and branchial Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) activity. Hemolysis was found to occur after 96h exposure to WSFG, as indicated by the decrease in the hematological parameters analyzed, followed by an increase in plasma K+. Secondary stress response was revealed by the occurrence of hyperglycemia in the three periods of exposure, despite the absence of significant increases in the plasma cortisol. The exposure to WSFG also caused an increase in the quantity of CC and in plasma Na+, after 24h, as well as in the enzymatic activity of NKA and plasma osmolarity, after 24h and 96h. These results indicate that fish exposed to the WSFG showed physiological adjusts to maintain their osmotic balance. However, the increase in the quantity of CC in the lamellae may interfere in the gas exchange impairing respiration.
Modeling antecedents of student loyalty in higher education

The purpose of this investigation is to understand the antecedents of student loyalty in the Brazilian context. In particular we address the impact of student trust, commitment and quality perception on loyalty. A quantitative study was conducted among business management student majors from two private Brazilian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), yielding a global sample of 696 cases. Our findings suggest that students' trust in their HEI has a positive impact on their commitment and loyalty; students' commitment to their HEI has a positive impact on their loyalty; and students' perception of service quality has a positive impact on their commitment and trust. Findings also suggest that student loyalty to the HEI is indirectly influenced by perceived quality.
Goals of sports clubs

Abstract Sports clubs do not strive for maximum profit. They aim to offer their members the opportunity to practise sport and to pass leisure time actively. This paper analyses the goals of sports clubs from the perspective of the theory of action. The collective goals of the club are developed from the members’ interests. The methodological approach applied in the study is a combination of a quantitative survey and case studies. Six goal-profiles have been identified based on the three central goals of sports clubs, namely “competitive sports”, “mass sports” and “sociability”: (1) clubs focusing on sociability, (2) clubs focusing on mass sports and sociability, (3) clubs focusing on mass sports, (4) clubs focusing on competitive and mass sports, (5) clubs focusing on competitive sports and (6) clubs focusing on manifold goals. It has been found out that clubs focusing on mass sports tend to take up new sports activities and to employ paid employees more often than the clubs focusing on competitive sports and sociability. Beyond that, it was confirmed that a correspondence between club goals and the interests of individual club members is a crucial factor for the members’ commitments.
The Role of Media Coverage in the Information Difiusion Process in the Stock Market

In this paper we present results from an event study based on a unique data set of corporate news in the media. The data is provided by Media Tenor, a research institute which collects and rates all corporate news from the most important German daily newspapers and TV news. Our analysis is based on roughly 300,000 corporate news on 125 large- and medium-sized companies in 5 large daily newspapers and 7 TV news shows from Germany between July 1998 and October 2006. Since media analysts rate the news, we have an exogenous measure whether news are good or bad news for a company. Based on this data we can show that the incorporation of information in prices is fairly fast. The main price reaction occurs on the day of the arrival of the new information. This price jump is especially large if the news coverage in the media is accompanied by ad hoc announcements made by the corporation itself. While there is only a very short-term post-event drift after good news, prices tend to drift for several days after bad news. The post-event trading volume is signiflcantly higher than before the news for several days for good as well as bad news. To provide a test of the model of Hong and Stein (1999) we deflne several proxies for the speed of the information difiusion through difierent investor groups. We flnd that for smaller companies with lower abnormal media coverage the information difiusion is indeed slower, as predicted by theory.
A Model of Distributor Firm and Manufacturer Firm Working Partnerships

A model of distributor firm and manufacturer firm working partnerships is presented and is assessed empirically on a sample of distributor firms and a sample of manufacturer firms. A multiple-informant research method is employed. Support is found for a number of the hypothesized construct relations and, in both manufacturer firm and distributor firm models, for the respecification of cooperation as an antecedent rather than a consequence of trust. Some implications for marketing practice are discussed briefly.
Good days and bad days in dementia: a qualitative chart review of variable symptom expression

ABSTRACT Background: Despite its importance in the lived experience of dementia, symptom fluctuation has been little studied outside Lewy body dementia. We aimed to characterize symptom fluctuation in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mixed dementia. Methods: A qualitative analysis of health records that included notations on good days and bad days yielded 52 community-dwelling patients (women, n = 30; aged 39–91 years; mild dementia, n = 26, chiefly AD, n = 36). Results: Good days/bad days were most often described as changes in the same core set of symptoms (e.g. less/more verbal repetition). In other cases, only good or only bad days were described (e.g. no bad days, better sense of humor on good days). Good days were typically associated with improved global cognition, function, interest, and initiation. Bad days were associated with frequent verbal repetition, poor memory, increased agitation and other disruptive behaviors. Conclusions: Clinically important variability in symptoms appears common in AD and mixed dementia. Even so, what makes a day “good” is not simply more (or less) of what makes a day “bad”. Further investigation of the factors that facilitate or encourage good days and mitigate bad days may help improve quality of life for patients and caregivers.
Peripartum cardiomyopathy in a woman with preeclampsia with twin pregnancy

A 27-year-old nulliparous Japanese woman with twin pregnancy developed preeclampsia at gestational week (GW) 26. Cardiac function was checked regularly as women carrying twins with preeclampsia are expected to have increased risk of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). Although conventional parameters including blood pressure, proteinuria, platelet count and liver function did not indicate early delivery, gradual worsening of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) to 44% and plasma brain-type natriuretic peptide level of 254 pg/mL suggested impending PPCM and a need for early delivery at GW 32. A nadir LVEF value of 35% on postpartum day (PPD) 3 followed by a value of 49% on PPD 32 was seen in this patient with PPCM. This case highlights the risk of PPCM among women with preeclampsia carrying twins and the role of pregnancy termination in the clinical course of PPCM.
Board Composition, Firm Characteristics, and Voluntary Disclosure: The Case of Jordanian Firms Listed on the Amman Stock Exchange

This study examines the impact of board composition on the level of voluntary disclosure in the annual reports of listed Jordanian firms. Content analysis is used to collect the required data form the 2012-annual reports of 103 firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange. Overall, the empirical evidence provided by the study is in line with the agency theory predictions. Furthermore, they have practical implications for firms and regulators in Jordan on the importance of the board of directors and voluntary disclosure as control mechanisms for mitigating the effect of the information asymmetries and agency problems. The study shows a moderate level of voluntary disclosure in the annual reports of Jordanian firms. However, insurance firms tend to disclose more voluntary information than industrial and services firms. Also, the results suggest that Jordanian firms with a high-level of board ownership concentration tend to keep the level of voluntary disclosure low. On the other hand, the presence of foreign directors on the board seems to influence, positively, the level of voluntary disclosure in Jordanian firms. Likewise, the proportion of the old directors on the boards in Jordanian firms is very high and is significantly associated with a higher level of voluntary disclosure.
Corporate Strategy , Planning and Performance Evaluation : A Survey of Literature

In recent years, corporate organizations are increasingly paying attention to strategic planning in an attempt to establish the relationship between strategic planning and firm’s performance. This paper reviews the literature on strategic planning and performance evaluation, and summarises the key elements of planning in large organisations. These elements include the top-down communication of corporate vision, goals and core values. In this paper, based on a survey of literature, it has been established that effective strategic planning indeed has a positive impact on performance. Although formal planning only will not bring about better performance, effective implementation will suffice. The paper concludes that strategic planning is vital for ensuring continued good corporate performance and only those organizations that practice some form of strategic planning will survive. It recommends that the process of strategic planning should be given its deserved attention in terms of all the prescribed steps within the existing literature. Management should focus on the strategic issues, on the important issues facing the business as a whole, including where it is headed and what it will or should become.