bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Bayesian Approach for Estimating Target Market Potential with Limited Geodemographic Information
Authors: Putler Daniel S. , Kalyanam Kirthi , Hodges James S.
Published: December 2018

The authors develop a Bayesian approach for inferring the joint distribution of several demographic variables when only information about the marginal distribution of each variable is known and when there is prior information about the correlation between the variables. Using public domain U.S. Census Bureau geodemographic data for Sioux Falls and the state of South Dakota, they apply the approach to four specific marketing problems, two involving direct mail advertising campaigns and two involving the location of a retail site. The empirical applications illustrate the serious bias that results from the assumption that the demographic variables are independent of each other. Overall, the Bayesian approach recovers the underlying joint distribution of the variables of interest well and is unique in its ability to provide a measure of uncertainty about the resulting estimates. Hypothesis testing and the construction of confidence intervals are illustrated in the context of a retail site location application. The results of a Monte Carlo experiment indicate that the Bayesian approach recovers joint densities under a variety of conditions in a robust manner.
Outcome-Based and Behavior-Based Coordination Efforts in Channel Relationships
Authors: Celly Kirti Sawhney , Frazier Gary L.
Published: December 2018

Supplier personnel often emphasize outcomes and behaviors in personal communications with distributors, thereby signaling important product-market objectives and advocating specific distributor actions. The authors’ purpose is to enhance the understanding of outcome- and behavior-based coordination efforts of supplier personnel in relationships with distributors. The authors use primary data from a national survey of industrial distributors to test the conceptual framework. Empirical results suggest that a supplier's use of such coordination efforts is affected by environmental uncertainty, supplier familiarity with distributor markets, supplier replaceability, and supplier resource constraints, as well as by distributor experience and distributor value added.
The Importance of Utility Balance in Efficient Choice Designs
Authors: Huber Joel , Zwerina Klaus
Published: December 2018

Choice designs traditionally have been built under the assumption that all coefficients are zero. The authors show that if there are reasonable nonzero priors for expected coefficients, then these can be used to generate more statistically efficient choice designs, because the alternatives in their choice sets are balanced in utility—they have more similar choice probabilities. The authors demonstrate that the appropriate measure of choice design efficiency requires probability centering and weighting of the rows of the design matrix, and they illustrate how this criterion enables the analyst to appropriately trade off utility balance against three other principles: orthogonality, level balance, and minimal overlap. Two methods, swapping and relabeling attribute levels, provide complementary ways to increase the utility balance of choice designs. The authors apply a process for generating utility-balanced designs to five different choice designs and show that it reduces by 10–50% the number of respondents needed to achieve a specific error level around the parameters. A sensitivity analysis reveals that these gains are diminished, but still substantial, despite strong misspecifications of prior parameter estimates.
An Investigation of the Mediational Mechanisms Underlying Attitudinal Conditioning
Authors: Kim John , Allen Chris T. , Kardes Frank R.
Published: December 2018

The authors examine the two principal mechanisms that have been proposed as possible explanations for the effects of classical conditioning procedures in attitude-shaping applications. They report two experiments that test conditioning procedures for prompting inferential beliefs, versus transferring affect, as means to influencing brand attitudes. Both studies use an established empirical paradigm for shaping brand attitudes with pictures or visual images as the unconditioned stimuli. The results indicate that brand attitudes can be conditioned using both attractive images that promote direct affect transfer and descriptive visual images that promote inferential belief formation. These data suggest that conditioning procedures can produce multiple benefits when they are applied in selecting and arranging the nonverbal cues to be featured in an advertising campaign.
Geospatial Analysis of Birth Records to Target Programming for Mothers With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Michigan, 2013
Authors: MacQuillan Elizabeth , Curtis Amy , Baker Kathleen , Paul Rajib
Published: December 2018

Objectives:

The incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in the United States has increased during the past several decades. The objective of this study was to use birth records and a combination of statistical and geographic information system (GIS) analyses to evaluate GDM rates among subgroups of pregnant women in Michigan.

Materials and Methods:

We obtained data on maternal demographic and health-related characteristics and regions of residence from 2013 Michigan birth records. We geocoded (ie, matched to maternal residence) the birth data, calculated proportions of births to women with GDM, and used logistic regression models to determine predictors of GDM. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) from the exponentiated beta statistic of the logistic regression test. We also used kernel density estimations and local indicators of spatial association (LISA) analyses to determine GDM rates in regions in the state and identify GDM hot spots (ie, areas with a high GDM rate surrounded by areas with a high GDM rate).

Results:

We successfully geocoded 104 419 of 109 168 (95.6%) births in Michigan in 2013. Of the geocoded births, 5185 (5.0%) were to mothers diagnosed with GDM. LISA maps showed a hot spot of 8 adjacent counties with high GDM rates in southwest Michigan. Of 11 064 births in the Southwest region, 829 (7.5%) were to mothers diagnosed with GDM, the highest rate in the state and a result confirmed by geospatial analyses.

Practice Applications:

Birth data and GIS analyses may be used to measure statewide pregnancy-associated disease risk and identify populations and geographic regions in need of targeted public health and maternal–child health interventions.
The significance of things: Objects, emotions and cultural production in migrant women’s return visits home
Authors: Christou Anastasia , Janta Hania
Published: December 2018

This article draws on qualitative research in Basel, Switzerland with highly skilled migrant women from various European nationalities employed in a number of professional sectors. It seeks to contribute to the literatures on the sociologies of migration and the sociologies of everyday life by intersecting the conceptual frame of ‘affective habitus’ with the phenomenology of material culture in unpacking how emotions triggered by objects shape settling practices in host societies. The analysis centres on pathways of cultural production as they unfold through memories, objects and experiential return visits. The authors find sociological depth in applying ‘affective habitus’ as the conceptual framing to examine how mediations of memory and emotions can extend understandings of how women migrants create agentic ways to settle in new host societies while making cultural accommodations. The conceptual terrain of ‘affective habitus’ is theorised through a phenomenological approach to gendered migrancy and cultural materiality in everyday life.
Economy of the Liturgical Praxis in the Orthodox Christian Perspective
Authors: Mironko Arkadiusz
Published: December 2018

The Orthodox Church, although less known in the western Christian traditions, is a part of the changing world. The Church's liturgical tradition, however, remains largely unchanged. This article provides a detailed look at the Orthodox liturgical tradition practiced today in the Orthodox Church that may be unknown to Western Christians. The rite of the Holy Mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ has central importance and place in the life of the Church. According to St. John of Kronstadt, “the Divine Liturgy is true heaven on earth.” This is why the celebrant preparing to serve the Liturgy is required to exercise particular care and strict adherence to tradition. Yet, even the most careful preparation and observance does not guarantee the prevention of unforeseen circumstances and omissions. This work presents some norms, solutions, and rules which guide the actions that follow such cases. Note that the material presented here reflects the Orthodox Slavic, and in some cases Byzantine, tradition, and will help non-Orthodox Christians deepen their familiarity and appreciation of the Orthodox liturgical theoglogy and praxis.
Music and Liturgical Celebration: Presidential Address
Authors: Pahl Irmgard
Published: December 2018

My primary purpose in this introductory address is to prepare the ground for the principal papers of our congress and for its numerous other studies connected with the theme “Liturgy and Music.” First, I will open up the horizon before which these presentations are to be understood as contributions to contemporary questions and problems. Then, from the background of the self-understanding of the liturgy, I will point out what seem to me to be some important perspectives under which we can, at this congress, discuss the relationship between liturgy and music.
The Theological Dimension of Liturgical Music from an Orthodox Perspective
Authors: Stefanovic Dimitrije
Published: December 2018

Within a chronological historical framework, we shall discuss some theological and liturgical developments in the early church and Byzantium. The theological dimension will also be considered from personal practical experience gathered in the course of decades of active engagement in the Church. Finally, some perspectives of future development based on the thoughts of three outstanding scholars and hierarchs will be outlined. In the appendix, a brief overview of Byzantium is offered.
Parent and Child Depression: Moderated Mediation by Gender and Harsh Parenting in Emerging Adults
Authors: McKinney Cliff , Szkody Erica
Published: December 2018

Parental depression has been associated with psychological problems in offspring. It was hypothesized that harsh parenting would mediate this relationship and that gender differences would suggest moderated mediation. Emerging adults ( N = 490) reported on their current perceptions of parental depression, harsh parenting, and their own psychological problems. The indirect effects of parental depression on emerging adult psychological problems in the context of parent–child gender dyads were examined. All variables shared positive free correlations across gender, whereas direct and indirect effects were influenced heavily by gender. Parental depression was directly related to male and female depression, and harsh parenting was only directly and indirectly related to female depression. Further research should focus on the complexity of harsh parenting and environmental predictors on child psychological problems. Addressing parental depression may indirectly and directly improve children’s internalizing and externalizing problems.
Hunger strike and the force-feeding chair: Guantanamo Bay and corporeal surrender
Authors: Ibrahim Yasmin , Howarth Anita
Published: December 2018

Through the biotechnology of the force-feeding chair and the hunger strike in Guantanamo, this paper examines the camp as a site of necropolitics where bodies inhabit the space of the Muselmann – a figure Agamben invokes in Auschwitz to capture the predicament of the living dead. Sites of incarceration produce an aesthetic of torture and the force-feeding chair embodies the disciplining of the body and the extraction of pain while imposing the biopolitics of the American empire on “terrorist bodies”. Not worthy of human rights or death, the force-fed body inhabits a realm of indistinction between animal and human. The camp as an interstitial space which is beyond closure as well as full disclosure produces an aesthetic of torture on the racialised Other through the force-feeding chair positioned between visibility and non-visibility. Through the discourse of medical ethics and the legal struggle for rights, the force-feeding chair emerges as a symbol of necropolitics where the hunger strike becomes a mechanism to impede death while possessing and violating the corporeal body.
Reducing Assaults Against Staff Using Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs) in Railway Stations
Authors: Ariel Barak , Newton Mark , McEwan Lorna , Ashbridge Garry A. , Weinborn Cristobal , Brants Hagit Sabo
Published: December 2018

Workplace violence is a major health and safety phenomenon. We investigate whether body-worn cameras (BWCs) can achieve a cost-effective reduction of assaults. We conducted a randomized controlled trial with train stations exposed to the highest recorded assault rates against staff in England and Wales. Treatment members of staff were equipped with BWCs and control staff were unexposed to BWCs. Official records of assaults against treatment and control staff as well as against any employee at the station complexes are used as outcome measures. Results suggest 47% significant overall reduction in the odds of assaults against BWCs-equipped staff at treatment versus controls locations—or approximately two versus four assaults, on average, per station. In addition, we found a 26% significant reduction in assaults against all employees in the treatment versus control station complexes—9 versus 12 assaults, on average, per station—suggesting that BWCs have a spatial diffusion of benefits effects. We estimate that BWCs can reduce at least 3,000 working days per year lost because of physical violence at work. We conclude that BWCs provide substantial benefits for staff health and safety to those who are equipped with the devices as well as to staff in the vicinity of BWC-equipped employees.
Titanium dioxide nanotubes of defined diameter enhance mesenchymal stem cell proliferation via JNK- and ERK-dependent up-regulation of fibroblast growth factor-2 by T lymphocytes
Authors: Singhatanadgit Weerachai , Toso Montree , Pratheepsawangwong Boonsong , Pimpin Alongkorn , Srituravanich Werayut
Published: December 2018

Long-term clinical success of a titanium implant not only depends upon osseointegration between implant and bone surface but also on the response of host immune cells. Following implantation of biomaterials, an inflammatory response, including T lymphocyte response, is ostensibly initiated by implant-cell interaction. However, little is known about the responses of T lymphocytes to titanium dioxide nanotubes. The present study aimed to explore the effect of titanium dioxide nanotubes on T lymphocytes in vitro and its biological consequences. The results of the present study showed that titanium dioxide nanotubes with diameter of 30–105 nm were non-cytotoxic to T lymphocytes, and the 105 nm titanium dioxide nanotube surface specifically possessed an ability to activate T lymphocytes, thus increasing DNA synthesis and cell proliferation. In addition, the 105 nm titanium dioxide nanotubes significantly activated the expression of FGF-2 gene and protein in T lymphocytes although smaller nanotubes (i.e. those with diameters of approximately 30 and 70 nm) had little effect on this. The present study investigated the mechanism by which 105 nm nanotubes stimulated FGF-2 expression in T lymphocytes by blocking key MAPK pathways. The inhibitors of JNK1/2/3 and ERK1/2 significantly inhibited 105 nm titanium dioxide nanotubes-induced FGF-2 expression. Corresponding to the increased expression of FGF-2, only the supernatant from T lymphocytes cultured on 105 nm nanotubes stimulated human mesenchymal stem cell proliferation. FGF-2 blocking antibody partially reversed the increased proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells, supporting the role of T lymphocyte-derived FGF-2 in enhanced human mesenchymal stem cell proliferation. This suggests a significant role of T lymphocyte-titanium dioxide nanotube interaction in the proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells, which is pivotal to the formation of new bone following implant placement.
Annelies Allain: Pioneer of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes
Authors: Arendt Maryse , Allain Annelies
Published: December 2018

Annelies Allain has been at the forefront of global efforts to support and promote breastfeeding for more than 30 years. Her accomplishments continue to affect all of us who work with breastfeeding families. Born in the Netherlands in 1945, Annelies Allain-van Elk received a scholarship and completed a BA from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, USA. Back in Europe, she obtained a BA in French language and literature (University of Geneva, Switzerland) as well as a translator’s diploma. After 4 years working in West Africa and visits to South America, she returned to Geneva to obtain an MA in development studies. She is fluent in English, French, and Dutch and has working knowledge of Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and German. Ms. Allain was a co-founder of IBFAN (1979) and the coordinator of IBFAN Europe (1980-1984). In 1984, she moved to Penang, Malaysia, and IBFAN work soon took over as a full-time job. She was instrumental in developing the Code Documentation Centre (1985) and by 1991 it became a foundation (ICDC) registered in the Netherlands. Subsequently, the Centre has trained over 2,000 officials from 148 countries about the International Code, making it the world’s top International Code implementation institution. Among her many other education and advocacy activities, Ms. Allain was a co-founder of WABA (1990) and for many years has been a consultant with UNICEF and WHO’s Western Pacific Regional Office on International Code implementation and monitoring. In this interview she provides a firsthand account of how most of the major global breastfeeding protection efforts influencing our current situation came into being. (This is a verbatim interview: MA = Maryse Arendt; AA = Annelies Allain.)
Fracture mechanism on Al-Li alloy T-joint welded by dual laser-beam bilateral synchronous welding
Authors: Zhan Xiaohong , Xia Ling , Wu Youfa , Yu Haisong , Feng Xiaosong , Xia Peiyun
Published: December 2018

Dual laser-beam bilateral synchronous welding technique is considered to replace riveting in terms of skin–stringer joints. The 2.0-mm thick Al-Li alloy T-joint, which is welded by dual laser-beam bilateral synchronous welding between 2099-T83 stringer and 2060-T8 skin, is investigated in the current study. Under the tailored process conditions, the examinations and analyses of microstructures, microhardness distribution, hoop tensile mechanical properties, and fractographies of the T-joint are conducted. Experimental results show that the maximum tensile strength of the weld seam is up to 85% of the tensile strength of the skin material. In order to explore the special fracture characteristics of dual laser-beam bilateral synchronous welding joints after tensile test, a three-dimensional finite element model is established and the residual stress of the weldment is analyzed. Considering the scanning electron microscopy results and simulation results comprehensively, stress concentration is the main reason for the weldment failure in tensile test.
Effect of the shot peening process on the fatigue strength of SAE 5160 steel
Authors: Jaramillo S Héctor E , de Sánchez Nelly Alba , Avila D Julian A
Published: December 2018

The fatigue behaviour of SAE 5160 steel was evaluated before and after applying a shot peening process by using different Almen intensities and surface coverings (uncovered, partial coverage and total coverage). In the high-cycle fatigue tests, maximum stresses of 0.8 Sut, 0.7 Sut and 0.6 Sut were applied in the three-point bending test on an Instron 8872 servo-hydraulic machine at a frequency of 10 Hz and a constant stress ratio of Smin/ Smax = 0.2 for all tests. The fatigue tests were performed based on the ASTM E8, the specimens were classified into six groups for each stress evaluated, and each group consisted of three standardised specimens (ASTM E466). Also, yield strength, ultimate strength, hardness and microhardness were obtained. The Wilcoxon’s non-parametric test was used to statistically compare all the mechanical properties obtained from the base material with those obtained after the application of the shot peening, for the different surface coverings and Almen intensities. The results showed that the shot peening process significantly increases the fatigue strength of the material, with a 94% increase in fatigue strength of the fully coated specimens. However, no significant increase in fatigue strength was found due to a change in the Almen intensity value. A high correlation factor was found between the increase in the ultimate resistance and the increase in Almen intensity; however, for the yield stress the correlation was medium and inverse. For hardness and microhardness, the correlation factor was very low. Finally, the microhardness values revealed a 3% increase in Vickers microhardness of the shot peening specimens compared to the untreated specimens.
Comparative study of the circumferential and volumetric analysis between conventional casting and three-dimensional scanning methods for transtibial socket: A preliminary study
Authors: Mehmood W , Abd Razak NA , Lau MS , Chung TY , Gholizadeh H , Abu Osman NA
Published: December 2018

Transtibial prosthetic sockets can be fabricated either by the conventional way, which involve using plaster of Paris bandages for casting. This will include modifications through hand, scanning and digital imaging of software. The aim of this study is to determine the circumferential profiles and conduct a volumetric analysis of a conventional socket that has fabrication using biosculptor technology. In doing this, a male transtibial amputee, age 28 years old with stable health condition was studied, where circumferential measurements were taken at intervals of 1 cm from the distal end of the residual limb to the medial tibial plateau level. Furthermore, the interior volume of both sockets and residuum were determined directly using water displacement method. A comparative value for the calculation of volume was also carried out using engineering mathematical equations. From these measurements, a total surface bearing transtibial sockets was fabricated to compare the changes of circumferential values of both sockets. The finding shows a percentage of the difference between the volume of the residual limb and conventional sockets to be 6.09%, whereas the biosculptor fabrication socket was 7.84% using the water displacement method. A comparison of circumferential profiles and volumetric analysis findings on the contrary showed that socket fabricated using the biosculptor technology is interchangeable with the conventional socket with more advantages, where biosculptor technology produces cheaper sockets and faster process with digital function in the procedure, unlike the conventional manual technique.
The Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) is reliable and has construct validity in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Sun Y , Gao L , Kan Y , Shi B-X
Published: December 2018

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic, progressive, autoimmune disease that causes significant stress on patients. There is no specific instrument for assessing stress in Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients. The objective of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale in Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Validity evaluation included structural and construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity). Structural validity was assessed by exploratory factor analysis. Convergent validity was assessed by correlating the total score of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale, the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index. Discriminant validity was determined by the statistically significant differences in perceived stress scores among patients with different education levels and disease activity. Reliability was assessed by internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The test-retest reliability was measured at 1-week intervals. Exploratory factor analysis extracted two dimensions that explained 66.45% of the variation. Moderate-to-strong correlations were also found between the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-Item Scale, the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index. Excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.954) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.810) were demonstrated. In conclusion, the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale can be used to measure stress among Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients and serve as a basis for further research.
Are Rights Out of Time? International Human Rights Law, Temporality, and Radical Social Change
Authors: McNeilly Kathryn
Published: December 2018

Human rights were a defining discourse of the 20th century. The opening decades of the twenty-first, however, have witnessed increasing claims that the time of this discourse as an emancipatory tool is up. Focusing on international human rights law, I offer a response to these claims. Drawing from Elizabeth Grosz, Drucilla Cornell and Judith Butler, I propose that a productive future for this area of law in facilitating radical social change can be envisaged by considering more closely the relationship between human rights and temporality and by thinking through a conception of rights which is untimely. This involves abandoning commitment to linearity, progression and predictability in understanding international human rights law and its development and viewing such as based on a conception of the future that is unknown and uncontrollable, that does not progressively follow from the present, and that is open to embrace of the new.
The effects of a compatibiliser on processing, tensile properties and morphology of polystyrene (PS)/styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR)/wollastonite composites
Authors: Abdul Karim Ahmad Fikri , Ismail Hanafi
Published: December 2018

Thermoplastic elastomer composites of polystyrene (PS) blended with styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR)–filled wollastonite were prepared using a laboratory scale internal mixer. The compatibiliser used in this study was maleic anhydride (MAH). The torque developments, morphology, and mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break, Young’s modulus and impact strength were studied. PS/SBR/wollastonite composites with the addition of MAH had higher torque than PS/SBR/wollastonite composites without MAH. Tensile strength, impact strength and elongation at break were reduced by increasing filler loading, both for composites with and without MAH. Composites with MAH had higher tensile strength but lower impact strength and elongation at break as compared with composites without MAH. The Young’s modulus increased with the wollastonite loading, whereas at a similar wollastonite loading, composites with MAH exhibited higher values of Young’s modulus than composites without MAH. Scanning electron microscopy on fracture surfaces showed better filler–matrix adhesion for composites with MAH.
Professionalisation of the Family Firm and Its Relationship with Personal Values
Authors: Camfield Claudio , Franco Mário
Published: December 2018

This study aims to determine the relationships between personal values (PVs) and the professionalisation of family firms. To achieve this objective, the theoretical model of PVs by Schwartz ( Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 25:1–65, 1992; Journal of Social Issues 50:19–45, 1994) and the multidimensional model of professionalisation by Dekker, Lybaert, Steijvers and Depaire ( Family Business Review 26(1): 81–99, 2013; Journal of Small Business Management 53(2): 516–538, 2015) were used, highlighting the inclusion of three more factors found in the literature and which became part of the extended model. As the data-collecting instrument, an online questionnaire was sent to Portuguese family firms, obtaining a final sample of 249 participants. To determine the relationships, structural equation modelling (SEM) was used, specifically Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), initially seeking to validate the constructs (PVs and professionalisation) by adjusting the general model. Then, the structural model was validated, determining the relationships between the variables of the constructs studied. The results demonstrated acceptance of the model and partial and total validation of most of the hypotheses investigated, showing that PVs are related to professionalisation of family firms. Some implications for theory and practice will also be presented.
Book Review: Nicolas Bommarito, Inner Virtue
Authors: Karp Max
Published: December 2018

Nicolas Bommarito, Inner Virtue. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2017. 208 pages. $55.00 (hardback). ISBN: 9780190673383.
Revisiting the Gandhi–Ambedkar Debates over ‘Caste’: The Multiple Resonances of Varņa
Authors: Barua Ankur
Published: December 2018

While Gandhi and Ambedkar hold similar standpoints on the relation between religious orderings of the world and shapes of social existence, they sharply diverge, on certain occasions, regarding the question of what the crucial terms ‘caste’ and varņa refer to, so that they often seem to be talking past each other. Gandhi sought to cut through various traditional forms of Hindu socio-religious practices and develop a Hinduism which is grounded in the values of universal peace, love and benevolence. Ambedkar too rejected aspects of familiar historical varieties of Buddhism and configured a new vehicle whose goals were to be more specifically material than spiritual. However, while both Gandhi and Ambedkar thus sought to uncover the revitalizing impulses of religious ideals, they operated with different imaginations of the type of polity that would emerge from this social reconstruction. For Gandhi, the reinvigorated socio-religious whole would be structured by an ideal notion of varņa in which there would be no enmity among the interdependent units. For Ambedkar, in contrast, the vocabulary of varņa was irredeemably corrupted through its enmeshment in millennia-old structures of hierarchy, so that its employment would not generate sufficient momentum to break through entrenched systems of oppression.
Human Values in Disposing the Dead: An Inquiry into Cremation Technology
Authors: Prajapati Vishwambhar Nath , Bhaduri Saradindu
Published: December 2018

Technologies and human values both have important bearing on human life and conditions. Unfortunately, the dialogue between them has remained inadequate, at best. While the discourse on human values recognizes various kinds and layers of values, including values that are universally relevant across societies and cultures, research on the interface between values and technology has predominantly focused on technology’s interactions with society-specific values. This article is an attempt to broaden the scope of this research by specifically taking the case of cremation technologies. Numerous societal, religious and universal values interplay with each other in matters related to death and the dead. Unlike other technologies, an individual can ‘use’ cremation technology only once, that too with limited control over his/her choice. Our empirical research finds that a complex interaction of multiple layers of values shapes the form and trajectory of cremation technology. Tracking the debate on the adoption of cremation technology in Europe and India, we find important differences in this interaction across societies.
KHL: Consulting for Managing Sales Force Attrition (B)
Authors: Nair Unnikrishnan K , Purani Keyoor
Published: December 2018

Kalpak Healthcare Limited (KHL), a large pharmaceutical company in the southern part of India, was facing severe sales force turnover in its Life Branded Medications SBU, popularly called the Branded SBU (B-SBU). It became an issue of highest concern to the top management of KHL; so they appointed a team of consultants from a premier management school in the region to study the issue and to recommend possible solutions and strategies. Over a period of six months, the consultants conducted extensive research—studying internal company records, analysing the industry and external environment, gathering qualitative data through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions among KHL employees and executing a division wide quantitative survey labelled as Manpower Mood Meter (M3) among the field executives—to finally come up with recommendations.

The Case is organized as two independent, successive ones—A and B. Case (A) describes the consultants’ engagement with KHL and ends with them pondering over the types of analyses to be done with the huge volume of data they had collected. Case (B) details the kinds of analyses they actually did and the inferences they drew. The set of recommendations that the consultants finally make to KHL top management is given in the epilogue of the teaching note. The critical value of this case lies in its ability to open up the students’ mind to the dynamic interplay of multiple factors—individual, managerial, organizational, industrial-contextual and historical—that holistically affect a phenomenon like ‘attrition’ in organizations. This could perhaps also be one of those rare cases that makes use of the principles of System Dynamics in a real, applied and combined contexts of marketing and human resource management.
Empirical Research on Export Barriers: Review, Assessment, and Synthesis
Authors: Leonidou Leonidas C.
Published: December 2018

The article attempts to review, assess, and synthesize existing empirical research on factors impeding the initiation, development, or sustainment of export activities. The investigation covered 35 studies and revealed that from the conceptual aspect, research on the subject is still at the identification and conceptualization stage. It was also demonstrated that the methodologies adopted were unsophisticated and flawed in some respects. On the empirical side, no uniform pattern was observed in the findings of the studies investigated. An aggregation of the empirical data, however, revealed that the existence of limited information to locate and analyze foreign markets had the greatest inhibiting effect on export behavior. The influence of some export barriers was also found to vary according to certain methodological parameters. Finally, an attempted classification of export barriers revealed no significant differences among the resulting categories as to their inhibiting impact on exporting.
Executive Insights: Perspectives for International Marketers on the Japanese Market
Authors: Reid David McHardy
Published: December 2018

“Marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others” (Kotler 1991). This definition is based on notions of: needs, wants, demands, products, utility, value, satisfaction, exchange, transactions, relationships, markets, marketing, and marketers. The need for marketers to focus on consumer behavior flows from this widely held definition.

Yet, with this focus on consumers, little strategic note has been taken of the influence of key markets on other markets. For example, the United States— in particular, California— was a major influence on style and consumer tastes in the 1970s. The world witnessed the emergence of Silicon Valley and listened to Californian sounds, which were subsequently recycled through advertising and movies. The essential purpose of this article, therefore, is to highlight the importance of the Japanese market upon others and to offer a prognosis of the impact it will have.
The Dynamics of a Marketing Orientation in Transition Economies: A Study of Russian Firms
Authors: Golden Peggy A. , Doney Patricia M. , Johnson Denise M. , Smith Jerald R.
Published: December 2018

This article reports the results of a cross-sectional data collection in four Russian cities. The objective of the research is to ascertain whether, during the evolution of marketing in a transition to a free market, firms exhibit similar behaviors observed in well-established free-market economies. Structured interviews were conducted with 200 owner/managers of Russian firms. Structural equation modeling was used to test whether environmental turbulence results in a change in marketing orientation, ensuing use of marketing strategies, and improved firm performance. Although the model generally followed Western trends, there were important differences in the effectiveness of pricing and promotional strategies.
Importing Problems Experienced by Distributors: The Importance of Level-of-Import Development
Authors: Katsikeas Constantine S. , Dalgic Tevfik
Published: December 2018

As opposed to the plethora of export-related studies, limited empirical work has been conducted on firms’ import behavior in the field of international business. The focus of this study is an investigation of problems confronting UK importing distributor firms in their trading activities with U.S. exporting manufacturers. An attempt is made specifically to explore the existence of possible underlying import problem dimensions and examine potential differences in perceptions of importing problems based upon level of import development. The study identifies several significant differences in perceived import problems between different groups of firms in terms of their level of import development. The implications of the findings for importers, exporters, and public export policy markers are highlighted, and future research directions discussed alongside the limitations of the study.
A Typology of Service Firms in International Markets: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Patterson Paul G. , Cicic Muris
Published: December 2018

Globalization of markets and competition has created unlimited opportunities for marketers of services internationally. Service providers, with a wide range of products ranging from professional services to services embedded with tangible goods, have responded to these opportunities. In view of the limited empirical knowledge of service marketers internationally, this article reports on a study of actual experience in serving international customers. In particular, it proposes a classification framework of services as a means of differentiating various marketing practices. The empirical results confirm, for the first time, the usefulness of this classification framework in generating new insights into both strategic and operational activities of international service marketers. Implications for future research and management are also offered.
Success in China's Industrial Market: An Institutional and Environmental Approach
Authors: Li Shaomin
Published: December 2018

During China's rapid transition from a planned to a market economy, a major issue that has not been adequately addressed is “What determines a firm's performance?” This study proposes an institutional and environmental approach to evaluate how a firm performs in this dynamic transitional economy. Using a data set containing China's entire industrial market, this study finds that a firm's performance is shaped by its institutional characteristics and its environment, along with other strategic factors such as its market share. A surprising and yet important finding is the superior performance of the so-called “collectively owned” enterprises. The article not only explores the theoretical relationship between firm performance and institutional and environmental factors in transitional economies, but also is helpful for managers in developing such marketing strategies as market assessment, entry strategy, or partner selection.
Converging Trends within the European Union: Insights from an Analysis of Diffusion Patterns
Authors: Ganesh Jaishankar
Published: December 2018

The unification of Europe offers major opportunities for firms providing products and services to the consumer market of nearly 400 million people. To capitalize effectively on these opportunities, firms must comprehend fully the changing macroenvironmental and consumer behavior trends in the European Union (EU). Recent research indicates that, though individual member countries differ substantially, convergence is increasing in the EU market. This observation requires a major revision in the marketing strategies of most firms; Pan-European marketing may be the name of the game for the future. This study empirically investigates changing consumer trends in the EU by comparing diffusion rates for new products introduced during the first and second half of the unification process. Managerial implications are drawn on the basis of the research findings.
Executive Insights: Global Logistics
Authors: Bowersox Donald J. , Calantone Roger J.
Published: December 2018

New developments in information technology and logistics practices are combining to offset traditional barriers to developing truly global business strategies. This article elaborates on these developments, provides a framework for understanding the scope and magnitude of global logistics, and presents a method for estimating heretofore unavailable global logistics expenditures.1
Assessing ADHD Through the Multi-Informant Approach: The Contribution of the Conners’ 3 Scales
Authors: Izzo Viola Angela , Donati Maria Anna , Primi Caterina
Published: December 2018

Objective: Symptoms of ADHD need to be present in at least two different settings to suggest a diagnosis, so multi-informant assessment approaches are usually adopted. The Conners’ Rating Scales offer three versions, completed by parents (Conners 3-P), teachers (Conners 3-T), and youth (Conners 3-SR). Nonetheless, there is a lack of studies examining the psychometric properties of the Parent and Teacher versions and the relation between each version of the Conners 3 scales. Method: The present work examined the psychometric properties of the Parent and Teacher scales in terms of the structural validity and reliability of their Content scales in an Italian sample. Moreover, to support the need to administer all Conners 3 scales together and to exclude their potential redundancy, cross-informant agreement between parents, teachers, and children was assessed. Results: Results supported the Conners 3 scales as reliable and valid tools to assess ADHD and provided evidence for their non-redundancy. Conclusion: The non-redundancy of the Conners 3 may promote clinicians to adopt a multi-informant perspective
Influence of a physical education teacher’s perceived age on high school pupils’ perceptions of effectiveness and learning
Authors: Pennington Colin G , Curtner-Smith Matthew D , Wind Stefanie A
Published: December 2018

Few studies have focused on the issues older physical education (PE) teachers encounter which may limit their effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of a PE teacher’s apparent age on high school pupils’ learning and perceptions of the teacher. Participants were 114 ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade pupils. They were randomly assigned to watch one of two virtually identical filmed swimming lessons taught by the same teacher. In the young-appearance lesson, the teacher taught as his normal and relatively youthful self. In the middle-aged lesson (MAL), his appearance had been aged by a theatrical makeup artist. Following the viewing of their assigned lesson, pupils completed an examination over lesson content and a questionnaire asking them about their perceptions of the teacher. Inferential statistical tests indicated that the pupils who watched the MAL perceived the teacher more favorably. Performance on the content examination was similar for pupils who watched either film. These findings provided support for a psychological/developmental explanation of how and why pupils respond to and learn from PE teachers of different ages.
Wave and wave-current actions on a bridge tower: An experimental study
Authors: Wei Chengxun , Zhou Daocheng , Ou Jinping
Published: December 2018

With a scale of 1:100, an experimental model was set up to investigate the dynamic responses of a bridge tower subjected to ocean waves and wave-currents. The bridge tower was designed for a sea-crossing bridge. Based on a pile-group foundation, it was designed to be a typical gate-type structure. Wave-induced base shear forces on the foundation and motion responses of the tower were measured and analyzed. The experimental results show that when a wave period is close to the natural period of the structure, an obvious resonance will be induced on the structure. For different wave action angles, the longitudinal incident waves induced the largest longitudinal base shear forces on the foundation and the greatest dynamic motions on the upper tower of the structure. Because of the pile-group effectiveness, the incident directions of the waves and the wave periods affect the acting forces on the foundation of the structure. For wave-current actions, forward currents increase the forward wave forces on the foundation and decrease the backward forces, but do not significantly affect the motion responses of the upper tower. The experimental results can be used as the verification data for numerical calculations. With the structural forms of the pile-group and the gate-type tower being typical, the results given in this study can be used as a reference for similar engineering designs.
Machine learning for identification of surgeries with high risks of cancellation
Authors: Luo Li , Zhang Fengyi , Yao Yao , Gong RenRong , Fu Martina , Xiao Jin
Published: December 2018

Surgery cancellations waste scarce operative resources and hinder patients’ access to operative services. In this study, the Wilcoxon and chi-square tests were used for predictor selection, and three machine learning models – random forest, support vector machine, and XGBoost – were used for the identification of surgeries with high risks of cancellation. The optimal performances of the identification models were as follows: sensitivity − 0.615; specificity − 0.957; positive predictive value − 0.454; negative predictive value − 0.904; accuracy − 0.647; and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve − 0.682. Of the three models, the random forest model achieved the best performance. Thus, the effective identification of surgeries with high risks of cancellation is feasible with stable performance. Models and sampling methods significantly affect the performance of identification. This study is a new application of machine learning for the identification of surgeries with high risks of cancellation and facilitation of surgery resource management.