bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
JD.com: leveraging the edge of e-business
Authors: Chan Allan KK , Huanyong Chen Caleb , Zhao Long
Published: September 2018

Subject

area E-Business; Corporate Strategy; Strategic Management; Operation Management.

Study

level/applicability Senior undergraduate; MBA; EMBA.

Case

overview After development for 10 years, JD was now China’s second largest business-to-customer (B2C) e-retailer and the largest in self-operated sector. It was September 2015 when Liu Qiangdong was deciding whether to persist with JD’s self-operated model and the heavy investment in the self-built logistics system. JD’s business model had been functioning well. However, as JD grew bigger and bigger, it became too expensive to expand its logistics system. JD had not made a profit since it raised funds from investors. Liu had to come up with a good proposal before the next monthly meeting to convince them that JD would finally overtake its biggest rival, Alibaba which ran on a different business model. In addition, JD was exploiting the rural and the global markets, as well as a new business in internet finance. Facing challenges and dilemmas, should JD persist with its model? How could Liu align short-term profitability with long-run development? How could JD overcome attacks from Alibaba and other competitors?

Expected

learning outcomes This case is appropriate for courses in e-business and strategy, particularly those with a strong focus on doing e-business in emerging markets (e.g. China). After studying the case, students should be able to: understand the e-commerce market in China; understand business models and key strategies of e-retailers; identify and analyse the pros and cons of the self-operated business model and self-built logistics system in e-commerce; learn how to evaluate performance, strategies and business models of e-commerce companies; and extract key trends in the market and compare different strategies.

Supplementary

materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code:

CSS 11: Strategy.
Auntie Anne’s: searching for the right recipe for China
Authors: Mints Reed Marlene , Palich Les
Published: September 2018

Subject area

International business.

Study level/applicability

Undergraduate level course in international business.

Case overview

Two fellow students at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Wen-Szu Lin and Joseph Sze, reconnected after finishing their MBAs and decided to launch a franchise together in China. The franchise they decided upon was Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. The company had experienced strong growth in Asia with over 85 stores in Thailand, 30 stores in Korea, 25 stores in Malaysia and 8 stores in Japan. Because of these successes, Win and Sze had forecast smooth sailing for their franchise in Beijing. However, things were not as smooth as they had expected. The first challenge was the impounding of their second shipment of pretzel mix for a few weeks. Other problems that they faced had to do with Lin’s inability to write Chinese, although he could speak the language, the lack of regulation of food and ingredients in China which led to their producing some poisonous products, and problems they had with their own employees. Lin and Sze were searching for ways to overcome the cultural and other challenges they faced in Beijing with their franchise.

Expected learning outcomes

At the conclusion of the case discussion, students should be able to identify the appropriate global strategy for Auntie Anne’s in China; identify whether Lin and Szu were intending to use a production orientation or the marketing concept in introducing Auntie Anne’s Pretzels into China; list and describe challenges the two entrepreneurs encountered in China; develop a list of actions that American businesspeople should follow in anticipating setting up a business in China; and outline a strategy for Lin and Szu to use in attempting to save the Auntie Anne Pretzel franchise in China.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code

CSS 5: International Business.
Consumption field driven entrepreneurship (CFDE)
Authors: Daskalopoulou Athanasia , Skandalis Alexandros
Published: September 2018

Purpose

This study aims to explore how membership (initially as a consumer) in a given field shapes individuals’ entrepreneurial journey.

Design/methodology/approach

The research context is cultural and creative industries and, in particular, the independent (indie) music field in which unstructured interviews were conducted with nascent and established cultural entrepreneurs.

Findings

The authors introduce and justify their theoretical framework of consumption field driven entrepreneurship (CFDE) that captures the tripartite process via which the informants make the transition from indie music consumers to entrepreneurs by developing field-specific illusio, enacting entrepreneurial habitus and acquiring legitimacy via symbolic capital accumulation within the indie music field. The authors further illustrate how these entrepreneurs adopt paradoxical logics, aesthetics and ethos of the indie music field by moving in-between its authentic and commercial discourses to orchestrate their entrepreneurial journey.

Research limitations/implications

This study holds several theoretical implications for entrepreneurship-oriented research. First is highlighted the importance of non-financial resources (i.e. cultural and social capital) in individuals’ entrepreneurial journey. Second, this study illustrates the importance of consumption activities in the process of gaining entrepreneurial legitimation within a specific field. Finally, this study contributes to consumption-driven entrepreneurship research by offering a detailed description of individuals’ consumption-driven entrepreneurial journey.

Practical implications

This study provides some initial practical implications for entrepreneurs within the cultural and creative industries. The authors illustrate how membership in a field (initially as a consumer) might turn into a source of skills, competences and community for entrepreneurs by mobilising and converting different forms of non-material and material field-specific capital. To acquire entrepreneurial legitimation, nascent entrepreneurs should gain symbolic capital through approval, recognition and credit from members of the indie music field. Also, entrepreneurs can acquire symbolic capital and gain entrepreneurial legitimation by either “fitting in” or “standing out” from the existing logics of the field.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the growing body of literature that examines entrepreneurship fuelled by consumption practices and passions with our theoretical framework of CFDE which outlines the transition from indie music consumers to indie music entrepreneurs.
Climate-entrepreneurship in response to climate change
Authors: Lee Su-Yol , Ahn Young-Hwan
Published: September 2018

Purpose

This study aims to explore South Korean firms’ reactions to climate change issues and the Korean emissions trading scheme (ETS) from the perspective of proactive climate-entrepreneurship. Differences in attitude toward the Korean ETS, implementation of carbon management practices and performance regarding operations, market and emission reductions are also investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

A research model was developed to investigate the differences in corporate perception of climate change. Using a cluster analysis and analysis of variance with 94 South Korean companies subject to the Korean ETS, the study identified carbon strategies and examined differences in characteristics among the strategies. This study undertook a robustness test by comparing the results from a large sample (n= 261) with those of the original sample (n= 94).

Findings

The study identifies four different carbon strategies based on climate-entrepreneurial proactivity: the “explorer,” “hesitator,” “attempter” and “laggard.” The “explorer” cluster is likely to have a proactive stance toward the Korean ETS regulation, while the “laggard” cluster shows resistance to this new climate policy. Entrepreneurial proactivity in carbon strategies is related to the actual adoption, implementation and effectiveness of carbon management practices.

Originality/value

This research is one of the few studies to explore differences in corporate response to climate change from the perspective of entrepreneurship. The study provides a theoretical foundation for extending the literature on the strategic management of climate change issues.
The influence of firm characteristics on profitability
Authors: Menicucci Elisa
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to inspect factors influencing profitability in the Italian hospitality industry during the period 2008-2016.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines the profitability and its determinants using a sample of 2,366 Italian hotels. The author applies a multidimensional measure of profitability comprising return on equity, return on assets, occupancy rate and gross operating profit per available room. The author investigates variables influencing performance and includes them into five groups: market variables, business model, ownership structure, management education and control variables.

Findings

The results show that financial crisis, business model and ownership structure affect hotel firms’ profitability. Particularly, findings suggest that size, internationalization, location, accommodation as first activity and chain affiliation influence profitability positively.

Research limitations/implications

Results confirm the importance of firm-specific factors for evaluating the profitability of a hotel firm. Findings also provide new evidence for academics to assess factors that would guarantee profitability of hotels in developed countries such as Italy.

Practical implications

This investigation offers valued information and strategic suggestions for hotel investors, hotel owners, hotel managers, tourism playmakers and government.

Originality/value

This paper offers an in-depth examination of the practices and characteristics of profitable hotels in Italy. Few empirical studies examined the determinants of performance in the European and Italian hospitality field so far. Hence, this study attempts to bridge the gap in prior literature on profitability of the Italian hospitality industry.
Explaining the embodied hospitality experience with ZMET
Authors: Ji Mingjie , King Brian
Published: September 2018

Purpose

Scholars have rarely applied an embodied perspective when studying hospitality experiences. They have given even less attention to methodological considerations. This paper aims to introduce Zaltman’s Metaphor elicitation Technique (ZMET) to explore various domains of the embodied experience.

Design/methodology/approach

In demonstrating the applicability of the ZMET procedure to understanding embodied hospitality experiences, the researchers present a study of emotional encounters that involve the dining experiences of Chinese tourists with Western cuisine. The focus of the paper is on data collection, i.e. detailing the step-wise procedures of ZMET that have received minimal scholarly attention.

Findings

Through the medium of this empirical study, the ZMET example uncovers deep metaphors and answers previously unanswered questions about embodied experiences. The detailed information and nuanced insights that are generated through this ZMET application offer the prospect of enhanced understanding of the hospitality experience.

Originality/value

This investigation contributes an innovative research method to the embodied experience in the hospitality and tourism context.
The role of familiarity in the assessment of Turkey’s country/destination image: going beyond soap operas
Authors: Ozretic-Dosen Durdana , Previsic Jozo , Krupka Zoran , Skare Vatroslav , Komarac Tanja
Published: September 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to further enhance the understanding of elements relevant to creating affection for a country’s identity, culture and values.

Design/methodology/approach

An overview of theoretical contributions is followed by a description of exploratory research on the overall image of Turkey. Survey-based empirical data (a convenience sample consisting of 838 Croatian citizens) are analysed using Statistica v7; mean values and at-test are applied. The importance-performance Analysis (IPA) is also performed. The level of the respondent’s actual knowledge of Turkey is analysed by examining the content of their associations.

Findings

Research findings support a proven multidimensionality of the country/destination image construct. Turkey has become an appealing tourist destination; its image consists of positive associations that point to the effectiveness of soap operas broadcast abroad and promotional investments into the creation of the country image in foreign markets. Negative perceptions are related to human rights and gender inequalities.

Limitations implications

The use of a convenience sample (with predominantly female respondents) places a clear constraint on generalising the findings. Consequently, the results should be treated only as indicative. Furthermore, the one-country nature of the study limits the implications to theory.

Practical implications

Findings that soap operas might be a valuable source for Turkey’s image formation, and as such affect subsequent consumer behaviour, provide valuable insights for tourism and international marketing professionals who are either already in business or who are planning to internationalise future activities.

Originality/value

The study adds to the existing knowledge suggesting that popular culture, i.e. soap operas, is an interesting dimension of country/destination image deserving of further research.
Heritage attachment and domestic tourists’ visits to historic sites
Authors: Sing’ambi Emmanuel , Lwoga Noel Biseko
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between heritage attachment and its dimensions on the one hand, and domestic tourists’ visits to historic sites in Bagamoyo in Tanzania on the other.

Design/methodology/approach

A self-administered questionnaire consisting of multiple-measurement items was administered to a convenience sample of 160 domestic tourists visiting historic sites in Bagamoyo town in Tanzania. Regression analysis tested whether and to what extent heritage attachment and its dimensions relate to domestic tourists’ visits.

Findings

As expected, heritage attachment showed a positive and significant relationship with domestic tourists’ visits to historic sites, meaning that the more a tourist is attached to historic sites, the more likely she or he will visit them. In addition, all five dimensions of heritage attachment of spirituality, identity, oneness, inheritance and ancestry had a positive relationship with domestic tourists’ visits. However, only spirituality and identity had a stronger and more statistically significant effect.

Research limitations/implications

The demographic, motivation, pull–push and cognitive theories have dominated explanations for why tourists visit. A major contribution of this study to this body of knowledge is its argument that the affective-based perspective is significant in explaining domestic tourists’ visits. It also provides managerial implications for practitioners in the tourist industry for the development of domestic and cultural tourism.

Originality/value

This study is among the first (if any) empirical demonstrations of the significance of heritage attachment and its dimensions in attracting domestic tourists to visit historic sites in Tanzania.
The art of orienteering small firms’ innovation
Authors: Palumbo Rocco , Manna Rosalba
Published: September 2018

Purpose

Even though innovation is widely understood as a critical success factor, little is still known about the top management ability to steer small firms’ innovativeness. In an attempt to fill such gap, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between strategic orientation and propensity to innovate of a representative sample of Italian small-sized organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary data collected from the Community Innovation Survey performed in Italy by the Italian Institute of Statistics were investigated. Data concerned a representative sample of 5.833 units of analysis. Ad hoc logistic regression models were designed to illuminate the relationship between small firms’ propensity to innovate and their strategic orientation.

Findings

The outputs of logistic regression models suggested that strategic aims, strategic goals and awareness of environmental threats influenced the propensity of small firms to innovate. On the one hand, the desire to expand the current market share and to open new markets aroused product innovation; on the other hand, the need to increase organizational flexibility boosted process innovation.

Research limitations/implications

This study relied on secondary data; therefore, it was not possible to tailor the process of data collection to the specific purposes of this research. Besides, findings are not generalizable at either the European or worldwide level.

Originality/value

This is one of the first attempts to exploit the potential of multiple logistic regression models to shed light on the relationship between small firms’ strategic orientation and their propensity to innovate.
Tribological properties of ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites reinforced with different contents of glass and carbon fibers
Authors: Wang Yanzhen , Yin Zhongwei
Published: September 2018

Purpose

This purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of carbon fiber (CF) and/or glass fiber (GF) fillers on the tribological behaviors of ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites to develop a high-performance water-lubricated journal bearing material.

Design/methodology/approach

Tribological tests were conducted using a pin-on-disc tribometer using polished GCr15 steel pins against the UHMWPE composite discs under dry conditions with a contact pressure of 15 MPa and a sliding speed of 0.15 m/s. Scanning electron microscopy, laser 3D micro-imaging profile measurements and energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry were used to analyze the morphologies and elemental distributions of the worn surfaces.

Findings

The results showed that hybrid CF and GF fillers effectively improved the wear resistance of the composites. The fiber fillers decreased the contact area, promoted transfer from the polymers and decreased the interlocking and plowing of material pairs, which contributed to the reduction of both the friction coefficient and the wear rate.

Originality/value

The UHMWPE composite containing 12.5 Wt.% CF and 12.5 Wt.% GF showed the best wear resistance of 2.61 × 10−5mm3/(N·m) and the lower friction coefficient of 0.12 under heavy loading. In addition, the fillers changed the worn surface morphology and the wear mechanism of the composites.
Analyzing consumer participation in boycott movement using the analytical hierarchy process
Authors: Hendarto Kresno Agus , Dharmmesta Basu Swastha , Purwanto B.M. , Moeliono Moira M.M.
Published: September 2018

Purposes

This study aims to investigate what consumer’s preference, as group members, to participate in boycott movement in Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

A mix method, qualitative (the first phase) and quantitative (the second phase), approach is used. The first phase used secondary data from media reporting interconnected themes on boycott, and the result of which was analyzed using content analysis method. Based on the results of the first phase, the authors continue with the second phase. The second phase used primary data from survey. The data were analyzed using analytical hierarchy process method.

Findings

The results showed that the primary target of boycott is the firm. The primary objective of boycott is the changing in firms’ behavior (instrumental), and the primary root cause of boycott is economy.

Originality Value

The study contributes to improve the authors’ knowledge about consumers’ preference, as group members, in their attempt to get involved in boycott movement. From the perspective of reference group theory, the study shows that consumers always compare what they do to what their groups do. Consumers also tend to be willingly persuaded if an opinion has been adopted by a group of preferred people or when they are the members. From the perspective of expectancy-value theory, the decision to present particular behaviors is the results of rational process directed to a particular objective. Behavior chosen is considered, consequences and results of an action are evaluated, and the decision is made whether or not to take any action.
Managerial practices for designing circular economy business models
Authors: Ünal Enes , Urbinati Andrea , Chiaroni Davide
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the managerial practices that companies can implement in order to design a circular economy business model and how companies can create and capture value from a circular economy business model.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a single case study methodology with semi-structured interviews and company, supplier, and manufacturing site visits, conducted in a small-to-medium-size Italian company operating in the office supply industry.

Findings

The theoretical setting maps a set of managerial practices for a circular economy business model and sets the research gaps and questions in a research framework designed along three main dimensions: value network, customer value proposition and interface, and managerial commitment. Then, through an empirical analysis, the findings reveal that the proposed dimensions are interdependent and reinforce each other. Moreover, the managerial commitment as moderating factor between the value network and the customer value proposition and interface dimensions is identified as essential for reaching the intended goals of circular economy business models.

Research limitations/implications

This study maximizes the depth of the phenomenon under investigation by leveraging a single case study methodology, which ideally helps in a theory-testing approach as in the present case. Future research opportunities could be found in qualitative and quantitative studies to increase the generalizability of the findings of this paper.

Practical implications

The paper presents a set of relevant managerial practices for circular economy business models that can be used by managers who have the will to embrace in practice circular economy principles to support the design, change, or upgrade of the business model of companies within which they operate.

Originality/value

An interdisciplinary approach that integrates the research streams of circular economy, social psychology, organizational behavior, and business model design has been pursued to test the theoretical setting and the research framework for circular economy business models in a real-world context.
Taking a prospector local-market focus and foreign subsidiary performance: evidence from China
Authors: Lee Po-Yen
Published: September 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among taking a prospector local-market focus, managerial ties (business ties and political ties) and performance in the Chinese market.

Design/methodology/approach

This study, using a sample of 371 Taiwanese subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNCs) in China, applies regression analyses to investigate the following questions: does taking a prospector local-market focus negatively impact performance? Do managerial ties (business ties and political ties) positively impact performance? Do these managerial ties positively moderate the effect of the taking a prospector local-market focus on performance?

Findings

Taking a prospector local-market focus negatively impacts the performance of MNC subsidiaries. Business ties positively impact the performance of MNC subsidiaries, as do political ties. Finally, the impact of a prospector local-market focus on performance is positively moderated by business ties.

Practical implications

The Chinese market is still aguanxiexchange business system and political connections usually require significant investment in exchange for advantageous market conditions. Thus, political ties must be carefully considered by MNC subsidiaries when they employ a prospector local-market focus in the Chinese business environment.

Originality/value

First, this study clarifies the key relationship between the strategic choice of taking a prospector local-market focus and performance of MNC subsidiaries in the Chinese market. Second, it identifies the moderating role of managerial ties (political and business ties) in influencing the relationship between a prospector local-market focus and subsidiary.
Open-book accounting and trust: influence on buyer-supplier relationship
Authors: Fehr Lara Cristina Francisco de Almeida , Rocha Welington
Published: September 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the role of open-book accounting (OBA) and trust on buyer–supplier relationship satisfaction. The objective of this paper is to analyze how OBA and trust influence satisfaction on the relationship between suppliers and buyers in the Brazilian automotive sector’s supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

The research has been developed based on a qualitative strategy, characterized as explanatory. Data gathering has been conducted through document analysis and semi-structured interview, and content analysis has been used for discourse analysis.

Findings

Results show that OBA is unilateral, imposed by the auto manufacturer, representing a selective information process, as suppliers try to protect their information value as far as possible. Trust is partial and cooperation is not spontaneous, both driven by the search for benefits. OBA may yield a positive or a negative outcome with regard to the social and the economic overall satisfaction of suppliers, depending on how the information is used by auto manufacturer.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this article is to provide an understanding of the difficulties of applying the OBA in companies and of the factors that may influence its operation and performance, impacting on satisfaction and continuity of relationships. The paper also contributes with the proposal of a clearer and more objective definition of OBA. Being the intention that new research in this area can be developed from a delimited, clear and objective definition of OBA, allowing better understanding on the subject and comparison among research studies.
Marketing internationalization: influence factors on product customization decision
Authors: Jussani Ailton Conde , Vasconcellos Eduardo Pinheiro Gondim de , Wright James Terence Coulter , Grisi Celso Cláudio de Hildebrand e
Published: September 2018

Purpose

Studies about product customization decision are especially relevant for organizations that decide opening a subsidiary overseas. This scenario requires the company to decide which products should be customized and which products should be standardized when selling products in international markets. The main purpose of this paper is to identify which factors influence the decisions on the customization of industrial products and consumer products to a particular country in the marketing function of a global company.

Design/methodology/approach

To do so, a literature review was conducted addressing the following topics: internationalization, international marketing and product customization factors. With regard to methodological aspects, an initial qualitative phase was conducted with four exploratory case studies. In the quantitative phase, an online survey was developed, obtaining 123 records of an intentional non-probabilistic sample.

Findings

As a result, six factors were deemed essential to the product customization decision: customers’ characteristics, sustainable return on investment, sustainable profit, legal requirements, sales of other products in the portfolio and weather differences.

Originality/value

The authors expect that the results of this research contribute academically for the management knowledge about the meanings that product customization can assume in internationalized companies, and, additionally, in a business way, the authors expect that they help companies make strategic decisions on the appropriate measure to take regarding product customization in international markets, whether industrial products or consumer products. With these findings, the authors expect to make a valid contribution about product customization decision and suggesting future studies from other perspectives.
Differences between primary and secondary plant succession among biomes of the world
Authors: Prach Karel , Walker Lawrence R.
Published: September 2018

Successional theory lacks an explicit, conceptual integration across types of disturbances and biomes. Most successional research addresses site‐ or process‐specific questions, but extrapolation of the findings to broad scales is limited.

Studies of plant succession are often distinguished by the severity of the disturbance that triggers them (severely disturbed: primary; less severely disturbed: secondary). Here, we examine the common assumption that primary and secondary succession differ. We use two anthropogenic disturbances for this comparison, mining and ploughing.

Successional generalizations are confounded by a complexity of environmental factors including climatic and geographic variation. We address these issues by contrasting succession across multiple biomes.

We selected 166 studies of succession on mining sites (n = 73) or abandoned fields (n = 93) that allowed us to compare successional trajectories in terms of the likelihood of a return to target vegetation, changes in species richness, type of trajectories, and the importance of alien species.

Success of both types of succession (a return to target vegetation) differed significantly among biomes, with more likely success in cold than warm biomes (for both primary and secondary seres) and in humid than arid biomes (primary seres only). Primary seres were also more likely than secondary seres to have increases in species richness, a predominance of divergent trajectories, and a lower likelihood that alien species influenced succession.

Synthesis. The probability of reaching target vegetation by spontaneous succession is generally greater in biomes at higher versus lower latitudes. Primary and secondary seres differed regarding species richness, trajectories, and the role of alien species. Our results highlight that broad generalizations about succession are possible, despite a paucity of comparable data and our use of only two types of anthropogenic disturbances. Any generalizations that might be found among seres across disturbances and biomes will provide a practical framework for land managers to guide restoration efforts, particularly in poorly studied areas.
Beyond the Enclave of Urban Theory
Authors: Zeiderman Austin
Published: September 2018

This essay offers a methodological intervention into conceptual debates in urban studies. Despite significant analytical and political differences across an otherwise heterodox field of inquiry, these debates have been overly confined to a theoretical register. In this essay, I propose an alternative, inspired by Stuart Hall, which focuses on the concrete work accomplished by our key concepts in specific historical conjunctures. I make this argument with reference to my own research in Colombia, focusing specifically on racialized violence and displacement in the port‐city of Buenaventura. I argue that Hall's method, particularly his work on ‘race’, offers a way to engage questions of global urbanism without necessarily treating them as theoretical questions. Like ‘race’ in Hall's analysis, concepts like the ‘urban’ and the ‘global’ are ‘articulating principles’ of social formations, producing both discursive and material effects, and possessing social, cultural and political lives of their own. Alongside efforts to democratize the privilege of thinking and speaking in the language of ‘theory’, Hall's method exposes that privilege to more fundamental questioning.
Placing Property: Theorizing the Urban from Settler Colonial Cities
Authors: Blatman‐Thomas Naama , Porter Libby
Published: September 2018

In the conspicuously geographical debate between ‘North’ and ‘South’ urbanism, settler colonial cities remain displaced. They are located in the ‘North’ but embody ‘South‐like’ colonial dynamics and are hence neither colonial nor postcolonial. Heeding the call to theorize from ‘any city’, this article aims to contribute to a more systematic theorization of the urban from settler colonial cities. In it we focus on the work property does to materialize the settler colonial city and its specific relations of power. We identify three faces of property—as object, as redress and as land—and use case vignettes from Israel/Palestine and Australia to consider how each register continues to inform the functioning of settler colonial cities. We find that, through property, dispossession and settlement are continuously performed and creatively enacted. At the same time, the performance of property reaffirms the endurance of Indigenous land systems amid ongoing colonization. The article makes a contribution to contemporary debates in urban studies about the importance of surfacing the specificities of urban experiences around the world, while further unsettling the dissociative nature of urban property.
Hopeful City: Meritocracy and Affect in Global Cairo
Authors: Pettit Harry
Published: September 2018

Contemporary forms of ‘world‐class’ or ‘global’ city making have displaced, excluded and imperilled millions of urban inhabitants across the global South. This article departs from conventional approaches in urban geography to understanding the relationship ‘global cities’ forge with those inhabitants, which focus on the displacement, resistance and inventive survival of the poor within the ‘informal city’. Instead, it highlights more interstitial and less combative experiences. First, it explicates the presence of a group of Egyptians stripped of their ability to forge a middle‐class life in the context of Cairo's ‘global city’ project. Thereafter, rather than focusing on their propensity to engage in political mobilization—a dominant trend after Egypt's 2011 Uprising—the article utilizes 11 months of ethnographic fieldwork to argue that Cairo's ‘global’ city offers up a semblance of inclusion to this excluded group. By extending a meritocratic promise that ‘global’ belonging is achievable through hard work, it keeps aspirational young men attached to a feeling of hope. The article therefore shows not how ‘global’ or ‘world‐class’ urban projects induce the resistance of wider urban populations, but how they secure legitimacy.
Differences in Risk Scores of Veterans Receiving Community Care Purchased by the Veterans Health Administration
Authors: Rosen Amy K. , Wagner Todd H. , Pettey Warren B. P. , Shwartz Michael , Chen Qi , Lo Jeanie , O'Brien William J. , Vanneman Megan E.
Published: September 2018

Objective

To assess differences in risk (measured by expected costs associated with sociodemographic and clinical profiles) between Veterans receiving outpatient services through two community care (CC) programs: the Fee program (“Fee”) and the Veterans Choice Program (“Choice”).

Data Sources/Study Setting

Administrative data from VHA's Corporate Data Warehouse in fiscal years (FY) 2014–2015.

Study Design

We compared the clinical characteristics of Veterans across three groups (Fee only, Choice only, and Fee & Choice). We classified Veterans into risk groups based on Nosos risk scores and examined the relationship between type of outpatient utilization and risk within each CC group. We also examined changes in utilization of VHA and CC in FY14–FY15. We used chi‐square tests, t tests, and ANOVAs to identify significant differences between CC groups.

Principal Findings

Of the 1,400,977 Veterans using CC in FY15, 91.4 percent were Fee‐only users, 4.4 percent Choice‐only users, and 4.2 percent Fee & Choice users. Mean concurrent risk scores were higher for Fee only and Fee & Choice (1.9, SD = 2.7; 1.8, SD = 2.2) compared to Choice‐only users (1.0, SD = 1.2) (p < .0001). Most CC users were “dual users” of both VHA and CC in FY14–FY15.

Conclusions

As care transitions from VHA to CC, VHA should consider how best to coordinate care with community providers to reduce duplication of efforts, improve handoffs, and achieve the best outcomes for Veterans.
Employers' organisations as social movements: Political power and identity work
Authors: Sezer Lisa A.
Published: September 2018

The literature on employers' and business organisations (EOs) has failed to analyse them as contentious organisations that apply identity work as a power resource to mobilise resources and members. This article is based on a qualitative case study of Islamic EOs in Turkey. Developing a social movement model of EOs, I analyse the mechanisms through which identity work with local religious collaborators facilitated collective action and political power. I find that the role of identity work was threefold: providing internal solidarity, securing external legitimacy, and supporting contentious institutional change by developing new policy ideas. This model can be applied more widely as EOs have increasingly shifted from traditional roles to take on social movement characteristics.
All of work? All of life? Reconceptualising work‐life balance for the 21st century
Authors: Kelliher Clare , Richardson Julia , Boiarintseva Galina
Published: September 2018

This paper argues that the study of work‐life balance to date has, in the main, adopted a restricted conception of both “work” and “life”, which does not take account of recent developments in life worlds, working arrangements and employment relationships. “Life” has hitherto been viewed as largely comprising caring activities for dependent children, whereas “work” has been premised largely on a traditional model of work, characterised by full‐time, permanent employment with one employer and a conventional understanding of what work involves. This means that extant research and theory only provides a partial view of the work‐life needs and experiences of the workforce. In the paper, we propose extending conceptions of both work and life to incorporate different life worlds and social groups and different working arrangements and employment relationships.
Native and exotic seed dispersal by the stone marten (Martes foina): implications for the regeneration of a relict climactic forest in central Portugal
Authors: PEREIRA Lúcia , VASQUES Ana , MAIA Paula , RAMOS PEREIRA Maria João , FONSECA Carlos , MATOS Milena
Published: September 2018

The stone marten (Martes foina) is a carnivorous mammal that often consumes fleshy fruits, thus potentially promoting seed dispersion. The present study was developed in Bussaco National Forest, central Portugal, and aimed to assess the potential role of the stone marten in dispersing native and exotic plants in different forest landscape types. Seeds from stone marten scats and fleshy fruits were collected monthly and were thereafter identified and sowed in a nursery, following a randomized experimental setup. Plant emergence was monitored fortnightly. Generalized linear models were used to test for differences in time and success of emergence between seeds from scats and fruits of 3 native species (Rubus ulmifolius, Arbutus unedo and Celtis australis) and 1 exotic plant species with invasive behavior (Prunus laurocerasus). Fruit consumption by the stone martens significantly increased and accelerated the germination of the native R. ulmifolius but had no effect on the other 2 native species or on the invasive species. This suggested that stone martens contribute to gene flow and forest regeneration by dispersing native plant seeds. However, although the germination was not enhanced in the invasive species, the preference of stone martens for these fruits may potentially contribute to the proliferation of P. laurocerasus. Our study represents a contribution to better understanding the fauna and flora interactions, enabling for a more conscious and effective decision‐making in forest management.
Main factors affecting lacertid lizard thermal ecology
Authors: ORTEGA Zaida , MARTÍN‐VALLEJO Francisco Javier
Published: September 2018

The thermal ecology of ectotherms has been studied for almost 2 centuries, but additional attention is currently being paid to it, to understand how organisms deal with the environment in a climate change context. A consensus is still far away due to the large number of factors involved and their complex interactions. In this context, 3 analyses in lacertid lizards were carried out: (i) a meta‐analysis, to test for differences between body and air temperatures from 71 populations; (ii) a meta‐analysis concerning correlations between body and air temperatures from 60 populations; and (iii) a multimodel inference of thermoregulation effectiveness indices from 45 populations. The importance of different factors, including body size, habitat, insularity, altitude, climate and season, was evaluated in all analyses to model the response variables. A strong seasonality effect was observed, with a consistent pattern of less effective thermoregulation in summer compared to other seasons. Altitude was the second most important factor, with a consistent higher thermoregulation effort in populations occurring at high elevations (>1000 m above sea level). Other factors, such as insularity or body size, can also be important, but did not exhibit a clear pattern. Finally, thermoregulation was less affected by climate and habitat type.
Risk of ischemic stroke after third, fourth, and sixth cranial nerve palsies in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Park Sang Jun , Yang Hee Kyung , Byun Seong Jun , Park Kyu Hyung , Hwang Jeong‐Min
Published: September 2018

Background

The aim of this study was to define the risk of ischemic stroke among newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients who developed ocular motor cranial nerve (CN) palsies.

Methods

From the National Health Insurance Service – National Sample Cohort database (2002‐2013) of a random sample of 1 025 340 Koreans, patients with newly diagnosed T2D aged ≥20 years were included in the study. The incidence of ocular motor CN palsies was identified using diagnostic codes for third, fourth, and sixth CN palsies. To determine the effect of incident ocular motor CN palsy on subsequent ischemic stroke, covariate Cox regression was used (Model 1 included only ocular motor CN palsy as a time‐varying covariate; Model 2 included ocular motor CN palsy and demographic information; Model 3 included all variables in Model 2 as well as comorbidity, concomitant medication, and the Charlson comorbidity index score).

Results

Of 45 820 T2D patients, 75 developed ocular motor CN palsy and 1411 had ischemic stroke. Four patients experienced ischemic stroke after the development of ocular motor CN palsy. Incident ocular motor CN palsy was associated with the subsequent risk of ischemic stroke in Models 1, 2 and 3 (hazard ratios [95% confidence intervals] 3.74 [1.40‐9.98], 3.33 [1.25‐8.89], and 2.96 [1.11‐7.92], respectively). Male sex, older age, and lower income were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. Among confounders, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and congestive heart failure were associated with the risk of ischemic stroke.

Conclusions

Physicians should pay more attention to manageable risk factors of ischemic stroke when diabetic patients suffer from ocular motor CN palsies.
Real‐world EGFR testing in patients with stage IIIB/IV non‐small‐cell lung cancer in North China: A multicenter, non‐interventional study
Authors: Cheng Ying , Wang Yan , Zhao Jun , Liu Yunpeng , Gao Hongjun , Ma Kewei , Zhang Shucai , Xin Hua , Liu Jiwei , Han Chengbo , Zhu Zhitu , Wang Yan , Chen Jun , Wen Fugang , Li Junling , Zhang Jie , Zheng Zhendong , Dai Zhaoxia , Piao Hongmei , Li Xiaoling , Li Yinyin , Zhong Min , Ma Rui , Zhuang Yongzhi , Xu Yuqing , Qu Zhuohui , Yang Haibo , Pan Chunxia , Yang Fan , Zhang Daxin , Li Bing
Published: September 2018

Background

Before tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy can be administered in patients with advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), EGFR mutation testing is required. However, few studies have evaluated the extent of EGFR testing in real‐world practice in China.

Methods

A multicenter, observational study of EGFR testing in NSCLC patients in North China was conducted. Treatment‐naïve patients or those with postoperative recurrent stage IIIB/IV NSCLC were enrolled. The primary objective was EGFR testing rate. Secondary objectives included EGFR mutation status, EGFR testing methods and specimens, factors associated with EGFR testing, and overall survival with or without EGFR testing.

Results

Overall, 2809 patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC were enrolled; 90.78% had adenocarcinoma. The EGFR screening rate was 42.54%. EGFR testing rates were higher in tumor samples obtained by lymph node puncture, and in patients with urban medical insurance, adenocarcinoma, non‐smokers, or those located in developed cities (all P < 0.001). The EGFR mutation rate was 46.44%. The most commonly used specimens for EGFR testing were biopsy tumor samples (67.53%). PCR‐based methods (72.05%), Sanger sequencing (5.36%), and Luminex liquid chip (5.10%) were the most frequently used testing platforms. Similar positive EGFR mutation rates were achieved with different platforms. TKI therapy was the first‐line treatment administered to most EGFR‐positive patients (56.22%), and chemotherapy in EGFR‐negative patients (84.88%). Overall survival was higher in EGFR‐tested than in untested patients (27.50 vs. 19.73 months; P = 0.007).

Conclusion

Real‐world EGFR testing rates for NSCLC in North China were relatively low because of clinical and social factors, including medical insurance coverage.
Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage with pseudoprogression during nivolumab therapy in a patient with malignant melanoma
Authors: Ikeda Takaya , Yamaguchi Hiroyuki , Dotsu Yosuke , Taniguchi Hirokazu , Gyoutoku Hiroshi , Senju Hiroaki , Sakamoto Noriho , Iwanaga Satoshi , Kuwatsuka Yutaka , Fukuda Minoru , Mukae Hiroshi
Published: September 2018

Nivolumab, an anti‐PD‐1 antibody, has been shown to be effective in many cancers, such as malignant melanoma and lung cancer; however, nivolumab therapy can result in pseudoprogression. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is persistent or recurrent pulmonary hemorrhage as a result of drugs, autoimmune diseases, or infections. DAH with pseudoprogression during nivolumab administration has rarely been reported. Herein, we describe our experience with one such case. A 41‐year‐old woman exhibited bloody sputum and ground glass opacities in the lungs along with tumor growth during nivolumab therapy for multiple lung metastases of malignant melanoma. We diagnosed DAH with pseudoprogression as a result of nivolumab and administered steroid therapy. The DAH subsequently improved and the tumor shrank. This case illustrates that nivolumab can cause DAH with pseudoprogression, which can be controlled by steroid therapy. Thus, if bloody sputum and ground glass opacities in the lungs are observed with tumor growth during nivolumab administration, steroid therapy should be considered to control DAH with pseudoprogression.