bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Strategic Alliance Success Factors
Authors: Whipple Judith M. , Frankel Robert 
Published: April 2006

SUMMARYThere is recognition that competition is shifting from a “firm versus firm perspective” to a “supply chain versus supply chain perspective.” In response to this shift, firms seeking competitive advantage are participating in cooperative supply chain arrangements, such as strategic alliances, which combine their individual strengths and unique resources. Buyer‐supplier sourcing relationships are a primary focus of alliance improvement efforts. While interest in such arrangements remains strong, it is well accepted that creating, developing, and maintaining a successful alliance is a very daunting task. This research addresses several critical issues regarding that challenge. First, what factors contribute most to long‐term alliance success? Second, what conditions define the presence of those success factors? Third, do buyers and suppliers in an alliance agree on those success factors and defining conditions? The research results demonstrate a remarkably consistent perspective among alliance partners regarding key success factors, despite the acknowledgment that the resultant success is based on a relatively even, but not equal, exchange of benefits and resources. Additionally, within an alliance's intended “win‐win” foundation, suppliers must recognize their innate dependence on customers. Finally, significant opportunities for improvement exist with respect to alliance goal clarification, communication, and performance evaluation.
The Use and Impact of Communication Media in Purchasing and Supply Management
Authors: Larson Paul D. , Kulchitsky Jack D. 
Published: April 2006

SUMMARYEffective communication is a critical component of buyer‐supplier relationships. Purchasing professionals utilize a variety of media to communicate with suppliers, including phone, fax, face‐to‐face, mail, e‐mail, Internet, and electronic data interchange (EDI). The purpose of this research was to assess the impact of EDI and a variety of other media on buyer‐supplier relationships and performance. Analysis of the responses from a survey revealed that EDI is not living up to its promise. The results also show that purchasing professionals’ preference for various communication media depends on the nature of the message being transmitted.
Benchmarking Internal Supply Chain Performance: Development of a Framework
Authors: Shah Janat , Singh Nitin 
Published: April 2006

SUMMARYThis article develops performance measures that can be computed through publicly available information. The article describes an approach for benchmarking using these performance measures and demonstrates how meaningful results may be derived from this exercise. By following this framework, a firm can identify areas of opportunity for improvement in its internal supply chain. Further, the framework can help to identify specific reasons behind the performance levels in the internal supply chain and stimulate performance improvement. To illustrate the framework, it is applied to the paint industry. The framework provides meaningful results for the firms in the industry.
The Resource Based Perspective, Rents, and Purchasing's Contribution to Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Authors: Ramsay John 
Published: April 2006

SUMMARYThe resource based perspective (RBP) within the field of strategy seeks to understand the relationship between a firm's resources and its competitive advantage. Some RBP authors have concluded that it is logically impossible for organizations to generate sustainable competitive advantage from purchasing activities. One of this article's central objectives is to test the validity of that conclusion. It is hoped that the completion of that task may make it possible to assist in the process of raising the purchasing function's strategic profile in the modern firm.
Purchasing Professionals' Perceived Differences between Purchasing Materials and Purchasing Services
Authors: Smeltzer Larry R. , Ogden Jeffrey A. 
Published: April 2006

SUMMARYThis research addresses a gap in the current literature by examining the differences between the process of purchasing services and the process of purchasing materials. Four hypotheses concerning the possible differences were developed based on a review of the relevant literature. These hypotheses were then tested using qualitative focus studies and a quantitative survey involving 82 purchasing managers with an average of 9.8 years' purchasing experience. Also, 14 interviews were conducted with purchasing executives to gain a better understanding of perceived differences. The results indicate that perceived differences exist between the processes of purchasing services and purchasing materials, especially in terms of the complexity of these processes. These perceived differences vary by the number of years of purchasing experience and the type of purchasing experience (services versus materials). Fifteen individual process steps were examined to determine the exact nature of the differences between these two processes. Managerial and research implications are discussed throughout the article.
Supplier Development Practices: Product‐ and Service‐Based Industry Comparisons
Authors: Krause Daniel R. , Scannell Thomas V. 
Published: April 2006

SUMMARYSupplier development has become a viable supply chain management practice across industries as firms continue to focus on their core competencies and outsource a significant percentage of the costs of goods sold. Supplier development practices used by buying firms include formal supplier assessment and feedback, supplier incentives, competitive pressure, and direct involvement improving performance through activities such as training and investment. Although it is apparent that such strategies and processes are used to some extent across industries, it is unclear if there are differences in supplier development approaches between product‐ and service‐based firms. The findings indicate that service firms tend to rely on the competitive pressure of market forces to instigate supplier performance to a greater extent than product‐based firms and that productbased firms tend to use assessment, incentives, and direct involvement to a greater extent than service firms.
Buyer‐Supplier Relationships and Organizational Health
Authors: McHugh Marie , Humphreys Paul , Mclvor Ronan 
Published: April 2006

SUMMARYThis article examines the relationship between organizational health and buyer‐supplier relationships. Contemporary research has emphasized the need for organizations to move toward closer cooperation. The decision to engage in partnership arrangements is one that has major implications for buyers and suppliers. Using evidence from an exploratory case study, the challenges presented in developing a close, cooperative, and mutually beneficial trading relationship between a buyer and a supplier, where one partner, the buyer, is in a powerful position, are investigated. It is argued that powerful buyers can seriously damage organizational health. The findings provide evidence that it is essential to promote communication structures that encourage dialogue, consultation, and employee participation in decisionmaking. This is particularly important where decisionmaking could benefit from the in‐depth technical knowledge of middle and junior managers and shopfloor workers.
Factors Affecting the Level of Trust and Commitment in Supply Chain Relationships
Authors: Kwon Ik‐Whan G. , Suh Taewon 
Published: April 2006

SUMMARYTrust is a critical factor fostering commitment among supply chain partners. The presence of trust improves measurably the chance of successful supply chain performance. A lack of trust among supply chain partners often results in inefficient and ineffective performance as the transaction costs (verification, inspections and certifications of their trading partners) mount. Although the literature often mentions a relationship between trust and commitment, there is a lack of empirical testing of such relationship in the supply context. This study attempts to fill the gap between the theoretical argument and empirical testing. Results using a comprehensive survey of supply chain practitioners indicate that a firm's trust in its supply chain partner is highly associated with both sides' specific asset investments (positively) and behavioral uncertainty (negatively). It is also found that information sharing reduces the level of behavioral uncertainty, which, in turn, improves the level of trust. A partner's reputation in the market has a strong positive impact on the trust‐building process, whereas a partner's perceived conflict creates a strong negative impact on trust. Finally, the level of commitment is strongly related to the level of trust. Policy implications are discussed.
The Impact of Energy Deregulation on Sourcing Strategy
Authors: Handfield Robert B. 
Published: April 2006

SUMMARYSupply researchers predicted in 1999 that deregulation would change the landscape for the purchasers of energy. The current research was undertaken to determine the nature and direction of the predicted changes in energy sourcing behavior. Based on detailed interviews with managers, government officials, and lobbyists, the risks and rewards associated with recent events in deregulation are examined and analyzed. Next, a detailed process for developing and implementing an energy sourcing strategy for commercial businesses that considers these risks and rewards of alternative energy sourcing channels is developed. This is followed by a process that involves aggregating data, obtaining support, defining risk tolerance, and spending parameters that involved stake‐holders, evaluating proposals, executing the strategy and monitoring it overtime. Finally, insights into the future trends in deregulated energy markets are described. Results suggest that a focused approach to developing detailed supply market intelligence can assist sourcing managers in preparing for the deregulated era and achieve significant cost savings in energy spending.
Outsourcing and Inter/lntra Supply Chain Dynamics: Strategic Management Issues
Authors: Parker David W. , Russell Katie A. 
Published: April 2006

SUMMARYThis article analyzes the outsourcing of information technology services, using an action inquiry methodology. Research spanned the disengagement and beginning of IT service functions transferred from work groups in the parent company to outsource teams. Results identified the importance of addressing strategic issues and inter/intra relationships between parent company team members and their outsource‐counterparts. Conclusions indicate that behavioral issues such as psychological contracts within inter/intra work groups, power and trust are highly significant managerial issues in the success or failure of an outsourcing strategy.
Desulfovibrio gigasFlavodiiron Protein Affords Protection against Nitrosative Stress In Vivo
Authors: Rodrigues Rute , Vicente João B. , Félix Rute , Oliveira Solange , Teixeira Miguel , Rodrigues-Pousada Claudina 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACTDesulfovibrio gigasflavodiiron protein (FDP), rubredoxin:oxygen oxidoreductase (ROO), was proposed to be the terminal oxidase of a soluble electron transfer chain coupling NADH oxidation to oxygen reduction. However, several members from the FDP family, to which ROO belongs, revealed nitric oxide (NO) reductase activity. Therefore, the protection afforded by ROO against the cytotoxic effects of NO was here investigated. The NO and oxygen reductase activities of recombinant ROO in vitro were tested by amperometric methods, and the enzyme was shown to effectively reduce NO and O2. Functional complementation studies of anEscherichia colimutant strain lacking the ROO homologue flavorubredoxin, an NO reductase, showed that ROO restores the anaerobic growth phenotype of cultures exposed to otherwise-toxic levels of exogenous NO. Additional studies in vivo using aD. gigas roo-deleted strain confirmed an increased sensitivity to NO of the mutant strain in comparison to the wild type. This effect is more pronounced when using the nitrosating agentS-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), which effectively impairs the growth of theD. gigasΔroostrain.roois constitutively expressed inD. gigasunder all conditions tested. However, real-time reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed a twofold induction of mRNA levels upon exposure to GSNO, suggesting regulation at the transcription level by NO. The newly proposed role ofD. gigasROO as an NO reductase combined with the O2reductase activity reveals a versatility which appears to afford protection toD. gigasat the onset of both oxidative and nitrosative stresses.
The Riboflavin Transporter RibU in
Lactococcus lactis
: Molecular Characterization of Gene Expression and the Transport Mechanism
Authors: Burgess Catherine M. , Slotboom Dirk Jan , Geertsma Eric R. , Duurkens Ria H. , Poolman Bert , van Sinderen Douwe 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT

This study describes the characterization of the riboflavin transport protein RibU in the lactic acid bacterium
Lactococcus lactis
subsp.
cremoris
NZ9000. RibU is predicted to contain five membrane-spanning segments and is a member of a novel transport protein family, not described in the Transport Classification Database. Transcriptional analysis revealed that
ribU
transcription is downregulated in response to riboflavin and flavin mononucleotide (FMN), presumably by means of the structurally conserved RFN (riboflavin) element located between the transcription start site and the start codon. An
L. lactis
strain carrying a mutated
ribU
gene exhibits altered transcriptional control of the riboflavin biosynthesis operon
ribGBAH
in response to riboflavin and FMN and does not consume riboflavin from its growth medium. Furthermore, it was shown that radiolabeled riboflavin is not taken up by the
ribU
mutant strain, in contrast to the wild-type strain, directly demonstrating the involvement of RibU in riboflavin uptake. FMN and the toxic riboflavin analogue roseoflavin were shown to inhibit riboflavin uptake and are likely to be RibU substrates. FMN transport by RibU is consistent with the observed transcriptional regulation of the
ribGBAH
operon by external FMN. The presented transport data are consistent with a uniport mechanism for riboflavin translocation and provide the first detailed molecular and functional analysis of a bacterial protein involved in riboflavin transport.
A Database of Bacterial Lipoproteins (DOLOP) with Functional Assignments to Predicted Lipoproteins
Authors: Babu M. Madan , Priya M. Leena , Selvan A. Tamil , Madera Martin , Gough Julian , Aravind L. , Sankaran K. 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT

Lipid modification of the N-terminal Cys residue (
N
-acyl-
S
-diacylglyceryl-Cys) has been found to be an essential, ubiquitous, and unique bacterial posttranslational modification. Such a modification allows anchoring of even highly hydrophilic proteins to the membrane which carry out a variety of functions important for bacteria, including pathogenesis. Hence, being able to identify such proteins is of great value. To this end, we have created a comprehensive database of bacterial lipoproteins, called DOLOP, which contains information and links to molecular details for about 278 distinct lipoproteins and predicted lipoproteins from 234 completely sequenced bacterial genomes. The website also features a tool that applies a predictive algorithm to identify the presence or absence of the lipoprotein signal sequence in a user-given sequence. The experimentally verified lipoproteins have been classified into different functional classes and more importantly functional domain assignments using hidden Markov models from the SUPERFAMILY database that have been provided for the predicted lipoproteins. Other features include the following: primary sequence analysis, signal sequence analysis, and search facility and information exchange facility to allow researchers to exchange results on newly characterized lipoproteins. The website, along with additional information on the biosynthetic pathway, statistics on predicted lipoproteins, and related figures, is available at
http://www.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/genomes/dolop/
.
DNA Replication during Aggregation Phase Is Essential for
Myxococcus xanthus
Development
Authors: Tzeng Linfong , Ellis Terri N. , Singer Mitchell 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have demonstrated that fruiting body-derived
Myxococcus xanthus
myxospores contain two fully replicated copies of its genome, implying developmental control of chromosome replication and septation. In this study, we employ DNA replication inhibitors to determine if chromosome replication is essential to development and the exact time frame in which chromosome replication occurs within the developmental cycle. Our results show that DNA replication during the aggregation phase is essential for developmental progression, implying the existence of a checkpoint that monitors chromosome integrity at the end of the aggregation phase.
A Novel Three-Protein Two-Component System Provides a Regulatory Twist on an Established Circuit To Modulate Expression of thecbbIRegion ofRhodopseudomonas palustrisCGA010
Authors: Romagnoli Simona , Tabita F. Robert 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACTA novel two-component system has been identified in thecbbIregion of the nonsulfur purple photosynthetic bacteriumRhodopseudomonas palustris. Genes encoding this system, here designatedcbbRRS, are juxtaposed between the divergently transcribed transcription activator gene,cbbR, and the form I ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RubisCO) genes,cbbLS. The three genes of thecbbRRSsystem represent a variation of the well-known two-component signal transduction systems, as there are a transmembrane hybrid sensor kinase and two response regulators, with no apparent DNA binding domain associated with any of the three proteins encoded by these genes. In this study, we showed that the membrane-bound full-length kinase undergoes autophosphorylation and transfers phosphate to both response regulators. A soluble, truncated version of the kinase was subsequently prepared and found to catalyze phosphorylation of response regulator 1 but not response regulator 2, implying that conformational changes and/or sequence-specific regions of the kinase are important for discriminating between the two response regulators. Analyses indicated that a complex network of control of gene expression must occur, with CbbR required for the expression of thecbbLSgenes but dispensable for the synthesis of form II RubisCO (encoded bycbbM). The CbbRRS proteins specifically affected the activity and accumulation of form I RubisCO (CbbLS), as revealed by analyses of nonpolar, unmarked gene deletions. A tentative model of regulation suggested that changes in the phosphotransfer activity of the sensor kinase, possibly in response to a redox metabolic signal, cause modulation of the activity and synthesis of form I RubisCO.
DNA Microarray and Proteomic Analyses of the RpoS Regulon in
Geobacter sulfurreducens
Authors: Núñez Cinthia , Esteve-Núñez Abraham , Giometti Carol , Tollaksen Sandra , Khare Tripti , Lin Winston , Lovley Derek R. , Methé Barbara A. 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT

The regulon of the sigma factor RpoS was defined in
Geobacter sulfurreducens
by using a combination of DNA microarray expression profiles and proteomics. An
rpoS
mutant was examined under steady-state conditions with acetate as an electron donor and fumarate as an electron acceptor and with additional transcriptional profiling using Fe(III) as an electron acceptor. Expression analysis revealed that RpoS acts as both a positive and negative regulator. Many of the RpoS-dependent genes determined play roles in energy metabolism, including the tricarboxylic acid cycle, signal transduction, transport, protein synthesis and degradation, and amino acid metabolism and transport. As expected, RpoS activated genes involved in oxidative stress resistance and adaptation to nutrient limitation. Transcription of the cytochrome
c
oxidase operon, necessary for
G. sulfurreducens
growth using oxygen as an electron acceptor, and expression of at least 13
c
-type cytochromes, including one previously shown to participate in Fe(III) reduction (MacA), were RpoS dependent. Analysis of a subset of the
rpoS
mutant proteome indicated that 15 major protein species showed reproducible differences in abundance relative to those of the wild-type strain. Protein identification using mass spectrometry indicated that the expression of seven of these proteins correlated with the microarray data. Collectively, these results indicate that RpoS exerts global effects on
G. sulfurreducens
physiology and that RpoS is vital to
G. sulfurreducens
survival under conditions typically encountered in its native subsurface environments.
Assembly of the Type III Secretion Apparatus of Enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli
Authors: Ogino Tomoaki , Ohno Ryuta , Sekiya Kachiko , Kuwae Asaomi , Matsuzawa Takeshi , Nonaka Takashi , Fukuda Hiroyuki , Imajoh-Ohmi Shinobu , Abe Akio 
Published: April 2006

ABSTRACT

Enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli
(EPEC) secretes many Esps (
E. coli
-secreted proteins) and effectors via the type III secretion (TTS) system. We previously identified a novel needle complex (NC) composed of a basal body and a needle structure containing an expandable EspA sheath-like structure as a central part of the EPEC TTS apparatus. To further investigate the structure and protein components of the EPEC NC, we purified it in successive centrifugal steps. Finally, NCs with long EspA sheath-like structures could be separated from those with short needle structures on the basis of their densities. Although the highly purified NC appeared to lack an inner ring in the basal body, its core structure, composed of an outer ring and a central rod, was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry, Western blot, and immunoelectron microscopic analyses revealed that EscC was a major protein component of the outer ring in the core basal body. To investigate the mechanisms of assembly of the basal body, interactions between the presumed components of the EPEC TTS apparatus were analyzed by a glutathione
S
-transferase pulldown assay. The EscC outer ring protein was associated with both the EscF needle protein and EscD, a presumed inner membrane protein. EscF was also associated with EscJ, a presumed inner ring protein. Furthermore,
escC
,
escD
, and
escJ
mutant strains were unable to produce the TTS apparatus, and thereby the secretion of the Esp proteins and Tir effector was abolished. These results indicate that EscC, EscD, and EscJ are required for the formation of the TTS apparatus.