Small and medium enterprises using software as a service : exploring the different roles of intermediaries

Software as a Service (SaaS) can provide significant benefits to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) due to advantages like ease of access, 7*24 availability, and utility pricing. However, underlying the SaaS delivery model is often the assumption that SMEs will directly interact with the SaaS vendor and use a self-service approach. In practice, we see the rise of SaaS intermediaries who can support SMEs with sourcing and leveraging SaaS. This paper reports on the roles of intermediaries and how they support SMEs with using SaaS. We conducted an empirical study of two SaaS intermediaries and analysed their business models, in particular their value propositions. We identified orientation (technology or customer) and alignment (operational or strategic) as themes for understanding their roles. The contributions of this paper include: (1) the identification and description of SaaS intermediaries for SMEs based on an empirical study and (2) understanding the different roles of SaaS intermediaries, in particular a more basic role based on technology orientation and operational alignment and a more value adding role based on customer orientation and strategic alignment. We propose that SaaS intermediaries can address SaaS adoption and implementation challenges of SMEs by playing a basic role and can also aim to support SMEs in creating business value with SaaS based solutions by playing an added value role.

Identifying influential users of micro-blogging services : a dynamic action-based network approach

In this paper, we present a dynamic model to identify influential users of micro-blogging services. Micro-blogging services, such as Twitter, allow their users (twitterers) to publish tweets and choose to follow other users to receive tweets. Previous work on user influence on Twitter, concerns more on following link structure and the contents user published, seldom emphasizes the importance of interactions among users. We argue that, by emphasizing on user actions in micro-blogging platform, user influence could be measured more accurately. Since micro-blogging is a powerful social media and communication platform, identifying influential users according to user interactions has more practical meanings, e.g., advertisers may concern how many actions – buying, in this scenario – the influential users could initiate rather than how many advertisements they spread. By introducing the idea of PageRank algorithm, innovatively, we propose our model using action-based network which could capture the ability of influential users when they interacting with micro-blogging platform. Taking the evolving prosperity of micro-blogging into consideration, we extend our actionbaseduser influence model into a dynamic one, which could distinguish influential users in different time periods. Simulation results demonstrate that our models could support and give reasonable explanations for the scenarios that we considered.

Deformation of a three-dimensional red blood cell in a stenosed micro-capillary

Red blood cells (RBCs) exhibit different types of motions and deformations when the blood flows through capillaries. Interestingly, due to the complex three-dimensional structure of the RBC membrane, RBCs show three-dimensional motions and deformations in the blood flow. These motions and deformations of the RBCs highly depend on the stiffness of the RBC membrane and on the geometrical parameters of the capillary through which blood flows. However, capillaries always do not have uniform cross sections and some capillaries have stenosed segments, where cross sectional area suddenly reduces. Further, some diseases can alter the stiffness of the RBC membrane drastically. In this study, the deformation behaviour of a single three-dimensional RBC is examined, when it moves through a stenosed capillary. A three-dimensional spring network is used to model the RBC membrane. The RBC’s inside and outside fluids are discretized into a finite number of mass points and treated by smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method. The capillary is considered as a rigid tube with a stenosed section. The deformation index, mean velocity and total energy of the RBC are analysed when it flows through the stenosed capillary. Further, motion and deformation of the RBCs with different membrane stiffness (KB) are compared when they flow through the stenosed segment of the capillary. The simulation results demonstrate the RBCs are subjected to a larger deformation when they move through the stenosed part of the capillary and the RBCs with lower KBvalues easily pass through the stenosed segment of the capillary. Further, RBCs having higher KBvalues have a lower mean velocity and it leads to slow down the overall blood flow rate

Micro foundations of strategic capability development : a case study within the auto industry

The importance of firms’ adaptation processes is prominent in today’s business environment which is characterised by ever changing customers, technologies, and competition. Ever since Schumpeter’s (1942) classic work strategic renewal has been found crucial for firms’ adaptation to environmental change. The role of strategic renewal in firms’ adaptation processes includes development of capabilities for the purpose of sustainability of competitive advantage against environmental changes.

A micro-level investigation of the solid displacement method for porosity determination of dried food

Porosity is one of the key parameters of the macroscopic structure of porous media, generally defined as the ratio of the free spaces occupied (by the volume of air) within the material to the total volume of the material. Porosity is determined by measuring skeletal volume and the envelope volume. Solid displacement method is one of the inexpensive and easy methods to determine the envelope volume of a sample with an irregular shape. In this method, generally glass beads are used as a solid due to their uniform size, compactness and fluidity properties. The smaller size of the glass beads means that they enter into the open pores which have a larger diameter than the glass beads. Although extensive research has been carried out on porosity determination using displacement method, no study exists which adequately reports micro-level observation of the sample during measurement. This study set out with the aim of assessing the accuracy of solid displacement method of bulk density measurement of dried foods by micro-level observation. Solid displacement method of porosity determination was conducted using a cylindrical vial (cylindrical plastic container) and 57 µm glass beads in order to measure the bulk density of apple slices at different moisture contents. A scanning electron microscope (SEM), a profilometer and ImageJ software were used to investigate the penetration of glass beads into the surface pores during the determination of the porosity of dried food. A helium pycnometer was used to measure the particle density of the sample. Results show that a significant number of pores were large enough to allow the glass beads to enter into the pores, thereby causing some erroneous results. It was also found that coating the dried sample with appropriate coating material prior to measurement can resolve this problem.

Clinical use of diodes and micro-chambers to obtain accurate small field output factor measurements

There have been substantial advances in small field dosimetry techniques and technologies, over the last decade, which have dramatically improved the achievable accuracy of small field dose measurements. This educational note aims to help radiation oncology medical physicists to apply some of these advances in clinical practice. The evaluation of a set of small field output factors (total scatter factors) is used to exemplify a detailed measurement and simulation procedure and as a basis for discussing the possible effects of simplifying that procedure. Field output factors were measured with an unshielded diode and a micro-ionisation chamber, at the centre of a set of square fields defined by a micro-multileaf collimator. Nominal field sizes investigated ranged from 6×6 to 98×98 mm2. Diode measurements in fields smaller than 30 mm across were corrected using response factors calculated using Monte Carlo simulations of the full diode geometry and daisy-chained to match micro-chamber measurements at intermediate field sizes. Diode measurements in fields smaller than 15 mm across were repeated twelve times over three separate measurement sessions, to evaluate the to evaluate the reproducibility of the radiation field size and its correspondence with the nominal field size. The five readings that contributed to each measurement on each day varied by up to 0.26%, for the “very small” fields smaller than 15 mm, and 0.18% for the fields larger than 15 mm. The diode response factors calculated for the unshielded diode agreed with previously published results, within 1.6%. The measured dimensions of the very small fields differed by up to 0.3 mm, across the different measurement sessions, contributing an uncertainty of up to 1.2% to the very small field output factors. The overall uncertainties in the field output factors were 1.8% for the very small fields and 1.1% for the fields larger than 15 mm across. Recommended steps for acquiring small field output factor measurements for use in radiotherapy treatment planning system beam configuration data are provided.

HFL PV micro-inverter with front-end current-fed converter and half-wave cycloconverter

A high-frequency-link micro inverter is proposed with a front-end dual inductor push-pull converter and a grid-connected half-wave cycloconverter. Pulse width modulation is used to control the front-end converter and phase shift modulation is used at the back-end converter to obtain grid synchronized output current. A series resonant circuit and high-frequency transformer are used to interface the front-end and the back-end converters. The operation of the proposed micro-inverter in grid-connected mode is validated using MATLAB/Simpower simulation. Experimental results are provided to further validate the operation.

Production of biodegradable nano and micro particles via ultrasonic atomization for biopharmaceutical delivery

Biopharmaceuticals have been shown to have low delivery and transformation efficiencies. To over come this, larger doses are administered in order to obtain the desired response which may lead to toxicity and drug resistance. This paper reports upon a continuous particle production method utilizing surface acoustic wave atomization to reliably produce micro and nanoparticles with physical characteristics to facilitate the cellular uptake of biopharmaceuticals. By producing particles of an optimal size for cellular uptake, the efficacy and specificity of drug loaded nanoparticles will be increased. Better delivery methods will result in dosage reduction (hence lower costs per dose), reduced toxicity, and reduced problems associated with multidrug resistance due to over dosing.

"Social Stuff" and institutional micro-processes: Alcohol use by students in Australian university residential colleges

The literature on alcohol consumption among university and residential college students in Australia and comparable countries shows a high incidence of heavy and/or frequent drinking. In this article, we report the findings from a study on alcohol consumption among undergraduate university students living in residential colleges in Australia. The aim of the study was to examine residents’ alcohol use as part of a broader set of institutional practices in higher education that are constructed as central to the student experience. The data were collected through in-depth semistructured interviews with 29 students from seven residential colleges. We found that inclusion of alcohol in many students’ social and extracurricular activities while residing in college is associated with heavy and/or frequent drinking. We suggest that the use of alcohol among students is shaped by the colleges’ institutional micro-processes, leading to a tension between college managements’ aim to foster alcohol citizenship and students’ liberty to engage in frequent and/or heavy drinking.

The role of innovation intermediaries in collaborative networks of small and medium-sized enterprises

The major challenge of European Union’s agricultural industry is to ensure sustainable supply of quality food that meets the demands of a rapidly growing population, changing dietary patterns, increased competition for land use, and environmental concerns. Investments in research and innovation, which facilitate integration of external knowledge in food chain operations, are crucial to undertaking such challenges. This paper addresses how SMEs successfully innovate within collaborative networks with the assistance of innovation intermediaries. In particular, we explore the roles of innovation intermediaries in knowledge acquisition, knowledge assimilation, knowledge, transformation, and knowledge exploitation in open innovation initiatives from the wine industry through the theoretical lens of absorptive capacity. Based on two case studies from the wine industry, we identified seven key activities performed by innovation intermediaries that complement SMEs’ ability to successfully leverage external sources of knowledge for innovation purposes. These activities are articulation of knowledge needs and innovation capabilities, facilitation of social interactions, establishment of complementary links, implementation of governance structures, conflict management, enhancement of transparency, and mediation of communication. Our in-depth qualitative study of two innovation intermediaries in the wine industry has several important implications that contribute to research and practice.

The role of marketing in today's enterprises

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of marketing in today's enterprises and examines the antecedents of the marketing department's influence and its relationship with market orientation and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from the West (i.e. the USA and Europe) and the East (i.e. Asia). Partial least squares (PLS) was used to estimate structural models. Findings The findings support the idea that a strong and influential marketing department contributes positively to firm performance. This finding holds for Western and Asian, and for small/medium and large firms alike. Second, the marketing department's influence in a firm depends more on its responsibilities and resources, and less on internal contingency factors (i.e. a firm's competitive strategy or institutional attributes). Third, a marketing department's influence in the West affects firm performance both directly and indirectly (via market orientation). In contrast, this relationship is fully mediated among Eastern firms. Fourth, low-cost strategies enhance the influence of a firm's marketing department in the East, but not in the West. Research limitations/implications The paper assumes explicitly that a marketing department's influence is an antecedent of its market orientation. While the paper finds support for this link, the paper did not test for dual causality between the constructs. Originality/value Countering the frequent claim in anecdotal and journalistic work that the role of the marketing department diminishes, the findings show that across different geographic regions and firm sizes, strong marketing departments improve firm performance (especially in the marketing-savvy West), and that they should continue to play an important role in firms.

In vitro micro propagation of Nicotiana benthamiana via axillary shoots

Axillary shoots of Nicotiana benthamiana were regenerated from nodal explants in two weeks using MS media supplemented with the cytokinin, kinetin (0.5 mg/L), and the auxin, indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) (0.1 mg/L). Ninety two percent of shoots were 2.1-20 mm tall, a size ideal for root induction. After transfer to hormone-free MS they readily produced roots within seven days, with phenotypically normal, fully developed plants being obtained within four weeks. Leaf chlorosis due to iron deficiency was observed in plants over time, however, this was overcome by doubling the concentration of inorganic iron. This rapid micro-propagation system is particularly useful for the in vitro mass production of N. benthamiana plants for various biotechnological applications.

Social capital or ethnic enclave location? A multilevel explanation of immigrant business growth

The rapid increase in migration into host countries and the growth of immigrant-owned business enterprises has revitalized research on ethnic business. Does micro (individual)-level social capital, or meso (group)-level location within the ethnic enclave lead to immigrant business growth? Or do you need both? We analyze quantitative data collected from 110 Chinese restaurants in Australia, a major host country. At the micro level we find that coethnic (same ethnic group) networks are critical to the growth of an immigrant entrepreneur's business, particularly in the early years. But non-coethnic (different ethnic group) social capital only has a positive impact on business growth for immigrant businesses outside the ethnic enclave. Our findings are relevant, not only to host-country policymakers, but also for future immigrant business owners and ethnic community leaders trying to better understand how to promote healthy communities and sustainable economic growth.