Rivalry within and between strategic networks : an investigation of the United States Automotive Industry

As a consequence of the increased incidence of collaborative arrangements between firms, the competitive environment characterising many industries has undergone profound change. It is suggested that rivalry is not necessarily enacted by individual firms according to the traditional mechanisms of direct confrontation in factor and product markets, but rather as collaborative orchestration between a number of participants or network members. Strategic networks are recognised as sets of firms within an industry that exhibit denser strategic linkages among themselves than other firms within the same industry. Based on this, strategic networks are determined according to evidence of strategic alliances between firms comprising the industry. As a result, a single strategic network represents a group of firms closely linked according to collaborative ties. Arguably, the collective outcome of these strategic relationships engineered between firms suggest that the collaborative benefits attributed to interorganisational relationships require closer examination in respect to their propensity to influence rivalry in intraindustry environments. Derived in large from the social sciences, network theory allows for the micro and macro examination of the opportunities and constraints inherent in the structure of relationships in strategic networks, establishing a relational approach upon which the conduct and performance of firms can be more fully understood. Research to date has yet to empirically investigate the relationship between strategic networks and rivalry. The limited research that has been completed utilising a network rationale to investigate competitive patterns in contemporary industry environments has been characterised by a failure to directly measure rivalry. Further, this prior research has typically embedded investigation in industry settings dominated by technological or regulatory imperatives, such as the microprocessor and airline industries. These industries, due to the presence of such imperatives, are arguably more inclined to support the realisation of network rivalry, through subscription to prescribed technological standards (eg., microprocessor industry) or by being bound by regulatory constraints dictating operation within particular market segments (airline industry). In order to counter these weaknesses, the proposition guiding research - Are patterns of rivalry predicted by strategic network membership? – is embedded in the United States Light Vehicles Industry, an industry not dominated by technological or regulatory imperatives. Further, rivalry is directly measured and utilised in research, thus distinguishing this investigation from prior research efforts. The timeframe of investigation is 1993 – 1999, with all research data derived from secondary sources. Strategic networks were defined within the United States Light Vehicles Industry based on evidence of horizontal strategic relationships between firms comprising the industry. The measure of rivalry used to directly ascertain the competitive patterns of industry participants was derived from the traditional Herfindahl Index, modified to account for patterns of rivalry observed at the market segment level. Statistical analyses of the strategic network and rivalry constructs found little evidence to support the contention of network rivalry; indeed, greater levels of rivalry were observed between firms comprising the same strategic network than between firms participating in opposing network structures. Based on these results, patterns of rivalry evidenced in the United States Light Vehicle Industry over the period 1993 – 1999 were not found to be predicted by strategic network membership. The findings generated by this research are in contrast to current theorising in the strategic network – rivalry realm. In this respect, these findings are surprising. The relevance of industry type, in conjunction with prevailing network methodology, provides the basis upon which these findings are contemplated. Overall, this study raises some important questions in relation to the relevancy of the network rivalry rationale, establishing a fruitful avenue for further research.

International tax and the Australian wine industry: Is your client’s product destined to sail the seven seas?

The export market for Australian wine continues to grow at a rapid rate, with imported wines also playing a role in market share in sales in Australia. It is estimated that over 60 per cent of all Australian wine is exported, while 12 per cent of wine consumed in Australia has overseas origins. In addition to understanding the size and direction (import or export) of wines, the foreign locales also play an important role in any tax considerations. While the export market for Australian produced alcohol continues to grow, it is into the Asian market that the most significant inroads are occurring. Sales into China of bottled wine over $7.50 per litre recently overtook the volume sold our traditional partners of the United States and Canada. It is becoming easier for even small to medium sized businesses to export their services or products overseas. However, it is vital for those businesses to understand the tax rules applying to any international transactions. Specifically, one of the first tax regimes that importers and exporters need to understand once they decide to establish a presence overseas is transfer pricing. These are the rules that govern the cross-border prices of goods, services and other transactions entered into between related parties. This paper is Part 2 of the seminar presented on transfer pricing and international tax issues which are particularly relevant to the wine industry. The predominant focus of Part 2 is to discuss four key areas likely to affect international expansion. First, the use of the available transfer pricing methodologies for international related party transactions is discussed. Second, the affects that double tax agreements will have on taking a business offshore are considered. Third, the risks associated with aggressive tax planning through tax information exchange agreements is reviewed. Finally, the paper predicts future ‘trip-wires’ and areas to ‘watch out for’ for practitioners dealing with clients operating in the international arena.

A micro perspective analysis of capability renewal through knowledge integration within product innovation projects

The aim of this paper is examine how firms renew their organisational capabilities based on micro organisational processes. Organisational capability development literature points to firms’ failure in capability renewal process. To overcome this inefficiency, it is proposed to integrate dynamic capability and ambidexterity perspectives by studying knowledge integration within product innovation. In this relation, applying micro perspective in studying technology diffusion within Iranian Auto industry revealed micro co-evolutionary relationships between knowledge integration within product innovation and capability development. Furthermore, based on near decomposability principals, the analysis suggested relationships among modularity of product architecture, modularity of organisational modularity and modularity of industry architecture in downstream and upstream value chain. Based on these micro-macro co evolutionary effects, capability development process underlying successful corporate entrepreneurship may be verified.

Ultraviolet Photodissociation of the N-Methylpyridinium Ion: Action Spectroscopy and Product Characterization

The ultraviolet photodissociation of gas-phase N-methylpyridinium ions is studied at room temperature using laser photodissociation mass spectrometry and structurally diagnostic ion-molecule reaction kinetics. The C5H5N-CH3+ (m/z 94), C5H5N-CD3+ (m/z 97), and C5D5N-CH3+(m/z 99) isotopologues are investigated, and it is shown that the N-methylpyridinium ion photodissociates by the loss of methane in the 36 000 - 43 000 cm(-1) (280 - 230 nm) region. The dissociation likely occurs on the ground state surface following internal conversion from the SI state. For each isotopologue, by monitoring the photofragmentation yield as a function of photon wavenumber, a broad vibronically featured band is recorded with origin (0-0) transitions assigned at 38 130, 38 140 and 38 320 cm(-1) for C5H5N-CH3+ C5H5N-CD3+ and C5D5N-CH3+, respectively. With the aid of quantum chemical calculations (CASSCF(6,6)/aug-cc-pVDZ), most of the observed vibronic detail is assigned to two in-plane ring deformation modes. Finally, using ion-molecule reactions, the methane coproduct at m/z 78 is confirmed as a 2-pyridinylium ion.

Representation and properties of para-Bose oscillator operators. II. Coherent states and the minimum uncertainty states

The energy, position, and momentum eigenstates of a para-Bose oscillator system were considered in paper I. Here we consider the Bargmann or the analytic function description of the para-Bose system. This brings in, in a natural way, the coherent states ||z;alpha> defined as the eigenstates of the annihilation operator ?. The transformation functions relating this description to the energy, position, and momentum eigenstates are explicitly obtained. Possible resolution of the identity operator using coherent states is examined. A particular resolution contains two integrals, one containing the diagonal basis ||z;alpha><−z;alpha||. We briefly consider the normal and antinormal ordering of the operators and their diagonal and discrete diagonal coherent state approximations. The problem of constructing states with a minimum value of the product of the position and momentum uncertainties and the possible alpha dependence of this minimum value is considered. Journal of Mathematical Physics is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics.

Malaria rapid diagnostic test performance: Results of WHO product testing of malaria RDTs: Round 6 (2014-2015)

Overview This report, published in conjunction with a summary overview of results of rounds 1–6, is the sixth in a series of laboratory-based evaluations of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria. It provides a comparative measure of their performance in a standardized way to distinguish between well and poorly performing tests. It can be used by malaria control programmes and guide WHO procurement recommendations for these diagnostic tools. The evaluation reported here was a joint project of the WHO Global Malaria Programme, the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the WHO-FIND Malaria RDT Evaluation Programme. The project was financed by FIND through a grant from UNITAID.

'... the walls fell down but the blokes just coded ...' - Varieties of stability in software product development during organizational restructurings

Many Finnish IT companies have gone through numerous organizational changes over the past decades. This book draws attention to how stability may be central to software product development experts and IT workers more generally, who continuously have to cope with such change in their workplaces. It does so by analyzing and theorizing change and stability as intertwined and co-existent, thus throwing light on how it is possible that, for example, even if ‘the walls fall down the blokes just code’ and maintain a sense of stability in their daily work. Rather than reproducing the picture of software product development as exciting cutting edge activities and organizational change as dramatic episodes, the study takes the reader beyond the myths surrounding these phenomena to the mundane practices, routines and organizings in product development during organizational change. An analysis of these ordinary practices offers insights into how software product development experts actively engage in constructing stability during organizational change through a variety of practices, including solidarity, homosociality, close relations to products, instrumental or functional views on products, preoccupations with certain tasks and humble obedience. Consequently, the study shows that it may be more appropriate to talk about varieties of stability, characterized by a multitude of practices of stabilizing rather than states of stagnation. Looking at different practices of stability in depth shows the creation of software as an arena for micro-politics, power relations and increasing pressures for order and formalization. The thesis gives particular attention to power relations and processes of positioning following organizational change: how social actors come to understand themselves in the context of ongoing organizational change, how they comply with and/or contest dominant meanings, how they identify and dis-identify with formalization, and how power relations often are reproduced despite dis-identification. Related to processes of positioning, the reader is also given a glimpse into what being at work in a male-dominated and relatively homogeneous work environment looks like. It shows how the strong presence of men or “blokes” of a particular age and education seems to become invisible in workplace talk that appears ‘non-conscious’ of gender.

Small-scale Commercial Culturing of Northern Bay Scallops, Argopecten irradians irradians, in Atlantic United States and Canada

In recent decades, hatchery-growout culture of oysters, Crassostrea virginica, and northern quahogs, Mercenaria mercenaria, has been commercially successful in Atlantic United States and oysters in Atlantic Canada. Culturists have not had success, as yet, with northern bay scallops, Argopecten irradians irradians. Large mortalities occur during the culture process, mainly because the scallops are relatively delicate and some die when handled. In addition, too little edible meat, i.e. the adductor muscle, is produced for the culture operation to be profitable. However, three companies, one in Massachusetts, one in New Brunswick, and one on Prince Edward Island, Canada, have discovered that they can produce bay scallops successfully by harvesting them when partially-to fully-grown and selling them whole. In restaurants, the scallops are cooked and served with all their meats (adductor muscles and rims) and also with the shells, which have been genetically-bred for bright colors. The scallop seed are produced in hatcheries and then grown in lantern or pearl nets and cages to market size. Thus far, production has been relatively small, just beyond the pilot-scale, until a larger demand develops for this product.

A velocity map ion-imaging study on ketene photodissociation at 208 and 213 nm: Rotational dependence of product angular anisotropy

Photodissociation dynamics of ketene following excitation at 208.59 and 213.24 nm have been investigated using the velocity map ion-imaging method. Both the angular distribution and translational energy distribution of the CO products at different rotational and vibrational states have been obtained. No significant difference in the translational energy distributions for different CO rotational state products has been observed at both excitation wavelengths. The anisotropy parameter beta is, however, noticeably different for different CO rotational state products at both excitation wavelengths. For lower rotational states of the CO product, beta is smaller than zero, while beta is larger than zero for CO at higher rotational states. The observed rotational dependence of angular anisotropy is interpreted as the dynamical influence of a peculiar conical intersection between the B-1(1) excited state and (1)A(2) state along the C-S-I coordinate.

State-Selective Photodissociation Dynamics of Formaldehyde: Near Threshold Studies of the H+HCO Product Channel

The laser-induced photodissociation of formaldehyde in the wavelength range 309<λ<330nm 309<λ<330nm has been investigated using H (Rydberg) atom photofragment translational spectroscopy. Photolysis wavelengths corresponding to specific rovibronic transitions in the A ˜ A 2 1 ←X ˜ A 1 1 ÃA21←X̃A11 2 1 0 4 3 0 201403 , 2 2 0 4 1 0 202401 , 2 2 0 4 3 0 202403 , 2 3 0 4 1 0 203401 , and 2 1 0 5 1 0 201501 bands of H 2 CO H2CO were studied. The total kinetic energy release spectra so derived can be used to determine partial rotational state population distributions of the HCO cofragment. HCO product state distributions have been derived following the population of various different N K a NKa levels in the A ˜ A 2 1 ÃA21 2 2 4 3 2243 and 2 3 4 1 2341 states. Two distinct spectral signatures are identified, suggesting competition between dissociation pathways involving the X ˜ A 1 1 X̃A11 and the a ˜ A 2 3 ãA23 potential energy surfaces. Most rovibrational states of H 2 CO(A ˜ A 2 1 ) H2CO(ÃA21) investigated in this work produceH+HCO(X ˜ A ′ 2 ) H+HCO(X̃A′2) photofragments with a broad kinetic energy distribution and significant population in high energy rotational states of HCO. Photodissociation via the A ˜ A 2 1 ÃA21 2 2 4 3 2243 1 1,1 11,1 (and 1 1,0 11,0 ) rovibronic states yields predominantly HCO fragments with low internal energy, a signature that these rovibronic levels are perturbed by the a ˜ A 2 3 ãA23 state. The results also suggest the need for further careful measurements of the H+HCO H+HCO quantum yield from H 2 CO H2CO photolysis at energies approaching, and above, the barrier to C–H bond fission on the a ˜ A 2 3 ãA23 potential energy surface.