946 resultados para Actors Involved
Resumo:
Tutkielman tavoitteena oli kuvata ja selittää oopperavierailuprosessia. Tarkoituksena oli lisäksi selvittää miten prosessia johdetaan, miten sitä pitäisi prosessissa keskeisesti toimivien toimijoiden mielestä johtaa ja minkälaisissa tilanteissa johtamista tarvitaan. Tutkielman kohteena oli Hedelandiin, Tanskaan tehty oopperavierailu. Tutkielma toteutettiin teoreettis-empiirisesti. Tutkimusmenetelmänä on käytetty laadullista toimintatutkimusta, jonka avulla on kuvattu ja analysoitu oopperavierailuprosessia ja sen johtamista. Empiiristä aineistoa on täydennetty haastattelemalla prosessin keskeisiä toimijoita. Tutkielma osoitti, että oopperavierailuprosessin onnistumisen kannalta tärkeitä tekijöitä löytyy sekä prosessista itsestään, että sen johtamisesta. Huolellinen ennakkosuunnittelu, prosessin rajapintojen tunnistaminen ja hyvä tiedonvälitys ovat kriittisiä tekijöitä prosessin onnistumisen kannalta. Prosessissa olevan osaamisen ja tiedon yhdistämistä sekä johtamista tarvitaan oopperavierailuprosessille ominaisessa luovassa kaaoksessa.
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RESUME Les bétalaïnes sont des pigments chromo-alcaloïdes violets et jaunes présents dans les plantes appartenant à l'ordre des Caryophyllales et dans les champignons des genres Amanita et Hygrocybe. Leur courte voie de biosynthèse est élucidée chimiquement depuis de nombreuses années, mais les enzymes impliquées dans cette biosynthèse chez les plantes ne sont toujours pas caractérisées. L'enzyme de la DOPA-dioxygénase d' Amanita muscaria a été identifiée (Girod et Zryd, 1991a), mais de nombreuses tentatives d'isolation d'un homologue chez les plantes ont échoué. Afin d'isoler les gènes spécifiques des bétalaïnes chez les plantes, nous avons construit des banques soustraites d'ADNc à partir d'ARN total de pétales immatures de Portulaca grandiflora (Pg) de génotypes jaunes et blancs, respectivement violets et blancs. Les clones couleur- spécifiques ont été détectés en premier par analyse Northem du RNA de pétales blancs et colorés. Les candidats positifs ont alors été soumis à une analyse de transcription au niveau des tiges colorées, vertes et des feuilles, afin d'établir leur expression spécifique. Deux ARNs messagers complets ont une expression corrélée avec l'accumulation des bétalaïnes dans les tissus. Le premier de ces clones, A.16, code pour une oxydase de l'acyl-Coenzyme A (ACX) putative, mais le domaine de liaison du FAD essentiel pour l'activité d'ACX est absent. Toutes nos tentatives pour démontrer sa fonction ont échoué. Le rôle de cette protéine dans la voie de synthèse des bétalaïnes reste inconnu. Le deuxième de ces clones spécifique aux bétalaïnes, L.6 (isolé par Zaiko, 2000), a été renommé DODA en raison de son homologie avec le domaine LigB (pfam02900) d'une 4,5-dioxygénase extradiol bactérienne. DODA a été identifié in silico comme une dioxygénase extradiol en raison de la conservation stricte, au niveau de sa séquence peptidique, des résidus catalytiques de LigB et de ceux liant le cofacteur fer. Une analyse de transfert Southem a montré que ce gène est unique dans Pg. L'expression transitoire de DODA par transformation biolistique dans des pétales blancs de Pg a produit des taches violettes ou jaunes dans des cellules transformées. Une analyse HPLC de ces taches a démontré leur identité avec les bétalaïnes présentes naturellement dans les pétales violets et jaunes de Pg, confirmant ainsi la complémentation par le gène Pg DODA de l'allèle récessif cc présent dans les pétales blancs de Pg. Des homologues de DODA (DOPA-dioxygénase) ont été identifiés dans de nombreuses espèces de plantes, y compris dans celles sans bétalaïne. L'alignement de ces homologues a permis l'identification d'un motif spécifique aux bétalaïnes à côté d'une histidine catalytique conservée. Ce motif [H-P-(S,A)-(N,D)-x-T-P] remplace le motif [H-N-L-R] conservé dans les plantes sans bétalaïne et le motif [H-N-L-x] présent dans tous les homologues bactériens et archaebactériens. Une modélisation tridimensionnelle préliminaire du site actif de Pg DODA et de son homologue dans la mousse Physcomitrella patens a montré l'importance de ce motif spécifique aux bétalaïnes pour l'accessibilité du substrat au site actif. L'analyse phylogénétique de DODA a confirmé l'évolution séparée de cette protéine chez les plantes à bétalaïnes par comparaison avec celle des plantes sans bétalaïne. Nous avons donc conclu que les bétalaïnes sont apparues par modification de l'affinité pour un substrat d'enzymes similaires à DODA, chez un ancêtre unique des Caryophyllales qui a perdu toute capacité de biosynthèse des anthocyanes. Finalement, Pg DODA n'a aucune similarité avec la protéine DODA d' Amanita muscaria, bien que celle-ci complémente aussi la pigmentation des pétales blancs de Pg. La biosynthèse des bétalaïnes est un exemple remarquable de convergence évolutive biochimique indépendante entre espèces de règnes différents. ABSTRACT Betalains are violet and yellow chromo-alkaloid pigments present in plants belonging to the order Caryophyllales and also in the fungal genera Amanita and Hygrocybe. Their short biosynthetic pathway is chemically well understood since many years, but enzymes involved in the plant pathway are still uncharacterized. The DOPA-dioxygenase from Amanita muscaria was identified (Girod and Zryd, 1991a), but numerous attempts to identify a plant homologue to the corresponding gene, failed. In order to isolate betalain-specific genes in plants, subtractive cDNA libraries were built with total RNA from white and yellow and respectively, violet immature petals from Portulaca grandiflora (Pg) genotypes. Colour-specific clones were first detected by Northern blot analysis using RNA from white and coloured petals. Positive candidates were submitted to further transcription analysis in coloured, green stems and leaves in order to assess their specific expression. Two full-length mRNAs showed a correlated expression with betalain accumulation in tissues. One of them, A.16, encodes a putative acyl-Coenzyme A oxidase (ACX), but missing the FAD binding domain essential for the ACX activity. Thus, all attempts to demonstrate its function failed. The role of this protein in the betalain biosynthesis pathway, if any, is still unknown. The second betalain-specific mRNA, L.6 (isolated by Zaiko, 2000) shows a homology with a LigB domain (pfam02900) from a bacterial extradiol 4,5-dioxygenase. It was then renamed DODA (DOPA-dioxygenase). DODA was identified in silico as a highly conserved extradiol dioxygenase due to the strict conservation of its peptidic sequence with LigB catalytic residues and iron-binding cofactor residues. Southern blot analysis showed that this gene is a single copy-gene in Pg. Transient expression of DODA protein through biolistic transformation of Pg white petals produced violet or yellow spots in individual cells. HPLC analysis of these spots showed an identity with betalain pigments present naturally in yellow and violet Pg petals, thus confirming the complementation of the recessive cc allele present in Pg white petals by Pg DODA gene. DODA homologues were identified in numerous plant species including those without betalain. Alignment of these homologues allowed the identification of a betalain-specific pattern beside a highly conserved catalytic histidine. This [H-P-(S,A)-(N,D)-x-T-P] pattern replaces a [H-N-L-R] pattern strictly conserved in non-betalain plants and a [H-N-L-x] pattern present in all bacterial and archaebacterial homologues. Preliminary three-dimensional modeling of the active site of Pg DODA and its Physcomitrella patens moss homologue revealed the importance of this betalain-specific pattern for the substrate accessibility to the DODA active site. DODA phylogenetic analysis confirmed the separate evolution of this protein in betalain-producing plants. We conclude that betalain pigments appeared in a unique ancestor of the Caryophyllales order in which anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway was impaired, by a modification of enzymes of the DODA family for substrate affinity. The Pg DODA protein has no sequence similarity with Amanita muscaria DODA, despite the fact that they both complement Pg white petals for their pigmentation. Betalain biosynthesis is an interesting example of independent biochemical evolutionary convergence between species from different kingdoms.
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This study focuses on corporate social responsibility (or CSR)as the latest dimension to emerge in the corporate responsibility and sustainability agenda, which in the recent past has rapidly risen to the top of the list of concerns for civil societies worldwide. Despite the continuing debates and discussions about the scope, benefits, and impacts of CSR to business and community in various sectors, levels, and types of society, many companies have moved forward to confront the opportunities and challenges of CSR. Thus, this study is about those proactive companies with a focus on the importance of CSR and its management inside and outside the company. It is an exploration and learning from the experience of Finnish companies, as well as other actors interested or involved in shaping the course of CSR, locally and globally. It also looks closely at how national culture affects the views, thinking, and management of CSR in a welfare state. This dissertation primarily draws on the analyses of information collected from a series of qualitative interviews and the existing literature in the area. This is complemented by an analysis of written and published documents on CSR from various sources. The results of the study give insightful information and detailed descriptions of a roadmap useful in learning and understanding CSR in Finnish companies. Despite the varying conceptual connotations, essential roadmap indicators point to the importance of framing CSR within the corporate responsibility concept, Finnish development and the welfare state system, globalization, stakeholders, and the pursuit of sustainable development as the main drivers of CSR, the remarkable progress of CSR in companies, and identification of key management areas and practices relevant to CSR. Similarly,the study reveals the importance of culture as essential in understanding and learning CSR. Finnish culture has a positive influence on the views, thinking, and management practices of CSR issues. Such a positive influence of culture, therefore, makes it easy for business people to discuss and understand CSR, because those CSR issues are already considered common and taken-for-granted by Finns and are implicit in the welfare state provisions. The experience of Finnish companies in implementing CSR policies in the supply chain is a concrete proactive step in advancing the message of CSR, that is, to bring companies and suppliers together to work on improving and strengthening relationships towards socially responsible practices worldwide. Such a forward step to deal with CSR issues in the supply chain reflects the companies' commitments and belief that CSR can be managed with the suppliers and gain positive benefits. Despite the problems and complexities, particularly in the global supply chain, managing CSR for Finnish companies presents new opportunities and challenges that are expected to intensify in the near future. The focus on CSR policy implementation inthe supply chain points to the importance of companies taking initiatives and forging cooperation with suppliers with the aim of addressing and improving CSR questions in the supply chains. The proactive stance of Finnish companies toward CSR is complemented by the active supporting role of important societalactors such as the government and NGOs. These actors carry out various promotional efforts and campaigns, thus bringing CSR into the mainstream of Finnish companies and strengthening the synergistic learning about CSR within the Finnish business and civil circles. The efforts of the government and NGOs to promote CSR are indicative of the importance of multipartite involvement and the emergence of better civil regulations. Likewise, their drive to learn from each other, exchange experiences, and contribute in CSR debates facilitated the evolution of CSRnetworks in the country. The results of this study add to the mounting evidence that CSR, in general, has created a new dimension in managing corporate sustainability. This study provides compelling empirical evidence and some direct quotations about CSR in the Finnish context. This information can be used to learn and gain new useful insights, approaches, and concepts for managing CSR.
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Previous research has found a link between theory of mind and cooperation. The aim of this study is to deepen into this relationship, to identify which theory of mind skills are more related to the cooperative capacity on a referential communication task. A total of 50 children from first and fifth grade completed a battery of theory of mind tasks, and also a cooperative task where children worked in pairs to build block models. Each pair was composed by a builder and a guide, who gave instructions to his partner about how to build a replica of the model. The results show a significant relationship between the theory of mind skills and cooperation. Specifically, we found that the second-order false-belief task was the variable most related to cooperation after controlling the effect of age. In addition, we observed that the mentalist skills were more important for cooperation in the builders than in the guides. Finally, we discuss the findings of this study and make suggestions for the future
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A Catalunya, en els darrers anys, han anat proliferant una sèrie de «professionals» que realitzen, amb més o menys adequació a la definició teòrica, la funció de mediadors inter-culturals. Primerament, es tractava de gitanos, però darrerament, fruit de l’increment de la presència d’infants d’origen immigrant a les escoles catalanes, s’ha vist créixer el nombre i el protagonisme dels estrangers pel reconeixement que se’ls ha donat des de l’Administració i des de les institucions. Els mediadors han intentat intervenir en qüestions com ara la participació dels pares d’origen minoritari, l’adaptació del currículum a la diversitat cultural, la negociació de conflictes culturals, la desescolarització, l’absentisme i l’abandonament escolar dels alumnes durant el període d’escolarització obligatòria, la traducció lingüística i la interpretació sociocultural, etc. Concretament, la nostra recerca ha consistit en vint-i-set entrevistes en profunditat a mediadors interculturals de tot Catalunya.
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Both the intermolecular interaction energies and the geometries for M ̄ thiophene, M ̄ pyrrole, M n+ ̄ thiophene, and M n+ ̄ pyrrole ͑with M = Li, Na, K, Ca, and Mg; and M n+ = Li+ , Na+ , K+ , Ca2+, and Mg2+͒ have been estimated using four commonly used density functional theory ͑DFT͒ methods: B3LYP, B3PW91, PBE, and MPW1PW91. Results have been compared to those provided by HF, MP2, and MP4 conventional ab initio methods. The PBE and MPW1PW91 are the only DFT methods able to provide a reasonable description of the M ̄ complexes. Regarding M n+ ̄ complexes, the four DFT methods have been proven to be adequate in the prediction of these electrostatically stabilized systems, even though they tend to overestimate the interaction energies.
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Neuroblastoma (NB) is one of the most deadly solid tumors of the young child, for which new efficient and targeted therapies are strongly needed. The CXCR4/CXCR7/CXCL12 chemokine axis has been involved in the progression and organ-specific dissemination of various cancers. In NB, CXCR4 expression was shown to be associated to highly aggressive undifferentiated tumors, while CXCR7 expression was detected in more differentiated and mature neuroblastic tumors. As investigated in vivo, using an orthotopic model of tumor cell implantation of chemokine receptor-overexpressing NB cells (IGR-NB8), the CXCR4/CXCR7/CXCL12 axis was shown to regulate NB primary and secondary growth, although without any apparent influence on organ selective metastasis. In the present study, we addressed the selective role of CXCR4 and CXCR7 receptors in the homing phase of metastatic dissemination using an intravenous model of tumor cell implantation. Tail vein injection into NOD-scid-gamma mice of transduced IGR-NB8 cells overexpressing CXCR4, CXCR7, or both receptors revealed that all transduced cell variants preferentially invaded the adrenal gland and typical NB metastatic target organs, such as the liver and the bone marrow. However, CXCR4 expression favored NB cell dissemination to the liver and the lungs, while CXCR7 was able to strongly promote NB cell homing to the adrenal gland and the liver. Finally, coexpression of CXCR4 and CXCR7 receptors significantly and selectively increased NB dissemination toward the bone marrow. In conclusion, CXCR4 and CXCR7 receptors may be involved in a complex and organ-dependent control of NB growth and selective homing, making these receptors and their inhibitors potential new therapeutic targets.
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Les empreses en tant que formen part de la comunitat, tenen una responsabilitat vers la mateixa i la realitat social que la forma. Les accions que es realitzen no són neutres, generant comportaments que cal saber preveure en benefici comú de totes les parts implicades directament o indirectament. Parlar de Responsabilitat Social Corporativa (RSC) ja és en si un fet positiu que dibuixa nous horitzons cap a societats més responsables i justes. L'incorporació de la RSC en el debat econòmic, social, ambiental, cultural i polític, fa preveure un recorregut llarg en el temps on cada vegada més empreses, entitats i organitzacions sumen esforços al seu voltant. El Treball Social com a professió coneixedora de la realitat social i les dificultats existents ha de poder jugar un paper proactiu en la RSC conjuntament amb d´altres actors. Des d'un treball col·laboratiu que afavoreixi espais de sinergia, on es sumin esforços per assolir una societat més humana, justa, solidària i responsable. En definitiva amb un missatge adreçat a treballar, des de diferents àmbits professionals, per garantir uns mínims de qualitat de vida per a totes les persones que formem part de la societat.
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Pneumocystis species are fungal parasites colonizing mammal lungs with strict host specificity. Pneumocystis jirovecii is the human-specific species and can turn into an opportunistic pathogen causing severe pneumonia in immunocompromised individuals. This disease is currently the second most frequent life-threatening invasive fungal infection worldwide. The most efficient drug, cotrimoxazole, presents serious side effects, and resistance to this drug is emerging. The search for new targets for the development of new drugs is thus of utmost importance. The recent release of the P. jirovecii genome sequence opens a new era for this task. It can now be carried out on the actual targets to be inhibited instead of on those of the relatively distant model Pneumocystis carinii, the species infecting rats. We focused on the folic acid biosynthesis pathway because (i) it is widely used for efficient therapeutic intervention, and (ii) it involves several enzymes that are essential for the pathogen and have no human counterparts. In this study, we report the identification of two such potential targets within the genome of P. jirovecii, the dihydrofolate synthase (dhfs) and the aminodeoxychorismate lyase (abz2). The function of these enzymes was demonstrated by the rescue of the null allele of the orthologous gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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This contribution (presented in the first International Conference on Public Policy (ICPP) in Grenoble in June 2013) explores the phenomena of innovation in action ("innovative implementation"). To do so, we operationalize "innovative implementation" as a strategy by which (coalitions of) non-state actors seek to develop ad hoc solutions to address a given environmental issue, going beyond what is provided for in formal policy designs. Following an inductive research strategy, we elaborate a conceptual framework whose main advantage is to bring the actors and their coalition (in all their diversity) back in the analysis. More concretely, we state that perceiving implementation as broader 'social interaction processes' (De Boer & Bressers 2011) within which actors play strategic 'games' (Bardach 1977, Scharpf 1997) opens interesting lines of research to better account for their innovative and strategic behaviours. In a second step, we apply this framework to three strategies of innovative implementation in different contexts, and identify on this basis empirical regularities in the individual pathways related to the emergence and success (or failure) of these strategies.
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Mitochondrial trafficking deficits have been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). The Ser/Thre kinase GSK3β is believed to play a fundamental role in AD pathogenesis. Given that GSK3β substrates include Tau protein, here we studied the impact of GSK3β on mitochondrial trafficking and its dependence on Tau protein. Overexpression of GSK3β in neurons resulted in an increase in motile mitochondria, whereas a decrease in the activity of this kinase produced an increase in mitochondria pausing. These effects were dependent on Tau proteins, as Tau (−/−) neurons did not respond to distinct GSK3β levels. Furthermore, differences in GSK3β expression did not affect other parameters like mitochondria velocity or mitochondria run length. We conclude that GSK3B activity regulates mitochondrial axonal trafficking largely in a Tau-dependent manner.
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Ce travail présente une étude de cas post-catastrophe à San Cristobal, Guatemala, où un important glissement de terrain du nom «Los Chorros» (8-10 millions de m3 de roche) affecte depuis 2009 diverses communautés et une des routes principales du pays. Les gestionnaires des risques, sur la base de leur propre évaluation, ont décidé de répondre d'une manière qui ne correspond pas aux intérêts de la population affectée. Les communautés locales ont évalué le risque de catastrophe et ont établi une autre solution suivant une conception du risque différente. Les conflits sociaux et la concurrence entre les différents acteurs du territoire, pour la définition des priorités et des solutions, révèlent les aspects sous-jacents de la société, utiles pour identifier et comprendre ce qui constitue le risque de catastrophe dans un contexte donné. Ce conflit montre que le risque de catastrophe n'est pas univoque mais un concept complexe, constitué par un grand nombre de composants. En termes de gouvernance, il met également en évidence la confrontation des savoirs et la tension qui peut exister entre les différentes approches du risque. Depuis une approche où le risque de catastrophe est considéré comme une construction sociale (les vulnérabilités étant historiquement générées par des processus sociaux, politiques, économiques et culturels), ce travail évalue d'autres modes d'interprétation, de traitement et d'intervention qui peuvent aider à améliorer les méthodes d'évaluation et de gestion des risques. Enfin, la proposition de gestion qui découle de l'exemple guatémaltèque invite à une autre manière de concevoir la gestion des risques en intégrant les différentes conceptions du risque et en visant une coordination stratégique entre les acteurs des politiques publiques, les échelles d'intervention, les experts en charge des différents aléas et la société civile, afin d'obtenir une solution acceptable pour tous les acteurs impliqués dans un territoire. -- This work analyses a post-disaster case study from San Cristobal, Guatemala where a large landslide named "Los Chorros (8 millions cubic meters of rock) affects several communities and one of the country's main west-east access highways. Risk managers, starting from their own assessment, decided to respond in a way that does not correspond to the interests of the afected population. Local communities assessed the risk disaster situation and establised another solution from a different conception of risk. These social conflict and competition for priorities and solutions for risk management reveal that disaster risk is not unequivocal but a complex and holistic concept, constituted by a large set of components. From a social constructivism approach, where disaster risk is considered as the results of social, political, economic and historic process, this thesis evaluates other modes of interpreting, shaping and managing risk that can help improve methods of risk assessment and management. Studying the logic of action of actors, who mobilize to establish a solution, enables to identify as to what constitutes a disaster. For this reason, the study focus, in particular, on the analysis of practices (practical science) implemented by all actors in San Cristobal Altaverapaz. Finally, it puts into perspective the risk management in terms of an integrative approach for policy experts that find compromise between different conceptions of risk in order to obtain a solution acceptable to all those involved.
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Mobiilimarkkinoinnin markkinat ovat vasta rakentumassa ja suurin osa alan toimijoista etenkin Suomessa yrittää vielä löytää rooliaan. Sen sijaan Japanissa sisällöntuotantoliiketoiminta matkapuhelimille kukoistaa ja mobiilimarkkinointi on jo saavuttanut merkittävän aseman mobiili-internetin palvelutarjonnassa. Toisin kuin Suomessa, jossa mobiilimarkkinat ovat vielä lastenkengissä, Japanissa myös mobiilimarkkinoinnin arvoketju on vähitellen muotoutumassa.Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli antaa käsitys Japanin mobiilimarkkinoinnin dynamiikasta ja luoda viitekehys operaattorin tulevalle roolille mobiilimarkkinoinnin markkinoiden rakentamisessa. Tutkimus on deskriptiivinen ja aineisto on kerätty alan kirjallisuudesta sekä haastattelemalla tärkeitä mobiilimarkkinoiden toimijoita Japanissa. Japanissa operaattoreilla (NTT DoCoMo, J-Phone ja KDDI) on erittäin vahva asema mobiili-internetin ja mobiilimarkkinoinnin markkinoilla. Ne hallitsevat asiakasrajapintaa, päättävät mobiiliverkon ja matkapuhelimien ominaisuuksista sekä siitä, ketkä sisällöntuottajista pääsevät osaksi heidän laskutusjärjestelmäänsä. Markkinoinnissa operaattoreilla ei ole yhtä näkyvää roolia. Omistussuhteiden kautta ne kuitenkin vaikuttavat lähes koko arvoketjuun. Operaattorit ovat yhdessä Japanin suurimpien mainostoimistojen kanssa luoneet tytäryhtiöitä, jotka hoitavat mainonnan operaattorin mobiiliportaalissa. Japanissa operaattori on ottanut hallitsevan roolin mobiilimarkkinoiden rakentamisessa. Tiivis yhteistyö eri toimijoiden, kuten matkapuhelinvalmistajien, sisällöntuottajien ja mainostoimistojen kanssa, on mahdollistanut kokonaisvaltaisen palvelupaketin tarjoamisen. Palvelupaketti sisältää käyttäjäystävällisen liittymän mobiili-internetiin sekä edulliset puhelimet. Juuri tiivis yhteistyö onkin ollut yksi tärkeimmistä menestystekijöistä Japanin markkinoita rakennettaessa. Mobiilimarkkinoita rakennettaessa operaattorilla on merkittävä rooli markkinoiden muodostajana ja sisällön kokoojana. Operaattorien tulee varautua roskapostin vastaiseen taisteluun, jos sähköpostia annetaan lähettää suoraan matkapuhelimeen. On erityisen tärkeää varmistaa, ettei käyttäjien tarvitse kärsiä roskapostista, muuten suoramarkkinoinnin mahdollisuus matkapuhelimeen menetetään. Ainoastaan aktiivisella edistämisellä ja osallistumisella mobiili-internetin sisällöntuotanto- ja markkinointiliiketoimintaan operaattori voi vahvistaa markkina-asemaansa ja varmistaa osuutensa tulevista markkinoista.