Go/no-go criteria during grocery brand development

Past research into new product screening criteria have largely centered on industrial new products. This study investigates the criteria that managers use for screening and evaluating new grocery products or brands. Theory suggests that the branding, promotional, and trade needs of grocery brands mean that screening criteria for grocery product development will differ from those applied to industrial goods. Our methodology departs from earlier research in gathering information on the accept/reject criteria during new product development rather than examining the reasons for success and failure after launch. The results endorse many findings from the extant literature on new product development. However, we highlight a set of factors that new product managers regard as important to the go/no-go decision in new grocery product or brand development that differs significantly from previous studies. From a research perspective, our study findings make an important contribution to the field by developing measurement scales for addressing NPD in the grocery sector.

PSS as a service based strategy for western manufacturers

A product-service system (PSS) is a subtle blend of products and services that are offered as an integrated solution to customers. Much existing work on PSS has originated from Scandinavia and has been motivated by a sustainability agenda. Although valuable, this form has limited appeal to western manufacturers. However, by expanding the concepts of PSS to also embrace leading thinking on large scale complex service systems and informated products and services, it is possible to put forward the basis of a service business model that offers the means to differentiate from competitors who simply offer lower priced products. This paper aims to build this case. It reports the state-of-the-art of PSS, defines the concept, reports on its origin and features, discusses examples of applications, and finally proposes a research strategy for future work on this topic.

Cobalt promoted TiO2/GO for the photocatalytic degradation of oxytetracycline and Congo Red

A family of titania derived nanocomposites synthesized via sol-gel and hydrothermal routes exhibit excellent performance for the photocatalytic degradation of two important exemplar water pollutants, oxytetracycline and Congo Red. Low loadings of Co3O4 nanoparticles dispersed over the surfaces of anatase TiO2 confer visible light photoactivity for the aqueous phase decomposition of organics through the resulting heterojunction and reduced band gap. Subsequent modification of these Co3O4/TiO2 composites by trace amounts of graphene oxide nanosheets in the presence of a diamine linker further promotes both oxytetracycline and Congo Red photodegradation under simulated solar and visible irradiation, through a combination of enhanced photoresponse and consequent radical generation. Radical quenching and fluorescence experiments implicate holes and hydroxyl radicals as the respective primary and secondary active species responsible for oxidative photodegradation of pollutants.

Evacuation responsiveness by government organisations (ERGO):the evacuation preparedness assessment workbook

This Evacuation Preparedness Assessment Workbook (EPAW) is a tool to assess the level of preparedness of Government Organisations (GOs) for the mass evacuation of their public. It has its origins in the results of a three-year, EU-funded research project called Evacuation Preparedness by Government Organisations (ERGO) which sought to research and strengthen the preparedness activities for the evacuation of cities, regions or even countries. This EPAW presents a list of tasks to be carried out at the different phases of evacuation preparedness. It also provides an assessment facility to evaluate how much progress GOs have made against each task, as well as indications of standard and best practices for each task. A brief background to the need for evacuation, the ERGO project and the development of the workbook is given next. After this, the application process of the workbook is explained and illustrated with an example.

A strategy formulation process for the delivery of technology enabled service delivery systems

The Product Service Systems, servitization, and Service Science literature continues to grow as organisations seek to protect and improve their competitive position. The potential of technology applications to deliver service delivery systems facilitated by the ability to make real time decisions based upon ‘in the field’ performance is also significant. Research identifies four key questions to be addressed. Namely: how far along the servitization continuum should the organisation go in a single strategic step? Does the organisation have the structure and infrastructure to support this transition? What level of condition monitoring should it employ? Is the product positioned correctly in the value chain to adopt condition monitoring technology? Strategy consists of three dimensions, namely content, context, and process. The literature relating to PSS, servitization, and strategy all discuss the concepts relative to content and context but none offer a process to deliver an aligned strategy to deliver a service delivery system enabled by condition based management. This paper presents a tested iterative strategy formulation methodology which is the result of a structured development programme.

Modelling of wastewater treatment plants:how far shall we go with sophisticated modelling tools?

Several levels of complexity are available for modelling of wastewater treatment plants. Modelling local effects rely on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approaches whereas activated sludge models (ASM) represent the global methodology. By applying both modelling approaches to pilot plant and full scale systems, this paper evaluates the value of each method and especially their potential combination. Model structure identification for ASM is discussed based on a full-scale closed loop oxidation ditch modelling. It is illustrated how and for what circumstances information obtained via CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis, residence time distribution (RTD) and other experimental means can be used. Furthermore, CFD analysis of the multiphase flow mechanisms is employed to obtain a correct description of the oxygenation capacity of the system studied, including an easy implementation of this information in the classical ASM modelling (e.g. oxygen transfer). The combination of CFD and activated sludge modelling of wastewater treatment processes is applied to three reactor configurations, a perfectly mixed reactor, a pilot scale activated sludge basin (ASB) and a real scale ASB. The application of the biological models to the CFD model is validated against experimentation for the pilot scale ASB and against a classical global ASM model response. A first step in the evaluation of the potential of the combined CFD-ASM model is performed using a full scale oxidation ditch system as testing scenario.

Developing a serious game for PSS

Purpose: This paper presents the system architecture of a serious game, which is going to be run in parallel to Rolls Royce tra ining on product-service systems (PSS). Design/methodology/approach: The original game is outlined, requirements for an onl ine version are defined, and the architecture is proposed. Findings: The games approach has proven its value in design for service tra ining but an online version is needed to improve the opportunit ies to deliver the game. Originality/value: Such a system presents opportunities for the acquisition and development of specific professional knowledge, skills, and competencies

Rhythm makes the world go round:an MEG-TMS study on the role of right TPJ theta oscillations in embodied perspective taking

While some aspects of social processing are shared between humans and other species, some aspects are not. The former seems to apply to merely tracking another's visual perspective in the world (i.e., what a conspecific can or cannot perceive), while the latter applies to perspective taking in form of mentally “embodying” another's viewpoint. Our previous behavioural research had indicated that only perspective taking, but not tracking, relies on simulating a body schema rotation into another's viewpoint. In the current study we employed Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and revealed that this mechanism of mental body schema rotation is primarily linked to theta oscillations in a wider brain network of body-schema, somatosensory and motor-related areas, with the right posterior temporo-parietal junction (pTPJ) at its core. The latter was reflected by a convergence of theta oscillatory power in right pTPJ obtained by overlapping the separately localised effects of rotation demands (angular disparity effect), cognitive embodiment (posture congruence effect), and basic body schema involvement (posture relevance effect) during perspective taking in contrast to perspective tracking. In a subsequent experiment we interfered with right pTPJ processing using dual pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (dpTMS) and observed a significant reduction of embodied processing. We conclude that right TPJ is the crucial network hub for transforming the embodied self into another's viewpoint, body and/or mind, thus, substantiating how conflicting representations between self and other may be resolved and potentially highlighting the embodied origins of high-level social cognition in general.

Re -"interpreting" the conquest: European and Amerindian translators and go -betweens in the colonization of the Americas, 1492--1675

This dissertation aims to recover the lives and careers of those Amerindians and Europeans who voluntarily or involuntarily took on the role of intercultural interpreters in the contact, conquest, and early colonial period in the Americas between 1492 and 1675. It intends to prove that these so-called “marginal” figures assumed roles that went far beyond those of linguistic and cultural translators, and often had a decisive impact on early Indian-colonial relations. ^ In the course of my research, I consulted hundreds of published sixteenth- and seventeenth-century chronicles, narratives, and memoirs in my search for references to interpreters. I augmented these accounts with information derived from unpublished archival documents, drawn primarily from the Archivo General de Indias, in Seville, Spain. ^ I organized my findings in theme-driven chapters that begin with a consideration of the historiography of that subject. Each chapter is further subdivided into chronologically-arranged historical vignettes that focus on the interpreters who mediated between the Spanish, Portuguese, French, English and Dutch and the various Native American polities and cultures. ^ I found that colonial authorities and Amerindian communities alike recognized the absolute necessity of recruiting competent and loyal interpreters and go-betweens, and that both sides tried to secure their loyal service by means both fair and foul. Although pressured, pushed, and pulled in contrary directions, most interpreters recognized the pivotal position they held in cross-cultural negotiations and rarely remained passive pawns in the contests between the forces of domination and defense. ^ All across the Americas, interpreters used their linguistic and diplomatic skills, and their intimate knowledge of the “other” not simply to facilitate conquest or spearhead the opposition, but to transform themselves from “culture brokers” into “power brokers.” Many of the decisive events that shaped colonial-Indian relations turned on the actions of these culturally-ambiguous individuals, a fact bemoaned and begrudgingly acknowledged by most of the contemporary conquistadors, chroniclers, and colonial founders, and recognized by this author. ^

Práticas e características do jornalismo alternativo e contra hegemônico de agência de informação: uma visão a partir da rotina produtiva da Adital

The strong presence of the communication and information technologies (TICs) forced the productive routine of some media vehicles to go through significant changes. The same happened to the alternative agencies segment. Having a scarce literature and sources about this subject, this study’s objective is to understand how the Information Agency Frei Tito for Latin America (Adital) develops its proposal of alternative journalism, within the cyberspace, while aiming a Christian communication. For this finality, the study will describe and explain the practices of journalistic production, identifying the subjects involved and the relations maintained between them in this productive routine. Also, it will trace who and where these content replicators are and/or their online address. At first, it was presented a theoretical discussion about the concepts of “counter-hegemony”, alternative journalism and communicative citizenship, what brings us to the studies of Gramsci (2010), Peruzzo (2011), Moraes (2013), Paiva (2008), Coutinho (2008), Mata (2006), among other authors. Next, it will be approached briefly the historical path of the information agencies around the world and in Latin America, so that the study can focus on authors like Aguiar (2009), Pasti (2013) and Moraes (2010). This piece will draught a “methodologic route” for a qualitative approach with an exploratory and descriptive character. We gave up the etnometodological methods, what allow us to analyze the etnomethods or behavioral groups of action, procedures, activities and knowledge that constitutes these groups, giving them recognition and distinction. (COULON, 1995). To achieve the defined objectives, it was also used a bibliographical and documental research techniques, in addition to subject observation and semi-structured interviews. Finally, we analyze the collected data taking into consideration three pivots: the beginning of Adital; the practices, characteristics and subjects involved in the productive routine of the agency; and who are and where are these content replicators of content produced and transmitted by Adital. We can conclude that the production routine of an alternative agency and the counter-hegemonic of information is marked by some singularities regarding to the organization of the journalistic practice and to the obstacles found on the way. Our data allows us, even if there are still some doubts, to believe that Adital is a sort of independent information agency, alternative and counter-hegemonic, ergo, more close to a proposition of communicative citizenship.

Práticas e características do jornalismo alternativo e contra hegemônico de agência de informação: uma visão a partir da rotina produtiva da Adital

The strong presence of the communication and information technologies (TICs) forced the productive routine of some media vehicles to go through significant changes. The same happened to the alternative agencies segment. Having a scarce literature and sources about this subject, this study’s objective is to understand how the Information Agency Frei Tito for Latin America (Adital) develops its proposal of alternative journalism, within the cyberspace, while aiming a Christian communication. For this finality, the study will describe and explain the practices of journalistic production, identifying the subjects involved and the relations maintained between them in this productive routine. Also, it will trace who and where these content replicators are and/or their online address. At first, it was presented a theoretical discussion about the concepts of “counter-hegemony”, alternative journalism and communicative citizenship, what brings us to the studies of Gramsci (2010), Peruzzo (2011), Moraes (2013), Paiva (2008), Coutinho (2008), Mata (2006), among other authors. Next, it will be approached briefly the historical path of the information agencies around the world and in Latin America, so that the study can focus on authors like Aguiar (2009), Pasti (2013) and Moraes (2010). This piece will draught a “methodologic route” for a qualitative approach with an exploratory and descriptive character. We gave up the etnometodological methods, what allow us to analyze the etnomethods or behavioral groups of action, procedures, activities and knowledge that constitutes these groups, giving them recognition and distinction. (COULON, 1995). To achieve the defined objectives, it was also used a bibliographical and documental research techniques, in addition to subject observation and semi-structured interviews. Finally, we analyze the collected data taking into consideration three pivots: the beginning of Adital; the practices, characteristics and subjects involved in the productive routine of the agency; and who are and where are these content replicators of content produced and transmitted by Adital. We can conclude that the production routine of an alternative agency and the counter-hegemonic of information is marked by some singularities regarding to the organization of the journalistic practice and to the obstacles found on the way. Our data allows us, even if there are still some doubts, to believe that Adital is a sort of independent information agency, alternative and counter-hegemonic, ergo, more close to a proposition of communicative citizenship.