Business analytics and competitive advantage : a review and a research agenda

Business analytics has the potential to deliver performance gains and competitive advantage. However, a theoretically grounded model identifying the factors and processes involved in realizing those performance gains has not been clearly articulated in the literature. This paper draws on the literature on dynamic capabilities to develop such a theoretical framework. It identifies the critical roles of organizational routines and organization-wide capabilities for identifying, resourcing and implementing business analytics-based competitive actions in delivering performance gains and competitive advantage. A theoretical framework and propositions for future research are developed.

Nonadditivity of faradaic currents and modification of double layer capacitance in the voltammetry of mixtures of ferrocene and ferrocenium salts in ionic liquids

Electrochemical studies on the Fc + e− Fc+ (Fc = ferrocene) process have been undertaken via the oxidation of Fc and reduction of Fc+ as the hexafluorophosphate (PF6−) or tetrafluoroborate (BF4−) salts and their mixtures in three ionic liquids (ILs) (1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate). Data obtained at macro- and microdisk electrodes using conventional dc and Fourier-transformed large-amplitude ac (FT-ac) voltammetry reveal that diffusion coefficients for Fc and Fc+ differ significantly and are a function of the Fc and Fc+ concentration, in contrast to findings in molecular solvents with 0.1 M added supporting electrolyte media. Thus, the Faradaic currents associated with the oxidation of Fc (Fc0/+) and reduction of FcPF6 or FcBF4 (Fc+/0) when both Fc and Fc+ are simultaneously present in the ILs differ from values obtained when individual Fc and Fc+ solutions are used. The voltammetry for both the Fc0/+ and Fc+/0 processes exhibited near-Nernstian behavior at a glassy carbon macrodisk electrode and a platinum microdisk electrode, when each process was studied individually in the ILs. As expected, the reversible formal potentials (E°′) and diffusion coefficients (D) at 23 ± 1 °C were independent of the electrode material and concentration. However, when Fc and FcPF6 or FcBF4 were both present, alterations to the mass transport process occurred and apparent D values calculated for Fc and Fc+ were found to be about 25−39% and 32−42% larger, respectively, than those determined from individual solutions. The apparent value of the double layer capacitance determined by FT-ac voltammetry from individual and mixed Fc and Fc+ conditions at the GC electrode was also a function of concentration. Double layer capacitance values increased significantly with the concentration of Fc and FcPF6 or FcBF4 when species were studied individually or simultaneously, but had a larger magnitude under conditions where both species were present. Variation in the structure of the ILs and hence mobilities of the ionic species, when Fc and FcPF6 or FcBF4 are simultaneously present, is considered to be the origin of the nonadditivity of the Faradaic currents and variation in capacitance.

Highly selective and sensitive DNA assay based on electrocatalytic oxidation of ferrocene bearing zinc(II)-cyclen complexes with diethylamine

A highly selective and sensitive electrochemical biosensor has been developed that detects DNA hybridization by employing the electrocatalytic activity of ferrocene (Fc) bearing cyclen complexes (cyclen = 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane, Fc[Zn(cyclen)H2O]2(ClO4)4 (R1), Fc(cyclen)2 (R2), Fc[Zn(cyclen)H2O](ClO4)2 (R3), and Fc(cyclen) (R4)). A sandwich-type approach, which involves hybridization of a target probe hybridized with the preimmobilized thiolated capture probe attached to a gold electrode, is employed to fabricate a DNA duplex layer. Electrochemical signals are generated by voltammetric interrogation of a Fc bearing Zn−cyclen complexes that selectively and quantitatively binds to the duplex layers through strong chelation between the cyclen complexes and particular nucleobases within the DNA sequence. Chelate formation between R1 or R3 and thymine bases leads to the perturbation of base-pair (A−T) stacking in the duplex structure, which greatly diminishes the yield of DNA-mediated charge transport and displays a marked selectivity to the presence of the target DNA sequence. Coupling the redox chemistry of the surface-bound Fc bearing Zn−cyclen complex and dimethylamine provides an electrocatalytic pathway that increases sensitivity of the assay and allows the 100 fM target DNA sequence to be detected. Excellent selectivity against even single-base sequence mismatches is achieved, and the DNA sensor is stable and reusable.

Nonadditivity of Faradaic currents and modification of capacitance currents in the voltammetry of mixtures of ferrocene and the cobaltocenium cation in protic and aprotic ionic liquids

Unexpected nonadditivity of currents encountered in the electrochemistry of mixtures of ferrocene (Fc) and cobaltocenium cation (Cc+) as the PF6 - salt has been investigated by direct current (dc) and Fourier-transformed alternating current (ac) cyclic voltammetry in two aprotic (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) and three protic (triethylammonium formate, bis(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium acetate, and triethylammonium acetate) ionic liquids (ILs). The voltammetry of the individual Fc0/+ and Cc+/0 couples always exhibits near-Nernstian behavior at glassy carbon and gold electrodes. As expected for an ideal process, the reversible formal potentials and diffusion coefficients at 23 ( 1 °C in each IL determined from measurement on individual Fc and Cc+ solutions were found to be independent of electrode material, concentration, and technique used for the measurement. However, when Fc and Cc+ were simultaneously present, the dc and ac peak currents per unit concentration for the Fc0/+ and Cc+/0 processes were found to be significantly enhanced in both aprotic and protic ILs. Thus, the apparent diffusion coefficient values calculated for Fc and Cc+ were respectively found to be about 25 and 35% larger than those determined individually in the aprotic ILs. A similar change in the Fc0/+ mass transport characteristics was observed upon addition of tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (Bu4NPF6), and the double layer capacitance also varied in distinctly different ways when Fc and Cc+ were present individually or in mixtures. Importantly, the nonadditivity of Faradaic current is not associated with a change in viscosity or from electron exchange as found when some solutes are added to ILs. The observation that the 1H NMR T1 relaxation times for the proton resonance in Cc+ also are modified in mixed systems implies that specific interaction with aggregates of the constituent IL ionic species giving rise to subtle structural changes plays an important role in modifying the mass transport, double layer characteristics, and dynamics when solutes of interest in this study are added to ILs. Analogous voltammetric changes were not observed in studies in organic solvent media containing 0.1 M added supporting electrolyte. Implications of the nonadditivity of Faradaic and capacitance terms in ILs are considered.