Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: An Alternative Perspective

The Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) has emerged as one of the dominant ideas in business. Cognizant of the overwhelming attention BOP has attracted and its potential impact on the billions of the poor and on managerial practices, the author analyzes the different aspects of BOP approach on how large corporations can serve low income customers profitably. An attempt is made to provide an alternate perspective on the BOP concept. I argue for the facilitation of selective consumption by the poor by avoiding their undesirable inclusion (marketing products that are not likely to enhance their wellbeing or products that are likely to be abused by them) and exclusion (not offering products that are likely to enhances their wellbeing) in target market selection decisions by the private sector organizations. A framework is presented for assessing the appropriateness of large corporations’ participation in BOP markets. I also emphasize the need to strengthen the role of the poor as a producer for rapid poverty alleviation.

Examining the Nonlinear Effects in Satisfaction-Loyalty-Behavioral Intentions Model

Extant research has widely investigated linear functional forms in satisfaction and loyalty models. Though complex nonlinear nature of satisfaction loyalty link is suggested by several researchers, few attempts have been made to empirically examine nonlinearity. Moreover, researchers have used divergent functional forms to model nonlinearity and their findings are often inconclusive. In this study we use nonlinear form to describe the relationship between satisfaction, attitudinal loyalty, purchase loyalty and customer behavioral intentions such as willingness to pay more and external and internal complaining responses in the context of business-to-consumer ecommerce. We find modest empirical support for nonlinear effects in the relationship. Results support nonlinearity only in the case of attitudinal loyalty to internal complaining response link. Results also present evidence about the mediating role of attitudinal loyalty in the relationship between satisfaction, purchase loyalty, willingness to pay more and internal complaining responses.

Passive Night Sight using Image Intensifier Minimum Resolvable Contrast Model

Performance study of a passive night sight has been carried out using an image intensifierminimum resolvable contrast (IIMRC) model. It has been shown that for two identically designedpassive sights, the one incorporating super gen tube performs better by factor of 1.3 againstthe other incorporating second gen tube. Effects of spectral characteristics of night-skyillumination as also spectral reflectance of scene elements have been investigated. It has beenconcluded that field performance of passive night sight may be correlated to dark-tunnelmeasurements of limiting resolution at illumination level corresponding to near-starlit conditionfor acceptance or otherwise of the sight

Effect of Image Intensifier Tube Equivalent Background Illuminationon Range Performance of Passive Night Sight

Effect of increase in equivalent background illumination (EBI) with temperature of secondgeneration (18 mm) proximity focused image intensifier tube on the range performance of apassive night sight has been studied using the image intensifier minimum resolvable contrastmodel. It has been shown that for ambient temperatures of 40 oC and above, the range performanceof sight goes down drastically under low-illumination level due to increase in the EBI.Deterioration in range performance is negligible when ambient illumination is relatively high asin case of clear-starlit condition

Source based Security Issues in WDM Systems

The issue of security has become a bigger heddle for all telecommunication companies to climb in this era where information hungry customers are increasing daily. Unauthorized users are finding novel ways of accessing information of others and thereby attacking the requisite legitimate users’ information accounting to security threats. In this work, two forms of WDM system attacks will be considered. These attacks include a clone source based attack where the adversary tries to replicate the transmitted signal of the legitimate user by transmitting at the same wavelength and power and the different wavelength source based attack where the adversary transmit at a wavelength different from that of the legitimate user thereby creating interaction effects igniting security issues. Finally, a simulation of the outcome will be considered and the resulting output will be analyze

Flux jumps, Second Magnetization Peak anomaly and the Peak Effect phenomenon in single crystals of YNi2B2CYNi_2B_2C and LuNi2B2CLuNi_2B_2C

We present magnetization measurements in single crystals of the tetragonal $YNi_2B_2C$ compound, which exhibit the phenomenon of peak effect as well as the second magnetization peak anomaly for H $>$ 0.5T (H $||$ c). At the lower field (50mT $<$ H $<$ 200mT), we have observed the presence of flux jumps, which seem to relate to a structural change in the local symmetry of the flux line lattice (a first order re-orientation transition across a local field in some parts of the sample, in the range of 100mT to 150mT). These flux jumps are also observed in a single crystal of $LuNi_2B_2C$ for H $||$ c in the field region from 2 mT to 25 mT, which are compatible with the occurrence of a re-orientation transition at a lower field in a cleaner crystal of this compound, as compared to those of $YNi_2B_2C$. Vortex phase diagrams drawn for H $||$ c in $LuNi_2B_2C$ and $YNi_2B_2C$ show that the ordered elastic glass phase spans a larger part of (H, T) space in the former as compared to latter, thereby, reaffirming the difference in the relative purity of the two samples.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figure

Underwater Optical Instrumentation

The paper presents a brief review of instrumentation necessary for carrying out in-situ light associated measurements in sea water. Recent developments in this area of instrumentation have been brought out. Practical significance of various parameters measured by these instruments has also been highlighted

A unique cytosolic activity related but distinct from NQO1 catalyses metabolic activation of mitomycin C

Mitomycin C (MMC) is a prototype bioreductive drug employed to treat a variety of cancers including head and neck cancer. Among the various enzymes, dicoumarol inhibitable cytosolic NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase1 (NQO1) was shown to catalyse bioreductive activation of MMC leading to cross-linking of the DNA and cytotoxicity. However, the role of NQO1 in metabolic activation of MMC has been disputed. In this report, we present cellular and animal models to demonstrate that NQO1 may play only a minor role in metabolic activation of MMC. We further demonstrate that bioreductive activation of MMC is catalysed by a unique cytosolic activity which is related but distinct from NQO1. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were developed that permanently express higher levels of cDNA-derived NQO1. These cells showed significantly increased protection against menadione toxicity. However, they failed to demonstrate higher cytotoxicity due to exposure to MMC under oxygen (normal air) or hypoxia, as compared to the wild-type control CHO cells. Disruption of the NQO1 gene by homologous recombination generated NQO1–/– mice that do not express the NQO1 gene resulting in the loss of NQO1 protein and activity. The cytosolic fractions from liver and colon tissues of NQO1–/– mice showed similar amounts of DNA cross-linking upon exposure to MMC, as observed in NQO1+/+ mice. The unique cytosolic activity that activated MMC in cytosolic fractions of liver and colon tissues of NQO1–/– mice was designated as cytosolic MMC reductase. This activity, like NQO1, was inhibited by dicoumarol and immunologically related to NQO1. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig