ADOPTION OF E-COMMERCE STRATEGIES FOR AGRIBUSINESS FIRMS

This paper analyzes the factors guiding Internet and e-commerce implementation by agribusiness firms. The relationship between Internet/e-commerce strategies and manager perceptions on the barriers and factors to e-commerce adoption are analyzed in a supply-chain management framework. Using factor analysis and an ordered Probit model, results indicate that the implementation of Internet/e-commerce strategies is more likely to be adopted in larger firms with a global scope. Also, manager perceptions regarding supply-chain functions influencing transaction costs are more strongly associated with Internet/e-commerce adoption than other functions influencing production costs.e-commerce, supply-chain, transaction costs, factor analysis, order Probit, Agribusiness, Marketing,

Internet and e-Commerce Use by Agribusiness Firms: 2004

In 2001, the dot.com bubble burst and U.S. e-commerce growth slowed. Slower e-commerce growth may signal changes in the use and perceptions of the Internet and e-commerce in agribusiness companies. Agribusiness firm managers were surveyed in 2004 to identify agribusiness use of the Internet and e-commerce and to solicit their perceptions about the Internet and e-commerce. The survey was developed from a similar survey conducted in 1999. In 2004, agribusiness firms were using e-commerce more with their suppliers than with their customers. Perceptions regarding Internet and e-commerce varied by the intensity of e-commerce use. Given the variety of opinions regarding the Internet and e-commerce, e-commerce capabilities in the agribusiness industry will remain highly diverse in the near term.agribusiness, e-commerce, Internet, Agribusiness, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

E-Business and Distribution Channel Strategies in Agribusiness Industries

The explosion of e-business activity presents many challenges to manufacturers, distributors, and dealers as they select a distribution channel for the delivery of products, services, and information. The expected growth in Internet sales by agribusiness firms is analyzed to provide insight into the selection of an e-business distribution channel. Agribusiness firm managers were surveyed regarding the application and perceived impacts of e-business activity on their firm's operations. Firm characteristics and manager perceptions regarding the impact of e-business activity were analyzed descriptively and in regression analysis to understand the drivers of expected Internet sales growth. Expected Internet sales growth was found to vary by the firm's position in the distribution channel. Yet, firms with greater levels of existing e-communication with either customers or suppliers and with managers perceiving greater ability of e-business activity to improve inventory management and logistics issues have higher levels of expected Internet sales.Agribusiness,

The Effectiveness of Facilitated Business-to-Business Word-of Mouth Marketing Strategies on Target Participants’ Information Sharing Behavior

This study examines the impact of facilitated business-to-business (B2B) word-of-mouth (WOM) on participants' information transmission decisions. We also examine characteristics of WOM participants and determine the types of participants who spread information. Understanding WOM participants' information sharing decisions is extremely important to agribusinesses using WOM in their marketing mix. For an expendable crop input, the most important factor in determining whether producers share WOM initiative information with peers is how often they are asked for advice by their peers. In contrast, for an expendable companion animal product the most important factor in determining whether veterinarians share WOM initiative information with peers is whether they had a satisfactory experience in the WOM initiative.facilitated B2B WOM, effectiveness of facilitated B2B WOM, indirect impact of facilitated B2B WOM, agribusiness firms’ information sharing decisions, Agribusiness, Industrial Organization, Marketing, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession, Q10, Q13,

Adoption of Internet Strategies by Agribusiness Firms

This paper explores the factors guiding Internet adoption by agribusiness firms. The relationship between Internet strategies and manager perceptions on the barriers to and catalysts for Internet adoption are analyzed in a supply-chain management framework. Using factor analysis and an ordered Probit model, results indicate that Internet strategies are more likely to be adopted in larger firms with a global scope. Also, manager perceptions regarding the impact of Internet adoption on transaction costs are just as likely to influence adoption as the perceived impacts on more traditional production costs.Internet, E-commerce, Supply-chain, Transaction costs, Ordered Probit, Agribusiness, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Statistical Tests of Chondrule Sorting

The variation in sizes of chondrules from one chondrite to the next is thought to be due to some sorting process in the early solar nebula. Hypotheses for the sorting process include chondrule sorting by mass and sorting by some aerodynamic mechanism; one such aerodynamic mechanism is the process of turbulent concentration (TC). We present the results of a series of statistical tests of chondrule data from several different chondrites. The data do not clearly distinguish between various options for the sorting parameter, but we find that the data are inconsistent with being drawn from lognormal or (three-parameter) Weibull distributions in chondrule radius. We also find that all but one of the chondrule data sets tested are consistent with being drawn from the TC distribution.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, 4 tables. Published in Meteoritics & Planetary Scienc

Pre-Existing Adenovirus Immunity Modifies a Complex Mixed Th1 and Th2 Cytokine Response to an Ad5/HIV-1 Vaccine Candidate in Humans

The results of the recent Step Study highlight a need to clarify the effects of pre-existing natural immunity to a vaccine vector on vaccine-induced T-cell responses. To investigate this interaction, we examined the relationship between pre-existing Ad5 immunity and T-cell cytokine response profiles in healthy, HIV-uninfected recipients of MRKAd5 HIV-1 gag vaccine (HVTN 050, ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT00849732). Participants were grouped by baseline Ad5 neutralizing antibody titer as either Ad5-seronegative (titer ≤18; n = 36) or Ad5-seropositive (titer >200; n = 34). Samples from vaccine recipients were analyzed for immune responses to either HIV-1 Gag peptide pools or Ad5 empty vector using an ex vivo assay that measures thirty cytokines in the absence of long-term culture. The overall profiles of cytokine responses to Gag and Ad5 had similar combinations of induced Th1- and Th2-type cytokines, including IFN-γ, IL-2, TNF-α, IP-10, IL-13, and IL-10, although the Ad5-specific responses were uniformly higher than the Gag-specific responses (p<0.0001 for 9 out of 11 significantly expressed analytes). At the peak response time point, PBMC from Ad5-seronegative vaccinees secreted significantly more IP-10 in response to Gag (p = 0.008), and significantly more IP-10 (p = 0.0009), IL-2 (p = 0.006) and IL-10 (p = 0.05) in response to Ad5 empty vector than PBMC from Ad5-seropositive vaccinees. Additionally, similar responses to the Ad5 vector prior to vaccination were observed in almost all subjects, regardless of Ad5 neutralizing antibody status, and the levels of secreted IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-1Ra and GM-CSF were blunted following vaccination. The cytokine response profile of Gag-specific T cells mirrored the Ad5-specific response present in all subjects before vaccination, and included a number of Th1- and Th2-associated cytokines not routinely assessed in current vaccine trials, such as IP-10, IL-10, IL-13, and GM-CSF. Together, these results suggest that vector-specific humoral responses may reduce vaccine-induced T-cell responses by previously undetected mechanisms

Cure of Chronic Viral Infection and Virus-Induced Type 1 Diabetes by Neutralizing Antibodies

The use of neutralizing antibodies is one of the most successful methods to interfere with receptor–ligand interactions in vivo. In particular blockade of soluble inflammatory mediators or their corresponding cellular receptors was proven an effective way to regulate inflammation and/or prevent its negative consequences. However, one problem that comes along with an effective neutralization of inflammatory mediators is the general systemic immunomodulatory effect. It is, therefore, important to design a treatment regimen in a way to strike at the right place and at the right time in order to achieve maximal effects with minimal duration of immunosuppression or hyperactivation. In this review, we reflect on two examples of how short time administration of such neutralizing antibodies can block two distinct inflammatory consequences of viral infection. First, we review recent findings that blockade of IL-10/IL-10R interaction can resolve chronic viral infection and second, we reflect on how neutralization of the chemokine CXCL10 can abrogate virus-induced type 1 diabetes