Journal Staff

Es bien sabido que la innovación impulsa el desarrollo de las organizaciones de diferentes tamaños e industrias. Mientras para las grandes empresas es relativamente fácil innovar debido a sus recursos, en el caso de las pequeñas y medianas empresas (PYMEs) el escenario es más complicado. Sin embargo, existen modelos para gestionar la innovación que han probado ser útiles para apoyar a varios tipos de empresas. La Innovación Abierta (Open Innovation) es uno de estos modelos que ha atraído la atención en los últimos años debido a que ha podido integrar modelos anteriores para gestionar la innovación junto con las prácticas que utilizan las organizaciones hoy en día. En general,  la aplicación y las ventajas de la Innovación Abierta se evidencian con casos de sectores emergentes de alta tecnología y de empresas multinacionales establecidas en países desarrollados, mermando su aplicabilidad en otro tipo de contextos. Esta desproporción aunada a la falta de comprensión de cómo aplicar la Innovación Abierta, es probablemente la causa de que varias empresas no la vean como una forma factible para mejorar su proceso de innovación. Por lo tanto, el propósito de este trabajo es describir algunas de las prácticas relacionadas con la Innovación Abierta que podrían ser utilizadas por los emprendedores y las PYMEs para innovar sus productos y comercializar sus ideas. Para lograr esto presentamos el estudio de caso de VUHL, un auto súper deportivo mexicano, creado por una PYME que ha sabido aprovechar varias de las prácticas de Innovación Abierta para crear un producto atractivo con altos niveles de innovación y tecnología. El caso demuestra como al utilizar este tipo de prácticas, las PYMEs pueden superar obstáculos relacionados con la falta de recursos, conocimientos, y experiencia. Así mismo, estas prácticas pueden ayudar a crear vínculos con diferentes actores en la sociedad, a nivel nacional e internacional, en los cuales se obtienen beneficios mutuos. Se concluye que las PYMEs, incluso en industrias maduras como la automotriz, podrían usar la Innovación Abierta como una estrategia competitiva adecuada para crear y comercializar productos innovadores y exitosos.QC 20141205</p

Behavioural patterns in social networks

In this paper, we focus on the analysis of individual decision making for the formation of social networks, using experimentally generated data. We first analyse the determinants of the individual demand for links under the assumption of agents' static expectations. The results of this exercise subsequently allow us to identify patterns of behaviour that can be subsumed in three strategies of link formation: 1) reciprocator strategy - players propose links to those from whom they have received link proposals in the previous round; 2) myopic best response strategy - players aim to profit from maximisation; 3) opportunistic strategy - players reciprocate link proposals to those who have the largest number of connections. We find that these strategies explain approximately 76% of the observed choices. We finally estimate a mixture model to highlight the proportion of the population who adopt each of these strategies

Strategies in social network formation

We run a computerised experiment of network formation where all connections are beneficial and only direct links are costly. Players simultaneously submit link proposals; a connection is made only when both players involved agree. We use both simulated and experimentally generated data to test the determinants of individual behaviour in network formation. We find that approximately 40% of the network formation strategies adopted by the experimental subjects can be accounted for as best responses. We test whether subjects follow alternative patterns of behaviour and in particular if they: propose links to those from whom they have received link proposals in the previous round; propose links to those who have the largest number of direct connections. We find that together with best response behaviour, these strategies explain approximately 75% of the observed choices. We estimate individual propensities to adopt each of these strategies, controlling for group effects. Finally we estimate a mixture model to highlight the proportion of each type of decision maker in the population

Strategies in Social Network Formation

We run a computerised experiment of network formation where all connections are beneficial and only direct links are costly. Players simultaneously submit link proposals; a connection is made only when both players involved agree. We use both simulated and experimentally generated data to test the determinants of individual behaviour in network formation. We find that approximately 40% of the network formation strategies adopted by the experimental subjects can be accounted for as best responses. We test whether subjects follow alternative patterns of behaviour and in particular if they: propose links to those from whom they have received link proposals in the previous round; propose links to those who have the largest number of direct connections. We find that together with best response behaviour, these strategies explain approximately 75% of the observed choices. We estimate individual propensities to adopt each of these strategies, controlling for group effects. Finally we estimate a mixture model to highlight the proportion of each type of decision maker in the population.network formation, experiments, mixture models

Social networks and trust: not the experimental evidence you may expect

We run a laboratory experiment where 'friendship' networks are generated endogenously within an anonymous group. Our experiment builds on two phases in sequence: a network formation game and a trust game. We find that in those sessions where the trust game is played before the network formation game, the overall level of trust is not significantly different from the one observed in a simple trust game; in those sessions where the trust game is played after the network formation game we find that the overall level of trust is significantly lower than in the simple trust game. Hence surprisingly trust does not increase because of 'enforced reciprocity' and moreover a common social history does affect the level of trust, but in a negative manner. Where network effects matter is in the choice of whom to trust: while we tend to trust less on average those with whom we have already interacted compared to total strangers, past history allows us to select whom to trust relatively more than others

All crystal clear: 18th-century glass à la façon de Bohème from the cistercian nunnery of Clairefontaine, Belgium

Excavations at the Cistercian nunnery of Clairefontaine, located near Arlon in the south of Belgium, revealed an assemblage of 18th-century colorless glass. The morphology of the vessels and the engraved decoration suggest a central European origin or, at least, stylistic inspiration. The composition of the glass points to a recipe combining silica, lime, and potash: a colorless potash glass à la façon de Bohème. This article considers the technology, morphology, and origin of the vessels. The art-historical analysis is supported by chemical research (scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy [SEM-EDX]). The finds are also discussed in light of the emerging northwestern European glass industry, changing consumer practices during the 18th century, and their meaning for the inhabitants of the abbey

Elective affinities

We propose a marriage model where assortative matching results in equilibrium for reasons other than those driving similar results in the search and matching literature. A marriage is a joint venture where husband and wife contribute to the couple’s welfare by allocating their time to portfolios of risky activities. Men and women are characterised by different preferences over risk and the optimal match is between partners with the same level of risk aversion. In our model no two men (women) rank the same woman (men) as most desirable. Given that there is no unanimous ranking of candidates, everyone marries in equilibrium their most preferred partne

Behavioural patterns in social networks

In this paper, we focus on the analysis of individual decision making for the formation of social networks, using experimentally generated data. We first analyse the determinants of the individual demand for links under the assumption of agents' static expectations. The results of this exercise subsequently allow us to identify patterns of behaviour that can be subsumed in three strategies of link formation: 1) reciprocator strategy - players propose links to those from whom they have received link proposals in the previous round; 2) myopic best response strategy - players aim to profit from maximisation; 3) opportunistic strategy - players reciprocate link proposals to those who have the largest number of connections. We find that these strategies explain approximately 76% of the observed choices. We finally estimate a mixture model to highlight the proportion of the population who adopt each of these strategies.Network formation, Experiments, Multivariate probit models, Mixture models

The Influence of Sucrose & it’s Effects on the Growth Rate of Mold, & the Arabidopsis thaliana Plant

Sucrose, a plant sugar, is one of the main products of photosynthesis as it helps to promote floral transition in many plant species. Media with sucrose can also be used to grow plants for research. High concentrations of sucrose will cause an increase in the number of leaves at the time of flowering in the Arabidopsis thaliana plant. Sucrose is transported from the leaves via the phloem in order to provide the rest of the plant with carbon and energy for growth and storage product synthesis. In nature, plants and fungi can compete directly for sucrose and other soil nutrients. It is hypothesized that an increase in fungal growth will result from plating Arabidopsis thaliana seeds on MS agar with added Sucrose

The Influence of pH & it’s Effects on Germination, Leaf Number, & Growth Rate of Arabidopsis thaliana

Arabidopsis thaliana (Col gl1) seeds were stratified in either a pH 5.7 or pH 7.0 solution. Plates 1 & 2 had a pH 5.7 and plates 3 & 4 had a pH 7.0, 50 seeds were plated in each plate. The number of germinated seeds, leaf number, and hypocotyl length were measured every 10 days. The seeds stratified in pH 7.0 and plated in pH 5.7 have shown the most growth. The seeds stratified in pH 5.7 and plated in pH 5.7 have shown the least amount of growth. Mold contamination may have been a factor. The pH will have an effect on the germination and growth of A. thaliana due to the loss of vital nutrients