The adoption of innovative applications of electronic commerce by micro, small and medium enterprises in the Metro Manila furniture industry

This paper discusses the adoption of electronic commerce by micro, small and medium furniture manufacturing firm in Metro Manila. It aims at determining the factors which influence the e-commerce adoption by the said firms and the extent of the influence of the identified determinants. Furthermore, it aims in providing firm-level recommendations for diffusion of e-commerce in furniture manufacturing SMEs in Metro Manila. This study will try to supplement the insights provided in the Pearl12 project, which is a project associated with works with strong sector associations which will play a lead role in delivering business support services to, and mobilizing SME members, and related suppliers, to improve their production performance, market expansion, management capabilities, and long-term sustainability. With the use of a Likert-type scales, the group administered a survey using a convenience and stratified sampling to furniture manufacturing firm respondents in a previous survey conducted by the Pearl2 Project. Some data from the latter survey were also utilized in the analysis. The results show that in general, the factors that were identified-firm size perceived benefits perceived costs communication amount and percentage of work subcontracted, imported materials, and export sales-affect the application or adoption of e-commerce for SMEs in the furniture manufacturing industry in Metro Manila. The results support all the hypotheses formulated, with the exception of percentage of work subcontracted. Given the results, firm-level and government policy recommendations were formulated for the diffusion of e-commerce in furniture manufacturing SMEs in Metro Manila

A feasibility study [on BGs wall organizers]

Executive Summary. 1. Product. BGs Wall Organizer is mainly a wall organizer compose of a grid and a set of boxes used for storage. BGs stands for Boxes and Grids, the two main components for the organizer. The logo has the acronym, BGs, at its center and around it are the words boxes and grids forming a square to explain the connection of the name to the product. The square also represents no fuss quality, like the angles in the said shape. It was also chosen because it was nice sounding and easy to remember. BGs also sounds like the name of a 70\u27s musical band which is well remembered today and so is a perfect way to interest our target market, those middle to upper classes from 18-30 years old, on our product. This product was chosen because such it is useful in organizing small household and office materials. These types of products are very practical and very attractive in kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, storage room, offices, and anywhere else where sectioning or systematic arrangement is needed. Various household and office materials can be placed in this multi-purpose wall organizer. Since the wall is the most unused space, this will maximize it which will lessen the crowding of the floor area. There are no special skills and heavy machinery required in the manufacture of this product and its raw materials are not very hard to find. These factors will make the production of the product easier. It is priced at P 185.00 with a mark-up of 40.44% and a total unit cost of P 130.80. The high mark-up will serve as a buffer if ever there will be a large increase in the total unit cost due to the products ability to be customized by the consumer. The selling price was still deemed reasonable because of the usefulness, attractiveness and quality of the organizer. Still, the product is relatively inexpensive if compared to its nearest competitor in the market. The product is a multi-purpose wall organizer made of grids and boxes. The grid is made-up of thick wires spot-welded into criss-crosses. It serves as the backbone of the product with which the boxes are hung on using S-hooks. The boxes are made-up of pre-cut 1/8 thick plywood assembled using wood cement. 11. Corporation. The name of the corporation is Kasangkapan, Inc. because of the nature of its primary product, BGs, which may be considered a furniture. This form of organization was chosen because it has a distinct juridical personality and it has right of succession. It was also preferred since the corporation\u27s liabilities do not extend to the stockholders\u27 personal assets. It has a P 160,000 authorized capital stock which is divided into 160,000 share each with a par value of P 1.00. Twenty-five percent of this would be subscribed, and 25 % of these subscriptions will be paid. The ten incorporators of the said corporation are Charleston Chua, Ma. Luisa Chua, Michelle Concepcion, Aleister Abril Cruz, Abegail Go, Ruby Hortaleza, Francis Lakip, Candice April Ong, Stanley Santos, and Sabina Gloria Servidad. All of whom are natural persons of legal age and are all residents of the Philippines. The term of existence will be for twelve months beginning on September 1997 up to September 1998 with operations ceasing on the months of April and May

Growth of Gold-assisted Gallium Arsenide Nanowires on Silicon Substrates via Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Gallium arsenide nanowires were grown on silicon (100) substrates by what is called the vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth mechanism using a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system. Good quality nanowires with surface density of approximately 108 nanowires per square centimeter were produced by utilizing gold nanoparticles, with density of 1011 nanoparticles per square centimeter, as catalysts for nanowire growth. X-ray diffraction measurements, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the nanowires are epitaxially grown on the silicon substrates, are oriented along the [111] direction and have cubic zincblende structure

Risk for Major Bleeding in Patients Receiving Ticagrelor Compared With Aspirin After Transient Ischemic Attack or Acute Ischemic Stroke in the SOCRATES Study (Acute Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack Treated With Aspirin or Ticagrelor and Patient Outcomes)

Abstract: Background: Patients with minor acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack are at high risk for subsequent stroke, and more potent antiplatelet therapy in the acute setting is needed. However, the potential benefit of more intense antiplatelet therapy must be assessed in relation to the risk for major bleeding. The SOCRATES trial (Acute Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack Treated With Aspirin or Ticagrelor and Patient Outcomes) was the first trial with ticagrelor in patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack in which the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor were compared with those of aspirin. The main safety objective was assessment of PLATO (Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes)\u2013defined major bleeds on treatment, with special focus on intracranial hemorrhage (ICrH). Methods: An independent adjudication committee blinded to study treatment classified bleeds according to the PLATO, TIMI (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction), and GUSTO (Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Coronary Arteries) definitions. The definitions of ICrH and major bleeding excluded cerebral microbleeds and asymptomatic hemorrhagic transformations of cerebral infarctions so that the definitions better discriminated important events in the acute stroke population. Results: A total of 13 130 of 13 199 randomized patients received at least 1 dose of study drug and were included in the safety analysis set. PLATO major bleeds occurred in 31 patients (0.5%) on ticagrelor and 38 patients (0.6%) on aspirin (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.52\u20131.34). The most common locations of major bleeds were intracranial and gastrointestinal. ICrH was reported in 12 patients (0.2%) on ticagrelor and 18 patients (0.3%) on aspirin. Thirteen of all 30 ICrHs (4 on ticagrelor and 9 on aspirin) were hemorrhagic strokes, and 4 (2 in each group) were symptomatic hemorrhagic transformations of brain infarctions. The ICrHs were spontaneous in 6 and 13, traumatic in 3 and 3, and procedural in 3 and 2 patients on ticagrelor and aspirin, respectively. In total, 9 fatal bleeds occurred on ticagrelor and 4 on aspirin. The composite of ICrH or fatal bleeding included 15 patients on ticagrelor and 18 on aspirin. Independently of bleeding classification, PLATO, TIMI, or GUSTO, the relative difference between treatments for major/severe bleeds was similar. Nonmajor bleeds were more common on ticagrelor. Conclusions: Antiplatelet therapy with ticagrelor in patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack showed a bleeding profile similar to that of aspirin for major bleeds. There were few ICrHs. Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01994720.Abstract: BACKGROUND: Patients with minor acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack are at high risk for subsequent stroke, and more potent antiplatelet therapy in the acute setting is needed. However, the potential benefit of more intense antiplatelet therapy must be assessed in relation to the risk for major bleeding. The SOCRATES trial (Acute Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack Treated With Aspirin or Ticagrelor and Patient Outcomes) was the first trial with ticagrelor in patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack in which the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor were compared with those of aspirin. The main safety objective was assessment of PLATO (Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes)-defined major bleeds on treatment, with special focus on intracranial hemorrhage (ICrH). METHODS: An independent adjudication committee blinded to study treatment classified bleeds according to the PLATO, TIMI (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction), and GUSTO (Global Use of Strategies to Open Occluded Coronary Arteries) definitions. The definitions of ICrH and major bleeding excluded cerebral microbleeds and asymptomatic hemorrhagic transformations of cerebral infarctions so that the definitions better discriminated important events in the acute stroke population. RESULTS: A total of 13 130 of 13 199 randomized patients received at least 1 dose of study drug and were included in the safety analysis set. PLATO major bleeds occurred in 31 patients (0.5%) on ticagrelor and 38 patients (0.6%) on aspirin (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.52-1.34). The most common locations of major bleeds were intracranial and gastrointestinal. ICrH was reported in 12 patients (0.2%) on ticagrelor and 18 patients (0.3%) on aspirin. Thirteen of all 30 ICrHs (4 on ticagrelor and 9 on aspirin) were hemorrhagic strokes, and 4 (2 in each group) were symptomatic hemorrhagic transformations of brain infarctions. The ICrHs were spontaneous in 6 and 13, traumatic in 3 and 3, and procedural in 3 and 2 patients on ticagrelor and aspirin, respectively. In total, 9 fatal bleeds occurred on ticagrelor and 4 on aspirin. The composite of ICrH or fatal bleeding included 15 patients on ticagrelor and 18 on aspirin. Independently of bleeding classification, PLATO, TIMI, or GUSTO, the relative difference between treatments for major/severe bleeds was similar. Nonmajor bleeds were more common on ticagrelor. CONCLUSIONS: Antiplatelet therapy with ticagrelor in patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack showed a bleeding profile similar to that of aspirin for major bleeds. There were few ICrHs