Challenges of Exporting Differentiated Products to Developed Countries: The Case of SME-Dominated Sectors in a Semi-Industrialized Country

This paper surveys four Argentinean industries—light ships, television programs, wines, and wooden furniture—that have experienced substantial export growth in recent years, particularly to developed countries. The case studies first describe the structure of the industries, then characterize the emergence of export pioneers and the subsequent process of diffusion. Finally, they analyze the role played by public institutions. Across sectors, the appearance of a pioneer is largely explained by a knowledge advantage relative to other industry participants regarding foreign markets, which the pioneer acquired previously and independently of his decision to export. Diffusion occurs across as well as within sectors, as pioneers’ knowledge is relevant to other industries. Since diffusion does not necessarily hurt the pioneer, public policy has a potentially important role in fostering diffusion within and across sectors.Small and Medium Enterprises, Exports, Argentina

Levantando el velo doméstico: el desafío de exportar bienes diferenciados a países desarrollados

Varios países en desarrollo exhiben un desempeño débil como exportadores de bienes diferenciados a países desarrollados. Este trabajo construye un marco analítico que explica los principales obstáculos que impiden a los productores de bienes diferenciados establecer una presencia estable en el mundo desarrollado y el proceso a través del cual dichos obstáculos pueden ser superados. Construimos el marco analítico en base a estudios de caso de emergencia exportadora en cuatro industrias argentinas: vinos, programas de televisión, yates a motor y muebles de madera. Debido al escaso número de sectores estudiados, las hipótesis planteadas aquí requieren de trabajos futuros que las pongan a prueba en un conjunto amplio de sectores. Encontramos que exportar consistentemente a países desarrollados exige la adopción de cambios drásticos en la forma de concebir y llevar adelante las actividades de la firma con respecto a las prácticas de negocios que imperan entre las firmas orientadas al mercado doméstico. En tres de los cuatro sectores que estudiamos, un pionero exportador fue el primero en implementar dichos cambios. Sus acciones definieron un marco de referencia, desencadenando un proceso de difusión que fomentó el surgimiento de exportaciones en el sector. La característica fundamental que distingue a los pioneros exportadores es su ventaja de conocimiento sobre los mercados externos fruto de su inmersión (embeddedness) previa en la comunidad de negocios de su industria en un país desarrollado.Several developing countries exhibit a weak performance as exporters of differentiated goods to developed countries. This paper builds a conceptual framework to explain the main obstacles that prevent producers of differentiated products from establishing a consistent presence in the developed world and the process through which those obstacles may be overcome. We build our framework based on case studies of export emergence in four Argentine industries: wines, television programs, motorboats, and wooden furniture. Due to the small number of sectors studied, further work is needed to test the hypotheses we build here in a broad set of sectors. We find that exporting consistently to developed countries requires the adoption of drastic changes in how business is conceived and conducted relative to the business practices that prevail among domestically-oriented firms. In three of the sectors we study, an export pioneer was the first to implement those changes. His actions set a benchmark, unleashing a diffusion process that fostered export emergence in the sector. The distinguishing feature of export pioneers is their knowledge advantage about foreign markets stemming from their previous embeddedness in the business community of their industry in a developed country.Fil: Artopoulos, Alejandro. Universidad de San Andrés; ArgentinaFil: Friel, Daniel. Universidad de San Andrés; ArgentinaFil: Hallak, Juan Carlos. Universidad de San Andrés; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. National Bureau of Economic Research; Estados Unido

Giving the Giggles: Prediction, Intervention, and Young Children's Representation of Psychological Events

Adults recognize that if event A predicts event B, intervening on A might generate B. Research suggests that young children have difficulty making this inference unless the events are initiated by goal-directed actions. The current study tested the domain-generality and development of this phenomenon. Replicating previous work, when the events involved a physical outcome, toddlers (mean: 24 months) failed to generalize the outcome of spontaneously occurring predictive events to their own interventions; toddlers did generalize from prediction to intervention when the events involved a psychological outcome. We discuss these findings as they bear on the development of causal concepts.Templeton Foundation (Grant 12667)James S. McDonnell FoundationNational Science Foundation (U.S.). (CAREER Award 0744213

Children balance theories and evidence in exploration, explanation, and learning

We look at the effect of evidence and prior beliefs on exploration, explanation and learning. In Experiment 1, we tested children both with and without differential prior beliefs about balance relationships (Center Theorists, mean: 82 months; Mass Theorists, mean: 89 months; No Theory children, mean: 62 months). Center and Mass Theory children who observed identical evidence explored the block differently depending on their beliefs. When the block was balanced at its geometric center (belief-violating to a Mass Theorist, but belief-consistent to a Center Theorist), Mass Theory children explored the block more, and Center Theory children showed the standard novelty preference; when the block was balanced at the center of mass, the pattern of results reversed. The No Theory children showed a novelty preference regardless of evidence. In Experiments 2 and 3, we follow-up on these findings, showing that both Mass and Center Theorists selectively and differentially appeal to auxiliary variables (e.g., a magnet) to explain evidence only when their beliefs are violated. We also show that children use the data to revise their predictions in the absence of the explanatory auxiliary variable but not in its presence. Taken together, these results suggest that children’s learning is at once conservative and flexible; children integrate evidence, prior beliefs, and competing causal hypotheses in their exploration, explanation, and learning.American Psychological Foundation (Elizabeth Munsterberg Koppitz Fellowship)James S. McDonnell Foundation (Collaborative Interdisciplinary Grant on Causal Reasoning)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award)Templeton Foundation (Award

Extended Stromgren Photoelectric Photometry in NGC 752

Photoelectric photometry on the extended Stromgren system (uvbyCa) is presented for 7 giants and 21 main sequence stars in the old open cluster, NGC 752. Analysis of the hk data for the turnoff stars yields a new determination of the cluster mean metallicity. From 10 single-star members, [Fe/H] = -0.06 +/- 0.03, where the error quoted is the standard error of the mean and the Hyades abundance is set at [Fe/H] = +0.12. This result is unchanged if all 20 stars within the limits of the hk metallicity calibration are included. The derived [Fe/H] is in excellent agreement with past estimates using properly-zeroed m1 data, transformed moderate-dispersion spectroscopy, and recent high dispersion spectroscopy.Comment: 14 tex'd pages including 2 tables; 2 separate files with eps figures Accepted for PASP March 200

Lithium evolution in intermediate age and old open clusters: NGC 752 revisited

We present new high resolution spectroscopic observations of the intermediate age (~2 Gyr) open cluster NGC 752. We investigate the Li vs. Teff distribution and we obtain a new accurate determination of the cluster metallicity. We compare the results for NGC 752 with other intermediate age and old clusters spanning the age range from the Hyades (~0.6 Gyr) to NGC 188 (~6-8 Gyr). We find that NGC 752 has a solar iron content ([Fe/H]=+0.01+/-0.04), at variance with early reports of sub-solar metallicity. We find that NGC 752 is only slightly more Li depleted than the younger Hyades and has a Li pattern almost identical to that observed in the ~2 Gyr old IC 4651 and NGC 3680. As for the latter clusters, we find that NGC 752 is characterized by a tight Li vs. Teff distribution for solar-type stars, with no evidence for a Li spread as large as the one observed in the solar age solar metallicity M 67. We discuss these results in the framework of mixing mechanisms and Li depletion on the main sequence (MS). We conclude that the development of a large scatter in Li abundances in old open clusters might be an exception rather than the rule (additional observations of old clusters are required), and that metallicity variations of the order of ~0.2 dex do not affect Li depletion after the age of the Hyades.Comment: A&A accepted, 10 pages, 5 ps figure

3D printing with extraterrestrial materials

Additive manufacturing and its related powder bed fusion process category, consists of a group of key enabling technologies that allow the fabrication of various structures (...continues)

Selectively anodised aluminium foils as an insulating layer for embedding electronic circuitry in a metal matrix via ultrasonic additive manufacturing

Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing (UAM) is a hybrid Additive Manufacturing (AM) process that involves layer-by-layer ultrasonic welding of metal foils and periodic machining to achieve the desired shape. Prior investigative research has demonstrated the potential of UAM for the embedding of electronic circuits inside a metal matrix. In this paper, a new approach for the fabrication of an insulating layer between an aluminium (Al) matrix and embedded electronic interconnections is presented. First, an Anodic Aluminium Oxide (AAO) layer is selectively grown onto the surface of Al foils prior to bonding. The pre-treated foils are then welded onto a UAM fabricated aluminium substrate. The bonding step can be repeated for the full encapsulation of the electronic interconnections or components. This ceramic AAO insulating layer provides several advantages over the alternative organic materials used in previous works