R&D, intellectual capital, organizational learning, and firm performance: a study of Chinese software companies

This research establishes a theoretical model to test the interrelationships among R&D investment, intellectual capital, organizational learning, and firm performance. Based on the collection and investigation of a panel dataset gleaned from 26 software companies in 28 time periods, we find that: (1) R&D investment of software enterprises and firm performance are positively correlated; (2) intellectual capital fully mediates the R&D investment– performance relationship; and (3) organizational learning of software security vulnerabilities moderates the relationship between R&D investment and intellectual capital in the form of human capital. Based on our findings, we draw both theoretical and managerial implication

The Strength Of Individual Relationships And Employee Knowledge Sharing Behavior

Firm’s core competitiveness results primarily from its ability to innovate. Knowledge sharing plays an important role in promoting sustained innovation. This research examines the factors enabling knowledge sharing in a Research and Development (R&D) department of a Chinese commercial elevator firm. We find that the strength of individual relationships, contextual performance, and IT capability are positively correlated with the strong knowledge sharing behavior, while controlling for gender, education, and job tenure. Based on our findings, we draw both theoretical and managerial implications

Network Structure and Creativity of Employees under HR Multi-model Form -Taking a company\u27s software development team as an example

Taking an IT outsourcing company\u27s project team as an example, by building team members’ social networks and extracting their network characteristics, we can put employees’ behavioral variables and social network variables into the same economic model to do variable regression analysis. The study found that employees’ network structure characteristics have certain influence on employees’ knowledge sharing and creativity, and employees’ knowledge sharing partially mediated the network structure characteristics and creativity. Based on structure characteristics of the R&D networks, this paper explains the organizing, coordinating, communicating role of employees from the parent company in the IT outsourcing project team under HR multi-model. We also proposed measures and strategies to promote employees’ creativity under HR multi-model

An Explorative Study of the Effectiveness of Mobile Advertising

This study examines factors related to the effectiveness of mobile advertising. Using a large data set with 115, 899 records of ad tap through from a mobile advertising company, we identify that the influencing factors for ad tap through are application type, mobile operators, scrolling frequency, and the regional income level. We use a logit model to analyze how the probability of ad tap through is related to the identified factors. The results show that application type, mobile operators, scrolling frequency, and the regional income level all have significant effects on the likelihood whether users would tap on certain types of advertising. Based on the findings, we propose strategies for mobile advertisers to engage in effective and targeted mobile advertising

Network Structure and Employee Creativity in a Heterogeneous Team

This paper investigates the relationships between individual creativity, social network position, and knowledge sharing in a heterogeneous team with personnel from four different companies to complete a software outsourcing project. Our research model is based on a theoretical construction attained from the analysis of previous frameworks proposed in the literature. Based on the survey data of the team members, we construct the advice social network, extract employee network centrality, and obtain employee behavioural variables. We find that a positive and strong relationship between knowledge sharing and creativity. The relationship between network centrality and creativity is also positive, but the relationship is moderated by knowledge sharing. Based on the findings, we propose measures and strategies for the hosting company to effectively coordinate the heterogeneous team

Effectiveness of Mobile Phone Customer Retention Strategies

Using the 419,194 customers of a mobile operator as the sample, this research investigates the effectiveness of the company’s retention strategies. It examines the effect of such strategies on extending customer life cycle. We find that the retention policies and the incremental average revenue per user (ARPU) in the retention period over the month prior are positively correlated. In addition, the correlation between the retention polices and the increments of consumer consumption variables, such as the number of calls, the number of short messages and the value-added services, are also positive. Moreover, the significantly positive interaction terms between the retention bonus and the consumption increments suggest that the bonus affects the relative ARPU through the consumption variables. Finally, the retention strategies demonstrate the different effectiveness according to the three different calling plans. The managerial implications of our findings are discussed

Phytoliths Analysis for the Discrimination of Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) and Common Millet (Panicum miliaceum)

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and Common millet (Panicum miliaceum) are the oldest domesticated dry farming crops in Eurasia. Identifying these two millets in the archaeobotanical remains are still problematic, especially because the millet grains preserve only when charred. Phytoliths analysis provides a viable method for identifying this important crop. However, to date, the identification of millet phytoliths has been questionable, because very little study has been done on their morphometry and taxonomy. Particularly, no clear diagnostic feature has been used to distinguish between Foxtail millet and Common millet. Here we examined the anatomy and silicon structure patterns in the glumes, lemmas, and paleas from the inflorescence bracts in 27 modern plants of Foxtail millet, Common millet, and closely related grasses, using light microscopy with phase-contrast and microscopic interferometer. Our research shows that five key diagnostic characteristics in phytolith morphology can be used to distinguish Foxtail millet from Common millet based on the presence of cross-shaped type, regularly arranged papillae, Ω-undulated type, endings structures of epidermal long cell, and surface ridgy line sculpture in the former species. We have established identification criteria that, when used together, give the only reliable way of distinguishing between Foxtail millet and Common millet species based on their phytoliths characteristics, thus making a methodological contribution to phytolith research. Our findings also have important implications in the fields of plant taxonomy, agricultural archaeology, and the culture history of ancient civilizations

De novo assembly and transcriptome characterization: novel insights into the natural resistance mechanisms of Microtus fortis against Schistosoma japonicum

BACKGROUND: Microtus fortis is a non-permissive host of Schistosoma japonicum. It has natural resistance against schistosomes, although the precise resistance mechanisms remain unclear. The paucity of genetic information for M. fortis limits the use of available immunological methods. Thus, studies based on high-throughput sequencing technologies are required to obtain information about resistance mechanisms against S. japonicum. RESULTS: Using Illumina single-end technology, a de novo assembly of the M. fortis transcriptome produced 67,751 unigenes with an average length of 868 nucleotides. Comparisons were made between M. fortis before and after infection with S. japonicum using RNA-seq quantification analysis. The highest number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) occurred two weeks after infection, and the highest number of down-regulated DEGs occurred three weeks after infection. Simultaneously, the strongest pathological changes in the liver were observed at week two. Gene ontology terms and pathways related to the DEGs revealed that up-regulated transcripts were involved in metabolism, immunity and inflammatory responses. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that patterns of gene expression were consistent with RNA-seq results. CONCLUSIONS: After infection with S. japonicum, a defensive reaction in M. fortis commenced rapidly, increasing dramatically in the second week, and gradually decreasing three weeks after infection. The obtained M. fortis transcriptome and DEGs profile data demonstrated that natural and adaptive immune responses, play an important role in M. fortis immunity to S. japonicum. These findings provide a better understanding of the natural resistance mechanisms of M. fortis against schistosomes. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-417) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Metabolic dynamics and physiological adaptation of Panax ginseng during development

Being an essential Oriental medicinal plant, ginseng (Panax ginseng Meyer) is a slow-growing perennial herb-accumulating pharmaceutically active metabolites such as ginsenosides in roots during growth. However, little is known about how ginseng plants survive in the harsh environments such as winter cold and summer heat for a longer period and accumulates those active metabolites as the plant grows. To understand the metabolic kinetics in both source and sink organs such as leaves and roots of ginseng plant, respectively, and to assess the changes in ginsenosides biosynthesis during ginseng growth, we investigated the metabolic profiles from leaves and roots of 1-, 4-, and 6-year-old field-grown ginseng plants. Using an integrated non-targeted metabolomic approach, we identified in total 348 primary and secondary metabolites, which provided us for the first time a global metabolomic assessment of ginseng during growth, and morphogenesis. Strikingly, the osmoprotectants and oxidized chemicals were highly accumulated in 4- and 6-year-old ginseng leaves suggested that ginseng develop a wide range of metabolic strategies to adapt unfavorable conditions as they mature. In 6-year-old plants, ginsenosides were decreased in leaves but increased in roots up to 1.2- to sixfold, supporting the view that there is a long-distance transport of ginsenosides from leaves to roots as ginseng plants mature. Our findings provide insights into the metabolic kinetics during the development of ginseng plant and this could complement the pharmacological importance of ginseng and its compounds according to their age