Which Market Entry and Product Line Strategies Ought Organisations to Adopt for Emerging Economies?

Emerging economies offer tremendous potential for organisations seeking to expand globally and to attain the associated rewards. However, organisations differ in their entrepreneurial tendencies to enter new markets and to introduce new products in emerging economies. Organisations also differ in their abilities to manage their development programs, that is, their execution of different types of projects that lead to success in emerging markets. Finally, organisations differ in which overall measures of program performance are consistent with their strategic objectives. This study provides a literature foundation and conceptual framework designed to understand which market entry and product line strategies and performance measures are appropriate for organisations pursuing strategic success in emerging markets. This study sets forward grounded propositions that different strategic types will vary in their market entry and product line strategies, in the project composition of their development programs, and in the orientations of performance measures used to evaluate their development programs. Prospectors, according to type, will enter emerging economies by introducing new product lines to new customer types, and by emphasizing new-to-the-world products. They will evaluate their development programs with Growth-oriented performance measures. Defenders will more typically occupy secure niches within emerging economies by emphasizing product improvement and cost reduction projects for current types of customers. They will evaluate their development programs with Efficiency-oriented performance measures. Analyzers will either target new customer types with proven products, or serve an existing market niche with new product lines. They will evaluate their development program performance with Strategy-oriented measures

Wielding the sword: President Xi’s new anti-corruption campaign

A state achieves legitimacy through multiple sources, one of which is the effectiveness of its governance. Generations of scholars since Hobbes have identified the maintenance of peace and order as core functions of a legitimate state. In the modern world, economic prosperity, social stability and effective control of corruption often provide adequate compensation for a deficit of democracy. Corruption closely correlates with legitimacy. While a perceived pervasive, endemic corruption undermines the legitimacy of a regime, a successful anti-corruption campaign can allow a regime to recover from a crisis of legitimacy (Gilley 2009; Seligson and Booth 2009). This is the rationale behind the periodical campaigns against corruption that have been conducted by the Chinese Communist Party (‘Party’ or ‘CCP’) (Manion 2004; Wedeman 2012). Political leaders in China have found it expedient to use anti-corruption campaigns to remove their political foes, to rein in the bureaucracy and to restore public confidence in their ability to rule. Through anti-corruption campaigns, emerging political leaders consolidate their political power, secure loyalty from political factions and regional political forces, and enhance their legitimacy in the eyes of the general public. In an authoritarian state that experiences a high level of corruption, an anti-corruption campaign is a delicate political battle that addresses two significant concerns. The first concern is to orchestrate the campaign so that it is regime-reinforcing instead of regime-undermining. To remain credible, the regime must demonstrate its willingness and capacity to punish corrupt officials at the highest levels.preprin

Identification of d -arabinan-degrading enzymes in mycobacteria

Bacterial cell growth and division require the coordinated action of enzymes that synthesize and degrade cell wall polymers. Here, we identify enzymes that cleave the D-arabinan core of arabinogalactan, an unusual component of the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacteria. We screened 14 human gut-derived Bacteroidetes for arabinogalactan-degrading activities and identified four families of glycoside hydrolases with activity against the D-arabinan or D-galactan components of arabinogalactan. Using one of these isolates with exo-D-galactofuranosidase activity, we generated enriched D-arabinan and used it to identify a strain of Dysgonomonas gadei as a D-arabinan degrader. This enabled the discovery of endo- and exo-acting enzymes that cleave D-arabinan, including members of the DUF2961 family (GH172) and a family of glycoside hydrolases (DUF4185/GH183) that display endo-D-arabinofuranase activity and are conserved in mycobacteria and other microbes. Mycobacterial genomes encode two conserved endo-D-arabinanases with different preferences for the D-arabinan-containing cell wall components arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan, suggesting they are important for cell wall modification and/or degradation. The discovery of these enzymes will support future studies into the structure and function of the mycobacterial cell wall

Novel Common Genetic Susceptibility Loci for Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND: Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 42 loci (P < 5 × 10-8) associated with risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Expanded consortium efforts facilitating the discovery of additional susceptibility loci may capture unexplained familial risk. METHODS: We conducted a GWAS in European descent CRC cases and control subjects using a discovery-replication design, followed by examination of novel findings in a multiethnic sample (cumulative n = 163 315). In the discovery stage (36 948 case subjects/30 864 control subjects), we identified genetic variants with a minor allele frequency of 1% or greater associated with risk of CRC using logistic regression followed by a fixed-effects inverse variance weighted meta-analysis. All novel independent variants reaching genome-wide statistical significance (two-sided P < 5 × 10-8) were tested for replication in separate European ancestry samples (12 952 case subjects/48 383 control subjects). Next, we examined the generalizability of discovered variants in East Asians, African Americans, and Hispanics (12 085 case subjects/22 083 control subjects). Finally, we examined the contributions of novel risk variants to familial relative risk and examined the prediction capabilities of a polygenic risk score. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: The discovery GWAS identified 11 variants associated with CRC at P < 5 × 10-8, of which nine (at 4q22.2/5p15.33/5p13.1/6p21.31/6p12.1/10q11.23/12q24.21/16q24.1/20q13.13) independently replicated at a P value of less than .05. Multiethnic follow-up supported the generalizability of discovery findings. These results demonstrated a 14.7% increase in familial relative risk explained by common risk alleles from 10.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.9% to 13.7%; known variants) to 11.9% (95% CI = 9.2% to 15.5%; known and novel variants). A polygenic risk score identified 4.3% of the population at an odds ratio for developing CRC of at least 2.0. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into the architecture of common genetic variation contributing to CRC etiology and improves risk prediction for individualized screenin

Novel Materials and Deposition Strategies for Modifying Organic and Perovskite Solar Cells

In this thesis, I detail my efforts to explore organic and perovskite photovoltaic devices. Chapter 1 introduces organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and hybrid organic inorganic perovskites (HOIPs). The central challenges of working with both organic and inorganic semiconductors are discussed. Key milestones in the development of both types of devices are highlighted and the basic operating principles of general solar cells and the distinguishing features of OPVs are addressed. Chapter 2 gives a basic overview of preparing and testing OPVs and reflects on how the available systems and resources dictated how the projects described in Chapters 3 and 4 were designed and conducted. The remainder of the chapter provides an indepth description of several protocols developed to significantly improve the throughput of device testing in our lab and outlines in great detail the exact procedures used to prepare baseline perovskite devices with respectable efficiency. Chapter 3 examines the importance of bulk heterojunction morphology through the addition of insulating commodity polymers. It establishes the tolerance limits of different classes of OPVs, specifically those based on small molecule and polymer donors respectively. This study was conducted in collaboration with DuPont Canada. Chapter 4 describes my work on a series of chalcogenophene homopolymers. The study investigates how single atom substitution in conjugated polymers can be used to selectively modify properties and for the first time presents a comprehensive comparison of poly(3-alkylthiophenes), selenophenes and tellurophenes. Chapter 5 describes the development of a solution screening assay for rapidly assessing the potential utility and necessary deposition conditions of a large number of solvents for use as antisolvents in "one-step" processing of the triple-cation perovskite reported in Chapter 2. By combining solution assay results with antisolvent physical properties and diagnostic films cast on glass the selection is refined and 15 candidates are chosen for use in solar cells. Of these, six previously unreported candidates are identified and demonstrated to have promising performance in unoptimized preliminary devices. Chapter 6 summarizes the other chapters and outlines several project extensions and concepts.Ph.D

Acoustic Phonon Scattering in Modulation Doped Aluminum(x) Gallium(1-X) Arsenide/gallium Arsenide Heterojunctions

102 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1988.We investigate acoustic deformation potential scattering in Al\sb{\rm x}Ga\sb{1-\rm x}As/GaAs modulation doped heterojunctions. We review previous measurements of the deformation potential constant Z and discuss the controversy over the discrepancy between the measured value of Z in bulk GaAs and in the heterojunction. By comparing the theory of scattering in bulk GaAs with previously reported measurements of the mobility at 77 K we determine an upper limit for the deformation potential constant of 11 eV.We experimentally measure the relationship between the electron temperature and the power loss, and we compare our measurements with theory. We conclude, in general agreement with previous measurements in heterojunctions, that a large value of the deformation potential constant (approximately 16 eV) would be necessary to fit the data using a theory of acoustic phonon scattering. In contrast with previously reported studies of acoustic deformation potential scattering in heterojunctions, we do not conclude that earlier measurements of Z in bulk GaAs are in error. Instead, we suggest a number of possible enhancements to the theory which may explain the anomalously large power loss which we observe. Our experiment, unlike previous studies of the mobility, indicates clearly that if an additional scattering mechanism is the cause, then it must be an inelastic mechanism.We also present a comprehensive theory of the electronic power loss in the heterojunction, including the effects of screening. It is found that screening changes the temperature dependence of the power loss (or the mobility) and that this makes it possible to conclusively observe the effects of screening at low temperatures. Analytical solutions of the power loss equation are presented and the temperature range over which the analytical solution is valid is discussed. It is found that the analytical solutions are valid only at temperatures much lower than previously believed.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

Spatial distribution of proteins in the quagga mussel adhesive apparatus

<p>The invasive freshwater mollusc <i>Dreissena bugensis</i> (quagga mussel) sticks to underwater surfaces <i>via</i> a proteinacious ‘anchor’ (byssus), consisting of a series of threads linked to adhesive plaques. This adhesion results in the biofouling of crucial underwater industry infrastructure, yet little is known about the proteins responsible for the adhesion. Here the identification of byssal proteins extracted from freshly secreted byssal material is described. Several new byssal proteins were observed by gel electrophoresis. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry was used to characterize proteins in different regions of the byssus, particularly those localized to the adhesive interface. Byssal plaques and threads contain in common a range of low molecular weight proteins, while several proteins with higher mass were observed only in the plaque. At the adhesive interface, a plaque-specific ~8.1 kDa protein had a relative increase in signal intensity compared to the bulk of the plaque, suggesting it may play a direct role in adhesion.</p

Electrochemical Polymerization of Functionalized Graphene Quantum Dots

Electrochemical Polymerization of Functionalized Graphene Quantum Dot