Operating under the radar in spheres of influence: Taking advantage of industry leaders’ market domains

Industry leaders enact mutual forbearance by establishing spheres of influence where the dominant industry leader is bestowed market dominance in exchange for similar treatment in the spheres of the other industry leaders. Because of this, spheres of influence are markets with lower rivalry levels. Accordingly, non-dominant firms operating within them benefit from their favorable competitive conditions. The extent to which a non-dominant firm benefits from its location in spheres of influence varies according to the competitive tension perceived by the industry leader that dominates the sphere. Large and fast-growing non-dominant firms will generate competition tension. Consequently, the industry leader of the sphere could direct its hostility toward them, reducing the potential returns that they may obtain from operating in spheres of influence. Our analyses in the Spanish retail banking sector show that non-dominant firms operating under the radar of industry leaders benefit more from their presence within spheres of influence

The Kumon Method: Its Importance in the Improvement on the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics from the First Levels of Early Childhood and Primary Education

The present work gathers an educational experience based on the application of the personalized Kumon Mathematics Method, carried out in the school year 2015⁻2016, in which 30,849 students and 230 teachers from several educational centers throughout Spain have participated. We start with a theoretical foundation of the Kumon Method and continue with a description of the research methodology used. The empirical analysis carried out has been both in descriptive and correlational terms, using Spearman’s Rho statistic, between the levels at which the students of the sample have started and the Kumon level reached. The results show that the sooner students begin to learn Mathematics with the Kumon Method, the greater the chance of reaching a level of knowledge above their school level, which helps us to demonstrate the potential of this method in the teaching and learning process of Mathematics in the educational levels of Early Childhood and Primary Education