Catch up strategies of Asian firms : a micro-level perspective

In this paper we study a case-study of Haier Corporation of China in order to illustrate how successful companies in China have been able to catch up technologically with western countries and Japan. In spite of the common opinion in the managerial and academic literature, in which China is often noted as a low cost production country, we show that there is evidence that a number of companies are catching up technologically as well. Some of them are even threatening the competitive technological position of dominant companies in the US, Europe and Japan. In this paper we analyze a typical example of such a successful Chinese company; The Haier Group

A Brazilian glycoprotein E-negative bovine herpesvirus type 1.2a (BHV-1.2a) mutant is attenuated for cattle and induces protection against wild-type virus challenge

The authors previously reported the construction of a glycoprotein E-deleted (gE-) mutant of bovine herpesvirus type 1.2a (BHV-1.2a). This mutant, 265gE-, was designed as a vaccinal strain for differential vaccines, allowing the distinction between vaccinated and naturally infected cattle. In order to determine the safety and efficacy of this candidate vaccine virus, a group of calves was inoculated with 265gE-. The virus was detected in secretions of inoculated calves to lower titres and for a shorter period than the parental virus inoculated in control calves. Twenty one days after inoculation, the calves were challenged with the wild type parental virus. Only mild signs of infection were detected on vaccinated calves, whereas non-vaccinated controls displayed intense rhinotracheitis and shed virus for longer and to higher titres than vaccinated calves. Six months after vaccination, both vaccinated and control groups were subjected to reactivation of potentially latent virus. The mutant 265gE- could not be reactivated from vaccinated calves. The clinical signs observed, following the reactivation of the parental virus, were again much milder on vaccinated than on non-vaccinated calves. Moreover, parental virus shedding was considerably reduced on vaccinated calves at reactivation. In view of its attenuation, immunogenicity and protective effect upon challenge and reactivation with a virulent BHV-1, the mutant 265gE- was shown to be suitable for use as a BHV-1 differential vaccine viru

Antecedents and consequences of helping among adolescents

The onset of adolescence is a challenging period in life, given that adolescents face a myriad of social, cognitive, and biological developments. Adolescents do not confront these challenges on their own, but seek help from their social network. Classmates play an important role herein, but there is little knowledge about help relations among adolescents. In her dissertation, Loes van Rijsewijk provides answers to questions such as who helps whom, what does a help network look like, and what are the consequences of help? To map out help networks, over 1000 adolescents were asked to identify classmates who help them with problems. This approach added novel insights to the existing body of knowledge on adolescent help behavior. Amongst others, Loes found that help behavior is selective, that is, primarily asked from or directed towards similar others and friends, that tendencies towards giving and receiving help vary over friendships and contexts, and that help affects social embeddedness, achievement, and depressive symptoms. Together, these results form a first, important step towards unraveling adolescents’ help networks

De Kunstenaarsfamiilie Delff

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Who Helps Whom? Investigating the Development of Adolescent Prosocial Relationships

We investigated adolescent prosocial relations by examining social networks based on the question "Who helps you (e.g., with homework, with repairing a flat [bicycle] tire, or when you are feeling down?)." The effects of individual characteristics (academic achievement, symptoms of depressive mood, and peer status) on receiving help and giving help were examined, and we investigated the contribution of (dis)similarity between adolescents to the development of prosocial relations. Gender, structural network characteristics, and friendship relations were taken into account. Data were derived from the Social Network Analysis of Risk behavior in Early adolescence (SNARE) study, and contained information on students in 40 secondary school classes across 3 waves (N = 840, M age = 13.4, 49.7% boys). Results from longitudinal social network analyses (RSiena) revealed tendencies toward reciprocation of help and exchange of help within helping groups. Furthermore, boys were less often mentioned as helpers, particularly by girls. Depressed adolescents were less often mentioned as helpers, especially by low-depressed peers. Moreover, lower academic achievers indicated that they received help from their higher achieving peers. Rejected adolescents received help more often, but they less often helped low-rejected peers. Last, low-and high-popular adolescents less often helped each other, and also high-popular adolescents less often helped each other. These findings show that (dis) similarity in these characteristics is an important driving factor underlying the emergence and development of prosocial relations in the peer context, and that prosocial behavior should be defined in terms of benefitting particular others.</p

Huybert tons Jansz

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