81 research outputs found
Modelling Critical Success Factors of International Joint Ventures in Real Estate Development: Perspective of a Capital Investor
The aim of this dissertation, undertaken between 2012 and 2017, is to contribute
towards the improvement of international joint venture (“IJV”) management in real
estate development projects by analysing performance and factors, critical for the
success of real estate IJVs. The assumption is that a real estate capital investor acts
as the international partner of the IJV-construct, while local developers, operators
and/or real estate professionals represent the local partner. The thesis focuses on
the perspective of the real estate capital investor as a key actor in an IJV.
The thesis adopts a systems approach in identifying and discussing the critical
success factors of IJVs in the literature review, followed by the development of an
integrated, theory-based framework that offers a theoretical conceptualisation of the
research problem and key research questions. The methodology and research
design were compiled using quantitative (questionnaire survey) and qualitative
(focus group and semi-structured interviews) approaches. Data were collected from
international capital providers investing as IJV-partners in real estate development
using a mixed method approach, the thesis proposes and elaborates on a
performance model for IJVs in real estate development, with an aim to ensure
empirically valid performance measurement. The focus was to identify and justify
determinants and their relationships.
The empirical investigation in the thesis supports the notion that the investment
process and the selection of the partner are particularly important for a project’s
success in real estate development IJVs. In addition, aspects related to the
structural and organisational dimension are relevant to the overall IJV performance.
Moreover, the model has shown significant relationships between the (1) structural,
organisational and investment dimensions on the one hand, and the (2) external,
organisational and investment dimensions, on the other hand, for the overall
success in the formation-stage. With respect to the post-formation stage,
relationships between (1) partner and organisational dimension, (2) partner and
investment dimension and (3) investment and organisational dimensions have been
proven relevant to improve IJV performance in the context of real estate
development IJVs
Solving the Hierarchy Problem without Supersymmetry or Extra Dimensions: An Alternative Approach
In this paper, we propose a possible new approach towards solving the gauge
hierarchy problem without supersymmetry and without extra spacetime dimensions.
This approach relies on the finiteness of string theory and the conjectured
stability of certain non-supersymmetric string vacua. One crucial ingredient in
this approach is the idea of ``misaligned supersymmetry'', which explains how
string theories may be finite even without exhibiting spacetime supersymmetry.
This approach towards solving the gauge hierarchy problem is therefore
complementary to recent proposals involving both large and small extra
spacetime dimensions. This approach may also give a new perspective towards
simultaneously solving the cosmological constant problem.Comment: 33 pages, LaTeX, 3 figure
Return on interactivity: The impact of online agents on newcomer adjustment
As service offerings grow in both range and complexity, how service providers and their customers interact is becoming increasingly important. In response to the challenge of optimizing these interactions, companies have introduced sophisticated online "socialization agents," whose purpose is to help new customers more effectively adjust to and function within the service environment. The objective of these online agents, or virtual employees, is to help customers evaluate new or unfamiliar service offerings, as well as help companies achieve greater levels of service delivery and financial performance. To investigate this, the authors analyze the process by which online agents help both new and current customers adjust to and function within new, unfamiliar, or complex service contexts. They examine the impact of an online agent on account performance in the banking industry. They find that both interaction style and content of the online agent significantly influence the newcomer adjustment process over time, which in turn influences firm-level performance
String Theory and the Path to Unification: A Review of Recent Developments
This is a pedagogical review article surveying the various approaches towards
understanding gauge coupling unification within string theory. As is well
known, one of the major problems confronting string phenomenology has been an
apparent discrepancy between the scale of gauge coupling unification predicted
within string theory, and the unification scale expected within the framework
of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). In this article, I provide
an overview of the different approaches that have been taken in recent years
towards reconciling these two scales, and outline some of the major recent
developments in each. These approaches include
1) string GUT models;
2) higher affine levels and non-standard hypercharge normalizations;
3) heavy string threshold corrections;
4) light supersymmetric thresholds;
5) effects from intermediate-scale gauge and matter structure beyond the
MSSM;
6) strings without supersymmetry; and
7) strings at strong coupling.Comment: 104 pages, LaTeX, 21 figures, 3 tables. Substantially expanded and
updated, with new material and references added. Final version to appear in
Physics Report
Applications of Wine Pomace in the Food Industry: Approaches and Functions
Winemaking generates large amounts ofwine pomace, also called grape pomace. This by-product has attracted
the attention of food scientists and the food industry, due to its high content in nutrients and bioactive compounds. This
review mainly focuses on the different published approaches to the use of wine pomace and its functions in the food
industry. Traditionally, wine pomace has been used to obtain wine alcohol, food colorings, and grape seed oil. More
recently, research has focused in the production of other value-added products, such as extracts of bioactive compounds,
mainly phenols, recovery of tartaric acid, and the making of flours. The most common functions associated with wine
pomace products are their use as antioxidants, followed by their use as fortifying, coloring, and antimicrobial agents. These
products have mainly been applied to the preparation of meat and fish products and to, a lesser extent, cereal products.Autonomous
Government of Castilla y León, Spain, through the
research project BU282U13
Identification of genetic variants associated with Huntington's disease progression: a genome-wide association study
Background Huntington's disease is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene, HTT. Age at onset has been used as a quantitative phenotype in genetic analysis looking for Huntington's disease modifiers, but is hard to define and not always available. Therefore, we aimed to generate a novel measure of disease progression and to identify genetic markers associated with this progression measure. Methods We generated a progression score on the basis of principal component analysis of prospectively acquired longitudinal changes in motor, cognitive, and imaging measures in the 218 indivduals in the TRACK-HD cohort of Huntington's disease gene mutation carriers (data collected 2008–11). We generated a parallel progression score using data from 1773 previously genotyped participants from the European Huntington's Disease Network REGISTRY study of Huntington's disease mutation carriers (data collected 2003–13). We did a genome-wide association analyses in terms of progression for 216 TRACK-HD participants and 1773 REGISTRY participants, then a meta-analysis of these results was undertaken. Findings Longitudinal motor, cognitive, and imaging scores were correlated with each other in TRACK-HD participants, justifying use of a single, cross-domain measure of disease progression in both studies. The TRACK-HD and REGISTRY progression measures were correlated with each other (r=0·674), and with age at onset (TRACK-HD, r=0·315; REGISTRY, r=0·234). The meta-analysis of progression in TRACK-HD and REGISTRY gave a genome-wide significant signal (p=1·12 × 10−10) on chromosome 5 spanning three genes: MSH3, DHFR, and MTRNR2L2. The genes in this locus were associated with progression in TRACK-HD (MSH3 p=2·94 × 10−8 DHFR p=8·37 × 10−7 MTRNR2L2 p=2·15 × 10−9) and to a lesser extent in REGISTRY (MSH3 p=9·36 × 10−4 DHFR p=8·45 × 10−4 MTRNR2L2 p=1·20 × 10−3). The lead single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TRACK-HD (rs557874766) was genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (p=1·58 × 10−8), and encodes an aminoacid change (Pro67Ala) in MSH3. In TRACK-HD, each copy of the minor allele at this SNP was associated with a 0·4 units per year (95% CI 0·16–0·66) reduction in the rate of change of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) Total Motor Score, and a reduction of 0·12 units per year (95% CI 0·06–0·18) in the rate of change of UHDRS Total Functional Capacity score. These associations remained significant after adjusting for age of onset. Interpretation The multidomain progression measure in TRACK-HD was associated with a functional variant that was genome-wide significant in our meta-analysis. The association in only 216 participants implies that the progression measure is a sensitive reflection of disease burden, that the effect size at this locus is large, or both. Knockout of Msh3 reduces somatic expansion in Huntington's disease mouse models, suggesting this mechanism as an area for future therapeutic investigation
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