A Distribution Services Approach for Developing Effective Competitive Strategies Against Big Box Retailers

According to one theoretical approach, the primary economic function of retailers is to deliver products together with distribution services. We use this framework to identify competitive niches for smaller retailers competing against big box stores. We compare the distribution services offered by the Home Depot versus smaller retailers using both in-store measures and consumer perception data, and the relative importance of distribution services as determinants of store choice. The results show that the Home Depot’s superiority in pricing and assortment attracts a significant market, but smaller retailers can secure niche markets by delivering higher levels of ambiance and information

A New Look at Industrial Sales and its Requisite Competencies

Although industrial sales is widely discussed in both practitioner and academic circles, no clear definition of “industrial” has been established. We present a definition of industrial sales that distinguishes it from other sales domains, and we draw from a panel of industrial sales executives and a random sample of industrial sales managers to generate and evaluate the importance of a comprehensive list of knowledge, skills, and value competencies that are required for success in industrial sales. Technical competencies, while important, were rated relatively less so than selling- and customer-related competencies. Among other recommendations, we implore industrial sales executives to incorporate a global mindset into their sales organization, and we challenge academics to extend personal selling beyond the business school to engineering, computer science, and other technical disciplines from where industrial salespeople often recruit

Development of a detector for inertial sensing of positronium at AEgIS (CERN)

The primary goal of the AEgIS collaboration at CERN is to measure the gravitational acceleration on neutral antimatter. Positronium (Ps), the bound state of an electron and a positron, is a suitable candidate for a force-sensitive inertial measurement by means of deflectometry/interferometry. In order to conduct such an experiment, the impact position and time of arrival of Ps atoms at the detector must be detected simultaneously. The detection of a low-velocity Ps beam with a spatial resolution of (88 ± 5) μm was previously demonstrated [1]. Based on the methodology employed in [1] and [2], a hybrid imaging/timing detector with increased spatial resolution of about 10 μm was developed. The performance of a prototype was tested with a positron beam. The concept of the detector and first results are presented

An overview on the inconsistencies of approach in regulating the capital position of banks: Will the United Kingdom step out of line with Europe?

After the collapse of a number of banking institutions and bailouts of banks by governments, regulators have taken a different attitude and now appear keen to take regulation seriously when it comes to ensuring that banks have adequate capital and sufficient liquidity. Not only that, but in the United Kingdom, the Independent Commission on Banking Reform has made proposals with regard to the capital position of banks. This article, which is an overview, will look at matters from a UK perspective and at the proposals for reform. This article, after its introduction and summary, will look at a number of areas: first, the reforms made by Basel III; second, the regulation of Systemically Important Financial Institutions (Sifis) and the proposals for dealing with these; third, some matters in relation to lending that relate to capital and liquidity generally; fourth, increased stress testing of banks; fifth, derivatives and risk taking and the new proposed structure of regulation in the United Kingdom; sixth, the war of spin between regulators and banks; seventh, Shadow Banking; and eighth, The Independent Commission on Banking Reform and its proposals for reform. It will also be a theme that the various proposals lack consistency and that this could lead to regulatory arbitrage. It is already clear that there are inconsistencies between the various regulatory organisations, with proposals in the United Kingdom indicating that banks will be required to keep much higher levels of capital than those proposed by Basel and the European Community. The views of those who have pointed out inconsistencies between the United Kingdom and Basel/Europe have been highlighted

Hybrid imaging and timing ps laser excitation diagnostics for pulsed antihydrogen production

open48siIn this work we present a hybrid detection method providing simultaneous imaging and timing information suitable for fully monitoring positronium (Ps) formation, its laser excitation, and its spatial propagation for the first trials of pulsed antihydrogen (H) production through a charge-exchange reaction with trapped antiprotons (p). This combined method, based on the synchronous acquisition of an EJ-200 scintillation detector and a microchannel plate (MCP) detector with a dual readout (phosphor screen image and electrical pick-up signal), allows all relevant events in the experiment to be accurately determined in time while allowing high resolution images of e+ from Ps laser photodissociations to be acquired. The timing calibration process of the two detectors discussed in details as well as the future perspectives opened by this method.openCaravita R.; Antonello M.; Belov A.; Bonomi G.; Brusa R.S.; Caccia M.; Camper A.; Castelli F.; Comparat D.; Consolati G.; Demetrio A.; Di Noto L.; Doser M.; Fani M.; Ferragut R.; Gerber S.; Giammarchi M.; Gligorova A.; Gloggler L.T.; Guatieri F.; Haider S.; Hinterberger A.; Khalidova O.; Krasnicky D.; Lagomarsino V.; Malbrunot C.; Mariazzi S.; Matveev V.; Muller S.R.; Nebbia G.; Nedelec P.; Oberthaler M.; Oswald E.; Pagano D.; Penasa L.; Petracek V.; Prelz F.; Rienacker B.; Rohne O.M.; Rotondi A.; Sandaker H.; Santoro R.; Testera G.; Tietje I.; Toso V.; Wolz T.; Zimmer C.; Zurlo N.Caravita, R.; Antonello, M.; Belov, A.; Bonomi, G.; Brusa, R. S.; Caccia, M.; Camper, A.; Castelli, F.; Comparat, D.; Consolati, G.; Demetrio, A.; Di Noto, L.; Doser, M.; Fani, M.; Ferragut, R.; Gerber, S.; Giammarchi, M.; Gligorova, A.; Gloggler, L. T.; Guatieri, F.; Haider, S.; Hinterberger, A.; Khalidova, O.; Krasnicky, D.; Lagomarsino, V.; Malbrunot, C.; Mariazzi, S.; Matveev, V.; Muller, S. R.; Nebbia, G.; Nedelec, P.; Oberthaler, M.; Oswald, E.; Pagano, D.; Penasa, L.; Petracek, V.; Prelz, F.; Rienacker, B.; Rohne, O. M.; Rotondi, A.; Sandaker, H.; Santoro, R.; Testera, G.; Tietje, I.; Toso, V.; Wolz, T.; Zimmer, C.; Zurlo, N

Velocity-selected production of 2S3 metastable positronium

Positronium in the 2 3 S metastable state exhibits a low electrical polarizability and a long lifetime (1140 ns), making it a promising candidate for interferometry experiments with a neutral matter-antimatter system. In the present work, 2 3 S positronium is produced, in the absence of an electric field, via spontaneous radiative decay from the 3 3 P level populated with a 205-nm UV laser pulse. Thanks to the short temporal length of the pulse, 1.5 ns full width at half maximum, different velocity populations of a positronium cloud emitted from a nanochanneled positron-positronium converter were selected by delaying the excitation pulse with respect to the production instant. 2 3 S positronium atoms with velocity tuned between 7 7 10 4 ms 121 and 10 7 10 4 ms 121 were thus produced. Depending on the selected velocity, a 2 3 S production efficiency ranging from 3c0.8% to 3c1.7%, with respect to the total amount of emitted positronium, was obtained. The observed results give a branching ratio for the 3 3 P-2 3 S spontaneous decay of (9.7 \ub1 2.7)%. The present velocity selection technique could allow one to produce an almost monochromatic beam of 3c1 7 10 3 2 3 S atoms with a velocity spread of <10 4 ms 121 and an angular divergence of 3c50 mrad

Gravity and antimatter: The AEgIS experiment at CERN

open62siFrom the experimental point of view, very little is known about the gravitational interaction between matter and antimatter. In particular, the Weak Equivalence Principle, which is of paramount importance for the General Relativity, has not yet been directly probed with antimatter. The main goal of the AEgIS experiment at CERN is to perform a direct measurement of the gravitational force on antimatter. The idea is to measure the vertical displacement of a beam of cold antihydrogen atoms, traveling in the gravitational field of the Earth, by the means of a moiré deflectometer. An overview of the physics goals of the experiment, of its apparatus and of the first results is presented.openPagano D.; Aghion S.; Amsler C.; Bonomi G.; Brusa R.S.; Caccia M.; Caravita R.; Castelli F.; Cerchiari G.; Comparat D.; Consolati G.; Demetrio A.; Noto L.D.; Doser M.; Evans A.; Fani M.; Ferragut R.; Fesel J.; Fontana A.; Gerber S.; Giammarchi M.; Gligorova A.; Guatieri F.; Haider S.; Hinterberger A.; Holmestad H.; Kellerbauer A.; Khalidova O.; Krasnicky D.; Lagomarsino V.; Lansonneur P.; Lebrun P.; Malbrunot C.; Mariazzi S.; Marton J.; Matveev V.; Mazzotta Z.; Muller S.R.; Nebbia G.; Nedelec P.; Oberthaler M.; Pacifico N.; Penasa L.; Petracek V.; Prelz F.; Prevedelli M.; Ravelli L.; Rienaecker B.; Robert J.; Rohne O.M.; Rotondi A.; Sandaker H.; Santoro R.; Smestad L.; Sorrentino F.; Testera G.; Tietje I.C.; Widmann E.; Yzombard P.; Zimmer C.; Zmeskal J.; Zurlo N.Pagano, D.; Aghion, S.; Amsler, C.; Bonomi, G.; Brusa, R. S.; Caccia, M.; Caravita, R.; Castelli, F.; Cerchiari, G.; Comparat, D.; Consolati, G.; Demetrio, A.; Noto, L. D.; Doser, M.; Evans, A.; Fani, M.; Ferragut, R.; Fesel, J.; Fontana, A.; Gerber, S.; Giammarchi, M.; Gligorova, A.; Guatieri, F.; Haider, S.; Hinterberger, A.; Holmestad, H.; Kellerbauer, A.; Khalidova, O.; Krasnicky, D.; Lagomarsino, V.; Lansonneur, P.; Lebrun, P.; Malbrunot, C.; Mariazzi, S.; Marton, J.; Matveev, V.; Mazzotta, Z.; Muller, S. R.; Nebbia, G.; Nedelec, P.; Oberthaler, M.; Pacifico, N.; Penasa, L.; Petracek, V.; Prelz, F.; Prevedelli, M.; Ravelli, L.; Rienaecker, B.; Robert, J.; Rohne, O. M.; Rotondi, A.; Sandaker, H.; Santoro, R.; Smestad, L.; Sorrentino, F.; Testera, G.; Tietje, I. C.; Widmann, E.; Yzombard, P.; Zimmer, C.; Zmeskal, J.; Zurlo, N

Techniques for production and detection of 23S positronium

In this work, we show recent measurements of 23S long-lived positronium production via spontaneous decay from the 33P level. The possibility to tune the velocity of the 23S positronium, excited following this scheme, is presented. In the light of these results, we discuss the use of the 33P→23S transition to realize a monochromatic pulsed 23S positronium beam with low angular divergence. Preliminary tests of 23S beam production are presented. The possibility to overcome the natural 33P→23S branching ratio via stimulated emission, and thus increasing the intensity of the 23S source, is also shown. A position-sensitive detector for a pulsed beam of positronium, with spatial resolution of ≈ 90 μm, is finally described in view of its possible application for the spatial characterization of the 23S beam