Online expansion: is it another kind of strategic manufacturer response to a dominant retailer?

YesThe issues of channel conflict and channel power have received widespread research attention, including Geylani et al.’s (2007) work on channel relations in an asymmetric retail setting. Specifically, these authors suggest that a manufacturer can respond to a dominant retailer’s pricing pressure by raising the wholesale price for a weak retailer over that for the dominant retailer while transferring demand to the weak retailer channel via cooperative advertising. But, is online expansion another kind of strategic manufacturer’s optimal response to a dominant retailer? In this paper, we extend this work by adding a direct online selling channel to illustrate the impact of the manufacturer’s internet entry on firms’ demands, profits, and pricing strategies and on consumer welfare. Our analysis thus includes a condition in which the manufacturer can add an online channel. If such an online channel is opened, the channel-supported network externality will always benefit the manufacturer but hurt the retailers. Consumers, however, will only benefit from the network externality when a dominant retailer is present and will be hurt when both retailers are symmetric.National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chongqing’s Natural Science Foundation, British Academ

Preparation and Mechanical Properties of Continuous Carbon Nanotube Networks Modified C f

Continuous carbon nanotube (CNT) networks were formed in Cf/SiC composites via freeze-drying method. Composites were fabricated by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process afterwards. The different distribution morphologies of CNTs in the preforms originating from the different CNT contents were analyzed while the influence of the distribution of CNTs was discussed in detail. Compared to composites without CNTs, the interfacial shear strength (ILSS) and the flexural strength of Cf/1%CNTs/SiC were increased by 31% and 27%, respectively, but the values of Cf/2.5%CNTs/SiC decreased as a result of lots of defects caused by excess CNTs. With the analysis of ILSS, the flexural strengths, and the fracture morphologies, CNTs effectively improved the weak interfacial strength between T700SC carbon fibers and SiC matrix

Building a semantic RESTFul API for achieving interoperability between a pharmacist and a doctor using JENA and FUSEKI

YesInteroperability within different healthcare systems (clinics/hospitals/pharmacies) remains an issue of further research due to a barrier in sharing of the patient’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) information. To solve this problem, cross healthcare system collaboration is required. This paper proposes an interoperability framework that enables a pharmacist to access an electronic version of the patient’s prescription from the doctor using a RESTFul API with ease. Semantic technology standards like Web Ontology Language (OWL), RDF (Resource Description Framework) and SPARQL (SPARQL Protocol and RDF Query Language) were used to implement the framework using JENA semantic framework tool to demonstrate how interoperability is achieved between a pharmacy and a clinic JENA was used to generate the ontology models for the pharmacy called pharmacy.rdf and clinic called clinic.rdf. The two models contain all the information from the two isolated systems. The JENA reasoner was used to merge the two ontology models into a single model.rdf file for easy querying with SPARQL. The model.rdf file was uploaded into a triple store database created using FUSEKI server. SPARQL Endpoint generated from FUSEKI was used to query the triple store database using a RESTFul API. The system was able to query the triple store database and output the results containing the prescription name and its details in JSON and XML formats which can be read by both machines and humans.Supported by a Institutional Links grant, ID 261865161, under the Newton-Ristekdikti Fund partnership. The grant is funded by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Indonesia Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education and delivered by the British Council

Advancing the Understanding of Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Resilience using Complex Adaptive System (CAS) Theory

yesPurpose The objective of this study was to advance our knowledge of pharmaceutical supply chain resilience using Complex Adaptive System theory (CAS). Design/methodology/approach An exploratory research design which adopted a qualitative approach was used to achieve the study’s research objective. Qualitative data were gathered through 23 semi-structured interviews with key supply chain actors across the PSC in the United Kingdom (UK). Findings The findings demonstrate that CAS, as a theory, provides a systemic approach to understanding PSC resilience by taking into consideration the various elements (environment, PSC characteristics, vulnerabilities and resilience strategies) that make up the entire system. It also provides explanations for key findings, like the impact of power, conflict and complexity in the PSC, which are influenced by the interactions between supply chain actors and as such increase its susceptibility to the negative impact of disruption. Furthermore, the antecedents for building resilience strategies were the outcome of the decision-making process referred to as co-evolution from a CAS perspective. Originality/value Based on the data collected, the study was able to reflect on the relationships, interactions and interfaces between actors in the PSC using the CAS theory, which supports the proposition that resilience strategies can be adopted by supply chain actors to enhance this service supply chain. This is a novel empirical study of resilience across multiple levels of the PSC and as such adds valuable new knowledge about the phenomenon and the use of CAS theory as a vehicle for exploration and knowledge construction in other supply chains

An intelligent edge computing based semantic gateway for healthcare systems interoperability and collaboration

YesThe use of Information and Communications Technology (ICTs) in healthcare has the potential of minimizing medical errors, reducing healthcare cost and improving collaboration between healthcare systems which can dramatically improve the healthcare service quality. However interoperability within different healthcare systems (clinics/hospitals/pharmacies) remains an issue of further research due to a lack of collaboration and exchange of healthcare information. To solve this problem, cross healthcare system collaboration is required. This paper proposes a conceptual semantic based healthcare collaboration framework based on Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure that is able to offer a secure cross system information and knowledge exchange between different healthcare systems seamlessly that is readable by both machines and humans. In the proposed framework, an intelligent semantic gateway is introduced where a web application with restful Application Programming Interface (API) is used to expose the healthcare information of each system for collaboration. A case study that exposed the patient's data between two different healthcare systems was practically demonstrated where a pharmacist can access the patient's electronic prescription from the clinic.British Council Institutional Links grant under the BEIS-managed Newton Fund

Infrared Imaging of Magnetic Octupole Domains in Non-collinear Antiferromagnets

Magnetic structure plays a pivotal role in the functionality of antiferromagnets (AFMs), which not only can be employed to encode digital data but also yields novel phenomena. Despite its growing significance, visualizing the antiferromagnetic domain structure remains a challenge, particularly for non-collinear AFMs. Currently, the observation of magnetic domains in non-collinear antiferromagnetic materials is feasible only in Mn$_{3}$Sn, underscoring the limitations of existing techniques that necessitate distinct methods for in-plane and out-of-plane magnetic domain imaging. In this study, we present a versatile method for imaging the antiferromagnetic domain structure in a series of non-collinear antiferromagnetic materials by utilizing the anomalous Ettingshausen effect (AEE), which resolves both the magnetic octupole moments parallel and perpendicular to the sample surface. Temperature modulation due to the AEE originating from different magnetic domains is measured by the lock-in thermography, revealing distinct behaviors of octupole domains in different antiferromagnets. This work delivers an efficient technique for the visualization of magnetic domains in non-collinear AFMs, which enables comprehensive study of the magnetization process at the microscopic level and paves the way for potential advancements in applications.Comment: National Science Review in pres

Manufacturer centralized product design specification environment: Collaborative research supported by Asia Link

This paper discusses Manufacturer centralized product design specification environment. It is collaborative research supported by Asia Link, presented at the 2005 seminar on China Europe Engineering Education

Modularised product design specification within the web-services environment

This chapter looks at modularised product design specification within the web-services environmen

Integration of web services technology with business models within the total product design process for supplier

Supplier selection plays a vital role in the process of product development. The purpose of this research is to integrate the state of the art Web technologies with business theories to establish a Web-based distributed environment for supplier selection. A Web Services-oriented multi-possibility supplier selection system has been developed, which helps manufacturers to make decisions for selecting supplier more effectively and accurately. The business theories and analytic hierarchy process approach have been applied in combination with Web Services and J2EE Technology in the system. In this paper, a brief review of the current supplier selection issues are addressed first, followed by the presentation of the methodologies employed and description of the system structure and main features, an example is given in the end