Managing Innovation in A Supplier Dominated Firm: Considering The Way Forward

One of the most important things to bear in mind when considering innovation is that innovation is essentially change. How that change is managed will determine how innovative a firm actually is and the ability to manage innovation successfully will hopefully lead to a competitive advantage. Sri Jentayu Global are undeniably a supplier dominated firm and do to some degree depend upon their suppliers. However, they are not as dependent as one might imagine or indeed as the theory may suggest. It is true that Sri Jentayu Global rely upon their suppliers for production inputs as the main source of new technology. They do not however rely upon their suppliers for improvements in their production methods or the technology that they use to produce highly effective body armour. Their ability to continually innovate and how that innovation is managed throughout the organisation, whether it is product or process innovation, is a competence that may lead to a competitive advantage most small manufacturing firms could only aspire to. It is true that Sri Jentayu Global may not be able to change technological trajectory alone and this is possibly because body armour is such a niche product with a very limited market, within a highly competitive and volatile industry where entry to new markets is the biggest barrier. Sri Jentayu Global are indeed path-dependant and their learning is indeed incremental but it is believed that their core competencies would most definitely allow them to change paths. They seem more than capable of achieving this, whether it be through vertical or horizontal integration or technology related product diversification. The result, no matter what, would be the development of new competencies. It might even be their existing competencies that allow them to consider a number of strategic alternatives, which will ultimately lead to sustainability through growth, entry to new markets and continual improvements in their product and processes. A contributing factor to all of this could possibly be the size of the firm, its structure, and its need to survive. Its management of innovation to date may be successful but sustainability may require some changes in managing that innovation. The management team appear to be more than capable of achieving positive results but a much steadier approach may be required when entering into strategic alliances with the large organisations currently being considered. The proposed strategic alliances, if successful, will no doubt lead to new competencies in a variety of areas but the management of the alliances needs careful consideration as no doubt any potential partners have their own reasons for entering into an alliance and they will certainly not be altruistic

Managing Innovation in A Supplier Dominated Firm: Considering The Way Forward

One of the most important things to bear in mind when considering innovation is that innovation is essentially change. How that change is managed will determine how innovative a firm actually is and the ability to manage innovation successfully will hopefully lead to a competitive advantage. Sri Jentayu Global are undeniably a supplier dominated firm and do to some degree depend upon their suppliers. However, they are not as dependent as one might imagine or indeed as the theory may suggest. It is true that Sri Jentayu Global rely upon their suppliers for production inputs as the main source of new technology. They do not however rely upon their suppliers for improvements in their production methods or the technology that they use to produce highly effective body armour. Their ability to continually innovate and how that innovation is managed throughout the organisation, whether it is product or process innovation, is a competence that may lead to a competitive advantage most small manufacturing firms could only aspire to. It is true that Sri Jentayu Global may not be able to change technological trajectory alone and this is possibly because body armour is such a niche product with a very limited market, within a highly competitive and volatile industry where entry to new markets is the biggest barrier. Sri Jentayu Global are indeed path-dependant and their learning is indeed incremental but it is believed that their core competencies would most definitely allow them to change paths. They seem more than capable of achieving this, whether it be through vertical or horizontal integration or technology related product diversification. The result, no matter what, would be the development of new competencies. It might even be their existing competencies that allow them to consider a number of strategic alternatives, which will ultimately lead to sustainability through growth, entry to new markets and continual improvements in their product and processes. A contributing factor to all of this could possibly be the size of the firm, its structure, and its need to survive. Its management of innovation to date may be successful but sustainability may require some changes in managing that innovation. The management team appear to be more than capable of achieving positive results but a much steadier approach may be required when entering into strategic alliances with the large organisations currently being considered. The proposed strategic alliances, if successful, will no doubt lead to new competencies in a variety of areas but the management of the alliances needs careful consideration as no doubt any potential partners have their own reasons for entering into an alliance and they will certainly not be altruistic

Baseline Inflammatory Biomarkers Identify Subgroups of HIV-Infected African Children With Differing Responses to Antiretroviral Therapy

This article has been accepted for publication in Journal of Infectious Disease. Published by Oxford University Press.Background. Identifying determinants of morbidity and mortality may help target future interventions for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected children. Methods. CD4+ T-cell count, HIV viral load, and levels of biomarkers (C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor α [TNF-α], interleukin 6 [IL-6], and soluble CD14) and interleukin 7 were measured at antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation in the ARROW trial (case-cohort design). Cases were individuals who died, had new or recurrent World Health Organization clinical stage 4 events, or had poor immunological response to ART. Results. There were 115 cases (54 died, 45 had World Health Organization clinical stage 4 events, and 49 had poor immunological response) and 485 controls. Before ART initiation, the median ages of cases and controls were 8.2 years (interquartile range [IQR], 4.4–11.4 years) and 5.8 years (IQR, 2.3–9.3 years), respectively, and the median percentages of lymphocytes expressing CD4 were 4% (IQR, 1%–9%) and 13% (IQR, 8%–18%), respectively. In multivariable logistic regression, cases had lower age-associated CD4+ T-cell count ratio (calculated as the ratio of the subject's CD4+ T-cell count to the count expected in healthy individuals of the same age; P < .0001) and higher IL-6 level (P = .002) than controls. Clustering biomarkers and age-associated CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell count ratios identified 4 groups of children. Group 1 had the highest frequency of cases (41% cases; 16% died) and profound immunosuppression; group 2 had similar mortality (23% cases; 15% died), but children were younger, with less profound immunosuppression and high levels of inflammatory biomarkers and malnutrition; group 3 comprised young children with moderate immunosuppression, high TNF-α levels, and high age-associated CD8+ T-cell count ratios but lower frequencies of events (12% cases; 7% died); and group 4 comprised older children with low inflammatory biomarker levels, lower HIV viral loads, and good clinical outcomes (11% cases; 5% died). Conclusions. While immunosuppression is the major determinant of poor outcomes during ART, baseline inflammation is an additional important factor, identifying a subgroup of young children with similar mortality. Antiinflammatory interventions may help improve outcomes.This work was supported by the Medical Research Council, the Department for International Development, the Wellcome Trust (grant 093768/Z/10/Z to A. J. P.), and ViiV Healthcare/GlaxoSmithKline (donation of drugs and funding of viral load assays)