Measuring new product and service portfolio advantage

The current study introduces the concept of new product and service portfolio (NPSP) advantage by creating and validating a three-dimensional measurement method that reflects novelty, meaningfulness and superiority – the three characteristics of NPSP advantage. Based on industry-wide homogeneous generalizable quantitative data from 108 manufacturing companies, the results indicate that these three characteristics of NPSP – novelty, meaningfulness and superiority – are distinct characteristics that together constitute NPSP advantage. This paper contributes to the literature on new product development, as its findings suggest that when measuring the concept of NPSP advantage, the three-dimensional construct that includes the three aforementioned characteristics has a better fit to the data than the unidimensional structure. Because it considers both new products and services, the current study offers an integrated approach to measure the desired innovation process outcome (NPSP advantage). In this way, this paper bridges the research on new product development with that on new service development.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Supporting new product commercialization through managerial social ties and market knowledge development in an emerging economy

University of Tasmania, Australi

In silico investigation of a KCNQ1 mutation associated with short QT syndrome

Short QT syndrome (SQTS) is a rare condition characterized by abnormally ‘short’ QT intervals on the ECG and increased susceptibility to cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death. This simulation study investigated arrhythmia dynamics in multi-scale human ventricle models associated with the SQT2-related V307L KCNQ1 ‘gain-of-function’ mutation, which increases slow-delayed rectifier potassium current (IKs). A Markov chain (MC) model recapitulating wild type (WT) and V307L mutant IKs kinetics was incorporated into a model of the human ventricular action potential (AP) for investigation of QT interval changes and arrhythmia substrates. In addition, the degree of simulated IKs inhibition necessary to normalize the QT interval and terminate re-entry in SQT2 conditions was quantified. The developed MC model accurately reproduced AP shortening and reduced effective refractory period associated with altered IKs kinetics in homozygous (V307L) and heterozygous (WT-V307L) mutation conditions, which increased the lifespan and dominant frequency of re-entry in 3D human ventricle models. IKs reductions of 58% and 65% were sufficient to terminate re-entry in WT-V307L and V307L conditions, respectively. This study further substantiates a causal link between the V307L KCNQ1 mutation and pro-arrhythmia in human ventricles, and establishes partial inhibition of IKs as a potential anti-arrhythmic strategy in SQT2

Drucker\u27s Insights on Market Orientation and Innovation: Implications for Emerging Areas in High-Technology Marketing

In 1954, Drucker boldly declared that organizations have only two basic functions, marketing and innovation. While true for any organization, this insight is particularly pertinent for technology-based businesses. The complicated environment surrounding high-tech companies creates a great need for sophisticated marketing, yet these companies continue to have under-developed competencies in marketing and in understanding customer needs. In its first two sections, this essay explores Drucker’s insights with respect to two particularly salient issues for high-tech companies: developing and implementing a market orientation, and sustained break-through innovations. We review Drucker’s insights and synthesize them with the scholarly research on these issues. In the third section, we discuss three emerging areas in high-tech marketing where academics and managers could build on Drucker’s insight to guide future research and practice: market-driving, customer co-creation, and corporate social responsibility. The illustrative examples provided by these emerging areas highlight that even today, Drucker’s writings continue to offer remarkable guidance to scholars and managers who are willing to take the time to reflect, understand, and incorporate these insights in the unique context of high-tech industries

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor-1 (S1P1) is expressed by lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and endothelium and modulated during inflammatory bowel disease

The sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor-1 (S1P1) agonist ozanimod ameliorates ulcerative colitis, yet its mechanism of action is unknown. Here, we examine the cell subsets that express S1P1 in intestine using S1P1-eGFP mice, the regulation of S1P1 expression in lymphocytes after administration of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), after colitis induced by transfer of CD4+CD45RBhi cells, and by crossing a mouse with TNF-driven ileitis with S1P1-eGFP mice. We then assayed the expression of enzymes that regulate intestinal S1P levels, and the effect of FTY720 on lymphocyte behavior and S1P1 expression. We found that not only T and B cells express S1P1, but also dendritic (DC) and endothelial cells. Furthermore, chronic but not acute inflammatory signals increased S1P1 expression, while the enzymes that control tissue S1P levels in mice and humans with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were uniformly dysregulated, favoring synthesis over degradation. Finally, we observed that FTY720 reduced T-cell velocity and induced S1P1 degradation and retention of Naïve but not effector T cells. Our data demonstrate that chronic inflammation modulates S1P1 expression and tissue S1P levels and suggests that the anti-inflammatory properties of S1PR agonists might not be solely due to their lymphopenic effects, but also due to potential effects on DC migration and vascular barrier function

Five areas to advance branding theory and practice

The paper suggests five areas to advance branding theory and practice based on the authors’ recent work in brand management. In this commentary, we aim to put forward suggestions and ideas for further research in brand management; ideas, which we believe will have an impact on the way branding is researched and practiced by both academics and practitioners alike. We will focus on the future of branding in the following areas, inspired by our own work in the field: (1) branding in higher education, (2) branding in Asia Pacific, (3) brand ambidexterity, (4) brand innovation on social media, and (5) brand likeability

An exploratory study of the determinants of the quality of strategic decision implementation in Turkish industrial firms

This paper investigates the determinants of quality of decision implementation. By drawing on a sample of 116 firms located in Turkey, the authors test whether the features of important team processes (i.e. trust and participation), of the organisation (i.e. past performance) and of implementation (i.e. its speed and uncertainty) exert an influence on the quality with which decisions are implemented. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the validity of the measures, while path analysis was used in hypotheses testing. The results suggest that quality of decision implementation is positively related to trust, participation and past performance, and negatively to implementation speed and uncertainty. The implications of these findings for theory, practice and general management are discussed