Learning from Semantic Inconsistencies as the Origin of Dynamic Capabilities in MNCs: Evidence from Pharmaceutical MNCs

This paper focuses on origins of dynamic capabilities in multinational corporations (MNCs). Building on literature in the area of organizational memory and organizational learning, we investigate factors that contribute to subsidiaries of MNCs ability to detach themselves from obsolete knowledge and practices. To construct the theoretical framework, 11 extensive interviews with marketing and sales executives from three pharmaceutical MNCs operated in Iran were conducted. We test our hypotheses using statistical quantitative analysis of data related to 459 observations from subsidiaries of 51 pharmaceutical MNCs during years 2005-2009. We examine the quality of corrective actions taken by subsidiaries of pharmaceutical MNCs subsequent to subsidiaries failing to meet expected performance objectives. Our findings confirm a moderating role for internationalization, span, and the composition of human resources on the quality of corrective actions pursued

Mobile robot localization failure recovery

Mobile robot localization is one of the most important problems in robotics. Localization is the process of a robot finding out its location given a map of its environment. A number of successful localization solutions have been proposed, among them the well-known and popular Monte Carlo localization method, which is based on particle filters. This thesis proposes a localization approach based on particle filters, using a different way of initializing and resampling of the particles, that reduces the cost of localization. Ultrasonic and light sensors are used in order to perform the experiments. Monte Carlo Localization may fail to localize the robot properly because of the premature convergence of the particles. Using more number of particles increases the computational cost of localization process. Experimental results show that, applying the proposed method robot can successfully localize itself using less number of particles; therefore the cost of localization is decreased

Short communication: Study on bioaccumulation of heavy metals (cadmium, nickel, zinc and lead) in the muscle of wels catfish (Silurus glanis) in the Anzali Wetland

After entering aquatic ecosystems, heavy metals accumulate in the organs and tissues of aquatics including fish and finally enter the food chain. These heavy metals can enter the human body through eating contaminated fish. Absorbance values and accumulation of heavy metals in aquatics especially the fish depend on ecological conditions, physical, chemical and biological factors of water, the element type, and the physiological state of the aquatic (Oryan et al., 2010). Among aquatic ecosystems, wetlands and rivers are considerably important from the point of ecology. Rivers act as carriers of nutrients and non–nutrients and wetlands act as sinks for these substances. Now this effect will be more apparent if the wetland is an intermediary between a river and a static ecosystem. The Anzali Wetland is the type of ecosystem that embraces water from 11 rivers from one side and passes water into the Caspian Sea through a second outlet on the other side. The rivers passing through urban and rural areas and forests carry different types of organic matter, minerals, sediment, and industrial sewage (Taheri, 2013). The Anzali Wetland is one of the valuable wetlands registered in the Ramsar International Convention the contamination of which has become the main challenge for the people and officials during the past two decades (Khosravi, 2011)

The Role of Corporate Controls, Size, and Corporate Headquarters in the Effect of Corporate-Level Strategy on Business-Level Strategy and Business-Level Performance

The aim of this thesis is to re-examine the relationship between corporate strategy and business unit strategy. Past research has often failed to deconstruct the notion of corporate effects to properly assess the role of corporate strategy in the behaviour and performance of business units. As a result, conflicting findings have led to researchers disagreeing on the significance of corporate effects and corporate strategy. Through this thesis, I have taken steps to clarify the misunderstood significance of corporate strategy to business-unit-level strategy and performance. This dissertation has drawn on the literature from agency theory, information processing theory, and upper echelons theory, as well as the economic logic that underlies value creation in corporations. Through this dissertation, I deconstruct the notion of corporate effects to theoretically redefine the role of controls as the mediator between corporate strategy and business unit strategy to respond to the research question, “How does corporate strategy influence business unit performance?” In addition, I deconstruct business unit effects to examine the impact of business strategy on business unit performance. Finally, I consider business unit strategy to be an exogenous factor. To explore the effect of corporate strategy on business-unit-level strategy and performance, I conducted a quantitative analysis of data corresponding to over 2,500 business units from 193 corporations. Building on a proprietary dataset made accessible for this research, I tested the theoretical model for this thesis using previously collected data from each of the studied business units and the corporate headquarters of their corporate parents. The dataset comprises objective measures of business unit financial performance, objective characteristics of corporate headquarters and structure, and more subjective and behavioural data based on surveys that focus on control mechanisms to which business units are subject and the strategic orientation they pursue. The quantitative analysis was undertaken after performing steps for validation of the measures used and in compliance with measures and techniques used in past research. I find support in my analysis for a partial mediating role of controls in the relationship between corporate strategy and business-unit-level strategy. The results from the analysis demonstrate that the strategic orientations of business units are endogenous to the corporate strategy through the mechanism of controls to which each business unit is subject. I also find support for the moderating effect of certain factors at the corporate level, such as size of corporate headquarters, number of business units managed by the corporation, and the corporate CEO’s background in the relationship between corporate strategy and controls. The findings of this thesis re-establish the role of corporate strategy in our understanding of business-unit-level strategy and performance. Contrary to past research, I have theorized business-unit-level strategy to be endogenous to corporate strategy. I have also developed the controls construct and have measured it for each business unit studied in order to test my theoretical model. My findings in this thesis take a step towards enhancing our understanding of how corporate strategy influences strategy and performance at the business unit level. To explore the effect of Corporate Strategy on Subsidiary level strategy and performance, I have conducted a quantitative analysis of data corresponding to over 2500 subsidiaries from 193 corporations. Building on a proprietary dataset made accessible for this research, I tested the theoretical model for this thesis using previously collected data from each of the studied subsidiaries and the corporate headquarters of their corporate parents. The dataset comprises of objective measures of subsidiary and corporate financial performance, objective characteristics of corporate headquarters characteristics and structure, as well as more subjective and behavioural data based on surveys which focus on control mechanisms to which subsidiaries are subject and the strategic orientation they pursue. The quantitative analysis was undertaken after performing steps for validation of the measures used and in compliance with measures and techniques used in past research. I find support in my analysis for the mediating role of Controls in the relationship between Corporate Strategy and subsidiary level strategy. The results from the analysis demonstrate that the strategic orientations of subsidiaries are endogenous to the corporate strategy through the mechanism of Controls each subsidiary is subject to. I also find support for the moderating effect of certain aspects and characteristics at corporate level such as size of corporate headquarters, number of subsidiaries managed by the corporation, and corporate CEO’s background in the relationship between Corporate Strategy and Controls. The findings of this thesis re-establish the role of Corporate Strategy in our understanding of subsidiary level strategy and performance. Contrary to past research, I have theorized subsidiary level strategy to be endogenous to corporate strategy. I have also developed the Controls construct and have measured it for each subsidiary studied in order to test my theoretical model. My findings in this thesis take a step towards enhancing our understanding of how Corporate Strategy influences strategy and performance at corporate and subsidiary levels

The evaluation of the quality of beta-carotene derived from Azolla filiculoides in the Anzali Wetland using the alkaline hydrolysis method in summer

The present project was aimed at determining the content, quality, and purity of β-carotene extracted from Azolla filiculoides in the Anzali Wetland, comparing it with synthetic β- carotene, and measuring its economic value. One treatment had β-carotene derived from Azolla filiculoides in the Anzali Wetland through the alkaline hydrolysis method in the summer of 2014. Treatments were kept at 4 °C for one year. Synthetic β-carotene was used as the control. The quality of the treatments was assessed by applying some chemical tests, including the measurement of the content and quality of β-carotene, colorimetry using the Hunter-LAB method, determination of the purity and vitamin A employing high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), estimation of the dwell-time duration at 5 °C, and measurement of the solubility of β-carotene in water. The results of the tests regarding the purity, concentration, colorimetry, vitamin compounds, dwell time, and solubility in the experimental β-carotene, compared with those in the control, revealed no significant difference (p>0.05). Moreover, the factors showed no significant difference between the control and experimental treatments during the dwell time (p>0.05). The natural β-carotene had a good quality during the storage period at 5 °C for one year. Since there was no significant difference between the β-carotene derived from Azolla filiculoides and the synthetic one in terms of the chemical tests, purity, and dwell time, and since the natural β- carotene derived from Azolla filiculoides takes precedence over the synthetic one in terms of the economic value, it is recommended that natural β-carotene extracted from Azolla filiculoides be substituted for synthetic β-carotene in the food industry

Investigating the Quality and Safety Characteristics of Skin Collagen of Bighead (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), and Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Cultured

Collagen has diverse general and biomedical applications and its important role in the future of society have made it a key biopolymer for human health and well-being. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the objectives of extracting collagen from the skin of farmed carp, determining the quality characteristics of collagen, and comparing them. Collagen was extracted from the skin of carp fishes by acidic enzymatic method using 0.5 M acetic acid and pepsin in 48 hours. Collagen treatments (5 treatments) included collagen prepared from the skin of common species, grass carp, bighead, silver, and cow (control). Collagen treatments were not capable of hemolysis and did not show toxic effects on human fibroblast cells. Heavy metals (0.01-0.18 ppm) in collagen extracted from cultured carp species were within the standard range. The color (brightness) of experimental collagen (92.74-93.68) and control (92.38) showed no significant difference (p<0.05). Amino acids cysteine and tryptophan were not observed in collagen. Glycine and hydroxylysine amino acids (352 and 3 residues 1000g-1, respectively) had the highest and lowest amounts in collagen. Amino acids profile and collagen production efficiency (10.51-10.59%) did not show significant differences in carp fish species (p<0.05). Based on the results of the present study, production efficiency, safety and quality characteristics of collagen in cultured carp species did not show any significant difference (p<0.05), and no significant difference was observed between these characteristics and the control (p<0.05). Therefore, the skin of these species can be used to produce collagen and introduce it to the industry as a substitute for mammalian collagen

Application of sodium alginate cover in frozen and cleaned common kilka and its quality evaluation by bacterial,chemical and sensory tests

This project was carried out to increase shelf life of kilka and prevent color changes during cold storage. Edible film made by sodium alginate (0.5% concentration) was used for fish packaging at time zero. The covered samples were kept at -18°C. Examination were carried out for a period of six months. Coliform, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas bacteria contamination were negative until the end of storage period in the covered samples. Total bacterial counts and Acetaphylococcus bacteria count were lower in the treated samples (2.93 and 1.46log cfu/g, respectively) compared with the control specimens (3.21 and 2.28log cfu/g, respectively). Chemical factors consisting of humidity, protein, lipid, ash and calorie were higher in the treated samples (73.34%, 18.96%, 4.62%, 2.88% and 134. 63% kcal/kg, respectively) compared with the control samples (59.43%, 18.04%, 4.03%, 2.87% and 108.43% kcal/kg, respectively) and fresh fish samples (73.93%, 18.91%, 4.59%, 2.87% and 117.28% kcal/kg, respectively). Free fatty acids (0.77 and 9.21g/100), thiobarbitoric acid (0.001 and 0.15mg/kg), peroxide value (0.06 and 3.75meq/kg oil), TVN (6.92 and 16.28mg/100g) and pH (6.34 and 6.91) were lower in the treated samples compared with the control samples. However, no statistically significant decreases were observed in chemical factors including moisture, peroxide value, TVN and pH in the covered samples compared with the control samples during cold storage (P>0.05). According to the statistical analyses of sensory specifications including taste, odor, color, tissue and total acceptance, there was a significant difference between the covered samples and the control ones (P<0.05). Using the results of bacterial, chemical and sensory tests and statistical analyses, the covered samples had a favorable quality until the end of storage period. Also, based on the results of sensory analyses and moisture test, the control samples had a favorable quality for a period of three months

Study on probiotic potential of Bacillus species isolated from the intestine of farmed rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

The gastrointestinal tract of fishes is a complex ecosystem occupied by a large number of microorganisms, some of them could have potentially-valuable features. This research was conducted to study Bacillus species in the intestine of farmed rainbow trout to examine their probiotic properties, and to provide a new source of probiotics. A total of 23 farmed rainbow trout were sampled and their intestine samples were cultured. Following the morphological assay and biochemical analysis, isolated Bacilli were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and universal primers 27f and 1492r. Bacillus subtilis and B. amyloliquefaciens were isolated from 5 and 3 samples, respectively. Bacillus tequilensis, B. cereus and B. licheniformis were isolated from 1 sample. Probiotic properties of B. subtilis strain MSM 24, B. amyloliquefaciens strain TMM 25 and B. licheniformis strain MR 78 were confirmed. Since probiotic bacteria cause no foodborne diseases, their existence in farmed trout intestines, and their penetration into the fish tissues do not pose any risk to consumers' health

High-level Information Fusion for Constrained SMC Methods and Applications

Information Fusion is a field that studies processes utilizing data from various input sources, and techniques exploiting this data to produce estimates and knowledge about objects and situations. On the other hand, human computation is a new and evolving research area that uses human intelligence to solve computational problems that are beyond the scope of existing artificial intelligence algorithms. In previous systems, humans' role was mostly restricted for analysing a finished fusion product; however, in the current systems the role of humans is an integral element in a distributed framework, where many tasks can be accomplished by either humans or machines. Moreover, some information can be provided only by humans not machines, because the observational capabilities and opportunities for traditional electronic (hard) sensors are limited. A source-reliability-adaptive distributed non-linear estimation method applicable to a number of distributed state estimation problems is proposed. The proposed method requires only local data exchange among neighbouring sensor nodes. It therefore provides enhanced reliability, scalability, and ease of deployment. In particular, by taking into account the estimation reliability of each sensor node at any point in time, it yields a more robust distributed estimation. To perform the Multi-Model Particle Filtering (MMPF) in an adaptive distributed manner, a Gaussian approximation of the particle cloud obtained at each sensor node, along with a weighted Consensus Propagation (CP)-based distributed data aggregation scheme, are deployed to dynamically re-weight the particle clouds. The filtering is a soft-data-constrained variant of multi-model particle filter, and is capable of processing both soft human-generated data and conventional hard sensory data. If permanent noise occurs in the estimation provided by a sensor node, due to either a faulty sensing device or misleading soft data, the contribution of that node in the weighted consensus process is immediately reduced in order to alleviate its effect on the estimation provided by the neighbouring nodes and the entire network. The robustness of the proposed source-reliability-adaptive distributed estimation method is demonstrated through simulation results for agile target tracking scenarios. Agility here refers to cases in which the observed dynamics of targets deviate from the given probabilistic characterization. Furthermore, the same concept is applied to model soft data constrained multiple-model Probability Hypothesis Density (PHD) filter that can track agile multiple targets with non-linear dynamics, which is a challenging problem. In this case, a Sequential Monte Carlo-Probability Hypothesis Density (SMC-PHD) filter deploys a Random Set (RS) theoretic formulation, along with Sequential Monte Carlo approximation, a variant of Bayes filtering. In general, the performance of Bayesian filtering-based methods can be enhanced by using extra information incorporated as specific constraints into the filtering process. Following the same principle, the new approach uses a constrained variant of the SMC-PHD filter, in which a fuzzy logic approach is used to transform the inherently vague human-generated data into a set of constraints. These constraints are then enforced on the filtering process by applying them as coefficients to the particles' weights. Because the human generated Soft Data (SD), reports on target-agility level, the proposed constrained-filtering approach is capable of dealing with multiple agile target tracking scenarios

The Role of Free Zones in the Development of Tourism: Case Study of Kish Island

The current research investigates the role of free zones in the development of tourism. For this reason, it firstly studies the tourism status in the World, Iran and the Kish Island, illustrates the history, goals and functions of the free zones and investigates the pros and cons of free zones in the development of tourism. A documentary and library research method was used to conduct this survey. The results implied that free zones, particularly Kish, can attract tourists to satisfy the economic goals as it has mentioned in the Law of Free Zones and the National Economic, Social and Cultural Plan. Each of these zones has unique characteristics which are suitable for the achievement of these goals. Establishment of international exhibitions, sport stadiums, theater halls, modern cinemas, equipped hotels, shopping malls, and hospitals and health centers can be considered by the managers in this island