Signs and Practices: Coordinating Service and Relationships

The world is full of signs (symbols, signifiers). They guide us in supermarkets, on highways and in airports. They even guide us to the right bathroom. Signs have a huge impact if they are used as logos or in advertisements. Signs also help us when we read manuals or when we use a remote control. Signs are used everywhere. Signs render service as they are “applications of skills and knowledge for the benefit of another party” (Vargo and Lusch 2004, 2008). Like all offerings signs only render service if they are used in some way. This article will argue that the usage of signs depends on the practices they are embedded in. It is argued that signs do not gain their full meaning and do not serve or create any value unless they are embedded in practices. Since signs are explicit and practices mainly implicit they are both necessary to serve and more importantly to (co-)create value. Signs and practices are two sides of the same coin so both they (and their interrelation) have to be understood in order to offer a better service.     

Cooperative and non-cooperative R&D and trade costs

We examine the effect of trade liberalization on the level and mode of R&D in an international duopoly setting. Firms have the choice to invest in R&D either independently or cooperatively. A reduction in trade cost increases R&D irrespective of the mode of R&D. However, an increase in spillovers has ambiguous effects on R&D. More precisely, we find that an increase in spillover leads to higher R&D activity under cooperation but lower R&D activity under non-cooperation. Concerning cooperation versus non-cooperation, we find that firms prefer cooperation only if trade costs are low. Consumers are better off under cooperation if spillovers are high. We find that there can be a mismatch between private and social incentives. If spillovers are low and trade costs are low then cooperation might be privately profitable but socially undesirable. On the other hand, if there are large spillovers and high trade costs then cooperation may be socially desirable but not privately profitable.     

国内外异丙苯生产技术进展及市场分析

介绍了国内外异丙苯生产技术新进展,分析了国内外异丙苯的供需现状及发展前景,提出了发展我国异丙苯生产的建议.     

丁二烯生产技术及国内外市场分析

介绍了丁二烯的生产方法，分析了国内外丁二烯的生产消费现状及市场前景，提出了发展我国丁二烯生产的一些建议。     

乙二醇生产技术及国内外市场分析

介绍了乙二醇的生产技术情况，分析了国内外乙二醇的生产消费现状及市场前景，提出了发展我国乙二醇生产的一些建议。     

世界苯酚市场现状和前景

介绍了苯酚的生产技术进展,分析了国内外苯酚的生产消费现状和市场前景,提出发展我国苯酚生产的一些建议。     

顺酐生产技术及国内外市场分析

本文介绍了顺酐的生产方法，分析了国内外顺酐的生产和消费情况，提出了发展我国顺酐生产的一些建议。     

基于DOCSIS的CM和CMTS的设计与实现

本文从物流产业的发展必须遵循的一般规律出发,认为传统物流是我国目前物流产业发展的重点,但这并不排斥局部领域内现代物流的发展。同时要发展传统物流,从物流产业内部看,就是要培育第三方物流,从物流产业外部看,就是要对传统的物流体制进行彻底改造。     

肌醇的应用、市场及技术进展

分析了肌醇的生产，应用及市场，综述了肌醇传统生产工艺的技术进步及新工艺的研究开发。     

丁基橡胶生产技术及国内外市场分析

介绍了丁基橡胶的生产方法,分析了国内外丁基橡胶的生产消费现状及市场前景,提出了发展我国丁基橡胶生产的一些建议.     

L-谷氨酰胺的生理特性及其应用

L-谷氨酰胺作为人体中含量最多的一种氨基酸,在调节人体蛋白质的合成、抑制蛋白质的降解、刺激细胞生长、激活免疫功能、提高生长激素水平方面起着重要作用。本文阐述了L-谷氨酰胺的生理特性及其应用。     

丁二烯的生产技术及国内外市场分析

介绍了丁二烯主要生产工艺乙腈法(ACN法)、二甲基甲酰胺法(DMF法)和N-甲基吡咯烷酮法(NMP法)的技术特点,分析了国内外丁二烯的生产消费现状及发展前景,提出了发展我国丁二烯生产的建议.     

Women and the Demand for Alcohol: Estimating Participation and Consumption

Demand models which are alternatives to the widely used Tobit model are specified and estimated. These alternative models allow the consumer to choose whether or not to participate in a particular market, and if so, to choose the level of consumption. This approach is contrasted to the Tobit model which assumes all consumers are potential users of a good and that consumption levels and market participation are influenced by the same variables in the same way.     

乙二醛的国内外生产消费及发展建议

本文介绍了乙二醛的生产方法，分析了国内外乙二醛的生产现状和市场情况，提出了我国乙二醛行业今后的发展建议。     

Advertising and older consumers: image and ageism

Despite a growing population of older people, traditional prejudices against age continue to flourish in society. The media in particular are often guilty of ageism, persistently focusing upon the 'youth market', and advertisers are particular offenders. By ignoring older people, or using them as caricatures, the advertising industry not only violates its ethical responsibilities to this group within the community, but also overlooks the commercial opportunity presented by the new generation of older consumers. The article presents research into UK print media which shows that older people tend not to be featured in advertisements in mainstream publications, but are prominent in advertisements in publications for the over-fifties. The issues this raises in terms of the duty of advertisers to respect the rights of older people are discussed, along with the commercial imperative to provide more appropriate images of older people in UK advertising.     

Hospitals and reengineering

One of the key success factors for reengineering in hospitals will be the ability of health care leaders to redefine their organizations in terms of process. Hospital managers are responding with anything from mergers to minor shifts in strategic thinking. Some hospital leaders answering the call for significant change are faced without dated models that are complex and inflexible.     

Culture and negotiation

Negotiation has three elements: predisposing factors, process, and outcomes. Process is the art and outcomes is the science of negotiation. Culture adds a new consideration that affects each element. Culture's effects on negotiation are studied using Geert Hofstede's dimensional model of culture. The negotiation process and Hofstede's culture model are combined in four settings. The settings are defined by two factors, if the negotiation is within or between cultures and the role of the participant as a negotiator or intervener. The predicted effects of culture on the process and outcome are detailed for each setting. Then the outcomes of the negotiation decision are discussed in terms of Hofstede's model, especially “Uncertainty Avoidance” and “Masculinity-Femininity” dimensions. Culture clearly influences each aspect of negotiation. Understanding culture can make the participants more effective negotiators and interveners.     

苯胺的生产技术及国内外市场分析

介绍了苯胺的生产方法，分析了国内外苯胺的生产和消费情况，针对目前我国苯胺生产状况及存在的问题，提出了我国苯胺今后发展的一些建议。     

醋酐的生产技术及国内外市场分析

本文介绍了醋酐的生产技术,分析了国内外醋酐的生产消费现状及发展前景,提出了发展我国醋酐生产的建议。     

ABS树脂的生产技术及国内外市场分析

介绍了ABS树脂的生产方法,分析了国内外ABS树脂的生产消费现状和市场前景,提出了发展我国ABS树脂生产的一些建议.