Tank failure modes and their consequences

The question of tank failure is addressed for both cryogenic (LFG) and atmospheric (Crude Oil) designs. An analysis of the consequences of an assumed axisymmetric mode of failure of a liquid storage tank is presented in an effort to answer the question.     

基于土地出让行为的地方政府竞争与经济增长

本文利用2004～2009年中国地级及以上城市的面板数据,实证分析了地方政府通过土地价格竞争和土地财政支出竞争两种方式吸引投资、促进增长的策略,评估了两种策略在全国和地区尺度上的实施效果及其区域差异。研究发现,在全国尺度上,土地价格竞争和土地财政支出竞争两种手段都对城市经济增长产生了显著的促进作用。地区层面的进一步分析发现,土地价格竞争的经济增长效应主要体现在中部地区,而土地财政支出竞争则在东部和西部地区对经济增长有显著的影响。     

On the importance of matching strategic behavior and target market selection to business strategy in high-tech markets

Business strategy is fundamentally concerned with the actions required to create superior customer value in the firm’s target markets with the ultimate goal of achieving superior performance. Marketing theory suggests that two critical marketing activities required to achieve this end are: (1) the adoption of appropriate strategic behaviors (i.e., customer-oriented, competitor-oriented, technology-oriented) and (2) targeting of the appropriate market segments (i.e., innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, laggards). This study builds on prior research which demonstrates that the strategic behavior—firm performance relationship is contingent on the firm’s strategy by examining this relationship in high tech markets and by considering the incremental contribution of appropriate target market selection. Responses from 160 senior marketing managers in high-tech firms reveal strong support for our framework. Thus, this study provides useful guidance to executives and managers in high-tech firms regarding the steps that they should take to increase their probability of success.

Do Teachers Matter? Measuring the Variation in Teacher Effectiveness in England*

Using a unique primary dataset for the UK, we estimate the effect of individual teachers on student outcomes, and the variability in teacher quality. This links 7,305 pupils to the individual teachers who taught them, in each of their compulsory subjects in the high‐stakes exams at age 16. We use point‐in‐time fixed effects and prior attainment to control for pupil heterogeneity. We find considerable variability in teacher effectiveness, a little higher than the estimates found in the few US studies. We also corroborate recent findings that observed teachers’ characteristics explain very little of the differences in estimated teacher effectiveness.     

The contribution of native species to sense of place

The approach of promoting a destination through native resources is intriguing. This research attempted to assess the role of native species in contributing to the success of a destination through their contribution to sense of place. It illustrated the mechanisms and preconditions through which native species can contribute to the distinctiveness of a destination. This research has uncovered a number of factors explaining the potential of a native species to become a viable contributor to a destination's sense of place. In a nutshell, a prospective native species can potentially become a viable option with which a destination can build its sense of place and overall identity if that particular species has a strong biological foundation in the natural environment; if it has been embraced or endeared by residents through social and historical processes; and if there are ample opportunities for tourists to experience and interact with it, through which endearment among tourists and a strong sense of place can be built. The Provençal cicada was used as an illustrative case. The adoption of the cicada by Bouches-du-Rhône tourism as a regional symbol and for use in its communications reinforces the cicada's contribution to the destination's identity and sense of place.     

Chinese consumer decision-making styles: A comparison between the coastal and inland regions

China is rapidly becoming an important market for consumer goods, but relatively little is known about variations in consumer shopping patterns in different regions of China. We employ a cultural materialism perspective in understanding decision-making styles of inland and coastal shoppers. Our findings reveal that consumers in the two regional markets do not differ in utilitarian shopping styles but they do in hedonic shopping styles. Marketers need to understand these differences to be able to market effectively to consumers in different regional markets within China.     

Patterns of care and burden of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in Brazil

Aims: Although several therapeutic options are available for chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (cITP), little is known about the treatment of cITP in Brazil.

Materials and methods: A multi-center, retrospective chart review, observational study was designed to describe the treatment patterns, clinical burden, resources use, and associated costs for adult patients diagnosed with cITP and treated in public and private institutions in Brazil. Patient charts were screened in reverse chronological order based on their last visit post January 1, 2012. (All costs were calculated using 1.00 USD?=?3.9571 BRL, from February 2016.)

Results: Of 340 patient charts screened, 50 patients were eligible for inclusion in the study. Single-drug therapy (prednisone, dexamethasone, or dapsone) was the most commonly used treatment, followed by combination therapies (azathioprine?+?prednisone, azathioprine?+?prednisone?+?danazol, and prednisone?+?dapsone). Splenectomy was performed in 22% of patients after at least first-line treatment. Platelet count and number of bleeding episodes at diagnosis were 31,561.1/mm³ (SD?=?±26,396.1) and 40 episodes, respectively; in first-line, 92,631.1/mm³ (SD?=?±79,955.3) and 19 episodes, respectively; in second-line, 96,950.0/mm³ (SD?=?±76,476.4) and 17 episodes, respectively. Private system patients had a higher median cost compared to public system patients (USD 17.49/month, range?=?0–2,020.77 vs USD 9.51/month, range?=?0–192.64, respectively).

Limitations: This study does not allow conclusions for causal explanations due to the cohort study design, and treatment patterns represent only the practices of physicians who have agreed to participate in the study.

Conclusions: The data indicate that available therapeutic strategies for second- and third-line therapies appear to be limited.     

Defining the “global” in global leadership

While scholars have begun to develop the conceptual foundations of global leadership, few attempts have been made to unify the plethora of existing definitions. We argue that the lack of a precise, rigorous and commonly accepted definition of global leadership limits the field's conceptual and empirical progress. Building on recommended practice for construct definitions, we first review and critique existing definitions of global leadership. Second, we specifically focus on explicating the global construct encompassed by the global leadership phenomenon and propose three dimensions along which this sub-construct can be analyzed: complexity, flow, and presence. Finally, we offer a revised construct definition and conclude with implications for research and practice.