From peripheral to core: a case study of a 3D printing firm on business ecosystems reconstruction

ABSTRACT

The rapid development of emerging digital technologies is giving peripheral firm, which is participant in secondary and complementary positions in a business ecosystem, unprecedented opportunities to shape its own ecosystem. Prior ecosystem studies mainly focus on the perspective of core firm, while few taking the perspective of peripheral firms. Using the case of a leading 3D printing firm in China, this study adopts resource orchestration as theoretical lens and investigates how a peripheral firm developed its business ecosystem and became a core firm in its own digital ecosystem. Specifically, this study identifies three stages of ecosystem development and the detailed processes and mechanisms, respectively. It contributes to the literature by exploring the ecosystem dynamics from an understudied perspective and identifying the processes and mechanisms of peripheral firms developing its ecosystem towards digital ecosystem. It also sheds lights for peripheral firms in existing business ecosystems in their business strategy development.     

Concepts and practices of digital virtual consumption

Despite the popularity of online spaces that simulate aspects of consumption‐like experiences (online virtual worlds, video games and interactive functions on online retailers) conceptual tools that aim to comprehend such consumer practices are yet to emerge. In an effort to better understand them this paper puts forward a taxonomy that may help us capture emerging consumer behavior in the digital virtual terrain in relation to virtual and material consumption. This may be read as a fluid template that considers the movement between what resides in consumer imaginations as ideal or virtual, its actualization in material and now also digital virtual spaces. We then offer examples of the practices that are emerging, specifically the increase in imaginative resources that interactive media provide; practices that actualize probable, everyday commodities and experiences in the digital virtual and practices that actualize fantastic commodities and experiences in the digital virtual. Finally, we discuss the potential for these to produce new consumer subjectivities and new markets, and as a result we conclude with a discussion of the implications of such developments for consumer cultures, noting the potential for both liberatory/celebratory and critical discourse as well as avenues for future research.     

Exciting on Facebook or competent in the newspaper? Media effects on consumers’ perceptions of brands in the fashion category

Abstract

Media investments are continuously shifting from traditional media like newspapers to digital alternatives like websites and social media. This study investigated if and how media choice between the two rival channels can influence consumers’ perceptions of a novel brand. 504 Swedish retail fashion customers participated in an experiment to evaluate the identical advertisement placed either in a national newspaper or on Facebook. The results revealed that advertising in a newspaper can have a positive effect on brand equity facets and purchase intention through brand personality perceptions of being competent, while advertising on Facebook have similar effects but through perceptions of being exciting. Besides some evidence that choice between traditional and new media affects brand personality this study is one of the first attempts to incorporate media channel choice into the broader customer-based brand equity framework. The results from this particular study suggest that media channel choice should be considered from a brand equity building perspective at least in the fashion category. This study shows that different media channels could complement each other strategically, as traditional media channels still can have valuable and unique contributions to brand building through brand personality perceptions, especially for brands striving to be perceived as competent.     

大气激光通信中压缩数字脉冲间隔调制技术

为了提高大气光通信信息传输的高效性和可靠性,提出一种压缩数字脉冲间隔调制（CDPIM）技术。该技术对相邻4位信息码组分别经PPM编码后,把编码脉冲之间多余的空闲时隙用分段压缩码进行替换来进行编码。描述了CDPIM的符号结构,运用Matlab对发射功率、频带利用率、信道容量占用率、传输误包率等的仿真结果表明：在相同位分辨率4时,CDPIM的发射功率比FDPIM的发射功率节约23%,CDPIM的频带利用率比DPIM的频带利用率提高72%,CDPIM的传输容量比OOK的传输容量提高67%。在相同信噪比2时,CDPIM的误包率比DPIM的误包率提高60%,而且CDPIM调制技术能对接收的错误码组进行有效的自我纠错。     

新型宽带数字多波束相控阵天线设计

传统相控阵天线系统为实现多波束,在重量、体积、功耗等方面会有明显的增加,系统的基 本可靠性也显著降低。基于软件无线电思想,利用超外差结构实现宽带信号变频,并对瞬时 带宽内的信号同时进行模/数或数/模变换,再根据串口提供的每个波束方位、俯仰和频率等 信息,在基带实现数字多波束形成。设计了一套S频段、瞬时宽带100MHz的数字多波束 相控阵天线系统。测试结果表明,该天线可收发同时形成3个独立波束,每个波束在俯仰面0 °～70°、方位面全向的扫描范围内实现EIRP值不小于40 dBm,G/T值不小于-20 dB/K的优良指标。该设计可以有效提高系统灵活性,降低系统的复杂度。     

星载AIS信号的带通采样与恢复

针对卫星接收机对模拟器件性能要求较高的问题,提出直接对接收到的射频信号进行采样,将模拟信号转换成数字信号,后续处理用软件模块实现的方法。同时结合自动识别系统（AIS）本身两个载波频率接近以及带宽较窄的特点,根据Nyquist带通抽样定理实现以较低速率采样来获取船舶状态信息,研究了一种星载AIS信号全数字解调方法和信息检测恢复技术。首先介绍了带通采样原理,其次详细研究了多用户AIS信号采样频率的确定、两个频道信号分离方法以及单通道信号如何下变频为基带信号,其中基带信号检测采用简化的基于Viterbi的非相干检测方法,最后结合AIS协议进行信号的恢复,并通过示波器采集实际船台发送的AIS信号进行了实验,验证了该过程的正确性。     

高校教师对延迟退休年龄意愿的实证研究——基于成都市高校教师的调查

通过PPS抽样从成都市随机抽取了九所高校,并就其专任教师对延迟退休年龄的意愿进行了问卷调查,得到影响成都市高校教师退休意愿影响因素的数据,建立了二维选择logistic回归模型。是否延迟退休年龄的主要影响因素为性别、收入、和身体健康状况。对赞成延迟退休教师的意愿退休年龄进行了分布检验,发现其服从正态分布,并预测出赞成延迟退休的男教师意愿退休年龄为64-65岁,女教师的意愿退休年龄为61-62岁。     

少数民族学生档案个性化管理问题及对策

学生档案管理是国家人事档案的组成部分,对于学生发展及学校管理都具有重要意义。而在少数民族地区,特别是拥有特殊语言、文字及文化的少数民族高校,其学生档案管理又存在一定程度的特殊性。而目前的少数民族高校普遍对这一特殊性认识不足,主要体现在粗放式管理、信息化程度低、个性化规范不足等问题。鉴于这些问题,需要针对少数民族地区学生的特殊性,从档案的内容、记录方式、管理制度等方面进行适应化调整及规范,以满足少数民族地区的具体需要。     

Hear nothing,do nothing: The role of word of mouth in the decision-making of older consumers

Abstract

In some product categories, older consumers (aged 65+) tend to be more brand loyal, have smaller consideration sets and defer purchase more than younger consumers. This conservative behaviour may arise, in part, because older people are more socially isolated and thus receive less social influence relating to product options. In this multi-study research, the volume of word of mouth (WOM) is used as an indicator of social influence. The WOM received by men and women falls substantially beyond age 65, indicating that a deficit in advice may be part of the explanation for conservative decision-making. To test this proposition, the duration of customer tenure of the current brand (how long the respondent has been a customer) is used as a measure of purchase deferral and, as predicted, tenure is longer when less WOM is received. This evidence indicates that some older consumers experience a degree of social isolation, which affects their decision-making. In marketing and social policy, there is a need to promote procedures, technologies and institutions that help older people to connect with others.     

How are young music artists configuring their media and sales platforms in the digital age?

Abstract

Research on how music artists generate sales from their content through different platforms is scant. In this study, configuration theory is used to show that different market access configurations are viable simultaneously and that young musicians differ significantly in how they generate revenues. Using data on the media and sales performance of 338 young musicians in the Netherlands, we show that there is an ‘Emerging Star’ group (7–13% of artists depending on regional scope) and that record labels play an important role in this configuration providing broad media access on all platforms, both old and new. Digital age ‘Independents’ (14% of young artists), mostly without a record label, seem to benefit from the use of social media while exploiting synergies around live music. All artists in the remaining groups ‘Question Marks’ and ‘Hobbyists’ experience low to very low performance on all platforms. This study shows that configuration theory can provide detailed insight into viable and unviable marketing strategies. In particular, it shows that the globally declining music CD platform can still be very important for specific artists that exploit synergies between live performances, on-site CD sales and social media fan relationship management. The implications for marketing theory and young music artists are discussed.