This research investigates whether early mover advantage (EMA) exists among entrepreneurial e-tailers operating on third-party e-commerce platforms. Contrary to traditional wisdom, the current ...research hypothesizes that e-tailers may enjoy early mover advantages because of the consumer demand inertia amplified by the nature of the Internet and the system design characteristics of e-commerce platforms. We also argue that customer relationship management capabilities help enhance early mover advantages in an online setting. We employ panel data on 7309 e-tailers to perform analyses and find empirical evidence that strongly supports the abovementioned hypotheses.
This editorial reports on a thorough analysis of the abundance and scarcity distribution of chemical elements and the minerals they form in the Earth, Sun, and Universe in connection with their ...number of neutrons and binding energy per nucleon. On one hand, understanding the elements' formation and their specific properties related to their electronic and nucleonic structure may lead to understanding whether future solutions to replace certain elements or materials for specific technical applications are realistic. On the other hand, finding solutions to the critical availability of some of these elements is an urgent need. Even the analysis of the availability of scarce minerals from European Union sources leads to the suggestion that a wide-ranging approach is essential. These two fundamental assumptions represent also the logical approach that led the European Commission to ask for a multi-disciplinary effort from the scientific community to tackle the challenge of Critical Raw Materials. This editorial is also the story of one of the first fulcrum around which a wide network of material scientists gathered thanks to the support of the funding organization for research and innovation networks, COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).
PurposeThe research empirically examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) integrated with social customer relationship management (SCRM) in multinational enterprises (MNEs) towards ...international relationship management under social distancing conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe study initially undertakes pertinently focused theoretical research in the fields of international marketing, knowledge management, and customer relationship management. And, utilizing the theories of resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capability view (DCV) theory, the study develops a theoretical model that is subsequently empirically validated through a survey and structural equation modeling.FindingsThe study highlights the importance and means of adopting AI-integrated social CRM by MNEs, in the context of international relationship management, under the Covid-19 social distancing conditions. The study more specifically elucidates the role and significance of MNE leadership approach and support towards the adoption of AI-integrated social CRM systems and, ultimately, performance improvement of MNEs under such conditions.Research limitations/implicationsThe study presents insights and prescriptive explications on a topic at the heart of state-of the-art technology-based international marketing in the explicit context of the primary business-defining environment of the Covid-19 pandemic. The research provides practicable suggestions to MNEs' leadership towards the adoption of an AI-integrated social CRM system. And the study presents a unique model for international relationship management under social distancing conditions, potentially applicable during other crises.Originality/valueThe research is original and on a ‘fresh’ topic that combines the latest technological advancements in business (AI-integrated CRM) with the present critical business context (pandemic). The research develops a tested theoretical model that (a) is unique in its field; (b) provides a solid foundation for further research; (c) bears generic value and application during other-than-Covid-19 conditions; and (d) enhances the understanding of important fields of international marketing, including international customer relationship management and global knowledge management.
This paper provided a novel definition of customer knowledge management (CKM) as the logical intersection of customer relationship management (CRM) and knowledge management (KM). The main aim was to ...investigate the digital technologies supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in creative industries in their customer knowledge management strategies. To achieve this aim, a survey involving 73 handicraft and/or retail SMEs operating in luxury jewelry industry was conducted. The survey results pointed out that in a few years the scenario has changed and that surveyed SMEs make more intensive use of traditional technologies supporting customer knowledge management processes rather than more innovative digital technologies, which are also cheap and easy to use. This finding showed the difficulties of SMEs operating in creative industries to be responsive to the rapid technological changes that are affecting CKM, as well as the lack of support from information technology vendors in the decision-making process for choosing adequate digital systems.
A certified reference material (CRM), KRISS CRM 108–02-006, was developed for the accurate analysis of low levels of acrylamide in infant formula matrices. The CRM is an infant formula fortified with ...acrylamide at a similar level as that stipulated by the European Union regulation for baby food. Commercially available infant formulas were processed by freeze-drying, and the subsequent homogenization of the fortified material to produce 961 bottles of the CRM in one batch. The CRM bottles containing approximately 15 g of the material in each unit were stored in a storage room at − 70 ℃. High-purity acrylamide was used as the primary reference material, and its purity was assessed using an in-house mass-balance method to obtain results metrologically traceable to the International System of Units. The acrylamide content of the infant formula CRM was evaluated using isotope dilution–liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry as a reference method, which was established by our research group. An acrylamide content of 55.7 ± 2.1 μg/kg was assigned as the certified value of the CRM with the expanded uncertainty at a 95% confidence level. The homogeneity study showed good uniformity of the acrylamide content among units, providing a relative standard deviation of 1.2% of the mean value. A stability study was also performed by monitoring the CRM under different temperature conditions and periods. The stability results indicated that the acrylamide content in the CRM under the storage conditions of − 70 ℃ remained stable for up to 10 months.
Graphical abstract
Abstract
Plant chloroplast RNA splicing and ribosome maturation (CRM)-domain-containing proteins are capable of binding RNA to facilitate the splicing of group I or II introns in chloroplasts, but ...their functions in mitochondria are less clear. In the present study, Arabidopsis thaliana CFM6, a protein with a single CRM domain, was expressed in most plant tissues, particularly in flower tissues, and restricted to mitochondria. Mutation of CFM6 causes severe growth defects, including stunted growth, curled leaves, delayed embryogenesis and pollen development. CFM6 functions specifically in the splicing of group II intron 4 of nad5, which encodes a subunit of mitochondrial complex I, as evidenced by the loss of nad5 intron 4 splicing and high accumulation of its pretranscripts in cfm6 mutants. The phenotypic and splicing defects of cfm6 were rescued in transgenic plants overexpressing 35S::CFM6-YFP. Splicing failure in cfm6 also led to the loss of complex I activity and to its improper assembly. Moreover, dysfunction of complex I induced the expression of proteins or genes involved in alternative respiratory pathways in cfm6. Collectively, CFM6, a previously uncharacterized CRM domain-containing protein, is specifically involved in the cis-splicing of nad5 intron 4 and plays a pivotal role in mitochondrial complex I biogenesis and normal plant growth.
İşletmelerin sürdürülebilirliği açısından müşteri ilişkileri yönetimi (CRM) ele alınması gereken en önemli konulardan biridir. Faaliyetlerinin merkezine müşteriyi koyan ve müşterileriyle olan ...ilişkisini verimli bir şekilde kullanan işletmeler rakiplerine göre rekabet üstünlüğü sağlayarak mevcut konumlarını sağlamlaştırmaktadır. Müşteri ilişkileri yönetiminin bir ihtiyaç haline gelmesiyle birlikte ülkemizde ve tüm dünyada teknoloji firmaları tarafından CRM yazılımları geliştirilmektedir. Yazılım alternatiflerinin ve seçim kriterlerinin çokluğu CRM yazılımı seçimi kararını zorlaştırmaktadır. Konaklama işletmeleri gibi aynı anda pek çok departmanda kullanılacak bu yazılımın seçiminde departman yöneticilerinin ortak görüşü de büyük önem kazanmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Antalya’da faaliyet gösteren beş yıldızlı bir konaklama işletmesinin CRM yazılımı seçimi ele alınmaktadır. Çalışmada kriterlerin belirlenmesi ve elenmesinde Delphi tekniğinden faydalanılmıştır. Belirlenen kriterlerin ağırlıklarının hesaplanması DEMATEL yöntemi ile yapılmıştır. Elde edilen ağırlıklar TODIM yöntemine girdi olarak kullanılarak işletme için en uygun CRM yazılımı belirlenmiştir.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of mortality in the West, and rectal cancer accounts for about 25% of the colon cancers. The concept of total mesothelial excision (TME) was the most ...important event in surgery for rectal cancer of the last two decades, because even without a curative approach, it reduced local recurrence and extended 5-year survival.
Purpose
As the application of gamification is gaining great attention and has grown increasingly, thousands of these applications can be easily obtained from mobile phone stores, thus causing ...intensified competition and discontinuance of use accordingly. Besides, though understanding what factors influence the discontinuance of use of information systems (ISs) is critical for theoretical as well as practical reasons, studies pertaining to the saliency of the final phase, termination of an IS, are still limited. As such, the purpose of this paper is to propose a holistic view to fulfill the above-mentioned research gaps based on the expectation-confirmation model with other salient factors such regret, habit and gamification app values.
Design/methodology/approach
The context of a fitness gamification app is investigated. A total of 210 valid responses were received, and structural equation modeling was applied for data analysis.
Findings
The findings of this paper are as follows: among all factors influencing discontinuance intention, regret is the strongest, habit is second and gamification is third; among all factors affecting user satisfaction, gamification app value is the strongest, confirmation is second, perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use are third and regret is the last one; for factors influencing users’ habits, satisfaction is the strongest, following by PU and frequency of prior use; confirmation negatively influences the degree of regret; and confirmation positively influences PU.
Originality/value
This study highlights the important determinants influencing users’ discontinuance intentions in the context of gamification apps by incorporating two overlooked factors, regret and habit. Besides, this study suggests that app designers can not only increase user’s perceived value through external cooperation with other alternatives, but can be through internal enhancement with diverse services development as well.
The aim of this study was to characterize the tissue involving the margin and study if this information will affect margin prediction on restaging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in low rectal ...adenocarcinoma (LRC) patients treated with neoadjuvant long-course chemoradiotherapy (LCCRT).
In this retrospective study of nonmetastatic LRC (distal margin <5 cm from the anal verge) treated with LCCRT followed by surgery, a radiologist blinded to outcome reread the restaging MRI and documented if the radial margin was involved by tumor, fibrosis, or mucin reaction using T2 high-resolution (HR) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). The diagnostic performance of tumor-involving margin on restaging MRI was assessed using surgical histopathology as a reference. Interobserver agreement between three independent radiologists was assessed in a subset.
We included 133 patients (80 males and 53 females) with a mean (range) age of 44.7 (21-86) years and 82% of them had well or moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Baseline MRI showed T3 (
= 58) or T4 (
= 60) disease in 89% of the patients. The pathological margin was positive in 21% (
= 28) cases. In restaging MRI, the circumferential resection margin (CRM) ≤1 mm in 75.1% (
= 100) cases and MRI predicted tumor, fibrosis, and mucin reaction at the margin in 60, 34, and 6%, respectively, and histopathology showed tumor cells in 33, 14.7, and 16.6% of them, respectively. LRC with tumor-involving margin and bad response (MR tumor regression grade mr-TRG 3-5) on restaging MRI had fourfold increased risk of positive pathological circumferential resection margin (pCRM). There was moderate and fair inter-reader agreement for the tissue type involving the CRM (
= 0.471) and mr-TRG (
= 0.266),
< 0.05. The use of both distance criteria and tumor-involving margins improved the diagnostic accuracy for margin prediction from 39 to 66% on restaging MRI.
Margin prediction on restaging MRI can be improved by characterizing the tissue type involving the margin in low rectal cancer patients. The inter-reader agreement was moderate for determining the tissue type.
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