Managing Product Rollovers

We study the product rollover strategy decision, where a firm decides whether to phase out an old generation of a product to be replaced by a new with either a dual or single roll. Our model considers a final build of the old product and preannouncement of the new, and incorporates dynamic pricing and inventory decisions. We find that the optimal price path closely follows changes in reservation price curves for the two products over time. We also identify the drivers of the rollover strategy decision, finding that lower market risk (faster diffusion, higher market responsiveness to preannouncements) and higher performance improvement for the new generation are associated with the single roll strategy.     

A Qualitative Analysis of Strengths and Vulnerabilities in Sexually Assaulted Women

Clinicians and researchers alike have pointed to the considerable variation in trauma responses among women who have been raped. This qualitative study attempts to enhance the understanding of strengths and vulnerabilities in women who have been sexually assaulted and factors which influence their recovery. The results of the study suggest that there is an association between a woman's post-traumatic stress response to rape and her pre-existing perceptions of self and other. Women with positive early life experiences were able to mobilize adaptive coping mechanisms and thereby diminish the long-term impact of the sexual assault experience. In contrast, women with disruptive or traumatic early life experiences appeared to have negative views of self and other reinforced, which subsequently interfered with their ability to activate adaptive coping mechanisms. Implications of these findings for the development of treatment programs are discussed.     

A preliminary investigation of post-traumatic stress symptoms among firefighters

Emergency service personnel are at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is little in-depth information on the psychological responses of firefighters to the daily incidents that they attend. This preliminary study aimed to investigate the PTSD symptoms of firefighters in relation to traumatic events experienced by them, and the availability of social support. Thirty-one UK fire service workers completed an adapted version of the Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS; Foa, 1995) to investigate the existence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They were also individually interviewed to explore the symptoms they had experienced, what events these were related to, types of social support and coping strategies. Two participants reached the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. Rumination and sleep disturbance were the most commonly reported PTSD symptoms. Participants reported high levels of social support from within the service and outside. The results suggest that fire service personnel are at risk of developing some symptoms of PTSD; however most had not experienced severe enough symptoms for PTSD to be diagnosed. The study suggests that high levels of social support may play a role in buffering firefighters from the development of PTSD.     

Analysis of human capital development in Puerto Rico: summary and conclusions

This study explored whether perceptions of organizational business ethics differ by hierarchical levels. The study sample included more than 40,000 executives, mid-level managers and non-managerial employees from business organizations in six countries: Brazil, China, Germany, India, the UK and the US. We found that executives provided the most positive assessment of ethical business culture within their respective organizations. Employees’ assessments were less positive, and mid-level managers’ assessments fell in the middle. Organizational size and respondents’ age were not related to differences in responses. Statistically significant differences among hierarchical levels were found in Brazil, the US, Germany, the UK and China. Differences were not significant in India. Executives with longer tenure at the same organization tended to provide higher ratings of organizations’ ethical cultures, while managers’ and employees’ ratings tended to decrease with time.     

Introduction to Innovation WITHIN and ACROSS Borders: A Review and Future Directions

Innovation is an integral part of every firm's ongoing operations. While new product and service creation is an essential task to ensure a firm's immediate success in the marketplace, process and supply chain innovations can also create a unique source of competitive advantage for the future. Encouraging innovative thinking, developing new innovations, and managing the processes by which those innovations are developed are critical aspects of today's firm. Consequently, research which aids in the creation and maintenance of innovative firms is an important topic of inquiry for research communities on innovation management, including the operations management and information systems communities. We review the literature in this important area and offer suggestions for future research on the following topics: innovation within a firm and across the supply chain, technology management, and new product and service development.     

Trauma symptoms, sexual behaviors, and substance abuse: correlates of childhood sexual abuse and HIV risks among men who have sex with men

Childhood sexual abuse is associated with high-risk sexual behavior in men who have sex with men. This study examined psychological and behavioral correlates of HIV risk behavior associated with childhood sexual abuse in a sample of men who have sex with men. Men attending a large gay pride event (N = 647) completed anonymous surveys that assessed demographic characteristics, childhood sexual abuse history, symptoms of dissociation and trauma-related anxiety, borderline personality characteristics, substance use, and sexual risk behavior. Results indicated that men who have a history of childhood sexual abuse were more likely to: engage in high-risk sexual behavior (i.e., unprotected receptive anal intercourse), trade sex for money or drugs, report being HIV positive, and experience non-sexual relationship violence. Results of this study extend previous research to show that men who have sex with men and who have a history of child sexual abuse are more likely to be at high risk for HIV infection.     

从体验管理的角度透视中国大型购物中心——以世纪金源为例

Mall是未来5~10年零售业发展的主要趋势,现在已经在中国呈现出迅猛发展势头,但也出现很多问题。以Mall的本质特征为基础,从体验管理的角度出发,在目标顾客、战略定位、交通、商店布局、商店定位、环境和服务等方面对中国Mall中存在的营销和管理问题进行了深入的探讨,并以世纪金源为案例加以分析。结果表明有:造成上述问题的根本原因在于Mall的设计和管理者对其本质内涵及定位没有深刻的理解和把握,没有充分考虑中国消费者的消费习惯而盲目照搬国外模式,以及缺乏科学的管理团队。最后,根据分析结果和经济现状提出中国大型购物中心未来营运管理的方向及建议。     

Non‐governmental organisations and informal associations in service delivery for African migrants in China: Evidence of voluntary sector failure?

As the Chinese government has purposefully built economic, social and political links with several African states in recent decades, new patterns of international migration have emerged. Notably, mixed‐race families are increasingly visible in southern China, particularly Guangzhou, where there is a concentration of African traders. The few existing studies on this population have failed to pay attention to how, in the absence of state provision of or support for key public resources including health care and education, African‐Chinese families are raising their children. We examined factors contributing to NGO successes and failures in facilitating these families’ wellbeing and integration into mainstream society, drawing on the theory of voluntary sector failure. Mixed‐raced families are relatively isolated from mainstream society as well as formal/informal civil society organisations. We found select features of philanthropic paternalism, philanthropic amateurism, and what we term philanthropic mistrust, with implications for understanding voluntary sector growth in the Chinese context.