Army Sustainment University

ABSTRACT We find that the majority of variation in leverage ratios is driven by an unobserved time‐invariant effect that generates surprisingly stable capital structures: High (low) levered firms tend to remain as such for over two decades. This feature of leverage is largely unexplained by previously identified determinants, is robust to firm exit, and is present prior to the IPO, suggesting that variation in capital structures is primarily determined by factors that remain stable for long periods of time. We then show that these results have important implications for empirical analysis attempting to understand capital structure heterogeneity.

Global supply chains face a multitude of risks. A review of the recent literature reveals a few structured and systematic approaches for assessing risks in supply chains. However, there is no conceptual framework that ties together this literature. The purpose of this paper is to integrate literature from several disciplines ‐ including logistics, supply chain management, operations management, strategy, and international business ‐ to develop a model of global supply chain risk management. The implications for stakeholders and how future research could bring more insights to the phenomenon of global supply chain risk management are also discussed.

The current research was undertaken to present and test a framework of supply chain logistics integration that synthesizes current logistics thought with an established theory of organizational design. The framework portrays performance as an outcome of appropriate alignment between strategy, structure, and processes. The results support the contention that a firm that pursues a relational strategy, develops information and measurement structures to support relational processes, and then uses these tools to implement and execute integrated operations will experience high levels of logistical performance. In addition, the results indicate that superior logistics performance is related to simultaneous integration of internal and external operational processes.

Hierarchical architecture and core–shell configuration synergistically endowed waxberry-like Ni@C microspheres with an upgraded microwave absorption performance.

Understanding consumer reaction to stockouts is a key step in measuring the cost of a stockout, which remains one of the fundamental concepts in logistics that still lacks a usable measure. Accordingly, the goal of this research is to explore how consumers react to a retail stockout. Three types of reactions were considered: substitution of the item sought, delaying the purchase or leaving the store. Results show that consumers are apparently able to insulate a recent stockout experience from their perception of other dimensions of a store's image. In addition, a multinomial logit modeling approach is used to show that (1) no significant results were found linking demographic variables to consumer response, (2) the greatest impact on the Delay and Leave behaviors is concentrated on two variables (perception that the store offers good prices and consumer surprise with the stockout) and (3) situational variables are predominant among correlates of consumer response behavior.

SecReT6 (http://db-mml.sjtu.edu.cn/SecReT6/) is an integrated database providing comprehensive information on type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) in bacteria. T6SSs are a class of sophisticated cell contact-dependent apparatuses involved in mediating antagonistic or synergistic communications between bacteria and/or bacteria and eukaryotes. These apparatuses have recently been found to be widely distributed among Gram-negative bacterial species. SecReT6 offers a unique, readily explorable archive of known and putative T6SSs, and cognate effectors found in bacteria. It currently contains data on 11 167 core T6SS components mapping to 906 T6SSs found in 498 bacterial strains representing 240 species, as well as a collection of over 600 directly relevant references. Also collated and archived were 1340 diverse candidate secreted effectors which were experimentally shown and/or predicted to be delivered by T6SSs into target eukaryotic and/or prokaryotic cells as well as 196 immunity proteins. A broad range of T6SS gene cluster detection and comparative analysis tools are readily accessible via SecReT6, which may aid identification of effectors and immunity proteins around the T6SS core components. This database will be regularly updated to ensure its ongoing maximal utility and relevance to the scientific research community.

Many firms now place emphasis on leveraging logistics capabilities as a source of competitive advantage. This manuscript suggests that the key to sustaining this competitive position is through adopting learning principles in logistics. As such, a logistics learning capability framework is presented, including the components of an effective learning‐based logistics organization. Research propositions, an in‐depth case study and implications are presented to further support the learning capability framework suggested and highlight the importance of learning in today's hypercompetitive global supply chain environment.

The mail survey is the most common data collection technique used by logistics researchers today. Many researchers have noted that response rates to mail surveys have been declining. The Internet offers logistics researchers several potential advantages over traditional mail surveys. This research compares these two methods across response rates, speed of response, consistency of results, and cost. The research also provides unique insight regarding the ability of electronic methods to gain interest and subsequent participation among potential respondents thereby helping in theory testing.

The Council of Logistics Management's (CLM) name change to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) has intensified discussions regarding the difference between supply chain management and logistics. This paper merges broadly accepted paradigms from strategic management and marketing to introduce a theoretically consistent framework that differentiates supply chain management from logistics while highlighting the complementary relationship. Supply chain management is portrayed as a firm or SBU level phenomena while logistics is expressed as a competency within supply chain management possessing both strategic and structural capabilities focused exclusively on managing the move/store activities used to fulfill customer orders. Research propositions regarding the interfaces and nature of logistics within a strategic supply chain orientation are drawn to guide thought and development in the discipline.

In this study, different crystalline structures of FeOOH have been prepared.

Employee turnover in the warehousing industry has historically been extremely high. The current research proposes that one of the keys to maximizing employee retention is focusing on good person‐organization fit. The research examines the relationships between person‐organization fit, job satisfaction, and coping behaviors (escape and control behaviors) within a sample of 667 warehouse operations employees.

SUMMARY This research examines the effects of purchasing and supplier involvement on new product success. Two hundred fifty‐two senior purchasing managers completed a mail questionnaire that addressed a wide range of issues regarding the effects of purchasing and supplier involvement, the management of supplier involvement, the organization's strategic orientation, and the organization's competitive environment on new product success. The results indicate that the organization's strategic orientation and competitive environment, purchasing involvement, and supplier involvement affect new product success. The appropriate level, timing, and frequency of supplier involvement was found to vary with the situation. The results also provide insight into the role of purchasing in new product development and the effective management of supplier involvement in new product development.

Effective marketing/logistics relationships can help to create, develop, and maintain critical capabilities to support long‐term firm success. Recent research focuses on two distinct capabilities—information capabilities and firm‐wide integration. Empirical results are provided confirming the proposed relationship between marketing logistics relationship effectiveness and the two capabilities. Further, the capabilities are shown to positively impact logistics performance.

Based upon the extant literature and a qualitative study of buyer-seller relationships, an exploratory model of the relationship between supply chain power, dependence, satisfaction, and loyalty is developed and presented. Four fundamental objectives are accomplished through this research and presented here. The first was to use a qualitative method to gain a deeper understanding of the logistics service driven loyalty that exists between suppliers and customers. The second was to develop a more thorough understanding of the gap in logistics service expectations between a supplier and their customers. The third objective was to examine how the power/dependence relationship affects both customer service expectations of the parties, and the actual logistics service delivered by the supplier. Finally, this research is intended to build a basis for future quantitative research of loyalty in supplier/customer relationships.

Cultural brands embody a sum total of a group's cultural identity, including a surrounding myth, a tie to its cultural roots, and associations of its past and aspired future. The authors focus on two cultural brands from Mexico and analyze whether their brand images remain consistent when they cross the border into the United States. Data were collected from random samples drawn from Mexico City and the Latino community (of Mexican descent) in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. Respondents were asked to evaluate two television media brands using a brand personality scale. The results indicate that the association between the brand personality dimensions and the cultural brands from Mexico is stronger among Latinos residing in the Dallas–Fort Worth area than among their counterparts in Mexico City. This study contributes to brand personality literature and presents an important insight into the brand image of cultural brands from emerging markets.

The authors interviewed 57 hospitalized alcoholics and 50 nonhospitalized control subjects to clarify the relationship between alcoholism and cigarette smoking. They found that alcoholics smoked significantly more than nonalcoholics, even when only women subjects were considered. In addition, there was a high positive correlation between the amount alcoholics drank and the amount they smoked. However, when they were abstaining from alcohol consumption, alcoholic subjects did not necessarily smoke more. The authors discuss the implications of these findings both for treatment and for two theoretical models, oral “drive” and susceptibility.

Sandwichlike hybrids of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) were prepared via heat treatment of the self-assemblies of graphene oxide (GO) and ammonia borane (AB). TG-DSC-QMS analysis indicate a mutually promoted redox reaction between GO and AB; 900 °C is a proper temperature to transfer the hybrids into inorganic sandwiches. XRD, XPS, and Raman spectra reveal the existence of h-BN embedded into the rGO frameworks. High-resolution SEM and TEM indicate the layer-by-layer structure of the hybrids. The content of h-BN can be increased with increase of the mass ratio of AB and the highest heat treatment temperature. The complex permittivity and the microwave absorption are tunable with the variation of the content of h-BN. When the mass ratio of GO/AB is 1:1, the microwave absorption of the hybrid treated at 900 °C is preferable in the range of 6–18 GHz. A minimum reflection loss, −40.5 dB, was observed at 15.3 GHz for the wax composite filled with 25 wt % hybrids at the thickness of 1.6 mm. The qualified frequency bandwidth reaches 5 GHz at this thickness with a low surface density close to 1.68 kg/m2. The layer-by-layer structure of the hybrid makes great contributions to the increased approaches and possibilities of electron migrating and hopping, which has both highly efficient dielectric loss and excellent impedance matching for microwave consumption.

Performance measurement is critically important to business success. Collecting and responding to information that does not advise management about success in meeting established goals is counterproductive and potentially injurious to the success of the firm. This research develops a framework that allows individual firms to assess their unique measurement needs in light of their stated goals, and to select performance measures most suited to addressing those measurement needs.

Performance measurement is critically important to business success. Collecting and responding to information that does not provide management with guidance to meet established goals is counterproductive and potentially injurious to the success of the firm. This research develops a framework that allows individual firms to assess unique measurement needs in light of their stated goals, and to select performance measures most suited to addressing those measurement needs.

The mechanisms involved in diabetic neuropathic pain are complex and involve peripheral and central pathophysiological phenomena. Proinflammatory tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and TNF-α receptor 1, which are markers of inflammation, contribute to neuropathic pain. The purpose of this experimental study was to evaluate the effect of curcumin on diabetic pain in rats. We tested 24 rats with diabetes induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin and 24 healthy control rats. Twelve rats in each group received 60 mg/kg oral curcumin daily for 28 days, and the other 12 received vehicle. On days 7, 14, 21, and 28, we tested mechanical allodynia with von Frey hairs and thermal hyperalgesia with radiant heat. Markers of inflammation in the spinal cord dorsal horn on day 28 were estimated with a commercial assay and Western blot analysis. Compared to control rats, diabetic rats exhibited increased mean plasma glucose concentration, decreased mean body weight, and significant pain hypersensitivity, as evidenced by decreased paw withdrawal threshold to von Frey hairs and decreased paw withdrawal latency to heat. Curcumin significantly attenuated the diabetes-induced allodynia and hyperalgesia and reduced the expression of both TNF-α and TNF-α receptor 1. Curcumin seems to relieve diabetic hyperalgesia, possibly through an inhibitory action on TNF-α and TNF-α receptor 1.