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This paper develops a theoretical model to study how the revenue model and technology of a social media platform affect its content-moderation strategy.

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to introduce the idea of arena-relevant marketing capabilities and examine their impact on firm performance. Arena-relevant marketing capabilities are capabilities particularly relevant for success in a specific competitive arena in which rivals from different industries try to satisfy customer needs with alternative products and services. The authors focus on the luxury arena and pose the following research questions: Which are the arena-relevant marketing capabilities in the luxury competitive arena (i.e. luxury-arena-relevant capabilities)? (2) What is the relative importance of luxury-arena-relevant vs general marketing capabilities for firm performance in the luxury competitive arena?Design/methodology/approachTo identify luxury-arena-relevant marketing capabilities, the authors conduct a qualitative study among 21 top managers of luxury brands. A subsequent large-scale managerial survey empirically tests the effects of luxury-arena-relevant vs general marketing capabilities on firm performance.FindingsThe study identifies four luxury-arena-relevant marketing capabilities: perfection in product creation, exclusive pricing, luxury-congruent storytelling and luxury brand inspiration. It confirms empirically that they have a higher impact on firm performance within the luxury competitive arena than general marketing capabilities.Originality/valueThe study takes an innovative perspective on marketing capabilities by linking them with the concept of a competitive arena and underlines the academic relevance of the concept of arena-relevant marketing capabilities for explaining firm performance.

Rational fabrication and smart design of multi-component anode materials to achieve desirable reversible capacities and exceptional cyclability are significant for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

Spinel ferrites are promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their high theoretical specific capacities. However, their practical application is impeded by inherent low conductivity and severe volume expansion, which can be surpassed by increasing the surface-to-volume ratio of nanoparticles. Currently, most methods produce spinel ferrite nanoparticles with large size and severe aggregation, degrading their electrochemical performance. In this study, a low-temperature aminolytic route was designed to synthesize sub-10 nm CoFe2 O4 nanoparticles with good dispersion through carefully exploiting the reaction of acetates and oleylamine. The performance of CoFe2 O4 nanoparticles obtained by a traditional co-precipitation method was also investigated for comparison. This work demonstrates that CoFe2 O4 nanoparticles synthesized by the aminolytic route are promising as anode materials for LIBs. Besides, this method can be extended to design other spinel ferrites for energy storage devices with superior performance by simply changing the starting material, such as MnFe2 O4 , MgFe2 O4 , ZnFe2 O4 , and so on.

Rational fabrication and smart design of multi-component anode materials to achieve desirable reversible capacities and exceptional cyclability are significant for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, walnut-like ZnO/Co

Spinel ferrites are promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their high theoretical specific capacities. However, their practical application is impeded by inherent low conductivity and severe volume expansion, which can be surpassed by increasing the surface-to-volume ratio of nanoparticles. Currently, most methods produce spinel ferrite nanoparticles with large size and severe aggregation, degrading their electrochemical performance. In this study, a low-temperature aminolytic route was designed to synthesize sub-10 nm CoFe

In order to have magnetic films with better radio frequency (RF) properties that can be utilized in a wide range of microwave devices and circuits, such as frequency selective limiters, tunable filters, and antennas, this paper presents the fundamental studies on ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) of magnetic nanoparticles, the fabrication process of the magnetic nanoparticle films, and the scattering parameters measurement results of the magnetic nanoparticle films on a microstrip RF line. We explore the FMR profiles of various magnetic nanoparticles and their corresponding magnetic susceptibilities. Two novel methods, the layer-by-layer (LbL) process and the solution cast (SC) method, are proposed to deposit cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) and manganese ferrite nanoparticles (MnFe2O4) on soda-lime glass substrates to fabricate magnetic films with various thicknesses (2.5– $125~\mu \text{m}$ ). In addition, a 3-D printed RF transmission line integrating the magnetic film is used to test the effect of the magnetic nanoparticles. By comparing the measured group delays of microstrip lines with different films, we can obtain some insights into the relationship of the magnetic film thickness, types of magnetic materials, deposition methods, and the amount of the group delay. Specifically, thicker films result in higher group delay, and the SC method is more efficient in fabricating thicker films than the LbL process. The fill factor of these two methods, however, shows that the LbL process generates higher particle loading in the films, while the SC films have considerably more organic binders inside to maintain them. Given the same film thickness, manganese ferrite nanoparticles bring higher group delay than the cobalt ferrite nanoparticles. This paper proposes new methods of fabricating thicker nanomagnetic films and explores the characterization of different magnetic materials with various film thicknesses. It, therefore, paves the way for fabricating monolithic microwave devices and circuits utilizing nanomagnetic materials.

Knowledge of consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) is a prerequisite to profitable price-setting. To gauge consumers' WTP, practitioners often rely on a direct single question approach in which consumers are asked to explicitly state their WTP for a product. Despite its popularity among practitioners, this approach has been found to suffer from hypothetical bias. In this paper, we propose a rigorous method that improves the accuracy of the direct single question approach. Specifically, we systematically assess the hypothetical biases associated with the direct single question approach and explore ways to de-bias it. Our results show that by using the de-biasing procedures we propose, we can generate a de-biased direct single question approach that is accu-rate enough to be useful for managerial decision-making. We validate this approach with two studies in this paper., Comment: Market Research, Pricing, Demand Estimation, Direct Estimation, Single Question Approach, Choice Experiments, Willingness to Pay, Hypothetical Bias

Chiral poly(ferrocenyl-Schiff Bases) iron(II) complexes (CPSC)/Reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composites with excellent microwave absorption properties have been successfully prepared. The structures of poly(ferrocenyl-Schiff Bases) and their iron(II) complexes were characterized with IR, MS, HNMR, GPC, elemental analysis, etc. The morphology of CPSC and their composite materials were studied through SEM and TEM analysis. The conductivity, optical activity, electromagnetic parameter and microwave absorption properties of composite materials were also studied in details. The results show that chiral composites own much better microwave absorption properties and wider bandwidth compared to corresponding achiral composites. The maximum RL of chiral CPSC/RGO composite (CM-PL1B) reaches at −52.6 dB at 10.0 GHz with a thickness of 2.5 mm, and the bandwidth of RL less than −10 dB can reach up to 4.6 GHz (from 11.2 to 15.8 GHz), the remarkably enhanced microwave absorption properties are also discussed at length.

The construction of advanced nanostructures as well as the hybridization of different active materials are highly desirable for achieving lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) anode with superior electrochemical performance. Herein, we developed a simple solvothermal method, with a subsequent annealing process for the synthesis of flower-like NiO/Co3O4 with dense pores on the petals and investigated its potential as anodes for LIBs. The as-prepared hybridized NiO/Co3O4 anode material exhibited an impressive capacity (1428.8 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1 after 100 cycles, and 668.6 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 after 600 cycles), which is a significant improvement compared with its corresponding building blocks as well as the physical mixture of NiO and Co3O4. This excellent performance is attributed to the unique flower-like porous architecture and the synergetic effect of two electrochemically cooperative anode materials, simultaneously overcoming the conductivity deficiency and capacity fading due to severe volume expansion during cycling. The material design principle and synthesis approach are expected to be useful for other battery electrodes, as well as in other applications such as catalysis, microwave absorption and gas sensing.

Three coordination polymers were synthesized from pyrazine-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic acid (H 4 pztc) in combination with calcium, zinc and manganese ions under hydrothermal conditions and their structures were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction, powdered X-ray diffraction, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and elemental analyses. Structure 1 , {(Ca(H 2 pztc)(H 2 O) 3 ) n , crystallizes as 1-D chains, with the partially deprotonated ligand in –O,N,O– coordination mode and with the Ca atoms in an uncommon nine coordinate environment. Structure 2 , {Zn1(pztc)(H 2 O) 2 Zn2(H 2 O) 4 } n , is an infinite, 2-D coordination network that contains two nonequivalent Zn atoms, each with octahedral geometry, and the fully deprotonated pztc 4− in bis -bridging chelating coordination mode. The stacked 2-D layers are stabilized by extensive inter-layer water-carboxylate hydrogen-bonding with an inter-layer distance of 4.9 A. Structure 3, {(Mn 2 (pztc)(H 2 O) 2 )} n , is a covalently bonded 3-D network containing two nonequivalent Mn atoms, each with octahedral geometry, and the fully deprotonated pztc 4− units. Structure 3 exhibits paramagnetic behavior at room temperature, and weak antiferromagnetic properties at very low temperature, which is consistent with their nearest Mn…Mn separation distance of 4.9 A.

A compact integrated microstrip bandstop filter(BSF) with low cost magnetic nanoparticle thin film loaded in the air substrate has been designed, fabricated and characterized. First, an optimized microstrip BSF patterned on a thin Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) was mounted on a partially 3D printed air substrate through a lego-like process to have the rejection of 41 dB at 8.5 GHz. To achieve the compactness, various magnetic nanoparticles were deposited within the air substrate to have the magnetic film thickness of 30 µm and 100 µm, which gave the self-resonances of the BSFs from 7.6 GHz to 8.3 GHz. The filter can also operate at higher a center frequency with a rejection over 30 dB by applying an external DC magnetic bias of 2500 Oe that is normal to the filter. Detailed comparison of the filter performance in terms of types of magnetic materials, film thicknesses and magnetic bias strength is provided. This work demonstrates a low cost and compact BSF utilizing the magnetic nanoparticle film which could find many applications in RF and microwave circuits and devices.

We propose a framework for the joint study of the consumer's decision of where to buy and what to buy. The framework is rooted in utility theory where the utility is for a particular channel/brand combination. The framework contains firm actions, the consumer search process, the choice process, and consumer learning. We develop research questions within each of these areas. We then discuss methodological issues pertaining to the use of experimentation and econometrics. Our framework suggests that brand and channel choices are closely intertwined, and therefore studying them jointly will reveal a deeper understanding of consumer decision making in the modern marketing environment.

In the last two decades, organized retailing has transformed the retailing landscape in emerging economies, where unorganized retailing has traditionally been dominant. In this paper, we build a theoretical model of unorganized and organized retailing in emerging economies by carefully modeling key characteristics of the retailing environment, the retailers, the consumers, and product categories. The primary insight that we obtain is that in a competitive market comprising of only unorganized retailers, the advent of organized retailing injects efficiency into the market leading to a reduction in the number of unorganized retailers. This, in turn, makes the market less competitive. Building on this basic insight, we obtain a number of counterintuitive results. For instance, (i) the presence of organized retailing may increase the prices charged by unorganized retailers; (ii) as the consumers’ transportation cost to the unorganized retailers increases, the market share of the unorganized retailing sector may increase; (iii) as the probability of bulk consumption increases and consumers prefer to purchase more from the organized retailer, prices and profits at the organized retailer may decrease; and (iv) the presence of organized retailing can lead to both consumer and social surplus being lower because consumers face higher prices at unorganized retailers and there is wastage in the economy due to bulk purchasing at organized retailers. Our model offers an explanation for certain surprising empirical observations related to retailing in emerging markets, such as why in the last few years in the Indian market the unorganized retailers who have survived the advent of organized retailing seem to be doing better. Implications from our research can provide guidance to policy makers grappling with issues related to the balanced growth of unorganized and organized retailing in emerging markets.

In recent years, online retailers (also called e-tailers) have started allowing manufacturers direct access to their customers while charging a fee for providing this access, a format commonly referred to as agency selling. In this paper, we use a stylized theoretical model to answer a key question that e-tailers are facing: When should they use an agency selling format instead of using the more conventional reselling format? We find that agency selling is more efficient than reselling and leads to lower retail prices; however, the e-tailers end up giving control over retail prices to the manufacturer. Therefore, the reaction by the manufacturer, who makes electronic channel pricing decisions based on their impact on demand in the traditional channel (brick-and-mortar retailing), is an important factor for e-tailers to consider. We find that when sales in the electronic channel lead to a negative effect on demand in the traditional channel, e-tailers prefer agency selling, whereas when sales in the electronic channel lead to substantial stimulation of demand in the traditional channel, e-tailers prefer reselling. This preference is mediated by competition between e-tailers—as competition between them increases, e-tailers prefer to use agency selling. We also find that when e-tailers benefit from positive externalities from the sales of the focal product (such as additional profits from sales of associated products), retail prices may be lower under reselling than under agency selling, and the e-tailers prefer reselling under some conditions for which they would prefer agency selling without the positive externalities. This paper was accepted by Chris Forman, information systems.

The diaza crown ether dicarboxylate ligand, 4,4′-((1,7-dioxa-4,10-diazacyclododecane-4,10-diyl)bis(methylene)dibenzoate), L, forms a monomeric coordination complex of Co(II) ions, CoL(H2O)2·2H2O, 1, and a coordination polymer (MnL·H2O)n, 2, with Mn(II) ions under hydrothermal conditions. The monomeric coordination complex (structure 1) is polar with mirror symmetry and crystallizes in the non-centrosymmetric space group Cm. The mirror plane bisects the complex at the six-coordinate Co(II) ion, the two oxygen atoms of the crown moiety and the two oxygen atoms from coordinated water molecules. The coordinated water molecules take part in strong, linear hydrogen bonds with carboxylate oxygens provided by neighboring Co(II)–crown complexes resulting in a three-dimensional (1 : 1)n polar network in which the topology of the underlying 8-coordinated net is sqc3. The structure of 2 crystallizes in the orthorhombic Fdd2 space group as an infinite, polar triply interpenetrating three-dimensional network. The eight-coordinate Mn(II) ion coordinates two oxygen and two nitrogen atoms of the crown moiety, as well as single carboxylate O atom from each of two neighboring ligands. In both structures, the ligand assumes a flexed-wing bird shape, with the two benzoate sidearms of the crown moiety locked in a syn orientation. The metal ion elevated above the plane of the diaza-crown oxygen and nitrogen atoms. The diaza-crown moiety with its two benzoate sidearms has the peculiar property of forming an oriented crystal structure where the metal-crown vectors are oriented parallel to each other in the crystal. However, the structures are achiral, but the rigid crystal lattice prevents re-orientation of the structure through inversion. The coordination polymer (MnL·H2O)n, 2, is a 3-center uninodal net with ths (ThSi2) topology. Computational results using the density functional theory (DFT) calculations explain why the flexed-wing bird shape is the preferred and most stable ligand conformation for metal ion binding. Both structures demonstrate magnetic properties that are characteristics of the respective non-interacting isolated paramagnetic transition metal ions that are present.

The syntheses, crystal structures and magnetochemical characterization are reported for two novel high-valent manganese complexes, (NMe4)2(Mn3O(PNH)3(PN)3) (1) and, (NH4)[Mn7(PN)6(PNH)2(MeO)2(O)2(CMe3CH2CO2)2] (2) incorporating the anion of 4,5-Bis(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpyridin-3-ol. Complexes were characterized by elemental and thermogravimetric analyses, FT-IR spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Variable temperature, solid-state direct current (dc) magnetization studies were carried out on both the complexes 1 and 2 in the 5.0–315 K range, and they established that both complexes to have ground state spin values of S = 5.

A new stripline fabricated using MnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticle thick films is demonstrated to have multiband frequency selectivity and high attenuation range. Using the Solution Cast method, thick MnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles films were fabricated on the $45\ \text{mm}\times \mathbf{14\ mm}$ Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) substrate to have an average film thickness of about $\mathbf{30}\ \mu \mathrm{m}$ , which was inserted into the trench area of the stripline. The stripline was measured over the frequency range of 0 – 18 GHz at four different RF input power levels spanning from −22 dBm to −7 dBm with a 5 dB steps. The Ferromagnetic Resonance (FMR) effects are observed when the DC magnetic field bias is applied to the stripline under all four power levels. In particular, the FMR effects appear successively within five frequency bands, namely 4 – 8 GHz, 5 – 10 GHz, 8 – 13 GHz, 12 – 16 GHz and 15 – 18 GHz, as the magnetic field strength increases. The exact FMR frequencies under specific magnetic bias strength can be located by calculating the absolute power absorption rate of the MnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles. In addition, more attenuation is observed under stronger bias and the absolute power absorption increases as the RF input power gets larger. This work presents for the first time the characterization of thick MnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticle film in terms of the FMR effect using the 3D printed stripline structure, which can be used to fabricate the Frequency Selective Limiter (FSL) in a wide range of power-sensitive, broadband RF and microwave applications.

In this paper, we study theoretically how luxury goods can signal wealth in the presence of high-quality, low-price counterfeits. We show that when high-quality, low-price counterfeits exist and are visibly indistinguishable from the authentic products, the classic Veblen thesis breaks down where the wealthy outspend the rest through conspicuous, excessive consumption to stand out. Instead, the wealthy may embrace “less is more,” or what we refer to as minimalist luxury to signal their status. More specifically, the wealthy may purposefully restrain from consumption of luxury goods, motivated either by market forces or by difference in consumer preferences, to separate themselves from the mimickers. In other words, “less” is more effective than “excessive” in signaling wealth. We derive this minimalist luxury equilibrium and explore managerial implications of the mechanism through which this equilibrium occurs.

Retailers often employ professionals known as retail buyers to help assess demand and determine the right quantities of products to order to meet uncertain demand in their stores. However, in many economies and industries, a manufacturer may seek to influence a (retail) buyer for its own advantage, by offering the buyer a kickback in return for a large order. As a result, the retailer and the manufacturer engage in a tug-of-war for influence over the buyer. In this paper, we introduce the role of the buyer as a distinct player into the workhorse dyadic model of a retail channel, and investigate the impact of kickback on channel efficiency as well as identify the winners and losers due to kickback. We find that the manufacturer need not always benefit from the kickback despite being the one offering it. Furthermore, the retailer may not always be the victim of the kickback. Indeed, the retailer may strategically trigger the kickback as a means to shift some of its buyer compensation cost to the manufacturer. Nevertheless, the buyer need not always be swayed by the kickback to distort the order quantity. Moreover, channel efficiency does not always suffer and may even improve because of kickback. Our analysis thus provides a more nuanced picture of kickback in a retail channel, and sheds some light on why manufacturer kickback is fairly prevalent in retail channels and can be difficult to eliminate.

The ability to synthesize large quantities of 3-D microparticles with tunable adhesion is critically important for a variety of mature and emerging technologies, such as for paints, inks, chemical/water purification, drug delivery, cell manipulation, and assembly of hierarchical structures. Nature provides impressive examples of sustainable, complex-shaped microparticles with chemistries and structures tailored for adhesion, among the most common of which are pollen grains. We have recently used a surface sol–gel (SSG) coating process to generate iron oxide replicas of sunflower pollen grains. While these replicas exhibited multimodal adhesion, the tailorability and predictability of such adhesion was not examined. In the present paper, the layer-by-layer SSG process has been used to carefully adjust the amount of iron oxide deposited onto the pollen grains. Controlled-atmosphere thermal treatments then yielded freestanding replicas with tailored hematite (α-Fe2O3) or magnetite (Fe3O4) contents. The 3-D morphology of the starting pollen was well-preserved in the all-oxide replicas, and the shrinkage upon firing could be controlled by increasing the number of Fe–O-bearing layers deposited on the pollen. While the short-range van der Waals (VDW) adhesion of the oxide replicas to a variety of surfaces was lower than for the larger starting pollen grains, this difference was not due to shrinkage of the replicas. Analyses with a simple Hamaker model indicated that VDW adhesion of the oxide replicas was governed by the contact of oxide nanocrystals located on the spine tips (as opposed to the curvature of the entire spine tip). The longer-range attraction to a magnetic substrate could be tailored independently of the short-range VDW attraction by controlling the magnetite content of the replicas, and a simple and effective model for describing such magnetic attraction was developed. This work demonstrates that sustainable pollen microparticles can be converted into high-fidelity 3-D oxide replicas with predictable and tailorable multimodal adhesion.

3,4,5-Tris(carboxymethoxy)benzoic acid (H4TCBA) has been used as a structure-directing agent to prepare three new inorganic–organic hybrid frameworks based on polynuclear metal-hydroxyl clusters, [Zn2.5(OH)(TCBA)(H2O)4]·H2O (1), [Zn2.5(OH)(TCBA)(H2O)] (2), [Co3(OH)2(TCBA)(H2O)4]·2H2O (3) through hydro/solvothermal reactions. The results show that complexes 1 and 2 both own I0O3 hybrid frameworks with a highly-connected binodal 4,8-c network, while 3 reveals a I0O2 hybrid framework with a 3,6-c 2-nodal topology. The multiple coordination system originated from the branching out carboxylate groups in TCBA ligands results in the formation of the multi-stranded helical chains in the high-dimensional metal–organic frameworks of complexes 1–3. The thermal stabilities of complexes 1–3, the photophysical properties of complexes 1 and 2 and the magnetic properties of complex 3 were also investigated. Complexes 1 and 2 emit strong blue light under ultraviolet light, and complex 3 shows typical paramagnetic behavior and an interesting partial spin-crossover has been observed.

Metal–organic frameworks {[Ln4(pztc)3(H2O)11]·10(H2O)}n (Ln = Gd(1), Tb(2); pztc = pyrazine-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylate) containing variable coordination spheres and with a complex and unusual three dimensional structure, were synthesized by the reaction of H4pztc with the respective Ln(III) salt in water under hydrothermal conditions. The compounds were characterized by single crystal X-ray crystallography, elemental and thermal analysis, and FTIR spectroscopy. The asymmetric units in these compounds have four symmetry-independent Ln(III) ions and these are octa- and nona-coordinate centers, with irregular coordination polyhedra from [Ln(pztc)2(H2O)6], [Ln(pztc)2(H2O)4], [Ln(pztc)3(H2O)3], [Ln(pztc)3(H2O)], and [Ln(pztc)4] cluster units. The fully deprotonated ligand, pztc, coordinates to the Ln3+ ions through seven or through ten of its atoms (i.e., the maximum coordination number for this ligand). The three-dimensional open framework contains irregular channels along the [001] crystallographic direction. The channels are approximately 12 A wide at their largest dimension and contain strongly hydrogen bonded water molecules of crystallization which further stabilize the structure. The solvent accessible volume is 20% of the total volume. The structures exhibit magnetic behavior that is characteristic of the respective isolated paramagnetic lanthanide ions.

3D replicas of sunflower pollen microparticles, comprised of a multicomponent magnetic spinel ferrite (CoFe

Some firms use a curious pricing mechanism called “pay as you wish” pricing (PAYW). When PAYW is used, a firm lets consumers decide what a product is worth to them and how much they want to pay to get the product. This practice has been observed in a number of industries. In this paper, we theoretically investigate why and where PAYW can be a profitable pricing strategy relative to the conventional “pay as asked” pricing (PAAP) strategy. We show that PAYW has a number of advantages over PAAP such that it is well suited for some industries but not for others. These advantages are as follows: (1) PAYW helps a firm to maximally penetrate a market; (2) it allows a firm to price discriminate among heterogenous consumers; (3) it helps to moderate price competition. We derive conditions under which PAYW dominates PAAP and discuss ways to improve the profitability of PAYW.

In this paper, cobalt ferrite (CoFe 2 O 4 ) magnetic nanoparticles were deposited as 5 μm thick films on soda lime glass substrates based on a new fabrication method. Coplanar Waveguide (CPW) transmission lines with a characteristic impedance close to 70 Ω were fabricated on samples with and without the magnetic thin films. Measurements show an increase in the group delay for the magnetic films samples commensurate with their thickness as compared to lines with no magnetic film. We simulate the CPW lines with the magnetic nanofilms, and estimate the relative permeability of the magnetic films by matching the simulation results with the measurements.

We develop a methodology to predict box office performance of a movie at the point of green-lighting, when only its script and estimated production budget are available. We extract three levels of textual features (genre and content, semantics, and bag-of-words) from scripts using screenwriting domain knowledge, human input, and natural language processing techniques. These textual variables define a distance metric across scripts, which is then used as an input for a kernel-based approach to assess box office performance. We show that our proposed methodology predicts box office revenues more accurately (29 percent lower mean squared error (MSE)) compared to benchmark methods.

Formation of H2 from photolysis of water adsorbed on zirconia (ZrO2) nanoparticles using 254 nm (4.9 eV) and 185 nm (6.7 eV) photon irradiation was examined. The H2 yield was approximately an order of magnitude higher using monoclinic versus cubic phase nanoparticles. For monoclinic particles containing 2 monolayers (ML) of water, the maximum H2 production rate was ∼0.4 μmole h–1 m–2 using 185 + 254 nm excitation and a factor of 10 lower using only 254 nm. UV reflectance reveals that monoclinic nanoparticles contain fewer defects than cubic nanoparticles. An H2O coverage dependence study of the H2 yield is best fit by a sum of interactions involving at least two types of adsorbate–surface complexes. The first dominates up to ∼0.06 ML and is attributed to H2O chemisorbed at surface defect sites. The second dominates at coverages up to a bilayer. H2 formation is maximum within this bilayer and likely results from efficient energy transfer from the particle to the interface. Energy transfer is more efficient...

Many firms today manage their existing customers differentially based on profit potential, providing fewer incentives to less profitable customers and firing unprofitable customers. Although researchers and industry experts advocate this practice, results have been mixed. We examine this practice explicitly accounting for competition and find that some conventional prescriptions may not always hold. We analyze a setting where customers differ in their cost to serve. We find that when a firm can discriminate among its customers but the rival cannot, customer base composition influences the rival's poaching behavior. Consequently, even though a low-cost customer is more profitable when viewed in isolation, a high-cost customer may be strategically more valuable by discouraging poaching. Therefore, contrary to conventional advice, it can be profitable for a firm to retain unprofitable customers. Moreover, some customers may become more valuable to retain and receive better incentives when they are less profitable. We further show that, in competitive settings, traditional customer lifetime value metrics may lead to poor retention decisions because they do not account for the competitive externality that actions toward some customers impose on the cash flows from other customers. Our results suggest that firms may need to evolve from a segmentation mindset, which views each customer in isolation, to a customer portfolio mindset, which recognizes that the value of different customers is interlinked. This paper was accepted by J. Miguel Villas-Boas, marketing.

A novel organic–inorganic hybrid material with 2-D inorganic and 3-D organic connectivity has been assembled with one Cd–Ohydroxyl helix and two kinds of quadruple-stranded Cd–ligand helices, which also shows a highly-connected binodal (5,14-c) topological net.

Getting the price right is essential for successful new product introductions. An accurate estimate of consumers' willingness to pay is a crucial part of this task. Measurement of willingness to pay for innovations, however, often yields biased results. In this paper, we investigate consumer-related characteristics and motives that might underlie this bias. Drawing on the elaboration likelihood model, we develop a conceptual model to identify consumer characteristics relevant for preference measurement for innovative products. In doing so, two main factors that potentially influence hypothetical bias are distinguished: ability and motivation. Our conceptual discussion and empirical results demonstrate that the validity of willingness to pay statements is higher among consumers who show a high ability to assess the new product's utility and who are truly interested in purchasing the new product. Counter to intuition, willingness to pay statements from innovators, consumers with good product category knowledge, or consumers who perceive the new product to be highly innovative are relatively more biased and should be interpreted with caution. This research is among the first to look at consumer characteristics rather than methodological issues when it comes to measuring consumer willingness to pay for innovative products. Our conceptual discussion and empirical examination of the drivers of hypothetical bias can be used to refine the validity of the results of the direct willingness to pay approach. These findings should help improve new product pricing surveys and open new avenues for research in measuring consumer preferences.

Spinel ferrite magnetic nanoparticles, MnFe2O4, NiFe2O4, and CoFe2O4, were synthesized and used as gas-phase adsorbents for the removal of cyanogen chloride from dry air. Fixed-bed adsorption breakthrough experiments show adsorption wave behavior at the leading edge of the breakthrough curve that is not typical of physically adsorbed species. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results indicate that CK is reacting with the spinel ferrite surface and forming a carbamate species. The reaction is shown to be a function of the hydroxyl groups and adsorbed water on the surface of the particles as well as the metallic composition of the particles. The surface reaction decreases the remnant and saturation magnetism of the MnFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 particles by approximately 25%.

In many markets, a handset vendor and a service provider may enter into a tie-in for a handset to be available exclusively through the service provider. We examine when and why a service provider and a handset vendor may find this arrangement mutually profitable. We find that an exclusive handset arrangement (EHA) may serve a dual strategic purpose. By restricting its handsets to one service provider, a handset vendor may be able to induce a rival handset vendor to compete less aggressively. At the same time, the service provider may be able to essentially raise a rival service provider's handset costs by limiting the handsets available to the rival. Interestingly, the handset vendor's market share may be higher when its handset is sold exclusively than when it is not. Our results might explain why EHAs seem more attractive in some markets than in others, why some service providers have exclusive arrangements even for handset models that do not seem popular, and how some handset vendors enjoy high market shares despite having many exclusive models. Furthermore, an EHA may lower the handset vendor's incentives to improve handset quality, supporting concerns raised by proponents of wireless network neutrality.

Two novel coordination polymers with formulas CoL1·3H2O [1, L1 = 3,3′-((1,7-dioxa-4,10-diazacyclododecane-4,10-diyl)bis(methylene) dibenzenecarboxylate] and Co2L2(H2O)2·2(H2O) [2, L2 = 5,5′-((1,7-dioxa-4,10-diazacyclododecane-4,10-diyl)bis(methylene)) diisophthalate] were synthesized, where one Co(II) ion coordinates the crown-4 moiety of the ligand. Compound 1 crystallizes in the space group C2 as an infinite two-dimensional chiral layered coordination network with a tetragonal 44sql net topology. The structural unit consists of the coordinated Co(II) ion and the deprotonated ligand. The Co(II) ion is 6-coordinate with two nitrogen atoms and two oxygen atoms of the crown 1,7-diaza-12-crown-4, and two carboxylate oxygen atoms from neighboring ligands, and exhibits a highly distorted octahedral geometry. Compound 2 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n as a triply interpenetrating 3D network with the uncommon sqc528/dmd system, the first coordination polymer with a 3-fold interpenetrating dmd to...

We study how luxury brands can use product line expansion as a strategy when facing a threat from the counterfeit market. Consumers who are status-conscious consider the bene fits and costs of buying luxury items in order to strengthen the beliefs of others about their status. Our findings suggest that product line expansion strategy serves these high-end consumers and their motives to strengthen their status image. In a market with counterfeiters, consumers have an incentive to buy additional products in order to reduce the uncertainty of their status signals. Increasing consumption makes it harder for others to imitate status when authentic brands signal quality and status with higher precision compared to counterfeits. Since each luxury item purchased contributes to one's status in a marginally declining fashion, it is rational for a luxury brand to expand its product line such that it maintains its core product and introduces peripheral products with lower status signalling benefi ts and prices. We further show that an increasing counterfeit market share can increase status-conscious consumers' willingness to pay for luxury goods. As a result, presence of counterfeiters can increase the pro t of a luxury brand.

The title gadolinium benzenedicarboxylate based metal organic framework of chemical formula, C28H36Gd2N6O18, was synthesized under solvothermal conditions in the presence of DMF. The crystal structure is monoclinic, space group P21/c, with unit cell dimensions of a = 17.668(2) A, b = 20.005(3) A, c = 10.5382(15) A, and β = 91.205(2)°, Z = 4, V = 3723.9(9) A3, ρ (calculated) = 1.889 mg/m3. The unit is defined by four DMF molecules, two nitrate ions, two benzene dicarboxylate (BDC) units and two Gd atoms. Each Gd atom is coordinated to eight oxygen atoms, one from each of four dicarboxylate ions, one from each of two DMF molecules, and two from the single nitrate anion. The three dimensional framework is formed from the interconnectivity of a chainlike arrangement between BDC and Gd only, with one BDC bridging two Gd atoms. Elemental percentage composition was as follows: Gd = 30.9, C = 32.28, H = 3.33, N = 7.28, which are in agreement with calculated values of Gd = 31.7, C = 31.74, H = 3.40, N = 7.94. Gd–O bond lengths ranged between 2.290 and 2.511 A. The material is paramagnetic due to f7 unpaired Gd electrons, and also displays orange-yellow photoluminescence due to the presence of trace Eu ions in the structure when excited with UV radiation.

Besides its familiar demand-redistribution effect, price promotion by a multi-product firm creates cannibalization, as lowering the price of one variety may erode the profits of its other varieties. We study endogenous product line selection and price promotions in a duopoly. In equilibrium, the ex ante symmetric firms may offer asymmetric product lines with unequal length. The two-product firm is more profitable. The single-product firm offers a larger mean discount and promotes more (less) frequently than its competitor when the former’s unit cost is relatively low (high).

This study compares the performance of four commonly used approaches to measure consumers’ willingness to pay with real purchase data (REAL): the open-ended (OE) question format; choice-based conjoint (CBC) analysis; Becker, DeGroot, and Marschak's (BDM) incentive-compatible mechanism; and incentive-aligned choice-based conjoint (ICBC) analysis. With this five-in-one approach, the authors test the relative strengths of the four measurement methods, using REAL as the benchmark, on the basis of statistical criteria and decision-relevant metrics. The results indicate that the BDM and ICBC approaches can pass statistical and decision-oriented tests. The authors find that respondents are more price sensitive in incentive-aligned settings than in non-incentive-aligned settings and the REAL setting. Furthermore, they find a large number of “none” choices under ICBC than under hypothetical conjoint analysis. This study uncovers an intriguing possibility: Even when the OE format and CBC analysis generate hypothetical bias, they may still lead to the right demand curves and right pricing decisions.

In a store-within-a-store arrangement, retailers essentially rent out retail space to manufacturers and give them complete autonomy over retail decisions, such as pricing and in-store service. This intriguing retailing format appears in an increasing number of large department stores worldwide. The authors use a theoretical model to investigate the economic incentives a retailer faces when deciding on this arrangement. The retailer's trade-off is between channel efficiency and interbrand competition, moderated by returns to in-store service and increased store traffic. The retailer cannot credibly commit to the retail prices and service levels that the manufacturers effect in an integrated channel, so it decides instead to allow them to set up stores within its store. Thus, the stores-within-a-store phenomenon emerges when a powerful retailer, ironically, gives manufacturers autonomy in its retail space. An extension of the model to the case of competing retailers shows that the store-within-a-store arrangement can moderate interstore competition.