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Background: The purpose of this study was to gather information regarding current practices in the care of carpometacarpal (CMC) arthroplasty including the use of hand therapy, immobilization, and surgical technique, and to determine which factors influence these patterns. Methods: We conducted a survey from February 24, 2022, through March 26, 2022, of 3648 currently practicing members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. We developed an 11-item questionnaire that contained questions about surgical technique, immobilization, and postoperative therapy utilization. Results were analyzed using chi-square analysis and a Bonferroni correction was applied to account for multiple comparisons. Statistical significance was set at a P -value of less than.05. Results: A total of 811 hand surgeons completed the survey (22% response rate). Surgeons who are employed by the same medical center as their hand therapist use more in-person hand therapy than surgeons with other types of business relationships. Surgeons with more than 25 years of experience are less likely to recommend therapy routinely, more likely to use ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition, and less likely to be an employee of the same medical center as their hand therapist. The length of immobilization and the time at which hand therapy began were related to surgical technique. Conclusions: Variability in hand therapy usage after CMC arthroplasty is at least partially explained by business relationships with hand therapists and surgeon experience. Variability in the length of immobilization and the beginning of hand therapy postoperatively was more associated with surgical technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Silver Generation, the population made up of older adults, in countries like Spain and those in its immediate surroundings, represents a demographic segment in constant growth, as a consequence of the increase in life expectancy, and with an increasingly greater percentage weight on the total population, due to the decrease in the birth rate. The main objective of this work is to know and analyze the characteristics and behaviors of this diverse and heterogeneous demographic profile, which is gradually adapting to the use of new technologies, including their preferences regarding the different channels or media they use, the way they relate to the offering companies and their products and services, as well as their assessment of the effectiveness of current marketing strategies aimed at older people. A quantitative methodology has been used, based on a primary source, a survey carried out on people over 55 years of age residing in Spain. The results reflect the existence of significant discontent regarding advertising campaigns directed towards that generation, since they estimate that they do not use the most appropriate channels and coherent strategies, and they are not developed with respect to their way of being and thinking. It is concluded that personalization in treatment, the generation of trust and improving accessibility to new purchasing systems should allow for solid and lasting commercial relationships between companies and this generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Fierce market rivalry between companies has forced a need to search for new ways of competing. One such way is to innovate the company's business model innovation with the use of new technologies. In order to do so, companies often take advantage of relationships with different market actors. Although the existing literature provides some general insight on this matter, there is still a significant research gap concerning the use of specific market actors by companies characterized by BMI based on new technologies. The aim of the paper is to assess the role of relationships developed by companies characterized by BMI based on new technologies with different types of entities. In order to achieve the aim of the paper, it was decided to perform both qualitative and quantitative research. For the qualitative research, a focus study with 12 participants was performed, and for the quantitative study, a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) with representatives from 483 companies was carried out. The data collection method included not only primary sources (interviews with managers) but secondary sources (e.g., company materials) as well. The main conclusion drawn from the presented research is that it is beneficial (in terms of technology as well as performance indicators — profits, sales, market share, and ROI) for companies characterized with BMI based on new technologies to develop relationships with various types of entities. These various types should not only include suppliers or buyers, but competitors, the company's internal and external units, universities and research centers, financing agencies, and government or local government administration as well. The results presented in the paper add significant value to the existing knowledge. Not only is the paper one of a few which touch on the matter of relationships developed by companies characterized by BMI based on new technologies, it also provides new information. It adds a new block to the theories of open innovation and resource-based view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research primarily explores sales phenomena during normal periods. However, triggering events (e.g., natural disasters, security catastrophes, pandemics) can create sales system shocks that profoundly impact salespeople. We utilize a grounded theory and theories-in-use approach to develop a theory of sales system shocks. The framework conceptualizes a sales system shock as a swift change to the business ecosystem that requires a scope of actors and firms involved in selling or buying to substantially revise their established exchange practices. We propose that a sales system shock's impact on salesperson acceptance of and adaptation to the change is shaped by the emotional and functional support received from business relationships, which ultimately determines the salesperson's psychological and financial well-being. Initial quantitative testing using random- and fixed-effects models reveals the importance of business relationships after a sales system shock. The findings provide research avenues and guidance on how to manage salespeople through sales system shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business (customer and supplier) relationships can create or destroy value. Recognition of the value-creating potential of relationships and the ability to manage them, as well as the managers’ attitudes and approach in this regard, can become important success factors. In this study, the authors compare the approaches of managers in competitive and less competitive companies based on the results of the latest questionnaire survey conducted by the Competitiveness Research Centre of Corvinus University of Budapest. Their analysis indicates that competitive companies are more open with their business partners and pay more attention to supplier relations. In addition to the classic expectations (such as service quality, costs), they place a high value on longer-term values, reliability, expertise and learning opportunities in the relationship, and, overall, they tend to view business relationships as a more value-creating factor than less competitive companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of the fair appropriation of co-created value in business relationships has been widely emphasised in the literature. However, in business relationships, value can be both co-created and co-destructed, but what happens to value appropriation when value is co-destructed? Previous studies have focused on what causes value co-destruction, rather than its effects. The question posed is relevant because some actors experience higher diminutions in value appropriation, generating perceptions of inequities, dissatisfaction, and tensions. By analysing data from 39 qualitative interviews with companies that have experienced value co-destruction, this paper attempts to identify the reasons for the unbalanced relationship between value co-destruction and value appropriation. Two higher-level dimensions – awareness of value and awareness of context – are identified and used to generate four clusters of reasons for disproportionate value co-destruction effects. The paper also pinpoints specific actions for managing unfairness from value co-destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power issues are increasingly important for effective management in the networked business landscape. This article seeks to increase understanding of the power within buyer-supplier relationships. This study articulates a research framework that defines countervailing and contextual events as the drivers of relationship power dynamics on structural and behavioural power dimensions. This framework is implemented in two illustrative, longitudinal case studies of technology-intensive buyer-supplier dyads in the medical sector. For this focal study, the illustrative case studies provide a basis for exemplifying the interconnection of behavioural and structural power and actors' perceptions thereof for articulating a perceptions-based framework. The key ideas of this framework are exemplified by a set of propositions and research questions that comprise an agenda for further research. This study contributes by introducing a holistic approach to the study of power dynamics in business relationships. For practitioners, the study explicates elements and principles for managing power in business relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Networks and network science are not new: since the middle of the 20th century, networked structures are analyzed in geography. In recent years, however, with the emergence of network science, with the availability of big data, with improved computational capabilities and new software, the knowledge and analysis of networks have improved substantially. Present paper uses network science in economical geography: it analyzes the connections between settlements in western Hungary based on the business connections of agribusinesses. For the research, we used a questionnaire asking for purchase and sales connections of the selected agribusinesses and analyzed the results from the perspective of network science. Results show that in an agribusiness network the purchase network is more complex than the selling network and that in spatial networks connected to agribusinesses not large cities, but small towns and villages play a central role.

It is well-known that communication can be both unifying and divisive. The paper is designed with three purposes in mind. First, it takes us through the most frequent obstacles to effective communication which are likely to affect interpersonal and intercultural business relationships. Second, it aims to describe the array of barriers which have a delaying and distorting effect on communication. Third, it analyzes ways of refining our communication skills in order to become more flexible in unblocking miscommunication. The results emphasize that power talkers should use certain strategies to make their points of view more emphatic and increase their flexibility through strong/positive language and opinions.

Prior research typically positions blockchain technology as enabling a trustless exchange environment without specifically investigating how blockchain technology provides trust and what makes the data in a blockchain "tamperproof" and "immutable." This article serves to address these research gaps by conducting semi-structured interviews with 18 informants who have had at least three years of project experience with blockchain-enabled exchanges. Our findings uncover three unique aspects of blockchain that enable trust in exchange vs. a traditional exchange: (1) trust in exchange actors: mathematics and cryptography vs. human guardians within institutions, (2) trust in exchange actions: information transparency enabling tamperproof and immutable data vs. information asymmetry, and (3) trust in exchange assets: digital vs. manual escrows for verifying ownership of valuable goods. This research is vital for marketing scholars and practitioners who seek to understand the rise of threats to trust regarding online advertising, customer trust, privacy, and digital rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the health sector is undergoing a deep transformation that is increasingly pushing it towards the exploitation of technology, thus fostering the growth of digital health (eHealth). Cellular networks play a pivotal role in promoting the digitalization of healthcare, and researchers are banking on beyond fifth-generation (B5G) and sixth-generation (6G) technologies to reach the turning point, given that, according to forecasts, 5G will not be able to meet future expectations. Security is an aspect that definitely should not be overlooked for the success of eHealth to occur. This work aims to address the security issue from a poorly explored viewpoint, namely that of economics. In this paper, we first describe the main eHealth services, highlighting the key stakeholders involved. Then, we discuss how next-generation technologies could support these services to identify possible business relationships and, therefore, to realize an innovative business-oriented security analysis. A qualitative assessment of the impact of specific security breaches in diverse business conditions is provided. Moreover, we examine a case study in order to show the effects of security attacks in a definite scenario and discuss their impact on business dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the critical importance of emotional intelligence in effectively interacting with other people, its role has been overlooked in scholarly research on cross-border interorganizational relationships. Drawing on emotion regulation theory, the authors propose a model that conceptualizes links among exporters' emotional intelligence, key behavioral dimensions characterizing the atmosphere of the relationship with import buyers, and the resulting relational performance. They test the model with data collected from 262 Greek exporters using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that higher levels of exporter emotional intelligence enhance communication and social bonding with the importer while diminishing distance and conflict in their working relationship. Relational performance is positively influenced by communication and social bonding but negatively affected by distance and conflict. The results also reveal the moderating effect of both opportunism and interpartner incompatibility on the association between the exporter's emotional intelligence and the behavioral atmosphere of the relationship with import buyers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects on innovation of the dual embeddedness of returnee young ventures (RYVs) in both domestic and international networks of relationships and knowledge contexts are important for value creation, growth, and success of these firms and embody a unique research opportunity. Drawing on a framework combining a business relationship perspective and the knowledge-based view, the authors propose that RYVs take advantage of business relationships and opportunity knowledge from both international and domestic markets to nurture their innovation. They test their model on a sample of 200 RYVs in China. The findings reveal that business relationships are essential for acquiring knowledge about technological and business opportunities, though only international opportunity knowledge and domestic business relationships positively influence new product development. In addition, the interaction between international and domestic business relationships constrains firms' capacity for obtaining international opportunity knowledge. This study offers insights into how the trade-offs between dual relationships and subsequently sourced knowledge contribute to new product development in emerging markets, and it extends the discussion on the paradox view of business relationships with geographically dispersed actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Scholars have been increasingly interested in understanding business models. However, little attention has been paid to how business models change in reaction to exogenous circumstances and how business relationships alter because of business model changes. This paper investigates how the business model paradigm of the Italian music industry altered in response to two major exogenous influences that impacted the sector: the digital revolution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: As the purpose of this study is to investigate phenomena in a real-world setting, qualitative research methodology has been selected as the most appropriate one. It was decided to conduct sixteen semi-structured interviews with professionals active in the Italian music business, selected through a combination of snowball and convenience sampling. Findings: The empirical findings indicate that the digital revolution and COVID-19 pushed Italian music companies to revise their business models by either reducing or adding the number of linkages to the existing ones. This was done in order for the companies to remain competitive in an environment that is constantly changing and to outcompete rivals. Originality/value: Few studies have evaluated how business relationships alter in response to the many business models emerging in the music industry due to external causes. This research is one of the first to examine music companies' reactions to exogenous events such as crises or disruptive advances that affect the competitive landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selling practice is facing an unprecedented process of change that is redefining the logic of value co-creation and disrupting the nature of B2B relationships across several industries. This phenomenon is well-known in managerial practice but under-investigated at a theoretical level. Sales literature aligns on acknowledging that selling and value co-creation unfold within broader service ecosystems. However, the changes occurring in sales have been predominantly studied by focusing on the single elements affecting them. Based on a qualitative study of 48 sales experts, this research draws on the service ecosystem theory to offer a holistic perspective of the factors driving the transformation of selling for value co-creation. The proposal from the study is that value co-creation through selling is a systemic and multi-actor phenomenon, including two antecedents: Hybridization of salespeople and Digital ecosystem empowerment, two boundary conditions: Multi-actor integration and Acceleration, and 23 sub-dimensions driving change in selling. The study also provides guidance for managerial practices, which is crucial due to the high failure rate of attempts at transforming sales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taiwan has achieved impressive economic growth from an agricultural state to produce the globe's most advanced semiconductors. No less dynamic and exciting are the political developments on the island. Once a colony under the Dutch, Chinese and Japanese flags, the island has become quasi-autonomous. The abolition of martial law and the transformation into one of the world's most democratic nations are impressive. High education levels, an exceptionally well handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a non-corrupt government pushing future technology and supporting Taiwan's democratic path make Taiwan an attractive investment target. One look at the facts is enough to see that the Taiwanese are happy with their current system and enjoy great space. One country and two systems are not a good solution for Taiwan politically and economically. In principle, Taiwan has only one option: keep the status quo, minimize provocations against China, and hope for a diplomatic and acceptable outcome to the situation. At the same time, the government must promote itself in the free world and conclude free trade and other mutual exchange agreements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of the article is to identify challenges and success factors related to the imitation of the digital platform business model in other industries. Research Design & Methods: We based our research on a single case study of an extra-industry imitation performed by a digital platform operating in Poland that connects confectionery shops and final customers. The case study was based on direct interviews conducted with the co-owners of the platform. Findings: The results indicated that successful extra-industry imitation faced certain challenges, including the different requirements of the new target industry and the related know-how, and attracting cooperating companies and customers. The success of an extra-industry imitation was determined by specific success factors linked mainly to prior experience regarding the digital platform business model, business relationships with technology/IT suppliers and companies from the new target industry, and personal competencies. Implications & Recommendations: Formal and informal business relationships and cooperation are crucial for extra-industry digital platform business model imitation. Moreover, specific personal relational competencies, including willingness to learn and take risks, allow managers to respond successfully to market opportunities and imitate digital platform business models in new industries. Contribution & Value Added: The main contribution of the article lies in assessing the challenges managers face during extra-industry business model imitation. In our model, we proposed a novel set of factors that impacts the successful implementation of the imitation business model process in a new industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of the article is to fill a research gap regarding the impact of psychic distance on the initiation of relationships by managers from Poland-based firms and to analyze the psychic distance’s influence on firm performance.

It is well-known that communication can be both unifying and divisive. The paper is designed with three purposes in mind. First, it takes us through the most frequent obstacles to effective communication which are likely to affect interpersonal and intercultural business relationships. Second, it aims to describe the array of barriers which have a delaying and distorting effect on communication. Third, it analyzes ways of refining our communication skills in order to become more flexible in unblocking miscommunication. The results emphasize that power talkers should use certain strategies to make their points of view more emphatic and increase their flexibility through strong/positive language and opinions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Logistics service outsourcing in recent years has influenced the evolution of third-party logistics (3PL) providers across the globe. The study explored the evolving services of 3PLs and relational factors that influence the relationship with their customers. Methods: Qualitative research and multiple case studies from four different industries were used. Semi-structured interviews were adopted. Results: The findings show that aside from logistics and warehousing the customer expects 3PLs to create value through more decision-making responsibilities, such as managing the customer's relationship with 3PLs, and customised services that will make them competitive. Furthermore, the results showed that to achieve relationship performance, trust must be collaborative from the start, which increases information sharing and leads to an improved relationship performance. Conclusions: Consistent performance increases commitments from both partners. Implications, limitations and future research suggestions are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]