Piera Morlacchi

Social Networks of Researchers in B2B Marketing: A Case Study of the IMP Group 1984–1999

ABSTRACT Science is a social process that functions through social networks of researchers that form invisible colleges and social network analysis provides a means for examining the structure of relations among researchers. The IMP Group is used as a case study of a network of researchers because it has been responsible for a considerable amount of research over the last decades in the area of business-to-business marketing, yet its structure remains hidden because of its informal network characteristics. The results of a Social Network Analysis of the IMP Group is described based on the pattern of co-authorship at annual IMP conferences. The results reveal a power law distribution of paper co-authorship and a small world network that conforms to the results of studies of other types of social networks. A core network of 57 researchers is identified and its network properties are described, including how it has evolved over time. The study provides the basis for further studies of the social networks of marketing and business researchers.

IPSERA: ten years and beyond

Based on a review of ten years’ conference proceedings and a survey among some of its members, this papers develops a view of the past, present and future of the International Purchasing and Supply Education and Research Association—IPSERA.

Schumpeterian Legacies for Entrepreneurship and Networks: The Social Dimensions of Entrepreneurial Action

Innovation has become a major field of study in economics, management, sociology, science and technology, and history. Case studies, empirical models, appreciative analyses and formal theories abound. However, after several decades of study on innovation, and so many different types of contribution, there are still many phenomena we know very little about. The debate on innovation still has much to deliver; important questions remain unanswered and many problems require solution. Bringing together many leading figures in the field, this collection aims to address these concerns by offering detailed analyses of topics that are crucial for understanding innovation. In addition, it offers discussions of topics that researchers are just beginning to explore and of topics that continue to defy our efforts to understand and systematise. This important and wide-ranging collection will be essential reading for academic researchers and graduate students who wish to gain a broad overview of frontier-research in innovation.

SMEs in supply chain: a supplier evaluation model and some empirical results

The paper aims at providing a Vendor Assessment model which can be useful to evaluate potentialities and capabilities of suppliers. The assessment of a supplier’s capacity to undertake supply relations is carried out by means of a process-based view of the company. It is assumed that effective and integrated processes contribute to a company’s capacity to develop satisfactory relations within the supply chain in which it operates. The assessment of each process is based on the measurement of its assets or variables of state: human, technology and finance resources and organisational skills. The analysis has been carried on by a survey to verifying the potential of southern Italian sub-contractors to respond to the needs of commissioning companies in the machine tools and special purpose machines industries. The ultimate aim of the study, which is funded by the European Union and the Institute for Industrial Promotion, is to create new client-supplier relations between large companies in the machines sector and small and medium enterprise (SME) suppliers in southern Italy.

Allergy products traded on eBay, 2007-2012

Abbreviation: TNSS, Total Nasal Symptom Score. rhinitis because of a wide variety of allergens, including animals. Exposure to horses through commercial and leisure activities is increasing, and people experience respiratory symptoms, including allergic rhinitis, with horse exposure.1 The effective doses have been described for immunotherapywith cat and dog extract.2,3 Five horse allergens have been described, including Equ c 1, Equ c 2 (lipocalins), Equ c 3 (serum albumin), Equ c 4, and Equ c 5 (unknown function).4 However, immunotherapy with horse extract has been less extensively studied. One previous study from Spain found clinical efficacy with one standardized extract of horse dander.5 However, there are few clinical data regarding efficacy with differing doses of horse extract, and it is unknown which dose is most effective. We report a clinical observation regarding our experience in patients with differing doses of immunotherapy with horse extract. Eight patients, ranging in age from 9 to 57 years, with allergic rhinitis symptoms on exposure to horse and positive skin prick test results to horse dander were treated with horse extract (1:20 wt/vol produced by Greer Laboratories). The doses ranged from 0.2 to 1.0 mL of horse extract (of a 5-mL immunotherapy vial). Subcutaneous immunotherapy was administered on a weekly basis starting with a 1:10,000 dilution to a maintenance dose of 0.5 mL (of a 5-mL vial) of a 1:10 dilution. Three patients were treated with 0.3 mL of horse extract, 3 patients were treated with 0.25 mL of horse extract, 1 patient was treated with 0.2 mL of horse extract, and 1 patient was treated with 1.0 mL of horse extract (Table 1). Total nasal symptom scores (TNSSs) to horse exposure were recorded before initiation of immunotherapy and on reaching maintenance dose (Table 1). Nasal congestion, sneezing, rhinorrhea, and nasal itch were scored from 0 to 3 (0 indicating no symptoms; 1, mild symptoms; 2, moderate symptoms; and 3, severe symptoms), with the maximum score being 12.6 The mean TNSS score of all the treated patients before initiation of therapy was 8.5, and the mean TNSS score after arrival at the maintenance dose was 2.25. Statistical analysis of the data was performed by use of StatPac software (StatPac Inc, Bloomington, Minnesota). A matchedpairs t test between means was calculated, showing a significant difference inmeans before and after treatment (P1⁄4 .004). No adverse events were caused by the immunotherapy. Our clinical observation shows improvement with horse allergen extract immunotherapy.

A New Solution Suggesting the Need for a New Equation (Innovations Case Discussion: The Institute for OneWorld Health)

When Victoria Hale first came up with the notion of starting the Institute for OneWorld Health (iOWH), some cautioned that the idea of a non-profit pharmaceutical company developing drugs to treat neglected diseases was a proven loser. The more direct among them might also have inquired why a successful scientist, trained in being analytic, consistent and logical, would undertake such an evidently hopeless project. Yet a few years later, iOWH has not only achieved its first drug approval (i.e. Paramomycin for the treatment of leishmaniasis or ‘black fever’, approved for use in India), it has also seen that same drug included in WHO’s Essential Medicines list, and has research results in the New England Journal of Medicine. This turnaround raises a question: Did skeptics fail to grasp Hale’s clever insights, misjudge the depth of her commitment, or underestimate the extent of her potential good fortune? Put more simply, is Hale’s a story of smarts, guts, and luck?