A hidden cost of strategic alliances under Schumpeterian dynamics

Recently, proponents of interfirm R&D collaboration have emphasized its benefits. We develop a dynamic model of Schumpeterian competition to examine whether such collaboration is indeed beneficial in the long run. We find that interfirm R&D collaboration is more likely to be a losing strategy when partners form alliances mainly to reduce R&D costs. On the other hand, partners collaborating to seek synergy by accessing each other's complementary assets/capabilities are more likely to be successful. Our study suggests that firms should not use strategic alliances merely to reduce R&D costs in a catch-up situation or to avoid head-on competition with rivals.     

Comparison of crossover and jab step start techniques for base stealing in baseball

Base stealing is an important tactic for increasing the chance of scoring in baseball. This study aimed to compare the crossover step (CS) and jab step (JS) starts for base stealing start performance and to clarify the differences between CS and JS starts in terms of three-dimensional lower extremity joint kinetics. Twelve male baseball players performed CS and JS starts, during which their motion and the force they applied to the ground were simultaneously recorded using a motion-capture system and two force platforms. The results showed that the normalised average forward external power, the average forward–backward force exerted by the left leg, and the forward velocities of the whole body centre of gravity generated by both legs and the left leg were significantly higher for the JS start than for the CS start. Moreover, the positive work done by hip extension during the left leg push-off was two-times greater for the JS start than the CS start. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that the jab step start may be the better technique for a base stealing start and that greater positive work produced by left hip extension is probably responsible for producing its larger forward ground reaction force.     

The kinematic differences between skill levels in the squash forehand drive,volley and drop strokes

ABSTRACT

Knowledge of the kinematic differences that separate highly skilled and less-skilled squash players could assist the progression of talent development. This study compared trunk, upper-limb and racket kinematics between two groups of nine highly skilled and less-skilled male athletes for forehand drive, volley and drop strokes. A 15-camera motion analysis system recorded three-dimensional trajectories, with five shots analysed per participant per stroke. The highly skilled group had significantly (p < 0.05) larger forearm pronation/supination range-of-motion and wrist extension angles at impact than the less-skilled. The less-skilled group had a significantly more “open” racket face and slower racket velocities at impact than the highly skilled. Rates of shoulder internal rotation, forearm pronation, elbow extension and wrist flexion at impact were greater in the drive stroke than in the other strokes. The position of the racket at impact in the volley was significantly more anterior to the shoulder than in the other strokes, with a smaller trunk rotation angular velocity. Players used less shoulder internal/external rotation, forearm pronation/supination, elbow and wrist flexion/extension ranges-of-motions and angular velocities at impact in the drop stroke than in the other strokes. These findings provide useful insights into the technical differences that separate highly skilled from less-skilled players and provide a kinematic distinction between stroke types.     

Effects of arch-support orthoses on ground reaction forces and lower extremity kinematics related to running at various inclinations

ABSTRACT

While foot orthoses are commonly used in running, little is known regarding biomechanical risk potentials during uphill running. This study investigated the effects of arch-support orthoses on kinetic and kinematic variables when running at different inclinations. Sixteen male participants ran at different inclinations (0°, 3° and 6°) when wearing arch-support and flat orthoses on an instrumented treadmill. Arch-support orthoses induced longer contact time, larger initial ankle dorsiflexion, maximum ankle eversion, and knee sagittal range of motion (RoM) (p < 0.05). As incline slopes increased, vertical impact peak and loading rate, stride length, and ankle coronal RoM decreased, but contact time, stride frequency, initial ankle dorsiflexion and inversion, maximum dorsiflexion, initial knee flexion, and ankle sagittal RoM increased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, knee sagittal RoM was lowest when running at an inclination of 3°. The interaction effect indicated that in arch-support condition, participants running at 6° induced higher maximum ankle eversion than running at 0° (p < 0.05), while no differences were found in flat orthosis condition. These findings suggest that the use of arch-support orthoses would influence running biomechanics that is related to injury risks. Running at higher inclination led to more alterations to biomechanical variables than at lower inclination.     

Exploring game experiences and game leadership in massively multiplayer online role‐playing games

This study explored the in‐game experiences of massively multiplayer online role‐playing game (MMORPG) players focusing on game leadership and offline leadership. MMORPGs have enormous potential to provide gameplayers with rich social experiences through various interactions along with social activities such as joining a game community, team play and others. In this study, a total of 808 Korean online gameplayers participated in an online survey. Amongst them, 300 MMORPG players were used as the final sample group. The results showed that joining a game community and playing in teams may help players build their leadership experience in games. The findings also suggest that there is a significant positive relationship between in‐game leadership and offline leadership. However, there were no significant differences in gender regarding in‐game and offline leadership. This study suggests that MMORPGs offer a useful place where people can grow their leadership skills and potentially transfer them into the real world.     

Crowdfunding public projects: Collaborative governance for achieving citizen co-funding of public goods

This study explores the potential of crowdfunding as a tool for achieving “citizen co-funding” of public projects. Focusing on philanthropic crowdfunding, we examine whether collaborative projects between public and private organizations are more successful in fundraising than projects initiated solely by private organizations. We argue that government involvement in crowdfunding provides some type of accreditation or certification that attests to a project's aim to achieve public rather than private goals, thereby mitigating information asymmetry and improving mutual trust between creators (i.e., private sector organizations) and funders (i.e., crowd). To support this argument, we show that crowdfunding projects with government involvement achieved a greater success rate and attracted a greater amount of funding than comparable projects without government involvement. This evidence shows that governments may take advantage of crowdfunding to “co-fund” public projects with the citizenry for addressing the complex challenges that we face in the twenty-first century.     

“The Paradox of Narcissus and Echo in the Instagram Pond” in Light of the Selfie Culture from Freudian Evolutionary Psychology: Self-Loving and Confident but Lonely

Drawing from the Freudian evolutionary psychology of narcissism and the literature on social media popularity, this article addresses the central theme revolving around “The Paradox of Digital Narcissists in the Instagram Pond” in light of the selfie/groupie culture. A cross sectional survey was conducted among 398 Instagram users (236 males and 162 females) recruited from Amazon M-Turk. Structural equation modeling analyses using Mplus 7.4 propose an integrative model of narcissism and reveal dynamic relationships among users’ narcissism, self-discrepancy, self-confidence, intrasexual competition for mates, need to belong, need for popularity, loneliness, number of selfie/groupie posts on Instagram, and number of Instagram followers/followings.     

A muted voice in academe: the Korean version of entrepreneurial scholarship

The imperatives of social democratization and global economic competition have opened a new phase of development for the Korean university and its scholarship. The increased social demands for knowledge creation and dissemination gradually extend the scope of professional practice beyond the conventional areas of academic work. This paper explores, based upon the findings of a case study, how Korean universities and their professors have been responding to these demands and what consequences are observable. It also explains how the new demands and responses are contributing to local development. Finally, it highlights several controversial issues in the discourse on entrepreneurial scholarship and discusses these in the Korean context as points for further investigation.