An international marketing strategy can only be as good as its implementation. Because implementation becomes more and more difficult through changes in international relations…
Abstract
An international marketing strategy can only be as good as its implementation. Because implementation becomes more and more difficult through changes in international relations, economic ideologies, pressures of competition and growing professional competence, the negotiations by which implementation largely takes place assume an increasing significance in the outcomes.
Vishwas Maheshwari, Priya Gunesh, George Lodorfos and Anastasia Konstantopoulou
The latest research in the field of employer branding highlights a mix of marketing principles and recruitment practices, based on the concept that, just as customers have…
Abstract
Purpose
The latest research in the field of employer branding highlights a mix of marketing principles and recruitment practices, based on the concept that, just as customers have perceptions of an organisation’s brand, then so do other stakeholders including employees. However, the emphasis has been on organisations, which predominantly operate in developed countries typically with Westernised-individualistic cultures. This paper aims to investigate employer branding for service organisations’ image and attraction as an employer in a non-Western culture.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines the perceptions of human resources’ professionals and practitioners on the role of employer branding in employer attractiveness and talent management, within Mauritian banking sector. The data collection for this qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with senior managers from Mauritian banking organisations, including multinational enterprises, small business unit banks and Mauritian banks.
Findings
Analysis of the findings showed that organisations, and banks in this case, are increasingly competing to attract highly skilled personnel in various professional areas; therefore, those organisations that attract the best talent will have a distinct edge in the marketplace. Furthermore, findings from the semi-structured interviews with senior managers suggest that employer branding remains at the embryonic stage within the Mauritian banking sector; therefore, a clear need exists for a more developed strategy.
Research limitations/implications
The outcomes of this study call for re-engineering with regards to managerial collaboration in organisations for the successful design and implementation of the employer branding strategy. The empirical findings from the Mauritian banking sector show that the strategic position occupied by the human resource function is still at an embryonic stage as regards with the competitiveness of banks as service organisations.
Practical implications
The study presents a need for the development and maintenance of long-term collaborative and trust-based relationships between the human resource and marketing functions.
Originality/value
The insights provided through this study addresses the dearth of academic research on employer branding on the African continent while providing invaluable information from a human resource professional perspective.
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Abstract
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The problems of achieving accurate temperature profiles in large scale and difficult environments like paint manufacture, are solved by the Distributed Temperature Sensor (DTS…
The big changes over recent years and their rapid development in Food Retailing have resulted in different shopping practices, for the institution, the hotel, restaurant and the…
Abstract
The big changes over recent years and their rapid development in Food Retailing have resulted in different shopping practices, for the institution, the hotel, restaurant and the home. Different cuisines have developed, foods purchased, both in cooking practices and eating habits, especially in the home. Gone are the old fashioned home economics, taking with them out of the diet much that was enjoyed and from which the families benefitted in health and stomach satisfaction. In very recent times, the changes have become bigger, developments more rapid, and the progress continues. Bigger and bigger stores, highly departmentalised, mechanical aids of every description, all under one roof, “complex” is an appropriate term for it; large open spaces for the housewife with a car. The development is in fact aimed at the bulk buyer — rapid turnover — the small household needs, not entirely neglected, but not specially catered for. Daily cash takings are collosal. This is what the small owner‐occupied general store, with its many domestic advantages, has come to fall in the late twentieth century.
UK body for Internet registration. A new national body in the UK responsible for registering Internet names has held its first meeting. Nominet UK is a not‐for‐profit company set…
Abstract
UK body for Internet registration. A new national body in the UK responsible for registering Internet names has held its first meeting. Nominet UK is a not‐for‐profit company set up with the support of all sections of the UK Internet industry and which derives its authority from the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. Until its creation Internet name registration was done on a voluntary basis by the UK Education & Research Networking Association but the Internet's increasing popularity, with 200 new registrations per week, put a strain on this arrangement.
Aims to discover the different technologies used in warehouse stock control.
Abstract
Purpose
Aims to discover the different technologies used in warehouse stock control.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper begins with a review of optical and radio‐frequency product‐labelling technologies, and then examines various devices and systems for reading these labels and integrating stock control into back‐office databases. It then looks at techniques for finding the goods within the warehouse, from simple address labels to radar positioning and inertial navigation, considering both operator‐based and guided vehicle handling systems.
Findings
Labelling technologies facilitate automatic product identification. Rugged handheld computers with wireless communications give real‐time capability and integrate stock control into wider software systems for efficient resource management. Speech synthesis provides one man‐machine interface enabling workers to order‐pick under database control. Automated readers record products entering and leaving the warehouse, theoretically removing the need for stock taking. Automatic guided vehicles are now available to stack and retrieve goods in the warehouse.
Originality/value
Provides engineers with an overview of the diversity of solutions employed in warehouse stock handling.
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Specialised vacuum recovery equipment supplied by Hodge Clemco Ltd. of Sheffield has helped a Suffolk company complete two blast cleaning projects in record time. East Anglian…
Abstract
Specialised vacuum recovery equipment supplied by Hodge Clemco Ltd. of Sheffield has helped a Suffolk company complete two blast cleaning projects in record time. East Anglian Grit Blasting Company of Beccles, blast‐cleaned and coated four offshore modules for Shell, each module weighing approximately 500 tonnes.
Fatemeh Aamazadeh, Jaleh Barar, Yalda Rahbar Saadat and Alireza Ostadrahimi
This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic/apoptotic effects of sweet apricot kernel ethanolic extract (SAEE) on human cancerous PANC-1 and 293/KDR normal cells.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic/apoptotic effects of sweet apricot kernel ethanolic extract (SAEE) on human cancerous PANC-1 and 293/KDR normal cells.
Design/methodology/approach
The extract was prepared by maceration, and its chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The biological effects of SAEE on PANC-1 and 293/KDR cells were investigated using MTT (3–(4, 5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay, DAPI (4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) and AnnexinV/propidium iodide (PI) staining. The expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes was evaluated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (real-time q-PCR) analysis.
Findings
The SAEE showed the selective growth inhibitory activity against PANC-1 cells with an IC50 (the 50% inhibitory concentration) value of about 1 mg/mL at 72 h. Further investigations by DAPI staining and flow cytometry revealed nucleus fragmentation and elevation of apoptotic cells, respectively. Also, a significant decrease in B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)/Bcl-2-associated x protein (Bax) ratio (0.41, p = 0.001) and the up-regulation of caspase-3 expression (1.5 fold, p = 0.002) indicated the induction of apoptosis in PANC-1 cells but not in 293/KDR non-cancerous cells. These results suggest that SAEE could induce apoptosis in cancer cells via a mitochondrial dependent pathway. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis showed that the SAEE is rich in γ-sitosterol and γ-tocopherol. Overall, the findings suggest that because of the selective impacts of SAEE on PANC-1 cells, it can be considered as a supportive care in adjuvant therapy for pancreatic cancer. However, the potent anticancer effects of main components of SAEE and its clinical value as an antitumor drug should be further investigated.
Research limitations/implications
Considerable limitations of this study were that the related mechanisms of selective impacts of SAEE on cancerous and normal cells and potent cytotoxic/apoptotic effects of γ-sitosterol and γ-tocopherol as major components of SAEE were not investigated.
Originality/value
Recently, a growing interest has been dedicated to plant-based natural products. Sweet apricot kernel exerts a number of pharmacological activities; however, the anticancer effect, related mechanisms and its active compounds were rarely investigated. In this study, the authors aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic/apoptotic effects of SAEE on human cancerous PANC-1 and 293/KDR normal cells.
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The 26th International Aerospace Show at Le Bourget will undoubtedly be the largest that has ever been held. Inevitably, at a time when the European industries are attempting to…
Abstract
The 26th International Aerospace Show at Le Bourget will undoubtedly be the largest that has ever been held. Inevitably, at a time when the European industries are attempting to consolidate their positions and the United States industry is pushing hard to improve its own sales and technical standing throughout the world, there will be a highly competitive air about the whole Exhibition. At the same time, many companies will be emphasizing their international links—in terms of collaborative developments, licence production or sales. Organized by the French equivalent of the S.B.A.C. in Britain—the Union Syndicate des Industries Aeronautiques et Spatiales—this year's Salon will follow traditional lines in that each day of the Show will be devoted to a particular facet of aerospace activities thus: June 10 Press Preview; June 11 Official Inauguration by President de Gaulle; June 12 Philately; June 13 Light, Executive and Commercial Aviation; June 14 Space Activities; June 15 Electronics; June 16 Systems and Equipment; June 17 Rotor craft; June 18 French and Foreign Missions; June 19 International Air Display; and June 20 International Flying Display. The Russians will send a number of space exhibits as well as a selection of civil aircraft—including the world's largest helicopter. The British industry will be represented by approximately fifty companies as well as Ministry of Aviation, Ministry of Defence and S.B.A.C. presentations. This preview of the show is concerned solely with the British exhibits, beginning with the major airframe and engine industries.