In pursuit of value:The objective of a purchase as guide for a relationship

This study investigates how buying firms differentiate their relationship practices based on the objective of a purchase. Although previous research shows that purchasing objectives strongly influence how buyers organize their relationships, it remains unclear how so-called tactical sourcing levers are used to support an objective. We draw on a mixed-method case study design consisting of a scenario-based survey study and semi-structured interviews. Our quantitative findings show that while transactional levers are commonly applied across purchasing objectives, they are not necessarily the most important for the different objectives. In fact, our qualitative findings reveal that sourcing levers are not either transactional or relational, but exist on a continuum where each lever can be used in different ways depending on the objective of the purchase. As such, our study provides a novel view on more traditional purchasing classifications such as the one on purchasing levers. Consequently, our findings suggest that existing purchasing tools need to be revised in line with today's value creation approach of purchasing.</p

Nomen est omen? How and when company name fluency affects return expectations

Investors perceive stocks of companies with fluent names as more profitable. This perception may result from two different channels: a direct, non-deliberate affect toward fluent names or a deliberate interpretation of fluent names as a signal for company quality. We use preregistered experiments to disentangle these channels and test their limitations. Our results indicate the existence of a significant non-deliberate fluency effect, while the deliberate fluency effect can be activated and deactivated in boundary cases. Both effects are consistent across different groups of participants. However, whereas the fluency effect is strong in isolation, it has limitations when investors are confronted with additional information about the stock

Does it matter how we produce ambiguity in experiments?

The Ellsberg urn is conventionally used in experiments to measure ambiguity attitudes, yet there is no uniformity in the method for producing Ellsberg urns, which complicates the comparability of results across studies. By surveying 69 experimental studies, we distill four different methods of ambiguity production—Ellsberg urns that are produced by (i) the experimenter, (ii) another random participant, (iii) compound risk lotteries, and (iv) compound risk derived from random numbers in nature. In an experiment we then assess participants’ ambiguity attitudes concerning each production method and detect no statistically significant differences among them. However, a notable proportion of preference inconsistency is observed when utilizing compound risk lotteries for ambiguity generation. Generally, our findings suggest interchangeability among the four production methods in future laboratory experiments. Nevertheless, we suggest employing method (i) as it is the most uncomplicated and straightforward production method

Geology and rural landscapes in central Spain (Guadalajara, Castilla—La Mancha)

Methods commonly used in regional geological analysis were employed to study the visual landscapes of the Sigüenza–Molina de Aragón area (Spain). Landscape data were compiled to produce a landscape map and a photograph catalogue. Lithological composition, tectonic structure and recent erosive processes are the main factors controlling the visual landscapes. Territorial properties, such as colours and agricultural capacities, are controlled by these geological characteristics. The landscape map and the photographic catalogue is the main contribution of this paper. The first level of landscape classification distinguishes zones with dominance of either flat, concave or convex areas. Other parts of the territory are, however, composed of concave and convex combinations that originate hybrid orographic structures. In a second level of classification, several subdivisions for each of these types are established

N budgets and aquatic uptake in the Ipswich River basin, northeastern Massachusetts

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2004. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Water Resources Research 40 (2004): W11201, doi:10.1029/2004WR003172.We calculated N budgets and conducted nutrient uptake experiments to evaluate the fate of N in the aquatic environment of the Ipswich River basin, northeastern Massachusetts. A mass balance indicates that the basin retains about 50% of gross N inputs, mostly in terrestrial components of the landscape, and the loss and retention of total nitrogen (TN) in the aquatic environment was about 9% of stream loading. Uptake lengths of PO4 and NH4 were measurable in headwater streams, but NO3 uptake was below detection (minimum detection limit = 0.05 μM). Retention or loss of NO3 was observed in a main stem reach bordered by wetland habitat. Nitrate removal in urban headwater tributaries was because of water withdrawals and denitrification during hypoxic events and in ponded wetlands with long water residence times. A mass balance using an entire river network indicates that basin-wide losses due to aquatic denitrification are considerably lower than estimates from several recent studies and range from 4 to 16% of TDN in stream loading. Withdrawals for domestic use restrict the runoff of headwater catchments from reaching the main stem during low base flow periods, thereby contributing to the spatial and temporal regulation of N export from headwater tributaries.This research was funded by grants DEB- 9726862 and OCE-9726921 (NSF)

The Ecology Of Elevational Positions In Plants: Drought Resistance In Five Montane Pine Species In Southeastern Arizona

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141149/1/ajb213762.pd