This article builds a theoretical framework to help explain governance patterns in global value chains It draws on three streams of literature ‐ transaction costs economics, production networks, and technological capability and firm-level learning ‐ to identify three variables that play a large role in determining how global value chains are governed and change These are: (1) the complexity of transactions, (2) the ability to codify transactions, and (3) the capabilities in the supply-base The theory generates five types of global value chain governance ‐ hierarchy, captive, relational, modular, and market ‐ which range from high to low levels of explicit coordination and power asymmetry The article highlights the dynamic and overlapping nature of global value chain governance through four brief industry case studies: bicycles, apparel, horticulture and electronics

/pdf/the-governance-of-global-value-chains-3dmchifo7i.pdf

The governance of global value chains

The present historical moment may seem a particularly inopportune time to review Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam's latest exploration of civic decline in America. After all, the outpouring of volunteerism, solidarity, patriotism, and self-sacrifice displayed by Americans in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks appears to fly in the face of Putnam's central argument: that \"social capital\" -defined as \"social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them\" (p. 19)'has declined to dangerously low levels in America over the last three decades. However, Putnam is not fazed in the least by the recent effusion of solidarity. Quite the contrary, he sees in it the potential to \"reverse what has been a 30to 40-year steady decline in most measures of connectedness or community.\"' As an example of how the current \"war on terrorism\" could generate a durable civic renewal, Putnam points to the burst in civic practices that occurred during and after World War II, which he says \"permanently marked\" the generation that lived through it and had a \"terrific effect on American public life over the last half-century.\" 3 If Americans can follow this example and channel their current civic

Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community

The Rise of the Creative Class

Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers

This paper sets out to explore contexts for entrepreneurship, illustrating how a contextualized view of entrepreneurship contributes to our understanding of the phenomenon. There is growing recognition in entrepreneurship research that economic behavior can be better understood within its historical, temporal, institutional, spatial, and social contexts, as these contexts provide individuals with opportunities and set boundaries for their actions. Context can be an asset and a liability for the nature and extent of entrepreneurship, but entrepreneurship can also impact contexts. The paper argues that context is important for understanding when, how, and why entrepreneurship happens and who becomes involved. Exploring the multiplicity of contexts and their impact on entrepreneurship, it identifies challenges researchers face in contextualizing entrepreneurship theory and offers possible ways forward.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/j_1540-6520_2010_00427_x_wml.pdf?abstractid=1784106&mirid=2

Contextualizing Entrepreneurship—Conceptual Challenges and Ways Forward:

Variation of sperm size and evolution of giant spermatozoa in Lonchopteridae (Diptera).

* Feliza Ceseña, Hannes Geiselbrecht, Sebastian Landmann, Tobias Lehmann, Roland Meyer & Roland Melzer, SNSB – Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247 München, Germany ** Martin Heß, Tobias Lehmann & Roland Melzer, Department Biologie II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Großhaderner Straße 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany *** Borut Mavric, NIB – Marine Biological Station, Fornace 41, 6330 Piran, Slovenia **** Martin Pfannkuchen, Institut Rud-er Boškovib, Centar za istraživanje mora, Giordano Paliaga 5, 52210 Rovinj, Croatia ***** Moira Bursic, Nacionalni Park Brijuni, Brionska 10, 52212 Fažana, Croatia The impact of substantially detrimental anthropogenic activities such as eutrophication, sewage discharge, inorganic pollution, etc., has put the future of Mediterranean biodiversity at stake. This calls for a dramatic increase in conservation efforts. Brijuni National Park is one of the few marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Northern Adriatic, i. e. one of the most polluted parts of the Mediterranean. Bio-inventories are needed to assess the conservation outcome of this small, but historic MPA. In our first survey of the area using minimally invasive data acquisition methods, we found indications of high decapod species richness (Melzer et al. 2016). A more recent second field campaign has increased the number of recorded decapods on circa 90 species, including several rare ones. Among these finds, a specimen of A. branchialis deserves particular attention. It was found at 44.9228° N, 13.7361° E south of Cape Vrbanj under a stone in the upper infralittoral in an area with a mix of rock ledges and sediment spots. Some of the diagnostic features are depicted in Figure 1. A. branchialis had previously been recorded for only eight localities (Katagan & Kocatas 2001) with a single Adriatic record from the Gulf of Manfredonia off the coast of Italy, circa 400 km south of Brijuni (Froglia 1975, 2010). These records transformed A. branchialis from a putative Lessepsian migrant (Holthuis & Gottlieb 1958) into an autochthone Mediterranean species. As can be concluded from the previous records, our sample of A. branchialis from Brijuni MPA represents the first record for both, Croatian waters and the Northern Adriatic.

First record of the snapping shrimp, Automate branchialis Holthuis & Gottlieb, 1958 for Croatian waters (Decapoda, Alpheidae)

Muscles undergo developmental transitions in gene expression and alternative splicing that are necessary to refine sarcomere structure and contractility. CUG-BP and ETR-3-like (CELF) family RNA binding proteins are important regulators of RNA processing during myogenesis that are misregulated in diseases such as myotonic dystrophy (DM1). Here we report a conserved function for Bruno 1 (Bru1, Arrest), a CELF1/2 family homolog in Drosophila, during early muscle myogenesis. Loss of Bru1 in flight muscles results in disorganization of the actin cytoskeleton leading to aberrant myofiber compaction and defects in pre-myofibril formation. Temporally-restricted rescue and RNAi knockdown demonstrate that early cytoskeletal defects interfere with subsequent steps in sarcomere growth and maturation. Early defects are distinct from a later requirement for bru1 to regulate sarcomere assembly dynamics during myofiber maturation. We identify an imbalance in growth in sarcomere length and width during later stages of development as the mechanism driving abnormal radial growth, myofibril fusion and the formation of hollow myofibrils in bru1 mutant muscle. Molecularly, we characterize a genome-wide transition from immature to mature sarcomere gene isoform expression in flight muscle development that is blocked in bru1 mutants. We further demonstrate that temporally restricted Bru1 rescue can partially alleviate hypercontraction in late pupal and adult stages, but it cannot restore myofiber function or correct structural deficits. Our results reveal the conserved nature of CELF function in regulating cytoskeletal dynamics in muscle development, and demonstrate that defective RNA processing due to misexpression of CELF proteins causes wide-reaching structural defects and progressive malfunction of affected muscles that cannot be rescued by late-stage gene replacement.

/pdf/bruno-1-regulates-cytoskeleton-dynamics-and-a-temporal-1yyi4nsx.pdf

Bruno 1 regulates cytoskeleton dynamics and a temporal splicing transition to promote myofibril assembly, growth and maturation in Drosophila flight muscle

Book review: Lawson, V. 2007: Making development geography. London: Hodder Arnold. 224 pp. £22.99 paper. ISBN: 978 0 340 80964 8. Willis, K. 2005: Theories and practices of development. London: Routledge. 256 pp. £19.99 paper. ISBN: 978 0 415 30053 7

Supply chain resilience and transparency are important for the ability of companies to react flexibly to the changing conditions of the environment and the market, especially in crisis situations. Events such as pandemics or economic crises can lead to sharp changes in demand or a halt in production as well as bottlenecks along supply chains. In the project CoyPu, which tackles the complex economic challenges in crisis situations by integrating heterogeneous data and solutions into an intelligent platform, we put particular focus on the two use cases demand forecasting and resilient production. An accurate demand forecast is important for companies to accurately plan production. This need is amplified in supply chains containing semiconductors, since long production times limit flexibility. Especially in times of disruptions tactical demand forecasts and the Bullwhip Effect, which amplifies demand along the supply chains, further complicate demand forecasting. This requires alternative demand forecasting approaches to tackle the before-mentioned issues. To meet the forecasted demand, smooth production processes are necessary, which rely on parameters such as precise predictions of material availability to optimize the production start time. Due to intransparent supply chains, which lack information such as subsuppliers or specific source locations, it is challenging to obtain accurate predictions and find the best alternative solution in case of adverse events. To address these issues on both the demand and supply side, CoyPu aims at enabling high-quality and insights into economic trends and forecasts, based on cognitive modeling of data within a system of networked knowledge graphs and configurable artificial intelligence analysis tools. This paper highlights major challenges on the demand and supply side and possible solutions to achieve an optimized demand forecasting and a more resilient production.

Martin Hess

Papers

Variation of sperm size and evolution of giant spermatozoa in Lonchopteridae (Diptera).

First record of the snapping shrimp, Automate branchialis Holthuis & Gottlieb, 1958 for Croatian waters (Decapoda, Alpheidae)

Bruno 1 regulates cytoskeleton dynamics and a temporal splicing transition to promote myofibril assembly, growth and maturation in Drosophila flight muscle

Book review: Lawson, V. 2007: Making development geography. London: Hodder Arnold. 224 pp. £22.99 paper. ISBN: 978 0 340 80964 8. Willis, K. 2005: Theories and practices of development. London: Routledge. 256 pp. £19.99 paper. ISBN: 978 0 415 30053 7

Challenges for Achieving Supply Chain Resilience and Transparency within CoyPu