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KU News: Multinational enterprises should choose between two colocation strategies, research finds

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Guest Columnist
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From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

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Contact: Jon Niccum, KU News Service, 785-864-7633, [email protected]
Multinational enterprises should choose between two colocation strategies, research finds
LAWRENCE — In business, colocation occurs when firms locate together in the same geographic space.
“In the process of internationalization, firms sometimes colocate with other firms in the same host countries,” said Minyoung Kim, the Frank T. Stockton Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Kansas School of Business.
His new paper “Colocation as network: Types and performance implications of structural positions in colocation network” investigates competitive colocation from a network perspective, introducing a theoretical framework on the dimensions of competitive colocation and their implications for large firms competing in a global scale. It appears in the Journal of International Business Studies.
One of the key mechanisms for colocation is “strategic interactions,” which concern the patterns of a focal firm’s sequential decisions in consideration of rivals’ location choices. (For instance, the multinational tire company Michelin famously attacked Goodyear’s U.S. home market in the 1970s by using its cash flow from the European market. Goodyear defended against Michelin’s push by retaliating in Michelin’s European market.)
“The new perspective that we are introducing in this paper is the conceptualization of colocation as network,” said Kim, who co-wrote the piece with Chang Hoon Oh, the William & Judy Docking Professor of Strategy at KU, and Jukyeong Han, an assistant professor at McMaster University and Kim’s former doctoral student at KU.
“We introduce a new conceptualization of location choice and colocation as an interfirm network relationship, and this new conceptualization enables us to investigate types and performance implications of structural positions in the colocation network,” he said. “In doing so, we also shed light on the ‘strength of weak ties’ in the process of firm internationalization.”
He said the study addresses the question of “To follow, or not to follow?” Specifically, this paper helps managers answer whether multinational enterprises should repeatedly colocate with the same competitors across multiple countries or with diverse competitors with less repetition.
From the network perspective, previous studies highlight strong ties in repetitive colocation with a small number of competitors, neglecting the strength of weak ties in less repetitive colocation with a large number of unique firms.
“Our network-based approach provides an integrative framework to simultaneously investigate these two types of colocation strategies. By doing so, it enables us to compare and contrast the two types and investigate their performance implications,” Kim said.
Another managerial implication is the intrinsic tradeoff between the two colocation strategies. Managers need to understand the trade-off between “encountering-the-same-competitors” and “avoiding-the-same-competitors,” and choose one that fits their strategic goals. Pursuing both strategies could cancel out the unique benefits of each strategy and can result in “stuck-in-the-middle” performance.
In terms of methodology, the team introduced two distinct dimensions of a firm’s competitive colocation: intensity and diversity. They also developed a typology of a firm’s structural position in the competitive colocation network: simple colocation, multicountry colocation and multifirm colocation. Testing predictions of the theoretical framework with subsidiary location information of those listed in the Fortune Global 500, they found corroborating evidence in support of their thesis that the intensity and diversity of a firm’s competitive colocation individually and jointly influenced firm performance. Additionally, they found multicountry colocation outperforms the other two types.
Kim said he’s always been interested in the phenomenon of firms’ behaviors in geographic space.
“There was a point when I realized that the existing approach is limiting our understanding, and the network perspective can be helpful better illuminating the relational nature of the phenomenon because firms choose locations and make decisions on colocation not only for what locations have to offer but also to consider rivals’ location choices,” he said.
Now in his 11th year at KU, Kim studies the intersection between strategic management and international business. He often focuses on how firms create value and how they appropriate the value they have created.
“Imitative behaviors in location decisions in general and colocation in specific bear ever more important performance implications nowadays because they help reduce competitive risks in conditions of uncertainty,” Kim said.
“As the level of uncertainty in the current business environment is getting higher, colocation as an imitative behavior becomes more crucial.”
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Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

Roots of discord (1)

By
John Marshall
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john marshal

 

First of five articles on the history of trouble in the Kansas Republican party
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Although Kansans frequently elect Democratic governors, we are seen as a Republican state because the party holds a cherished roster of celebrities ‒ Landon, Eisenhower and Dole among them ‒ and because it remains the big broker of influence in Topeka.
With few exceptions, Republicans are elected routinely to the statewide offices and to the Congress and U.S. Senate. The party has held majorities in the State Senate and House of Representatives for more than 70 years ‒ with a couple of brief interruptions, when Democrats controlled the House (65-60) in 1977-’79 and in 1991-’93 (63-62).
Republicans have since built Statehouse super majorities over Democrats, 85-40 in the House and 29-11 in the Senate. Control is unlikely to change soon. Nor is the inclination to feud with itself. The party is big enough that it provokes its own culture wars.
Meanwhile, Democratic governors have interpreted Republican legislatures better than the Republicans have. Democrats Docking, Carlin, Finney, Sebelius and Kelly deemed it more important to understand Republicans than to fight them. All but Finney, who declined to seek reelection, were elected to multiple terms.
Over the years, Kansas has been governed mostly by Republicans (in spirit if not registration) who strongly believed in the party as a mechanism to coordinate the executive and legislative branches.
But when Republicans fail to unify, their connective tissue in Topeka is weakened; their majority statewide is reduced to a confederacy of tribal warlords seeking either to protect their own turf or expand their little empires.
Government then becomes a battleground for coalitions moved more by primal instinct and feudal skirmishes than by political planning. The chief mission, the solving substantive problems, goes walkabout.
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Today’s squabbles are typical, extending a long legacy of dispute, mostly over power. Early this year Republican delegates narrowly elected Mike Brown, a hard-right election denier, as state chairman. Months later, in May, the state committee moved to consolidate Brown’s power by proposing that groups representing women, Black, Hispanic and young Republicans be removed from the state party’s executive board.
This ignited unrest among old-line conservatives and moderates.
Kelly Arnold, a former GOP chairman, said the banishment would disavow groups vital to the health of the party. “What is it going to look like if the Republican Party tells these groups of women and minority groups and young Republicans ‘sorry, we don’t need you to be part of the Republican Party?’” he said. “You will have a very divided Republican Party.”
The new order would also remove party leaders who have won state and federal elections, including members of Congress and Republicans elected to statewide office and GOP leaders in the legislature.
Brown’s bid for power waits for approval and enactment. Republican discontent simmers.
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This episode adds to the party’s heated past. In 1987 Gov. Mike Hayden, only months after his election, pulled two thick-witted stunts: He insisted the legislature approve a death penalty, and called a special session to demand his version of a $2.7 billion pork barrel highway program.
Republicans simply refused to go along; Hayden’s demands were reckless and rude, and his Republicans in the House and Senate did their governor a favor by canning both of them.
Meanwhile the state’s Attorney General, Bob Stephan, was facing trial in a civil suit tainted with sex and hush money, slush funds and bagmen. He was accused of breaking a contract not to talk about his payoff to a woman who sued him for sexual harassment. (The case was settled.)
And Dave Owen, former lieutenant governor, state GOP chairman, candidate for governor and national finance chairman for Bob Dole became a central figure in state and federal campaign finance violations, influence peddling and rigging government contracts for business associates. (He later bargained for a year in prison for violating federal tax law.)
All of this piled on the disquiet that had riddled Republican wards for more than a generation:
‒ The bitter discord of 1956 when Warren Shaw, a Topeka attorney and businessman, challenged the party’s incumbent governor, Fred Hall, on grounds that he was a lunatic, and won. Shaw lost the general election to Democrat George Docking.
‒ Later resentments split into factions led by former GOP Chairman Don Concannon, a Hugoton attorney and Senate President Robert Bennett, an Overland Park attorney. Bennett defeated Concannon in the 1974 GOP primary by only 299 votes. Bennett was elected governor, but the wounds did not heal.
(Next: A secession movement)

 

 

Horticulture 2023 Newsletter No. 29 

By
Ward Upham
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https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/newsletters/index.html
Blog Post: http://www.ksuhortnewsletter.org
Video of the Week: Dividing Iris
https://kansashealthyyards.org/all-videos/video/dividing-iris
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Turf & Ornamentals Field Day
            The Kansas Turf & Ornamentals Field Day will be held Thursday, August 3 at the K-State Research Center in Olathe (35230 W. 135th).
            The field day program is designed for all segments of the turf & ornamentals industry – lawn care, athletic fields, golf courses, landscape, nursery, and grounds maintenance. Included on the program are research presentations, problem diagnosis, commercial exhibitors, and equipment displays. There will be time to see current research, talk to the experts and get answers to your questions.
            One hour of pesticide recertification credit in both 3A and 3B are available, as well as GCSAA education points.
For a copy of the program and to register to attend, go to  https://www.kansasturfgrassfoundation.com/
REMINDERS
1. Deadhead annual flowers that need it.
2. Spray sweet corn for corn earworm if silks haven’t turned brown yet.
3. Take soil test if establishing or overseeding a lawn this fall.
VEGETABLES
Anthracnose on Cucumbers
            Description: Anthracnose is a disease caused by a fungus which is most severe in cucumbers, muskmelons and watermelons. Anthracnose survives in plant debris and seeds. Infected leaves and fruit develop spores that spread easily when water splashes on them or when contact is made such as with hands or tools. Anthracnose favors warm, moist conditions.
            Damage: Infected leaves exhibit irregularly shaped brown spots that may have a hole in the center. Stems may become elongated and sunken when infected.
            Control: Begin with resistant varieties and purchasing clean seed from a reputable distributor. Do not collect seed from infected plants. Practice crop rotation allowing three years between crops from the squash family. Avoid splashing soil and water on the plants by using mulch and drip irrigation. Infected plants should be destroyed, not composted. Sanitize tools between use if they contact diseased plants.
            Periodic fungicide applications may be necessary during wet weather in mid-summer. Apply chlorothalonil (Bonide Fungonil Concentrate, Daconil, Ortho Garden Disease Control, Fertilome Broad-Spectrum Landscape and Garden Fungicide, others) or mancozeb (Bonide Mancozeb Flowable). (Cynthia Domenghini)
PESTS
Pine Needle Scale Control Window Approaching
            Description: Pine needle scale appears as white, oblong shapes on pine needles. Beneath the protective scale covering dwells the insect. The waxy covers over females are about 1/3-inch long and have a yellow tip at the front end which is narrower. Adult females are about 1/8-inch long, orange-red in color and do not have wings. The scale coverings over males are smaller and solid white. Adult males are 1/25-inch long and develop one set of wings at maturity. Eggs are reddish-brown and very small. Crawlers that hatch from the eggs are oval-shaped and light purple to reddish-brown. They are so small a magnifying lens is sometimes required to see them.
            Life Cycle: Females and eggs overwinter under the protection of the waxy scale. Females may lay up to 40 eggs beneath the cover. Crawlers emerge from the eggs in the spring to find a new feeding location. When feeding begins, the crawlers create a new covering to protect them by secreting a waxy substance. Within a couple of months, the crawlers reach maturity and mating begins. Males die after mating. Females lay eggs mid-summer giving rise to the second generation which reach maturity in early fall.
            Damage: Scale feeds by piercing the pine needles and sucking out sap. Needles may become mottled in color and eventually turn brown. A severe infestation may cause the branches to dieback or may kill the tree entirely.
            Control: Maintain healthy trees by monitoring for scale crawlers late spring to early summer (first generation) and again mid- to late-July (second generation). Wrap double-sided tape around the needles or twigs of the pine tree to monitor for the crawlers. Electric tape smeared with petroleum jelly can trap the crawlers. Use colored tape so the white bodies are easier to see.
            When crawlers are present it is time to spray. Some effective insecticides include: acephate (Acephate, Orthene), cyfluthrin (Tempo, BioAdvanced Vegetable & Garden Insect Spray), and permethrin (38 Plus Turf, Termite & Ornamental Insect Spray; Eight Vegetable, Fruit & Flower Concentrate or Garden and Farm Insect Spray). Insecticides must be applied soon after crawlers emerge to be effective. Once they are protected beneath their waxy cover insecticides will not be able to reach them.  (Cynthia Domenghini)
FRUIT
When to Harvest Grapes
            Waiting for grapes to ripen takes extra patience as the color matures before the rest of the fruit. Harvesting based on color alone will likely leave a bitter taste in your mouth as it takes several more weeks for the sugars to reach their peak and the tartness to subside. Waiting for the fruit to fully develop is important since grapes do not continue to ripen after harvest.
            Prior to harvest look for a whitish coating on the grapes. This is an indicator of ripeness. Fully ripe grapes are usually slightly less firm than unripe fruit. Open one of the grapes and observe the seed color. Seeds of ripe grapes often change from green to brown. Finally, if all other measures indicate the grapes are ripe, do a taste test to make the determination.
            Grapes can be stored for up to eight weeks at 32 degrees F with 85 percent relative humidity. They can also be processed into jams and jellies. (Cynthia Domenghini)
Prop Up Fruit Tree Limbs if Needed
            Heavy fruit loads this season may cause limbs to break if they are not given extra support. As fruits increase in size, the additional weight on individual branches may be substantial. One-inch thick boards that are 4 inches wide can be used to prop up limbs.  You may wish to use two boards that overlap so the amount they overlap can be adjusted to change the total length of the board.  Two to three screws can hold the two boards together.  Cut a “V” on the top edge of the board on which the limb will rest so that it doesn’t slip off. Long limbs that are heavily loaded with fruit may need a prop in the center and another to support the outer part of the limb.
            A plastic belt-like material that is about 2 inches wide may also be used. This can be tied to a heavily loaded limb, then to a large diameter limb above for support. Where a large limb is used for support, it is good to have it supporting limbs on opposite sides so the weight is balanced.
            Another solution is to wrap a tape or belt material around the tree in a spiral to prevent limbs from bending until they break. Heavy twine may be used, but it should be removed when the fruit is picked or soon after so it does not cut into the bark on the limb.
            Check trees regularly, up to two times a week during the last month the fruit are maturing. You will find additional limbs that need support. Tending to the heavily loaded tree limbs will reduce the number of broken limbs and help keep a balance of the fruiting wood in your tree. Next year, prune long, weak branches back to a side branch to help prevent this problem. (Ward Upham)
MISCELLANEOUS
Dividing Iris
            Irises develop from the rhizome root system. Every year, each rhizome yields additional rhizomes creating a larger network of roots. After several years of this development, bloom production may slow down or halt altogether when the rhizomes become too crowded. This indicates it’s time to divide the rhizomes.
            When the bloom season has ended dig the entire plant including all the rhizomes. Break the rhizomes apart by hand at the joints where they are connected. Healthy rhizomes should have roots extending below and a fan of leaf blades above. The rhizome should be at least the width of your thumb and firm. Discard any rhizomes that do not have leaf fans protruding as well as any rhizomes that are soft and have an odor.
            Trim the fan blades to about eight-inches cutting each blade at an angle to keep water from collecting in the thick, open leaves. Trimming the leaves prevents the plant from falling over until the roots become established. Dig a shallow hole, deep enough that the top of the rhizome is slightly exposed. Irises will tolerate poor soil conditions but well-drained soil is best. Space plants 12 to 18-inches apart and do not mulch. Irises do not respond well to over-watering; however newly planted rhizomes do need to be watered in thoroughly.
            Fertilize according to soil test recommendations or by applying a complete fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10, at the rate of 1 pound per 100 square feet. Mix the fertilizer into the soil to a depth of 6 inches. If your soil test shows high phosphorus levels, use a fertilizer that has a much higher first number (nitrogen) than second (phosphorus). It is important to get irises planted early enough in the season to allow roots to establish before the first hard frost. (Cynthia Domenghini)
Peonies with the “Measles” and Powdery Mildew
            It’s the time of year when these two fungal diseases may begin to appear on peony plants in the landscape. Some preventative care each year is the best control against them.
            Peony measles is also referenced as red spot and leaf blotch. Initially, purplish-brown circular spots appear on the top of the leaves. On the underside, the spots appear brown. Over time, more spots develop and eventually merge creating large, irregularly shaped blotches. Spots can appear on the stems, flower buds, petals and seed pods as the disease progresses.
            Powdery mildew can infect a variety of plants. It presents as a white-grey powder on plant material. Powdery mildew is quite common in Kansas due to the warm, humid conditions.
            Fortunately, both diseases are primarily aesthetic problems unless they become severe. Promote good air flow by spacing peonies several feet apart when planting. Individual plants can be pruned selectively during the growing season to improve circulation. Powdery mildew and measles overwinter in the soil on diseased plant material. At the end of the growing season cut peonies to the ground and throw out the plant material. Do not compost, especially if the plants are diseased. Use drip irrigation, if possible, to keep water from splashing on the leaves. When leaves are wet, avoid handling them. (Cynthia Domenghini)
Contributors:
Cynthia Domenghini, Instructor ([email protected])
Ward Upham, Extension Associate ([email protected])
Division of Horticulture
1712 Claflin, 2021 Throckmorton
Manhattan, KS 66506
(785) 532-6173
For questions or further information, contact: [email protected] OR [email protected]
This newsletter is also available on the World Wide Web at: http://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/newsletters/index.html
The web version includes color images that illustrate subjects discussed. To subscribe to this newsletter electronically, send an e-mail message to [email protected] or [email protected] listing your e-mail address in the message.
Brand names appearing in this newsletter are for product identification purposes only. No endorsement is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned.
K-State Research and Extension is committed to making its services, activities and programs accessible to all participants. If you have special requirements due to a physical, vision or hearing disability, or a dietary restriction please contact Extension Horticulture at (785) 532-6173.
Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity employer.  Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of  May 8 and June 30, 1914, as amended. Kansas State University, County Extension Councils, and United States Department of Agriculture
Cooperating, Ernie Minton, Dean.

“ Part Two: Getting the Most Out of Your Healthcare”

By
Guest Columnist
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0

 

1. After your visit: Your physician may order blood work, x-rays or a scan of your body. If the concern is acute or potentially a threat to your immediate health, you may be asked to wait for your results in the clinic. Normally, patients may leave and await their results from home. If the physician has requested a follow-up appointment, please schedule prior to your departure. We highly encourage this step as the schedules fill up very quickly.
2. Results: Nowadays, many health institutions offer an application for your phone or computer to track your information at the touch of a button. While this is incredibly convenient, it can also create anxiety. If an abnormal result occurs, please wait patiently to hear from the clinic. We are performing many tasks and seeing patients during the day. It may take time to hear from us. Depending on your preference, you will receive either a phone call or message from the doctor or nurse on your results along with what to do with the information. More serious results will likely come from the doctor themselves. The majority of the results and information will be relayed to you from the nursing staff.
3. Messages/questions: With these new apps, many patients have the option to message their physician with questions/concerns. The questions go to a pool being covered by a litany of clinic staff. They will use their knowledge to help with the concern/question. When necessary, the staff will forward it to the physician. Depending on the institution, we may have 24-72 hours to respond. If your question involves symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath – DO NOT MESSAGE. Please call the clinic to speak with a nurse, call 911 or proceed to the Emergency Room.
4. Medication refills: There’s nothing more frustrating than going to the pharmacy and find there are no refills available on medications. Most healthcare systems likely have a timeframe set for when medications are required to be sent, the average is about 24-48 hours. That being said, please watch your medication supply carefully. When you have about 5-7 days left, call your pharmacy and request a refill, send a request via your application or call the clinic. Please plan accordingly around vacations/travel and holidays. If available, sign up for your pharmacy’s notification system for your convenience. This will ensure timely refills so you do not go without your medications or make unnecessary trips to the pharmacy.

In closing, the healthcare system is a very busy entity providing care to thousands of patients simultaneously through various avenues. I’m hoping this essay can give patients some insight and assistance on how to navigate the systems and get the most seamless care.

Dr. Samantha Darnall-Werlinger is a family medicine physician with a special interest in obstetrics. Dr. Darnall-Werlinger practices at the Sanford Health Watertown Clinic in Watertown, SD. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org and on Facebook featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show based on science, built on trust for 21 seasons, streaming live on Facebook most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.

Gathering Flint Hills Cattle

By
Frank Buchman
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“It’s summer roundup time in the Flint Hills.”
Cowboys and cowgirls throughout the area have had alarm clocks going off at 4 o’clock in the morning. They catch, saddle, and load horses into trailers in order to be ready to gather short season yearling grazing cattle at 5:45 a.m.
There were 16 horseback riders, cowboys and cowgirls, along with two mechanical carts when about 600 steers were rounded up. No stampedes or other problems that morning so the steers were penned in steel fence corrals in less than two hours.
A couple steers had been left behind as lameness wouldn’t allow travel at pace of the remaining herd. They were loaded in pickup stock trailers driven out to their pasture location later in the morning. It’ll take some time for recovery from their health issues.
Nine semi tractor cattle trailers waiting a few miles away were called upon penning of the herd. They arrived at the cattle pens within minutes and the steers were loaded for distant feedlots and additional growing.
Grazing programs nowadays are sometimes different than several decades ago. Native Flint Hills grasses are highest in protein for increased yearling grazing cattle gains early in the season.
So, cattle are often double stocked on pastures for half the season to get the best gains possible. However, other cattle are grazed full season for roundup in early fall. They will weigh more at gathering time but will not have put pounds on efficiently as the short season cattle.
Many factors can be attributed to the cattle gains. Among them are the breed and type of cattle and the body score condition when turned out to graze. Thin cattle going to grass in late April or early May will gain more efficiently than heavier cattle turned out later.
Of course, weather impacts the quality and amount of grass produced. Rainfall at the right time influences growth rates, yet too much moisture decreases grass protein content lowering gains.
These cattle gained 2.5 pounds per day during the grazing period. Cattlemen often set a goal of having cattle gain three pounds per day,
Several cowboys and cowgirls were lined up to help gather summer grazing cattle for 18 days straight.
Reminded of Genesis 19:7: “It is time for the cattle to be gathered and delight their owners.”
+++ALLELUIA+++
XVII–31–7-30-2023
CUTLINE
Nine semi tractor cattle trailers were loaded with about 600 cattle gathered from a Flint Hills pasture in mid-July.

 

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