The chemistry of beer flavor instability remains shrouded in mystery, despite decades of extensive research. It is, however, certain that aldehydes play a crucial role because their concentration increase coincides with the appearance and intensity of "aged flavors". Several pathways give rise to a variety of key flavor-active aldehydes during beer production, but it remains unclear as to what extent they develop after bottling. There are indications that aldehydes, formed during beer production, are bound to other compounds, obscuring them from instrumental and sensory detection. Because freshly bottled beer is not in chemical equilibrium, these bound aldehydes might be released over time, causing stale flavor. This review discusses beer aging and the role of aldehydes, focusing on both sensory and chemical aspects. Several aldehyde formation pathways are taken into account, as well as aldehyde binding in and release from imine and bisulfite adducts.

• This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: HUGHES, M., HUGHES, P. EXPLOITATIVE LEARNING AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION ALIGNMENT IN EMERGING YOUNG FIRMS: IMPLICATIONS FOR MARKET AND RESPONSE PERFORMANCE ABSTRACTWe examine exploitative learning and entrepreneurial orientation in emerging young hightechnology firms located within business incubators. In the last five years, the U.K. government has invested approximately £125m in incubation activities. The rationale for supporting business incubation is to maximise knowledge sharing across firms with an expectation that it will leverage performance. This represents exploitative learning-the acquisition of established knowledge that carries clear known value and outcomes. Paradoxically, research into entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has repeatedly emphasised the value of knowledge created through exploratory learning mechanisms ("play, discovery and experimentation") in securing advantage. Theoretical and empirical questions are raised herein with regard to the value of exploitative learning within a network context which might negatively influence the impact of EO on the firm. Using configuration theory, we demonstrate that firms cannot sustain dual-dominant orientations of exploitative learning and EO. A strongly-configured EO generates high performance returns. However, multi-group analysis reveals that these effects are particularly strong for those firms whose exploitative learning is weak. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.2

Research has established the relevance of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) to firm performance but skepticism remains because of the ambiguity surrounding how EO might improve firm performance. We examine the key concepts of absorptive capacity and improvisation as two alternative learning modes serving as intermediate steps between EO and firm performance. Locating our study within manufacturing SMEs in Malaysia, we find that absorptive capacity enhances the EO-performance relationship, both as a moderator and a mediator. In contrast to expectations, however, improvisation showed no such effects but conferred its own separate benefits instead. We further discuss the different effects of these learning modes on high performance and low performance groups.

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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine two predominant export decision-making orientations emanating from normative and descriptive decision theory, namely planning and improvisation and their coexistence within exporting firms. In addition, contingencies under which one may be more appropriate than the other for optimal performance consequences are identified. Design/methodology/approach -A qualitative study was conducted with UK exporters by way of in-depth interviews. The results were analyzed using within-and cross-case displays of in-vivo and literature-based codes, based on Miles and Huberman's recommendations. Findings -The study reveals widespread use of improvisation in export functions, and its co-existence with export planning for enhanced decision-making. In addition, resource-and capabilities-based moderators are identified that may affect the ways in which planning and improvisation are related to export performance. Research limitations/implications -This is a preliminary study which addresses the two export decision-making orientations together for the first time. Further quantitative research is needed to formally test the conceptual model developed. Practical implications -Export decision-makers often feel guilty about improvising, believing that planning is the accepted norm. Avoidance and covert use of improvisation, however, are not necessary. Indeed, export improvisation can have many positive consequences for the export function, especially when combined with export planning. Originality/value -Research on export decision-making has tended to focus on normative decision theory (from which planning emerges), largely overlooking descriptive approaches which identify improvisation as a valid decision-making orientation. However, in today's global and competitive environment, better performance consequences are increasingly to be found in the faster and more creative export decisions that improvisation can afford. This study addresses for the first time how benefits can be drawn from employing a combination of export planning and improvisation.