With the demise of the sharp urban‐rural divide as a framework for urban analyses, debates have arisen regarding the utility of the city as a theoretically significant construct. Recently however, the growing emphasis on globalization has brought the analysis of global cities into sharp focus. The countervailing trend emphasizes the significance of “the local.” International sister‐cities provide a site of analysis which illustrates the global‐local interface and yet delves deeper. Initially conceived as a post‐war means of developing friendships and cultural ties, sister‐cities were based on similarities such as name or economic function. More recently, greater recognition has been given to the economic foundations and benefits of these connections. Providing an extension to an integrated approach to the study of sister‐cities based on the multifold relationship between culture and commerce, this paper adds a further dimension by focusing on simultaneously operating multi‐level entrepreneurial partnerships necessary to sustain active sister‐city relationships. Drawing on New Zealand examples of twinning arrangements, it is demonstrated that the emergence and development of embedded partnership ties is vital to deriving sustainable economic and social benefits. While the global outreach of the sister‐cities phenomenon appears to transcend the geographic confines of cities, strong locality considerations and local activism nevertheless predominate. A novel feature of this paper is the conceptualization of a hybrid form of entrepreneurialism, “municipal‐community entrepreneurship,” which is argued as a valuable facilitator of the economic and social vibrancy of cities. to the two cities, it is broadening out to include cultural and work exchanges.

Aim The aim of the present study was to investigate the patterns of platelet reactivity and discriminators of therapeutic response to dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and ticagrelor or prasugrel in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Design In this multicentre prospective observational study, 492 patients with ACS were enrolled. Platelet aggregation was determined by multiple electrode aggregometry after stimulation with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or arachidonic acid (AA) as agonists in the maintenance phase of treatment with prasugrel or ticagrelor. Results Age emerged as the strongest variable influencing aspirin response status: The mean AA‐induced platelet aggregation in patients <49 years of age was 49% higher than in those >49 years (13.1 U vs 8.8 U; P = 0.011). The second strongest discriminator of aspirin response was sex: Male patients had a 40% higher AA‐induced platelet aggregation values than female patients (9.5 U vs 6.8 U; P = 0.026). Platelet count emerged as the only variable influencing ADP antagonists response status showing that patients with platelet count >320 g/L displayed higher ADP‐induced platelet aggregation. About 12% of patients had high on‐treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) to aspirin, 3% and 4% a HTPR to prasugrel and ticagrelor, respectively, and only 2% displayed HTPR to dual antiplatelet therapy. Conclusion When potent platelet inhibitors as prasugrel and ticagrelor are administered with aspirin, HTPR to DAPT plays only a marginal role.

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the responsibilities and opportunities that arise for management education out of the 2008/2009 economic and financial crisis, with a focus on the emerging leadership role of Asian business schools, notably in China.Design/methodology/approachThe paper begins by identifying three fundamental challenges for management education. It then discusses two conceptual issues relating to, first, the contents and systems to be included in curriculum reform and learning, and second, the drivers of change in management education. The paper draws upon conceptual papers advanced by leading business school deans, and identifies conditions which provide Asian business schools with a unique, transformational role.FindingsThe depth, breadth and seriousness of current economic and social problems in emerging economics suggest that the necessary reform and transformation of management education is most likely going to be led by business school deans and management education faculty located in and working with business leaders in emerging markets. China business schools are likely to emerge as thought leaders in the reform process in part due to the quality of scholars, especially “returnees”, now locating there.Practical implicationsThought leadership from Asian/Chinese business schools will change the current academic model, based on one‐way knowledge transfer, to a two‐way learning model. This transformation from industrialized to emerging economies will have far‐reaching consequences for curriculum design, faculty exchanges and international cooperation between business schools.Social implicationsThe shift toward Asia‐ or China‐originated thought leadership is evidence of a wider international social trend.Originality/valueThe paper challenges existing views of management education which are still led by Europe and North America, thus offering a new perspective on the drivers of change in management education.

Foreign investments in China: large or small? Despite concerns of an over-heating economy, increasing operational costs, dominance in important world markets, and widening income gaps within China, the Chinese economy continues to grow relentlessly. In 2007, China's real gross domestic product (GDP) grew by more than 10 percent -again. The continuing expansion is due in large part also to its international economic relations. China's foreign trade volume surpassed US$1.1 trillion in 2004, replacing Japan as the third largest trading nation after the USA and Germany. In 2003, China overtook the USA as the most popular destination for foreign direct investment (FDI), with inflows of $53 billion. In 2006, FDI inflow increased further to US$70 billion. There are more than half a million foreign enterprises active in China. The US-China Business Council (n.d.) reports indicate that since 1990 foreign multinationals like P&G, YUM!, AIG, Alcatel, Carrefour, Motorola, Nestle, Siemens, and Volkswagen are generating higher profits from their China ventures.It is not surprising then that companies from around the globe -big and small -are considering China ventures seriously. However, the chances of making mistakes and failing in China are daunting. Cases of messy joint ventures, negotiations that have gone bad, fierce price competition, intellectual property rights (IPR) problems and betrayals, or market promises that never existed are also part of the business reality in China.Nevertheless, after 30 years of reforms, the Chinese economy is fast approaching normalcy. Membership in the WTO, the presence and influence of many multinationals, as well as many important reforms and adjustments in the legal system, have made China much more predictable today than in the past. Mechem in 2004 claimed that predictability, more than anything else, has made it possible for even smaller firms to consider their China dream (Mechem, 2004).While literature on the internationalization of small firms has proliferated, most research on how to do business in China tends to be biased towards larger multinationals. This is perhaps due to the attention that these multinationals receive in the media or simply because 400 of the Fortune 500 companies are already in China. The result of this is a lack of attention in the literature regarding the specific situation of smaller firms. Consider the data in Table I. The average value of projects contracted in 2003 is a mere US$1.3 million. The average size of investment is not much different between a joint venture and a wholly owned enterprise. With more than 40,000 relatively small projects, one could imagine that most projects involve relatively small firms. This suggests that there is a problem: Most of the firms and/or investments entering the Chinese market are, in fact, small. On the other hand, many proposed strategies for doing business in China are derived from studying multinationals. For instance, Wong and Maher's (1997) study that appeared in the Business Horizons in 1997 was based on two ...