Literature revealed that an appropriate alignment between firm strategic orientation and market positioning is critical because of its impact on firm performance. The alignment is especially crucial for small businesses as a result of their limited resource base. However, studies have not adequately accounted for the joint effect of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and market orientation (MO) on firm performance in different institutional environments, such as transitional economies. In this study, we examine the moderating effect of EO on the linkage between MO and firm performance among small enterprises in China. We have found that MO, alone and in conjunction with certain EO dimensions, is positively related to firm performance. More specifically, innovativeness and proactiveness have positively moderated the relationship between MO and performance. We discuss managerial implications and offer suggestions for future research.

a b s t r a c tThis study presents an analysis exploring how four types of justice (distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational) influence dyadic relationship performance in the buyer-supplier context. Underpinned by loose coupling theory, we build a mediating framework in which we propose that a high level of justice (or fairness) as mutually perceived by both parties drives buyer-supplier relationship performance through bolstered coupling links in mutual knowledge sharing, continuous commitment, and relationship investment. Our survey of 216 paired manufacturers (suppliers) and distributors (buyers) in China generally supports this argument, leading to a conclusion that justice is not a direct determinant of buyer-supplier performance but a critical conduit that nourishes mid-range coupling behaviors, which in turn promotes a successful relationship. Based on findings from this study, firms are encouraged to endorse all four kinds of justice in managing supply chain relationships. However, when constrained by resources, the recommendation for managers is to focus on achieving a high level of perceptual convergence on procedural justice and informational justice with the exchange partner, because mutual perceptions of procedural and informational justice have the strongest effects on coupling behaviors and buyer-supplier relationship performance.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are a major component of the tumor microenvironment and have been shown to contribute to tumor aggressiveness. However, the detailed mechanisms underlying the pro-metastatic effect of TAMs on gastric cancer are not clearly defined. Here, we show that TAMs are enriched in gastric cancer. TAMs are characterized by M2-polarized phenotype and promote migration of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we find that M2-derived exosomes determine the TAMs-mediated pro-migratory activity. Using mass spectrometry, we identify that apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is highly specific and effective protein in M2 macrophages-derived exosomes. Moreover, TAMs are uniquely immune cells population expressed ApoE in gastric cancer microenvironment. However, exosomes derived from M2 macrophages of Apoe−/− mice have no significant effect on the migration of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, M2 macrophage-derived exosomes mediate an intercellular transfer of ApoE-activating PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in recipient gastric cancer cells to remodel the cytoskeleton-supporting migration. Collectively, our findings signify that the exosome-mediated transfer of functional ApoE protein from TAMs to the tumor cells promotes the migration of gastric cancer cells.

a b s t r a c tBy viewing cooperation and different types of conflicts as "co-opetition" factors in a manufacturerdistributor supply chain, this paper provides a conceptual model for examining the effects of cooperation and conflicts on a manufacturer's knowledge acquisition process and for exploring the moderating effects of a distributor's entrepreneurial orientation on the relationships between co-opetition factors and the manufacturer's knowledge acquisition. This conceptual model is tested with 225 dyad samples from manufacturer-distributor supply chains in China. The results show that cooperation and the type of conflict have both individual and interactive effects on the manufacturer's knowledge acquisition, thus highlighting the importance of the co-opetition perspective on supply chain knowledge management. More importantly, the results show that the entrepreneurial orientation of a distributor positively moderates the relationships between co-opetition factors and a manufacturer's knowledge acquisition, implying that strengthening the distributor's entrepreneurial orientation can improve the efficiency of co-opetition and thereby affect the knowledge acquisition of the manufacturer, and highlighting the importance of blended analysis across the domains of supply chain management and entrepreneurship.