Learning bases

Sylvander, B. Leusie, M. (2000) Consumer trends in organic farming in France and Europe vulnerability of demand and consumer loyalty. Towards a learning-based marketing. Proceedings of the 13 th International IFOAM Scientific Conference, Basel, Switzerland, pp 546-9. 

In a recent series of experiments with a species of corvid, Clark s nutcracker, Kamil and Jones (1997) have reported success in finding evidence of spatial learning based on the relationship between landmarks. Nutcrackers learned to dig in bedding for a pine seed that was buried midway between a yellow cylinder on the north side of the testing room and a green cylinder on the south side. The distances between the landmarks were varied between trials, over a range of 20 to 120 cm. On test trials, the... 

Complex learning based on the interaction of the individual with his or her environment... 

It is a common experience that - independent of method and species used for studying learning-based behavioral modification - the observer rims into substantial individual differences in performance, for reasons unknown. Conceiving learning as a cortical enhancer regulation dependent function, as discussed in Sect. 3.4.2, and recognizing that the enhancer substance exerts its effect in terms of a peculiar bell-shaped dose/response curve (see Fig. 3.11) offers a reasonable interpretation for this remarkable phenomenon. 

In this way, the competitive strength of national industries depends on the abilities of the core firms to function effectively and to maintain and enhance their integrated learning bases. If these bases begin to deteriorate, so too does the industry s supporting nexus and its national industry s competitive strength versus that of other countries. 

Economies of scale reflect the speed and volume of a product being commercialized through its integrated learning base. As the speed and volume of... 

Of the multisectored core companies listed in Table 1.1, all except Allied Chemical were American first movers in products based on new chemical technologies. Du Pont, Dow, Monsanto, and American Cyanamid established their initial learning bases between 1896 and 1907. Du Pont was the first mover in nitrocellulose-based explosives, Dow in electrically produced inorganic chemicals, and Monsanto in the synthesis of foods and flavors. The several companies that in 1917 made up Union Carbide had also pioneered in a range of electrically based inorganic products. On the other hand, only one of the enterprises that merged into Allied commercialized a new technology. 

In addition to exploiting the potential of polymer chemistry, Du Pont continued to commercialize new products in the divisions that had created their integrated learning bases before World War II. It did so in chemicals, including ammonia and methyl, and also in paints, finishes, and nonporous fabrics. After World War II, Du Pont began to build on its earlier potential in the production of insecticides and other agricultural chemicals (SIC 2879). Its innovative selective-weed-control products enabled it to capture 20 percent of the U.S. herbicide market by 1960. ... 

The company s first response led in 1981 to the acquisition of Conoco. As the oil crisis deepened, Du Pont had collaborated with Conoco in joint exploration for gas and oil. When the oil company faced an unfriendly takeover by the Bronfmans of the Canadian distilled liquor company Seagram, Du Pont acquired control. As the oil crisis eased, Conoco proved to be a profitable enterprise whose revenues helped to stabilize the earning fluctuations in the two very different industries of chemicals and petroleum. Du Pont successfully maintained profitability in both by adhering to distinctly separate sets of learning bases in each of the broad paths of learning... 

Next came acquisitions, funded in part by the divestitures, that reinforced the learning base in the paths that the firm had long followed. In films and fibers it purchased Exxon s carbon fiber business in 1984, Exxon s film composites activities in 1985, and Hercules s olefin fiber carpets in 1989. Later, in 1992, it traded its acrylic assets to ICI for the latter s nylon business, plus 41 million. In paints and finishes Du Pont obtained Ford s North American automotive paint division in 1986, followed by a joint venture with ICI to expand the same market in Europe, and one with Kami Paint to do so in Japan and East Asia. In agricultural chemicals it acquired Shell s agricultural chemicals division in 1986, and later in 1992 collaborated with Shell to develop specialized insecticides. For Du Pont, sustaining its technical and functional capabilities in long-established paths in which it was a competitive leader remained a basic strategy. ... 

Throughout the 1920s Dow continued to expand into products that derived from their process technology learning bases. By 1930 it was the nation s leading producer of calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and then... 

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