Optimal Capital Structure in Centralized Agricultural Cooperatives

Agribusiness,

Manager-Led Group Meetings: A Context for Promoting Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Using Kahn’s theory of engagement, we look at an organizational context where employee engagement may be promoted—the workgroup meeting. Two time-separated Internet-based surveys were used to query a sample of working adults (N = 319). The findings provide support that the psychological conditions for engagement mediate the relationship between manager usage/facilitation of meetings and overall employee engagement. Specifically, as managers make their workgroup meetings relevant, allow for employee voice in their meetings where possible, and manage the meeting from a time perspective, employees appear poised to fully engage themselves in their work in general. The results suggest that managers can use a common workplace activity, workgroup meetings, to engage their employees when they use/facilitate meetings in an effective manner

Mechanical Regulation of Endocytosis: New Insights and Recent Advances

Endocytosis is a mechanosensitive process. It involves remodeling of the plasma membrane from a flat shape to a budded morphology, often at the sub‐micrometer scale. This remodeling process is energy‐intensive and is influenced by mechanical factors such as membrane tension, membrane rigidity, and physical properties of cargo and extracellular surroundings. The cellular responses to a variety of mechanical factors by distinct endocytic pathways are important for cells to counteract rapid and extreme disruptions in the mechanohomeostasis of cells. Recent advances in microscopy and mechanical manipulation at the cellular scale have led to new discoveries of mechanoregulation of endocytosis by the aforementioned factors. While factors such as membrane tension and membrane rigidity are generally shown to inhibit endocytosis, other mechanical stimuli have complex relationships with endocytic pathways. At this juncture, it is now possible to utilize experimental techniques to interrogate theoretical predictions on mechanoregulation of endocytosis in cells and even living organisms.Endocytosis involves extensive remodeling of the plasma membrane. Physical forces such as membrane tension, membrane rigidity, substrate stiffness, and physical properties of cargo play a role in this remodeling process. Recent advances in microscopy and mechanical manipulation at the cellular level have led to new insights into the mechanoregulation of endocytosis. These experimental techniques are being used to interrogate existing models to study the mechanoregulation of endocytosis.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155473/1/adbi201900278.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155473/2/adbi201900278_am.pd

Enhancement of pigmeat quality by altering pre-slaughter management

End of project reportThe studies presented in this report were conducted to investigate the effect of breed, slaughter weight, castration of male pigs and strategic feeding strategies on the performance of pigs to slaughter and on their carcass quality. The effect of breed, gender and feeding regimen on the performance of pigs and their carcass quality was examined in the first study (Section 3). From weaning to slaughter Landrace-sired pigs grew at a similar rate but had a better feed conversion efficiency compared with Duroc-sired pigs. Landrace-sired pigs also had a higher carcass lean and greater muscle depth than Duroc-sired pigs. Entire male pigs grew more efficiently, had lower lean content in their carcasses and had a reduced kill out yield when compared with gilts. The eye muscle depth was greater for gilts than entire males. Diluting the diet with grass-meal (GM) reduced growth rate, caused a deterioration in feed conversion efficiency, reduced back fat thickness, reduced eye muscle thickness and reduced kill out yield compared to the control feeding regimen of a cereal based diet. Compensatory growth was observed during a re-alimentation period following a period of diet dilution with grass-meal. However, where it did occur, in most cases it was only partial. Adding 5% rapeseed oil instead of lard to the finisher diet increased nitrogen utilization efficiency and phosphorous utilization efficiency. The effect of gender (boar, castrate, gilt) and slaughter weight (80 to 120kg) on pig performance, carcass quality, meat quality, and nitrogen excretion was investigated in the second study (Section 4). Boars grew faster than gilts and more efficiently than castrates or gilts. Castrates had a higher kill out yield than boars. Nitrogen excretion from castrates was similar to gilts which were both higher than that from boars. The processing value of carcasses from castrates may be higher than that of boars and gilts. In particular castrates had heavier loins and bellies than either boars or gilts. Carcasses from castrates and gilts had a higher temperature (recorded 24 hours post slaughter) than boars. However, pH24 was not affected by gender. The intramuscular fat content of the l. dorsi in castrates was higher than that of boars or gilts, however at 1.65% this was well below the level (2.0%) above which any noticeable sensory attributes might be detected. Feed intake increased with increasing slaughter weight and feed conversion efficiency deteriorated. N excretion also increased with each increment in weight. Carcass lean content increased up to 90kg live EOP 4939.doc 4 25/10/2005 weight then reached a plateau and declined after 110kg live weight. Heavier carcasses yielded more product for approximately the same slaughtering cost and the associated larger muscles could make it easier to use seam butchery techniques that result in lean, well-trimmed, attractive cuts and joints. The pH45 and pH24 were reduced with increasing slaughter weight and drip loss increased. Heavier pigs may be more prone to the development of PSE than lighter pigs as their carcass temperature remains higher for longer than that of lighter pigs

Let\u27s get this meeting started: Meeting lateness and actual meeting outcomes

Meeting lateness is pervasive and potentially highly consequential for individuals, groups, and organizations. In Study 1, we first examined base rates of lateness to meetings in an employee sample and found that meeting lateness is negatively related to both meeting satisfaction and effectiveness. We then conducted two lab studies to better understand the nature of this negative relationship between meeting lateness and meeting outcomes. In Study 2, we manipulated meeting lateness using a confederate and showed that participants\u27 anticipated meeting satisfaction and effectiveness was significantly lower when meetings started late. In Study 3, participants holding actual group meetings were randomly and blindly assigned to either a ten minutes late, five minutes late, or a control condition (n = 16 groups in each condition). We found significant differences concerning participants\u27 perceived meeting satisfaction and meeting effectiveness, as well as objective group performance outcomes (number, quality, and feasibility of ideas produced in the meeting). We also identified differences in negative socioemotional group interaction behaviors depending on meeting lateness. In concert, our findings establish meeting lateness as an important organizational phenomenon and provide important conceptual and empirical implications for meeting research and practice

Mind Your Meetings: Improve Your Organization’s Effectiveness One Meeting at a Time

Managers and executives spend an inordinate amount of time in the estimated 11 million meetings held in the United States every day. In a survey of 1,900 business leaders, 72% indicated they spend more time in meetings today than they did five years ago, and 49% said they expect that time in meetings to increase. Another study revealed that small businesses (fewer than 10 people) spend about 10% of their time preparing, attending, leading and concluding meetings. Larger organizations (500 or more employees) spend about 75% of their work time on these activities. As the number of meetings increases, the quality and value of meetings can have a direct impact on an organization’s bottom line in the form of wasted time and effort, not to mention poor morale. Ineffective meetings are a cost that an organization arguably has the greatest opportunity to control

Volunteer Web Site Effectiveness: Attracting Volunteers via the Web

Volunteer programs are shifting towards the use of web sites to recruit volunteers. Using previously recommended practices for web site management, the authors analyzed 93 web sites of volunteer-based animal welfare organizations regarding 14 best practices in web design and management. On average, the organizations used nine of the 14 best practices. The most commonly used practices included (1) providing a link to the volunteer program web page and (2) providing an organizational mission statement. The least commonly used practices included (1) providing information for future orientation sessions and (2) providing a volunteer program mission statement. Analyses further indicated that the number of best practices used is related to the number of volunteers at each program even after controlling for the overall size of the organization or the availability of resources (i.e., total revenue). Implications for volunteer resource managers are discussed

Understanding Workplace Meetings: A Qualitative Taxonomy of Meeting Purposes

Purpose - Meetings are a workplace activity that deserves increased attention from researchers and practitioners. Previous researchers attempted to develop typologies of meeting purpose with limited success. Through a comparison of classification methodologies, we consider a taxonomy as the appropriate classification scheme for meeting purpose. The goal of our study is to propose a taxonomy of meeting purpose. We then utilize the developed taxonomy to investigate the frequency with which a representative sample of working adults engaged in meetings of these varying purposes. Our proposed taxonomy provides relevant classifications for future research on meetings and serves as a useful tool for managers seeking to use and evaluate the effectiveness of meetings within their organizations. Design/methodology/approach – This study employs an inductive methodology using discourse analysis of qualitative meeting descriptions to develop a taxomomy of meeting purpose. Our discourse analysis utilizes open-ended survey responses from a sample of working adults (N = 491). Findings - Our categorical analysis of open-ended questions resulted in a 16 category taxonomy of meeting purpose. The two most prevalent meeting purpose categories in this sample are “to discuss ongoing projects” at 11.6% and “to routinely discuss the state of the business” at 10.8%. The two least common meeting purpose categories in this sample are “to brainstorm for ideas or solutions” at 3.3% and “to discuss productivity and efficiencies” at 3.7%. The taxonomy is analyzed across organizational type and employee job level to identify differences between these important organizational and employee characteristics. Implications – The data suggest that meetings are institutionalized in organizations making them useful at identifying differences between organizations as well as differences in employees in terms of scope of responsibility. Researchers and managers should consider the purposes for which they call meetings and how that manifests their overarching organizational focus, structure, and goals. Originality/value - This is the first study to overtly attempt to categorize the various purposes for which meetings are held. Further, this study develops a taxonomy of meeting purposes that will prove useful for investigating the different types of meeting purposes in a broad range of organizational types and structures

Using the Web to Effectively Attract Volunteers to Non-Profit Organizations

Non-profit organizations often rely on volunteers to help staff and sustain organizational services, functions, and programs. The web is a critical vehicle for attracting these needed volunteers. The authors searched the available literature and reviewed close to 100 non-profit organizational websites to identify best practices of note. Fourteen best practices in web site design are forwarded and discussed