How hybrids manage growth and social–business tensions in global supply chains: the case of impact sourcing

This study contributes to the growing interest in how hybrid organizations manage paradoxical social–business tensions. Our empirical case is ‘‘impact sourcing’’— hybrids in global supply chains that hire staff from disadvantaged communities to provide services to business clients. We identify two major growth orientations— ‘‘community-focused’’ and ‘‘client-focused’’ growth—their inherent tensions and ways that hybrids manage them. The former favors slow growth and manages tensions through highly integrated client and community relations; the latter promotes faster growth and manages client and community relations separately. Both growth orientations address social–business tensions in particular ways, but also create latent constraints that manifest when entrepreneurial aspirations conflict with the current growth path. In presenting and discussing our findings, we introduce preempting management practices of tensions, and the importance of geographic embeddedness and distance to the paradox literature

Developing a new method to analyse volatile substances in extra virgin olive oil

The applications of gas chromatography in the field of food science are of great importance for the assessment of food quality and safety. As an example, volatile compounds are key molecules in the definition of the overall quality of extra virgin olive oil.1 New methods to analyse volatile substances in olive oil by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry are currently under investigation in our laboratory. Interesting preliminary results show that the aqueous extract of olive oil can provide the same result as when the analysis is carried out on the oil as such, with the advantage that the oil aqueous extract is much easier to handle, the solid-phase microextraction fiber assembly used has a much longer lifetime and the use of an internal standard is allowed, while using the oil as such, the homogenization of the internal standard is practically unfeasible. The results of the study will be presented and discussed. References: 1) Angerosa, F.; Servili, M.; Selvaggini, R.; Taticchi, A.; Esposto, S., Montedoro, G. Journal of Chromatography A 2004, 1054, 17-31

Treatment of chronic cervicobrachial pain with periradicular injection of meloxicam

Background: Cervicobrachial pain (CBP) is often resistant to conventional oral analgesics. We hypothesized that periradicular injection of meloxicam would produce a significant reduction in intractable CBP. The secondary objective was to assess the impact on functional recovery. Methods: 48 patients with persistent CBP despite multimodal analgesic therapy received 1-3 periradicular injections of meloxicam, 5-20 mg, at the dermatomal level(s) corresponding to their pain symptoms. Pain level (0=none to 10=severe), rescue analgesics and functional activity were recorded at baseline for 90 days after the last injection. The injection was repeated if the pain score remained >3 or paraesthesia persisted. Results: The mean pain score was reduced from a baseline of 8.9 (\ub11, SD) to 1.7 (\ub12.2, SD) at 90 days after the last meloxicam injection. After the meloxicam treatment(s), only 13% of the patients required oral analgesics as rescue medication. All patients increased their functional activity level. Conclusion: Cervical periradicular injection of meloxicam reduced CBP by 81% at 90d and improved functional recovery