Understanding different dimensions of the family business from a contingency perspective

Els negocis familiars representen, a nivell mundial, la majoria de les empreses, i son reconeguts com importants creadors de PIB i de llocs de treball. Tenint en compte el seu destacat paper en l’ economia, els acadèmics han desenvolupat una important línia de recerca per comprendre les empreses familiars en quant se les considera diferents de les seves equivalents no familiars en diversos aspectes. Per això cal analitzar aquests factors de diferenciació i la forma en que poden continuar afegint valor al bé comú. Aquesta tesi, integrada per cinc estudis, explora diversos aspectes interconnectats de les empreses familiars des d’una perspectiva de contingència, aplicant diferents marcs teòrics. Utilitzant un mètode d’ investigació qualitativa basada en l’ anàlisi de casos, ofereix un anàlisi aprofundida dels factors diferencials, dels processos darrere l’evolució en el temps de les empreses familiars, i de l’ emergent institucionalització del tema promoguda per les associacions professionals. El primer article (capítol 2) estudia si la “familiness”, és a dir, el conjunt específic de recursos de la família, pot ser positiva o negativa i en quines situacions. El segon article (capítol 3) posa també l’ accent sobre la “familiness”, investigant com aquest conjunt específic de recursos pot ser mantingut al llarg del temps, a mesura que la complexitat augmenta. El tercer article (capítol 4) explora com les empreses familiars professionalitzen els seus àmbits de presa de decisions, en els casos on una més gran professionalització pot sostenir l’avantatge de la seva “familiness”. El quart article (capítol 5) aprofundeix en l’anàlisi de la variable familia i concentra la seva atenció en el “parenting”, és a dir, els estils parentals, i el seu efecte sobre la conducta dels membres de la generació següent respecte a l’empresa familiar. El cinquè article (capítol 6) amplia la perspectiva i tracta del paper de les associacions professionals en la conscienciació dels responsables polítics, abordant el procés d’ institucionalització pel que travessa actualment la qüestió. Aquesta recerca contribueix al camp de l’empresa familiar principalment per l’ utilització d’un enfoc interdisciplinari que combina diferents perspectives teòriques des d’una perspectiva de contingencia.Las empresas familiares representan la mayoría de compañías en el mundo, y son reconocidas por su significativa contribución en la creación de empleo y generación de PIB. Dado el importante rol que juegan en la economía, numerosos investigadores han desarrollado una línea de trabajo importante para entender las empresas familiares, ya que se las considera diferentes de sus equivalentes no familiares en diversos aspectos. Por esto se considera necesario entender estos factores de diferenciación y la forma en que pueden continuar añadiendo valor al bien común. Esta tesis integrada por cinco estudios, explora diversos aspectos interconectados de la empresa familiar desde una perspectiva de contingencia, aplicando diferentes marcos teóricos. Utilizando una metodología cualitativa, basada en el análisis de casos, este estudio ofrece un análisis en profundidad de los factores diferenciales, de los proceso de evolución en el tiempo de las empresas familiares, y de la emergente institucionalización de dicho campo, promovida por las asociaciones profesionales. El primer artículo (capítulo 2) estudia si el “familiness”, es decir, el conjunto específico de recursos de la familia, puede ser positiva o negativa y en qué situaciones. El segundo artículo, (capítulo 3) pone también el foco en el “familiness”, investigando cómo este conjunto específico de recursos puede ser mantenido a lo largo del tiempo, a medida que la complejidad aumenta. El tercer artículo (capítulo 4) explora cómo las empresas familiares profesionalizan sus ámbitos de toma de decisiones, en los casos en donde una profesionalización mayor puede mantener la ventaja derivada de su “familiness”. El cuarto artículo (Capítulo 5) profundiza en el análisis de la variable familia y concentra su atención en los estilos de “parenting”, es decir, el estilo parental, y su efecto sobre la conducta de los miembros de la siguiente generación respecto a la empresa familiar. El quinto artículo (capítulo 6) amplia la perspectiva y trata el papel de las asociaciones profesionales en la concienciación de los responsables políticos, abordando el proceso de institucionalización por el que atraviesa actualmente el campo del empresa familiar. Esta investigación contribuye al campo de la empresa familiar principalmente al utilizar un enfoque interdisciplinario que combina diferentes marcos teóricos desde una perspectiva de contingencia.Family businesses represent the majority of companies around the world, and are recognized as major employers and GNP generators. Given the important role they play in the economy, scholars have developed a major stream of research to understand family businesses as they are considered to differ from their non-family counterparts in various dimensions, thus the need to understand these sources of distinctiveness and how they can continue adding value to the common good. This dissertation, composed by five studies, explore diverse interconnected dimensions of the family business from a contingency perspective, applying different theoretical frameworks. Using qualitative case-based research, this study offers in-depth insights about the sources of distinctiveness, processes behind the evolution of family businesses over time, and the emergent institutionalization of the field driven by professional associations. The first article (chapter 2) studies whether familiness, the specific family bundle of resources can be either positive or negative and in which situation. The second article (chapter 3) focuses also on familiness investigating how familiness can be sustained over time as complexity increases. The third article (chapter 4) explores how family businesses professionalize their decision making domains, where more professionalized companies may sustain their familiness advantage. The fourth article (chapter 5) digs deeper into the family variable and centers its attention in parenting styles and its effect on next generation members’ behavior towards the family business. The fifth article (chapter 6) broadens the perspective and deals with the role of professional associations in creating awareness among policy makers, tackling the institutionalization process the field is going through. This research contributes to the family business field mainly by using an interdisciplinary approach combining different theoretical perspectives from a contingency perspective

The impact of nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate on oral health-related quality of life

Nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL±P) compromises oral health, leading to missing or malformed teeth, and hampering oral hygiene. Apart from anatomic damages, NSCL±P also culminates in an impact on the routine quality of life with social privation and psychological embarrassment. Objective:  To evaluate the impact of NSCL±P on oral health-related quality of life. Material and Methods: The study was classified as exploratory and descriptive, with quantitative approach. Patients with NSCL±P treated between August 2013 and September 2014 at the Cleft Lip and Palate Integral Care Center (CAIF), Curitiba, Brazil, were invited to participate. Age and sex-related data were collected, as well as level of education, financial income, type of orofacial cleft, use of orthodontic and prosthetic appliances, and number of previous orofacial surgeries. Selected patients were asked to answer the Oral Impact on Daily Performance (OIDP) questionnaire designed to measure the impact of oral health on daily performances. Results: The sample was composed of 103 (44.59%) women and 128 (55.41%) men, with mean age of 19.74 ± 10.20 (7–65) years. The OIDP values ranged from 1 to 175 in 114 (49.35%) patients (mean: 22.38), whereas 117 patients (50.65%) presented total OIDP value equal to zero. High negative impact of NSCL±P on daily performances was detected when associated with the female sex (p=0.037). Daily performances related to phonetics (OIDP2; 2.63) and aesthetics (OIDP5; 2.48) presented the highest average values when compared to other daily performances, except OIDP6. The main symptoms and reported oral problems comprised the aesthetic dissatisfaction. Conclusions: Almost half of the patients evaluated in this study showed negative impact of NSCL±P in the performance of daily activities

Anti-inflammatory Effects and Safety of Extracts and Essential Oil from Clinopodium gilliesii (muña muña)

The chemical machinery of vegetables offers a great diversity of biological properties and plays a fundamental role in the field of pharmacology. The search for new drugs with fewer adverse effects represents a challenge for researchers. The objective of the present work was to carry out to investigate the medicinal properties and safety of extracts and essential oil from aerial parts of Clinopodium gilliesii (muña muña) and evaluate their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in vivo. The extractions were carried out serially, using 96º alcohol (EE) and boiled distilled water (AE). The essential oil (EO) was obtained by steam dragging. The AE in vivo antiinflammatory activity was determined by carrageenan induced plantar edema (acute inflammation) and granuloma formation by cotton disc (chronic inflammation) at oral doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg while that of the EO was established topically at doses of 50, 100µl/kg. In-vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH depuration and inhibition of lipid peroxidation (β-carotene-linoleic acid method). Chemical study of the extracts was carried out by means of phytochemical screening and the essential oil was analyzed by GC-MS chromatography. The safety was evaluated with test of acute toxicity (48 h) and acute dermal toxicity (14 days). The results revealed that EE and EO had a significant acute and chronic anti-inflammatory activity, compared with positive patterns. EE (500 mg/kg), EO (100µl/kg), ibuprofen (100 mg/kg) and meprednisone (5 mg/kg) significantly reduced the weight of the exudate and cotton disc granuloma (24.17, 35.30, 45.56 and 57.17% respectively). The alcoholic and aqueous extracts presented important antioxidant activities with values higher than 90% (from 400μg/ml) in both methods and similar to the positive patterns (BHT and quercetin). The chromatographic profile of volatile oil compounds showed a great richness in terpene substances, pulegone, menthone and neomenthol, being its major constituents. The hydroalcoholic extracts revealed the presence of reducing compounds, polysaccharides, tannins, triterpenes, sterols and coumarins as major phytoconstituents. In the acute toxicity study, a single dose of 4000 and 8000 mg/kg b.w., produced no mortality and no clinical signs of disease were observed after 48 h. The essential oil at a single dose of 2000 and 5000 mg/kg of body weight did not produce treatment-related signs of toxicity or mortality in all rats tested during the 14 day observation period. These findings are encouraging to continue studies for the validation of popular use and development of a phytopharmaceutical with medicinal utility.Fil: Reynoso, Marcos Adrian. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Balderrama Coca, Maria Elizabeth. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Brodkiewicz, Ivana Yanina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Jaime, Gloria Susana. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Perotti, Marina Elvira. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Shuff, Carola. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Vera, Nancy Roxana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia; Argentin

a cross-sectional study

Objectives We sought to determine the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in Yoremes and to identify associations of T. gondii exposure with sociodemographic, clinical and behavioural characteristics of Yoremes. Design A cross-sectional survey. Setting Yoremes were enrolled in the locality of Tierra Blanca in the municipality of Navojoa in Sonora State, Mexico. Participants We studied 200 Yoremes (Mayos); they are an indigenous ethnic group living in a coastal region in northwestern Mexico. Primary and secondary outcome measures We assessed the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies in participants using enzyme-linked immunoassays. We used a standardised questionnaire to obtain the characteristics of Yoremes. The association of T. gondii exposure and Yoremes’ characteristics was assessed by bivariate and multivariate analyses. Results Of the 200 Yoremes studied (mean age: 31.50±18.43 years), 26 (13.0%) were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies and 19 (73.1%) of them were also positive for anti-T. gondii IgM antibodies. Seroprevalence of T. gondii infection did not vary with sex, educational level, occupation or socioeconomic status. In contrast, multivariate analysis of sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics showed that T. gondii exposure was associated with increasing age (OR=1.02; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.04; p=0.03) and consumption of squirrel meat (OR=4.99; 95% CI 1.07 to 23.31; p=0.04). Furthermore, seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was significantly higher in Yoremes with a history of lymphadenopathy (p=0.03) and those suffering from frequent abdominal pain (p=0.03). In women, T. gondii exposure was associated with a history of caesarean sections (p=0.03) and miscarriages (p=0.02). Conclusions We demonstrate, for the first time, serological evidence of T. gondii exposure among Yoremes in Mexico. Results suggest that infection with T. gondii might be affecting the health of Yoremes. Results may be useful for an optimal design of preventive measures against T. gondii infection

Developing governance structures in family firms : From adoption to institutionalization

This dissertation deals with family business governance. More specifically it focuses on why and how family businesses develop their governance structures.This is an important topic because governance plays an essential role in the business world, as it links ownership and management and defines its relationships. In the case of family businesses it is especially important because the boundaries of ownership and management are blurred by the overlapping of the two systems of family and business. This overlap makes the creation of governance structures challenging and elusive. Approaching the creation of governance structures as a process of development and understanding the reasons behind the pattern of adoption becomes a key element for family businesses. Drawing on institutional theory, I suggest that legitimacy and efficiency seeking, two seemingly opposing reasons, motivate the development of governance structures over time. I also rely on institutional work and bring back individuals to institutional theory by showing how family members act as institutional champions and lead governance changes within their organizations while interacting with other interested actors involved. Combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies, I study the development of governance structures in a processual way. On the one hand, using Mokken scale analysis, I test a sample of 1,596 cases for whether family businesses follow a specific sequence in the development of governance structures. Subsequently, I use Poisson regression analysis to test eleven hypotheses related to efficiency and legitimacy seeking and the degree ofdevelopment of such structure. On the other hand, qualitative case-based research is used to shed light on how governance structures change over time. The purposeful efforts of individuals are observed in the qualitative cases. Empirical findings suggest that, in the broad picture, family businesses follow a specific sequence that goes from business governance to family governance. When observing in detail with a process perspective individual cases show that family businesses follow different patterns of development due to four different motives. Legitimacy seeking has a strong influence in the decision to adopt governance structures, but if not aligned with efficiency seeking, this adoption may be ceremonial, meaning that despite not being really implemented and internalized they still allow these structures to exist. Efficiency seeking triggers substantive adoption and full institutionalization of such structures. In my research two other major reasons for the development of governance structurese merge: power and learning. Both can act in a positive way (power seeking or accumulated know-how) or in a negative way (resistance to give up power or lack of know-how). This appears as institutional work which takes place where different actors get involved with possible institutional champions guiding the process

Metodología de Diseño de Prendas Usando Textiles Impresos en 3D con Filamento PET Reciclado

El plástico es el material más frecuentemente encontrado a escala global en costas y ambientes marinos. Asimismo, los residuos sólidos representan una fuente de emisión y reproducción de vectores, con aportaciones a la contaminación atmosférica en entornos urbanos. Incorporar materia prima derivada de desechos plásticos a la cadena de suministro para generar productos de alto valor, como lo sugiere el concepto de economía circular, ayudaría a disminuir la contaminación. Una forma de lograrlo es a través de la implementación de tecnologías en crecimiento como la manufactura aditiva (MA), con la cual se pueden manufacturar productos atractivos, innovadores y personalizables. La industria textil representa un nicho de oportunidad para la implementación de estos materiales y tecnologías, a partir de la generación de prendas con alto valor ecológico y emocional. Por lo tanto, se propone una metodología donde la fase 1 y 2 involucran la primera etapa del diseño guiado por materiales (MDD), la fase 3 habla sobre la definición del usuario y prenda a diseñar y, finalmente, la fase 4 y 5 se centran en el modelo de procesos representativos para el desarrollo actual de prendas de vestir. Se concluye que la fabricación de productos con alto valor ecológico, a partir de residuos plásticos, es una opción viable y económicamente eficiente siempre y cuando el producto se diseñe pensando en todas sus fases de ciclo de vida, se conozca el material, su comportamiento y cómo el usuario lo percibe

REDES DE COLABORACIÓN, ESTRATEGIA EMPRESARIAL EN LA INSERCIÓN A CADENAS DE VALOR

This piece of work presents three cases: Caprica, Productores de Chihuahua and Los Porcicultores, all of which have united their efforts and created enterprises as a strategy through which the participants –small producers- generate networks to associate. This allows them the opportunity to insert in value chains and acquire better conditions for their goods, and at the same time they can give them an added value, and by doing this, they find themselves in a different state of integration and insertion in the value chain, which gives them the opportunity to face the challenges of actual life. This paper visualizes the enterprise from the systemic perspective, and as a collectivity of capabilities. Also, it presents the concept of network - individual or groups interconnected with a certain intention- and of social capital. This approach allows considering social relations as a good through which one has the form to accede to quality resources

Comparación de polvos PA12 residuo de sinterizado láser selectivo con fines de reúso funcional

Actualmente, la poliamida 12 (PA12) es uno de los polímeros con mayor uso en la industria de la manufactura aditiva en sus diversas tecnologías. En el Sinterizado Láser Selectivo (SLS), la pureza del material permite obtener piezas de buena calidad, sin embargo, los usuarios prefieren disponerlo como desecho debido a que su integridad se degrada si se intenta el reúso. En el presente trabajo se reporta una comparación de polvos de PA12 virgen y residuo, analizando si existe algún cambio en sus características morfológicas, químicas y cristalinas. Para ello, se realizaron los análisis micrográfico por medio de SEM-EDS; estructural, de los grupos funcionales por FTIR; y cristalino, por medio de XRD. Como resultado, se obtuvo que el tamaño de partícula para la calidad residuo presenta mayores tamaños respecto al virgen. Los análisis de FTIR y XRD mostraron la presencia de los mismos grupos funcionales en la PA12 virgen y PA12 residuo, así como propiedades cristalinas similares en ambas sustancias. Se concluye con una recomendación para el reúso del polímero, considerando estrategias en cuanto al aumento de tamaño de la partícula