5,918 research outputs found
The dynamics of central control and subsidiary autonomy in the management of human resources: case study evidence from US MNCs in the UK
This article revisits a central question in the debates on the management of multinationals: the balance between centralized policy-making and subsidiary autonomy. It does so through data from a series of case studies on the management of human resources in American multinationals in the UK. Two strands of debate are confronted. The first is the literature on differences between multinationals of different national origins which has shown that US companies tend to be more centralized, standardized, and formalized in their management of human resources. It is argued that the literature has provided unconvincing explanations of this pattern, failing to link it to distinctive features of the American business system in which US multinationals are embedded. The second strand is the wider debate on the balance between centralization and decentralization in multinationals. It is argued that the literature neglects important features of this balance: the contingent oscillation between centralized and decentralized modes of operation and (relatedly) the way in
which the balance is negotiated by organizational actors through micro-political processes whereby the external structural constraints on the company are defined and interpreted. In such negotiation, actors’ leverage often derives from exploiting differences between the national business systems in which the multinational operates
Unraveling home and host country effects: an investigation of the HR policies of an American multinational in four European countries
The CRESST Dark Matter Search
The current status of CRESST (Cryogenic Rare Event Search using
Superconducting Thermometers) and new results concerning the detector
development are presented. The basic technique of CRESST is to search for
particle Dark Matter (WIMPS, Weakly Interacting Massive particles) by the
measurement of non-thermal phonons as created by WIMP-induced nuclear recoils.
Combined with the newly developed method of simultaneous measurement of
scintillation light, strong background discrimination is possible, resulting in
a substantial increase in WIMP detection sensitivity. The short and long term
perspectives of CRESST are discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure
Multinationals in Europe 2001-2: home country, host country and sector effects in the context of crisis
DEMO – The main achievements of the Pre – Concept phase of the safety and environmental work package and the development of the GSSR
Towards the implementation of laser engineered surface structures for electron cloud mitigation
The LHC operation has proven that the electron cloud could be a significant limiting factor in machine performance, in particular for future High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) beams. Electron clouds, generated by electron multipacting in the beam pipes, leads to beam instabilities and beam-induced heat load in cryogenic systems. Laser Engineered Surface Structures (LESS) is a novel surface treatment which changes the morphology of the internal surfaces of vacuum chambers. The surface modification results in a reduced secondary electron yield (SEY) and, consequently, in the eradication of the electron multipacting. Low SEY values of the treated surfaces and flexibility in choosing the laser parameters make LESS a promising treatment for future accelerators. LESS can be applied both in new and existing accelerators owing to the possibility of automated in-situ treatment. This approach has been developed and optimised for the LHC beam screens in which the electron cloud has to be mitigated before the HL-LHC upgrade. We will present the latest steps towards the implementation of LESS
Characterisation of the muon beams for the Muon Ionisation Cooling Experiment
A novel single-particle technique to measure emittance has been developed and used to characterise seventeen different muon beams for the Muon Ionisation Cooling Experiment (MICE). The muon beams, whose mean momenta vary from 171 to 281 MeV/c, have emittances of approximately 1.2–2.3 π mm-rad horizontally and 0.6–1.0 π mm-rad vertically, a horizontal dispersion of 90–190 mm and momentum spreads of about 25 MeV/c. There is reasonable agreement between the measured parameters of the beams and the results of simulations. The beams are found to meet the requirements of MICE
A Crisis of Confidence? Front-Line Managers and the Complexities of Conflict
The aim of this chapter is to examine in detail how a sample of line managers experience handling conflict situations and to explore both the contextual factors that might make this challenging as well as those that facilitate the successful management of conflict, particularly in relation to the early and informal resolution that is now at the heart of public policy
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