Ethics and Downsizing : A Policy-Capturing Approach

Downsizing has become a prominent part of the business landscape and is reshaping the way people work and deal with their organizations. The present study investigated how the context and process behind a downsizing decision can influence people’s perceptions of the organization. Using a policy capturing methodology, subjects read 67 scenarios about downsizing organizations and were asked to rate the fairness of the organization and indicate if an ethical violation had occurred. The cues manipulated included the size of the organization, whether the company is currently losing money, whether the company tried other options before considering downsizing, whether the layoffs were performance based or if they were laying off the highest earners, whether the victims were given notice and an explanation by management, and whether the company provided career outsourcing. Analysis of results found that a majority of subjects utilized the cues of whether the downsizing decision was performance-based, whether ample notice was given by management, and whether the organization provided career assistance, in determining whether the scenario was fair and whether an ethical violation had occurred. A minority of subjects used the cues of organizational size, whether the organization was losing money when they made the decision to downsize, and whether the organization tried other options before making the decision to downsize, in determining perceptions of fairness and whether an ethical violation occurred. Between group analyses of demographic variables were not significant indicating that gender, ethnicity, and work experience did not influence which cues individuals used to make decisions about whether the scenario was fair or whether an ethical violation occurred. The study found that variables influencing how an organization conducts downsizing contributes to whether downsizing is perceived as fair and ethical. Limitations and future directions are discussed

Water is valuable: the allocation of water and other resources in the New Zealand electricity market

This monograph investigates the role of the electricity market in the allocation of water and other resources used as inputs into electricity generation. We base our observations on the outputs of an original electricity spot market model designed to mimic the New Zealand electricity market. The model explains the role of water storage and the associated value of water in decision-making by generation companies. It also explains how water is allocated between on and off-peak periods and across seasons

On the tuning of a wave-energy driven oscillating-water-column seawater pump to polychromatic waves

Performance of wave-energy devices of the oscillating water column (OWC) type is greatly enhanced when a resonant condition with the forcing waves is maintained. The natural frequency of such systems can in general be tuned to resonate with a given wave forcing frequency. In this paper we address the tuning of an OWC sea-water pump to polychromatic waves. We report results of wave tank experiments, which were conducted with a scale model of the pump. Also, a numerical solution for the pump equations, which were proven in previous work to successfully describe its behavior when driven by monochromatic waves, is tested with various polychromatic wave spectra. Results of the numerical model forced by the wave trains measured in the wave tank experiments are used to develop a tuning criterion for the sea-water pump.Comment: 21 pages, 14 figure

Equine Dental Care

Just as people visit the dentist on a regular basis to maintain proper dental health, horses also require regular dental care. Horses should have at least annual dental check-ups to maintain proper alignment and remove points and hooks. This publication provides facts and suggestions on basic equine dental care for horses of all ages

Using an Audience Response System Smartphone App to Improve Resident Education in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

In the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), most teaching occurs during bedside rounds, but technology now provides new opportunities to enhance education. Specifically, smartphone apps allow rapid communication between instructor and student. We hypothesized that using an audience response system (ARS) app can identify resident knowledge gaps, guide teaching, and enhance education in the PICU. Third-year pediatric residents rotating through the PICU participated in ARS-based education or received traditional teaching. Before rounds, experimental subjects completed an ARS quiz using the Socrative app. Concomitantly, the fellow leading rounds predicted quiz performance. Then, discussion points based on the incorrect answers were used to guide instruction. Scores on the pre-rotation test were similar between groups. On the post-rotation examination, ARS participants did not increase their scores more than controls. The fellow's prediction of performance was poor. Residents felt that the method enhanced their education whereas fellows reported that it improved their teaching efficiency. Although there was no measurable increase in knowledge using the ARS app, it may still be a useful tool to rapidly assess learners and help instructors provide learner-centered education

A Pseudoproxy Evaluation of the CCA and RegEM Methods for Reconstructing Climate Fields of the Last Millennium

Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is evaluated for paleoclimate field reconstructions in the context of pseudoproxy experiments assembled from the millennial integration (850–1999 c.e.) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model, version 1.4. A parsimonious method for selecting the order of the CCA model is presented. Results suggest that the method is capable of resolving multiple (3–13) climatic patterns given the estimated proxy observational network and the amount of observational uncertainty. CCA reconstructions are compared to those derived from the regularized expectation maximization method using ridge regression regularization (RegEM-Ridge). CCA and RegEM-Ridge yield similar skill patterns that are characterized by high correlation regions collocated with dense pseudoproxy sampling areas in North America and Europe. Both methods also produce reconstructions characterized by spatially variable warm biases and variance losses, particularly at high pseudoproxy noise levels. RegEM-Ridge in particular is subject to significantly larger variance losses than CCA, even though the spatial correlation patterns of the two methods are comparable. Results collectively indicate the importance of evaluating the field performance of methods that target spatial climate patterns during the last several millennia and indicate that the results of currently available climate field reconstructions should be interpreted carefully

Noninfectious retrovirus particles drive the APOBEC3/Rfv3 dependent neutralizing antibody response.

Members of the APOBEC3 family of deoxycytidine deaminases counteract a broad range of retroviruses in vitro through an indirect mechanism that requires virion incorporation and inhibition of reverse transcription and/or hypermutation of minus strand transcripts in the next target cell. The selective advantage to the host of this indirect restriction mechanism remains unclear, but valuable insights may be gained by studying APOBEC3 function in vivo. Apobec3 was previously shown to encode Rfv3, a classical resistance gene that controls the recovery of mice from pathogenic Friend retrovirus (FV) infection by promoting a more potent neutralizing antibody (NAb) response. The underlying mechanism does not involve a direct effect of Apobec3 on B cell function. Here we show that while Apobec3 decreased titers of infectious virus during acute FV infection, plasma viral RNA loads were maintained, indicating substantial release of noninfectious particles in vivo. The lack of plasma virion infectivity was associated with a significant post-entry block during early reverse transcription rather than G-to-A hypermutation. The Apobec3-dependent NAb response correlated with IgG binding titers against native, but not detergent-lysed virions. These findings indicate that innate Apobec3 restriction promotes NAb responses by maintaining high concentrations of virions with native B cell epitopes, but in the context of low virion infectivity. Finally, Apobec3 restriction was found to be saturable in vivo, since increasing FV inoculum doses resulted in decreased Apobec3 inhibition. By analogy, maximizing the release of noninfectious particles by modulating APOBEC3 expression may improve humoral immunity against pathogenic human retroviral infections

Strategic financial plan for Vera Causa Realty

Applied project submitted to the Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, May 2021The project identifies the problems of Vera Causa Realty, a Ghanaian real estate firm that has been in operation for five years. Vera Causa Realty provides affordable services for people looking to build their homes. However, the company has no financial plan; thus, they cannot evaluate an individual's current salary and future financial state by using present known variables to predict future income, asset values, and withdrawal plans. This project sought to create a stable financial plan for the company. The financial plan will contain the company's long-term monetary goals and strategies to achieve these goals. Some insights gained during the need assessment stage were that as a result of the company's current mode of financing, i.e., self-financing, they have not been able to create a solid financial plan. The assessment revealed that the company would update its mode of funding to best suit it in the long term. After extensive literature has been reviewed that financial planning requires six steps. These steps ensure that companies created a feasible and solid financial plan. More insight was gained in the understanding of the external financing processes in Ghana. Some requirements must be met to seek external funding from the financial institutions in Ghana successfully. The study proposed that Vera Causa Realty creates a financial plan to manage the company's long-term financial goals. However, if the company cannot do it, they can outsource to other companies that specialize.Ashesi Universit