The Role of Inter-Organizational Leadership in Agri-Food Value Chains

For many years research on marketing channel behaviour was focused on power and conflict between channel members. More recently, as a result of globalisation, firms have become more dependent on each other and more collaborative models of channel behaviour have developed to meet the demands of the global marketplace. Research suggests that closer relationships involving trust, commitment, co-operation, co-ordination, and collaboration are needed between chain members to ensure the success of their value chains. The major challenge is to identify and develop leadership styles that foster efficient and collaborative value chains. Generally, the literature suggests that supply chain effectiveness and survival is linked to leadership behaviour. Leader behaviour has needed to adapt to the competitive global environment, which tends to focus on fostering inter-organisational co-operation rather than competing in an adversarial way. In this climate, leaders need to possess supply chain management skills and, perhaps more critically, the ability to establish and maintain effective inter-organisational networks. Early exploratory research in manufacturing suggested that a participatory leadership style is most effective in fostering co-operation and increased supply chain performance.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Industrial Organization,

Exploring social network dynamics driving knowledge management for innovation

The competitiveness and sustainability of a modern organization depends on its ability to innovate successfully. It is accepted (Gratton, 2000; Iles, 1996) that knowledge, skills and competencies are the key drivers of innovation. Innovation is the combined activity of generating new knowledge and the subsequent successful exploitation of this for benefit (von Stamm, 2003; O’Sullivan and Dooley, 2008). A key contribution to our understanding of how knowledge produces innovations is that innovation rarely involves a single technology or market but rather a bundle of knowledge which is brought together into a configuration. It is about accessing and using knowledge about components but also about their integration (Tidd et al., 2005). Consequently, current perspectives of the innovation process view it as an interactive and networked system that spans organizational boundaries to draw on knowledge, experience and capabilities from diverse sources (Rothwell, 1992; Tidd et al, 2005). The result is that the locus of innovation and knowledge circulation lies in dynamic, competency-based, business networks (Voss, 2003; Walters, and Buchanan, 2001; Wright, and Burns, 1998)

LSS Implementation in Micro Enterprises: Adoption of tools to support competitiveness

LSS Implementation in Micro Enterprises: Adoption of tools to support competitiveness Seamus O’Reillya ([email protected]), Dermot Freemanb ([email protected]) and Lawrence Dooleya ([email protected]) aCork University Business School, Ireland. bDermot Freeman & Associates, Ireland Purpose This study seeks to contribute to an emerging literature addressing Lean Six Sigma (LSS) implementation in the micro enterprise context. Specifically, it explores what LSS tools address business opportunities and challenges identified by micro enterprises. Methodology This study adopts a purposive sampling approach. Thirty micro enterprise who had availed of a lean start programme launched by a public enterprise support agency were surveyed. A telephone survey followed a semi-structured interview format. This approach resulted in good participation rate and facilitated a conversation to establish motivation, initial use and impact of LSS tools and a discussion on the ongoing use of tools within these enterprises. Findings Time management and the need to improve organisational structures emerged as the main challenges faced by owner-managers. The introduction of a LSS mindset and use of tools built a new capability within these enterprises to address these challenges. The owner-managers were internally focused on structure and systems, internal process improvement and efficiency identified as main reasons to introduce LSS tools Limitations This is an exploratory survey of 30 micro enterprises. Additional observations would enhance our understanding of micro enterprise implementation of LSS. Originality While use of LSS tools by SMEs has received some attention in recent years, this is an area that merits further research. In addition, micro enterprises have received very little attention, given their specific organisational context this study focuses on these enterprises. Practical Implications The study provides practical insight into how micro enterprises may use LSS tools to improve competitiveness, in particular the benefits accruing from improved organisational structures and processes. It also suggests further research that would inform both policy makers and contribute to understanding of the potential of LSS in a micro enterprise environment. Keywords: Lean Six Sigma, micro enterprises, LSS tools, SMEs

The effects of entrepreneurial ecosystems, knowledge management capabilities, and knowledge spillovers on international open innovation

While there is a large body of literature on the benefits of open innovation, little is known about the knowledge flows and the interrelationship of the purposeful and serendipitous spillover of knowledge flows that deliver value from international open innovation (IOI) collaborations. This study examines these knowledge flows occurring from IOI and the extent to which the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) context, knowledge management (KM) capabilities of the firm, and knowledge spillovers (KS), nurture IOI engagement. A quantitative study is adopted where data on 98,809 firms from 15 European Union countries to empirically tested a proposed model through multiple linear regressions of logit models. The results highlight the positive effect of KS on IOI engagement, and the positive mediating effect of KM capability on the relationship between KS and IOI. Additionally, the results show a positive moderating effect of the EE on the relationship between the firm's KM capability and IOI engagement. Additionally, the findings emphasize the beneficial nature of the EE on nurturing KM capabilities within firms located in the ecosystem and its impact on nurturing KS within the network.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Direct Phenotypic Screening in Mice: Identification of Individual, Novel Antinociceptive Compounds from a Library of 734 821 Pyrrolidine Bis-piperazines

The hypothesis in the current study is that the simultaneous direct in vivo testing of thousands to millions of systematically arranged mixture-based libraries will facilitate the identification of enhanced individual compounds. Individual compounds identified from such libraries may have increased specificity and decreased side effects early in the discovery phase. Testing began by screening ten diverse scaffolds as single mixtures (ranging from 17 340 to 4 879 681 compounds) for analgesia directly in the mouse tail withdrawal model. The “all X” mixture representing the library TPI-1954 was found to produce significant antinociception and lacked respiratory depression and hyperlocomotor effects using the Comprehensive Laboratory Animal Monitoring System (CLAMS). The TPI-1954 library is a pyrrolidine bis-piperazine and totals 738 192 compounds. This library has 26 functionalities at the first three positions of diversity made up of 28 392 compounds each (26 × 26 × 42) and 42 functionalities at the fourth made up of 19 915 compounds each (26 × 26 × 26). The 120 resulting mixtures representing each of the variable four positions were screened directly in vivo in the mouse 55 °C warm-water tail-withdrawal assay (ip administration). The 120 samples were then ranked in terms of their antinociceptive activity. The synthesis of 54 individual compounds was then carried out. Nine of the individual compounds produced dose-dependent antinociception equivalent to morphine. In practical terms what this means is that one would not expect multiexponential increases in activity as we move from the all-X mixture, to the positional scanning libraries, to the individual compounds. Actually because of the systematic formatting one would typically anticipate steady increases in activity as the complexity of the mixtures is reduced. This is in fact what we see in the current study. One of the final individual compounds identified, TPI 2213-17, lacked significant respiratory depression, locomotor impairment, or sedation. Our results represent an example of this unique approach for screening large mixture-based libraries directly in vivo to rapidly identify individual compounds

Dosimetric effect due to the motion during deep inspiration breath hold for left-sided breast cancer radiotherapy

Deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) radiotherapy for left-sided breast cancer can reduce cardiac exposure and internal motion. We modified our in-house treatment planning system (TPS) to retrospectively analyze breath-hold motion log files to calculate the dosimetric effect of the motion during breath hold. Thirty left-sided supine DIBH breast patients treated using AlignRT were studied. Breath-hold motion was recorded — three translational and three rotational displacements of the treatment surface — the Real Time Deltas (RTD). The corresponding delivered dose was estimated using the beam-on portions of the RTDs. Each motion was used to calculate dose, and the final estimated dose was the equally weighted average of the multiple resultant doses. Ten of thirty patients had internal mammary nodes (IMN) purposefully included in the tangential fields, and we evaluated the percentage of IMN covered by 40 Gy. The planned and delivered heart mean dose, lungs V20 (volume of the lungs receiving > 20 Gy), percentage of IMN covered by 40 Gy, and IMN mean dose were compared. The averaged mean and standard deviation of the beam-on portions of the absolute RTDs were 0.81 ± 1.29 mm, 0.68 ± 0.85mm, 0.76 ± 0.85 mm, 0.96° ± 0.49°, 0.93° ± 0.43°, and 1.03° ± 0.50°, for vertical, longitudinal, lateral, yaw, roll, and pitch, respectively. The averaged planned and delivered mean heart dose were 99 and 101 cGy. Lungs V20 were 6.59% and 6.74%. IMN 40 Gy coverage was 83% and 77%, and mean IMN dose was 4642 and 4518 cGy. The averaged mean motion during DIBH was smaller than 1 mm and 1°, which reflects the relative reproducibility of the patient breath hold. On average, the mean heart dose and lungs V20 were reasonably close to what have been planned. IMN 40 Gy coverage might be modestly reduced for certain cases

Successful treatment of bilateral open calcaneal fractures with concomitant lower extremity injuries: A case report

Open calcaneal fractures are high morbidity injuries and the risk of complications depends on the concomitant injuries, on the size and the position of the traumatic wound. A 53-year-old male patient with bilateral open calcaneal fractures and associated concomitant lower extremity injuries such as subtalar dislocation, talonavicular dislocation and open distal tibial metaphyseal fracture was immediately operated by percutaneous Kirschner wire fixation combined with external fixators. He was able to walk with full weight bearing without any assistance at the end of the first postoperative year. Early aggressive debridement and irrigation followed by fixation with percutaneous Kirschner wires and external fixator can supply bony alignment in open comminuted calcaneal fractures associated with concomitant lower extremity injuries and should be considered for the healthy and active patients before primary arthrodesis