Comments on 'An organizational theory of information' by A.W. Holt and F. Cardone

This paper is rather tough reading. Like FRISCO Chapter 4, it is dense, abstract and somewhat formal. The reader is advised to populate its abstractions with concrete instances. It would also be interesting to visit the corpus of raw material that inspired this approach to information systems. The authors have an abundance of varied practical experience to draw upon. One can often appreciate a theory better when its roots are visible, at least this guides one’s choice of concrete illustrations

A Common Variant in TFB1M Is Associated with Reduced Insulin Secretion and Increased Future Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) evolves when insulin secretion fails. Insulin release from the pancreatic β cell is controlled by mitochondrial metabolism, which translates fluctuations in blood glucose into metabolic coupling signals. We identified a common variant (rs950994) in the human transcription factor B1 mitochondrial (TFB1M) gene associated with reduced insulin secretion, elevated postprandial glucose levels, and future risk of T2D. Because islet TFB1M mRNA levels were lower in carriers of the risk allele and correlated with insulin secretion, we examined mice heterozygous for Tfb1m deficiency. These mice displayed lower expression of TFB1M in islets and impaired mitochondrial function and released less insulin in response to glucose in vivo and in vitro. Reducing TFB1M mRNA and protein in clonal β cells by RNA interference impaired complexes of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system. Consequently, nutrient-stimulated ATP generation was reduced, leading to perturbed insulin secretion. We conclude that a deficiency in TFB1M and impaired mitochondrial function contribute to the pathogenesis of T2D

An Assessment of the Association Between Renewable Energy Utilization and Firm Financial Performance

Contemporary research highlights multiple societal and environmental benefits in addition to potential economic advantages associated with renewable energy (RE) utilization. As federal and state incentives for investments in RE technologies become more prevalent, RE sources represent increasingly viable alternatives to established fossil fuel energy. RE utilization is recognized as a key component of “green” product innovation that helps firms reduce the environmental impact of production processes and diminish their ecological footprints and energy consumption. Yet, despite consistent evidence that corporate sustainability initiatives are favorably associated with firm performance, the limited research that examines associations between RE initiatives and firm performance yields mixed results and an explicit link has yet to be established. Drawing on the natural resource-based view of the firm, we examine the association between RE utilization and firm financial performance over time. Annual ROI, Tobin’s Q, and operating margin for large U.S. firms identified as exceptional users of RE in the EPA’s Fortune 500 Top Green Power Partners list are compared with their respective industry medians over a 7-year period (2007–2013) and post hoc bootstrapping and sensitivity analyses are performed to further validate the study findings. Our research advances current knowledge about the influence of RE utilization by demonstrating that top RE user firms consistently generated superior financial performance compared to their industry competitors. As such, the study findings lend credence to the existence of a business case that complements the societal and environmental benefits of RE utilization