Principles for innovation management in family firms: An analysis of long-term successful good practices with a practitioner validation of the principles

Purpose: Family firms (FF) reveal a considerable heterogeneity in their innovation behavior. Due to the successful long-term preservation of their innovation capacity via special resources and routines, multi-generational FF are of special interest in terms of learning from good practices. Against this background, the purpose of this paper is to ascertain principles for successful innovation behavior in long-term successful FF and to contribute to bridging the theory-practice gap. Design/method/Approach: Results are generated by analyzing innovation and innovation processes in five cases of long-term successful FF. On the basis of these good practice cases, the "rules of the game" of innovating are re-constructed using fine and system analyses based on narrative interviews with the FF CEOs. Findings: Intense reflection on the innovation characteristics of the five good practice cases along with a critical examination of the literature on innovation in FF were used to derive practical suggestions for FF in the form of 11 principles for FF taking a proactive interest in innovation. Practical implications: The 11 generated principles of successfully innovative FF were validated by FF CEOs who confirmed the practical relevance of these principles as valuable guidelines for successful innovation. Owners and managers may reflect on these principles against the background of the innovation behavior of their firms and adapt them to their contextual conditions. Originality/value: These principles serve as tangible suggestions for developing adequate innovation management strategies for individual FF. Furthermore, two FF CEOs were invited to comment on the viability of principles based on their comprehensive practical experience

Calibration of pneumatic multi-hole probes for transonic turbomachinery flows

The calibration data of a five-hole probe and a six-hole probe designed for measurements in transonic turbomachinery flows are presented. The probes feature a special base pressure hole on the back side to avoid the Mach number insensitivity of pressure probes near Mach number unity. There is only little literature available on the performance of such probes, especially in flows with large radial flow angles. To close this gap, the probes are calibrated for radial flow angles up to 32 degrees. A significant influence of this flow angle on the coefficients used for Mach number determination is shown. At large positive flow angles, the relationship between the pressure coefficient using the base pressure and the Mach number is not biunique for the six-hole probe. Therefore, an experimental study of Mach number measurement deviations is performed at the calibration wind tunnel. Different evaluation methods are examined. The sample standard deviation over 210 randomly distributed points is reduced by 66% compared to the same probe design without the base pressure hole. This is achieved using two calibration coefficients for the Mach number simultaneously in a multidimensional interpolation

China in the 21st Century: on Borrowing, Translation, and Mixed Economies

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.Chinoiserie—the European appropriation of “China”—has counterparts in Zhongxi hebi and nalai zhuyi. Part I, “Translating Literatures,” shows that creative translation and borrowing are indigenous to modern China. From the Sino-Japanese War in 1894, when foreign novels were regarded as a primary requirement for social and cultural rebirth, modern Chinese literature was inseparable from the introduction of world literature into China. The pioneers of modern Chinese literature were all professional translators. Lu Xun’s “hard translation” was specifically intended to introduce a change in Chinese characteristics. Esperanto was proposed at Peking University to replace written Chinese, and moves were made to institute a language for science, technology, and democratization. From the 1920s to 1966 under various forms of self-styled Marxisms, literature first from the Eastern Bloc and then from the Third World was translated. After 1978, the Chinese diaspora have written in both adopted languages and Chinese, and the majority of writers within the PRC have drawn on indigenous and cosmopolitan traditions. Part II, “Translating Political Economies,” shows that just as languages and literatures are selectively appropriated through processes of transculturation, so also are economic and political systems. These are the result of concrete historical processes, and labels like capitalism and socialism are not easily translated between countries with very different cultures and histories. When modernizing, democratizing, or liberalizing indigenous institutions, each country has to respond effectively to specific challenges, so political institutions are gradually developed rather than rationally designed.We argue that previous ideological debates between forms of capitalism and socialism are less urgent today than degrees of government as China’s financial and commodity markets take a leading role in the global economy. Neoliberal governments worldwide want less governance, letting the market regulate goods and services. Whether China liberalizes politically or merely neoliberalizes economically, whether liberal democracies give up on demands for equality in the face of neoliberal regimes, will be the key issues of our time. Ultimately we have choices and freedoms, and these should not be limited to the consumer choice and market freedoms of neoliberalism, in China or the west

SLC6A3 and body mass index in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To investigate the contribution of the dopamine transporter to dopaminergic reward-related behaviors and anthropometry, we evaluated associations between polymorphisms at the dopamine transporter gene(<it>SLC6A3</it>) and body mass index (BMI), among participants in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Four polymorphisms (rs6350, rs6413429, rs6347 and the 3' variable number of tandem repeat (3' VNTR) polymorphism) at the <it>SLC6A3 </it>gene were genotyped in 2,364 participants selected from the screening arm of PLCO randomly within strata of sex, age and smoking history. Height and weight at ages 20 and 50 years and baseline were assessed by questionnaire. BMI was calculated and categorized as underweight, normal, overweight and obese (<18.5, 18.5–24.9, 25.0–29.9, or ≥ 30 kg/m², respectively). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of <it>SLC6A3 </it>genotypes and haplotypes were computed using conditional logistic regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared with individuals having a normal BMI, obese individuals at the time of the baseline study questionnaire were less likely to possess the <it>3' </it>VNTR variant allele with 9 copies of the repeated sequence in a dose-dependent model (** is referent; OR_*9= 0.80, OR₉₉= 0.47, p_trend= 0.005). Compared with individuals having a normal BMI at age 50, overweight individuals (A-C-G-* is referent; OR_A-C-G-9= 0.80, 95% CI 0.65–0.99, p = 0.04) and obese individuals (A-C-G-* is referent; OR_A-C-G-9= 0.70, 95% CI 0.49–0.99, p = 0.04) were less likely to possess the haplotype with the 3'variant allele (A-C-G-9).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results support a role of genetic variation at the dopamine transporter gene, <it>SLC6A3</it>, as a modifier of BMI.</p

Calibration of Pneumatic Multi-hole Probes for Transonic Turbomachinery Flows

The calibration data of a five-hole probe and a six-hole probe designed for measurements in transonic turbomachinery flows is presented. The probes feature a special base pressure hole on the back side to avoid the Mach number insensitivity of pressure probes near Mach number unity. There is only little literature available on the performance of such probes, escpecially in flows with large radial flow angles. In order to close this gap, the probes are calibrated for radial flow angles up to 32°. A significant influence of this flow angle on the coefficients used for Mach number determination is shown. At large positive flow angles, the relationship between the pressure coefficient using the base pressure and the Mach number is not biunque, which can lead to high measurement inaccuracies. Therefore, an experimental study of Mach number measurement deviations is conducted for the six-hole probe at the calibration wind tunnel. Different evaluation methods are examined. The sample standard deviation over 210 randomly distributed points is reduced by 66 % compared to the same probe design without the base pressure hole. This is achieved by using two calibration coefficients for the Mach number simultaneously in a multidimensional interpolation