Understanding the construction of marketers’ credibility by NZ senior managers: An interpretive study

Academics report that marketers are losing their influence in the boardroom due in part to serious challenges to marketing’s credibility. Although the credibility of marketing sources has received much attention since the early 1950s, research into how individuals in business organisations construct the credibility of marketers is scarce. This study, using in-depth interviews, describes how seven senior managers from different New Zealand businesses construct the credibility of marketers. For these senior managers, the credibility of marketers is grounded in their performance in delivering commercial outcomes. The findings also suggest that senior managers construct credibility in terms of a work aspect and a social aspect of a marketer’s performance, and that both these aspects have to be present if the marketer is to be considered credible. The work aspect of performance is made up of a marketer’s Pedigree, Projects, and Pervasive Influence. The Pedigree of a marketer includes their qualifications, skills and background. A degree is usually the minimum qualification required, particularly for more senior marketing roles. Skills expected from marketers include leadership, management, sales and intuition. With regard to background, the marketer needs to demonstrate they have achieved commercial outcomes in previous employment to be considered credible. Projects describes how marketers must design and implement cogent marketing plans, work effectively without supervision, achieve commercial outcomes in a clever or creative way, and provide evidence that their projects have contributed to commercial outcomes. Pervasive Influence describes how marketers influence others in the organisation toward customer-centricity. Marketers can lose credibility in the work aspect of their performance when they have no structured purpose to their marketing research, are unable to execute marketing plans or are unable to demonstrate the results of a marketing project. The social aspect of a marketer’s performance is made up of Personal Integrity and Professional Conduct. Personal Integrity describes marketers who are respected, take pride in their work, strive to improve themselves and are not precious. Professional Conduct describes a marketer who relates and collaborates competently and professionally with others, and is a team fit. Marketers lose credibility in the social aspect of their performance when they are precious, flighty, argumentative, and only out for themselves. This paper contributes a framework that describes the construction of a marketer’s credibility from a senior manager’s perspective. It also introduces a new understanding of credibility, grounded in performance terms, which is distinct from past conceptualisations of credibility found in the literature, which is based on expertise and trustworthiness. These findings demonstrate that while a marketer might be considered an expert and trustworthy, if they are not delivering commercial outcomes then they may not be considered credible, from a senior manager’s perspective

Steklov problem on differential forms

In this paper we study spectral properties of Dirichlet-to-Neumann map on differential forms obtained by a slight modification of the definition due to Belishev and Sharafutdinov. The resulting operator $\Lambda$ is shown to be self-adjoint on the subspace of coclosed forms and to have purely discrete spectrum there.We investigate properies of eigenvalues of $\Lambda$ and prove a Hersch-Payne-Schiffer type inequality relating products of those eigenvalues to eigenvalues of Hodge Laplacian on the boundary. Moreover, non-trivial eigenvalues of $\Lambda$ are always at least as large as eigenvalues of Dirichlet-to-Neumann map defined by Raulot and Savo. Finally, we remark that a particular case of $p$-forms on the boundary of $2p+2$-dimensional manifold shares a lot of important properties with the classical Steklov eigenvalue problem on surfaces.Comment: 18 page

The first ever anti-football painting: A consideration of the soccer match in John Singer Sargent’s "Gassed"

The paper presents a discussion of Gassed, a large oil painting by John Singer Sargent displayed at the Imperial War Museum in London. Completed in 1919, Gassed is the major achievement from Sargent’s commission as an official war artist at the appointment of the British War Memorials Committee during the latter period of World War I. Prominent in the painting is a group of soldiers, blinded by a mustard gas attack, being lead to a casualty clearing station tent. In the distant background of the painting, another group of soldiers can be seen kitted out in football attire playing a match. The significance of this football imagery is our point of enquiry. As our title suggests, some recent interpretations regard the painting as offering critical reflection, from the time, about the symbolic links between sport and war. However, while the painting may certainly be left open to this type of viewer interpretation, archival and secondary resource material research does not support such a critical intention by the artist. Yet, nor is there evidence that Sargent’s intention was the projection of war-heroism. Rather, Sargent’s endeavour to faithfully represent what he observed allows Gassed to be regarded as a visual record of routine activity behind the lines and of football as an aspect of the daily life of British soldiers during the Great War

Anti-biofilm efficacy of a medieval treatment for bacterial infection requires the combination of multiple ingredients

Novel antimicrobials are urgently needed to combat drug-resistant bacteria and to overcome the inherent difficulties in treating biofilm-associated infections. Studying plants and other natural materials used in historical infection remedies may enable further discoveries to help fill the antibiotic discovery gap. We previously reconstructed a 1,000-year-old remedy containing onion, garlic, wine, and bile salts, known as ‘Bald’s eyesalve’, and showed it had promising antibacterial activity. In this current paper, we have found this bactericidal activity extends to a range of Gram-negative and Gram-positive wound pathogens in planktonic culture and, crucially, that this activity is maintained against Acinetobacter baumannii, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Streptococcus pyogenes in a soft-tissue wound biofilm model. While the presence of garlic in the mixture can explain the activity against planktonic cultures, garlic has no activity against biofilms. We have found the potent anti-biofilm activity of Bald’s eyesalve cannot be attributed to a single ingredient and requires the combination of all ingredients to achieve full activity. Our work highlights the need to explore not only single compounds but also mixtures of natural products for treating biofilm infections and underlines the importance of working with biofilm models when exploring natural products for the anti-biofilm pipeline

Continuous optimization of cardiac resynchronization therapy reduces atrial fibrillation in heart failure patients: Results of the Adaptive Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Trial

BackgroundData from randomized trials have suggested a modest or no effect of conventional cardiac resynchronization therapy (convCRT) on the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF). AdaptivCRT (aCRT, Medtronic, Mounds View, MN) is a recently described algorithm for synchronized left ventricular (LV) pacing and continuous optimization of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).ObjectiveWe compared the long-term effects of aCRT with convCRT pacing on the incidence of AF.MethodsThe Adaptive CRT trial randomized CRT-defibrillator (CRT-D)–indicated patients (2:1) to receive either aCRT or convCRT pacing. The aCRT algorithm evaluates intrinsic conduction every minute, providing LV-only pacing during normal atrioventricular (AV) conduction and AV and ventriculoventricular timing adjustments during prolonged AV conduction. The primary outcome of this subanalysis was an episode of AF >48 consecutive hours as detected by device diagnostics.ResultsOver a follow-up period with a mean and standard deviation of 20.2 ± 5.9 months, 8.7% of patients with aCRT and 16.2% with convCRT experienced the primary outcome (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.31–0.93; P = .03). In patients with prolonged baseline AV, the incidence of the primary outcome was 12.8% in patients randomized to aCRT compared with 27.4% in convCRT patients (HR = 0.45; 95% CI = 0.24–0.85; P = .01). Also, patients with AF episodes adjudicated as clinical adverse events were less common with aCRT (4.3%) than with convCRT (12.7%) (HR = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.19–0.79; P = .01).ConclusionPatients receiving aCRT had a reduced risk of AF compared with those receiving convCRT. Most of the reduction in AF occurred in subgroups with prolonged AV conduction at baseline and with significant left atrial reverse remodeling

Area-wide distribution of lead, copper, and cadmium in air particulates from Chicago and northwest Indiana

Published air pollution emissions inventories for the urbanized and industrialized area along the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan include few chemical analyses of particulates, and estimates of the elemental composition of airborne solids may be made only indirectly and compared with NASN analyses from a few locations. As a first attempt to examine the area-wide distribution of specific chemical elements in this region, lead, copper, cadmium, and bismuth were determined in 24-h average samples collected on glass fiber filters at 50 stations throughout the region. Samples from most of the 50 stations were obtained from local air pollution control organizations for 6 different days from May to August 1968 and were analyzed electrochemically by highly sensitive anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV). Throughout the area the small variation of lead, generally a few micrograms per cubic meter of air, did not exceed that expected from the distribution of automobiles, the major source. Cadmium was generally 200 times lower without marked local variations and was close to the expected concentration if coal combustion is the major source. Copper was generally 20 times lower than lead throughout Chicago as expected if coal combustion is the major source of copper. However, certain stations in the northwest Indiana area showed reproducible anomalies where copper was 100 times greater than in Chicago and several times greater than lead at the same stations. The source of this anomalous copper has not been determined.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/33563/1/0000064.pd

Resisted Sprint Training in Youth: The Effectiveness of Backward vs. Forward Sled Towing on Speed, Jumping, and Leg Compliance Measures in High-School Athletes

Resisted sprinting (RS) is a popular training method used to enhance sprinting performance in youth. However, research has only explored the effects of forward RS (FRS) training. We examined the effects of FRS and backward RS (BRS) and compared these with a traditional physical education curriculum (CON). One hundred fifteen boys (age 13–15 years) were matched for maturity and allocated to either an FRS (n = 34), BRS (n = 46), or CON (n = 35) group. Training groups towed progressively overloaded sleds (20–55% body mass) 2 d·wk−1 for 8 weeks. Pre-training and post-training data were collected for sprinting times over 10 and 20 m, countermovement jump (CMJ) height, and leg stiffness (KN). Performance remained unchanged for the CON group (all p > 0.05), whereas all variables significantly improved (p 0.05) improved CMJ (Effect size [ES] = 0.67 and 0.38) and KN (ES = 0.94 and 0.69), respectively. No differences were found between training groups. The probabilities of improving sprinting performance after BRS (∼70%) were on average ∼10 and ∼8% better than the FRS and CON groups, respectively. The BRS and FRS showed similar probabilities of improving CMJ (75 and 79%) and KN (80 and 81%), respectively, over the CON group. It seems that BRS may be a means to improve sprint performance, and regardless of direction, RS seems to be a beneficial method for improving jumping height and leg stiffness in youth male athletes

Firm finances, weather derivatives and geography

This paper considers some intellectual, practical and political dimensions of collaboration between human and physical geographers exploring how firms are using relatively new financial products – weather derivatives – to displace any costs of weather-related uncertainty and risk. The paper defines weather derivatives and indicates how they differ from weather insurance products before considering the geo-political, cultural and economic context for their creation. The paper concludes by reflecting on the challenges of research collaboration across the human–physical geography divide and suggests that while such initiatives may be undermined by a range of institutional and intellectual factors, conversations between physical and human geographers remain and are likely to become increasingly pertinent. The creation of a market in weather derivatives raises a host of urgent political and regulatory questions and the confluence of natural and social knowledges, co-existing within and through the geography academy, provides a constructive and creative basis from which to engage with this new market and wider discourses of uneven economic development and climate change

Editorial

The credo - reaffirming our professionalismThe quest for ethics in medicineThe public service labour relations shamblesSensitisation, pre-emptive and total analgesiaThe resurrection ofprimary percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty for the treatment of acute myocardial infarctionPrimary health care depends on the district health syste

Reduction in BACE1 decreases body weight, protects against diet-induced obesity and enhances insulin sensitivity in mice

Insulin resistance and impaired glucose homoeostasis are important indicators of Type 2 diabetes and are early risk factors of AD (Alzheimer's disease). An essential feature of AD pathology is the presence of BACE1 (β-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1), which regulates production of toxic amyloid peptides. However, whether BACE1 also plays a role in glucose homoeostasis is presently unknown. We have used transgenic mice to analyse the effects of loss of BACE1 on body weight, and lipid and glucose homoeostasis. BACE1−/− mice are lean, with decreased adiposity, higher energy expenditure, and improved glucose disposal and peripheral insulin sensitivity than wild-type littermates. BACE1−/− mice are also protected from diet-induced obesity. BACE1-deficient skeletal muscle and liver exhibit improved insulin sensitivity. In a skeletal muscle cell line, BACE1 inhibition increased glucose uptake and enhanced insulin sensitivity. The loss of BACE1 is associated with increased levels of UCP1 (uncoupling protein 1) in BAT (brown adipose tissue) and UCP2 and UCP3 mRNA in skeletal muscle, indicative of increased uncoupled respiration and metabolic inefficiency. Thus BACE1 levels may play a critical role in glucose and lipid homoeostasis in conditions of chronic nutrient excess. Therefore strategies that ameliorate BACE1 activity may be important novel approaches for the treatment of diabetes