Six sigma, absorptive capacity and organisational learning orientation

"This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Production Research, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00207543.2010.543175."The importance of the Six Sigma methodology in industry is growing constantly. However, there are few empirical studies that analyze the advantages of this methodology and its positive effects on organizational performance. The purpose of this paper is to extend understanding of the success of Six Sigma quality management initiatives by investigating the effects of Six Sigma teamwork and process management on absorptive capacity. It also seeks to understand the relation between absorptive capacity and organizational learning as two sources of sustainable competitive advantage. The information used comes from a larger study, the data for which were collected from a random sample of 237 European firms. Of these 237 organizations, 58 are Six Sigma organizations. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. The main findings show that Six Sigma teamwork and process management positively affect the development of absorptive capacity. A positive and significant relationship is also observed between absorptive capacity and organizational learning orientation. The findings of this study justify Six Sigma implementation in firms. This study provides us with an in-depth understanding of some structural elements that characterize the Six Sigma methodology, enabling us to provide an explanation for its success

Early Vλ diversification in sheep

This study examined a number of tissues during early gestation in foetal sheep to determine the earliest site of Vλ expression and time of generation of the Vλ repertoire. Tissues, including spleen, liver, gut, blood and bone marrow, were obtained from 48, 55, 60 and 63 gestational day (g.d.) ovine foetuses and cDNA libraries were prepared from them by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. Clones were randomly selected from cDNA libraries and subjected to sequencing. Analysis of these sequences and comparison with a pool of germline genes led to the following conclusions. The expression of Vλ occurs earlier in spleen (48 g.d.) than in all of the other tissues examined. Also, diversity is seen earlier and at higher levels in early foetal spleen than in all of the other tissues examined. In this regard, it is notable that splenic Vλ expression is readily apparent even before such gut-associated lymphoid tissue as the ileal Peyer's patch (IPP) has developed. Two germline Vλ genes, 5.1 and 5.3 predominate in early immunoglobulin λ light-chain gene rearrangement. Examination of Jλ usage revealed the existence of a new Jλ gene and its utilization during the early phases of the development of the ovine antibody repertoire. This study indicates that sites other than the IPP contribute to the diversification of the Vλ repertoire in sheep. We suggest that it is likely that foetal spleen may provide a partially diversified B-cell repertoire before the IPP becomes active as a major site for massive clonal expansion and extensive diversification of B cells