Corporate Compliance Issues in Managing Supply Chains in the Environmental-Friendly 21 st Century

Recent economic crisis has alerted citizens around the world about the behavioral patterns of corporations that were not in lined with the expectations of the local citizens. These events has re-emerged the global conversations of the responsibilities of corporations that are beyond the conventional wisdom of financial accomplishments. Traditionally, corporations have been in tuned with financial goals and awareness of necessity of Corporate Compliance efforts operationally along their Supply Chains. The recent addition of Social Responsibilities has certainly complicated corporate strategies in varied magnitude. At times, it introduced un- welcomed uncertainty in terms of expectations. The focus of this research is to investigate the first-step for corporations, the understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility expectations so as to allow corporations to refine their strategies so as to be in compliance along their supply chains with minimal additional resources. An empirical model for data collection from corporate practitioners will also be introduced

Strategic use of E-Commerce in the Transformation of the Publishing Industry

The intent of this paper is to explore the strategic use of e-commerce in the transformation of the publishing industry. The first section of the paper explores the strategic use of e-commerce in the transformation of the publishing industry from a single distribution channel mass producer of printed books to a multiple distribution channel that will include e-books and “print on demand” technologies. Emphasis is placed on management strategies in the use of new information technologies in the global marketplace. The second section of this paper discusses the shift of competitive power among the various tiers along the publishing industry supply chain including the current developments in electronic publishing from the vantage point of the stakeholders The implications and likely scenario awaiting the future business environment of the publishing industry is presented in the third section of this paper

Mental health and the response to financial incentives: evidence from a survey incentives experiment

Although mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression are common, there is little research on whether individuals in poor mental health react differently from others to financial incentives. This paper exploits an experiment from the UK Understanding Society Innovation Panel to assess how the participation response to randomly-assigned financial incentives differs by mental health status. We find that individuals in good mental health are more likely to respond when offered a higher financial incentive, whereas those in poor mental health are indifferent to the increased incentive. We find no comparable differences for physical health

The Role of E-Books in the Future of the Supply Chain of the Publishing Industry

The intent of this paper is to explore the future role of ebooks in the publishing industry. Emphasis is put on the impact it has on the supply chain of the industry. Issues dealing with the legal ramifications and financial implications, such as sales taxes, will also be addressed. The first section describes characteristics of e-books and the current developments in e-books from the consumer’s point of view. With the handling of the content of publications in digital form, intellectual property rights will become more complex and will require new regulations to deal with the new medium. These and other related legal issues are addressed in the third section. With the likelihood of utilizing the Internet for the distribution of the e-book to consumers, the collection of sales taxes will be difficult for government agencies to handle. The situation will be further complicated due to the globalization of the market place. Which policies are in effect, how will they are enforced, and who are responsible for their collection are emerging issues that will need to be addressed in the global and local arenas. Then it will be followed by the impact it has on the supply chain of the industry. For example, one of the benefits of ebooks is the reduction of logistical costs throughout the supply chain. Also, due to the ease of distribution, there most likely will be consolidation of certain levels within the supply chain. It may trigger a shift of competitive power among the various levels. The likely scenario of the future business environment of the publishing industry is discussed in the concluding section

Strategic Analysis of the Role of Information Technology in Higher Education – A KPI-centric model

The KPI-centric Strategic Model regarding the Role of Information Technology developed in this research is based on specific details from the University of La Verne’s participation in the 2014 Educause Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR) Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology as a benchmarking participant. It also draws on the experience and directions of other institutions such as California State University, University of California. As one of the participating 213 institutions, the University of La Verne’s undergraduate student responses generally mirror the majority view of students enrolled in all institutions of higher education in the United States surveyed as to preferences for the use of technology in the delivery of courses. This case study examines key data points from the ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology published in 2015, comparing and contrasting all U.S. institution findings with those that are case specific to the University of La Verne. The authors then provide a model for utilizing key performance indicators (KPIs) measuring subjective, descriptive outcomes such as student expectations and student satisfaction with the use of Information Technology in course delivery. The model is presented within the framework of a Balanced Scorecard in order to achieve data-driven continuous improvement toward institutional strategic vision, mission, goals and objectives. This case study may serve as a template for other institutions of Higher Education to develop their own Key Performance Indicators and Balanced Scorecards to not only improve their own institutional performance to goals and objectives, but to provide opportunities for institutional benchmarking in the utilization of Information Technology

Optimization and Functional Effects of Stable Short Hairpin RNA Expression in Primary Human Lymphocytes via Lentiviral Vectors

Specific, potent, and sustained short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated gene silencing is crucial for the successful application of RNA interference technology to therapeutic interventions. We examined the effects of shRNA expression in primary human lymphocytes (PBLs) using lentiviral vectors bearing different RNA polymerase III promoters. We found that the U6 promoter is more efficient than the H1 promoter for shRNA expression and for reducing expression of CCR5 in PBLs. However, shRNA expression from the U6 promoter resulted in a gradual decline of the transduced cell populations. With one CCR5 shRNA this decline could be attributed to elevated apoptosis but another CCR5 shRNA that caused cytotoxicity did not show evidence of apoptosis, suggesting sequence-specific mechanisms for cytotoxicity. In contrast to the U6 promoter, PBLs transduced by vectors expressing shRNAs from the H1 promoter could be maintained without major cytotoxic effects. Since a lower level of shRNA expression appears to be advantageous to maintaining the shRNA-transduced population, lentiviral vectors bearing the H1 promoter are more suitable for stable transduction and expression of shRNA in primary human T lymphocytes. Our results suggest that functional shRNA screens should include tests for both potency and adverse metabolic effects upon primary cells

Australian bat lyssavirus infection in two horses

In May 2013, the first cases of Australian bat lyssavirus infections in domestic animals were identified in Australia. Two horses (filly-H1 and gelding-H2) were infected with the Yellow-bellied sheathtail bat (YBST) variant of Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV). The horses presented with neurological signs, pyrexia and progressing ataxia. Intra-cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (Negri bodies) were detected in some Purkinje neurons in haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained sections from the brain of one of the two infected horses (H2) by histological examination. A morphological diagnosis of sub-acute moderate non-suppurative, predominantly angiocentric, meningo-encephalomyelitis of viral aetiology was made. The presumptive diagnosis of ABLV infection was confirmed by the positive testing of the affected brain tissue from (H2) in a range of laboratory tests including fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and real-time PCR targeting the nucleocapsid (N) gene. Retrospective testing of the oral swab from (H1) in the real-time PCR also returned a positive result. The FAT and immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed an abundance of ABLV antigen throughout the examined brain sections. ABLV was isolated from the brain (H2) and oral swab/saliva (H1) in the neuroblastoma cell line (MNA). Alignment of the genome sequence revealed a 97.7% identity with the YBST ABLV strain