Untangling drivers for supplier environmental and social responsibility:An investigation in Philips Lighting's Chinese supply chain

This study unpacks the environmental and social dimensions of supplier responsibility and links each dimension to distinct drivers. Using stakeholder theory and the relational view, we distinguish between two main drivers: stakeholder pressures (i.e., from regulatory agencies, buying firms, and nongovernmental organizations) and relational mechanisms offered by multinational companies (MNCs) (i.e., lean trainings and relational capital). We used a multi-method research design to study how these drivers uniquely influence supplier responsibility in an emerging-country context. An in-depth case study with Philips Lighting and 10 of its Chinese suppliers reveals causal inferences that link stakeholder and relational drivers with each responsibility dimension (environmental vs. social). Audit and survey data from Philips Lighting's 134 Chinese suppliers, complemented with four archival databases, bolster these inferences. Overall, the results show that supplier environmental responsibility can be fostered through both stakeholder pressures and relational drivers; whereas, supplier social responsibility is much harder to address. The integrated methods offer a fuller, more comprehensive understanding of the specifics of supplier responsibility in China and also provide recommendations for MNCs that seek to improve it

Avaliação do Ensino de Empreendedorismo entre Estudantes Universitários por meio do Perfil Empreendedor

Entrepreneurship is a socioeconomic phenomenon that has been valued for its influence on the growth and development of regional and national economies. The main promoter of this phenomenon are entrepreneurs, subjects endowed with multiple features that make up their profiles. They are dynamic and results oriented, benefitting from the fruits of their own personal efforts. Entrepreneurial education is highlighted as one of the most efficient ways to promote an entrepreneurial culture and train new entrepreneurs. However, some difficulty has been observed in assessing the effectiveness of teaching and learning this subject. The objective of this study was to analyze, by means of multivariate techniques, an instrument whose function is to measure the learning of Entrepreneurship, verifying the change in entrepreneur profiles of 407 college students participating or not in an entrepreneurial training process. The results showed that students who participated in Entrepreneurship educational training activities showed significant changes in their entrepreneurial profiles. The main contributions showed growth in the Self-realization, Planner, Innovative and Risks Assumed dimensions

The state of HRM in the Middle East:Challenges and future research agenda

Based on a robust structured literature analysis, this paper highlights the key developments in the field of human resource management (HRM) in the Middle East. Utilizing the institutional perspective, the analysis contributes to the literature on HRM in the Middle East by focusing on four key themes. First, it highlights the topical need to analyze the context-specific nature of HRM in the region. Second, via the adoption of a systematic review, it highlights state of development in HRM in the research analysis set-up. Third, the analysis also helps to reveal the challenges facing the HRM function in the Middle East. Fourth, it presents an agenda for future research in the form of research directions. While doing the above, it revisits the notions of “universalistic” and “best practice” HRM (convergence) versus “best-fit” or context distinctive (divergence) and also alternate models/diffusion of HRM (crossvergence) in the Middle Eastern context. The analysis, based on the framework of cross-national HRM comparisons, helps to make both theoretical and practical implications

Multimodality treatment for recurrent neuroblastoma in the central nervous system

Survival for patients with recurrent central nervous system (CNS) neuroblastoma remains poor. A single-institutional study demonstrated the potential of multimodality therapy, including compartmental intrathecal radioimmunotherapy (cRIT) with 131I-3F8 or 131I-8H9 to increase the survival of neuroblastoma patients with CNS relapse. However, not all patients are able to receive this therapy. We report three patients with CNS neuroblastoma who remain disease-free 3–9 years after receiving multimodality treatment without cRIT. Additional studies to identify patients most likely to benefit from cRIT are warranted

WEAK C--H⋯\cdotsO INTERACTIONS AND H2_2O INTERNAL ROTATION IN THE HCClF2_2--H2_2O AND HCBrF2_2--H2_2O DIMERS

Author Institution: Department of Chemistry, Eastern Illinois University, 600 Lincoln; Ave., Charleston, IL 61920; Department of Chemistry, University of Missouri - Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110; Department of Chemistry, University of Virginia, McCormick Rd., PO, Box 400319, Charlottesville, VA 22904The polarity of the C-H bond involved in a weak C-H$\cdots$X interaction may be tuned by introducing different combinations of \hbox{halogen} substituents on the carbon atom. In this study, the structures of the HCClF$_2$--H$_2$O and HCBrF$_2$--H$_2$O dimers have been studied by rotational spectroscopy and theoretical methods, with the hope of observing weak C-H$\cdots$O interactions. Ab initio calculations \hbox{(MP2/6-311++G(2d,2p))} predict cyclic structures for both dimers, with a C-H$\cdots$O and an O-H$\cdots$X (X = Cl or Br) interaction present in each complex. Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopic investigations of both species have confirmed that this structural motif is present, although the experimental results display some significant differences from the theoretical predictions. \vspace{1em} The spectra of both HCClF$_2$--H$_2$O and HCBrF$_2$--H$_2$O were doubled due to internal rotation of the water molecule within the weak complex (with the higher frequency state about three times the intensity of the lower frequency state, as expected for exchange of equivalent hydrogen nuclei). Ab initio potential energy scans have been performed to estimate the barrier to rotation of the water molecule in both dimers, and for HCClF$_2$--H$_2$O a global fit using ERHAM, {\bf 107}, (1997), 4483-4498.} has also provided an experimental determination of the energy difference between the tunneling states ($16.0(4)$ GHz) and barrier to rotation ($195(5$) \wn). Remarkably, the more intense higher frequency transitions belong to the lower energy $B$ internal rotation state

The Financial Impact of ISO 9000 Certification in the United States: An Empirical Analysis

The ISO 9000 series of quality management systems standards, introduced in 1986, has been adopted at over 560,000 locations worldwide. Anecdotal evidence suggests that firms can achieve internal benefits such as quality or productivity improvements or that certification can help firms maintain or increase their market share, or both. Others argue that the standard is too generic to cause performance improvement but can be seen as a signal of good management. In this paper, we track financial performance from 1987 to 1997 of all publicly traded ISO 9000 certified manufacturing firms in the United States with SIC codes 2000--3999, and test whether ISO 9000 certification leads to productivity improvements, market benefits, and improved financial performance. We employ event-study methods, matching each certified firm to a control group of one or more noncertified firms in the same industry with similar precertification size and/or return on assets. We find that firms' decision to seek their first ISO 9000 certification was indeed followed by significant abnormal improvements in financial performance, though the exact timing and magnitude of this effect depend on the specification of the control group. Three years after certification, the certified firms do display strongly significant abnormal performance under all control-group specifications. The degree to which the precise results vary across control-group specifications indicates that event studies should always include extensive sensitivity analysis, for instance matching by size and performance separately and jointly, using both single firms and portfolios as controls.ISO 9000, quality management, standards, financial, empirical, event study, Compustat