A holistic framework for the strategic management of first tier managers.

Purpose – The intention of this research paper is to shed light on the key factors influencing the human resource management (HRM) performance of first tier managers (FTMs), and the vital importance that a holistic strategic framework1 can have in this regard. Design/methodology/approach - The research paper uses an up to date historical approach, and additionally, draws on detailed case study evidence from an aerospace manufacturing/engineering company via manually and electronically analysed in-depth semi-structured interview and company documentation. Findings - The case study findings reveal that the FTM’s HRM performance is greatly influenced by a group of four key factors, and their interrelationships: Research limitations – The literature survey was mainly industry specific (manufacturing), and the sample was restricted to one sector (areospace), as well as one case study organisation. Furthermore, the views of FTMs’ staff are not directly represented. Originality – The FTM’s HRM role shows no signs of abating; in addition, questions regarding their performance of this role have increasingly emerged. This has become more evident as organisations have continued to expand the FTM’s role by devolving greater HRM responsibilities to them, and their performance of the role demonstrates that many FTMs are ill equipped to perform their HRM duties to the required standard. However, the vital importance that a holistic strategic framework (which encompasses the four key factors influencing their performance) can have on their performance of this role is not acknowledged. The present research paper, gives an empirical example of a case study, and therefore provides a springboard to address the weakness in the literature

HR leaders hold the key to effective diversity management: … as more and more important decisions are taken at local level

The article observes that diversity management (DM) is central to the HRM function in work organizations, and the past decade has seen employers seeking to establish more devolved management structures that place more emphasis on local-level managerial decision-making. An important component of this shift in many organizations has been the reconfiguration of the role of fist-line managerial leader (FLML) to encompass a wider range of HRM responsibilities. Hence, diversity management and leadership in this regard are a key HRM role for leaders and managers

Controlled Shock Shells and Intracluster Fusion Reactions in the Explosion of Large Clusters

The ion phase-space dynamics in the Coulomb explosion of very large ($\sim 10^6 - 10^7$ atoms) deuterium clusters can be tailored using two consecutive laser pulses with different intensities and an appropriate time delay. For suitable sets of laser parameters (intensities and delay), large-scale shock shells form during the explosion, thus highly increasing the probability of fusion reactions within the single exploding clusters. In order to analyze the ion dynamics and evaluate the intracluster reaction rate, a one-dimensional theory is used, which approximately accounts for the electron expulsion from the clusters. It is found that, for very large clusters (initial radius $\sim$ 100 nm), and optimal laser parameters, the intracluster fusion yield becomes comparable to the intercluster fusion yield. The validity of the results is confirmed with three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations.Comment: 25 pages, 11 figures, to appear in Physical Review

Assessment of service quality in supply of pharmaceutical products

Supply chain management and procurement policies can strongly influence the quality of service provided by companies, therefore its ability to compete in the market. Ten years after deregulation of the pharmaceutical market in Portugal, the industry faces strong challenges. Organized purchasing groups emerged to gain bargaining power towards suppliers. Nonetheless there are traditional players (pharmacies) who remain independent. The purpose of this paper is to assess and compare the perceived quality of the service provided by the traditional distributors with the one from the economic groups, and identify which factors need to be more developed by these groups to improve its service. Twenty pharmacies were interviewed (ten belonging to a specific economic group and ten independent ones). Findings show that the main criteria for supplier selection are the commercial conditions. Although the access to more favourable purchasing prices is the leading reason for pharmacies joining the economic group, lack of fulfilment of the overall commercial advantages announced by the economic groups (such as service consistency and price, when compared to the monthly fee paid to the group) lead some pharmacies to remain independent. Pharmacies manager’s management skills were identified as an influencing factor when choosing to be part of the economic group.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Autoimmune diabetes recurrence should be routinely monitored after pancreas transplantation

Autoimmune type 1 diabetes recurrence in pancreas grafts was first described 30 years ago, but it is not yet completely understood. In fact, the number of transplants affected and possibly lost due to this disease may be falsely low. There may be insufficient awareness to this entity by clinicians, leading to underdiagnosis. Some authors estimate that half of the immunological losses in pancreas transplantation are due to autoimmunity. Pancreas biopsy is the gold standard for the definitive diagnosis. However, as an invasive procedure, it is not the ideal approach to screen the disease. Pancreatic autoantibodies which may be detected early before graft dysfunction, when searched for, are probably the best initial tool to establish the diagnosis. The purpose of this review is to revisit the autoimmune aspects of type 1 diabetes and to analyse data about the identified autoantibodies, as serological markers of the disease. Therapeutic strategies used to control the disease, though with unsatisfactory results, are also addressed. In addition, the author's own experience with the prospective monitoring of pancreatic autoantibodies after transplantation and its correlation with graft outcome will be discussed

Inexactness of the Hydro-Thermal Coordination Semidefinite Relaxation

Hydro-thermal coordination is the problem of determining the optimal economic dispatch of hydro and thermal power plants over time. The physics of hydroelectricity generation is commonly simplified in the literature to account for its fundamentally nonlinear nature. Advances in convex relaxation theory have allowed the advent of Shor's semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxations of quadratic models of the problem. This paper shows how a recently published SDP relaxation is only exact if a very strict condition regarding turbine efficiency is observed, failing otherwise. It further proposes the use of a set of convex envelopes as a strategy to successfully obtain a stricter lower bound of the optimal solution. This strategy is combined with a standard iterative convex-concave procedure to recover a stationary point of the original non-convex problem.Comment: Submitted to IEEE PES General Meeting 201

Improvement in the management of no-till in the central-southern-Brazil.

The soil performs important functions for the maintenance of life. The management practices based on the conservation of soil and water in no till system may improve environmental sustainability