The China shop phenomenon: trade supply within the Chinese diaspora in South Africa

"Die jüngste Welle von Neuankömmlingen innerhalb der chinesischen Diaspora in Südafrika Mitte der 1990er Jahre etablierte in erfolgreicher Weise eine Handelslinie zur Versorgung von Millionen Haushalten in Südafrika aus den weit entfernten Häfen Chinas. Diese Studie untersucht das wirtschaftliche Umfeld, in welchem kleine 'chinesische Läden' arbeiten und beschäftigt sich insbesondere mit dem Aspekt der Konkurrenz innerhalb der Gruppen chinesischer Händler und den Auswirkungen, die die jüngste Welle chinesischer Einwanderer auf die Versorgungsketten und Nachfrage in Südafrika hat. Eine Fallstudie in einer kleinen südafrikanischen Stadt zeigt auf, wie die chinesische Gemeinschaft ihre Wettbewerbsvorteile nutzt, um ihren Handelswert zu maximieren. Ein Thema dieser Studie ist ebenfalls, die Vorstellung einer 'China Inc' zu hinterfragen, indem dargelegt wird, dass chinesische Händler von Konsumgütern, selbst wenn sie die Nachfrage der Kunden in Südafrika verändert haben, doch vor allem in dem individuellen Streben konkurrieren, Vorteile über andere chinesische Geschäfte zu gewinnen." (Autorenreferat)"The recent wave, dating from the mid 1990s, of newcomers within the Chinese Diaspora in South Africa has managed to establish and dominate a line of trade supply all the way from the ports of China to the homes of millions of South Africans. This paper examines the economic environment within which small 'China shops' are active, exploring competition within the group of Chinese traders in particular and how the latest wave of Chinese immigrants has affected supply chains and demand within South Africa. A case study in one small South African town demonstrates how the Chinese community utilizes its competitive advantages to maximize the value of its trade. This paper also strives to shatter the notion of a 'China Inc', arguing that although Chinese traders in consumer goods may have altered consumer demands within South Africa, above all they compete in an individualistic scramble to gain competitive advantage over other 'China shops'." (author's abstract

You’re Happy and You Know It: Social-Cognitive and Environmental Factors’ Impact on Iraqi Student Satisfaction

Understanding and identifying factors that contribute to student satisfaction is becoming more important in Iraq as competition for student enrollment among universities increases. It also can be extremely useful for educational institutions since it will help them pinpoint their strengths, assess areas for improvement, and ensure they maintain and attract students to their campus. Thus, to understand how to achieve positive student satisfaction, this study sought to identify the social-cognitive factors and institutional environmental influences that relate to student satisfaction in a private institution in Iraq, using social cognitive career theory (SCCT) as a framework. The study found that the SCCT satisfaction model was an excellent fit for examining the impact of social-cognitive factors and institutional environmental influences on satisfaction, and findings agreed with previous SCCT satisfaction studies (e.g., Lent et al., 2003; Lent et al., 2007). Namely, all the social-cognitive factors (academic milestones, coping efficacy, outcome expectations, interests, goals) had either a direct or indirect influence on satisfaction. Outcome expectations, in particular, play a large role in predicting student satisfaction in private universities in Iraq. The SCCT model for student satisfaction offers some important insight for institutions. This study found that environmental supports have a strong positive direct and indirect relationship with student satisfaction, while social barriers have a negative direct effect on satisfaction. Class barriers focused around learning within the classroom and financial barriers were not found to affect student satisfaction in this model. The findings here offer private institutions in Iraq some insight into what factors affect student satisfaction. Insight on any of the social-cognitive factors and environmental influences will provide private institutions in Iraq with much-needed awareness in directions that they could increase student satisfaction and, thus, improve future retention and enrollment rates. On a larger scale, this study contributes to the field of SCCT research by finding that the framework and model are an excellent fit, even within post-conflict societies such as those of Iraq. Advisor: Elizabeth Niehau

Incorporating Communication Skills into a Management Information Systems Course

The need to help MIS students improve their written and oral communication competencies has been recognized widely. This paper describes an approach that incorporates such skills into an assignment in an upper-level, general course in MIS. The assignment consists of short critiques of current articles and oral presentations. A survey to gather the students\u27 reaction to the assignment was conducted. The results reveal that many benefits are derived from this kind of project

BUR Kinase Selectively Regulates H3 K4 Trimethylation and H2B Ubiquitylation through Recruitment of the PAF Elongation Complex

Histone-lysine methylation is linked to transcriptional regulation and the control of epigenetic inheritance. Lysine residues can be mono-, di-, or trimethylated, and it has been suggested that each methylation state of a given lysine may impart a unique biological function [1 and 2]. In yeast, histone H3 lysine 4 (K4) is mono-, di-, and trimethylated by the Set1 histone methyltransferase [3 and 4]. Previous studies show that Set1 associates with RNA polymerase II and demarcates transcriptionally active genes with K4 trimethylation [5]. To determine whether K4 trimethylation might be selectively regulated, we screened a library of yeast deletion mutants associated with transcriptional regulation and chromatin function. We identified BUR2, a cyclin for the Bur1/2 (BUR) cyclin-dependent protein kinase, as a specific regulator of K4 trimethylation [ 6]. Surprisingly, BUR also regulated H2B monoubiquitylation, whereas other K4 methylation states and H3 lysine 79 (K79) methylation were unaffected. Synthetic genetic array (SGA) and transcription microarray analyses of a BUR2 mutant revealed that BUR is functionally similar to the PAF, Rad6, and Set1 complexes. These data suggest that BUR acts upstream of these factors to control their function. In support, we show that recruitment of the PAF elongation complex to genes is significantly impaired in a BUR2 deletion. Our data reveal a novel function for the BUR kinase in transcriptional regulation through the selective control of histone modifications

Protein modifications in transcription elongation

Posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of proteins play essential roles in regulating signaling, protein-protein modifications and subcellular localization. In this review, we focus on posttranslational modification of histones and RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and their roles in gene transcription. A survey of the basic features of PTMs is provided followed by a more detailed account of how PTMs on histones and RNAPII regulate transcription in the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We emphasize the interconnections between histone and RNAPII PTMs and speculate upon the larger role PTMs have in regulating protein function in the cell

An NF-Y-Dependent Switch of Positive and Negative Histone Methyl Marks on CCAAT Promoters

Background: Histone tails have a plethora of different post-translational modifications, which are located differently in ‘‘open’ ’ and ‘‘closed’ ’ parts of genomes. H3K4me3/H3K79me2 and H4K20me3 are among the histone marks associated with the early establishment of active and inactive chromatin, respectively. One of the most widespread promoter elements is the CCAAT box, bound by the NF-Y trimer. Two of NF-Y subunits have an H2A-H2B-like structure. Principal findings: We established the causal relationship between NF-Y binding and positioning of methyl marks, by ChIP analysis of mouse and human cells infected with a dominant negative NF-YA: a parallel decrease in NF-Y binding, H3K4me3, H3K79me2 and transcription was observed in promoters that are dependent upon NF-Y. On the contrary, changes in the levels of H3K9-14ac were more subtle. Components of the H3K4 methylating MLL complex are not recruited in the absence of NF-Y. As for repressed promoters, NF-Y removal leads to a decrease in the H4K20me3 mark and deposition of H3K4me3. Conclusions: Two relevant findings are reported: (i) NF-Y gains access to its genomic locations independently from the presence of methyl histone marks, either positive or negative; (ii) NF-Y binding has profound positive or negative consequences on the deposition of histone methyl marks. Therefore NF-Y is a fundamental switch at the heart of decisio

A Cyclin-Dependent Kinase that Promotes Cytokinesis through Modulating Phosphorylation of the Carboxy Terminal Domain of the RNA Pol II Rpb1p Sub-Unit

In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, the nuclear-localized kinase, Lsk1p, promotes cytokinesis by positively regulating the Septation Initiation Network (SIN). Although a member of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) family, neither a cyclin partner nor a physiological target has been identified. In this report we identify a cyclin, Lsc1p, that physically interacts and co-localizes with Lsk1p. Furthermore, lsk1Δ, lsc1Δ, as well as kinase-dead lsk1-K306R mutants, display highly similar cytokinesis defects. Lsk1p is related to CDKs that phosphorylate the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest sub-unit of RNA polymerase II (Rpb1p). Interestingly, we find that Lsk1p and Lsc1p are required for phosphorylation of Ser-2 residues found in the heptad repeats of the CTD. To determine if Rpb1p could be a physiological target, we replaced the native rpb1 gene with a synthetic gene encoding a Rpb1p protein in which Ser-2 was substituted with the non-phosphorylatable amino-acid alanine in all heptads. Cells carrying this allele were similar to lsk1Δ mutants: They were viable, displayed genetic interactions with the SIN, and were unable to complete cytokinesis upon perturbation of the cell division machinery. We conclude that Ser-2 phosphorylation of the CTD heptads plays a novel physiological role in the regulation of cytokinesis