146 research outputs found
Melt compounding of rigid PVC formulations with hydrotalcites
Hydrotalcites, compounds of magnesiumâaluminiumâhydroxycarbonate, are promoted as
environmentally safe materials for costabilisation of PVC products. Commercial grades of
hydrotalcites have been added to rigid PVC formulations, containing a range of different stabiliser
types, to evaluate their contribution to heat stability and their effect on mechanical properties.
Hydrotalcites are confirmed to be effective costabilisers for rigid PVC: static thermal stability
(through oven testing) and dynamic thermal stability (via torque rheometry) of PVC compounds
are modified by their presence. The extent of change is determined by the primary stabiliser type
and the grade of the hydrotalcite. Detailed analysis of mechanical properties has been carried out
on compression moulded samples and on extruded compounds. With the former, no significant
change in tensile or impact performance was observed, for hydrotalcite levels up to 5 phr. Charpy
impact data on extruded PVC have shown significant increase in performance of compounds
containing an acrylate modifier when hydrotalcites are used
ERP and four dimensions of absorptive capacity: lessons from a developing country
Enterprise resource planning systems can grant crucial strategic, operational
and information-based benefits to adopting firms when implemented successfully. However, a failed implementation can often result in financial losses rather than profits. Until now, the research on the failures and successes were focused on implementations in large manufacturing and service organizations firms located in western countries, particularly in USA. Nevertheless, IT has gained intense diffusion to developing countries through declining hardware costs and increasing benefits that merits attention as much as developed countries.
The aim of this study is to examine the implications of knowledge transfer
in a developing country, Turkey, as a paradigm in the knowledge society with a
focus on the implementation activities that foster successful installations.
We suggest that absorptive capacity is an important characteristic of a firm that
explains the success level of such a knowledge transfer.Publicad
Human Resource Flexibility as a Mediating Variable Between High Performance Work Systems and Performance
Much of the human resource management literature has demonstrated the impact of high performance
work systems (HPWS) on organizational performance. A new generation of studies is
emerging in this literature that recommends the inclusion of mediating variables between HPWS
and organizational performance. The increasing rate of dynamism in competitive environments
suggests that measures of employee adaptability should be included as a mechanism that may
explain the relevance of HPWS to firm competitiveness. On a sample of 226 Spanish firms, the
studyâs results confirm that HPWS influences performance through its impact on the firmâs
human resource (HR) flexibility
Hiring New Key Inventors to Improve Firmsâ Post-M&A Inventive Output
Although merger and acquisitions (M&As) are acknowledged as an important means to access innovative assets and know-how, firmsâ inventive output often declines in the post-M&A period. Financial, managerial and organizational constraints related to the M&A event contribute to inventive output declines and inventorsâ departure. Prior literature treats the acquiring firm as a passive observer of invention declines. This study argues that acquiring firms can take measures by hiring new key inventors. We show that the hiring of new key inventors in the post-M&A period can counteract invention declines in two ways. First, these newly hired inventors are associated with an increase of corporate inventive output after the M&A. Second, they are also associated with an improved inventive output of inventors already working for the acquiring firm. These results suggest that an appropriate hiring policy can counteract declining inventive output of firms in the aftermath of M&As
The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of MoreThe Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More By ChrisAnderson., New York: Hyperion Books, 2006. hardcover, $29.95.
Workplace mistreatment: A review and agenda for research
Workplace mistreatment researchers study negative interpersonal behaviors under a plethora of different labels, including incivility, bullying, harassment, aggression, and violence. While negative interpersonal behaviors differ in their intensity, intent, and frequency, a common denominator of these behaviors is their adverse impact on employees and organizations. Research has identified the nomological network of workplace mistreatment, which illustrates individual and contextual factors associated with mistreatment behaviors. Authors have also highlighted outcomes of mistreatment, showing that mistreatment results in reduced psychological and physical health, worsened job attitudes, and diminished performance for both targets and bystanders. Further, enacted mistreatment is not without consequences for the perpetrators, and these consequences can be both negative and positive. While workplace mistreatment research has been steadily growing, many questions remain unanswered. There are unexplored topics, approaches, and methodologies. First, there is a need to understand the uniqueness and similarities of different mistreatment constructs to provide a more comprehensive approach for studying workplace mistreatment and highlight alternative ways of measuring mistreatment constructs. Novel methodological approaches, such as HotMap and artificial intelligence, could shed light on the dynamics between targets and perpetrators of mistreatment, allowing researchers to capture the dynamic nature of mistreatment behaviors. Second, the interactions among societal, cultural, and interpersonal factors are likely to shape enacted mistreatment. For instance, social networks within organizations and the interrelations between employees are likely to influence not only the individual who becomes targeted, but also the way in which bystanders are to take action against such mistreatment. Third, while the role of bystanders in the dynamics of workplace mistreatment is undoubtedly important, there is a need to critically investigate the role bystanders may play in curtailing or encouraging mistreatment. More specifically, bystander interventions can take both constructive and destructive forms. Finally, targetsâ responses to experienced mistreatment are likely to be relevant to the understanding of the dyadic nature of workplace mistreatment, such that an aggressive target response is likely to cause a mistreatment spiraling. However, it remains unclear what type of target response, if any, would be beneficial in helping de-escalate destructive behavior from the perpetrator. Thus, more research is needed to help address the important question of the best ways to deal with experienced mistreatment
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