Trojan Horses or Local Allies: Host-country National Managers in Developing Market Subsidiaries

We investigate a multinational corporation's (MNC) decision to appoint host-country national (HCN) managers to foreign subsidiaries based on the institutional context of and familiarity with the host country. HCN managers are commonly associated with specialized knowledge, superior responsiveness, and higher legitimacy. Yet, we argue that local familiarity of HCNs can also be perceived as risky or harmful by MNC parents. We analyze how formal and informal institutions affect the trade-off between positive effects and potential costs associated with HCN managers ("Local allies" vs. "Trojan horses"). We find that legal institutions protect foreign MNCs from potential costs, encourage the use of HCNs and reinforce their benefits. Corruption and corruption distance, however, increase perceived costs associated with HCN managers up to a point at which they outweigh their perceived benefits

How "space" and "place" influence subsidiary host country political embeddedness

As a part of multinational corporations (MNCs), subsidiaries operate in distinct host countries and have to deal with their external context. Host country political embeddedness, in particular, helps subsidiaries to obtain knowledge and understanding of the regulatory and political context, and to get access to local networks. Moreover, they get some guidance and support from their headquarters. Distance between MNC home and host countries, however, alienates subsidiaries from the MNC and influences the extent of subsidiary host country political embeddedness. We suggest that the host country political and regulatory context moderates the effect of distance on subsidiary host country political embeddedness by reducing the need and/or value of headquarters support. Using a sample of 124 European manufacturing subsidiaries, we find that distance (space) and context (place) matter jointly: the impact of distance is stronger for subsidiaries that operate in host countries with low governance quality and low political stability in place

The dynamic response process to conflicting institutional demands in MNC subsidiaries - An inductive study in the Sub-Saharan African e-commerce sector

In this paper, we examine responses to the conflicting institutional demands faced by an e-commerce subsidiary located in Sub-Saharan Africa and headquartered in Europe. Following an inductive approach, we gathered data from a 6-month participant-observation study and interviews with local managers. Our findings show that the subsidiary managers responded to conflicting institutional demands in a dynamic way, taking one response after the other. In some cases, the subsidiary managers responded in a way that they thought would be satisfactory but subsequent pressures from their headquarters or their local environment pushed them to adopt a new response. In other cases, the subsidiary managers intentionally adopted responses knowing that they would (have to) adopt another response later in the process

Addressing gaps in surgical skills training by means of low-cost simulation at Muhimbili University in Tanzania

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Providing basic surgical and emergency care in rural settings is essential, particularly in Tanzania, where the mortality burden addressable by emergency and surgical interventions has been estimated at 40%. However, the shortages of teaching faculty and insufficient learning resources have hampered the traditionally intensive surgical training apprenticeships. The Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences consequently has experienced suboptimal preparation for graduates practising surgery in the field and a drop in medical graduates willing to become surgeons. To address the decline in circumstances, the first step was to enhance technical skills in general surgery and emergency procedures for senior medical students by designing and implementing a surgical skills practicum using locally developed simulation models.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A two-day training course in nine different emergency procedures and surgical skills based on the Canadian Network for International Surgery curriculum was developed. Simulation models for the surgical skills were created with locally available materials. The curriculum was pilot-tested with a cohort of 60 senior medical students who had completed their surgery rotation at Muhimbili University. Two measures were used to evaluate surgical skill performance: Objective Structured Clinical Examinations and surveys of self-perceived performance administered pre- and post-training.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Thirty-six students participated in the study. Prior to the training, no student was able to correctly perform a surgical hand tie, only one student was able to correctly perform adult intubation and three students were able to correctly scrub, gown and glove. Performance improved after training, demonstrated by Objective Structured Clinical Examination scores that rose from 6/30 to 15/30. Students perceived great benefit from practical skills training. The cost of the training using low-tech simulation was four United States dollars per student.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Simulation is valued to gain experience in practising surgical skills prior to working with patients. In the context of resource-limited settings, an additional benefit is that of learning skills not otherwise obtainable. Further testing of this approach will determine its applicability to other resource-limited settings seeking to develop skill-based surgical and emergency procedure apprenticeships. Additionally, skill sustainability and readiness for actual surgical and emergency experiences need to be assessed.</p

The Iowa Homemaker vol.23, no.11

Keeping Up With Today, Marilyn Clayton, page 2 Introducing Our Dean, Dr. P. Mabel Nelson, page 3 Add Courtesy to Your Curriculum, Jane Fay, page 4 If I Were a Freshman Again, A Senior, page 5 Please Your Professors, Ruth Midgorden, page 6 Business Home Economics, Katherine Goeppinger, page 7 School Belle Fashions, Josephine Ahern, page 9 Personalize Your College Home, Victoria McKibben, page 10 Write from the College Front, Mary Dodds, page 11 What’s New in Home Economics, Lovilla Holland, page 12 Dietitians Plan for Future, Nell C. Clausen, page 14 Designed for Postwar Living, Mary Krumboltz, page 15 Club Keyed to Wartime, Jean Larson, page 17 Cultural Advantages Await You, Harriet Breckenridge, page 18 Women Advance in Activities, Virginia Carter, page 20 Know Your Honoraries, Frances Kerekes, page 21 Alums in the News, Patricia Maddex, page 2

A large scale hearing loss screen reveals an extensive unexplored genetic landscape for auditory dysfunction

The developmental and physiological complexity of the auditory system is likely reflected in the underlying set of genes involved in auditory function. In humans, over 150 non-syndromic loci have been identified, and there are more than 400 human genetic syndromes with a hearing loss component. Over 100 non-syndromic hearing loss genes have been identified in mouse and human, but we remain ignorant of the full extent of the genetic landscape involved in auditory dysfunction. As part of the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, we undertook a hearing loss screen in a cohort of 3006 mouse knockout strains. In total, we identify 67 candidate hearing loss genes. We detect known hearing loss genes, but the vast majority, 52, of the candidate genes were novel. Our analysis reveals a large and unexplored genetic landscape involved with auditory function

The past, present, and future of the brain imaging data structure (BIDS)

The Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) is a community-driven standard for the organization of data and metadata from a growing range of neuroscience modalities. This paper is meant as a history of how the standard has developed and grown over time. We outline the principles behind the project, the mechanisms by which it has been extended, and some of the challenges being addressed as it evolves. We also discuss the lessons learned through the project, with the aim of enabling researchers in other domains to learn from the success of BIDS

The Fifteenth Data Release of the Sloan Digital Sky Surveys: First Release of MaNGA-derived Quantities, Data Visualization Tools, and Stellar Library

Twenty years have passed since first light for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). Here, we release data taken by the fourth phase of SDSS (SDSS-IV) across its first three years of operation (2014 July–2017 July). This is the third data release for SDSS-IV, and the 15th from SDSS (Data Release Fifteen; DR15). New data come from MaNGA—we release 4824 data cubes, as well as the first stellar spectra in the MaNGA Stellar Library (MaStar), the first set of survey-supported analysis products (e.g., stellar and gas kinematics, emission-line and other maps) from the MaNGA Data Analysis Pipeline, and a new data visualization and access tool we call "Marvin." The next data release, DR16, will include new data from both APOGEE-2 and eBOSS; those surveys release no new data here, but we document updates and corrections to their data processing pipelines. The release is cumulative; it also includes the most recent reductions and calibrations of all data taken by SDSS since first light. In this paper, we describe the location and format of the data and tools and cite technical references describing how it was obtained and processed. The SDSS website (www.sdss.org) has also been updated, providing links to data downloads, tutorials, and examples of data use. Although SDSS-IV will continue to collect astronomical data until 2020, and will be followed by SDSS-V (2020–2025), we end this paper by describing plans to ensure the sustainability of the SDSS data archive for many years beyond the collection of data