The Structural Elaboration of Board Independence: Executive Power, Institutional Logics, and the Adoption of CEO-Only Board Structures in U.S. Corporate Governance

This study builds on structural elaboration theory by developing a model to explain the adoption of board structures that appear to conform to the prevailing institutional logic, but which in fact contradict it. We test our theory with the case of CEO-only board structures, a formal increase in board independence that prior research has shown to lead to greater CEO entrenchment rather than increased shareholder value. Using an event history analysis of the Fortune 250 over a 27-year period, we examine three mechanisms that drive its adoption: executive interests, executive power, and elaboration opportunities. We show that the CEO-only structure is more likely to occur in firms in which a higher proportion of insiders predate the CEO, and in which the CEO has greater formal power and agenda control. We also find that powerful CEOs are more likely to realize the structural change following institutional opportunities, such as the passage of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), and organizational contingencies, such as positive changes in firm performance. By exploring the mechanisms leading to the proliferation of the CEO-only structure, our study contributes to sociopolitical perspectives on corporate governance, as well as to theories of institutional logics and structural elaboration

Computational and experimental assessment of public dose from normal research reactor operations [abstract]

Abstract only availableThe Missouri University Research Reactor (MURR) in Columbia, Missouri is interested in the amount of the Argon-41 being produced and released to the environment. The objective of this work is to know what operations within the facility are contributing to this production and the quantities released. I'll be working in collaboration with Jeancarlo Torres (Computational Assessment) and Erick Scheerer (Experimental Assessment) in determining these parameters. The calculational work analyzes the distribution of releases from the stack at the MURR. The dose is then predicted with the Comply program. EPA's Comply model was developed based on the procedures in the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements Commentary No.3 (NCRP89). The Comply computer software may be used to demonstrate compliance with the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPS) in 40 CFR 61 Subpart I and H. Comply calculates the effective dose equivalent (EDE) from radionuclide released from stacks and vents. The Nuclear Activation Analysis (NAA) is used in the experimental assessment of Argon-41 production. Neutron Activation Analysis is a nuclear process used for determining concentrations of elements in a vast amount of materials. NAA allows discrete sampling of elements as it disregards chemical form of a sample and focuses solely on its nucleus. NAA is a sensitive analytical technique useful for performing both qualitative and quantitative multi-element analysis for mayor, minor and trace elements in samples from almost every conceivable field of scientific or technical interest. Using NAA we will irradiate air samples from around the facility to determine the concentration of natural Ar-40 to produce Ar-41 for measurement. The relationship between these two different projects is that the results of the experimental technique will indicate if excess argon is present in the facility and the computational technique will calculate the dose the activation of Ar-40 to Ar-41 may have on the environment

Environmental report actualization for the license renewal of the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center

Abstract only availableLicensing requirements for power as well as non-power reactors must address environmental concerns related to radioactive emissions. The purpose and need for the renewal of the operating license for the Missouri University Research Reactor (MURR) is to allow continued studies in nuclear related undergraduate and graduate level degree programs along with continued production of radioactive isotopes for cancer treatment and research for an additional 20 years beyond the current license of 40 years which expires on November 21, 2006. The MURR is a multi-disciplinary research and education facility that provides a wide range of analytical, radiographic, and irradiation services to the research community and the commercial sector. The licensing requirements are established by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 10 CFR § 51.45 Environmental Reports - General Requirements. As part of the license renewal process the environmental report which was created on 2001 needed to be updated and revised to assure of the quality of the information. To study the hypothetical dose received by the public from the radioactive emissions that are released by the MURR during normal operations, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) COMPLY program was utilized. This program is intended for use by NRC licensees and non-DOE federal facilities to determine if they meet the radiation dose standards imposed by EPA under the Clean Air Act. COMPLY was utilized using an average of the last 10 years of the stack effluent which was measured in Curies per year. The results obtained from the program indicated that the MURR is in compliance for the emission released to the atmosphere.NSF-REU/NIH Program in Radiochemistr

The structuring of organizational attention and the enactment of economic adversity : a reconciliation of theories of failure-induced change and threat-rigidity

Includes bibliographical references (p. 44-53).HD28 .M414 no.3577-, 93,