What do we know about succession in family businesses? Mapping current knowledge and unexplored territory

We review studies on succession in family businesses that have been done since Handler’s (1994) seminal literature review on the topic in an effort to synthesize existing research and outline paths for future studies. We offer three contributions. First, we select succession studies that adhere to established methodological standards. Second, we review these studies based on the perspective that succession is a process comprising five stages across three levels of analysis. Finally, we outline current gaps in our knowledge and ask researchers to adopt a more holistic approach when studying succession

Management and oversight of services acquisition within the United States Army

MBA Professional ReportThe purpose of this MBA project is to determine how the United States Army manages and oversees the acquisition of services. To accomplish this objective, the authors deployed a survey to 81 separate contracting centers to collect empirical data. The survey, created by Meinshausen and Compton as part of a prior NPS MBA project, was designed to collect data on contract characteristics, life-cycle approach, project management, organization structure, and training provided to acquisition personnel. The survey was available for two full weeks in early March 2009. During this period, 61 respondents completed the survey, representing a 75% response rate. The results show that the vast majority of contracting centers are using competitively bid, fixed-price contracts without any type of incentives. This research also shows that a project team approach often is utilized; however, the contracting officer routinely leads the acquisition effort. Additionally, the respondents indicated that there are not enough acquisition workforce billets, the current billets are not adequately filled, and that training resources are lacking. The results of this project will be used for further research in a DoD wide analysis of lifecycle management of service acquisitions.http://archive.org/details/managementndover1094510446Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Non-equilibrium effects on stability of hybrid stars with first-order phase transitions

The stability of hybrid stars with first-order phase transitions as determined by calculating fundamental radial oscillation modes is known to differ from the predictions of the widely-used Bardeen--Thorne--Meltzer criterion. We consider the effects of out-of-chemical-equilibrium physics on the radial modes and hence stability of these objects. For a barotropic equation of state, this is done by allowing the adiabatic sound speed to differ from the equilibrium sound speed. We show that doing so extends the stable branches of stellar models, allowing stars with rapid phase transitions to support stable higher-order stellar multiplets similarly to stars with multiple slow phase transitions. We also derive a new junction condition to impose on the oscillation modes at the phase transition. Termed the reactive condition, it is physically motivated, consistent with the generalized junction conditions between two phases, and has the common rapid and slow conditions as limiting cases. Unlike the two common cases, it can only be applied to nonbarotropic stars. We apply this junction condition to hybrid stellar models generated using a two-phase equation of state consisting of nuclear matter with unpaired quark matter at high densities joined by a first-order phase transition and show that like in the slow limiting case, stars that are classically unstable are stabilized by a finite chemical reaction speed.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

Sensorless Field Oriented Control of BLDC Motors for MAVs

To achieve longer flight duration of the microaerial vehicles (MAVs) it is needed to optimize theirpropulsion system. A typical propulsion system of VTOL(vertical take-off and landing) MAV consist of the propellerBLDC (brushless DC) motor, motor controller and battery(typically Lithium based chemistry). All these parts of thepropulsion system can be optimized in a specific way. In thecase of the propeller, this can be done by the optimization ofstatic and dynamic thrust performance. The motorconstruction can be optimized by using lighter materials orstronger rotor magnets. As for the battery - alternativepower sources like solar panels, hydrogen fuel cells etc. maybe used. We are focusing on the optimization of the motorcontrol part. In this paper, we are presenting synthesis ofthe BLDC controller using the field oriented controlstrategy which promises better performance in thedynamical response of the propulsion system, lower powerconsumption and generally higher efficiency in comparisonwith the traditional six step commutation techniques

Key editorial and business strategies: a case study of six independent community newspapers

[From the introduction] The Sol Plaatje Institute for Media Leadership (SPI) conducted this study with the goal of assisting small independent newspapers by exploring and publicising the many challenges that they face in their efforts to become sustainable enterprises. The intent is to reveal key business and editorial strategies successful publications have adopted to assist them in overcoming these challenges. To this end, the SPI conducted in-depth case studies of six successful South African newspapers serving their local communities. Newspapers were selected from a pool of twenty newspapers, which were nominated as successful ventures by the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) and the Association of Independent Publishers of South Africa (AIP). All twenty newspapers were sent questionnaires. These collected information on each newspaper’s background, money matters, the composition of staff, and the manager’s perception of the opportunities and difficulties facing the small independent community newspapers. Based on the researchers’ interpretations of responses in the questionnaires, the SPI selected six newspapers for the case study phase of the research. The selected newspapers are: KZN Community Newspaper, Southern and Soweto Globe, North Coast Courier, Eastern Free State Issue, Ikhwezi News and Limpopo Mirror. The SPI’s researcher spent a minimum of a week at each newspaper using interviews to gain an in-depth understanding of the information given in the questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with management, staff members, advertisers and readers. The issues covered in management and staff interviews ranged from those relating to business and editorial strategies to probing how people experience the workplace, their local media contexts and the wider media environment. Advertisers and readers were asked how they perceive the performance of the different publications. The value of these case studies is that they provide the reader with an overview of the challenges facing small independent community newspapers and the range of best practices and strategies they use to succeed. By sharing and disseminating this information the SPI hopes to contribute to the sustainability of small independent community newspapers

Transforming discipleship: A case study of two churches in Southern Germany

Abstracts in German and EnglishDer Ruf in die Nachfolge Jesu Christi mündet, gemäß den neutestamentlichen Berichten, stets in eine lebenslange, charaktertransformierende Jüngerschaftsbeziehung hinein. In Matthäus 28,19f macht Jesus diesen konstitutiven Zusammenhang besonders deutlich. Dabei stellt sich die Frage, ob die Kirchen der Postmoderne diese ganzheitliche Transformation heute noch im Blickfeld behalten und wie sie diese konkret ermöglichen? Eine wachsende Zahl von Dekonversionen nährt den Verdacht, dass Christsein heute zunehmend als Bekenntnisgemeinschaft verstanden wird, ohne dass es dabei zu einer tiefgreifenden und sichtbaren Charakterverwandlung im Denken und Leben der Glaubenden kommt. Ausgehend von diesen Beobachtungen verfolgt die geplante Forschungsarbeit das Ziel, das normative Modell der biblischen Jüngerschaft vor dem Hintergrund zweier ausgewählter Kirchen neu zur Sprache zu bringen, um daraus Anstöße und Impulse für zukunftsfähige Gemeinden zu entwickeln.According to the New Testament reports, the call to follow Jesus Christ always leads into a lifelong character transforming relationship with Christ himself. In Matthew 28:19ff Jesus is especially revealing this constitutive correlation. We might ask the question, if the churches of the postmodern time still keep this holistic transformation in their range of vision and how they can enable it concretely. A growing number of deconversions feeds the suspicion, that being a Christian is increasingly understood today as a pure denominational community without a profound and visible change in character in the thinking and life of believers. Based on these observations, the planned research pursues the goal of bringing up the normative model of biblical discipleship on the background of two selected churches in order to develop impulses for sustainable congregations.Practical TheologyM. Th. (Christian Leadership

Ischemic preconditioning attenuates portal venous plasma concentrations of purines following warm liver ischemia in man

Background/Aims: Degradation of adenine nucleotides to adenosine has been suggested to play a critical role in ischemic preconditioning (IPC). Thus, we questioned in patients undergoing partial hepatectomy whether (i) IPC will increase plasma purine catabolites and whether (ii) formation of purines in response to vascular clamping (Pringle maneuver) can be attenuated by prior IPC. Methods: 75 patients were randomly assigned to three groups: group I underwent hepatectomy without vascular clamping; group II was subjected to the Pringle maneuver during resection, and group III was preconditioned (10 min ischemia and 10 min reperfusion) prior to the Pringle maneuver for resection. Central, portal venous and arterial plasma concentrations of adenosine, inosine, hypoxanthine and xanthine were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: Duration of the Pringle maneuver did not differ between patients with or without IPC. Surgery without vascular clamping had only a minor effect on plasma purine transiently increased. After the Pringle maneuver alone, purine plasma concentrations were most increased. This strong rise in plasma purines caused by the Pringle maneuver, however, was significantly attenuated by IPC. When portal venous minus arterial concentration difference was calculated for inosine or hypoxanthine, the respective differences became positive in patients subjected to the Pringle maneuver and were completely prevented by preconditioning. Conclusion: These data demonstrate that (i) IPC increases formation of adenosine, and that (ii) the unwanted degradation of adenine nucleotides to purines caused by the Pringle maneuver can be attenuated by IPC. Because IPC also induces a decrease of portal venous minus arterial purine plasma concentration differences, IPC might possibly decrease disturbances in the energy metabolism in the intestine as well. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel