How does successive inpatriation contribute to subsidiary capability building and subsidiary evolution? An organizational knowledge creation perspective

Intra-company knowledge transfer is a key source of competitive advantage for multinational companies (MNCs) and this knowledge is usually embedded in individuals. Drawing on organizational knowledge creation theory, we explore how inpatriation contributes to knowledge transfer and, in turn, subsidiary performance. Inpatriation involves the international assignment of employees from an MNC’s foreign subsidiary to its headquarters. Despite increasing attention to the role of inpatriation, we lack a clear understanding of whether and how inpatriates provide value to their subsidiaries after returning from headquarters. Through a qualitative case study of Japanese MNCs, we demonstrate the process through which inpatriates’ knowledge transfer contributes to subsidiary capability building and subsidiary evolution over time, and explain why successive inpatriation is thus critical to enhance subsidiary performance. Our theoretical model highlights the value of inpatriates as knowledge agents, reveals the process through which inpatriates transfer knowledge between HQ and subsidiaries, and provides a more nuanced understanding of the micro-foundations of intra-MNC knowledge transfer processes. Based on these findings, we argue that inpatriation is not merely a staffing method that is complementary to expatriation, but a key practice in its own right to support subsidiaries’ growth and performance

Herding in Quality Assessment: An Application to Organ Transplantation

There are many economic environments in which an object is offered sequentially to prospective buyers. It is often observed that once the object for sale is turned down by one or more agents, those that follow do the same. One explanation that has been p

Microbial reduction of iron and porewater biogeochemistry in acidic peatlands

International audienceTemporal drying of upper soil layers of acidic methanogenic peatlands might divert the flow of reductants from CH4 formation to other electron-accepting processes due to a renewal of alternative electron acceptors. In this study, we evaluated the in situ relevance of Fe(III)-reducing microbial activities in peatlands of a forested catchment that differed in their hydrology. Intermittent seeps reduced sequentially nitrate, Fe(III), and sulfate during periods of water saturation. Due to the acidic soil conditions, released Fe(II) was transported with the groundwater flow and accumulated as Fe(III) in upper soil layers of a lowland fen apparently due to oxidation. Microbial Fe(III) reduction in the upper soil layer accounted for 26.7 and 71.6% of the anaerobic organic carbon mineralization in the intermittent seep and the lowland fen, respectively. In an upland fen not receiving exogenous Fe, Fe(III) reduction contributed only to 6.7%. Fe(II) and acetate accumulated in deeper porewater of the lowland fen with maximum concentrations of 7 and 3 mM, respectively. Both supplemental glucose and acetate stimulated the reduction of Fe(III) indicating that fermentative, incomplete, and complete oxidizers were involved in Fe(II) formation in the acidic fen. Amplification of DNA yielded PCR products specific for Acidiphilium-, Geobacter-, and Geothrix-, but not for Shewanella- or Anaeroromyxobacter-related sequences. Porewater biogeochemistry observed during a 3-year-period suggests that increased drought periods and subsequent intensive rainfalls due to global climate change will further favor Fe(III) and sulfate as alternative electron acceptors due to the storage of their reduced compounds in the soil

How does successive inpatriation contribute to subsidiary capability building and subsidiary evolution? An organizational knowledge creation perspective

Intra-company knowledge transfer is a key source of competitive advantage for multinational companies (MNCs) and this knowledge is usually embedded in individuals. Drawing on organizational knowledge creation theory, we explore how inpatriation contributes to knowledge transfer and, in turn, subsidiary performance. Inpatriation involves the international assignment of employees from an MNC’s foreign subsidiary to its headquarters. Despite increasing attention to the role of inpatriation, we lack a clear understanding of whether and how inpatriates provide value to their subsidiaries after returning from headquarters. Through a qualitative case study of Japanese MNCs, we demonstrate the process through which inpatriates’ knowledge transfer contributes to subsidiary capability building and subsidiary evolution over time, and explain why successive inpatriation is thus critical to enhance subsidiary performance. Our theoretical model highlights the value of inpatriates as knowledge agents, reveals the process through which inpatriates transfer knowledge between HQ and subsidiaries, and provides a more nuanced understanding of the micro-foundations of intra-MNC knowledge transfer processes. Based on these findings, we argue that inpatriation is not merely a staffing method that is complementary to expatriation, but a key practice in its own right to support subsidiaries’ growth and performance

On the electronic properties of a single dislocation

A detailed knowledge of the electronic properties of individual dislocations is necessary for next generation nanodevices. Dislocations are fundamental crystal defects controlling the growth of different nanostructures (nanowires) or appear during device processing. We present a method to record electric properties of single dislocations in thin silicon layers. Results of measurements on single screw dislocations are shown for the first time. Assuming a cross-section area of the dislocation core of about 1 nm2, the current density through a single dislocation is J = 3.8 × 1012 A/cm2 corresponding to a resistivity of ρ ≅ 1 × 10-8 Ω cm. This is about eight orders of magnitude lower than the surrounding silicon matrix. The reason of the supermetallic behavior is the high strain in the cores of the dissociated dislocations modifying the local band structure resulting in high conductive carrier channels along defect cores

Rectangular Beads from the Final Gravettian Level of the Abri Pataud: Raw Material Identification and its Archaeological Implications

The Final Gravettian level (level 2) of the abri Pataud (Dordogne, France) yielded a large assemblage of body ornaments that consists essentially of 85 quite standardized rectangular beads. Some uncertainty remained about the raw material in which these small beads were made: mammoth ivory, reindeer antler or bone? Non-invasive methods were employed in order to determine the raw material. First chemical analyses using microbeam Proton Induced X-ray Emission analysis (microPIXE) did not enable us to conclude definitively. Therefore, synchrotron and laboratory X-ray microtomography (microCT) were applied on eight beads and allowed us to identify ivory for all of them except for one, which shows slightly different morphological features.Le niveau 2 (Gravettien final) de l’abri Pataud (Dordogne, France) a livré un nombre important d’éléments de parure. L’essentiel (n : 85) correspond à des perles rectangulaires assez standardisées. Certaines incertitudes demeuraient sur leur matière première : ivoire de mammouth, bois de renne ou os ? Des méthodes non-invasives ont alors été employées pour déterminer la nature précise de celles-ci. Les analyses élémentaires par spectrométrie d’émission X induite par particules (PIXE) n’ayant pas été concluantes, la microtomographie de rayons X en laboratoire et au synchrotron a été utilisée sur huit perles et a permis d’identifier le matériau comme étant de l’ivoire, excepté pour l’une d’entre elles qui présente quelques légères différences de structure

Design considerations for table-top, laser-based VUV and X-ray free electron lasers

A recent breakthrough in laser-plasma accelerators, based upon ultrashort high-intensity lasers, demonstrated the generation of quasi-monoenergetic GeV-electrons. With future Petawatt lasers ultra-high beam currents of ~100 kA in ~10 fs can be expected, allowing for drastic reduction in the undulator length of free-electron-lasers (FELs). We present a discussion of the key aspects of a table-top FEL design, including energy loss and chirps induced by space-charge and wakefields. These effects become important for an optimized table-top FEL operation. A first proof-of-principle VUV case is considered as well as a table-top X-ray-FEL which may open a brilliant light source also for new ways in clinical diagnostics.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in Appl. Phys.

Single-electron transitions in one-dimensional native nanostructures

Low-temperature measurements proved the existence of a two-dimensional electron gas at defined dislocation arrays in silicon. As a consequence, single-electron transitions (Coulomb blockades) are observed. It is shown that the high strain at dislocation cores modifies the band structure and results in the formation of quantum wells along dislocation lines. This causes quantization of energy levels inducing the formation of Coulomb blockades