The Influence of French Higher Education in French-German Business-to-Business Relationships

A significant amount of literature has been written on the various aspects involved in and influencing buyer and seller relationships. In an international setting, many cultural influences in the buyer and seller interaction process have been identified and researched. In the case of France, the literature identifies a binary divide in the higher education system, with universities on one side and the Grandes Écoles (French private higher education institutes) on the other. While there is general advice for undertaking business in France, research that focuses on the influence of this education system for the international buyer and seller interaction process in a French-German context is rare. Within the spirit of the IMP Interactions Model, this study explores those cultural values whose origins can be attributed to the French higher education system and that can influence communication and the creation of trust in a binational business relationship – the Franco-German dyad. The cultural differences present in this context, their origins, and the divergences between German and French business behaviour are the phenomena on which this study offers knowledge. This study’s insight is not only based on how the phenomena present but also seeks to elucidate the roots of those values causing the phenomena, with the goal to enable German sellers to have a more successful approach to their French counterparts. This study is based on a broadly ethnographic design encompassing historical, and educational research. The work follows the holistic perspective, analysing the social interaction of business partners in their daily environment, examining things in the broadest possible context, to understand their interconnections and interdependence. This is undertaken by means of semi-structured interviews among a social group within the goods road transportation industry. Twenty-one interviews were conducted in six selected companies. In each of these companies, three to four participants of different hierarchical III positions and in different job roles related to buying have been interviewed. In addition, five interviews with German managers involved in business interactions with French customers have been undertaken to offer perspective from the German business partner. This research showed that cultural values can be related to the education system, creating behaviour patterns, preferences and expectations. Meeting and respecting these values influence communication and the formation of trust. The specific aspects that were examined could be traced back in their historical development of the respective educational systems: the vocational, generalist, and/or dualistic systems producing elites, specialists, and their effects in cross-cultural relations and interactions. The French participants of this study demonstrate that the different education systems do influence the respective French-German behaviours, cultures, and relations. The research identified and helped to understand the origin of the different business partners values’ in the binational dyad. The theoretical model developed represents the interrelation and reciprocal influence on the interaction of trust, communication and cultural values related to the education system. The analysis has shown that different philosophies on the approach to projects and the importance that is attributed to speaking the French language are specific aspects that demand cultural awareness. It could be shown that overcoming the cultural distance formed by the language barrier is even more critical for business interaction with Grandes Écoles graduates. The research offers practical recommendations and requirements for a German seller to position advantageously, control and manage a French-German binational business relationship successfully

Organisation temporelle des figures d'attachement selon les milieux écologiques de l'enfant et le stade de développement. Construction d'une échelle de mesure

International audienceIl a été montré que le lien d'attachement résulte d'un comportement inné, générateur de sécurité affective, qui doit être distingué de la sollicitation alimentaire et dissocié des autres liens affectifs (Bowlby, 1951, 1969 ; Harlow, 1958, 1969 ; Heinroth, 1910; Spitz, 1962, 1968). L'attachement est défini, selon Ainsworth (1989), comme un lien durable, caractérisé par un besoin de maintenir la proximité, par la détresse de séparation, mais aussi comme une base secure et une valeur refuge. Ces caractéristiques sont différemment impliquées selon le stade de développement (Georges & Solomon, 1996). Enfin, l'attachement naît de la durée et de la régularité des interactions (Ainsworth, 1979). Il se crée et se nourrit de signaux : la figure est perçue comme disponible et réactive aux besoins sociaux et psychologiques exprimés. Selon Montagner (2004), l'organisation temporelle des interactions avec la figure et les rythmes biopsychologiques de chacun ne doivent pas être à contretemps des rythmes familiaux, sociaux et naturels. Il existe très peu d'études sur les figures d'attachement en dehors du caregiver. Identifiée par Montagner (2006) comme une personne sécurisante, la figure d'attachement peut également être secondaire si une relation durable s'est établie dans les niches écologiques de l'enfant. Bowlby (1969) affirmait que les figures d'attachement n'ont pas la même importance et qu'il existe un ordre de préférence clair. Il est donc nécessaire d'évaluer et de hiérarchiser afin de comprendre les variations intra-individuelles des préférences, l'organisation hiérarchique et leur évolution au cours du développement (Kobak, Rosenthal & Serwik, 2005 ; Kobak, Rosenthal, Zajac & Madsen, 2007). L'objectif poursuivi ici est de présenter une échelle de mesure en seize items interrogeant les quatre caractéristiques d'attachement. Cinq items ont été adaptés de Emotional Reliance Questionnaire (Ryan, La Guardia, Solky-Butzel, Chirkov, & Kim, 2005) et de Measure of attachment features (Kudek, 2008). Onze items ont été créés et évoquent des contextes familiers aux enfants dans lesquels leur système d'attachement est susceptible d'être activé. Pour chacune des huit figures adultes proposées, l'enfant est invité à évaluer à l'aide d'échelles visuelles analogiques (EVA) la durée, la prévisibilité et la périodicité du temps passé auprès d'elles. Dans le cadre de travaux en chronopsychologie, cette échelle permettra d'identifier et de hiérarchiser les figures d'attachement issues des trois niches écologiques - famille, école et loisirs (Le Floc'h, 2009) - selon les caractéristiques d'attachement et le stade de développement. Les résultats obtenus permettront d'apprécier les effets d'une rythmicité temporelle sûre et sécurisante sur les comportements et les rythmes endogènes

Incidence and duration of severe wasting in two African populations

Abstract Objective The present study aimed to compare two situations of endemic malnutrition among <5-year-old African children and to estimate the incidence, the duration and the case fatality of severe wasting episodes. Design Secondary analysis of longitudinal studies, conducted several years ago, which allowed incidence and duration to be calculated from transition rates. The first site was Niakhar in Senegal, an area under demographic surveillance, where we followed a cohort of children in 1983-5. The second site was Bwamanda in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we followed a cohort of children in 1989-92. Both studies enrolled about 5000 children, who were followed by routine visits and systematic anthropometric assessment, every 6 months in the first case and every 3 months in the second case. Results Niakhar had less stunting, more wasting and higher death rates than Bwamanda. Differences in cause-specific mortality included more diarrhoeal diseases, more marasmus, but less malaria and severe anaemia in Niakhar. Severe wasting had a higher incidence, a higher prevalence and a more marked age profile in Niakhar. However, despite the differences, the estimated mean durations of episodes of severe wasting, calculated by multi-state life table, were similar in the two studies (7·5 months). Noteworthy were the differences in the prevalence and incidence of severe wasting depending on the anthropometric indicator (weight-for-height Z-score ≤-3.0 or mid upper-arm circumference <110 mm) and the reference system (National Center for Health Statistics 1977, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 or Multicentre Growth Reference Study 2006). Conclusions Severe wasting appeared as one of the leading cause of death among under-fives: it had a high incidence (about 2 % per child-semester), long duration of episodes and high case fatality rates (6 to 12 %

M & L Jaargang 26/3

Frans A. Cerulus, André Cresens en Roger Deneef - De piramide van Wespelaar Tot nut, sier en plezier. [The pyramid of wespelaar utility, ornament, entertainment and esotericism combined.]Toepassingen van de Gulden Snede, akoestische curiosa en maçonnieke connotaties zijn de 18de-eeuwse egyptiserende piramide in het Engels park van Wespelaar niet vreemd.Reflecteren ze nochtans niet veeleer onomwonden de begeestering van Ghislain Henry voor de theorieën van Athanasius Kircher en de experimentele wetenschappen van de Verlichting? Frans A. Cerulus, André Cresens en Roger Deneef reiken alvast - niet zonder pittig rekenwerk - een aantal mogelijke sleutels aan.Claire Fontaine - Op zoek naar een verloren ideaal? De sgraffiti van het hotel weduwe Ciamberlani in Elsene. [In search of a lost ideal. The sgraffiti of Hotel Ciamberlani in Elsene (Brussels).]Mede de bizarre vormen van de raampartijen en het gevelwijde figuratieve sgraffito maakten de Brusselse stadswoning van Paul Hankar voor kunstschilder Albert Ciamberlani van meet af aan tot een icoon van de art nouveau architectuur. Spijts de traceerbare uitvoering door Adolphe Crespin gingen de kleuren van de allegorische taferelen helaas algauw verloren en vervoegden ze de kunstgeschiedenis via schaarse zwart-wit reproducties.Doorgedreven archief- en materiaalonderzoek, onvermoede in Beveren bewaard gebleven documenten en beredeneerde interpretaties resulteerden nochtans recent in een betrouwbare en verbluffende restitutie: een prestatie waarvoor Claire Fontaine zich onderdompelde in de denkwereld van een merkwaardig kunstenaar.Hilde De Clercq, Yves Vanhellemont en André Pien Waterwerende behandelingen op monumenten: realistisch of utopisch? [Water-repellent treatments on flemish monuments: realistic or unfeasible?]De toepassing van waterwerende behandelingen op steenachtige materialen roept de jongste jaren alsmaar meer vragen op naar efficiëntie en duurzaamheid.Gezien de diversiteit aan aangeboden producten, de onomkeerbaarheid van de ingreep en onverwachte schadelijke gevolgen, is de optie inderdaad niet vanzelfsprekend.Intensief lange-termijnonderzoek door het KIK en het WTCB leidde intussen tot heldere en geruststellende conclusies, al blijft waakzaamheid geboden.Een analyse en toelichting door Hilde De Clercq, Y. Vanhellemont en A. Pien.Summar

Sequence-selective DNA recognition and enhanced cellular up-take by peptide–steroid conjugates

Several GCN4 bZIP TF models have previously been designed and synthesized. However, the synthetic routes towards these constructs are typically tedious and difficult. We here describe the substitution of the Leucine zipper domain of the protein by a deoxycholic acid derivative appending the two GCN4 binding region peptides through an optimized double azide–alkyne cycloaddition click reaction. In addition to achieving sequence specific dsDNA binding, we have investigated the potential of these compounds to enter cells. Confocal microscopy and flow cytometry show the beneficial influence of the steroid on cell uptake. This unique synthetic model of the bZIP TF thus combines sequence specific dsDNA binding properties with enhanced cell-uptake. Given the unique properties of deoxycholic acid and the convergent nature of the synthesis, we believe this work represents a key achievement in the field of TF mimicry