The power of shared positivity: organizational psychological capital and firm performance during exogenous crises

This study examines the influence of organizational psychological capital on the performance of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) during crises. We argue that SMEs use their intangible resources to cope with difficult situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we investigate how organizational psychological capital impacts performance and creative innovation through such intangible resources, namely, organizational citizenship behavior, solidarity, and cooperation. Methodologically, we combine structural equation modelling and regression analysis on a dataset of 379 SMEs. Our results support the notion that organizational psychological capital positively influences creative innovation of SMEs and thus performance during crises. Our research contributes to the organizational behavior literature by showing that psychological resources of SMEs can strengthen performance in times of crisis and help to prepare for future ones

Measuring family influence from the non-family employee perspective: The perceived family influence scale (PFIS)

To further our understanding of family influence in family businesses, this study introduces the Perceived Family Influence Scale (PFIS). Departing from existing owner-centric methodologies, the PFIS uses social constructivism theory to capture family influence from the perspective of non family employees, a frequently neglected but integral stakeholder group within the family firm ecosystem. Following a rigorous multistep development process involving 600 non-family employees, we validate the PFIS and identify three core sub-dimensions of perceived family influence: culture, organizational decision-making, and image. We also demonstrate the practical applicability of the PFIS by examining the link between perceived family influence and non-family employee job satisfaction. Grounded in social constructivism, the PFIS is a reliable instrument that allows for the collection of more unbiased and holistic data on family influence, thereby refining our understanding of family firms and advancing the family business research field

The impact of SME leader’s psychological capital on strategic responses during crisis

his study investigates how the Psychological Capital (PsyCap) of small and medium enterprises (SME) leaders has influenced their strategic responses, ultimately impacting the performance of their companies, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Embedded within research on behavioral micro-foundations in strategy, and based on the resource-based theory (RBT) of the individual entrepreneur as well as positive organizational behavior literature, we hypothesize that SME leaders’ psychological resources can act as a strategic advantage during crises by making them adopt cost-cutting and investment measures for their companies performance. By using a sample of 372 SMEs, we find that while leaders mostly use both measures, leaders with a high PsyCap prefer adopting investment measures, which positively influences the performance of their companies during a crisis. However, adopting cost-cutting measures lowers performance. We contribute to the entrepreneurship literature by using PsyCap in the context of the RBT of the individual entrepreneur and shedding light on which measures sustain or increase SMEs’ performance during a crisis

Effect of quantum confinement on exciton-phonon interactions

We investigate the homogeneous linewidth of localized type-I excitons in type-II GaAs/AlAs superlattices. These localizing centers represent the intermediate case between quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D) and quasi-zero-dimensional localizations. The temperature dependence of the homogeneous linewidth is obtained with high precision from micro-photoluminescence spectra. We confirm the reduced interaction of the excitons with their environment with decreasing dimensionality except for the coupling to LO-phonons. The low-temperature limit for the linewidth of these localized excitons is five times smaller than that of Q2D excitons. The coefficient of exciton-acoustic-phonon interaction is 5 ~ 6 times smaller than that of Q2D excitons. An enhancement of the average exciton-LO-phonon interaction by localization is found in our sample. But this interaction is very sensitive to the detailed structure of the localizing centers.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Case Report: Human Subcutaneous Sparganosis in a Thai Migrant

Human sparganosis is a cestode infection which is neglected as a differential diagnosis outside endemic countries. Diagnosis and therapy may be challenging depending on the clinical presentation and anatomic localization. The disease manifests predominantly as subcutaneous nodule(s) or intracranial mass lesion(s). Infection is primarily acquired by ingesting raw or undercooked amphibian or reptile flesh or by drinking water containing copepods. We report an unusual case of subcutaneous; Spirometra erinaceieuropaei; sparganosis presenting with two nonmigratory nodules in close proximity to each other on the right thigh of a Thai woman living in Switzerland

Interview Survey of Chief Executives of Medium-sized Companies Vol.30

Additional file 4. Densitometric analysis of troponin T, periostin, carbonic anhydrase 3 and cytoglobin in sham, MI-placebo and MI-SAR1 mice. The densitometric measurements of proteins are expressed as a percentage of the average values measured in the sham group. Results are expressed as mean ± SEM

Parent-of-origin-specific allelic associations among 106 genomic loci for age at menarche.

Age at menarche is a marker of timing of puberty in females. It varies widely between individuals, is a heritable trait and is associated with risks for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and all-cause mortality. Studies of rare human disorders of puberty and animal models point to a complex hypothalamic-pituitary-hormonal regulation, but the mechanisms that determine pubertal timing and underlie its links to disease risk remain unclear. Here, using genome-wide and custom-genotyping arrays in up to 182,416 women of European descent from 57 studies, we found robust evidence (P < 5 × 10(-8)) for 123 signals at 106 genomic loci associated with age at menarche. Many loci were associated with other pubertal traits in both sexes, and there was substantial overlap with genes implicated in body mass index and various diseases, including rare disorders of puberty. Menarche signals were enriched in imprinted regions, with three loci (DLK1-WDR25, MKRN3-MAGEL2 and KCNK9) demonstrating parent-of-origin-specific associations concordant with known parental expression patterns. Pathway analyses implicated nuclear hormone receptors, particularly retinoic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid-B2 receptor signalling, among novel mechanisms that regulate pubertal timing in humans. Our findings suggest a genetic architecture involving at least hundreds of common variants in the coordinated timing of the pubertal transition

Pitfalls and complications in the treatment of cervical spine fractures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Patients with ankylosing spondylitis are at significant risk for sustaining cervical spine injuries following trauma predisposed by kyphosis, stiffness and osteoporotic bone quality of the spine. The risk of sustaining neurological deficits in this patient population is higher than average. The present review article provides an outline on the specific injury patterns in the cervical spine, diagnostic algorithms and specific treatment modalities dictated by the underlying disease in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. An emphasis is placed on the risks and complication patterns in the treatment of these rare, but challenging injuries

Back to the new normal : perceptions and requirements of the impact by the COVID-19 pandemic from and to companies by younger and older employees

In der vorliegenden Studie sind fünf zentrale Punkte herausgearbeitet, die Unternehmen aus der aktuellen Situation in Bezug auf zukünftige Mitarbeitendenführung oder deren Gewinnung aus den Erkenntnissen der derzeitigen Pandemiesituation mitnehmen können. So zeigen sich wesentliche Unterschiede in den Erwartungshaltungen zwischen jüngeren und älteren Beschäftigten an Unternehmen. Deutlich ist die klare Aussage, über alle Altersgruppen hinweg, nachhaltiges und ökologisches Handeln von Unternehmen auch unter Pandemiebedingungen als zentralen und wichtigen Zukunftsanker für Unternehmen beizubehalten. Die Studienergebnisse basieren auf einer empirischen Befragung von 610 Personen in Deutschland. Hierbei wurden Erwartungen von Arbeitnehmenden an Unternehmen in der Pandemiesituation abgefragt. Für die Analyse unterteilen wir die Beschäftigten in zwei Alterskohorten, die wir anhand deskriptiver Statistik miteinander vergleichen und gegenüberstellen.This study presents five key facts which could be identified throughout the pandemic as major take away for a company’s human resource management. Several differences between younger and older employees’ expectations of their employer could be identified. At the same time, a clear statement across all age groups is the necessity to maintain sustainable and ecological actions by companies, as a central and important anchor, even under pandemic conditions. The results of this study are based on an empirical survey of 610 people in Germany. Participants were asked about their perceptions and expectations towards companies throughout the pandemic situation. The final sample was divided into two age groups, which were descriptively analyzed and compared

Back to the Roots: Applying the Concept of Basic Human Values to Understand Family Firm Behavior

This study examines the influence of individual owner-manager values on the different dimensions of socioemotional wealth in family firms. We theorize that values of owner-managers in family firms are one of the underlying motivators for SEW behaviors. By using structural equation modeling, we show the connection between values and SEW. Results show that different values influence different dimensions of SEW; splitting the FIBER scale into two dimensions, one focused on social interests and the other on personal interests. Our findings help to understand the importance of individual values, advance SEW research and contribute to the understanding of family firm behavior.