'You Can Almost Picture It': The Aesthetic of a Nova Scotia Storyteller

Paper

Measuring and assessing indeterminacy and variation in the morphology-syntax distinction (advance online)

We provide a discussion of some of the challenges in using statistical methods to investigate the morphology-syntax distinction cross-linguistically. The paper is structured around three problems related to the morphology-syntax distinction: (i) the boundary strength problem; (ii) the composition problem; (iii) the architectural problem. The boundary strength problem refers to the possibility that languages vary in terms of how distinct morphology and syntax are or the degree to which morphology is autonomous. The composition problem refers to the possibility that languages vary in terms of how they distinguish morphology and syntax: what types of properties distinguish the two systems. The architecture problem refers to the possibility that languages vary in terms of whether a global distinction between morphology and syntax is motivated at all and the possibility that languages might partition phenomena in different ways. This paper is concerned with providing an overarching review of the methodological problems involved in addressing these three issues. We illustrate the problems using three statistical methods: correlation matrices, random forests with different choices for the dependent variable, and hierarchical clustering with validation techniques

Knowledge Accumulation and Dissemination in MNEs: A Practice-Based Framework

Much has been written on the importance of knowledge accumulation and transfer within the network firm but two questions remain. First, what are the specifics of this process, particularly for high tacit content knowledge? Second, how can firms create a sustainable competitive advantage from knowledge acquired from outside the firm? We address the first question by proposing that the mechanisms of external knowledge capture and internal knowledge transfer can best be understood and studied not at the level of networked subsidiary firms, but at the micro-organizational level of Communities of Practice (CoPs). We then offer a model of the dynamics of organizational learning in network organizations, such as MNEs, which builds on this unit of analysis. This framework clarifies the link between CoPs and Networks of Practice (NoPs), by offering a novel conceptual model of how knowledge, particularly tacit, embedded knowledge, is absorbed. The framework also proposes a new link - that between CoPs and Internal Networks of Practice (INoPs), as another essential ingredient to knowledge accumulation and transfer within firms. We also propose that the firm-level architectural knowledge that is developed through INoPs is valuable and rare. In combination with the component knowledge that is developed through NoPs, architectural knowledge can create novel knowledge that may be a source of competitive advantage

Cardiovascular disease in the Peruvian Andes: local perceptions, barriers, and paths to preventing chronic diseases in the Cajamarca region

Objectives: Public health interventions can be improved by understanding peoples' explanatory models of disease. We explore awareness and perceptions of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and options for preventative actions in young adults living in rural Andean communities. Methods: We used convenience sampling to select 46 men and women from communities in Cajamarca (Peru). Subjects participated in eight focus groups where they discussed their understanding and perceived causes of CVD as well as barriers and pathways to healthy lifestyles. Results: Fresh foods, physical activity, unpleasant emotions, and healthcare access were cited as important determinants of healthy lifestyles. Barriers to healthy diets included lacking nutritional knowledge, fluctuating food prices, and limited access to foodstuffs. Women felt particularly vulnerable to CVD and identified gendered barriers to manage stress and engage in sports. Low health literacy, poor doctor-patient relationships, and long distances prevented participants from fully accessing healthcare. Conclusion: CVD prevention interventions should consider local knowledge of these diseases and of healthy lifestyles, and harness ongoing programmes that have successfully promoted good nutrition in children and pregnant women. In concert with public-private parterships, governments should include disease prevention interventions for the entire family

Global strategy collections: Multinationality and performance

Research Summary In this second collection of articles relating to global strategy, we address the well‐established but unresolved issue of the relationship between multinationality and performance among multinational firms. The M‐P relationship has been the topic of many articles in many journals for many years, but its true nature is still not established. Both theory and empirical findings provide different and often opposed views, as can be seen in the articles collected here. We see two main perspectives on this issue. Some scholars suggest that differences in data and analytical tools have prevented consistent empirical results, and that more consistent and carefully chosen empirical modeling can yet establish the true M‐P connection. Others believe that basic problems in theory and in building testable frameworks that are truly consistent with theory have made this an inherently intractable problem. The collection provides important articles that test the M‐P relationship as well as critiques from both perspectives. We see considerable power in the view that individual firms are likely to have their own idiosyncratic optimal level of multinationaliation. We finish by calling for and suggesting new approaches to the issue, such as a micro‐foundations approach, as opposed to simply using more sophisticated tools to test problematic models based on well‐established but ultimately inadequate theory. Managerial Summary The relationship between the level of multinational diversification and performance in multinational firms is at the heart of global strategy. If operating at ever increasing levels in ever more countries does not provide reliably superior performance, why do firms continue to expand internationally? One view suggests that since firms continue to increase their international presence, there must be some ultimate benefits—difficult as they may be to establish. The opposing view suggests that since an equal amount of research finds no such benefits, it may be that no level of multinational diversification is generally optimal, but that depending on its particular resources and capabilities, experience, industry, and national portfolio, each multinational must discover its own optimal level of cross‐border investment

Global strategy collections: Emerging market multinational enterprises

Research Summary: This first collection of articles for global strategy focuses on the relatively new phenomenon of Emerging Market Multinational Enterprises (EMNEs). The first topic to draw real attention to articles in Global Strategy Journal, the study of EMNEs challenges many assumptions about what characteristics make a firm a successful MNE and forces a reconsideration of fundamental questions in strategic management. The articles in the collection provide a good introduction to the topic, but there is much more research on the topic in a variety of journals for those scholars considering the EMNE as a topic for their own research. Managerial summary: In the last couple of decades, we have seen the emergence of EMNEs that are competing globally. This primer on EMNEs points at the specificities of EMNEs including their ownership-specific advantages, their pattern of internationalization, their innovation strategies for catching-up, and not least how their ownership and the home conditions in less developed countries alter their behavior. These are important factors that serve to help scholars to understand the strategies and actions of EMNEs and how they gain their competitive strengths on the global scene

Water insecurity and gender‐based violence: A global review of the evidence

We reviewed the existing literature documenting the association between water insecurity and gender-based violence to (1) describe the characteristics and contexts of available studies, and (2) identify and classify documented gender-based violence across domains of water insecurity (access, affordability, adequacy, reliability, and safety). 18 peer-reviewed articles mentioned associations between water insecurity and gender-based violence. All studies were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia and were published in English. The most common manifestation of the relationship between water insecurity and gender-based violence was an increased risk of sexual and physical violence for women who walked long distances to access water. This was followed by intimate partner violence sparked by the inability to meet domestic obligations due to household water inadequacy. Despite these trends, the domains of water insecurity, and the types of violence experienced by women, were often intertwined. We conclude that there is a dearth of information assessing gender-based violence and water insecurity, especially in Latin America, North America, and Southeast Asia, and involving locally-based scholars. We suggest that the spectrum of what is considered “violence” in relation to water insecurity be expanded and that scholars and practitioners adopt the term “gender-based water violence” to describe water-related stressors that are so extreme as to threaten human health and well-being, particularly that of women and girls. Finally, we encourage the development of cross-culturally validated measures of gender-based violence, which can be deployed in conjunction with standardized measures of water insecurity, to evaluate interventions that target these linked threats to global health

Water Insecurity, Self-reported Physical Health, and Objective Measures of Biological Health in the Peruvian Amazon

ObjectivesThis study examines the associations between water insecurity, self-reported physical health, and objective measures of biological health among 225 Awajún adults (107 women; 118 men) living in the Peruvian Amazon, a “water-abundant” region.MethodsA survey, which included multiple measures of self-reported physical health, and objective measures of biological health such as blood pressure and nutritional and immune biomarkers.ResultsGreater water insecurity was associated with multiple measures of self-reported physical health, including higher incidence of reported diarrhea, nausea, back pain, headaches, chest pain, fatigue, dizziness, overall poor perceived health, and “being sick.” These symptoms align with the physical strain associated with water acquisition and with drinking contaminated water. A significant association between higher water insecurity and lower systolic blood pressure emerged, which may be linked to dehydration. None of the other biomarkers, including those for nutrition, infection, and stress were significantly associated with water insecurity scores.ConclusionsThese analyses add to the growing body of research examining the associations between water insecurity and health. Biocultural anthropologists are well-positioned to continue probing these connections. Future research will investigate relationships between measures of water insecurity and biomarkers for gastrointestinal infection and inflammation in water-scarce and water-abundant contexts