Perception Gaps in Headquarters-Subsidiary Relations

Headquarters-subsidiary relationships and how they evolve are object of a lot of research. However, it remains open how headquarters-subsidiary relationships translate into everyday cooperation, the top-management perspective set aside. In order to widen our understanding of headquarters-subsidiary relations, we argue that it is necessary to focus on differing role understanding and a resulting mismatch of expectations. We extend the concept of perception gaps as origin of headquarters-subsidiary conflicts by linking it to the literature on team cognition. Furthermore, we identify a lower level of aggregation as a research opportunity and propose to study between-team interactions of headquarters and subsidiaries. Finally, we discuss implications for the premise that design shapes behaviour

Redox Conditions Determine Microbial Cobamide Production in Hyporheic Sediment

All kingdoms of life rely on cobalamin, a coenzyme produced by a subset of Bacteria and Archaea. Cobalamin belongs to a family of molecules called cobamides. Cobamides all share a tetrapyrrole corrin ring which is joined to one of 17 known naturally occurring lower bases. Until now, little work has explored why one type of cobamide is produced over another. This research explores cobamide production under different redox conditions: glucose fermentation, lactate fermentation, methanogenesis, sulfate reduction, nitrate reduction, and iron reduction. Homogenized sediment from Third Creek (Knoxville, Tennessee) was used for initial microcosms grown under each redox condition and fifth generation or later transfers were used to analyze cobamide production. Type and quantity of cobamide produced under each condition was distinct. Cobamide production was normalized between redox conditions by comparing total cobamide produced to the amount of substrate or electron acceptor consumed. Glucose and lactate fermenters both resulted in 5-hydroxybenzimidazole cobamide and methylbenzimidazole cobamide. Methanogens produced exclusively methylbenzimidazole cobamide. Sulfate reduction and nitrate reduction both produced cobalamin. No detectable cobamide was produced by iron reduction. Maintenance of redox conditions were verified by monitoring the reactants and products for each redox process. This work demonstrates that redox conditions shape the cobamide pool. The results have important implications for microbial ecology including in bioremediation systems where corrinoid-auxotrophic bacteria require certain types of cobamide for metabolic processes that break down pollutants

A linear domain decomposition method for partially saturated flow in porous media

The Richards equation is a nonlinear parabolic equation that is commonly used for modelling saturated/unsaturated flow in porous media. We assume that the medium occupies a bounded Lipschitz domain partitioned into two disjoint subdomains separated by a fixed interface $\Gamma$. This leads to two problems defined on the subdomains which are coupled through conditions expressing flux and pressure continuity at $\Gamma$. After an Euler implicit discretisation of the resulting nonlinear subproblems a linear iterative ($L$-type) domain decomposition scheme is proposed. The convergence of the scheme is proved rigorously. In the last part we present numerical results that are in line with the theoretical finding, in particular the unconditional convergence of the scheme. We further compare the scheme to other approaches not making use of a domain decomposition. Namely, we compare to a Newton and a Picard scheme. We show that the proposed scheme is more stable than the Newton scheme while remaining comparable in computational time, even if no parallelisation is being adopted. Finally we present a parametric study that can be used to optimize the proposed scheme.Comment: 34 pages, 13 figures, 7 table

Using event diaries and in-depth interviews for understanding shared understanding in headquarters-subsidiary cooperation

The paper describes the application of a qualitative diary method combined with in-depth interviews in the context of headquarters-subsidiary cooperation. We examine the distinct requirements of studying shared understanding in the case of distributed teams and argue that further research is necessary in order to explain inter-team conflicts arising from incongruent understandings and divergent expectations. Building on this research gap, we perform a case study in the headquarters of a multinational technology company and one of its subsidiaries. With the help of Event Sampling Methodology (ESM) and in-depth interviews, we were able to identify, analyze and comprehend situations characterized by lacking shared understanding. By this, our research contributes to the methodical discussion on event sampling methods and proposes new fields of application. Furthermore, it contributes to the international management literature by analyzing misunderstandings in international R&D cooperation

Standortverteilte Produktentwicklung – Eine Mehrfallanalyse zu Aufgaben- und Rollenverständnissen in Headquarter-Standort-Beziehungen

In der Dissertation werden Ursachen von Kommunikations- und Koordinationsproblemen in der operativen standortverteilten Produktentwicklung untersucht. Dabei wird die Frage behandelt, wie sich die Beziehung kooperierender Standorte auf den Projektalltag von Entwicklungsabteilungen auswirkt. Im Rahmen eines qualitativen multi-methods Mehrfallstudiendesigns untersucht die Arbeit vier Fallstudien in drei multinationalen Technologieunternehmen aus den Branchen Automobil, Automatisierungs- und Steuerungstechnik sowie der chemischen Industrie. Anhand der empirischen Erkenntnisse werden vier Modelle zur Erklärung von Ziel- und Einmischungskonflikten entwickelt. Dabei werden die beobachteten Kommunikations- und Koordinationsprobleme der standortverteilten Entwicklungsteams auf inkompatible Aufgaben- und Rollenverständnisse zurückgeführt. Zum einen wird gezeigt, dass standortverteilte Teams in Abhängigkeit der Rolle ihres Standorts unterschiedliche Vorstellungen der zu erledigenden Aufgabe entwickeln (sog. representational gaps). Genauer führen die Marktperspektive eines Standorts, sein Wissensstand sowie die jeweilige Teamorganisation zu abweichenden Zieldefinitionen, Prioritäten und Grundannahmen über die Vorgehensweise. Zum anderen wird dargelegt, dass auf unterschiedlichen Hierarchieebenen auseinandergehende Auffassungen der Rolle eines Standorts sowie seines Kompetenzlevels bestehen können. Diese als team perception gaps betitelten Divergenzen führen zu inkompatiblen Erwartungshaltungen und Einmischungskonflikten. Indem der operative Projektalltag und die Teamebene adressiert werden, leistet die Dissertation einen wichtigen wissenschaftlichen Beitrag im Forschungszweig der headquarters-subsidiary relations und liefert außerdem bedeutsame Erkenntnisse für Entscheidungsträger in Unternehmen in Bezug auf die Gestaltung von Standortbeziehungen sowie die Neudefinition und Weiterentwicklung von Standortrollen

Using event diaries and in-depth interviews for understanding shared understanding in headquarters-subsidiary cooperation

The paper describes the application of a qualitative diary method combined with in-depth interviews in the context of headquarters-subsidiary cooperation. We examine the distinct requirements of studying shared understanding in the case of distributed teams and argue that further research is necessary in order to explain inter-team conflicts arising from incongruent understandings and divergent expectations. Building on this research gap, we perform a case study in the headquarters of a multinational technology company and one of its subsidiaries. With the help of Event Sampling Methodology (ESM) and in-depth interviews, we were able to identify, analyze and comprehend situations characterized by lacking shared understanding. By this, our research contributes to the methodical discussion on event sampling methods and proposes new fields of application. Furthermore, it contributes to the international management literature by analyzing misunderstandings in international R&D cooperation

Laville Jean-Louis, 2007, L’économie solidaire. Une perspective internationale, Hachette Littératures, 383 p.

Cet ouvrage collectif sous la direction de Jean-Louis Laville (professeur au Conservatoire national des arts et métiers, co-directeur du Laboratoire interdisciplinaire pour la sociologie économique) rassemble huit synthèses de recherche menées dans plusieurs pays et continents. Ecrites par des universitaires européens (Laurent Gardin, Marthe Nyssens, Isabelle Guérin, Laurent Fraisse, Elisabetta Bucolo), québécois (Paul R. Bélanger, Jacques L. Boucher, Benoît Lévesque) et chilien (Ignacio Larr..

A Systems Thinking Approach to Corporate Strategy Development

In an increasingly complex business environment, companies need to reassess their strategic choices on a regular basis. However, companies are struggling to collect and efficiently interpret the relevant information on their business environment. Whereas market information is often analyzed, influences from the broader environment (e.g., society) are often neglected. This paper argues that companies often lack a systemic approach to their strategy development process, and that environmental influences are only considered selectively. We suggest that companies themselves need to be seen as systems that are embedded in a complex environment. To develop a successful strategic orientation, a systematic screening of the environment must be coupled with a thorough analysis of the firm’s internal circumstances (e.g., competencies). Therefore, the paper proposes a holistic framework for conceiving companies as systems. Furthermore, we discuss how the scenario technique could support a systematic analysis of the company’s environment. The paper also aims to provide practical guidelines for managers and contributes to integrating a systems thinking approach into strategy development

A dignidade da pessoa humana e o acesso ao crédito.

A dignidade da pessoa humana não é apenas um enunciado dogmático da Teoria Geral do Direito. Ela está presente em diversos documentos jurídicos pertencentes a Direitos Humanos; está em franco desenvolvimento, haja vista os tratados regionais surgidos no Século XX, visando o resgate do ser humano à sua condição material mínima. Há dois desses tratados nestas linhas, em âmbito regional: um americano e um africano. O documento chamado universal é o da ONU. O primeiro deles, de 1789, é o documento-base a partir do qual todos os demais surgiram. Em todos há um ponto comum: construir e permitir a dignidade material do ser humano, seja pelo acesso à propriedade, seja pela inserção nos benefícios que os direitos econômicos soem trazer a quaisquer sociedades, a fim de afastar a miséria. Trata-se de inserir o ser humano em todos os âmbitos da dignidade da pessoa humana: social, cultural, econômico, entre tantos que podem ser referidos. Eles não se referem apenas à primeira dimensão do direito, que contempla a vida e a liberdade; em todas as demais a dignidade da pessoa humana é elemento integrante: sem ela, não há o ser humano. O legislador constituinte brasileiro, em 1987, buscou nesses documentos internacionais as bases da Constituição do Brasil, fazendo inserir em seu texto diversos institutos de direitos humanos. Essa influência é tão forte e juridicamente inafastável que a rigidez da constituição cedeu ao direito internacional e afastou a prisão do depositário infiel, conforme a jurisprudência do Supremo Tribunal Federal. A dogmática jurídica em matéria de direitos fundamentais, identificáveis do direito interno de cada país, tem na dignidade da pessoa humana um espaço imune a influências, impondo à atividade estatal a proibição de ofender os direitos fundamentais que são imprescritíveis, irrenunciáveis e inalienáveis. Por outro lado, impõe à atividade estatal não apenas a produção legislativa mínima e essencial à consolidação da dignidade da pessoa humana: também exige atividades específicas em prol dessa dignidade a partir dos direitos fundamentais. O acesso ao crédito é apenas uma dessas atividades. A legislação está bem estruturada, é juridicamente bem recebida pela jurisprudência dos tribunais superiores e atende à finalidade para a qual foi criada. Há leis específicas para o direito à propriedade de bens imóveis e de bens móveis, através de três tipos próprios de concessão de crédito. Para o acesso ao crédito são necessários cumulados três elementos identificados como integrantes dos direitos fundamentais: ser uma pessoa humana, cidadã e capaz de obrar. Assim, estes são os elementos essenciais do acesso ao crédito enquanto instrumental à dignidade da pessoa humana