Middle managers: their role in management innovation

Over the last 30 years, leaders of innovative companies have been treated as the heroes of business, people who transformed our lives with their vision. That’s true, but as important as great leaders are in building an innovative company, little would happen if effective middle management did not support them

East, west, would home really be best? On dissatisfaction with offshore-outsourcing and firms' inclination to backsource

With so many firms seemingly disenchanted with their experiences of offshore outsourcing one may well wonder why relatively few of these firms choose to ‘backsource’ – i.e., bring their offshored operations back in-house. Of all sourcing decisions that firms take, backsourcing is perhaps the least understood and least researched. In this article we draw on the behavioral theory of the firm (BTF) to propose a new model in which differences in firms' inclination to backsource are ascribed to the level of dissatisfaction at not having achieved offshoring aspirations. Building on BTF concepts of bounded rationality, problemistic search and satisficing decisions, the model suggests that how this dissatisfaction with offshoring affects a firm's inclination to backsource is dependent on managerial expectations regarding the technical challenges of reintegrating activities and the possible financial losses and decline in quality following backsourcing, as well as on internal political support and financial slack for backsourcing. SEM analysis of data from U.S. and U.K. firms shows support for the model. The study highlights the importance of recognizing the role of managerial perceptions and biases and subgroup political relations in shaping firms' backsourcing behaviors. We also discuss the study's contributions to research and practice

East, west, would home really be best? On dissatisfaction with offshore-outsourcing and firms' inclination to backsource

With so many firms seemingly disenchanted with their experiences of offshore outsourcing one may well wonder why relatively few of these firms choose to ‘backsource’ – i.e., bring their offshored operations back in-house. Of all sourcing decisions that firms take, backsourcing is perhaps the least understood and least researched. In this article we draw on the behavioral theory of the firm (BTF) to propose a new model in which differences in firms' inclination to backsource are ascribed to the level of dissatisfaction at not having achieved offshoring aspirations. Building on BTF concepts of bounded rationality, problemistic search and satisficing decisions, the model suggests that how this dissatisfaction with offshoring affects a firm's inclination to backsource is dependent on managerial expectations regarding the technical challenges of reintegrating activities and the possible financial losses and decline in quality following backsourcing, as well as on internal political support and financial slack for backsourcing. SEM analysis of data from U.S. and U.K. firms shows support for the model. The study highlights the importance of recognizing the role of managerial perceptions and biases and subgroup political relations in shaping firms' backsourcing behaviors. We also discuss the study's contributions to research and practice

Assessing the risks of recycling urban stormwater for potable supply via an aquifer

Urbanisation and the subsequent increase in impervious land use generate increased urban stormwater which can be recycled viamanaged aquifer recharge (MAR) to supplement more traditional surface or ground water supplies. This paper compares the quality of stormwater from two urban catchments in South Australia to assess the risks, in accordance with the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling, of recycling stormwater via a limestone aquifer for potable water use. In the regional city of Mount Gambier, stormwater MARin a karstic aquifer has been used to supplement the city\u27s drinking water supply for over 100 years. The source water was generally high quality with some instances of turbidity, iron and lead exceeding the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG). Effort wasmade to constrain the estimate of minimum residence time within the karstic aquifer to at least two years for evaluation of the potential for passive treatment of trace organic chemicals in this system. In the second example, a purpose built MAR site in Parafield, a northern suburb of Adelaide, has been designed and operated asa full scale trial to determine if wetland treated urban stormwater can be recovered at a standard which meets the ADWG. Based on the analysis undertaken, the source water was generally of high quality with occasional instances of levels of iron and microbial indicators in excess of the ADWG. After a mean residence time in the aquifer of 240 days, recovered water qualitymet the ADWGwith the exception of iron. However, given the uncertainty in pathogen concentrations in the treated stormwater post-recovery from the aquifer, disinfection and aeration for iron removal would be necessary to ensure that the ADWG were met if the water was to be utilised for potable water supply

Managing organisational politics for effective knowledge processes

As business demands cause companies to become more distributed and global, dispersed organisational structures are created that fuel internal politics. So, how do these companies manage the sharing of knowledge and the co-ordination of tasks across borders

EUS-B-FNA for Diagnosing Liver and Celiac Metastases in Lung Cancer Patients

Background: In patients with suspected or proven lung cancer, assessment of regional nodal and distant metastases is key before treatment planning. By introducing the endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided scope into the esophagus and stomach (EUS-B), liver lesions and celiac nodes can be visualized. To date, the utility of EUS-B in diagnosing liver lesions and retroperitoneal lymph nodes is unknown. Objectives: To assess the feasibility, safety, and diagnostic yield of sampling of liver lesions and retroperitoneal nodes by EUS-B fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in a lung cancer staging setting. Method: Consecutive patients suspected of lung cancer in 2 Danish centers between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2017 were included retrospectively when a lesion in the liver or a retroperitoneal lymph node was visualized and biopsied with EUS-B-FNA. Results: 23 left liver lobe lesions and 19 retroperitoneal lymph nodes were sampled by EUS-B-FNA. Sensitivity and diagnostic yield of sampled liver lesions were 86 and 83%, respectively. In 19/23 patients, there was a cytopathological diagnosis of malignancy. Sensitivity and diagnostic yield from retroperitoneal lymph node samples were 83 and 63%, respectively. In 10/19 patients, the diagnosis was malignancy. No complications were observed. Conclusion: EUS-B-FNA enables safe sampling of left liver lobe lesions and retroperitoneal lymph nodes. EUS-B should be considered as a minimally invasive technique to provide tissue proof of distant metastases lung cancer patients

Occurrence of virulence genes associated with diarrheagenic pathotypes in Escherichia coli isolates from surface water

Escherichia coli isolates (n=300) collected from six sites in subtropical Brisbane, Australia, prior to and after storm events were tested for the presence of 11 virulence genes (VGs) specific to diarrheagenic pathotypes. The presence of eaeA, stx, stx, and ehxA genes specific for the enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) pathotype was detected in 56%, 6%, 10%, and 13% of isolates, respectively. The VGs astA (69%) and aggR (29%), carried by enteroaggregative (EAEC) pathotypes, were frequently detected in E. coli isolates. The enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) gene bfp was detected in 24% of isolates. In addition, enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) VG ipaH was also detected in 14% of isolates. During dry periods, isolates belonging to the EAEC pathotype were most commonly detected (23%), followed by EHEC (11%) and EPEC (11%). Conversely, a more uniform prevalence of pathotypes, EPEC (14%), EAEC (12%), EIEC (10%), EHEC (7%), and ETEC (7%), was observed after the storm events. The results of this study highlight the widespread occurrence of potentially diarrheagenic pathotypes in the urban aquatic ecosystems. While the presence of VGs in E. coli isolates alone is insufficient to determine pathogenicity, the presence of diarrheagenic E. coli pathotypes in high frequency after the storm events could lead to increased health risks if untreated storm water were to be used for nonpotable purposes and recreational activities