Small business strategic management practices and performance: A configurational approach

Small businesses contribute to society on many fronts: job creation, tax revenues, functional products and services, charitable donations, technological developments, and social contributions to communities. Given these contributions, and small firms’ limited resources, it is important to understand what strategic management practices (SMPs)–activities engaged to develop and implement strategy–positively impact small firm performance. Small business leaders may apply various combinations of SMPs to achieve performance objectives. Here, we apply Fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to explore how various combinations of six different SMPs–entrepreneurial orientation (EO), strategic planning, goal setting, total quality management (TQM), social capital, and small business owners’ analysis of financial ratios–affect performance. From a sample of U.S. printing companies, we found four different configurations of SMPs related to higher small business performance

Preliminary Survey of Chemical Contaminants in Water, Sediment, and Aquatic Biota at Selected Sites in Northeastern Florida Bay and Canal C-111

Several actions are under way to alter water management capabilities and practices in south Florida in order to restore a more natural hydroperiod for the Everglades. Because relatively little research has been conducted on contaminants entering Florida Bay, we undertook a preliminary study in June 1995 to determine contaminant concentrations in surface water, sediment, and biota prior to major changes in water management. The areas studied were the C-111 canal (five sites) beginning just above water control structure S-197 and extending to Manatee Bay (part of the Biscayne Bay system), Shell Creek (three sites), the mouth of Taylor River, Trout Creek (two sites), and a site near the Key Largo Ranger Station. Hydrographic observations were made at each site, and samples of water and sediment were collected at each of the five areas except the Key Largo site. Bioresidues were determined for indigenous oysters collected from the C-111 canal and Shell Creek and for transplanted oysters exposed at the Key Largo site, the C-111 canal, Shell Creek, Taylor River, and Trout Creek for 5-29 days. Water samples were analyzed for selected organochlorine pesticides and metals; sediments were analyzed for the same compounds and for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Fish filets and shucked oysters were analyzed for selected organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, and metals. Other than low dissolved oxygen at some C-111 canal sites, water quality was generally good. Most contaminants were below water and sediment quality guidelines designed to protect aquatic life, and contaminant concentrations in oysters were low. Threshold effect levels were exceeded for some organochlorine pesticides and PAHs in some sediment samples, but all values measured were below probable effect levels. Low concentrations of organochlorine pesticides were detected in sediments from the C-111 canal, Shell Creek, Taylor River, and Trout Creek; except for Taylor River, low concentrations of PCB congeners and PAHs were detected from the same areas. The only organochlorine pesticide detected in filets from seven fish was 3.2 v-g DDE/kg (wet weight) in a sea catfish. Total mercury concentrations in filets of four species of fishes ranged from 0.53 to 1.3 μg/g, wet weight, which falls within a limited consumption advisory by the State of Florida

Integrating quality into the cycle of therapeutic development

The quality of healthcare, particularly as reflected in current practice versus the available evidence, has become a major focus of national health policy discussions. Key components needed to provide quality care include: 1) development of quality indicators and performance measures from specific practice guidelines, 2) better ways to disseminate such guidelines and measures, and 3) development of support tools to promote standardized practice. Although rational decision-making and development of practice guidelines have relied upon results of randomized trials and outcomes studies, not all questions can be answered by randomized trials, and many treatment decisions necessarily reflect physiology, intuition, and experience when treating individuals. Debate about the role of "evidence-based medicine" also has raised questions about the value of applying trial results in practice, and some skepticism has arisen about whether advocated measures of clinical effectiveness, the basic definition of quality, truly reflect a worthwhile approach to improving medical practice. We provide a perspective on this issue by describing a model that integrates quantitative measurements of quality and performance into the development cycle of existing and future therapeutics. Such a model would serve as a basic approach to cardiovascular medicine that is necessary, but not sufficient, to those wishing to provide the best care for their patients

Thermoelectric refrigerator

A refrigerator is provided which combines the benefits of superinsulation materials with thermoelectric devices and phase change materials to provide an environmentally benign system that is energy efficient and can maintain relatively uniform temperatures for extended periods of time with relatively low electrical power requirements. The refrigerator includes a thermoelectric assembly having a thermoelectric device with a hot sink and a cold sink. The superinsulation materials include a plurality of vacuum panels. The refrigerator is formed from an enclosed structure having a door. The vacuum panels may be contained within the walls of the enclosed structure and the door. By mounting the thermoelectric assembly on the door, the manufacturer of the enclosed structure is simplified and the overall R rating of the refrigerator increased. Also an electrical motor and propellers may be mounted on the door to assist in the circulation of air to improve the efficiency of the cold sink and the hot sink. A propeller and/or impeller is preferably mounted within the refrigerator to assist in establishing the desired air circulation flow path

Short- and Long-Term Propagation of Spacecraft Orbits

The Planetary Observer Planning Software (POPS) comprises four computer programs for use in designing orbits of spacecraft about planets. These programs are the Planetary Observer High Precision Orbit Propagator (POHOP), the Planetary Observer Long-Term Orbit Predictor (POLOP), the Planetary Observer Post Processor (POPP), and the Planetary Observer Plotting (POPLOT) program. POHOP and POLOP integrate the equations of motion to propagate an initial set of classical orbit elements to a future epoch. POHOP models shortterm (one revolution) orbital motion; POLOP averages out the short-term behavior but requires far less processing time than do older programs that perform long-term orbit propagations. POPP postprocesses the spacecraft ephemeris created by POHOP or POLOP (or optionally can use a less accurate internal ephemeris) to search for trajectory-related geometric events including, for example, rising or setting of a spacecraft as observed from a ground site. For each such event, POPP puts out such user-specified data as the time, elevation, and azimuth. POPLOT is a graphics program that plots data generated by POPP. POPLOT can plot orbit ground tracks on a world map and can produce a variety of summaries and generic ordinate-vs.-abscissa plots of any POPP data

Effect of high magnetic fields on orientation and properties of liquid crystalline thermosets

In this report we provide the first description of the orientation of liquid crystalline thermosets (LCT`s) in field strengths of up to 18 T, as well as the first report of tensile properties for both unoriented and oriented LCT`S. The LCT we have chosen for study is the diglycidyl ether of dihydroxy-a-methylstilbene cured with the diamine, sulfanilamide. Orientation in magnetic fields leads to an increase of almost three times the modulus compared to the unoriented material. These values are much greater than can be obtained with conventional thermosets. The strain at break is also significantly affected by the chain orientation. The coefficient of thermal expansion and x-ray diffraction of oriented samples show high degrees of anisotropy, indicating significant chain alignment in the magnetic field. We are working to further understand the field dependence of orientation and properties plus the mechanisms of the alignment process

Report of Second Meeting for the Purpose of Obtaining the Views of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation on the Lieu Lands Offered by the Secretary of War, 1946

Report of the second meeting held in the office of Assistant Secretary of the Interior C. Girard Davidson for the purpose of obtaining the views of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation of the lieu lands offered by the Secretary of War. Includes a list of attendees and a transcript of the meeting discussing the Three Affiliated Tribes\u27 rejection of the offer of lieu lands made by the Secretary of Interior and Department of War to the Fort Berthold Reservation. See also: Report of Meeting for the Purpose of Obtaining the Views of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation on the Lieu Lands Offered by the Secretary of War, 1946https://commons.und.edu/langer-papers/1147/thumbnail.jp

Experimental Aerodynamic Characteristics of an Oblique Wing for the F-8 OWRA

An experimental investigation was conducted during June-July 1987 in the NASA Ames 11-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel to study the aerodynamic performance and stability and control characteristics of a 0.087-scale model of an F-8 airplane fitted with an oblique wing. This effort was part of the Oblique Wing Research Aircraft (OWRA) program performed in conjunction with Rockwell International. The Ames-designed, aspect ratio 10.47, tapered wing used specially designed supercritical airfoils with 0.14 thickness/chord ratio at the root and 0.12 at the 85% span location. The wing was tested at two different mounting heights above the fuselage. Performance and longitudinal stability data were obtained at sweep angles of 0deg, 30deg, 45deg, 60deg, and 65deg at Mach numbers ranging from 0.30 to 1.40. Reynolds number varied from 3.1 x 10(exp 6)to 5.2 x 10(exp 6), based on the reference chord length. Angle of attack was varied from -5deg to 18deg. The performance of this wing is compared with that of another oblique wing, designed by Rockwell International, which was tested as part of the same development program. Lateral-directional stability data were obtained for a limited combination of sweep angles and Mach numbers. Sideslip angle was varied from -5deg to +5deg. Landing flap performance was studied, as were the effects of cruise flap deflections to achieve roll trim and tailor wing camber for various flight conditions. Roll-control authority of the flaps and ailerons was measured. A novel, deflected wing tip was evaluated for roll-control authority at high sweep angles