Financial Literacy: What Are Business Schools Teaching?

The financial illiteracy of Americans has attracted the attention and funds of more than 10 federal agencies and countless other state agencies and non-profit organizations. The manifestations of poor financial skills and planning are divorce, depression, and many elderly Americans living in poverty. Hundreds of business and non-business college students have been surveyed. Both groups were found to be financially illiterate. We examined the curricula of 100 AACSB institutions and concluded that business schools are either not offering fundamental courses in personal financial planning or that the courses are not generally available to business students (for credit) or non-business students. It is ironic that college students are graduating with the required 60 credits in the liberal arts, but are not required to pass a course in personal finance. We feel strongly that it is time for business faculty, specifically finance faculty, to argue that being financially literate is as important as being literate in English and the sciences

Achieving High Organization Performance through Servant Leadership

This empirical paper investigates whether a servant leader can develop a corporate culture that attracts or develops other servant leaders. Using the survey developed by Barbuto and Wheeler (2006), servant leader characteristics in managers were measured at three high-performing organizations. Results indicate that servant leaders can develop a culture of followers who are servant leaders themselves. This is one of the few studies to empirically test the model of servant leadership in an organizational environment. The success these servant leaders have achieved in a for-profit, demanding environment suggests this leadership style is viable for adoption by other firms

Generational Differences in Use of Social Media in Today’s Workplace

This study examined the use of social media at work. Undergraduate students and professors were surveyed to try to find a generational relationship between the younger generation’s view of using sites such as Facebook while working and how some participants from an older generation perceived it. We also examined the effects of Facebook outside of work and whether or not postings made there could jeopardize a position at work. The results from our survey and research conclude that social media is an increasing problem because it serves as a distraction and predict that with increasing individual use of social media it will become more of a problem at work if it is not properly managed by the employer

Herreshoff Marine Museum: Historical Analysis

These methods that Herreshoff utilized can be classified as early stages of the LEAN manufacturing concept which is used today in a majority of America’s leading manufacturers. Herreshoff made sure that his entire inventory was used and nothing was wasted. By reducing/eliminating waste, Nat preserved the value of his products and increased the efficiency of operation

Leadership In The Fortune 500: Women At The Executive Level Of Corporate Management

This study examines the influence of executive women in business using a sample of firms included in the Fortune 500.  Our analysis looks at the movement of female executives on or off corporate management to determine whether an increase of female representation at the highest levels of corporate management signals an increased commitment of a firm to a higher representation of females on their boards of directors.  Our sample includes a group of 73 corporations for which we longitudinally examined the data for women at the director and executive manager levels for the period from 1999 through 2003.  Our data indicate that, while the number of firms having multiple female directors increased over this period, the increase was even more pronounced for women at the executive management level.  Our data also indicate that, while the number of executive level managers was relatively stable (increased) between 1999 and 2001 (2001 and 2003), the number of women at this level increased by 25.5 (27.1) percent

Board Gender Diversity, Corporate Reputation and Market Performance

This study examines the association between corporate transparency, ethical orientation of Fortune 500 companies, the number of females represented on the board of directors as reported in the 2010 annual report data and respective stock performance. Our basis for this judgement was whether the firm was listed on either (both) Ethisphere Magazine’s 2010 ‘World’s Most Ethical Companies’ or (and) Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 2010 ‘100 Best Corporate Citizens List’. Our results indicate that, as the number of women directors increased, the probability of a corporation appearing in these lists increases. Finally, while being on one of these lists did not increase corporate return data in a statistically significant sense, it did dramatically reduce the degree of negative returns

Airway epithelium respiratory illnesses and allergy (AERIAL) birth cohort: Study protocol

Introduction: Recurrent wheezing disorders including asthma are complex and heterogeneous diseases that affect up to 30% of all children, contributing to a major burden on children, their families, and global healthcare systems. It is now recognized that a dysfunctional airway epithelium plays a central role in the pathogenesis of recurrent wheeze, although the underlying mechanisms are still not fully understood. This prospective birth cohort aims to bridge this knowledge gap by investigating the influence of intrinsic epithelial dysfunction on the risk for developing respiratory disorders and the modulation of this risk by maternal morbidities, in utero exposures, and respiratory exposures in the first year of life. Methods: The Airway Epithelium Respiratory Illnesses and Allergy (AERIAL) study is nested within the ORIGINS Project and will monitor 400 infants from birth to 5 years. The primary outcome of the AERIAL study will be the identification of epithelial endotypes and exposure variables that influence the development of recurrent wheezing, asthma, and allergic sensitisation. Nasal respiratory epithelium at birth to 6 weeks, 1, 3, and 5 years will be analysed by bulk RNA-seq and DNA methylation sequencing. Maternal morbidities and in utero exposures will be identified on maternal history and their effects measured through transcriptomic and epigenetic analyses of the amnion and newborn epithelium. Exposures within the first year of life will be identified based on infant medical history as well as on background and symptomatic nasal sampling for viral PCR and microbiome analysis. Daily temperatures and symptoms recorded in a study-specific Smartphone App will be used to identify symptomatic respiratory illnesses. Discussion: The AERIAL study will provide a comprehensive longitudinal assessment of factors influencing the association between epithelial dysfunction and respiratory morbidity in early life, and hopefully identify novel targets for diagnosis and early intervention

Primary microgliopathy presenting as degenerative dementias: A case series of novel gene mutations from India

Introduction Microglia exert a crucial role in homeostasis of white matter integrity and several studies highlight the role of microglial dysfunctions in neurodegeneration. Primary microgliopathy are disorders where the pathogenic abnormality of the microglia causes white matter disorder and leads to a neuropsychiatric diseases. Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells (TREM2), TYRO protein tyrosine kinase binding protein (TYROBP), Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) are genes implicated in primary microgliopathy. Clinical manifestations of primary microgliopathy are myriad ranging from neuropsychiatric syndrome, motor disability, gait dysfunction, ataxia, pure dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer dementia and so on. It becomes imperative to establish diagnosis of microgliopathy masquerading as degenerative dementia, especially with promising therapies on horizon for the same. We aim to describe a case series of subjects with dementia harboring novel genes of primary microgliopathy, along with their clinical, neuropsychological, and cognitive profile and radiological patterns. Methods: The prospective study was conducted in a university referral hospital in South India, as a part of an ongoing clinic-genetic research on Dementia subjects and was approved by the institutional ethics committee. All patients underwent detailed assessment including socio demographic profile, clinical and cognitive assessment, pedigree analysis and comprehensive neurological examination. Subjects consenting for blood sampling underwent genetic testing by Whole exome sequencing (WES). Results: 100 patients of dementia underwent genetic analysis using whole exome sequencing and three pathogenic variants, one each of TREM2, TYROBP and CSF1R and two variants of uncertain significance in CSF1R were identified as cause of primary microgliopathy .TREM 2 and TYROBP presented as frontotemporal syndrome whereas CSF1R presented as frontotemporal syndrome and Alzheimer dementia. Conclusion :WES has widened the spectrum of underlying neuropathology of degenerative dementias and diagnosing primary microglial dysfunction with emerging therapeutic options is of paramount importance. Cases of primary microgliopathy due to Novel mutations in TREM2, TYROBP and CSF1R with phenotype of degenerative dementia are being first time reported from Indian cohort. Our study enriches the spectrum of genetic variants implicated in degenerative dementia, and provides the basis for exploring complex molecular mechanisms like microglial dysfunction, as underlying cause for neurodegeneration

Hand2 delineates mesothelium progenitors and is reactivated in mesothelioma.

The mesothelium lines body cavities and surrounds internal organs, widely contributing to homeostasis and regeneration. Mesothelium disruptions cause visceral anomalies and mesothelioma tumors. Nonetheless, the embryonic emergence of mesothelia remains incompletely understood. Here, we track mesothelial origins in the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) using zebrafish. Single-cell transcriptomics uncovers a post-gastrulation gene expression signature centered on hand2 in distinct LPM progenitor cells. We map mesothelial progenitors to lateral-most, hand2-expressing LPM and confirm conservation in mouse. Time-lapse imaging of zebrafish hand2 reporter embryos captures mesothelium formation including pericardium, visceral, and parietal peritoneum. We find primordial germ cells migrate with the forming mesothelium as ventral migration boundary. Functionally, hand2 loss disrupts mesothelium formation with reduced progenitor cells and perturbed migration. In mouse and human mesothelioma, we document expression of LPM-associated transcription factors including Hand2, suggesting re-initiation of a developmental program. Our data connects mesothelium development to Hand2, expanding our understanding of mesothelial pathologies

Hand2 delineates mesothelium progenitors and is reactivated in mesothelioma

The mesothelium lines body cavities and surrounds internal organs, widely contributing to homeostasis and regeneration. Mesothelium disruptions cause visceral anomalies and mesothelioma tumors. Nonetheless, the embryonic emergence of mesothelia remains incompletely understood. Here, we track mesothelial origins in the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM) using zebrafish. Single-cell transcriptomics uncovers a post-gastrulation gene expression signature centered on hand2 in distinct LPM progenitor cells. We map mesothelial progenitors to lateral-most, hand2-expressing LPM and confirm conservation in mouse. Time-lapse imaging of zebrafish hand2 reporter embryos captures mesothelium formation including pericardium, visceral, and parietal peritoneum. We find primordial germ cells migrate with the forming mesothelium as ventral migration boundary. Functionally, hand2 loss disrupts mesothelium formation with reduced progenitor cells and perturbed migration. In mouse and human mesothelioma, we document expression of LPM-associated transcription factors including Hand2, suggesting re-initiation of a developmental program. Our data connects mesothelium development to Hand2, expanding our understanding of mesothelial pathologies