Negative Specific Heat of a Magnetically Self-Confined Plasma Torus

It is shown that the thermodynamic maximum entropy principle predicts negative specific heat for a stationary magnetically self-confined current-carrying plasma torus. Implications for the magnetic self-confinement of fusion plasma are considered.Comment: 10p., LaTeX, 2 eps figure file

The performance implications of knowledge management and strategic alignment of MNC subsidiaries

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to investigate antecedents and results of strategic choices of multinational corporation (MNC) subsidiaries in Croatia economy. Hence, the authors examined knowledge management and its association with performance. Additionally, they explored which of the strategies will be most likely chosen by subsidiaries in transitional economies that are characterized by market volatility and uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from a survey of 131 MNC subsidiaries operating in Croatia. To test the theoretical correlation between knowledge management capabilities and strategic orientation, the authors used the ANCOVA method and controlled for industry, years in international business and firm size. Findings: The results pointed out the recognized necessities for a specific alignment between environment, strategy and knowledge management capabilities. The findings also suggest that there is a positive relationship between knowledge management and performance. Research limitations/implications: As with most of the research, this paper has limitations. First, all data were collected using self-report surveys raising the possibility of response set biases. Additionally, all data were collected at one point in one country specifically in Croatia. Practical implications: Clearly, there is substantial interaction between the MNC subsidiary’s environment and the MNC subsidiary’s strategic orientation. Most notably, the environment studied here was at the competitive and consumer market level. Firms need to develop a strategic plan for knowledge management based upon the local environmental influences. Social implications: Other firms from Central and Eastern European and developed countries may compare their own environment, strategy and knowledge management practices in MNCs with findings from Croatia to be aware of similarities and market differences. Originality/value: The strategic employment of knowledge acquisition, conversion and application are examined across firms using the Prospector, Analyzer, Defender and Reactor strategic orientations

Globalisation and the Inward Flow of Immigrants: Issues Associated with the Inpatriation of Global Managers

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Assembling a diverse global workforce is becoming a critical dimension in gaining successful global performance. In the past, staffing has focused on control of the multinational organization as the primary goal when staffing overseas positions. As organizations globalize their operations, the goal of staffing is shifting from control to diversity, which in turn will provide the global organization with a means to gain/maintain competitive advantage. This diversity will be accomplished by integrating foreigners into the home country organization (i.e., inpatriation) through a permanent assignment. This article examines the inward flow of inpatriate managers by using social learning theory as a lens to better understand the means to integrate foreign managers into the domestic organization culture. The stages that inpatriate managers will go through (i.e., survival, integration, acculturation, and pluralistic integration) are explored to ascertain how to effectively utilize these global managers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Evolving Role of Supply Chain Managers in global Channels of Distribution and Logistics Systems

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Purpose – Supply chains have become a strategic strength to many firms due to the nature of the globalization of business. The past roles of supply chain managers have changed dramatically and now also include various new duties that will enhance firm competitiveness due to their boundary spanning nature and the new focus of learning organizations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This was a theoretically developed paper exploring trust, learning organizations, and supply chains. Findings – Researchers are now focussing on the relationship among the supply chain network through the paradigm of relational marketing as the governance structures of contractual arrangements globally cannot be anticipated. Originality/value – The research through the lens of relational marketing explores how supply chain managers’ core duties are now compounded by global/cultural nuances in respect to implicit knowledge acquisition and relationship development through strong-form trust

Corporate social responsibility: Why bother?

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not a new concept, but unfortunately has been defined in so many ways, it is often misinterpreted. In fact it has had 40 years to evolve from a somewhat infant concept to a successful managerial tool to build a company's reputation in the global market arena. Corporate social responsibility has become corporate strategic responsibility - an imperative element of corporate global business strategies. Many leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, executives and politicians now recognize CSR's potential for differentiation and positioning in the global marketplace. In the 21st century, we find CSR to have a remarkable acceptance among practicing managers; publicly traded corporations especially label CSR an essential tool for their long-term legitimacy and profitability. CSR has matured from its infancy, becoming a corporate reputational adding value strategy for firms

Mapping the future of cross-border mergers and acquisitions: a review and research agenda

Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (MandA) are considered one of the main strategies employed by firms to maintain a competitive edge and compete in the high-velocity global industry. This research field holds great promise as many facets are underexplored. Taking into consideration the growing interdisciplinary interest in MandA research, in this article, we performed content analysis in combination with the statistical procedure homogeneity analysis by means of alternating least squares (HOMALS) on 933 articles gathered from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The quantitative analysis of the intellectual structure of cross-border MandA field yielded the six topics of interest for future research: acquisition versus strategic alliance or joint venture, partial purchase, the outbound acquisitions from emerging-market firms, micro-multinationals, the human side of cross-border acquisitions that tie in with the upper echelons research and knowledge management and transfer, in specific, tacit knowledge

Acculturation and overseas assignments: A review and research agenda

This review analyzes two streams of literature that are exploring a similar phenomenon from separate perspectives and only recently have they began to overlap; that of migrant acculturation (from the psychology, sociology and anthropology research) and international assignee adjustment (from the international business research stream). We conducted a multiple correspondence analysis on a sample of 389 articles to provide the intellectual structure of the research in these fields. Our research indicates that: 1) the standard 2x2 matrix of acculturation is insufficient; 2) most past research focuses on USA to other countries and vice versa, suggesting there is much work left to explore other pairs of cultures ("there and back again" is not the same globally); 3) as global organizations are dominating the marketplace with many various staffing forms, variables such as corporate culture and management interaction will need to be incorporated; 4) research needs to include dynamics over time as many individuals who have worked outside of their home country often become multi-cultural with a global mindset and the typical acculturation framework is insufficient; 5) past acculturation research focuses on the work or the sociocultural context separately, while both need to be included; 6) and the extended family (parents, relatives, close friends, etc.) need to be considered

Optical spin pumping of modulation doped electrons probed by a two-color Kerr rotation technique

We report on optical spin pumping of modulation electrons in CdTe-based quantum wells with low intrinsic electron density (by 10^10 cm^{-2}). Under continuous wave excitation, we reach a steady state accumulated spin density of about 10^8 cm^{-2}. Using a two-color Hanle-MOKE technique, we find a spin relaxation time of 34 ns for the localized electrons in the nearly unperturbed electron gas. Independent variation of the pump and probe energies demonstrates the presence of additional non-localized electrons in the quantum well, whose spin relaxation time is substantially shorter

Quantum-dot-based optical polarization conversion

We report circular-to-linear and linear-to-circular conversion of optical polarization by semiconductor quantum dots. The polarization conversion occurs under continuous wave excitation in absence of any magnetic field. The effect originates from quantum interference of linearly and circularly polarized photon states, induced by the natural anisotropic shape of the self assembled dots. The behavior can be qualitatively explained in terms of a pseudospin formalism.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; a reference adde