A Preliminary Model of Abusive Behavior in Organizations

Matthew Valle, Ph.D., is chair of the Department of Business Administration, Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, Elon University, Elon, North Carolina, 27244

The New Reality: Holding On and Letting Go

make the case for a strategic imperative (innovation) which demands that organizations simultaneously exploit current capabilities (“hold on”) and explore future possibilities (“let go”). We present a model for executive development that emphasizes the unique roles and contributions of traditional business education and executive education providers in developing the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue this ambidextrous adaptive strategy. Our model describes the unique perspective and limitations of both education providers and details how each contributes to building leadership capacities for exploitation and the necessary personal and organizational capabilities for exploration. The increasingly dynamic and competitive global environment (Barreto, 2010) has been described as the new reality for anyone engaged in business operations today. Given this new reality, some firms will choose to stick with their existing business, to “hold on” to what they do well by focusing on current products and the incremental improvement of internal efficiencies. Others will “let go” by exploring new opportunities and becoming more adaptive to changes in their competitive environment (Raisch & Birkinshaw, 2008). Managers facing the new reality of hypercompetition (D’Aveni, 1994; Wiggins & Ruefli, 2005) often frame the choices available as an “either-or” proposition – either they can stick with the business as they know it or they can explore new alternatives and new business directions (Gupta, Smith & Shalley, 2006; Levinthal & March, 1993; March, 1991; Raisch & Birkinshaw, 2008; Wang & Li, 2008). This false dichotomy of choices, however, may needlessly limit competitive options and ultimately impact firm survival

Balancing Exploration and Exploitation in a Declining Industry: Antecedents to Firm Adaptation Strategy and Performance

This paper utilizes the theoretical framework of Raisch and Birkinshaw (2008: 381) to investigate the performance implications of three strategic adaptation approaches (exploitation, exploration, and organizational ambidexterity) in 94 small firms supplying tools and materials to the U.S. - based furniture industry. We measured four organizational antecedents to strategic adaptation as well as the performance outcomes associated with adaptation choice. Results demonstrate that organizational deftness, group potency, elements of communication and cooperation within the firm, and low centralization were significantly related to organizational ambidexterity, and that ambidexterity was positively related to revenue and profit growth. The implications focus on steps that organizational leaders can take to improve the ambidextrous posture of their organizations

Targeted Instruction for Executive Education: Blending instructor-Centered and Participant-Centered Approaches for Maximum Impact

This paper addresses the imperative to assess executive education participant knowledge and skill/experience levels prior to program development so that programs better meet participant needs. As such, we provide a typology of participant types and develop strategies for providing an appropriate blend of instructor-centered and participant-centered course material to executive education participants. Our purpose is to present a blended view of executive education that allows for targeted knowledge and skill development for executive education participants within different learning environments and using different tools and methods of instruction

COVID-19 Flow-Maps an open geographic information system on COVID-19 and human mobility for Spain

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has spread all over the world leading to a global pandemic. The fast progression of COVID-19 has been mainly related to the high contagion rate of the virus and the worldwide mobility of humans. In the absence of pharmacological therapies, governments from different countries have introduced several non-pharmaceutical interventions to reduce human mobility and social contact. Several studies based on Anonymized Mobile Phone Data have been published analysing the relationship between human mobility and the spread of coronavirus. However, to our knowledge, none of these data-sets integrates cross-referenced geo-localised data on human mobility and COVID-19 cases into one all-inclusive open resource. Herein we present COVID-19 Flow-Maps, a cross-referenced Geographic Information System that integrates regularly updated time-series accounting for population mobility and daily reports of COVID-19 cases in Spain at different scales of time spatial resolution. This integrated and up-to-date data-set can be used to analyse the human dynamics to guide and support the design of more effective non-pharmaceutical interventions.This work was supported by the Generalitat de Catalunya through the project PDAD14/20/00001, and by the H2020 programme under Grant Agreement 825070 (INFORE) and the INB Grant (PT17/0009/0001 - ISCIII-SGEFI/ERDF).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Does one bout of high intensity resistance training change circulatory levels of Irisin?

The recently novel identified myokine, irisin, has gained attention as a way to increase energy expenditure by enhancing metabolic function. Exercise and active lifestyle increase the synthesis of contraction-regulated myokines that have direct effect on cells metabolism. PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of one bout of high intensity exercise on circulatory levels of irisin in healthy young adults. METHODS: A total of 24 participants (age 21.3 ± 2.1 years, body mass index [BMI] 22.12 ± 1 kg/m2, lean body mass [LBM] 46 ± 10.1 kg, and relative body fat [%BF] 25.9 ± 9.9) were recruited. Subjects were blocked by sex, BMI, LBM, and %BF content and randomized to either control (n=13) or intervention (n=11). Physical Fitness was assessed by means of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), strength tests (Bench press and Leg press one repetition maximum [1RM]), and cardiopulmonary maximal stress test. Blood samples were collected to assess irisin at baseline, during (45 minutes), and post-intervention. RESULTS: Irisin (ul/ml) levels for control and intervention groups were 6.1 ± 1.7 and 5.77 ± 0.9 at baseline, 5.6 ± 1.3 and 6.03 ± 1 at 45-min, and 6.3 ± 1.9 and 5.8 ± 1.1 at post respectively. Interaction effect (time x intervention) was close to statistical significance (F[2,44]=3.106, p=0.055), and time (F[2,44]=0.837, p=0.440) and intervention (F[1,22]=0.091, p=0.766) factors were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to heterogeneous research findings, the lack of changes on serum concentrations of irisin after intervention shown in this study adds controversial results to the literature. Furthermore, values obtained on irisin concentrations in the control group resulted in more questions rather than answers. We hypothesize that, if irisin is an exercise-induced hormone, other confounding variables such as room temperature, or body temperature might be critical factors to control for future studies

Comparative microarray analysis of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus expression profiles of larvae pre-attachment and feeding adult female stages on Bos indicus and Bos taurus cattle

Background: Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is an obligate blood feeder which is host specific to cattle. Existing knowledge pertaining to the host or host breed effects on tick transcript expression profiles during the tick - host interaction is poor. Results: Global analysis of gene expression changes in whole R. microplus ticks during larval, pre-attachment and early adult stages feeding on Bos indicus and Bos taurus cattle were compared using gene expression microarray analysis. Among the 13,601 R. microplus transcripts from BmiGI Version 2 we identified 297 high and 17 low expressed transcripts that were significantly differentially expressed between R. microplus feeding on tick resistant cattle [Bos indicus (Brahman)] compared to R. microplus feeding on tick susceptible cattle [Bos taurus (Holstein-Friesian)] (p <= 0.001). These include genes encoding enzymes involved in primary metabolism, and genes related to stress, defence, cell wall modification, cellular signaling, receptor, and cuticle formation. Microarrays were validated by qRT-PCR analysis of selected transcripts using three housekeeping genes as normalization controls. Conclusion: The analysis of all tick stages under survey suggested a coordinated regulation of defence proteins, proteases and protease inhibitors to achieve successful attachment and survival of R. microplus on different host breeds, particularly Bos indicus cattle. R. microplus ticks demonstrate different transcript expression patterns when they encounter tick resistant and susceptible breeds of cattle. In this study we provide the first transcriptome evidence demonstrating the influence of tick resistant and susceptible cattle breeds on transcript expression patterns and the molecular physiology of ticks during host attachment and feeding

Spatial variation and antecedent sea surface temperature conditions influence Hawaiian intertidal community structure

Global sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are increasing, and in Hawaiʻi, rates of ocean warming are projected to double by the end of the 21st century. However, current nearshore warming trends and their possible impacts on intertidal communities are not well understood. This study represents the first investigation into the possible effects of rising SST on intertidal algal and invertebrate communities across the Main Hawaiian Islands (MHI). By utilizing citizen-science data coupled with high-resolution, daily SST satellite measurements from 12 intertidal sites across the MHI from 2004–2019, the response of intertidal algal and invertebrate abundance and community diversity to changes in SST was investigated across multiple spatial scales. Results show high rates of SST warming (0.40°C Decade-1) over this study’s timeframe, similar to predicted rates of warming for Hawaiʻi by the end of the 21st century. Changes in abundance and diversity in response to SST were variable among intertidal sites, but differences in antecedent SST among intertidal sites were significantly associated with community dissimilarity. In addition, a statistically significant positive relationship was found between SST and Simpson’s diversity index, and a significant relationship was also found between SST and the abundance of six dominant taxa. For five of these six dominant taxa, antecedent SSTs over the 6–12 months preceding sampling were the most influential for describing changes to abundance. The increase in community diversity in response to higher SSTs was best explained by temperatures in the 10 months preceding sampling, and the resultant decreased abundance of dominant turf algae. These results highlight rapidly warming nearshore SSTs in Hawaiʻi and the longer-term effects of antecedent SSTs as significant drivers of change within Hawaiian intertidal communities. Therefore, we suggest that future research and management should consider the possibility of lagging effects of antecedent SST on intertidal communities in Hawaiʻi and elsewhere

Determination of an optimal response cut-off able to predict progression-free survival in patients with well-differentiated advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours treated with sunitinib: an alternative to the current RECIST-defined response.

BACKGROUND: Sunitinib prolongs progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pNET). Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST)-defined partial responses (PR; classically defined as ⩾30% size decrease from baseline) are infrequent. METHODS: Individual data of pNET patients from the phase II [NCT00056693] and pivotal phase III [NCT00428597] trials of sunitinib were analysed in this investigator-initiated, post hoc study. The primary objective was to determine the optimal RECIST (v.1.0) response cut-off value to identify patients who were progression-free at 11 months (median PFS in phase III trial); and the most informative time-point (highest area under the curve (AUC) by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and logistic regression) for prediction of benefit (PFS) from sunitinib. RESULTS: Data for 237 patients (85 placebo; 152 sunitinib (n=66.50 mg \u274-weeks on/2-weeks off\u27 schedule; n=86 \u2737.5 mg continuous daily dosing (CDD)\u27)) and 788 scans were analysed. The median PFS for sunitinib and placebo were 9.3 months (95% CI 7.6-12.2) and 5.4 months (95% CI 3.5-6.01), respectively (hazard ratio (HR) 0.43 (95% CI 0.29-0.62); P CONCLUSIONS: A 10% reduction within marker lesions identifies pNET patients benefiting from sunitinib treatment with implications for maintenance of dose intensity and future trial design