Product launch performance in hi-tech SMEs: newness to the firm and the role of management controls

We investigate the impact of management control mechanisms on the success of new product launches in high-technology small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We argue that internal management controls will alleviate problems associated with product newness. Using survey data from 76 SMEs we find newness to the firm to be negatively related to product launch success, while the use of informal and formal controls have positive effects. Furthermore, informal controls within the SME moderate the negative relationship between newness and launch success. The results add to the debate on the impact of control mechanisms on innovative activities in SMEs

Turbidity, Waterfowl Herbivory, and Propagule Banks Shape Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in Ponds

The aquatic vegetation in nutrient-rich shallow lakes and ponds is structured by the interplay of multiple biotic and abiotic drivers. We tested the contribution of the macrophyte propagule bank and the delayed as well as direct impact of waterbirds on submerged aquatic vegetation in a peri-urban pond system. To clarify the functional hierarchy of predictor variables, effects of herbivorous waterfowl and propagule bank potential were ranked relative to environmental, phytoplankton, and zooplankton indicators. Two aspects of the aquatic vegetation – community composition and total pond-scale cover – were discriminated. Within vegetation communities, phytoplankton biovolume and waterfowl herbivory during summer were linked to low macrophyte abundance, whereas propagule density of angiosperms was positively associated with specific assemblages of submerged macrophytes. High algal biovolume and summer waterfowl grazing seemed to affect maximal pond-scale cover of submerged aquatic vegetation. The presence of waterfowl in cold and spring periods was unrelated to vegetation structure in the consecutive main growth season. In addition, availability of propagules in the sediment did not automatically prompt pond-wide vegetation cover (especially when overruled by high waterfowl densities), nor did it guarantee a position in the submerged macrophyte community. Nonetheless, propagule bank potential was related to the waterbody’s general ecological status, since turbid ponds exhibited impoverished propagule reserves compared to ponds residing in a clear, macrophyte-dominated state. Inadequate recruitment therefore represents a plausible bottleneck for macrophyte establishment. We conclude that phytoplankton-caused turbidity and high waterfowl biomass densities greatly restrict submerged macrophyte abundance. Propagule banks also participate in structuring submerged aquatic vegetation, though a stronger role is reserved for herbivorous waterfowl

Following the chain of command? How managers balance benefits and risks in granting autonomy to employees

We investigate how managers trade off the benefits of delegating authority to their employees with the risk of loss of control. Organizational economics theory identifies specific knowledge of subordinates and monitoring possibilities for the manager as determinants of delegation. Social learning theory predicts that when unit managers are themselves granted more authority, they will pass this on to their employees. This cascading of authority reduces the fear of loss of control associated with delegation. Using a survey among 215 unit managers in professional services firms, we find that managers delegate more authority to employees in their unit when those employees have more specific knowledge, when there are more exceptions in employee tasks, and when monitoring costs are lower. We also find support for the cascading effect: decentralization to the manager is positively related to autonomy granted to employees, while it moderates the effects of specific knowledge and monitoring costs

Report of a Pest Risk Analysis for Hydrocotyle ranunculoides

Hydrocotyle ranunculoides originates from the American continent and was introduced into the EPPO region as an ornamental plant for tropical aquaria and garden ponds, where it is still sold under its correct name, sometimes under other names (H. vulgaris, H. leucocephala, and H. natans which is a synonym of H. ranunculoides). The plant was first recorded as naturalised in the south-east of the UK in the 1980s (Newman, 2003). Naturalisation in the Netherlands and in Belgium was recorded in the last decade of the twentieth century (Baas & Duistermaat, 1999; Baas & Holverda, 1996; Krabben & Rotteveel, 2003; Verloove 2006, Invasive Species in Belgium Website). Deleterious impacts have been reported in these three countries. The species is also recorded in France, Ireland, Italy, Germany (see EPPO, 2009) but several EPPO countries are still free from H. ranunculoides and there are concerns that it may be able to enter and establish in further countries. This PRA assesses the risks of its further introduction into other EPPO countries and its current and predicted impact. An initial EPPO PRA was performed and approved in 2005. After the proposal of listing this species in the Directive 2000/29, the European Food Safety Authority reviewed the initial PRA and made some comments. The initial PRA is therefore revised in the view of the EFSA comments and of information having become available after the initial PRA (EFSA, 2007)

lessons: tupker\risselada:

This book is about the educational practice of two teachers of architecture, Max Risselada and Hans Tupker. They represent a new kind of teacher that came into being along with the wave of democracy that washed over the educational institutes in the late 60s and early 70s of the last century. Risselada’s and Tupker’s teaching is not the derivative of their architectural practice. On the contrary, they belong to the first generation of professional teachers. This new figure of the professional teacher is characterised on the one hand by an independent authority with regard to the professors and the governors, and on the other hand by the equal collaboration with students on organising and defining one’s own education

Contrasting Effects of Historical Sea Level Rise and Contemporary Ocean Currents on Regional Gene Flow of Rhizophora racemosa in Eastern Atlantic Mangroves

Mangroves are seafaring taxa through their hydrochorous propagules that have the potential to disperse over long distances. Therefore, investigating their patterns of gene flow provides insights on the processes involved in the spatial genetic structuring of populations. The coastline of Cameroon has a particular geomorphological history and coastal hydrology with complex contemporary patterns of ocean currents, which we hypothesize to have effects on the spatial configuration and composition of present-day mangroves within its spans. A total of 982 trees were sampled from 33 transects (11 sites) in 4 estuaries. Using 11 polymorphic SSR markers, we investigated genetic diversity and structure of Rhizophora racemosa, a widespread species in the region. Genetic diversity was low to moderate and genetic differentiation between nearly all population pairs was significant. Bayesian clustering analysis, PCoA, estimates of contemporary migration rates and identification of barriers to gene flow were used and complemented with estimated dispersal trajectories of hourly released virtual propagules, using high-resolution surface current from a mesoscale and tide-resolving ocean simulation. These indicate that the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL) is not a present-day barrier to gene flow. Rather, the Inter-Bioko-Cameroon (IBC) corridor, formed due to sea level rise, allows for connectivity between two mangrove areas that were isolated during glacial times by the CVL. Genetic data and numerical ocean simulations indicated that an oceanic convergence zone near the Cameroon Estuary complex (CEC) presents a strong barrier to gene flow, resulting in genetic discontinuities between the mangrove areas on either side. This convergence did not result in higher genetic diversity at the CEC as we had hypothesized. In conclusion, the genetic structure of Rhizophora racemosa is maintained by the contrasting effects of the contemporary oceanic convergence and historical climate change-induced sea level rise

MR-Linac Radiotherapy - The Beam Angle Selection Problem

BACKGROUND: With the large-scale introduction of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), selection of optimal beam angles for coplanar static-beam IMRT has increasingly become obsolete. Due to unavailability of VMAT in current MR-linacs, the problem has re-gained importance. An application for automated IMRT treatment planning with integrated, patient-specific computer-optimization of beam angles (BAO) was used to systematically investigate computer-aided generation of beam angle class solutions (CS) for replacement of computationally expensive patient-specific BAO. Rectal cancer was used as a model case. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 23 patients treated at a Unity MR-linac were included. BAO(x) plans (x=7-12 beams) were generated for all patients. Analyses of BAO(12) plans resulted in CS(x) class solutions. BAO(x) plans, CS(x) plans, and plans with equi-angular setups (EQUI(x), x=9-56) were mutually compared. RESULTS: For x>7, plan quality for CS(x) and BAO(x) was highly similar, while both were superior to EQUI(x). E.g. with CS(9), bowel/bladder D(mean) reduced by 22% [11%, 38%] compared to EQUI(9) (p<0.001). For equal plan quality, the number of EQUI beams had to be doubled compared to BAO and CS. CONCLUSIONS: Computer-generated beam angle CS could replace individualized BAO without loss in plan quality, while reducing planning complexity and calculation times, and resulting in a simpler clinical workflow. CS and BAO largely outperformed equi-angular treatment. With the developed CS, time consuming beam angle re-optimization in daily adaptive MR-linac treatment could be avoided. Further systematic research on computerized development of beam angle class solutions for MR-linac treatment planning is warranted