Interdependence: An Alternative Conceptualization

Conceptualizations of interdependence offered by Thompson (1967) and McCann and Ferry (1979) fail to satisfy basic requirements for empirical or practical investigations of complex organizations. An alternative conceptualization based on interdependence theory (Kelley & Thibaut, 1978; Thibaut & Kelley, 1959) is presented here and used to explain the causes of interunit conflict and the effective- ness of coordination strategy. Hypotheses are presented, and future research is proposed

Density And Strength Of Ties In Innovation Networks: A Competence And Governance View

This article studies density and strength of ties in innovation networks. It combines issues of ‘competence’ with issues of ‘governance’. It argues that in networks for exploration there are good reasons, counter to the thesis of the ‘strength of weak ties’, for a dense structure of ties that are strong in most dimensions. In exploitation, there are good reasons for structures that are non-dense, with ties that are strong in other dimensions than in networks for exploration. Evidence is presented from two longitudinal empirical studies of the emergence and development of networks in the multimedia and pharmaceutical biotechnology industries

BOARD COMPOSITION AND THE COMMISSION OF ILLEGAL ACTS: AN INVESTIGATION OF FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES

Corporate boardroom processes and board composition have long been topics of interest and debate for both organizational researchers and practitioners. In recent years, however, criticism of corporate boards has increased dramatically, as evidences by the comments of former International Telephone & Telegraph chairman, Harold Geneen. According to Geneen, the boards of directors of U.S. industry include numerous first-rate people doing what amounts to a second-rate job (1984: 258). In defense of his position, he brought up many points, but board composition is the most central to his argument. Essentially, Geneen and other critics have argued that the designs of corporate boards restrict their members; independence and render them ineffective when it comes to monitoring top management and protecting stockholders\u27 interests (Anshen, 1980; Drucker, 1973; Mace, 1971; Mintzberg, 1983)

THE POST-FORDIST TRANSFORMATION: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

A new family of organizational forms, collectively labeled post-For(list, is steadily emerging in response to a perceived decline in the dominance of mass production and a rapidly changing competitive environment (Boynton and Victor 1991, 1992). These new forms have been variously labeled flexible specialization, mass customization, Toyotism, dynamic stability, and learn manufacturing. Understanding the rise of post-Fordism and the fundamental changes it necessitates, particularly in the use of information technology, is essential to cuirent IT theory and research (Allen and Boynton 1991; Pine 1992). This research combines qualitative field research with analysis of survey-based longitudinal data to better understand the role of IT in the post-Fordist transformation. This paper will discuss this research in process. Understanding the post-Fordist revolution requires first recognizing the challenge to the mass-production model. Fordist mass production was based on sustaining productivity growth by means of economies of scale and an increasingly elaborate division of labor (Piore and Sabel 1984). This foundation is now challenged by both market change and technological innovation. The large undifferentiated markets of the past centuty are increasingly saturated and fragmenting (Pine 1992). In addition, technological innovations are fueling the search for more flexible production processes. The market and technological changes are, in turn creating new strategic principles requiring simultaneously efficiency and flexibility (Boynton and Victor 1991, 1992). Fordist mass production can neither capitalize on the new strategic options nor compete with forms that do so (Womack, Jones and Roos 1990). Information technology is central to the recent rise of flexible technology, including modular and rapid-development software tools, numerically controlled machine tools, robots, flexible information and database storage and retrieval systems, EDI, and computer automated manufacturing (Pine 1992). Information technology is also a central factor in the emergence of the post-Fordist forms themselves, enabling globally networked organizations, powerful and flexible financial control systems, increasingly decentralized production and service delivery, and new kinds of organizational learning (Nonaka 1983; Boynton and Victor 1992). We are employing two research approaches to study the role of information technology in the emergence of post-Fordist forms: first, a qualitative approach based on intense field-based research and, second, analysis of longitudinal data based on survey research. We are currently conducting field based research with a number of firms, including Citibank, Coming Inc., Asea Brown Bovari, Bally Engineering, Westpac, and Lutron Electronics. To date, our investigations indicate several key requirements in the transformation to post-Fordist form: (1) the decoupling of IT asset investments from short-term product needs in order to build general-purpose process capabilities to match changes in service requirements; (2) the combining of firm-wide knowledge into a general purpose IT architecture in order to increase the speed product introduction rates; and (3) the influence of market as a precursor of post-Fordist pressures for increased product flexibility. We are also using a large scale survey methodology to explore the extent of the post-Fordist transition across industries and the level of IT investment employed to support this transition. Our large-scale survey data comes from the Profit Impact of Marketing Strategy (PIMS) project. Fifteen consecutive years of data have been organized. The analysis will utilize MANCOVA on a year-by-year basis to assess the existence and relative performance of combination (post-Fordist) strategies compared to firms pursuing low-cost or differentiation (FordisO strategies. Early findings indicate that trends toward combination low-cost, differentiated strategies are increasing by industry. The extent of IT investment that coincides with transformation to post-Fordist strategy is part of the next phase of data analysis within the PLMS database

Determination of the magnetic penetration depth in a superconducting Pb film

peer reviewedBy means of scanning Hall probe microscopy technique we accurately map the magnetic field pattern produced by Meissner screening currents in a thin superconducting Pb stripe. The obtained field profile allows us to quantitatively estimate the Pearl length Λ without the need of pre-calibrating the Hall sensor. This fact contrasts with the information acquired through the spatial field dependence of an individual flux quantum where the scanning height and the magnetic penetration depth combine in a single inseparable parameter. The derived London penetration depth λL coincides with the values previously reported for bulk Pb once the kinetic suppression of the order parameter is properly taken into account

Efficient single nucleotide polymorphism discovery in laboratory rat strains using wild rat-derived SNP candidates

BACKGROUND: The laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus) is an important model for studying many aspects of human health and disease. Detailed knowledge on genetic variation between strains is important from a biomedical, particularly pharmacogenetic point of view and useful for marker selection for genetic cloning and association studies. RESULTS: We show that Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in commonly used rat strains are surprisingly well represented in wild rat isolates. Shotgun sequencing of 814 Kbp in one wild rat resulted in the identification of 485 SNPs as compared with the Brown Norway genome sequence. Genotyping 36 commonly used inbred rat strains showed that 84% of these alleles are also polymorphic in a representative set of laboratory rat strains. CONCLUSION: We postulate that shotgun sequencing in a wild rat sample and subsequent genotyping in multiple laboratory or domesticated strains rather than direct shotgun sequencing of multiple strains, could be the most efficient SNP discovery approach. For the rat, laboratory strains still harbor a large portion of the haplotypes present in wild isolates, suggesting a relatively recent common origin and supporting the idea that rat inbred strains, in contrast to mouse inbred strains, originate from a single species, R. norvegicus

Safety and pharmacokinetics of MM-302, a HER2-targeted antibody–liposomal doxorubicin conjugate, in patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer: A phase 1 dose-escalation study

BackgroundThis phase 1 dose-escalation trial studied MM-302, a novel HER2-targeted PEGylated antibody-liposomal doxorubicin conjugate, in HER2-positive locally advanced/metastatic breast cancer.MethodsPatients were enrolled in four cohorts: MM-302 monotherapy (8, 16, 30, 40, and 50 mg/m2 every 4 weeks [q4w]); MM-302 (30 or 40 mg/m2 q4w) plus trastuzumab (4 mg/kg q2w); MM-302 (30 mg/m2) plus trastuzumab (6 mg/kg) q3w; MM-302 (30 mg/m2) plus trastuzumab (6 mg/kg) and cyclophosphamide (450 mg/m2) q3w.ResultsSixty-nine patients were treated. The most common adverse events (AEs) were fatigue and nausea. Grade 3/4 AEs of special interest included neutropenia, fatigue, mucosal inflammation, anemia, thrombocytopenia, febrile neutropenia, and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia. The MTD was not reached. With MM-302 ≥ 30 mg/m2, overall response rate (ORR) was 13% and median progression-free survival (mPFS) 7.4 months (95% CI: 3·5-10·9) in all arms. In 25 anthracycline-naïve patients, ORR was 28·0% and mPFS 10·9 months (95% CI: 1·8-15·3). Imaging with 64Cu-labeled MM-302 visualized tumor-drug penetrance in tumors throughout the body, including the brain.ConclusionMM-302 monotherapy, in combination with trastuzumab, or trastuzumab plus cyclophosphamide, was well tolerated and showed promising efficacy. The selected phase 2 MM-302 dose was 30 mg/m2 plus 6 mg/kg trastuzumab q3w