Teamwork and organizational innovation: the moderating role of the HRM context

Evidence is accumulating on the role of teams in shaping a variety of business outcomes, but our knowledge on the effect of teamwork on organizational innovation is still evolving. This study examines whether the extent to which two staff groups are organized in teams (production staff and management/administrative staff) affects organizational innovation and whether human resource management (HRM) systems, which can be of facilitating or con- straining nature, enhance the teamwork/innovation relationships. Hypotheses were tested with lagged and longitudinal data derived from 18 to 45 organizations from the UK manufacturing sector. Results suggest that the more widespread the use of teamwork in organizations, the higher the level of organizational innovation. Furthermore, this effect depends, particularly for production teams, on the overall quality of the HRM systems that exist in their organizations. Teamwork/innovation relationships are further moderated (for management and administrative teams) by an HRM practice that provides teams with time for thoughtful reflection. Thus, HRM systems can be of more or less facilitating or constraining nature for teams in organizations

An Evaluation of Non-Stochastic Lattice Structures Fabricated Via Electron Beam Melting

Metal foam structures have many applications and can be used as structural supports, heat exchangers, shock absorbers, and implant materials. Stochastic metal foams having different cell sizes and densities have been commercially available for a number of years. This paper addresses a different type of foams which are known as non-stochastic foams, or lattice structures. These foams have a well defined repeating unit cell structure rather than the random cell structure in commercially available stochastic foams. The paper reports on preliminary research on the fabrication of non-stochastic Ti-6Al-4V alloy foams using the Electron Beam Melting process. Behavior of the structures in compression, bending, and low cycle repeating load tests are discussed, and recommendations about cell geometry and processing conditions are made.Mechanical Engineerin

Propagation of Exchange Bias in CoFe/FeMn/CoFe Trilayers

CoFe/FeMn, FeMn/CoFe bilayers and CoFe/FeMn/CoFe trilayers were grown in magnetic field and at room temperature. The exchange bias field $H_{eb}$ depends strongly on the order of depositions and is much higher at CoFe/FeMn than at FeMn/CoFe interfaces. By combining the two bilayer structures into symmetric CoFe/FeMn($t_\mathrm{FeMn}$)/CoFe trilayers, $H_{eb}^t$ and $H_{eb}^b$ of the top and bottom CoFe layers, respectively, are both enhanced. Reducing $t_\mathrm{FeMn}$ of the trilayers also results in enhancements of both $H_{eb}^b$ and $H_{eb}^t$. These results evidence the propagation of exchange bias between the two CoFe/FeMn and FeMn/CoFe interfaces mediated by the FeMn antiferromagnetic order

Intersection Graph of a Module

Let $V$ be a left $R$-module where $R$ is a (not necessarily commutative) ring with unit. The intersection graph \cG(V) of proper $R$-submodules of $V$ is an undirected graph without loops and multiple edges defined as follows: the vertex set is the set of all proper $R$-submodules of $V,$ and there is an edge between two distinct vertices $U$ and $W$ if and only if $U\cap W\neq 0.$ We study these graphs to relate the combinatorial properties of \cG(V) to the algebraic properties of the $R$-module $V.$ We study connectedness, domination, finiteness, coloring, and planarity for \cG (V). For instance, we find the domination number of \cG (V). We also find the chromatic number of \cG(V) in some cases. Furthermore, we study cycles in \cG(V), and complete subgraphs in \cG (V) determining the structure of $V$ for which \cG(V) is planar

Exploring digital corporate social responsibility communications on Twitter

Many brands utilize social media to communicate with consumers, but are they taking advantage of these media’s potential for co-creation? We explore this in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) context where online CSR dialogs form as brands interact with consumers using social media. Study 1 examines eight brands’ CSR communication on Twitter and suggests these dialogs are present, but are rarely part of the process with most interactions between their consumers. Study 2 assesses the brands’ CSR relevant tweets’ content and finds that most are not relevant to CSR and, moreover, are predominantly one-way. Therefore, both studies reveal that brands are not tapping into the potential for co-creation that is inherent in social media. Thus, we recommend that social media messages should be engaging to the minimum extent that they include (a) mentions of individual consumers, (b) audience specific and relevant message content, and (c) opportunities for consumers to co-create value with the relevant brands

Furniture manufacturing and marketing: Eight strategic issues for the 21st century

“Take change by the hand, or it will take you by the throat.” Attributed to Winston Churchill, this brief sentence emphasizes the need to understand and embrace change in general. What important “changes” will impact furniture production and marketing in the 21st century? And what can furniture manufacturers and marketers do to “take change by the hand” today and in the future

Unangan past and present: the contrasts between observed and inferred histories

Journal ArticleAbstract Academic research focusing on the population and culture history of the Aleut (Unangan) people began in the late 19th century and continues to the present. The papers in this special issue of Human Biology summarize the latest results from archaeological, linguistic, genetic, and morphometric research approaches that bear on our current understanding of Unangan history and prehistory. Although these new analyses have provided a level of description and resolution previously unattainable, explanatory models and mechanisms for the patterned variation observed over time in the biological and cultural record of the Aleutian region remains elusive. Bringing the diverse data sets into concordance to represent an integrated synthesis of Aleut population and culture history and of Unangan origins and their relationships with other groups in the region remains a goal for future investigators

Little Groups of Preon Branes

Little groups for preon branes (i.e. configurations of branes with maximal (n-1)/n fraction of survived supersymmetry) for dimensions d=2,3,...,11 are calculated for all massless, and partially for massive orbits. For massless orbits little groups are semidirect product of d-2 translational group $T_{d-2}$ on a subgroup of (SO(d-2) $\times$ R-invariance) group. E.g. at d=9 the subgroup is exceptional $G_2$ group. It is also argued, that 11d Majorana spinor invariants, which distinguish orbits, are actually invariant under d=2+10 Lorentz group. Possible applications of these results include construction of field theories in generalized space-times with brane charges coordinates, different problems of group's representations decompositions, spin-statistics issues.Comment: LaTeX, 11 page

Growth rates for subclasses of Av(321)

Pattern classes which avoid 321 and other patterns are shown to have the same growth rates as similar (but strictly larger) classes obtained by adding articulation points to any or all of the other patterns. The method of proof is to show that the elements of the latter classes can be represented as bounded merges of elements of the original class, and that the bounded merge construction does not change growth rates