The Other Pathway To The Boardroom: Interpersonal Influence Behavior As A Substitute For Elite Credentials And Majority Status In Obtaining Board Appointments

Using survey data on interpersonal influence behavior from a large sample of managers and chief executive officers (CEOs) at Forbes 500 companies, we examine how ingratiatory behavior directed at individuals who control access to board positions can provide an alternative pathway to the boardroom for managers who lack the social and educational credentials associated with the power elite. Findings show that top managers who engage in ingratiatory behavior toward their CEO, with ingratiation comprising flattery, opinion conformity, and favor-rendering, will be more likely to receive board appointments at other firms where their CEO serves as director and at boards to which the CEO is indirectly connected in the board interlock network. Further results suggest that interpersonal influence behavior substitutes to some degree for the advantages of an elite background or demographic majority status. Our findings help explain why norms of director deference to CEOs have persisted despite increased diversity in the corporate elite and have implications for research on corporate governance, social networks in the corporate elite, and for the sociological question of whether demographic minorities and individuals who lack privileged backgrounds have equal access to positions of leadership in large U.S. companies. Our study ultimately suggests that such individuals face a rather subtle and perhaps unexpected form of social discrimination, in that they must engage in a higher level of interpersonal influence behavior in order to have the same chance of obtaining a board appointment.Managemen

Oriented calcite concretions in Upper Miocene carbonate rocks of Menorca, Spain : evidence for fluid flow through a heterogeneous porous system

Elongate calcite concretions in Upper Miocene dolomitic, shallow-marine grainstones and packstones of Menorca document fluid flow through heterogeneous systems. These post-dolomitization concretions are thought to have grown with elongation axes parallel to groundwater flow direction, and to reflect the hydraulic gradient and the anisotropy of the hydraulic conductivity. Differences in shape, size and orientation of concretions, as well as the spatial and crosscutting relationships reflect two phases of calcite-cementing fluids. This is in contrast to most examples in the literature that distinguish just one phase of precipitating fluids. The first phase of cementing fluids flowed horizontally, most likely in the phreatic zone, across hydraulic high-conductivity layers that resulted from sediment-packing heterogeneities and preferential dissolution during dolomitization. These first-phase fluids were most likely injected into the host rock through fracture zones and probably originated in deeper settings. The second phase of cementing fluids was downward directed and possibly of meteoric origin. First-generation concretions, acting as permeability barriers, partly controlled the fluid pathways, precipitation patterns, and concretion type and loci

Building resilience through “Open Source Seed Systems” for climate change adaptation in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania: What are the options for policy?

This Policy Brief is a result of a series of national and regional stakeholder consultations and a policy write shop on the establishment and maintenance of Open Source Seed Systems that ensure inclusivity of farmers and enhance freedom to develop, access, and use plant genetic materials. The brief is also based on results from research on seed networks and policy and legislative frameworks in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The stakeholders recommend the following policy options for successful establishment and implementation of Open Source Seed Systems

Quantum motion of a neutron in a wave-guide in the gravitational field

We study theoretically the quantum motion of a neutron in a horizontal wave-guide in the gravitational field of the Earth. The wave-guide in question is equipped with a mirror below and a rough absorber above. We show that such a system acts as a quantum filter, i.e. it effectively absorbs quantum states with sufficiently high transversal energy but transmits low-energy states. The states transmitted are mainly determined by the potential well formed by the gravitational field of the Earth and the mirror. The formalism developed for quantum motion in an absorbing wave-guide is applied to the description of the recent experiment on the observation of the quantum states of neutrons in the Earth's gravitational field

O presente e o futuro: o olhar do futuro professor sobre o uso do edublog

Este artigo tem o objetivo de analisar a opinião de alunos que participaram de uma experiência educacional por meio do uso de um blog durante o ano letivo 2022-2023 em uma disciplina universitária. Os dados foram coletados a partir de uma proposta de reflexão final, a partir do blog da disciplina, e que todos os grupos de alunos tiveram que responder. Por meio de uma análise qualitativa, foram definidas cinco categorias: o blog como ferramenta de inovação educacional, o blog como ambiente significativo de aprendizagem, o blog como aprimoramento da competência digital, o blog como agente de avaliação formativa e compartilhada e propostas de melhoria. Os resultados demonstram grande satisfação quanto ao uso do blog, pois o consideram uma ferramenta de recurso didático inovador, que facilita o acompanhamento da disciplina e a reflexão sobre temas relacionados à Educação Física, o que de outra forma não seria possível; além de ser um excelente recurso como parte da avaliação formativa e compartilhada dos próprios alunos. No entanto, é uma ferramenta muito útil para implementar metodologias abertas e participativas que possibilitem lidar com conteúdos teóricos relevantes, sem implicar na redução do tempo de atividade motora. This paper examines the feedback of students who participated in an educational experience utilizing a blog during the 2022-2023 academic year in a university course. The data was gathered through a final reflection assignment posted on the subject's blog, which required all student groups to respond. Employing qualitative analysis, five categories were identified: the blog as an educational innovation tool, the blog as a meaningful learning environment, the blog as an enhancer of digital competence, the blog as a formative and collaborative evaluation agent, and suggestions for improvement. The findings reveal high levels of satisfaction with the blog implementation. Students perceive it as an innovative pedagogical resource that facilitates their engagement with the course and enables them to reflect upon topics related to Physical Education that would otherwise be challenging to explore. Additionally, the blog serves as a valuable tool for formative assessment and fosters a collaborative evaluation environment among students. In summary, the blog proves to be a highly useful instrument for implementing open and participatory methodologies that effectively address pertinent theoretical content within our course, without compromising the amount of time dedicated to physical activitie

Body Composition Characteristics of a Load-Capacity Model: Age-Dependent and Sex-Specific Percentiles in 5- To 17-Year-Old Children

Introduction: Body composition assessment is superior to the use of body mass index (BMI) to characterize the nutritional status in pediatric populations. For data interpretation, suitable reference data are needed; hence, we aimed to generate age-dependent and sex-specific body composition reference data in a larger population of children and adolescents in Germany. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study on a representative group of 15,392 5- to 17-year-old children and adolescents. Body composition was assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis using a population-specific algorithm validated against air displacement plethysmography. Age- and sex-specific percentiles for BMI, fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass index (FFMI), and a “load-capacity model” (characterized by the ratios of fat mass [FM]/ fatt-free mass [FFM] and FM/FFM2) were modeled using the LMS method. Results: BMI, FMI, FFMI, FM/FFM, and FM/FFM2 curves showed similar shapes between boys and girls with steady increases in BMI, FMI, and FFMI, while FM/FFM2-centiles decreased during early childhood and adolescence. Sex differences were observed in FMI and FM/FFM percentiles with increases in FMI up to age 9 years followed by a steady decrease in FM/FFM during and after puberty with a fast-growing FFMI up to age 17 in boys. The prevalence of low FFM relative to FM reached more than 60% in overweight children and adolescents. Conclusion: These pediatric body composition reference data enable physicians and public health scientists to monitor body composition during growth and development and to interpret individual data. The data point out to an early risk of sarcopenia in overweight children and adolescents

Infrared Diameter of IRC+10216 Determined from Lunar Occultations

Lunar occultations of IRC+10216 have been used to determine the size of the regions emitting 2.2-, 3.5-, 4.8-, and 10-μ radiation. The results are interpreted as the first direct measurement of the physical size of a dust shell surrounding a late-type star