Advancing understanding on industrial relations in multinational companies: key research challenges and the INTREPID contribution

peer-reviewedThis paper has three principal aims. It firstly provides some theoretical background on the key current research issues and challenges in regard to industrial relations in multinational companies. It then presents a concise review of scholarship to date on industrial relations in multinational companies using INTREPID (Investigation of Transnationals Employment Practices: an International Database) data. Finally, the paper identifies some of the main industrial relations issues that remain to be addressed, in effect charting a form of research agenda for future work using the INTREPID data, with particular focus on the potential contribution from ‘late joiners’ to the INTREPID project.ACCEPTEDpeer-reviewe

An Investigation of the Relationship Between Psychological Strengths and the Perception of Bullying in Early Adolescents in Schools

This study explored the association between psychological strengths and perceptions of being a victim of a bullying relationship in the school environment. Using self-report questionnaires with grades 7 and 8 students, the role of psychological strengths as potential protective factors against various forms of bullying were examined including the patterns of strengths associated with the bullying experience. The results showed no significant association between global indices of strengths and perceptions of victimization. However, significant relationships did emerge between specific strengths and victimization. Strengths in school functioning among boys but not girls and strengths in personality functioning for both sexes were associated with lower perceived victimization. In contrast, strengths in spiritual and cultural identification were associated with perceptions of increased victimization. The implications of these results for anti-bullying strategies are discussed.Cette étude a porté sur l'association entre les forces psychologiques et les perceptions d'être victime d'intimidation à l'école. En nous appuyant sur des questionnaires d'auto-évaluation auprès d'élèves en 7e et 8e année, nous avons examiné le rôle des forces psychologiques comme facteurs potentiels de protection contre diverses formes d'intimidation. L'étude a également porté sur les modèles de forces associés à l'expérience de l'intimidation. Les résultats n'ont indiqué aucune association entre les indices globaux de forces et les perceptions de l'intimidation. Toutefois, des relations significatives sont ressorties entre des forces spécifiques et l'intimidation. Des forces relatives à l'école chez les garçons mais pas les filles, et des forces relatives à la personnalité chez les garçons et les filles, étaient associées à une perception amoindrie de la victimisation. Par contre, des forces relatives à l'identification spirituelle et culturelle étaient associées à des perceptions accrues de victimisation. Nous discutons des répercussions de ces résultats sur les stratégies contre l'intimidation

O CARMA, A REENCARNAÇÃO E O PROBLEMA DO MAL

A doutrina do carma e da reencarnação é frequentemente elogiada por sua capacidade de oferecer uma solução bem-sucedida para o problema do mal. Este ensaio avalia tal afirmação, considerando se a doutrina pode funcionar como uma teodiceia sistemática, como uma explicação de todo sofrimento humano em termos de erros cometidos tanto nesta vida como em vidas passadas. Tal suposta resposta ao problema do mal deve enfrentar uma série de objeções, incluindo o problema da falta de qualquer memória de vidas passadas, a falta de proporcionalidade entre a transgressão e o sofrimento observado no mundo, o problema do regresso infinito da explicação, e o problema da compatibilidade do livre arbítrio com o determinismo cármico. Essas objeções, seja separadamente ou consideradas em conjunto, fornecem razões suficientes para duvidar se a doutrina do carma e da reencarnação pode, de fato, proporcionar uma teodiceia satisfatória

Introduction: looking beyond the walls

In its consideration of the remarkable extent and variety of non-university researchers, this book takes a broader view of ‘knowledge’ and ‘research’ than in the many hot debates about today’s knowledge society, ‘learning age’, or organisation of research. It goes beyond the commonly held image of ‘knowledge’ as something produced and owned by the full-time experts to take a look at those engaged in active knowledge building outside the university walls

Exact/heuristic hybrids using rVNS and hyperheuristics for workforce scheduling

In this paper we study a complex real-world workforce scheduling problem. We propose a method of splitting the problem into smaller parts and solving each part using exhaustive search. These smaller parts comprise a combination of choosing a method to select a task to be scheduled and a method to allocate resources, including time, to the selected task. We use reduced Variable Neighbourhood Search (rVNS) and hyperheuristic approaches to decide which sub problems to tackle. The resulting methods are compared to local search and Genetic Algorithm approaches. Parallelisation is used to perform nearly one CPU-year of experiments. The results show that the new methods can produce results fitter than the Genetic Algorithm in less time and that they are far superior to any of their component techniques. The method used to split up the problem is generalisable and could be applied to a wide range of optimisation problems

Increased angiogenic factor secretion by decidual natural killer cells from pregnancies with high uterine artery resistance alters trophoblast function.

STUDY QUESTION Are the concentrations of factors secreted by decidual natural killer (dNK) cells from pregnancies at high risk of poor spiral artery remodelling different to those secreted from pregnancies at low risk? SUMMARY ANSWER Expression levels of PLGF, sIL-2R, endostatin and angiogenin were significantly increased by dNK cells from high-risk pregnancies, and angiogenin and endostatin were found to alter trophoblast function. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY During early pregnancy, maternal uterine spiral arteries are remodelled from small diameter, low-flow, high-resistance vessels into larger diameter, higher flow vessels, with low-resistance. This change is essential for the developing fetus to obtain sufficient oxygen and nutrients. dNK cells have been implicated in this process. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION dNK cells were isolated from first trimester terminations of pregnancies (obtained with local ethical approval) screened for normal- or high-resistance index, indicative of cases least (21%) likely to have developed pre-eclampsia had the pregnancy not been terminated (n = 18 each group). Secreted factors and the effects of these on the trophoblast cell line, SGHPL-4, were assessed in vitro. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS A multiplex assay was used to assess dNK cell-secreted factors. SGHPL-4 cell functions were assessed using time-lapse microscopy, 3D invasion assays, endothelial-like tube formation ability and western blot analysis. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The expression levels of PLGF (P < 0.01), sIL-2R (P < 0.01), endostatin (P < 0.05) and angiogenin (P < 0.05) were significantly increased by dNK cells from high-risk pregnancies. Endostatin significantly decreased SGHPL-4 invasion (P < 0.05), SGHPL-4 tube formation (P < 0.05) and SGHPL-4 Aktser473 phosphorylation (P < 0.05). Angiogenin significantly decreased SGHPL-4 invasion (P < 0.05), but increased SGHPL-4 tube formation (P < 0.01) and decreased SGHPL-4 Aktser473 phosphorylation (P < 0.05). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The culture of dNK cells and protein concentrations in vitro may not fully represent the in vivo situation. Although SGHPL-4 cells are extravillous trophoblast derived, further studies would be needed to confirm the roles of angiogenin and endostatin in vivo. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The altered expression of secreted factors of dNK cells may contribute to pregnancy disorders associated with poor spiral artery remodelling. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was supported by the Wellcome Trust (project reference 091550). R.F. was a recipient of a PhD studentship from the Division of Biomedical Sciences, St. George's, University of London. The authors have no conflict of interests

Actors and networks or agents and structures: towards a realist view of information systems

Actor-network theory (ANT) has achieved a measure of popularity in the analysis of information systems. This paper looks at ANT from the perspective of the social realism of Margaret Archer. It argues that the main issue with ANT from a realist perspective is its adoption of a `flat' ontology, particularly with regard to human beings. It explores the value of incorporating concepts from ANT into a social realist approach, but argues that the latter offers a more productive way of approaching information systems