The economic argument for hiring people with disabilities

AbstractThe question of whether people with disabilities should be hired as employees can be considered from three different perspectives: moral, legal, and economic. From a moral point of view, the question can clearly be answered in the affirmative. After all, respect and charity are among the most important cultural and religious values of our society. If a company does not face up to this moral obligation, the company's image suffers and there may be social consequences that can result in negative word-of-mouth and lower sales. The legal situation differs between countries but is usually relatively simple and straightforward. In Italy, for example, companies with 15 to 35 employees must employ one person with a disability. For larger companies with 36 to 50 employees, this figure rises to two and with more than 51 employees, a total of 7% of all employees must be disabled. If a company does not comply with this quota system, fines will be imposed. This article deals with the third aspect, which for many companies is most important: the economic one. The central question is whether and under what conditions an employee with a disability can perform just as well or even better than a non-disabled colleague and therefore contribute to the economic success of a business. With a number of examples from research and practice, it is illustrated that economic reasons—in addition to moral arguments and legal obligations—also speak in favor of hiring disabled employees

Aquatic macrophyte-derived biomarkers as palaeolimnological proxies on the Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau is the largest elevated landmass in the world and profoundly influences atmospheric circulation patterns such as the Asian monsoon system. Therefore this area has been increasingly in focus of palaeoenvironmental studies. This thesis evaluates the applicability of organic biomarkers for palaeolimnological purposes on the Tibetan Plateau with a focus on aquatic macrophyte-derived biomarkers. Submerged aquatic macrophytes have to be considered to significantly influence the sediment organic matter due to their high abundance in many Tibetan lakes. They can show highly 13C-enriched biomass because of their carbon metabolism and it is therefore crucial for the interpretation of δ13C values in sediment cores to understand to which extent aquatic macrophytes contribute to the isotopic signal of the sediments in Tibetan lakes and in which way variations can be explained in a palaeolimnological context. Additionally, the high abundance of macrophytes makes them interesting as potential recorders of lake water δD. Hydrogen isotope analysis of biomarkers is a rapidly evolving field to reconstruct past hydrological conditions and therefore of special relevance on the Tibetan Plateau due to the direct linkage between variations of monsoon intensity and changes in regional precipitation / evaporation balances. A set of surface sediment and aquatic macrophyte samples from the central and eastern Tibetan Plateau was analysed for composition as well as carbon and hydrogen isotopes of n-alkanes. It was shown how variable δ13C values of bulk organic matter and leaf lipids can be in submerged macrophytes even of a single species and how strongly these parameters are affected by them in corresponding sediments. The estimated contribution of the macrophytes by means of a binary isotopic model was calculated to be up to 60% (mean: 40%) to total organic carbon and up to 100% (mean: 66%) to mid-chain n-alkanes. Hydrogen isotopes of n-alkanes turned out to record δD of meteoric water of the summer precipitation. The apparent enrichment factor between water and n-alkanes was in range of previously reported ones (≈-130‰) at the most humid sites, but smaller (average: -86‰) at sites with a negative moisture budget. This indicates an influence of evaporation and evapotranspiration on δD of source water for aquatic and terrestrial plants. The offset between δD of mid- and long-chain n-alkanes was close to zero in most of the samples, suggesting that lake water as well as soil and leaf water are affected to a similar extent by those effects. To apply biomarkers in a palaeolimnological context, the aliphatic biomarker fraction of a sediment core from Lake Koucha (34.0° N; 97.2° E; eastern Tibetan Plateau) was analysed for concentrations, δ13C and δD values of compounds. Before ca. 8 cal ka BP, the lake was dominated by aquatic macrophyte-derived mid-chain n-alkanes, while after 6 cal ka BP high concentrations of a C20 highly branched isoprenoid compound indicate a predominance of phytoplankton. Those two principally different states of the lake were linked by a transition period with high abundances of microbial biomarkers. δ13C values were relatively constant for long-chain n-alkanes, while mid-chain n-alkanes showed variations between -23.5 to -12.6‰. Highest values were observed for the assumed period of maximum macrophyte growth during the late glacial and for the phytoplankton maximum during the middle and late Holocene. Therefore, the enriched values were interpreted to be caused by carbon limitation which in turn was induced by high macrophyte and primary productivity, respectively. Hydrogen isotope signatures of mid-chain n-alkanes have been shown to be able to track a previously deduced episode of reduced moisture availability between ca. 10 and 7 cal ka BP, indicated by a 20‰ shift towards higher δD values. Indications for cooler episodes at 6.0, 3.1 and 1.8 cal ka BP were gained from drops of biomarker concentrations, especially microbial-derived hopanoids, and from coincidental shifts towards lower δ13C values. Those episodes correspond well with cool events reported from other locations on the Tibetan Plateau as well as in the Northern Hemisphere. To conclude, the study of recent sediments and plants improved the understanding of factors affecting the composition and isotopic signatures of aliphatic biomarkers in sediments. Concentrations and isotopic signatures of the biomarkers in Lake Koucha could be interpreted in a palaeolimnological context and contribute to the knowledge about the history of the lake. Aquatic macrophyte-derived mid-chain n-alkanes were especially useful, due to their high abundance in many Tibetan Lakes and their ability to record major changes of lake productivity and palaeo-hydrological conditions. Therefore, they have the potential to contribute to a fuller understanding of past climate variability in this key region for atmospheric circulation systems

Mass Customization and Country-of-Origin Effects

This is a thesis by publication, consisting of three manuscripts. The research is positioned in the area of international marketing and offers a contribution to consumer culture theory. More specifically, it is about country of origin (COO) marketing, differences in product and country evaluation between ethnic subcultural groups living together within the same country, and the moderating role of mass customization (MC) on COO effects. The first manuscript classifies different COO marketing strategies that are employed to communicate the COO of a product or company to customers, and it provides a number of examples from practice. The second manuscript is based on the observation that globalization, international trade, multicultural societies and the introduction of innovative manufacturing strategies such as MC require continuous updating and reassessment of COO constructs and models. To this end, a study from 2003 has been replicated in a different cultural and geographical setting with results supporting the original findings. Finally, the third manuscript bridges the two research streams of COO and MC and provides empirical evidence of the impact of the manufacturing strategy on customers’ product evaluation. To sum up, the following research questions are examined in the three manuscripts: 1) Which different marketing strategies are employed by companies in order to communicate the COO of the company and/or of its brands to customers? 2) Do COO effects vary across subcultures within a country? 3) Does the manufacturing strategy (mass production vs. MC) have a moderating effect on the relationship between COO and consumer’s product evaluation

Höhenheiligtümer und Schreine in Palästen und Siedlungen der Altpalastzeit Kretas

Im Zuge dieser Arbeit wurde die Evidenz hinsichtlich des Fundspektrums in Höhenheiligtümern und Schreinen in Palästen und Siedlungen der Altpalastzeit Kretas dargelegt. Die vorhandenen Daten wurden im Folgenden ausgewertet, woraus sich eine vergleichende Analyse des Fundspektrums ergab. Diese zeigt, dass sich das Fundspektrum innerhalb der Fundortgruppe der Höhenheiligtümer weit weniger homogen darstellt, denn erwartet. Einen zentralen Bestandteil der Fundensembles stellen die Tonfigurinen dar, die einen fixen Bestandteil der Rituale ausgemacht zu haben scheinen, ebenso wie die Kiesel und tönernen Votivkörperteile. Die Schreine in Palästen und Siedlungen zeigen ein deutlich anderes Bild hinsichtlich des Fundspektrums. Die Diskussion der erarbeiteten Ergebnisse beleuchtet die Facetten der Höhenheiligtümer und Schreine in Palästen und Siedlungen während der Altpalastzeit, deren Unterschiede hinsichtlich der aufgefundenen Artefakte und die Interpretationen, die sich aufgrund des dargelegten Fundspektrums ergeben

Biomimetic direction of arrival estimation for resolving front-back confusions in hearing aids

Sound sources at the same angle in front or behind a two-microphone array (e.g., bilateral hearing aids) produce the same time delay and two estimates for the direction of arrival: A front-back confusion. The auditory system can resolve this issue using head movements. To resolve front-back confusion for hearing-aid algorithms, head movement was measured using an inertial sensor. Successive time-delay estimates between the microphones are shifted clockwise and counterclockwise by the head movement between estimates and aggregated in two histograms. The histogram with the largest peak after multiple estimates predicted the correct hemifield for the source, eliminating the front-back confusions

Welche NATO hat Zukunft?:Der Wandlungsprozess der Nordatlantischen Allianz seit dem Ende des Ost-West-Konfliktes: ein Prozess des Zerfalls oder ein Aufbruch zur Erneuerung?

Seit dem Ende des Ost-West-Konfliktes in den Jahren 1989/1990 haben sich die sicherheitspolitischen Rahmenbedingungen sowohl in Europa als auch im gesamten weltpolitischen Umfeld verändert. Der ehemalige Ost-West-Gegensatz existiert nicht mehr. Während des Ost- West- Konfliktes hatte sich die NATO die kollektive Verteidigung als Hauptaufgabe gesetzt, so wie es der Nordatlantikvertrag vom April 1949 vorsah. Diese Hauptaufgabe muss nun in Frage gestellt werden, denn neue und zusätzliche Herausforderungen stehen vermehrt zur Lösung an. Hat sich die NATO in Aufgabenstellung, Struktur und Strategie den neuen Gegebenheiten angepasst, um in Zukunft bestehen zu können oder ist sie einer fortschreitenden Aushöhlung unterworfen, sodass das Akronym NATO eine neue Bedeutung bekommen könnte: "Now Almost Totally Obsolete"? Diesen Fragen stellt sich diese Studie und versucht darauf eine Antwort zu geben

Concentrations of Fat, Protein, Lactose, Macro and Trace Minerals in Alpaca Colostrum and Milk at Different Lactation Stages

Although alpacas are not used for milk production a detailed knowledge on the composition of the colostrum and milk is needed for development of colostrum and milk replacers. The aim of the present study was to measure the concentration of fat, protein, lactose, and minerals in alpaca colostrum and milk. Colostrum samples were taken daily over four days after parturition from 20 multiparous alpaca mares. Milk samples were obtained monthly, during the first four months of lactation from 17 alpacas. Composition of colostrum and milk differed in numerous indicators. The concentrations of fat and lactose increased from day 1 (0.5%, 4.0%) to day 4 (5.3%, 5.0%), protein decreased from 20.4% on day 1 to 8.3% on day 4. In milk these three indicators did not change during the lactation. Minerals have been little studied in alpaca colostrum and milk in the past, many of which had the highest concentrations in colostrum immediately after birth. The results of the present study do not support that goat’s milk is the preferred substitute for feeding crias. This study contributes to the knowledge of the composition of alpaca colostrum and milk which can be of particular use in developing replacers