The offshoring of financial services : a reassessment

Operating in increasingly competitive market environment, financial services companies are engaged in international re-engineering of business processes mirroring developments in manufacturing over the past four decades. Drawing upon interviews conducted with senior managers and partners from two leading international banks, a multinational 'consumables' provider and a leading finance consultancy, as well as extensive published surveys, we examine the distinctive 'anatomy' of offshoring in financial services, and industry which also manifests a high degree of geographical concentration for 'higher order' functions. We conclude that the reality of process re-engineering in the sector has frequently failed to meet business objectives, and has run the risk of creating 'backlash' from employees in both home and host environments

Corporate social responsibility in Ukraine : cynical utilitarianism or Aristotelian 'Common Good'?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been researched extensively in Western Europe (Steurer and Konrad, 2009), and to some extent in Central and Eastern Europe (e.g. Furrer et al., 2010). Empirical research in the former USSR, however, has been limited. This paper aims to address this deficiency, presenting the results of a study of CSR drivers in Ukraine. We conducted 19 semi-structured interviews with managers, NGO representatives and academics in Ukraine. Our preliminary findings suggest that CSR adopters in Ukraine tend to fall into two main categories. Following Garriga and Melé’s (2004) typology, we discern a group that takes a predominantly utilitarian approach to defining its social obligations, adopting CSR practices in response to actual and perceived external demands. Such organisations tend to be newer (post-USSR era) companies, and/or those whose clients and investors are located mainly abroad. The second type consists of more locally embedded concerns, whose owners and managers adopt a predominantly normative approach to CSR, adhering to practices that originated in the Soviet period, whilst striving for economic viability in a new era of market orientation. Our study casts light on the divergent paths taken by organizations in a distinctive transitional setting in order to gain social and economic legitimacy.Final Published versio

International Management

This material was originally published in The Oxford Handbook of Management, edited by Adrian Wilkinson, Steven J. Armstrong, and Michael Lounsbury, and has been reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198708612.013.29 For permission to re-use this material, please visit http://global.oup.com/academic/rightsThe focus of this chapter is on the multinational corporation (MNC) and, more specifically, on the structures, strategies and processes inherent in the management of the geographically dispersed concern. While more prescriptive thinking and literature in the field of international management (IM) may have assumed, for example, that managerial ‘best practice’ may be readily transposed across borders, the starting premise of the current chapter is that ‘context matters’. In exploring, therefore, the nature of multinational organization, the logics underlying the international dispersal of productive sites within the MNC, and the complex dynamics characterizing the strategic relationship between headquarters and subsidiaries, our point of departure is to offer a grounded and finely grained account of the realities of MNC management and organization. Such an approach highlights the pervasiveness of micro-political contestation between indigenous social actors, as well as expressions of unity.Peer reviewe

Signs of Dystopia and Demoralization in global academia: Reflections on the precarious and destructive effects of the colonization of the Lebenswelt

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Mike Geppert, Graham Hollinshead, (2017) "Signs of Dystopia and Demoralization in global academia: Reflections on the precarious and destructive effects of the colonization of the Lebenswelt", Critical perspectives on international business, Vol. 13(2): 136-150, May 2017, doi: 10.1108/cpoib-07-2016-0026. Published by Emerald Group Publishing Limited.Purpose Our paper has been written in the style of a provocative essay. It starts with the observation that neo-liberalism has become the leading “policy doctrine” in Higher Education (HE) systems across the globe. This has put increasing systemic political and economic pressure on many universities which not only undermine but also “colonize” the Lebenswelt or “lifeworld” (Habermas, 1987) of academics. Design/methodology/approach Our essay draws on concrete empirical examples based on our subjective experiences within the higher educational sector and secondary sources. Findings We are going to highlight and illustrate how the increasing dominance of “neo-liberal science” principles (Lave et al., 2010) severely damage the quality of knowledge production and working conditions of ordinary academics in both national and international academic communities. Practical implications Our essay provides insights into the practical implications of the spread of “neo-liberal science” principles on the work and employment of academics. Originality/value We aim to trigger critical discussion concerning how emancipatory principles of teaching and research can be brought back into the Lebenswelt of academics in order to reverse some of the destructive effects to which our essay refers to.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Dual Function of the pUL7-pUL51 Tegument Protein Complex in Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Infection

The tegument of herpesviruses is a highly complex structural layer between the nucleocapsid and the envelope of virions. Tegument proteins play both structural and regulatory functions during replication and spread, but the interactions and functions of many of these proteins are poorly understood. Here we focus on two tegument proteins from herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), pUL7 and pUL51, which have homologues in all other herpesviruses. We have now identified that HSV-1 pUL7 and pUL51 form a stable and direct protein-protein interaction, their expression levels rely on the presence of each other, and they function as a complex in infected cells. We demonstrate that expression of the pUL7-pUL51 complex is important for efficient HSV-1 assembly and plaque formation. Furthermore, we also discovered that the pUL7-pUL51 complex localizes to focal adhesions at the plasma membrane in both infected cells and in the absence of other viral proteins. The expression of pUL7-pUL51 is important to stabilize focal adhesions and maintain cell morphology in infected cells and cells infected with viruses lacking pUL7 and/or pUL51 round up more rapidly than cells infected with wild-type HSV-1. Our data suggest that, in addition to the previously reported functions in virus assembly and spread for pUL51, the pUL7-pUL51 complex is important for maintaining the attachment of infected cells to their surroundings through modulating the activity of focal adhesion complexes. $\textbf{IMPORTANCE}$: The $\textit{Herpesviridae }$ is a large family of highly successful human and animal pathogens. Virions of these viruses are composed of many different proteins, most of which are contained within the tegument, a complex structural layer between the nucleocapsid and the envelope within virus particles. Tegument proteins have important roles in assembling virus particles as well as modifying host cells to promote virus replication and spread. However, little is known about the function of many tegument proteins during virus replication. Our study focuses on two tegument proteins from herpes simplex virus 1 that are conserved in all herpesviruses: pUL7 and pUL51. We demonstrate that these proteins directly interact and form a functional complex that is important for both virus assembly and modulation of host cell morphology. Further, we identify for the first time that these conserved herpesvirus tegument proteins localize to focal adhesions in addition to cytoplasmic juxtanuclear membranes within infected cells.This work was supported by the Leverhulme Trust (grant RPG-2012-793 to C.M.C.), the Royal Society (University Research Fellowship UF090010 to C.M.C.), and the Royal Society and the Wellcome Trust (Sir Henry Dale Fellowship 098406/Z/12/Z to S.C.G.). L.D. was supported by Wellcome Trust Ph.D. Programme funding (086158/Z/08/Z). D.J.O. was supported by a John Lucas Walker studentship. M.F.A. was supported by a Commonwealth Scholarship Commission PhD scholarship (BDCA-2014-7)

Performing heritage: the use of live 'actors' in heritage presentations

This paper investigates the phenomenon of 'living history' presentations of heritage, using live 'actors' to portray historical characters. Its aim is to discuss these presentations in the context of what may be understood as 'heritage', and of the nature of 'performance'. Four case studies of heritage sites, each important as a tourist attraction, have been selected for detailed study, together with a number of other examples of heritage performance. It is clear from the empirical work that different performance strategies are employed within the heritage industry and by individual 'actors'. Most of the performers take part as a leisure activity, and many do not consider themselves to be 'performing' at all. The greatest concern of participants lies in the degree of authenticity of the performance. Through 'living history', the 'actors' are drawn into an experience of heritage which has real meaning for them, and which may contribute both to a sense of identity and to an enhanced understanding of society, past and present. The popularity of such presentations with visitors also indicates that similar benefits are perceived by the 'audience'

Generation of a three-dimensional collagen scaffold-based model of the human endometrium.

The endometrium is the secretory lining of the uterus that undergoes dynamic changes throughout the menstrual cycle in preparation for implantation and a pregnancy. Recently, endometrial organoids (EO) were established to study the glandular epithelium. We have built upon this advance and developed a multi-cellular model containing both endometrial stromal and epithelial cells. We use porous collagen scaffolds produced with controlled lyophilization to direct cellular organization, integrating organoids with primary isolates of stromal cells. The internal pore structure of the scaffold was optimized for stromal cell culture in a systematic study, finding an optimal average pore size of 101 µm. EO seeded organize to form a luminal-like epithelial layer, on the surface of the scaffold. The cells polarize with their apical surface carrying microvilli and cilia that face the pore cavities and their basal surface attaching to the scaffold with the formation of extracellular matrix proteins. Both cell types are hormone responsive on the scaffold, with hormone stimulation resulting in epithelial differentiation and stromal decidualization

Crisis and change in industrial relations in Central and Eastern Europe

This article introduces the special issue on industrial relations in Central and Eastern Europe since the financial and economic crisis. Already dependent economically on funding from the west, and lacking the robust industrial relations institutions traditional in much of Western Europe, countries in the region were particularly vulnerable. However, there are important cross-national differences, and the strategies of key actors have significantly affected the outcomes

Intramolecular epoxide ring opening cyclisation reactions involving guanidines

The cyclisation of N-allyl- and N-homoallylguanidines using DMDO leading to the formation of novel 5- and 6-membered guanidine heterocycles is reported. Several of the products formed displayed weak inhibition of glycosidase enzymes