Firm development as an integrated process: with evidence from the General Motors-Fisher Body case

This paper argues that an adequate approach to the firm should be able to accommodate the complexities of actual firm development. The latter is conceptualized in terms of three general stages: prime movers or drivers of change, change processes, and change attractors. Furthermore, any "real-world" firm is both a technical and an institutional unit. To emphasize the importance of "real firm" analysis, the discussion presented here revolves around an understanding of the much considered case of General Motors and Fisher Body integration has developed over time. Generalization from this case suggests that an integrated view of the firm is necessary that combines the three stages and the two bases (technical and institutional). Six general perspectives on the firm are identified as having technical or institutional bases that are relevant in each of the three stages. This integrated approach to the firm is explored in terms of the general topic of firm development. It is concluded that, without an integrated approach to firm development, a potentially biased or incomplete analysis can result

Migration and health in China:Challenges and responses

Migration and health in China: challenges and responses. IHDP Update 2011, 1:35-41

High Average Brilliance Compact Inverse Compton Light Source

There exists an increasing demand for compact Inverse Compton Light Sources (ICLS) capable of producing substantial fluxes of narrow-band X-rays. While multiple design proposals have been made, compared to typical bremsstrahlung sources, most of these have comparable fluxes and improve on the brilliance within a 0.1% bandwidth by only a few orders of magnitude. By applying cw superconducting rf beam acceleration and rf focusing to produce a beam of small emittance and magnetic focusing to produce a small spot size on the order of a few microns at collision, the source presented here provides a 12 keV X-ray beam which outperforms other compact designs and bremsstrahlung sources. Compared to a bremsstrahlung source, the flux is improved by at least an order of magnitude and the average brilliance by six orders of magnitude. Surpassing other compact ICLS designs, the source presented here is attractive to a wide variety of potential users

Impact of macro-socioeconomic determinants on perinatal healthcare quality for very preterm infants

The WHO identified the importance of macro-socioeconomic determinants and the political context as interlinked key factors affecting health equity. The 2008 economic crisis was associated with a significant low-birth-weight increase in Portugal, 2007-2014. The Economic Adjustment Programme (EAP), implemented to economize non-essential health care costs (2011-2014), substantially affected healthcare delivery and occupational environment of Healthcare Professionals (HCPs). This study aims to analyse the impact observed by HCPs of the economic crisis and EAP on equitable quality of perinatal healthcare for very preterm infants in Portugal. A Qualitative study design with 21 HCPs in clinical settings equally distributed among Portuguese mainland were selected according to their response. Semi-structured interviews were conducted between October 2018-April 2019 until saturation point was achieved. A content analysis was performed using Nvivo2011 software. Preliminary results on macro-socioeconomic determinants, classified and conceptualized into a three-stage-effect framework, disclosed an interrelation between factors impacting perinatal healthcare quality, according to HCPs. Primary-stage: increase in working hours and patient-ratio per HCPs, cuts in salaries and investment, increasing waiting time and HCPs demotivation. Secondary-stage: burnout, work-absence, time constraints, decreasing quality and consultation availability. Tertiary-stage: HCPs Brain-drain to private sector, double-shifts in public-private sector, increasing inadequacy of transmissivity within sector communication. The economic crisis and EAP were perceived to have modified equitable perinatal healthcare quality for very preterm infants in Portugal. Increased private-public sector transparency to maximise quality assurance, equal HCP wage distribution to sustain capability, strengthening of social maternity protection strategies to enhance socioeconomic equity in perinatal healthcare, is recommended

High-throughput screening Raman microspectroscopy for assessment of drug-induced changes in diatom cells

High-throughput screening Raman spectroscopy (HTS-RS) with automated localization algorithms offers unsurpassed speed and sensitivity to investigate the effect of dithiothreitol on the diatom Phaedactylum tricornutum. The HTS-RS capability that was demonstrated for this model system can be transferred to unmet analytical applications such as kinetic in vivo studies of microalgal assemblages. © 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Web-based communication tools in a European research project: the example of the TRACE project

The multi-disciplinary and international nature of large European projects requires powerful managerial and communicative tools to ensure the transmission of information to the end-users. One such project is TRACE entitled “Tracing Food Commodities in Europe”. One of its objectives is to provide a communication system dedicated to be the central source of information on food authenticity and traceability in Europe. This paper explores the web tools used and communication vehicles offered to scientists involved in the TRACE project to communicate internally as well as to the public. Two main tools have been built: an Intranet and a public website. The TRACE website can be accessed at http://www.trace.eu.org. A particular emphasis was placed on the efficiency, the relevance and the accessibility of the information, the publicity of the website as well as the use of the collaborative utilities. The rationale of web space design as well as integration of proprietary software solutions are presented. Perspectives on the using of web tools in the research projects are discussed

Quantifying the effect of status in a multi-tier loyalty program

Multi-Tier Loyalty Programs (MTLPs) have become a popular marketing instrument to develop customer-firm relationships. Within a MTLP, customers are assigned to different tiers based on their purchase behavior. In this article, we examine whether and when tiers in the MTLP are effective in influencing customer purchase behavior, specifically share of wallet (SOW). A unique business-to-business dataset of a firm in the German agricultural market from 2009 to 2017 is used for the analysis. Data is available on the customer-specific tier level in the MTLP each year. We utilize a Tobit-style panel regression model for the analysis which is inspired by the Regression Discontinuity Design approach. This study makes several important contributions. First, it examines the effect of status in MTLPs and uses causal design to quantify the hitherto intangible effect of customer tiers. Second, this study reveals important insights on how the tier levels interact with other drivers of customer-firm relationships. Third, we use an interesting dataset from a B2B market and thereby contribute to the limited existing literature on the effectiveness of loyalty programs in B2B markets. Armed with a new understanding of how customers respond to tier levels or the negative effects of tenure especially in the highest tier, academics and managers gain new perspectives of whether and how loyalty programs affect customer behavior and drive desired outcomes in the marketplace. © 202

High-Brilliance, High-Flux Compact Inverse Compton Light Source

The Old Dominion University Compact Light Source (ODU CLS) design concept is presented-a compact Inverse Compton Light Source (ICLS) with flux and brilliance orders of magnitude beyond conventional laboratory-scale sources and greater than other compact ICLS designs. This concept utilizes the physics of inverse Compton scattering of an extremely low emittance electron beam by a laser pulse of rms length of approximately two-thirds of a picosecond (2/3 ps). The accelerator is composed of a superconducting radio frequency (SRF) reentrant gun followed by four double-spoke SRF cavities. After the linac are three quadrupole magnets to focus the electron beam to the interaction point (IP). The distance from cathode surface to 1P is less than 6 m, with the cathode producing electron bunches with a bunch charge of 10 pC and a few picoseconds in length. The incident laser has 1 MW circulating power, a 1 micron wavelength, and a spot size of 3.2 microns at the IP. The repetition rate of this source is 100 MHz, in order to achieve a high flux despite the low bunch charge. The anticipated x-ray source parameters include an energy of 12 keV, with a total flux of 2.2 x 10(13) ph/s, the flux into a 0.1% bandwidth of 3.3 x 10(10) ph/(s0.1%BW), and the average brilliance of 3.4 x 10(14) ph/ (s mm(2 )mrad(2) 0.1%BW)

IDENTIFICATION OF FATIGUE-RELATED KINEMATIC CHANGES IN ELITE RUNNERS USING A SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINE APPROACH

Understanding the kinematic changes underlying fatigue is essential in running biomechanics. The aim of this study was to identify fatigue-related kinematic changes in elite runners using a support vector machine approach. Full-body kinematics of thirteen trained runners were recorded in a non-fatigued and a fatigued state during treadmill running at their individual fatigue-speed. A support vector machine was trained and used to identify kinematic differences between the non-fatigued and fatigued state based on principal component scores. Strides during non-fatigued and fatigued running could be separated with 99.4% classification accuracy. Four upper limb (two shoulder and two elbow), four lower limb (one ankle, two knee and one hip) and two trunk (one thoracic and one lumbar spine) principal component scores were identified as most discriminative kinematic features between non-fatigued and fatigued running. The findings of the study suggest the feasibility of a support vector machine approach to identify subtle fatigue-related kinematic changes in elite runners