Building on Innovation: The Significance of Anchor Institutions in a New Era of City Building

Murphy, Tom. Building on Innovation: The Significance of Anchor Institutions in a New Era of City Building. Washington, D.C.: Urban Land Institute, 201

Implied Class Warfare: Why Rule 23 Needs an Explicit Ascertainability Requirement in the Wake of \u3cem\u3eByrd v. Aaron’s Inc.\u3c/em\u3e

On April 16, 2015, in Byrd v. Aaron’s Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit articulated its heightened standard for Rule 23’s implied requirement that a class be ascertainable. This standard has proven to frustrate Rule 23’s historical purpose of providing small-claim plaintiffs a mechanism through which they can economically prosecute their rights, especially in the context of consumer class actions. The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the heightened standard introduced by the Third Circuit in favor of a “weak” interpretation of Rule 23’s implied ascertainability requirement. This Comment argues that Rule 23 needs to be amended to explicitly include ascertainability as a requirement to class certification so that the certification process can be adjudicated consistently in federal courts. Further, this Comment argues that modeling such an amendment on the Seventh Circuit’s “weak” version of the implied ascertainability requirement will best return Rule 23 to its historical purpose

Locating IT Competencies in a Learning Organization: A Case Study of the Development of Firm Specific IT Resources at Analog Devices, Inc.

The process by which IT competencies are created and applied to develop firm specific IT resources is not well understood. Previous research on the phenomenon has operated from the resource-based view (RBV); however, conceptual problems with resource-based theory have neither been noted nor addressed by IS researchers. This study acknowledges these problems and provides a solid conceptual foundation for future studies on the RBV. The primary contribution of this study is empirical, however, as it reports on the findings of an in-depth case study of Analog Devices Inc. and the experiences of end-users and IT professionals in developing and applying business and IT competencies to build strategic IT resources. The findings of this study illustrate that ‘soft’ IT competencies are firm specific and therefore constitute a source of rent. Significantly, it was business end-users who developed and applied them, not IT professionals, as would be expected. This paper also builds on extant theory by presenting a refined theoretical model of the institutional and organizational influences found to shape the creation, development and application of IT competencies and strategic IT resources in firms. This answers recent calls for such a model and acts to guide future research in the area

Integrating Dynamic Capability and Commitment Theory for Research on IT Capabilities and Resources

Recent studies have highlighted the utility of the resource-based view (RBV) in understanding the development and application of IT capabilities and resources in organisations. Nevertheless, IS research has inadvertently carried over several fundamental problems and weaknesses with the RBV from reference disciplines. This paper proposes an integrative theory, model and research framework that draws on dynamic capabilities theory from the resource-based view of the firm in institutional economics, and commitment theory in institutional sociology, to explain and understand the process by which IT capabilities and resources are developed and applied in organizations. In so doing, this study addresses the paucity of theory on the role of IT capabilities in building and leveraging firmspecific IT resources. The study also addresses the aforementioned problems and weaknesses to build a logically consistent and falsifiable theory, with relatively superior explanatory power, for application in both variance and process-based research, whether positivist or interpretivist in orientation

Unpacking Dynamic Capabilities in the Small to Medium Software Enterprise: Process, Assets and History

Previous studies of commercial software enterprises have employed industry-level analyses, or have focused on major players in the industry. There is, therefore, a dearth of in-depth research on small-to-medium software enterprises (SMSE). The need to understand the institutional contexts and firm-specific capabilities of such firms is important, as they account for over 90% of software enterprises operating in Europe and the US. This paper adopts a dynamic capabilities perspective to help understand the social and institutional web of conditions and factors that shaped and influenced capability development in one European SMSE. The findings illustrate that a commitment to learn and to evolve this firm’s intangible knowledge assets underpinned the development of dynamic business and IT capabilities. Another contribution is this paper’s identification of—and distinction between—‘soft’ and ‘hard’ IT capabilities, which were embedded in the firm’s organizational and managerial processes. The lessons learned here are applicable to other European SMSEs, as they share similar institutional contexts with the organization studied—for example, European SMSEs can access direct and indirect R&D funding from EU and individual member states. This study is, therefore, well timed as the EU has, in 2003, set aside a significant proportion of its 16 billion euro 6th Framework R&D budget for small-to-medium enterprises. Finally, this paper presents a dynamic capabilities model that captures the firm-specific capabilities and assets of innovative SMSEs

Walking Through the Rising : from Bolton Street Tech to the Four Courts and Back

THE MILITARY ACTION OF THE I ST BATTALION OF THE IRISH VOLUNTEERS IN NORTH INNER CITY DUBLIN IN 1916. Introduction by Theo Dorgan. 52.p. ill. col. 21 cm

Failure Investigation of a Helical Anchor Tie-Down System Supporting an Olympic Size Swimming Pool

Adoption of new technologies and a push for money-saving value engineering designs may produce unpredictable and unwanted results. Particularly with shrinking budgets, proposals that reduce initial costs become more appealing. However, without careful consideration and implementation, cost-reducing measures can become more expensive in the end. This paper presents a case study of geostructural forensic analysis related to the failure of a helical anchor tie-down system selected to support an Olympic size swimming pool against hydrostatic uplift forces. The selection of helical anchors over a more expensive traditional anchorage system appeared to be a smart value engineering decision for the project’s design-build construction team. However, structural failure occurred soon after construction. A review of design and construction documents revealed a myriad of mistakes leading to the failure and very costly repair of the pool’s bottom slab. The demolition and consequent restoration of the slab triggered the forensic study. The geostructural forensic analysis initially focused on the tension capacity of the anchorage system. However, review of design data indicated several critical mistakes at the anchor-to-concrete slab connections. Moreover, issues with final installation elevation, which were overlooked in the original design and construction, necessitated the need for field modification of the connection. A step-by-step summary of the forensic analysis of the tie-down support system failure is presented herein

Barefoot Training: Effects on EMG Activity of Gluteus Medius and Tensor Fascia Latae in Habitually Shod Runners

Purpose/Hypothesis: Running has been a common practice in humans since the species’ dawn. Due to its relative ease and low cost, running continues to be one of the most popular forms of exercise today. Although running provides many benefits such as disease prevention, injury prevalence in running is high. The trend of minimalist shoes and barefoot training has gained popularity over the decade as a return to a more natural form of running. Some researcher hypothesize that barefoot running can reduce injury rate by changing the biomechanics of the runner. In this study we propose a different hypothesis: barefoot running changes activity of musculature of the hip, increasing activation in muscles that are commonly weak in injured runners. Research investigating the hip muscle activity and movement with barefoot running is lacking in literature; thus, giving rise to the purpose of this study. This multifactorial study was performed to explore the effect of barefoot training on the muscular activity of the gluteus medius (GM) and tensor fascia latae (TFL). The hypothesis being tested was that barefoot training period would increase the muscle activity of GM and decrease the muscle activity of TFL. Materials/Methods: Twenty-two subjects, 14 females and 8 males, with a mean age of 22.8 completed the pre-testing electromyography (EMG) analyses. EMG muscle activity of TFL and GM was recorded during a maximal isometric contraction, a barefoot running and walking trial and a shod running and walking trial. Subjects were randomly assigned to a barefoot running group (N=13) and shod running group (N=9). Participants completed a 6-week training program consisting of running twice a week. The first week of training consisted of 10 minutes of running (either barefoot or shod) with a 2- minute increase each week, reaching a maximum running period of 20 minutes during the final week. Following the training program, post-test EMG was performed and analyzed. Results: No significant differences in change of EMG activity of the GM and TFL was found between the barefoot and shod training groups from pre-testing to post-testing data collection. Conclusions: Due to no statistically significant differences in change of EMG activity of the GM and TFL between the training groups from pre- to post-test trials, further research is recommended to explore the impact of a barefoot training protocol on GM and TFL muscle activity. Clinical Relevance: This study provides insight to the muscle activity occurring at the hip when foot attire is altered during training. No statistically significant change was found between barefoot or shod training groups in regard to change in muscle activity from pre-test to post-test. This lack of statistical significance may have been due to lack of statistical power, as the number of subjects was low. The training period also may have not provided enough volume to create a stimulus to significantly change muscle activity. While there were no statistically significant findings, trends in the data pointed towards a greater change in GM activity for the barefoot group from pre-test to post-test. Replicating the study with a higher number of subjects or a larger training volume may yield significant results in future research. In addition, collecting other data such as V02 max, running economy or foot strike pattern also may reveal other physiological changes that can occur with barefoot training