Harry F. Byrd and the Democratic presidential nomination of 1932 : party politics and the Byrd campaign

The topical order of the thesis was selected to give the clearest portrayal of Harry Byrd\u27s role in Democratic politics for the period immediately preceding the Democratic presidential nomination of 1932. The first chapter of the thesis explains some of the background of Byrd\u27s political position in Virginia and the national Democratic party. The pre-convention maneuvers of Byrd in the national party are the subject of the second chapter. The third chapter is an analysis of Byrd\u27s own campaign for the presidential nomination in 1932. In the fourth chapter, the activities of the Byrd forces at the Democratic National Convention and the Virginia State Democratic Convention are examined, and the conclusions reached during the study are the subject of chapter five

An Empirical Investigation of Bootstrap Financing Among Small Firms

This study examines the use of 27 bootstrap financing methods among a sample of 91 small firms.   Owners' rankings of the importance suggested that bootstrap financing  was not central to their firms 'financing strategy. Owners who had greater difficulty of raising capital ranked bootstrap financing methods that (I) slowed disbursements, (2) generated cash, and (3) subsidized operations as being more important than owners who experienced less difficulty in raising capital. Owners who believed their firms were more  undercapitalized  ranked bootstrap financing methods that (I) slowed disbursements. (2) generated cash, and (3) minimized investment  as being more important  than owners who experienced less difficulty in raising capital. The use of bootstrap financing  was also directly related to the risk of the firm. The results can be used by owners of small firms, consultants, and support agencies that provide assistance to small firms in areas of financial planning and capital acquisition. Understanding the use and availability of all sources of capital will enable owners to obtain a comprehensive understanding of capital alternatives and financial strategies. Agencies that provide support services can use the information to better assist small firms in developing financing strategies. This information could easily be built into training programs for  both new and existing small  businesses

An Empirical Investigation of Bootstrap Financing Among Small Firms

This study examines the use of 27 bootstrap financing methods among a sample of 91 small firms. Owners\u27 rankings of the importance suggested that bootstrap financing was not central to their firms \u27financing strategy. Owners who had greater difficulty of raising capital ranked bootstrap financing methods that (I) slowed disbursements, (2) generated cash, and (3) subsidized operations as being more important than owners who experienced less difficulty in raising capital. Owners who believed their firms were more undercapitalized ranked bootstrap financing methods that (I) slowed disbursements. (2) generated cash, and (3) minimized investment as being more important than owners who experienced less difficulty in raising capital. The use of bootstrap financing was also directly related to the risk of the firm. The results can be used by owners of small firms, consultants, and support agencies that provide assistance to small firms in areas of financial planning and capital acquisition. Understanding the use and availability of all sources of capital will enable owners to obtain a comprehensive understanding of capital alternatives and financial strategies. Agencies that provide support services can use the information to better assist small firms in developing financing strategies. This information could easily be built into training programs for both new and existing small businesses

The Gene Ontology: enhancements for 2011

The Gene Ontology (GO) (http://www.geneontology.org) is a community bioinformatics resource that represents gene product function through the use of structured, controlled vocabularies. The number of GO annotations of gene products has increased due to curation efforts among GO Consortium (GOC) groups, including focused literature-based annotation and ortholog-based functional inference. The GO ontologies continue to expand and improve as a result of targeted ontology development, including the introduction of computable logical definitions and development of new tools for the streamlined addition of terms to the ontology. The GOC continues to support its user community through the use of e-mail lists, social media and web-based resources

The Relationship Between Mindfulness and Leadership: How Mindfulness Practices Affect Leadership Practices

The aim of this study was to explore and understand the relationship between mindfulness practices and actual leadership practices. This qualitative study utilized narrative inquiry with phenomenological interviewing techniques to explore selective leaders who use mindfulness practices, and see how they used mindfulness in their leadership practice. Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted and thematic analysis was utilized. Eleven themes were identified with multiple sub- and sub-sub-themes, including: “Personal, Internal Mindfulness Practice,” “Being Mindful Toward Self,” “Being Present with Others,” “Being Present with a Group,” “Mindful Shift of Focus/Attention,” “Emotional Intelligence,” “Buffering of Reactivity,” “Resilience and Recovery,” “Alignment,” “Improved Job Performance,” and “Mindful Leadership.” The participants described the ability to move into the present moment, gain discernment, choose a needed action, even if the best choice of action was not acting at all, and then remerge back to the present moment. Mindful leadership was found to be the ability to see oneself, others, the situation(s), the complexities and emotions at all levels (intra- and interpersonally), and then to step back, integrate it all, and with a humanistic approach—lead. A significant implication for leadership that this study may offer is that the simple practices of mindfulness can potentially ripple out through one’s life in ways that take shape as some of the best practices across multiple leadership theories and models. Practical applications were found on both an individual leader-level, such as with developing a humanistic approach; and an organizational leader-level, such as the value of mindful leadership training and coaching. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and Ohiolink ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

Working Capital Financing

Howard E. Van Auken is an Assistant Professor of Finance at Iowa State University