Employee-transfer as an instrument of information-transfer through vertical relations?

Personnel policies and strategies of Japanese companies have gathered special interest for a long time. But in a crisis like the burst of the bubble economy in the beginning of the nineties these principles are handled more and more in a flexible way. With a growing number of people in transfer to other companies in the group or to affiliated firms, the Japanese companies try to maintain their competitiveness. Since long term relations are still significant in Japanese companies, employees cannot simply be dismissed. The transfer of employees, which is known as shukkô means not to cut, but to loosen the relations to them while going in closer contact with the group companies. One side of the transfer is to gain competitiveness in reducing the surplus of employees and to cut personnel expenses. The other side is to strengthen the relations in giving technical guidance and training in affiliated companies. This means a better flow of knowledge and information to the affiliates. The aim of this study, which is based on the Kaisha-Database at the Science Center Berlin, is to figure out and analyse these two intentions of employee-transfer. -- Personalpolitik und -strategien in japanischen Unternehmen haben lange Zeit besonderes Interesse auf sich gezogen. In einer Krise wie nach dem Platzen der Seifenblasenwirtschaft Anfang der neunziger Jahre werden diese Prinzipien jedoch flexibler gehandhabt. Mit einer steigenden Anzahl von Beschäftigten, die zu anderen Firmen in der Unternehmensgruppe oder zu verbundenen Unternehmen entsendet werden, versuchen japanische Firmen ihre Wettbewerbsfähigkeit zu behaupten. Langfristige Beziehungen spielen in japanischen Unternehmen jedoch weiterhin eine große Rolle. Um Personalüberhänge bewältigen und Personalkosten senken zu können, werden Beschäftigte in andere Firmen der Unternehmensgruppe entsandt. Dieser Transfer von Beschäftigten, genannt shukkô, bedeutet keine Entlassung, sondern eine Lockerung des Beschäftigungsverhältnisses. Durch einen Transfer kann ebenso ein engerer Kontakt mit den Unternehmen in der Gruppe aufgenommen werden. Die Beziehung zum verbundenen Unternehmen wird durch technische Unterstützung und Training verstärkt, was einen besseren Informationsfluß und Wissenstransfer für die verbundenen Unternehmen bewirken kann. Die Studie, die auf Daten aus der Kaisha-Datenbank am Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin basiert, zielt darauf ab, diese beiden Intentionen des Beschäftigungstransfers heraus zu filtern und zu analysieren. Die shukkô-Unternehmen werden anhand verschiedener Rentabilitätskennzahlen untersucht.

Analysis of Bcl6 in a genetically tractable human B cell line

B cell lymphoma 6 (Bcl6) is a proto-oncogene functioning as a transcriptional repressor at the germinal centre (GC) stage of B cell development, regulating proliferation, differentiation and survival. Bcl6 is commonly dysregulated in GCderived lymphomas and hence a promising therapeutic target. Although a number of agents targeting Bcl6 are being developed, there is currently no good model available for functional analysis and hence drug target validation. To address this issue, I have established a conditional BCL6 knockout cell line for in-depth functional analyses of Bcl6. I have used homologous recombination to disrupt one BCL6 allele in the human Burkitt’s lymphoma cell line DG75 with a zeocin resistance cassette and have shown this line to be capable of supporting tetracycline (tet)-regulated Bcl6 expression from an integrated expression construct. The zeocin cassette used to disrupt the first BCL6 allele was subsequently deleted by Cre recombination. This allowed me to reuse the same targeting construct to disrupt the second BCL6allele. I subsequently set out to characterise the resulting conditional knockout cell line and found that depletion of Bcl6 leads to less proliferation, characterised by a prolonged G0/G1cell cycle phase. I went on to further characterise the effect of Bcl6 depletion in my system by cDNA microarray analysis, which revealed interesting insights into functions of Bcl6 such as the modulation of B cell receptor signalling and calcium signalling. The system I have developed is the first precisely regulated genetic model for studying Bcl6 function and will be of great benefit for research aiming to develop Bcl6 targeted drug therapy

Leadership for improvement: promoting student learning through an on-campus residential learning community for first-year female, minority, and low income engineering students

The purpose of this action research study was to examine the effects of an Engineering Living and Learning Community (ELLC) comprised of minority, female, and low-income engineering students and their perceptions of their first-year experience regarding their transition to college, their peer-to-peer and peer-to-faculty relationships, and their connection to campus. This study explored the impact of the creation of the ELLC and the researcher\u27s evolution as a leader during the process. Hinchey (2008) defines action research as a process of systematic inquiry usually cyclical, conducted by those inside a community with the goal to identify action that will generate some improvement (p. 4). Using the action research paradigm, this study investigated the experiences of 45 participants at Virginia Smith University, a four-year, mid-sized, suburban, public university in the mid-Atlantic region during the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 academic years. Students perceptions regarding their transition to college, peer and faculty relationships, and their connection to campus were assessed using a mixed methods approach. This study incorporated a two-phase process, starting with the evaluation of the Engineering Living and Learning Community in the pilot fall semester in 2009 and then assessed the implementation and evaluation of changes to the program based on the results from the data collected. Results indicated that both the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 ELLC cohorts\u27 first-year experience regarding their transition to college, peer-to-peer and peer-to-faculty relationships, and their connection to campus were all improved because of their participation in the Engineering Living and Learning Community program

Inter'sex/gender-related constitutiveness : – Specific Realities, Specific Norms

There are new approaches and worldviews in the natural sciences and engineering that are based on multilayered and complex systemic approaches and can also enrich the social discourse on (inter-)sex/gender-related constitutiveness. What Western scientific thought has taught us since the 18th century can also frequently be reflected in the realm of sex/gender-related constitutiveness. Variability and complex systemic strategies are a fundamental prerequisite of life

Neutron spectral measurements in the upper atmosphere

An experiment to measure neutrons in the upper atmosphere was performed on a balloon flight from Palestine, Texas, at an altitude of about 32 km. The experimental arrangement is discussed briefly, and results of a preliminary analysis of the data for neutrons in the energy range 3 to 30 MeV are given