A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL UNCERTAINTY LITERATURE SINCE 1987

Environmental uncertainty has been a central construct of organizational theorists and strategic management researchers for many decades. The number of empirical studies using the uncertainty construct also continues to be significant. However, the confusion surrounding the conceptualization and measurement of the uncertainty construct remains a subject of scholarly debate. Through our comprehensive review of 77 empirical studies over the last 20 years and related theoretical and methodological work, we intend to (1) review the conceptualization trends and persisting issues that are apparent in uncertainty research, (2) review empirical issues particularly important to uncertainty work and illustrate how researches have or have not overcome some of these challenges, and (3) suggest directions for future research using the uncertainty construct.

Exploring the Cognitive Nature of Boards of Directors and Its Implication for Board Effectiveness

In this paper we propose a theoretical framework that emphasizes the development of a shared mental model (SMM) of a board of directors and its impact on board effectiveness and suggest that the accuracy and scope of the SMM in a board will moderate the relationship between a board’s SMM and board effectiveness. Also, we examine the impact of task and relationship conflict on the development of a SMM. Finally, we examine three board attributes (board size, CEO duality, and the proportion of outside directors on a board) as antecedents to the development of conflict among board members.Boards of directors, corporate governance, shared mental models

In situ observation of wet oxidation kinetics on Si(100) via ambient pressure x-ray photoemission spectroscopy

e initial stages of wet thermal oxidation of Si (100) - (2??1) have been investigated by in situ ambient pressure x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, including chemical-state resolution via Si 2p core-level spectra. Real-time growth rates of silicon dioxide have been monitored at 100 mTorr of water vapor. This pressure is considerably higher than in any prior study using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Substrate temperatures have been varied between 250 and 500 ??C. Above a temperature of ???400 ??C, two distinct regimes, a rapid and a quasisaturated one, are identified, and growth rates show a strong temperature dependence which cannot be explained by the conventional Deal-Grove model.open7

Real-time observation of the dry oxidation of the Si(100) surface with ambient pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

We have applied ambient-pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with Si 2p chemical shifts to study the real-time dry oxidation of Si(100), using pressures in the range of 0.01-1 Torr and temperatures of 300-530 ??C, and examining the oxide thickness range from 0 to ???25 A. The oxidation rate is initially very high (with rates of up to ???225 Ah) and then, after a certain initial thickness of the oxide in the range of 6-22 A is formed, decreases to a slow state (with rates of ???1.5-4.0 Ah). Neither the rapid nor the slow regime is explained by the standard Deal-Grove model for Si oxidation.open171

In-Situ observation of wet oxidation kinetics on Si (100) via ambient pressure x-ray photoemission spectroscopy

The initial stages of wet thermal oxidation of Si(100)-(2x1) have been investigated by in-situ ambient pressure x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (APXPS), including chemical-state resolution via Si 2p core-level spectra. Real-time growth rates of silicon dioxide have been monitored at 100 mTorr of water vapor. This pressure is considerably higher than in any prior study using XPS. Substrate temperatures have been varied between 250 and 500 C. Above a temperature of {approx} 400 C, two distinct regimes, a rapid and a quasi-saturated one, are identified and growth rates show a strong temperature dependence which cannot be explained by the conventional Deal-Grove model

Understanding the Role of Electronic Effects in CO on the Pt-Sn Alloy Surface via Band Structure Measurements

Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we show direct evidence for charge transfer between adsorbed molecules and metal substrates, i.e., chemisorption of CO on Pt(111) and Pt-Sn/Pt(111) 2 x 2 surfaces. The observed band structures show a unique signature of charge transfer as CO atoms are adsorbed, revealing the roles of specific orbital characters participating in the chemisorption process. As the coverage of CO increases, the degree of charge transfer between CO and Pt shows a clear difference to that of Pt-Sn. With comparison to density functional theory calculation results, the observed distinct features in the band structure are interpreted as back-donation bonding states formed between the Pt molecular orbital and the 2 pi orbital of CO. Furthermore, the change in the surface charge concentration, measured from the Fermi surface area, shows that the Pt surface has a larger charge concentration change than the Pt-Sn surface upon CO adsorption. The differences between Pt and Pt-Sn surfaces are due to the effect of Pt-Sn intermetallic bonding on the interaction of CO with the surface