Beyond categorization: new directions for theory development about entrepreneurial internationalization

Categorizations emphasizing the earliness of internationalization have long been a cornerstone of international entrepreneurship research. Here we contend that the prominence of categories has not been commensurate with theory development associated with them. We draw on categorization theory to explain why earliness-based categories are persistent, and argue that a greater focus on notions related to opportunity can open new avenues of research about the entrepreneurial internationalization of business. We propose and discuss three directions for opportunity-based research on entrepreneurial internationalization, involving context, dynamics and variety

Anticipating climate change: knowledge use in participatory flood management in the river Meuse

Given the latest knowledge on climate change, the Dutch government wants to anticipate the increased risk of flooding. For the river Meuse in The Netherlands, the design discharge is estimated to increase from 3800m3/s to 4600m3/s. With the existing policy of “Room for the River”, this increase is to be accommodated without raising the dikes. At the same time the floodplains are often claimed for other functions, e.g. new housing or industrial estates. In 2001 the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management started the study “Integrated assessment of the river Meuse (IVM)” with the objectives of making an inventory of the probable physical effects of a design flood, assuming climate change, on the river Meuse in 2050, investigating possible spatial and technical measures to mitigate these effects, and finally combining various measures to create an integral strategy for flood protection, while at the same time increasing spatial quality. This paper presents the results of research into the decision making process that took place in order to achieve these objectives. Special attention was given to the role of scientific and technical knowledge in the decision making process, e.g. by investigating the effect of the quality of input data on acceptance by stakeholders, and the interactive use of a decision support system to visualise hydraulic effects. Conclusions on successes and pitfalls are drawn from observation and interviews with participants. It demonstrates how it is possible to integrate the necessary, technically complex knowledge in a political debate with stakeholders on how to deal with flood risk. Furthermore, the experience indicates in what area improvements could be made

Understanding eINVs through the lens of prior research in entrepreneurship, international business and international entrepreneurship

In this chapter we examine the growing phenomenon of internet-based international new ventures, which we label “eINVS,” through the lens of previous research in the fields of entre- preneurship, international business and international entrepreneurship. Our purpose is to iden- tify where these existing bodies of research help us to understand eINVs, and where there are gaps that constitute important questions for future research. We define an eINV by adapting a widely used definition of international new ventures (INV) (Oviatt and McDougall 2005: 5): an eINV is a venture whose business model is enabled by a digital platform and that, from incep- tion, seeks to derive significant competitive advantage from international growth. With a focus explicitly on how extant research helps us understand eINVs, this review differs from that of Reuber and Fischer (2011b), who focus on firm-level internet-related resources that are related to the internationalization of ventures in general; that of Pezderka and Sinkovics (2011), who focus on risk and the online foreign market entry decisions of small and medium-sized enter- prises (SMEs); and that of Chandra and Coviello (2010), who focus on consumers using the internet to pursue international opportunities

Meson-meson correlations in baryon-baryon and antibaryon-baryon interactions

Recent work of the J\"ulich group about the role of meson-meson correlations in baryon-baryon and antibaryon-baryon interactions is reviewed.Comment: Lecture given at the Erice School 1995, TEX, 10 pages, 15 figure

À la recherche de l’identité dans Alto solo d’Antoine Volodine

Le roman Alto Solo (1991) d’Antoine Volodine provoque deux questions fondamentales : « Qui suis-je ? » et « Qui es-tu ? » Ce sont des questions qui explorent la notion du soi et de l’autre en mettant en relation le lieu habité, c’est-à-dire géographique, et le lieu psychologique ainsi que celui de l’énonciation. Ce sont des questions dont les réponses font référence aux signes distinctifs entre des individus d’une société, qui, dans Alto Solo, produisent une sensation d’étrangeté, d’anonymat et d’exil de l’un par rapport à l’autre. Ces réponses prononcées ou implicites produisent une sensation d’étrangeté et d’aliénation sociale qui est renforcée par une aliénation de l’identité personnelle, celle-ci n’étant, dans la plupart des cas, qu’une identité collective.Qui sont les citoyens de Chamrouche par rapport aux personnages aux noms bizarres ? Comment caractériser les personnages que nous rencontrons dans cette oeuvre de Volodine et auxquels l’auteur ne fait référence que dans un langage symbolique ? Il parle des voix, des oiseaux, des nègues et des hommes portant des imperméables, sans expliquer le choix de son vocabulaire. Cette absence d’information concrète confirme non seulement la notion d’étrangeté dans le texte de Volodine, mais elle provoque également la réitération des deux questions, « Qui suis-je ? » et « Qui es-tu ? ». Elle stimule notre recherche de l’identité dans Alto Solo.Antoine Volodine’s novel Alto Solo (1991) raises two fundamental questions : “Who am I ?” and “Who are you ?” These questions address the notion of the self and the other in relation to geographic and psychological place as well as that of speech. The answers to these questions are intrinsic to the distinct characteristics of individual, interacting members of society, which in Alto Solo stir feelings of otherness, anonymity, and even of exile among the fictional characters. The responses to these two questions, whether overt or implicit, yield an aura of social disjunction and alienation, and hence questions of the identity of the individual characters who seem largely remote, their identities more collective than personal.Who then are the citizens of Chamrouch, in relation to those with bizarre names ? How can we define the characters in Volodine’s novel when they are depicted only as symbols, their verbal expression in the form of voices, birds, nègues, and men wearing raincoats without the author ever explaining his choice of words ? The absence of concrete information not only reinforces the pervasive aura of otherness in Volodine’s text, but also summons a reiteration of the two questions, “Who am I ?” and “Who are you ?” Thus we are impelled in our search for identity in Alto Solo

Voodoo Dolls, Charms, And Spells In The Classroom: Teaching, Screening, And Deconstructing The Misrepresentation Of The African Religion

“New Orleans voodoo,” also called “créole voodoo,” is an amalgamation of an honoring of the spirits of the dead, a respect for the elderly and the spiritual life, African knowledge of herbs and charms, and European elements of Catholicism. It is a religion of ancestor worship that is unknown to us, and that we are not necessarily exposed to or included in. As such, it is something foreign to our own belief system. Being ignorant about what the religion entails, people in general stigmatize it as something not worthy to discuss, nor to practice. Unfortunately, popular novels like Voodoo Season (2006) and Voodoo Dreams (1995) by Jowell Parker Rhodes, and especially Hollywood’s production of horror movies such as White Zombie (1932), I Walked with a Zombie (1943), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1987), Voodoo Dawn (1998) or Hoodoo for Voodoo (2006), do not provide the public with a truthful background of the African, Haitian, or New Orleanean voodoo tradition. All too often these fictional sources fuel the already existing misrepresentations of the religion and represent it as something shadowy, highly secretive, and fearful. This differentiated introduction to New Orleans voodoo via Iain Softley’s film The Skeleton Key (2004) exposes students to the major characteristics of the religion, makes them aware of popular culture’s falsified voodoo construct, and teaches them how to deconstruct it. This interactive approach is student centered, appeals to their individual intelligences and learning styles, promotes critical thinking, and trains analytical skills

Neurologists can identify diagnostic linguistic features during routine seizure clinic interactions: results of a one-day teaching intervention.

The diagnostic distinction between epilepsy and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) can be challenging. Previous studies have demonstrated that experts in conversation analysis can identify linguistic and interactional features in transcripts and recordings of interviews with patients that reliably distinguish between epilepsy and PNES. In this study, ten senior neurology trainees took part in a one-day intervention workshop about linguistic and interactional differences in the conversation behavior of patients with epilepsy and those with PNES. Participants were familiarized with a 12-item questionnaire designed to capture their conversational observations immediately after talking to a patient with seizures. After the intervention, 55 initial outpatient visits of patients referred to seizure clinics were video and audio recorded. All medical diagnoses were confirmed two years after initial presentation on the basis of a chart review (including MRI and EEG findings) by a fully trained epilepsy expert. Postvisit questionnaires relating to patients confirmed to have epilepsy (n=20) or PNES (n=13) were analyzed. Doctors' mean responses to 6 of the 12 questions about linguistic and interactional observations differed significantly between the groups with epilepsy and PNES. Receiver operating curve analysis showed that a summation scale based on items demonstrating significant between-group differences correctly classified 81.8% of patients as having epilepsy or PNES. This study shows that a brief Conversation Analytic teaching intervention can enable neurologists to identify linguistic and interactional features supporting the differentiation of epilepsy and PNES as they take their patients' history in routine seizure clinic consultations, potentially improving diagnostic accuracy

How To Use The Pop-Screen In Literary Studies

Teaching literary theory is fascinating for those who love the application of theory to a literary text, difficult for those who are of the opinion that theory destroys the actual beauty and value of the fictional source, and unfortunately often boring for those who are taught.  This article, however, provides a popular approach to the introduction to classical Freudian literary criticism by choosing David Koepp’s cinematographic adaptation of Stephen King’s novella Secret Window. David Koepp’s film Secret Window (2004) is a valuable teaching tool, as it invites the viewer to observe Mort Rainey’s—the film’s main character—psychologically unstable mind and emotional distress processed in his dream states, hallucinations, and anxiety attacks. Moreover, the film illustrates well the Freudian concept of repression, of the uncanny, of dream work, and of the interplay of the three psychological entities—ego, Id, super-ego. This differentiated introduction to important Freudian concepts and his understanding of dream-analysis is student centered, motivating, interactive, and helps students to develop their critical and media literacy.  &nbsp