Dynamic Co-Existence of Company-Owned and Franchised Outlets Within a Company: A Framework of the Franchisor\u27s Perspective

Why and how do company-owned and franchised outlets simultaneously exist within the same organization? The purpose of this article is to integrate a variety of theories on this interesting retail phenomenon into a broader theoretical framework based on the political-economy paradigm. This paper attempts to integrate the perspectives of several theories that previously have been considered competing models of a single reality--the access-to-capital viewpoint, transaction cost analysis, the population ecology perspective, and power-dependence-conflict arguments--into a broader perspective that utilizes intra-firmfactors and the internal and external economies and polities of the political-economy paradigm. A model depicting this integration is set forth and nineteen research propositions stemming from this model are proposed

General Relativistic Description of the Observed Galaxy Power Spectrum: Do We Understand What We Measure?

We extend the general relativistic description of galaxy clustering developed in Yoo, Fitzpatrick, and Zaldarriaga (2009). For the first time we provide a fully general relativistic description of the observed matter power spectrum and the observed galaxy power spectrum with the linear bias ansatz. It is significantly different from the standard Newtonian description on large scales and especially its measurements on large scales can be misinterpreted as the detection of the primordial non-Gaussianity even in the absence thereof. The key difference in the observed galaxy power spectrum arises from the real-space matter fluctuation defined as the matter fluctuation at the hypersurface of the observed redshift. As opposed to the standard description, the shape of the observed galaxy power spectrum evolves in redshift, providing additional cosmological information. While the systematic errors in the standard Newtonian description are negligible in the current galaxy surveys at low redshift, correct general relativistic description is essential for understanding the galaxy power spectrum measurements on large scales in future surveys with redshift depth z>3. We discuss ways to improve the detection significance in the current galaxy surveys and comment on applications of our general relativistic formalism in future surveys.Comment: accepted for publication in Physical Review

Stabilizing the forming process in unipolar resistance switching using an improved compliance current limiter

The high reset current IR in unipolar resistance switching now poses major obstacles to practical applications in memory devices. In particular, the first IR-value after the forming process is so high that the capacitors sometimes do not exhibit reliable unipolar resistance switching. We found that the compliance current Icomp is a critical parameter for reducing IR-values. We therefore introduced an improved, simple, easy to use Icomp-limiter that stabilizes the forming process by drastically decreasing current overflow, in order to precisely control the Icomp- and subsequent IR-values.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure

The evolution of work and the growing contingency of labor practices in the Massachusetts life sciences industry

Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2018.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 57-61).Contingent work has been used to describe a wide range of non-standard, short-term employment arrangements to include self-employment, home-based work, on-call work, temporary work, contracting, and other alternative employment arrangements. In 2005, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that about four percent of total employment in the U.S. was comprised of contingent workers. Just five years later this figure nearly doubled to 7.9 percent according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, though more liberal measurements record this number to be closer to 40 percent (2015). Another five years later in a report published by Katz and Krueger, the estimate doubled once again to 15.8 percent (2016). It is clear that the use of contingent labor to complete work tasks is increasingly an essential element utilized by businesses as they shed non-essential functions in order to focus on their core competencies. This reflects a belief that a lean operating model will optimize companies' cost structures and provide flexibility to react efficiently during down and upturns in the economy. The use of contingent labor modifies the conventional relationship between capital and labor in the formation of skill. Previously, skill was described as encompassing general and specific skills. General skills represent the skills and experiences workers bring to the job from formal training and tacit knowledge gained in previous work contexts. Specific skills represent skill augmentation that derives directly from the work experience gained by working with a unique employer. The labor contract typically includes the combination of both skill enhancing experiences. Rents are collected by both parties up to the value of each party's marginal product and hence contribution to labor productivity. Today's utilization of contingent labor ignores the significant costs associated with recruiting and training new hires as well as the indeterminable loss in value from utilizing a workforce that is less incented to see their companies succeed. The lack of specific skills of contingent workers diminishes productivity and causes the firm to incur training costs, which may not be recovered due to the shorter job tenure. This thesis investigates the use of contingent work in the Massachusetts life science industry. The demands of capital markets are fiercely pressuring companies to grow and generate large returns for its investors. However, this places an uneven amount of focus on the commercialization of its products causing the industry to hone in on its core competencies and shed non-essential functions, thereby expanding the use of contingent labor. This thesis is framed by the discussion of a looming imperative amidst industry constraints and the subsequent effects created by the dichotomy. The first part of this thesis describes the evolution of work and the emergence of financial pressures compelling the life science industry to utilize contingent labor in several of its key R&D and manufacturing functions despite the obvious benefits associated with career jobs to both the employer and employee. The demands of capital markets continue to drive specific actions of the life science industry (imperative), however the industry is characterized by high cost, long production cycles, tremendous volatility, and a critical reliance on capital flows (industry constraints). Chapter five presents the findings, which examines the net results from the interplay between the imperative and constraints. What effects is this imperative having on life science companies facing these constraints and how are they reacting (subsequent effects)? Many are beginning to behave irrationally and at odds with its long-term goals diminishing the innovative potential of the industry as a whole and adversely impacting the workforce powering the entire mechanism. This thesis attempts to coalesce these broad themes to tell the story of what is happening to work in the Massachusetts life science industry.by Richard Yoo.M.C.P

Performance of Trust-Based Governance

Trust is crucial for the success of interorganizational relationships, yet we lack a clear understanding of when trust-based governance is likely to succeed or fail. This paper explores that topic via a closed-form and a computational analysis of a formal model based on the well-known trust game. We say that trust-based governance performs better in situations where it results in a willingness to be vulnerable with trustworthy others and an unwillingness to be vulnerable with untrustworthy others. We find that trust-based governance performs better in situations in which (a) trustworthy and untrustworthy partners exhibit markedly different behavior (high behavioral risk) or (b) the organization is willing to be vulnerable despite doubts concerning the partner’s trustworthiness (low trust threshold)

In-situ electrochemical fabrication of natural contacts on single nanowires

We report a template-based in-situ electrochemical method for fabricating natural electric contacts on single nanowires using a pair of cross-patterned electrodes. Such electric contacts are highly stable upon thermal cycling between room temperature and milli-Kelvin temperatures. Direct imaging of the single-nanowire contacts using scanning electron microscopy is also demonstrated.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure