Does downsizing improve organisational performance? An analysis of Spanish manufacturing firms

The objective of this study is to examine the effect of downsizing on corporate performance, considering a sample of manufacturing firms drawn from the Spanish Survey of Business Strategies for the 1993–2005 period. No significant difference in post-downsizing performance arises between companies that downsize and those that do not. Likewise, we find that substantial workforce reductions through collective layoffs do not lead to improved performance levels either. Downsizing may not, therefore, be a way for managers to enhance performance. This is particularly true of Spain, where the labour market is characterised by the ring-fencing of employees' rights and substantial severance costs.     

Rural entrepreneurship in place: an integrated framework

ABSTRACT

Agglomeration-oriented theories have grown significantly in the past decade in the explanation and promotion of entrepreneurship. Theoretical frameworks and normative models such as entrepreneurial ecosystems are insufficient to observe, explain, and inform policies at the communal level in rural contexts. In this paper, we propose a socio-spatial lens as a more fruitful way of understanding the holistic picture of rural entrepreneurship. By means of abductive research, we explore the distinct elements of entrepreneurial places in rural contexts and derive an integrated meso-level framework, comprising place-sensitive determinations and dimensions, to observe and further analyse the enabling conditions of such places. The findings obtained and the framework developed will be of great use for the evaluation and decision-making, regarding entrepreneurship in rural communities.     

Living on the slopes: entrepreneurial preparedness in a context under continuous threat

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we examine how entrepreneurs living in communities under continuous threat prepare themselves to continue with their enterprising activities or engage in new ones after the expected crisis occurs. Most of the crisis literature on disasters and entrepreneurship focuses on aftermath responses, but the antecedents of such entrepreneurial behaviour and its connection to past and future crises remains largely unexplored. Based on a two-stage exploratory study pre and post the Calbuco Volcano eruptions in 2015 and 2016 in Chile, we introduce the notion of entrepreneurial preparedness in a context of continuous threat and elaborate on its four central attributes: anchored reflectiveness, situated experience, breaking through, and reaching out. Subsequently, our work develops a refined understanding of pre and post-disaster entrepreneurship and offers a novel base for theorizing on the relationship between entrepreneurial preparedness in contexts of continuous threat.     

Effects of personal characteristics on organizational commitment: evidence from Brazil's oil and gas industry

In 1997, Brazil's major energy company faced a loss of its monopoly as part of the country's structural reform. Many of its employees were recruited by new entrants to the oil and gas industry. In order to retain employees, the company initiated a multiyear planning process which included a redesigned human resource management model oriented to organizational commitment. This study examines the long-term influence of five employee personal characteristics (type of employment, job level, gender, education level and service time) on the affective, normative and continuance components of organizational commitment. The research was conducted in one of the company refinery and involved a questionnaire survey of all employees and interviews with senior managers. It was found that type of employment (company staff or contractor) had the greatest impact on affective and normative commitment, while service time and education level are the most significant contributors to continuance commitment. Gender and job level were found to have limited implication for commitment. The results demonstrate that the company response to structural reform had the long-term positive effect of binding employees to the organization.     

泰州市产业技术创新战略联盟运行绩效评价研究

通过梳理现有联盟运行绩效评价相关文献,建立联盟绩效评价指标体系,并对泰州某产业联盟进行模糊综合评价.结果显示,该联盟运行绩效处于中和良之间,为此提出引导联盟发展规划制定、构建联盟利益分配机制、健全风险共担机制、加强联盟成员交流沟通、培养联盟产业相关人才等建议以提升联盟绩效.     

粮食游离氨基酸总量测定方法研究

α-氨基酸在弱酸性条件下与茚三酮反应生成紫色的双-1,3-二酮茚,反应灵敏.以粮食粗粉水提取液为样品,分析了其游离α-氨基酸与茚三酮反应的最佳温度是85℃,最佳时间12～15 min;反应产物采用比色法测定的最佳波长是570 nm,并在反应完成后1.5 h内完成测定.水溶性蛋白不影响粮食游离氨基酸总量的测定.同时指出游离氨基酸总量可用于芽麦和发芽糙米检测.     

The psychosocial and financial impact of non-severe hypoglycemic events on people with diabetes: two international surveys

Objectives:

To understand the impact of nocturnal and daytime non-severe hypoglycemic events on healthcare systems, work productivity and quality of life in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Methods:

People with diabetes who experienced a non-severe hypoglycemic event in the 4 weeks prior to the survey were eligible to participate in a nocturnal and/or daytime hypoglycemia survey. Surveys were conducted in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Israel, Mexico and South Africa.

Results:

In total, 300 respondents were included in nocturnal/daytime hypoglycemia surveys (50/participating country/survey). All respondents with type 1 diabetes and 68%/62% (nocturnal/daytime) with type 2 diabetes were on insulin treatment. After an event, 25%/30% (nocturnal/daytime) of respondents decreased their insulin dose and 39%/36% (nocturnal/daytime) contacted a healthcare professional. In the week after an event, respondents performed an average of 5.6/6.4 (nocturnal/daytime) additional blood glucose tests. Almost half of the respondents (44%) reported that the event had a high impact on the quality of their sleep. Among nocturnal survey respondents working for pay, 29% went to work late, 16% left work early and 12% reported missing one or more full work days due to the surveyed event. In addition, 50%/39% (nocturnal/daytime) indicated that the event had a high impact on their fear of future hypoglycemia.

Conclusions:

The findings suggest that nocturnal and daytime non-severe hypoglycemic events have a large financial and psychosocial impact. Diabetes management that minimizes hypoglycemia while maintaining good glycemic control may positively impact upon the psychological wellbeing of people with diabetes, as well as reducing healthcare costs and increasing work productivity.     

Relocation and investment in R&D by firms

The literature on foreign direct investment has analyzed corporate location decisions when firms invest in R&D to reduce production costs. Such firms may set up new plants in other developed countries while maintaining their domestic plants. In contrast, we here consider firms that close down their domestic operations and relocate to countries where wage costs are lower. Thus, we assume that firms may reduce their production costs by investing in R&D and likewise by moving their plants abroad. We show that these two mechanisms are complementary. When a firm relocates it invests more in R&D than when it does not change its location and, therefore, its production cost is lower in the first case. As a result, investment in R&D encourages firms to relocate.     

门诊抗高血压药物应用分析

目的介绍我院门诊抗高血压药物的使用情况,为临床合理用药提供参考。方法选取我院2013年的处方,从中筛选出含有抗高血压药物的处方,采用世界卫生组织（WHO）推荐的限定日剂量（DDD）等方法进行统计、分析。结果 28 208张门诊处方中使用抗高血压药物的处方有5 005张,占总处方数的17.7%。抗高血压药物在门诊使用较多,钙通道拮抗药（CCB）使用率最高,处方中抗高血压药物多为联合用药。结论我院门诊抗高血压药物使用基本合理,大多为联合用药,但仍需进一步提高。