Revisiting the expatriate failure concept: A qualitative study of Scandinavian expatriates in Hong Kong

This article advances the understanding of expatriate failure, which remains a contested social phenomenon in international work life as well as scholarly research. The study challenges the definition of expatriate failure and its inherent biases, i.e., the epistemological primacy of the firm level and the failure/success binary. We argue that this qualitative study of 51 Scandinavian expatriates in Hong Kong can contribute to advancing theory on the expatriate failure concept by asking individual expatriates what constitutes failure to them. By applying social constructionist and social anthropological ideas to the expatriate failure concept debate, we develop the internationality thesis which demonstrates a discrepancy between the expatriates’ perceptions of successful international assignments and the actual nature of their lived lives; many expatriates desire to enrich their lives through experiencing an international/intercultural and adventurous lifestyle, but, in fact, living lives with limited intercultural exposure and interaction. We conclude by proposing a reconceptualisation of expatriate failure in terms of offering both a new definition and approach to researching expatriate failure in which time/duration, context, and geographical location need to be taken into account. We believe the new approach can overcome some of the empirical unsoundness of mainstream definitions.     

电站隧洞岩爆岩石的微观破坏力学机制分析

分析总结西南某电站辅助隧洞的岩爆发育特征,然后用扫描电镜技术(SEM)对岩爆岩石断口进行微观断裂形貌研究,并总结其破坏力学机制,最终建立起岩爆岩石的微观断裂方式和破坏力学机制与宏观岩爆特征及其烈度的关系。     

堆石料与基岩面直剪试验

介绍了堆石料与基岩面的现场直剪试验方法，6个组次的直剪试验结果表明，堆石料与基岩面的抗剪强度指标随基岩面坚硬度的增大而增加，并随基岩面粗糙度的加大而加大。     

非饱和土的抗剪强度理论研究

从孔隙水的存在状态出发 ,围绕Bishop抗剪强度公式中存在的几个疑点展开讨论 .认为非饱和土中支配强度和变形的应力之所以不同 ,是因为非饱和土中存在一种性质与有效应力不同的应力———内部应力 ,它不传递 ,仅影响土的塑性变形 .同时还对Bishop ,Fredlund和卢肇钧提出的抗剪强度公式中的参数测试方法进行分析 ,指出 :各种抗剪强度理论在概念上都是相同的 ,其区别仅在于确定由吸力产生的那部分有效应力时采用的参数和测试方法不同     

提高自蔓延高温合成陶瓷内衬钢管性能的研究

在概括了自蔓延高温合成陶瓷内衬钢管的制备原理基础上，从降低陶瓷层孔隙率，减少陶瓷层裂纹和提高陶瓷层结合强度等方面，论述了提高自蔓延高温合成陶瓷内衬钢管性能的措施，对自蔓延高温合成陶瓷内衬钢管的应用现状及展望进行了评述。     

Engineering Geological Problems of Levee Along Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River

1　ＩｎｔｒｏｄｕｃｔｉｏｎＢｅｃａｕｓｅｏｆｔｈｅｃｏｍｐｌｉｃａｔｅｄｓｕｂｓｏｉｌｐｒｏｆｉｌｅ ,ｔｈｅｌｅｖｅｅａｌｏｎｇｍｉｄｄｌｅａｎｄｌｏｗｅｒｒｅａｃｈｅｓｏｆＹａｎｇｔｚｅ ,ａｂｏｕｔ 36 0 0ｋｍｌｏｎｇ ,ｈａｓｍａｎｙｈｉｄｄｅｎｐｅｒｉｌｓ .Ａｍｏｎｇｔｈｅｄａｎｇｅｒｏｕｓｅｖｅｎｔｓｄｕｒｉｎｇ 1998’ｓｆｌｏｏｄｓｅａｓｏｎｉｎｔｈｅｗｈｏｌｅｖａｌｌｅｙ ,12 .7%ｏｃ ｃｕｒｒｅｄａｌｏｎｇｔｈｅｔｒｕｎｋｓｔｒｅａｍｄｙｋｅｓ,ｏｆｗｈｉｃｈ 6 98ｗｅｒｅｔｈｅｍｏｓｔｄ…     

纤维混凝土在水工建筑工程中的应用(上)

概述改性混凝土垢发展情况，介绍纤维混凝土在国内外水工建筑物上的应用实例，提出钢纤维增强钢筋混凝土水工建筑结构强度计算方法。包括受弯构件正截面强度，斜截面抗剪强度的计算；重点介绍了网状钢纤维增强混凝土（FOC）在水工建筑物上的应用，包括在渡槽，闸门，小型拦河坝，轻型岸型等工程上的应用实例，T新梁正斜截面的强度计算，板材承载力计算的方法。     

碾压混凝土穿透型诱导缝不同扩展阶段的强度指标试验研究

在不同削弱度碾压混凝土轴拉试件的穿透型诱导缝周围粘贴了应变片，得到在不同应力状态下诱导缝应变发展规律为：在加载初期，离缝端不同距离的应变发展较为均匀，数值上相差不突出；随着荷载的增加，应变开始出现不均匀发展，离缝端越远，应变变化越缓慢；当接近最大荷载的阶段，缝端应变急速发展，试件瞬间断裂。应变从均匀发展变为不均匀发展，实质上隐含了诱导缝起裂、稳定发展、失稳断裂的整个过程，针对这一试验现象，结合断裂力学理论，建立了诱导缝不同开裂阶段的远场温度应力强度指标模型。     

Connecting the second exhaust-heat boiler to the operating first one under the conditions of flow circuits of combined-cycle plants with two gas-turbine units and one steam turbine

Problems arising with connecting the second exhaust-heat boiler to the first exhaust-heat boiler under load in the case of flow circuits of combined-cycle plants of type PGU-450 are considered. Similar problems exist for two-boiler single-turbine units of type PGU-325 and for two-boiler single-turbine units of traditional steampower plants with an output of 200–300 MW upon connection of the second furnace of a two-furnace boiler to the operating first furnace. Analysis of the temperature-induced stressed state and of the cyclic strength of thick-walled elements of the steam-water conduit of PGU-450 and of two-furnace boilers of two-boiler single-turbine units with an output of 200–300 MW (the check valve, the inlet header of the water economizer) is used for determining the steam temperature differences in the high-pressure conduits to the steam turbine and the order of connection of the second exhaust-heat boiler to the operating fist one. Modes of enabling a two-boiler single-turbine unit of a combined-cycle plant, which are most “rigid” from the standpoint of thermal strength, are determined. __________ Translated from élektricheskie Stantsii, No. 2, February 2006, pp. 11–17.     

Squatting as a transition problem in South Africa

This paper applies principles of transition to land tenure and squatting in South Africa. Political transition in South Africa reassigned political property rights, which produced contestable, and rent‐seeking incentives for squatting as a means to privatize land and redistribute wealth. Government failure to establish and protect private property rights in a squatter camp resulted in common‐pool problems that resisted private and public resolution with consequent rent dissipation and social loss. In response to this retreat from duty, informal agents emerged to claim their own share of the prize. Without enforceable rules of capture, the growth of squatter camps in South Africa will continue. JEL classification: D7, H8, K1, K4, R1, R4.