bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mentoring experiences of successful women across the Americas
Authors: Inés Monserrat Silvia , Duffy Jo Ann , Olivas‐Luján Miguel R. , Miller John M. , Gregory Ann , Fox Suzy , Lituchy Terri R. , Punnett Betty Jane , María Bastos F. Santos Neusa 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare women's mentoring experience in nine countries within the Americas, and to explore linkages between personal characteristics, mentoring practices, mentoring functions, and consequences of being mentee.Design/methodology/approachA total of 1,146 successful women are questioned about their mentoring experiences as a mentee: 105 from Argentina, 210 from Brazil, 199 from Canada, 84 from Chile, 232 from Mexico, 126 from the USA, and 190 from three countries in the West Indies (Barbados, Jamaica, and St Vincent).FindingsMost of the women have more than one mentor. Across all countries mentoring practices are more strongly linked to career mentoring function while the age and gender of the mentor are more strongly linked to psychosocial mentoring. Mentoring from the perspective of mentee has the same directional relationship with situational and individual variables, but the significance of those relationships vary by country. A possible cultural difference is detected between Spanish and non‐Spanish speaking countries on the issue of mentoring practice.Research limitations/implicationsThe fact that the paper focuses only on successful women in this paper means the findings are not necessarily generalizable to other groups of women or men. The paper is also limited because mentoring functions are constrained to two: psychosocial and career. There may be more functions that mentoring could fulfill for the mentee.Practical implicationsCompanies' interest in fostering mentoring among their members, particularly women, should be aware that different mentoring functions are influenced by different factors. For example, formal mentoring programs appear to have a greater impact on career mentoring functions than on psychosocial mentoring functions. To support women in their careers, companies should institute formal mentoring programs; this is especially important in South American countries. Moreover, mentoring programs must be designed to be adaptive since the analyses indicated that there are significant differences by country in terms of many mentoring issues.Originality/valueIn the literature review, the paper finds linkages between culture, mentoring practices, characteristics of mentors and mentees, and mentoring functions, but no evidence that these linkages have been studied with a group of professionally successful women from different American countries, particularly non‐English speaking American countries.
Leadership characteristics of declining firms attempting turnaround
Authors: Abebe Michael A. 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between chief executive officer characteristics and corporate turnaround performance of declining firms attempting turnaround.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 60 US manufacturing firms that experience severe performance decline and turnaround from 1985 to 2000 are selected from a population of declining manufacturing firms in the COMPUSTAT database. Data on leadership characteristics are collected and analyzed using ordinary least square regression analysis and ANOVA.FindingsThe general findings of the study provide empirical support for the upper echelons theory that emphasizes leadership characteristics as predictors of organizational outcomes. More specifically, the findings suggest the strong and adverse influence of long executive tenure on corporate turnaround performance. The findings also indicate that executives with output‐related functional background positively influence corporate turnaround performance in declining firms attempting turnaround.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this paper have important implications for corporate governance issues in declining firms attempting turnaround. In addition, the findings also lend further empirical support for the role of strategic leadership in shaping organizational outcomes especially under declining environmental conditions.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the turnaround literature by providing empirical evidence on the role of strategic leadership in formulating and implementing turnaround strategies in declining firms. It also provides further support for the upper echelons perspective and strategic decision making.
Dynamic linkages between mental models, resource constraints and differential performance
Authors: Mandal Abhijit , Thomas Howard , Antunes Don 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus around the literatures of the resource‐based firm and cognitive mental models, explores the dynamic linkages between cognitive models, resources and firm performance in the context of the insurance industry.Design/methodology/approachIn a real‐life example drawn from the insurance industry, a process‐based simulation model is developed to explore the linkages between managerial mental models, resources and performance. It represents resources as endogenous flows and mental models and resource constraints as exogenous parameters. This allows, for example, the impact of heterogeneity in mental models, on such factors as the time path of resource allocations, resources and capabilities, and ultimately performance, to be studied in two firms (business units) in the insurance industry.FindingsIn general, heterogeneity in mental models leads to differences in performance in the long run. This finding is reinforced by the presence of resource constraints. Facing strategic change, however, it is often difficult for senior managers to overcome the influence of well‐established managerial mental models or recipes which create cognitive inertia and, in turn, hinder performance improvements.Originality/valueThere are few empirical studies which explore the impact of changes in mental models and resource constraints on firm‐performance and resource allocation decisions.
Exploring the roots of Porter's activity‐based view
Authors: Sheehan Norman T. , Foss Nicolai J. 
Published: July 2009

PurposePorter's activity‐based view of the firm is a comprehensive strategic framework which analyzes firm‐level competitive advantage. Although Porter's activity‐based view is widely cited by academics, taught to students, and applied by practitioners, little is known about its intellectual roots. Given that a framework's intellectual antecedents not only determine its current content, but also its future development, this paper aims to examine the intellectual roots of Porter's activity‐based view and the value chain.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines Porter's writings in an effort to document his influences while developing the activity‐based view and value chain. Porter's and other scholars' explanations are found to be lacking, so the paper ventures further down paths first suggested by Porter and others.FindingsWhereas Porter's five forces framework built on the existing industrial organization paradigm, the activity‐based view is not derived from any existing paradigms. While consultants of the 1970s impacted Porter's development of the value chain and the activity‐based view, its deeper roots lay in operations research, particularly activity analysis; and the work of Arch Shaw, who was the first to teach a business policy course at Harvard Business School. Porter's contribution is to bring the diverse threads together into a coherent whole which managers can apply to analyze and improve their competitive positions.Practical implicationsFollowing Porter, the authors argue that activities are a key link between resource holdings and strategic positions. Therefore, it is only when the activity‐based and resource‐based views are integrated that they provide a comprehensive explanation of firm value creation.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to critically examine the intellectual antecedents of the activity‐based view.
Product and process innovation in process industry: a new perspective on development
Authors: Bergfors Markus E. , Larsson Andreas 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to open up the research and development (R&D) organisation by separating product and process innovation and exploring these activities in terms of the structural variable of centralisation versus decentralisation.Design/methodology/approachCase studies of three multinational firms, representing food and beverage, mining and minerals, and pulp and paper industry.FindingsDual structures may exist within the R&D organisation, one for product innovation and one for process innovation. Consequently, it is suggested that the conventional notion of R&D organisational design, equating R&D more or less with product innovation, does not present a complete picture for many firms.Research limitations/implicationsOpening up the R&D organisation will help further the understanding link between the organisational structuring of product and process innovation, and the efforts of organisations to develop resources and competitive advantages.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for managing the strategy‐organizational fit concerning innovation in process industry.Originality/valueThe conventional view regarding R&D as a single entity – either centralised or decentralised – does not present a complete picture. This paper clarifies the link between strategic innovation determinants and the organisational configuration of R&D.
Strategy workshops facilitating and constraining strategy making
Authors: Schwarz Mirela 
Published: July 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a new framework for exploring the key elements of strategy workshops and provide empirical evidence on how these can influence strategy making within a firm.Design/methodology/approachThe research is based on structuration theory and the “practice” view of strategy. The empirical data are based on a longitudinal case study, including ethnographic data, extensive observations and interviews.FindingsThe findings show that strategy workshops are institutionalized as part of a firm's strategy‐making process, and provide a forum for strategic discourse facilitated through knowledge‐sharing and/or promotion of strategic consensus. Strategy workshops may, however, also constrain strategy making through opposition and rejection of participation which may lead to strategic paralysis.Practical implicationsThis research propose guidelines for managers on the effective preparation and management of strategy workshops.Originality/valueThe paper provides a new framework to explore key elements of strategy workshops and evidence of how these influence strategy making. The research highlights the dualistic nature of strategy workshops in strategy making.
Interview with Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT
Authors: O'Regan Nicholas , Ghobadian Abby 
Published: July 2009

PurposeBritish Telecom (BT) has achieved a classic turnaround that involved divestment and efficiency drives. This interview with Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT, sheds light on BT's past development and future growth.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of an interview with Sir Mike Rake, Chairman of BT.FindingsThe interview outlines a number of important factors in running a resilient and effective global company such as culture and common values, leadership at board and executive levels, remuneration transparency, skills, technology, and corporate governance.Originality/valueThe paper provides insight into the strategic journey of BT.
The Arabidopsis floral meristem identity genes AP1, AGL24 and SVP directly repress class B and C floral homeotic genes
Authors: Gregis Veronica , Sessa Alice , Dorca‐Fornell Carmen , Kater Martin M. 
Published: July 2009

SummaryDuring the initial stages of flower development, floral meristems increase in size without the formation of floral organs. When a critical meristem size is reached, the floral meristem begins to develop the floral organs. The first stages of flower development are characterized by the expression of genes such as APETALA 1 (AP1), CAULIFLOWER (CAL), AGAMOUS‐LIKE 24 (AGL24) and SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP). We have shown that AP1, AGL24 and SVP act redundantly to control the identity of the floral meristem and to repress expression of class B, C and E genes. Recently, it was shown that class E gene repression was direct and established by two independent pathways. We show here that repression of class B and C genes is also directly established by a co‐repressor complex that comprises LEUNIG (LUG), SEUSS (SEU) and the MADS box dimers AP1–AGL24 and AP1–SVP. Furthermore, we show that the distantly related SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CO 1 (SOC1) MADS box gene can complement for the loss of AGL24 and SVP activity; however, under normal conditions, this transcription factor does not play a role during the early stages of flower development.
Genetic and spatial interactions betweenFT,TSFandSVPduring the early stages of floral induction in Arabidopsis
Authors: Jang Seonghoe , Torti Stefano , Coupland George 
Published: July 2009

SummaryFlowering is controlled by a network of pathways that converge to regulate a small number of floral integrator genes. We studied the interactions in Arabidopsis between three of these integrators,FLOWERING LOCUS T(FT),TWIN SISTER OF FT(TSF) andSUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1(SOC1), as well as their repression by the MADS box transcription factor SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP). FT is a mobile signal transmitted from the leaf to the meristem to initiate flowering. Using mRNA null alleles, we show thatFTand the closely relatedTSFare not essential for flowering, but that the double mutant is photoperiod‐insensitive. Inactivation of both genes also fully suppresses the early‐flowering phenotype caused by over‐expression of CONSTANS (CO), a transcriptional regulator in the photoperiod pathway. In addition, we demonstrate that TSF and FT have similar biochemical functions by showing that they interact in yeast with the same bZIP transcription factors. Expression ofFTorTSFfrom promoters specific for phloem companion cells drives early flowering of the double mutant, so no expression of either gene is required in the meristem. Furthermore,TSF, likeFT, is repressed by SVP, but the triple mutantsvp‐41 ft‐10 tsf‐1expressesSOC1in the meristem sooner and flowers earlier thanft‐10 tsf‐1. Thus we distinguish the functions of SVP in repressingFTandTSFin the leaf andSOC1in the meristem. In addition, a time course ofin situhybridizations suggested that repression ofSVPand activation ofSOC1proceed simultaneously in the meristem. These observations clarify the relationships between these early regulators of the floral transition, and further emphasize the relatedness of mechanisms acting in the leaf and meristem to control flowering time.
Silencing OsHI‐LOX makes rice more susceptible to chewing herbivores, but enhances resistance to a phloem feeder
Authors: Zhou Guoxin , Qi Jinfeng , Ren Nan , Cheng Jiaan , Erb Matthias , Mao Bizeng , Lou Yonggen 
Published: July 2009

SummaryThe jasmonic acid (JA) pathway plays a central role in plant defense responses against insects. Some phloem‐feeding insects also induce the salicylic acid (SA) pathway, thereby suppressing the plant’s JA response. These phenomena have been well studied in dicotyledonous plants, but little is known about them in monocotyledons. We cloned a chloroplast‐localized type 2 13‐lipoxygenase gene of rice, OsHI‐LOX, whose transcripts were up‐regulated in response to feeding by the rice striped stem borer (SSB) Chilo suppressalis and the rice brown planthopper (BPH) Niaparvata lugens, as well as by mechanical wounding and treatment with JA. Antisense expression of OsHI‐LOX (as‐lox) reduced SSB‐ or BPH‐induced JA and trypsin protease inhibitor (TrypPI) levels, improved the larval performance of SBB as well as that of the rice leaf folder (LF) Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, and increased the damage caused by SSB and LF larvae. In contrast, BPH, a phloem‐feeding herbivore, showed a preference for settling and ovipositing on WT plants, on which they consumed more and survived better than on as‐lox plants. The enhanced resistance of as‐lox plants to BPH infestation correlated with higher levels of BPH‐induced H2O2 and SA, as well as with increased hypersensitive response‐like cell death. These results imply that OsHI‐LOX is involved in herbivore‐induced JA biosynthesis, and plays contrasting roles in controlling rice resistance to chewing and phloem‐feeding herbivores. The observation that suppression of JA activity results in increased resistance to an insect indicates that revision of the generalized plant defense models in monocotyledons is required, and may help develop novel strategies to protect rice against insect pests.
Differential fading of inhibitory and excitatory B2bradykinin receptor responses in rat sympathetic neurons: a role for protein kinase C
Authors: Kosenburger Kristina , Schicker Klaus W. , Drobny Helmut , Boehm Stefan 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThrough inhibitory and excitatory effects on sympathetic neurons, B2bradykinin receptors contribute to protective and noxious cardiovascular mechanisms. Presynaptic inhibition of sympathetic transmitter release involves an inhibition of CaV2 channels, neuronal excitation an inhibition of KV7 channels. To investigate which of these mechanisms prevail over time, the respective currents were determined. The inhibition of Ca2+currents by bradykinin reached a maximum of 50%, started to fade within the first minute, and became attenuated significantly after ≥ 4 min. The inhibition of K+currents reached a maximum of 85%, started to fade after > 3 min, and became attenuated significantly after ≥ 7 min. Blocking Ca2+‐independent protein kinase C (PKC) enhanced the inhibition of Ca2+currents by bradykinin and delayed its fading, left the inhibition of K+currents and its fading unaltered, and enhanced the reduction of noradrenaline release and slowed its fading. Conversely, direct activation of PKC abolished the inhibition of noradrenaline release and largely attenuated the inhibition of Ca2+currents. These results show that the inhibitory effects of bradykinin in sympathetic neurons are outweighed over time by its excitatory actions because of more rapid, PKC‐dependent fading of the inhibitory response.
Albumin endocytosis via megalin in astrocytes is caveola‐ and Dab‐1 dependent and is required for the synthesis of the neurotrophic factor oleic acid
Authors: Bento‐Abreu André , Velasco Ana , Polo‐Hernández Erica , Lillo Concepción , Kozyraki Renata , Tabernero Arantxa , Medina José M. 
Published: July 2009

AbstractThe synthesis and release of the neurotrophic factor oleic acid requires internalization of albumin into the astrocyte, which is mediated by megalin. In this study, we show that the binding and internalization of albumin involve its interaction with megalin, caveolin‐1, caveolin‐2 and cavin, but not with clathrin in astrocytes from primary culture. Electron microscopy analyses revealed albumin‐gold complexes localized in caveolae, but not in clathrin‐coated vesicles. Neither chlorpromazine nor silencing clathrin expression modified albumin uptake. Silencing caveolin‐1 strongly reduced the binding and internalization of albumin and the distribution of megalin in the plasma membrane. However, silencing caveolin‐2 only decreased albumin internalization, suggesting that caveolin‐1 is responsible for megalin recruitment to the caveolae and that caveolin‐2 participates in caveolae internalization. In most tissues, the cytosolic adaptor protein disabled (Dab)‐2 connects megalin to clathrin, astrocytes lack Dab‐2; instead, they express Dab‐1, which interacts with caveolin‐1 and megalin and is required for albumin internalization. The transcytosis of albumin in astrocytes, including the passage through the endoplasmic reticulum, which is a compulsory step for oleic acid synthesis, was confirmed by electron microscopy analyses. Thus, whereas silencing clathrin did not modify the synthesis and release of oleic acid, the knock‐down of caveolin‐1, caveolin‐2 and Dab‐1 strongly reduced the synthesis and release of this neurotrophic factor. In conclusion, caveola‐mediated endocytosis of albumin requires megalin and the adaptor protein Dab‐1 in cultured astrocytes. Albumin endocytosis may be a key step in brain development because it stimulates the synthesis of oleic acid, which in turn promotes neuronal differentiation.
Regulation of major efflux transporters under inflammatory conditions at the blood‐brain barrierin vitro
Authors: Von Wedel‐Parlow Magdalena , Wölte Philipp , Galla Hans‐Joachim 
Published: July 2009

AbstractATP‐driven efflux transport proteins at the blood‐brain barrier protect the healthy brain but impede pharmacotherapy of the disordered CNS. To investigate the question how ATP‐binding cassette (ABC)‐transporters are regulated during inflammation or infection we analysed the effects of the cytokines tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) on the expression of brain multidrug resistance proteins in primary cultures of porcine brain capillary endothelial cells. We found that TNF‐α and IL‐1β rapidly decreaseAbcg2(BMDP/BCRP) mRNA expression within 6 h. After 24 and 48 h the mRNA level came back to control values. The mRNA reduction at 6 h was counter‐regulated by the anti‐inflammatory glucocorticoid hydrocortisone. Abcg2 protein levels were suppressed at prolonged stimulations but not after 6 h of stimulation which correlates with Abcg2 specific substrate uptake measurements. Abcb1 (p‐glycoprotein) protein expression was transiently increased after TNF‐α addition within 6 h of incubation followed by a reduction after 24 and 48 h whereas theAbcb1mRNA levels were not changed. IL‐1β caused a continuous decrease in protein expression of both ABC‐transporters. Long‐term treatment with an assumed TNF‐α‐downstream agent, the vasoconstrictor endothelin‐1, induced Abcg2 protein expression but suppressed Abcb1. Other efflux pumps like multidrug resistance‐associated proteins/Abcc were rarely affected. The present results imply a complex regulation of the two most abundant ABC‐transporters at the blood‐brain barrier during early inflammation stages suggesting that Abcb1 (p‐glycoprotein) is an early target of TNF‐α‐signalling counterbalanced by Abcg2.