title: The combined influence of top and middle management leadership styles on absorptive capacity

authors: Sun, Peter Yih-Tong

subjects: absorptive capacity

abstract: Absorptive capacity is an important organizational capability constituted by exploratory, transformative, and exploitative learning processes. Leadership has been shown to affect such processes, but little is known about how the combined leadership styles of top and middle management influence absorptive capacity. This theory-building, exploratory qualitative case study discusses the need for top and middle management to be ambidextrous and to change their styles to better facilitate the three different learning processes. We found that an exploratory learning process was facilitated when both top and middle management used a transformational style, a transformative learning process was facilitated when top management used a transformational style while middle management used a transactional style, and an exploitative learning process was facilitated when both top and middle management used a transactional style. Furthermore, for each of the three learning processes, the leadership styles of top and middle management operated more effectively when certain attributes of the organizational context were emphasized.

text: The combined influence of top and middle management leadership styles on absorptive capacity Absorptive capacity is an important organizational capability constituted by exploratory, transformative, and exploitative learning processes. Leadership has been shown to affect such processes, but little is known about how the combined leadership styles of top and middle management influence absorptive capacity. This theory-building, exploratory qualitative case study discusses the need for top and middle management to be ambidextrous and to change their styles to better facilitate the three different learning processes. We found that an exploratory learning process was facilitated when both top and middle management used a transformational style, a transformative learning process was facilitated when top management used a transformational style while middle management used a transactional style, and an exploitative learning process was facilitated when both top and middle management used a transactional style. Furthermore, for each of the three learning processes, the leadership styles of top and middle management operated more effectively when certain attributes of the organizational context were emphasized.

year: 2011

title: Extreme high lichen growth rates detected in recently deglaciated areas in Tierra del Fuego

authors: Sancho, Leopoldo G.

subjects: Tierra del Fuego

abstract: The goals of this study were to accurately determine the annual growth rate of two key lichen species for lichenometric studies in Tierra del Fuego and to provide more information on recent glacial evolution in the southernmost mountain range of South America. The study site was located on recent moraines deposited in front of a terminus of Pia Glacier in the East Arm of Pia Bay, a fjord of the Beagle Channel. Lichenometric measurements were made of the maximum and minimum axes on the five largest thalli of Rhizocarpon geographicum and Placopsis perrugosa at selected localities in the recently deglaciated area. Average growth rates were estimated from dated surfaces to be 0.63 mm year⁻¹ for R. geographicum and of 9.0 mm year⁻¹ for P. perrugosa. However, maximum growth rate of individual thalli of P. perrugosa could be as high as about 20 mm year⁻¹ increase in diameter directly measured from comparison between pictures taken over a 2-year interval. Both species had an almost linear increase in diameter size with the age of the rock surfaces and the distance from the glacier. The rapid colonization and growth of the lichens is mirrored by the higher plants with ecesis for Nothofagus trees being estimated at 4 years and height growth elongation at 30 cm year⁻¹.

text: Extreme high lichen growth rates detected in recently deglaciated areas in Tierra del Fuego The goals of this study were to accurately determine the annual growth rate of two key lichen species for lichenometric studies in Tierra del Fuego and to provide more information on recent glacial evolution in the southernmost mountain range of South America. The study site was located on recent moraines deposited in front of a terminus of Pia Glacier in the East Arm of Pia Bay, a fjord of the Beagle Channel. Lichenometric measurements were made of the maximum and minimum axes on the five largest thalli of Rhizocarpon geographicum and Placopsis perrugosa at selected localities in the recently deglaciated area. Average growth rates were estimated from dated surfaces to be 0.63 mm year⁻¹ for R. geographicum and of 9.0 mm year⁻¹ for P. perrugosa. However, maximum growth rate of individual thalli of P. perrugosa could be as high as about 20 mm year⁻¹ increase in diameter directly measured from comparison between pictures taken over a 2-year interval. Both species had an almost linear increase in diameter size with the age of the rock surfaces and the distance from the glacier. The rapid colonization and growth of the lichens is mirrored by the higher plants with ecesis for Nothofagus trees being estimated at 4 years and height growth elongation at 30 cm year⁻¹.

year: 2010

title: The use of functionalised biochar to enhance phosphorus removal in woodchip bioreactors. The integration of mātauranga Māori to enhance the cultural aspects of woodchip bioreactors.

authors: Taoho, Brandon

subjects: Woodchip bioreactor

abstract: Nutrient pollution, resulting from excessive releases of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) into waterways, poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Elevated nutrient levels can result in eutrophication, which can have detrimental effects on the health of waterbodies and their biota. Woodchip bioreactors are effective, edge-of-field technologies that can help mitigate nutrient pollution by lowering nutrient concentrations in agricultural drainage systems known to carry leached N and P into waterways. However, one limitation to their design is their ineffectiveness at removing P. The inclusion of functionalised biochar is one potential solution to enhance P removal in woodchip bioreactors. There is a growing need to mitigate nutrient pollution in New Zealand that does not depend on a western-centric perspective only. Integration of mātauranga Māori and western science into the design and operations of a woodchip bioreactor is one approach to incorporate both knowledge systems to the goal of mitigating nutrient pollution. In this dissertation, a column experiment was used to compare the P removal efficiencies of two treatments of functionalised biochar, and one treatment of woodchips when subjected to stream water spiked with P. Subsequently, a single phosphate extraction was done to determine the phosphate absorption capacities of each treatment. The results showed that the two functionalised biochar treatments had the highest efficacy in reducing P concentrations in the P-spiked stream water compared to the woodchip-only treatment. Both treatments also showed higher P absorption, evidenced from the Fe-P/Feox ratio, within the phosphate extraction experiment. A wānanga was organised at Matahuru Marae, Lake Waikare, to share mātauranga Māori on how to culturally enhance woodchip bioreactors from a Te Ao Māori perspective. Participants recommended that native woodchips be incorporated into woodchip bioreactors because of their inherent association to the land and people. Overall, the results implied that functionalised biochar is an effective solution to enhance P removal in woodchip bioreactors due to their biophysical properties to absorb and retain P. Secondly, incorporating native woodchips into woodchip bioreactors systems potentially offers a sustainable and culturally respected alternative to conventional wood chips, aligning with Māori values and tikanga

text: The use of functionalised biochar to enhance phosphorus removal in woodchip bioreactors. The integration of mātauranga Māori to enhance the cultural aspects of woodchip bioreactors. Nutrient pollution, resulting from excessive releases of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) into waterways, poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Elevated nutrient levels can result in eutrophication, which can have detrimental effects on the health of waterbodies and their biota. Woodchip bioreactors are effective, edge-of-field technologies that can help mitigate nutrient pollution by lowering nutrient concentrations in agricultural drainage systems known to carry leached N and P into waterways. However, one limitation to their design is their ineffectiveness at removing P. The inclusion of functionalised biochar is one potential solution to enhance P removal in woodchip bioreactors. There is a growing need to mitigate nutrient pollution in New Zealand that does not depend on a western-centric perspective only. Integration of mātauranga Māori and western science into the design and operations of a woodchip bioreactor is one approach to incorporate both knowledge systems to the goal of mitigating nutrient pollution. In this dissertation, a column experiment was used to compare the P removal efficiencies of two treatments of functionalised biochar, and one treatment of woodchips when subjected to stream water spiked with P. Subsequently, a single phosphate extraction was done to determine the phosphate absorption capacities of each treatment. The results showed that the two functionalised biochar treatments had the highest efficacy in reducing P concentrations in the P-spiked stream water compared to the woodchip-only treatment. Both treatments also showed higher P absorption, evidenced from the Fe-P/Feox ratio, within the phosphate extraction experiment. A wānanga was organised at Matahuru Marae, Lake Waikare, to share mātauranga Māori on how to culturally enhance woodchip bioreactors from a Te Ao Māori perspective. Participants recommended that native woodchips be incorporated into woodchip bioreactors because of their inherent association to the land and people. Overall, the results implied that functionalised biochar is an effective solution to enhance P removal in woodchip bioreactors due to their biophysical properties to absorb and retain P. Secondly, incorporating native woodchips into woodchip bioreactors systems potentially offers a sustainable and culturally respected alternative to conventional wood chips, aligning with Māori values and tikanga

year: 2023