Showing papers by "Georgia State University published in 1994"

Toward a theory of international new ventures

Abstract: The formation of organizations that are international from inception—international new ventures—is an increasingly important phenomenon that is incongruent with traditionally expected characteristics of multinational enterprises A framework is presented that explains the phenomenon by integrating international business, entrepreneurship, and strategic management theory That framework describes four necessary and sufficient elements for the existence of international new ventures: (1) organizational formation through internalization of some transactions, (2) strong reliance on alternative governance structures to access resources, (3) establishment of foreign location advantages, and (4) control over unique resources

Critical service encounters: The employee's viewpoint

Abstract: In service settings, customer satisfaction is often influenced by the quality of the interpersonal interaction between the customer and the contact employee. Previous research has identified the so...

Students' Perceptions of EAP Writing Instruction and Writing Needs Across the Disciplines

Abstract: As English for academic purposes (EAP) writing instructors and writing curriculum planners, we need to know the degree to which ESL writing courses have been successful in gauging and providing for ESL students' writing needs across the university curriculum However, making this determination is difficult because many academic writing requirements may be implicit in the curriculum of the disciplinary course and thus not amenable to ready description by the outsider Furthermore, we also need to know how much carryover from ESL writing courses occurs with ESL students—that is, what elements of their ESL writing instruction have they found useful and available to them as students in content courses? This article reports on a survey of former ESL students now in university-level content courses that is designed to investigate students' perceptions of the relationship between the writing instruction the students received in ESL writing classes and the actual writing tasks they found in courses across the disciplines The results of the survey include indications of which writing skills taught in ESL writing courses students found most useful in dealing with the writing demands of other content courses In their answers to open-ended survey questions, ESL students also described their perceptions of their ongoing writing needs beyond the ESL writing curriculum

Performance of Acquisitions of Distressed Firms

Abstract: In 51 acquisitions of financially distressed firms, related business combinations in which the acquirers had prior acquisition experience performed best. However, business relatedness and acquisition experience had no effect on performance in a control group of 46 acquisitions of firms that were not distressed. The results imply that tacit knowledge about the acquisition process and about how to integrate and manage the assets of distressed firms may be keys to their successful acquisition.

Polysaccharide antigens of the capsule of Cryptococcus neoformans.

Abstract: The major significance of the capsular polysaccharide of C. neoformans is its role in potentiating opportunistic infections by the yeast. It has the ability to exert a broad spectrum of influences on the immune response, from activation of phagocytic cells and complement components of the alternative pathway, to the induction of specific antibody, T-suppressor cells, DTH responses, and cytokines (51). These biological properties along with the serotype specificities are all determined by the physical properties and chemical structures of the polysaccharide antigens that compose the capsule. There is evidence not only for an association of lethal infections with serotype A in patients with advanced AIDS (34, 56), but also for a role for the capsule in directly influencing the infection of CD4+ cells by HIV (57). Together, these phenomena raise intriguing questions about the possible connection between the chemistry of these capsular antigens and cryptococcal infections in AIDS patients. One speculation is that AIDS creates the optimal physiological conditions for the establishment and spread of cryptococcosis. It has been observed that during the progression of AIDS there is a shift towards a T-2 response (14). This could lead to conditions that would inhibit the cellular immune responses that block dissemination of cryptococcal infections. Thus, an important consideration in the application of vaccine or immune modulation therapies in the treatment of cryptococcosis in AIDS victims would be the design of vaccines that could boost the T-1 immune response. It has been shown that the form and dose of an antigenic challenge can influence the induction of a T-1 or T-2 immune response (61). Recently, Murphy has reported that gamma interferon and interleukin 2 are up-regulated in the spleens of mice that produce anticryptococcal TDH and TAMP cells in response to immunogenic doses of cryptococcal culture filtrate antigen given with Freund's complete adjuvant (49). Perhaps purified cryptococcal antigens (e.g., MP) conjugated to an appropriate carrier or adjuvant could be used in therapeutic strategies to limit cryptococcosis in immunocompromised individuals. Future investigations of virulence and pathogenicity in the context of defined polysaccharide antigens from encapsulated strains of C. neoformans will contribute to a better understanding of the regulation of cryptococcal infection and immunity at the cellular and molecular levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Human versus spatial dimensions of crowding perceptions in retail environments: A note on their measurement and effect on shopper satisfaction

Abstract: Perceived retail crowding was originally conceptualized as having two dimensions, but subsequent empirical work in marketing has treated the construct unidimensionally. This paper reports a series of lab and field studies that examine the dimensionality of the construct and its relationship to store satisfaction. Two alternative crowding measures are tested. Results suggest that perceived retail crowding has distinct human and spatial dimensions that affect satisfaction differently.

Molecular Biology of Rubella Virus

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the present medical significance of rubella virus. Rubella virus infection is systemic in nature and the accompanying symptoms are generally benign, the most pronounced being a mild rash of short duration. The most common complication of rubella virus infection is transient joint involvement such as polyarthralgia and arthritis. The primary health impact of rubella virus is that it is a teratogenic agent. The vaccination strategy is aimed at elimination of rubella and includes both universal vaccination of infants at 15 months of age with the trivalent measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine and specific targeting with the rubella vaccine of seronegative women planning pregnancy and seronegative adults who could come in contact with women of childbearing age, although it is recommended that any individual over the age of 12 months without evidence of natural infection or vaccination be vaccinated. Medically, the current challenge posed by rubella virus is to achieve complete vaccination coverage to prevent resurgences.

Culture and Domestic Violence: The Ecology of Abused Latinas

Abstract: This study examined the predictors of domestic violence within a sample of 60 immigrant Latinas, of whom 30 had sought assistance for abuse and 30 had sought other family services. Hypotheses were derived from several frameworks relevant to understanding abuse--intrapsychic (learned helplessness), interpersonal (family violence), and feminist theory. Findings related to the specific formulations were subsequently combined into a model of abuse in which the mutuality of communication within the couple mediates the effects of husband's intoxication and environmental stressors on the occurrence/severity of abuse. The study points out the inadequacy of relying on any one existing theory and supports the idea of taking an ecological approach to the study of abuse in specific populations. VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study by Perilla et al. was to examine the causes of domestic abuse for Latinas. The authors developed and tested an explanation designed to explain domestic abuse within the Latino community. METHODOLOGY: The authors employed a quasi-experimental design in this study. More specifically, the authors interviewed 60 immigrant female Latinas living in a southeastern metropolitan area who had enrolled in various Catholic hospital programs. The experimental group consisted of 30 women who had sought assistance in the domestic abuse program. The control group consisted of 30 women who had sought assistance in other programs. The control group was matched, albeit not one-to-one, with the experimental group for age and background. The subjects were interviewed using a semi-structured, open ended questionnaire. The authors hypothesized that a) depression would increase and self esteem would decrease abuse, b) acculturation would mediate the effects of depression and self esteem, c) dependency would increase abuse, d) stress, family income, as well as household composition would be significantly associated with abuse, e) acculturation would moderate the effects of stress, family income, and household composition, and f) mutuality would negatively affect abuse and drunkenness and traditional gender roles would positively affect abuse. The authors operationalized a number of different variables. The questionnaires first asked for basic personal and demographic information. Partners drinking habits were measured by the frequency of intoxication. Eight standardized instruments were also used. Physical and non-physical abuse was measured by the ISA index of spouse abuse. The scores were weighted to account for severity. Acculturation was measured by the Bicultural Involvement Questionnaire. However, only two subscales, i.e., English Language and Anglo Enjoyment, were used in the analysis. Stress was measured by the Hispanic Stress Inventory. Mutuality was measured using the Mutual Psychological Development Questionnaire. The mean score was used in the analysis. Depression was measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Self Esteem was measured by the Self Esteem Scale. Each instrument was translated into the Spanish language. Translations were meticulously checked for accuracy. The authors tested the reliability of each subscale in every instrument. Cronbach's Alpha scores ranged from .60 to .93. The authors reported that reliability tests showed the fewer the items in the index the lower the alpha score. Standard OLS regression techniques were used to analyze the data. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The authors first compared the mean values of the independent variables for the target and the control group. Results showed that the women in the target group had significantly more abuse, more stress, lower self esteem, and lower mutuality. Next, the authors examined their hypotheses using multiple regression techniques. Depression was found to be significantly and positively associated with abuse. Self esteem was found to be significantly and negatively associated with abuse. However, results showed that acculturation did not mediate either of these effects. Contrary to their third hypothesis, the authors found that dependency, i.e., contribution to family income, was significantly but positively associated with abuse. With regard to their fourth hypothesis, results showed that stress was significantly and positively associated with abuse. Family income and household composition, however, were not. Moreover, they found that acculturation did not mediate the effect of stress. And lastly, the authors found that partners drinking was significantly and positively associated with abuse and mutuality was significantly and negatively associated with abuse. However, traditional gender roles had no effect on abuse. The authors initially hypothesized that acculturation would act as a mediator. Results showed this was not the case. The authors then explored the relationships between stress, partner's drinking habits, and mutuality to identify any mediating effects. After estimating a path model the authors concluded that mutuality mediates the effects of stress and intoxication on abuse. AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS: The authors made several recommendations for future research and theorizing. First, the authors recommended that a theory domestic abuse in the Latino community needs further attention. More specifically, they suggested that further research be conducted on the effects of drug/alcohol abuse and mutuality on domestic abuse in the Latino community and further theorizing focus on the environment and dynamics of Latino families. In order to do this, the authors suggested that further development of acculturation instruments continue. Lastly, the authors suggested that attention be focused not only on Latina female victims, but on the Latino males that victimize them. EVALUATION: The authors attempt to develop and test a theory of domestic abuse specific to Latino culture is a laudable one. While some may argue that a theory specific to the Latino community would be less valuable than a general theory of domestic abuse, the authors succeed in pointing to the importance of cultural context as a relevant explanatory variable. However, such research may benefit from the use of non-Latino comparison groups. This would enable researchers to better address the question of cultural context. This, aside from the small sample, is one of the biggest weaknesses of this study. However, the authors make a necessary, and quite impressive, first step toward our more complete understanding of spouse abuse in the Latino community. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) Domestic Violence Causes Domestic Violence Victim Family Ideology Hispanic Violence Hispanicd Female Hispanic Victim Female Victim Female Victim Spouse Abuse Causes Spouse Abuse Victim Adult Female Adult Victim Partner Violence Violence Against Women Ecological Factors Sociocultural Factors Family Environment Environmental Factors Language: en

A longitudinal assessment of the determinant relationship between employee commitments to the occupation and the organization.

Abstract: A review of the research literature suggested that occupational commitment may be an antecedent to employees' commitment to the organization. Although several studies have assessed the general relationship between occupational and organizational commitment, none have attempted to establish the causal priority between the two constructs. In the present study, occupational commitment was viewed as a causal antecedent to organizational commitment. Based on longitudinal data from 100 management information systems professionals, this view was supported through cross-lagged analysis. Further, we examined a longitudinal causal model of the turnover process in which occupational commitment was placed as an antecedent to organizational commitment. Structural equation analysis supported the fit of this model to the data. Implications of the findings are discussed.

The Politics of Location: Doing Feminist Research at “Home”*

Abstract: Feminist research methodologies have many advantages over more traditional positivist methodologies. Feminist research is differentiated from nonfeminist research in terms of its critiques of universality and objectivity and its emancipatory purpose. Drawing on my own research on the survival strategies of low-waged women workers in Worcester, Massachusetts, I argue that we need to examine more critically our feminist research methods in terms of the unequal power relationships on which the research process necessarily rests.

Odor plumes and how blue crabs use them in finding prey.

Abstract: Orientation of animals using chemical cues often takes place in flows, where the stimulus properties of odorants are affected by the characteristics of fluid motion. Kinematic analysis of movement patterns by animals responding to odor plumes has been used to provide insight into the behavioral and physiological aspects of olfactory-mediated orientation, particularly in terrestrial insects. We have used this approach in analyzing predatory searching by blue crabs in response to plumes of attractant metabolites released from the siphons of live clams in controlled hydrodynamic environments. Crabs proceed directly upstream towards clams in smooth-turbulent flows and show high locomotory velocities and few periods of motionlessness. Crabs assume more indirect trajectories and display slower locomotion and more stopping in rough-turbulent flows. This degradation of foraging performance is most pronounced as flow shifts from a smooth- to a rough-turbulent regime, where the change in hydraulic properties is associated with contraction of the viscous sublayer region of the boundary layer. Because flow in this region is quasilaminar, the viscous sublayer may be a particularly effective vehicle for chemical stimulus transmission, such that orientation is severely compromised when it is reduced or removed. Our results also suggest that rheotactic and chemical information are both necessary for successful orientation. Perception of chemical cues acts to bias locomotion upcurrent, and feedback from odorant stimulus distributions appears directly to regulate subsequent stopping and turning en route to prey. Although the mechanisms of orientation to odorant plumes displayed by insects and blue crabs are largely similar, blue crabs appear to rely more heavily on spatial and/or temporal aspects of chemical stimulus distributions than has been suggested for insect systems.

The dynamics of long-term business-to-business exchange relationships

Abstract: A framework for business-to-business interaction is proposed that integrates approaches to bargaining from social psychology and economics to provide a conceptual paradigm emphasizing long-term exchange relationships rather than individual transactions. The authors propose a classification of negotiation behavior along two continuous dimensions and examine the mechanics of the dyadic negotiation process that translate negotiation behavior into long-term relationships. They suggest that exchange relationships are formed by achieving mutually beneficial outcomes from a series of exchange transactions and that there is a bi-directional link between negotiation behavior and exchange relationships mediated by negotiation outcomes. The framework also explores the determinants of negotiation behavior in dyadic negotiations between businesses in terms of organizational, individual, and “other party” influences. Propositions are developed, using both role theory and economic bargaining theory, to support the overall framework. Finally, the classification of negotiation behavior is revisited to examine the evolution of exchange relationships over time.

Psychological distress following criminal victimization in the general population: Cross-sectional, longitudinal, and prospective analyses.

Abstract: Samples of 105 violent crime victims, 227 property crime victims, and 190 nonvictims provided normative data regarding levels of psychological distress following criminal victimization. At points approximately 3 months, 9 months, and 15 months postcrime, symptoms of depression, somatization, hostility, anxiety, phobic anxiety, fear of crime, and avoidance were assessed. Although crime victims showed substantial improvement between 3 and 9 months, thereafter they did not. Over the course of the study, violent crime victims remained more distressed than did property crime victims who, in turn, remained more distressed than nonvictims. Regression analyses revealed that the effects of crime could not be accounted for by precrime differences between victims and nonvictims in either social status or psychological functioning. However, lasting effects were often contingent on the occurrence of subsequent crimes.

Social Knowledge as a Control System: A Proposition and Evidence from the Japanese FDI Behavior

Abstract: Building upon the concept of clans, this paper introduces the value of social knowledge as a control mechanism available for an MNC to manage its foreign subsidiaries Social knowledge is defined as one's ability to understand and predict others' general patterns of behavior The hypotheses are empirically tested with Japanese FDI data into four host countries, the United States, Singapore, Taiwan, and Korea The results offer broad support for the proposition that for MNCs with social knowledge, the need to resort to ownership for control purposes is reduced

Sequence specific thermodynamic and structural properties for DNA.RNA duplexes.

Abstract: DNA.RNA hybrid duplexes are found in many important biological processes and are involved in developing modes of disease treatment, such as antisense therapy, yet little is known about the sequence dependence of their structure and stability. The structure and thermodynamic stability of DNA.RNA hybrid model systems corresponding in composition and length and containing (1) all purine or all pyrimidine bases on each strand or (2) mixed purine and pyrimidine bases on each strand have been evaluated relative to pure RNA and DNA duplexes by thermal melting, CD, and electrophoresis analyses. The spread in free energies of denaturation of the homopurine.homopyrimidine systems covers over 14 kcal/mol of single strands, while the mixed sequence free energies vary by less than 4 kcal/mol. The RNA-homopurine.DNA-homopyrimidine hybrid resembles a corresponding pure RNA duplex in both structure and stability, whereas the DNA-homopurine.RNA-homopyrimidine hybrid resembles a corresponding pure DNA duplex. The mixed sequence hybrids show intermediate structure between the corresponding pure RNA and pure DNA duplexes and a stability closer to that of the pure DNA duplex. From these results and the evaluation of published hybrid data [Hall, K. B., & McLaughlin, L. W. (1991) Biochemistry 30, 10606-10613; Roberts, W. R., & Crothers, D. M. (1992) Science 258, 1463-1466], it can be predicted that a hybrid duplex containing more RNA purine bases will have a CD spectrum, and probably conformation, resembling that of A-form duplexes and will be more stable than a corresponding hybrid duplex with fewer RNA purine bases.

Steps toward determination of the size and structure of the broad-line region in active galactic nuclei. 5: Variability of the ultraviolet continuum and emission lines of NGC 3783

Abstract: We report on the results of intensive ultraviolet spectral monitoring of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3783. The nucleus of NGC 3783 was observed with the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite on a regular basis for a total of 7 months, once every 4 days for the first 172 days and once every other day for the final 50 days. Significant variability was observed in both continuum and emission-line fluxes. The light curves for the continuum fluxes exhibited two well-defined local minima or 'dips,' the first lasting is less than or approximately 20 days and the second is less than or approximately 4 days, with additional episodes of relatively rapid flickering of approximately the same amplitude. As in the case of NGC 5548 (the only other Seyfert galaxy that has been the subject of such an intensive, sustained monitoring effort), the largest continuum variations were seen at the shortest wavelengths, so that the continuum became 'harder' when brighter. The variations in the continuum occurred simultaneously at all wavelengths (delta(t) is less than 2 days). Generally, the amplitude of variability of the emission lines was lower than (or comparable to) that of the continuum. Apart from Mg II (which varied little) and N V (which is relatively weak and badly blended with Ly(alpha), the light curves of the emission lines are very similar to the continuum light curves, in each case with a small systematic delay or 'lag.' As for NGC 5548, the highest ionization lines seem to respond with shorter lags than the lower ionization lines. The lags found for NGC 3783 are considerably shorter than those obtained for NGC 5548, with values of (formally) approximately 0 days for He II + O III), and approximately 4 days for Ly(alpha) and C IV. The data further suggest lags of approximately 4 days for Si IV + O IV) and 8-30 days for Si III + C III). Mg II lagged the 1460 A continuum by approximately 9 days, although this result depends on the method of measuring the line flux and may in fact be due to variability of the underlying Fe II lines. Correlation analysis further shows that the power density spectrum contains substantial unresolved power over timescales of is less than or approximately 2 days, and that the character of the continuum variability may change with time.

Levels of description and explanation in cognitive science

Abstract: The notion of levels has been widely used in discussions of cognitive science, especially in discussions of the relation of connectionism to symbolic modeling of cognition. I argue that many of the notions of levels employed are problematic for this purpose, and develop an alternative notion grounded in the framework of mechanistic explanation. By considering the source of the analogies underlying both symbolic modeling and connectionist modeling, I argue that neither is likely to provide an adequate analysis of processes at the level at which cognitive theories attempt to function: One is drawn from too low a level, the other from too high a level. If there is a distinctly cognitive level, then we still need to determine what are the basic organizational principles at that level.

Reframing Gerontological Thought and Practice: The Case of Grandmothers With Daughters in Prison

Abstract: Attention to the lives of some of the nation's neediest older persons, grandmothers with daughters in prison, requires serious reconsideration of certain gerontological foci and assumptions. With data from such grandmothers, this article illustrates the need to transcend "either-or" arguments around age as a master status; to highlight the absence of the middle generation in a growing number of families; and to question the anti-family premises of the generational equity debate. It concludes with recommendations for how researchers and advocates could enhance their commitment to the neediest among the older population by revising the models that underlie policies and programs and reframing service orientations accordingly.