Showing papers by "McGill University published in 1983"

The Correlates of Entrepreneurship in Three Types of Firms

Abstract: The objective of the research was to discover the chief determinants of entrepreneurship, the process by which organizations renew themselves and their markets by pioneering, innovation, and risk taking. Some authors have argued that personality factors of the leader are what determine entrepreneurship, others have highlighted the role played by the structure of the organization, while a final group have pointed to the importance of strategy making. We believed that the manner and extent to which entrepreneurship would be influenced by all of these factors would in large measure depend upon the nature of the organization. Based upon the work of a number of authors we derived a crude typology of firms: Simple firms are small and their power is centralized at the top. Planning firms are bigger, their goal being smooth and efficient operation through the use of formal controls and plans. Organic firms strive to be adaptive to their environments, emphasizing expertise-based power and open communications. The predictiveness of the typology was established upon a sample of 52 firms using hypothesis-testing and analysis of variance techniques. We conjectured that in Simple firms entrepreneurship would be determined by the characteristics of the leader; in Planning firms it would be facilitated by explicit and well integrated product-market strategies, and in Organic firms it would be a function of environment and structure. These hypotheses were largely borne out by correlational and multiple regression analyses. Any programs which aim to stimulate entrepreneurship would benefit greatly from tailoring recommendations to the nature of the target firms.

Structure in Fives: Designing Effective Organizations

Abstract: 1. Foundations of Organization Design. 2. Designing Individual Positions. 3. Designing the Superstructure. 4. Fleshing Out the Superstructure. 5. Untangling Decentralization. 6. Fitting Design to Situation. 7. Design as Configuration. 8. The Simple Structure. 9. The Machine Bureaucracy. 10. The Professional Bureaucracy. 11. The Divisionalized Form. 12. The Adhocracy. 13. Beyond Five. Bibliography. Index.

Strategy-making and environment: The third link

Abstract: Whereas much is known about the relationships between strategy and structure, and between environment and structure, too little is known about a third link—the relationship between strategy-making and environment. An empirical study was conducted upon two distinct samples of firms. We hypothesized that increases in environmental dynamism, hostility and heterogeneity should be related to specific changes in the amount of analysis and innovation which characterizes strategy-making activity. Most of these relationships tended to be much stronger in successful than in unsuccessful samples of firms.

Low nitrogen to phosphorus ratios favor dominance by blue-green algae in lake phytoplankton.

Abstract: An analysis of growing season data from 17 lakes throughout the world suggests that the relative proportion of blue-green algae (Cyanophyta) in the epilimnetic phytoplankton is dependent on the epilimnetic ratio of total nitrogen to total phosphorus. Blue-green algae tended to be rare when this ratio exceeded 29 to 1 by weight, suggesting that modification of this ratio by control of nutrient additions may provide a means by which lake water quality can be managed.

Finite Elements for Electrical Engineers

Abstract: 1. Finite elements in one dimension 2. First-order triangular elements for potential problems 3. Electromagnetics of finite elements 4. Simplex elements for the scalar Helmholtz equation 5. Differential operators in ferromagnetic materials 6. Finite elements for integral operators 7. Curvilinear, vectorial and unbounded elements 8. Time and frequency domain problems in bounded systems 9. Unbounded radiation and scattering 10. Numerical solution of finite element equations References Appendices Index.

A theory for the rapid flow of identical, smooth, nearly elastic, spherical particles

Abstract: We focus attention on an idealized granular material comprised of identical, smooth, imperfectly elastic, spherical particles which is flowing at such a density and is being deformed at such a rate that particles interact only through binary collisions with their neighbours. Using general forms of the probability distribution functions for the velocity of a single particle and for the likelihood of binary collisions, we derive local expressions for the balance of mass, linear momentum and fluctuation kinetic energy, and integral expressions for the stress, energy flux and energy dissipation that appear in them. We next introduce simple, physically plausible, forms for the probability densities which contain as parameters the mean density, the mean velocity and the mean specific kinetic energy of the velocity fluctuations. This allows us to carry out the integrations for the stress, energy flux and energy dissipation and to express these in terms of the mean fields. Finally, we determine the behaviour of these fields as solutions to the balance laws. As an illustration of this we consider the shear flow maintained between two parallel horizontal plates in relative motion.

Organizations: Rational, Natural and Open Systems

Abstract: This article presents a review of the book “Organizations: Rational, Natural and Open Systems,” by W.R. Scott.

On the Foundations of Relaxation Labeling Processes

Abstract: A large class of problems can be formulated in terms of the assignment of labels to objects. Frequently, processes are needed which reduce ambiguity and noise, and select the best label among several possible choices. Relaxation labeling processes are just such a class of algorithms. They are based on the parallel use of local constraints between labels. This paper develops a theory to characterize the goal of relaxation labeling. The theory is founded on a definition of con-sistency in labelings, extending the notion of constraint satisfaction. In certain restricted circumstances, an explicit functional exists that can be maximized to guide the search for consistent labelings. This functional is used to derive a new relaxation labeling operator. When the restrictions are not satisfied, the theory relies on variational cal-culus. It is shown that the problem of finding consistent labelings is equivalent to solving a variational inequality. A procedure nearly identical to the relaxation operator derived under restricted circum-stances serves in the more general setting. Further, a local convergence result is established for this operator. The standard relaxation labeling formulas are shown to approximate our new operator, which leads us to conjecture that successful applications of the standard methods are explainable by the theory developed here. Observations about con-vergence and generalizations to higher order compatibility relations are described.

In-Vitro of Measurement of Static Pressure Distribution in Synovial Joints—Part I: Tibial Surface of the Knee

Abstract: In this first part of a two-part paper, the results of measurement of static pressure distribution on the tibial surface of the knee are presented. Results with intact menisci have been obtained from 18 specimens. Eight of these specimens were the subject of further measurements following medial meniscectomy. The study has been carried out at various flexion angles of the knee with the joint subjected to a compressive force, with or without an initial passive relative displacement between the joint members. The results indicate that a significant fraction of the joint compressive load is transmitted through the menisci and that total meniscectomy causes a drastic alteration in the pressure distribution on the tibial surface. Clinical implications of these results, in terms of post-meniscectomy degenerative changes and mechanism of meniscal lesions, have been discussed.

Feedback, minimax sensitivity, and optimal robustness

Abstract: In this paper, we look for feedbacks that minimize the sensitivity function of a linear single-variable feedback system represented by its frequency responses. Sensitivity to disturbances and robustness under plant perturbations are measured in a weighted H^{\infty} norm. In an earlier paper, Zames proposed an approach to feedback design involving the measurement of sensitivity by "multiplicative seminorms," which have certain advantages over the widely used quadratic norm in problems where there is plant uncertainty, or where signal power-spectra are not fixed, but belong to sets. The problem was studied in a general setting, and some H^{\infty} examples were solved. Here, a detailed study of the single-variable case is undertaken. The results are extended to unstable plants, and explicit formulas for the general situation of a finite number of right half-plane (RHP) plant zeros or poles are provided. The Q or "approximate-inverse" parametrization of feedbacks that maintain closed-loop stability is extended to the ease of unstable plants. The H^{\infty} and Wiener-Hopf approaches are compared.

A Typology of Management Studies Involving Culture

Abstract: As a methodological review, this paper delineates 6 approaches to researching cross-cultural management issues: parochial, ethnocentric, polycentric, comparative, geocentric, and synergistic. For each approach, assumptions are discussed concerning the similarity and difference across cultures and the extent to which management phenomena are or are not universal. The primary types of management questions which can be addressed using each approach are clarified. Main methodological issues which must be addressed are listed.

Cross-Cultural Management Research: The Ostrich and the Trend.

Abstract: The trends in cross-cultural management papers published in 24 journals during the last decade, 1971 to 1980, are examined. Less than 5 percent of organizational behavior articles published in top American management journals focused on cross-cultural issues. The majority of the cross-cultural articles were single culture studies; less than 1 percent investigated the interaction between employees of different cultures. No increase was seen in the number of international organizational behavior articles over the decade.

The case for corporate social responsibility

Abstract: In an economy of giant, divisionalized corporations, corporate social responsibility is almost impossible to achieve. Yet, the author contends, corporations must achieve it if our society and economy are to continue and to flourish.

Insulin-like growth factors: a role in growth hormone negative feedback and body weight regulation via brain.

Abstract: Intracerebroventricular administration of ILA's, a preparation enriched in insulin-like growth factors, caused a marked decrease in growth hormone secretory episodes and in body weight associated with reduced food intake over 24 hours. Central injection of insulin and bovine serum albumin had no such effects. These findings suggest that insulin-like growth factors play a role in growth hormone negative feedback and body weight regulation at the level of the central nervous system.

A process model for industrial new product development

Abstract: What steps should the industrial new product manager take to improve new product performance? This article pulls together the findings from the many research studies into what makes a new product a success. Six important lessons for managers are developed from those studies. The lessons point to a flow model approach to the development and commercialization of a new product — a step-by-step approach to successful product innovation. A seven-stage model, designed to move a product from the idea stage to product launch, is described. Actual case histories illustrate how each stage of the model can be implemented.

A control volume finite-element method for two-dimensional fluid flow and heat transfer

Abstract: The formulation of a general numerical method for two-dimensional incompressible flow and heat transfer in irregular-shaped domains is presented. The calculation domain is first divided into six-node macroelements. Then each macroelement is divided into four three-node triangular subelements. Polygonal control volumes are associated with the nodes of these elements. All dependent variables other than pressure are stored at the nodes of the subelements, and they are interpolated by functions that respond appropriately to an element Peclet number and the direction of an element-averaged velocity vector. The pressure is stored only at the vertices of the macroelements and is interpolated linearly in these elements. The discretization equations are obtained by deriving algebraic approximations to integral conservation equations applied to the polygonal control volumes. An iterative procedure akin to SIMPLER is used to solve the discretization equations.

Idiotypic cross-reactions of monoclonal human lupus autoantibodies.

Abstract: Idiotypic cross-reactions were evaluated in 60 polynucleotide-binding monoclonal lupus autoantibodies produced by human-human hybridomas that were derived from seven unrelated patients with SLE. Three antiidiotype reagents were prepared by immunization of rabbits or a mouse with monoclonal autoantibodies from two patients. Binding of the three reagents to their corresponding idiotypes was inhibited by one or more polynucleotides, an indication that the antiidiotypes reacted with the variable regions of the autoantibodies. Each antiidiotype appeared to detect a different idiotypic determinant. Of the 60 monoclonal autoantibodies tested, 40 reacted in one or more competitive immunoassays; 15 reacted with one antiidiotype, 10 reacted with two antiidiotypes and 15 reacted with three antiidiotypes. A monoclonal antiidiotype reagent cross-reacted with autoantibodies from six of the seven patients. The idiotypic cross-reactions of immunoglobulins from unrelated patients suggest that the autoantibodies are derived from related families of germ line genes that are expressed by patients with SLE.

The effect of body size on animal abundance.

Abstract: Although it is a commonplace that small animals are more abundant than large ones, few attempts have been made to quantify this and none for non-mammalian species. This study uses estimates of animal density and body mass culled from 12 journals published between 1961 and 1978 to test and extend Damuth's relationship between population density and body size of herbivorous mammals. In general, his analysis is supported, for density usually declines roughly as W -0.75 and poikilotherms maintain higher densities than homeotherms. However the residual variation is higher than Damuth's regressions might suggest and significant differences exist among animal groups. In particular, birds maintain much lower, and aquatic invertebrates much higher abundances than a general curve for all species would suggest. Carnivores are significantly rarer than herbivores. These relationships may be used to compare the average relative contributions of species of different size to community structure and function. Such relations also provide a necessary basis both for more complete empirical analyses of the determinants of animal abundance and for the construction of more realistic conceptual models in theoretical ecology.

A direct method for studying particle deposition onto solid surfaces

Abstract: An experimental technique has been developed to study the deposition of colloidal particles under well controlled hydrodynamic conditions. The deposition process is observed under a microscope and recorded on video tape for further analysis. Fluid flow conditions in the experimental set-up were determined by numerical solution of the Navier-Stokes equations. Mass transfer equations were solved numerically (taking into account hydrodynamic, gravitational, electric double layer, and dispersion forces) for the stagnation point region. Also, some analytical solutions are presented. Deposition has been studied of 0.5μm polystyrene latex particles on cover glass slides used as collectors. From an analysis of the shape of the coating density vs. time curves and independently from the distribution of the particles on collector surfaces, it was found that one particle is able to block an area of about 20 to 30 times its geometrical cross-section. The initial flux of particles to the collector for a given salt concentration was found to depend strongly on the method of cleaning the collector surface. In general the flux and the escape of particles to and from the collector surface are sensitive to the interaction energy at small separations. The direct method of observing particle deposition and detachment could lead to important insights into the nature of particle-wall interactions at near contact.

Ultrastructural features of six types of neurons in rat dorsal root ganglia.

Abstract: Sections of glutaraldehyde-fixed lumbar dorsal root ganglia of the rat were examined in the electron microscope following impregnation with the uranyl-lead-copper technique or postfixation in potassium ferrocyanide-reduced osmium. Three types of ganglion cells (A, B, C) were identified on the basis of their size and the distribution of their organelles. They were further subdivided into six subtypes according to the arrangement and three-dimensional organization of the Nissl bodies and Golgi apparatus in the perikarya. Type A1 cells were large, clear neurons in which Nissl bodies, separated from each other by pale narrow strands of cytoplasm containing small stacks of Golgi saccules and rod-like mitochondria, were evenly distributed throughout the perikaryon. In type A2, the Nissl bodies assumed a similar distribution but were separated by much wider strands of cytoplasm. Type A3, the smallest of the type A category, displayed densely packed Nissl bodies and long stacks of Golgi saccules which formed a perinuclear ring in the mid-portion of the perikaryon.

Cohesion as a Basic Bond in Groups

Abstract: Cohesion continues to remain a popular concept among group therapists and leaders of experientially based learning groups despite persistent confusion about its meaning. The present study provided an empirical basis for clarification of the concept of cohesion. Forty-five participants from nine experientially based learning groups provided self-report and behavioral data concerning a number of aspects of cohesion. Factor analyses of the self-report data generated three sets of factors that dealt with the participant's perception of the other participants, the leader, and the group as a whole. One of the factors concerned the participant's commitment to the group. It was significantly related to remaining in the group and physical distance to others but not to perceptions of learning. It was regarded as a good representation of cohesion as defined as a basic bond or uniting force in a group. The advantages of restricting oneself to a circumscribed definition of cohesion were emphasized as well as maintaini...

In-vitro measurement of static pressure distribution in synovial joints--Part II: Retropatellar surface.

Abstract: This second part of a two-part paper is concerned with the measurement of static pressure distribution on the retropatellar surface. The study has been performed in a loading apparatus designed to simulate individually the lines of action and the magnitudes of the tensions in the components of the quadriceps femoris muscle group. Results have been obtained using 24 specimens in the knee flexion range 0 to 130 deg and employing a net quadriceps tension of 734 N. Particular emphasis has been placed on the evaluation of the sensitivity of the results to variations in the characteristics of the simulated quadriceps tension. The pressure distribution results have been interpreted in terms of variation of the normal force and the average contact stress on the retropatellar surface as a function of flexion angle. It has been shown that the "pulley" model of the patella consistently overestimates the actual patellofemoral joint reaction force throughout the range of flexion. Clinical implications of the results, in terms of etiology of degeneration of patellar cartilage, have been discussed.

Superconductivity and spin fluctuations in M − Z r metallic glasses ( M = C u , N i , C o , a n d F e )

Abstract: The superconducting transition temperature, upper critical field, and magnetic susceptibility have been measured in four binary metallic glass systems: Cu-Zr, Ni-Zr, Co-Zr, and Fe-Zr For each alloy system, a full and continuous range of Zr-rich compositions accessible by melt spinning has been examined For Cu-Zr, the range is $075gxg030$; for Ni-Zr, $080gxg030$; for Co-Zr, $080gxg048$, and for Fe-Zr, $080gxg055$ ($x$ being the concentration of Zr in at%) The results show clearly the influence of spin fluctuations in reducing the superconducting transition temperature The data have been successfully analyzed using a modified form of the McMillan equation together with expressions for the Stoner enhanced magnetic susceptibility and the Ginsburg-Landau-Abrikosov-Gor'kov expression for the upper critical field

A survey of heuristics for the weighted matching problem

Abstract: This survey paper reviews results on heuristics for two weighted matching problems: matchings where the vertices are points in the plane and weights are Euclidean distances, and the assignment problem. Several heuristics are described in detail and results are given for worst-case ratio bounds, absolute bounds, and expected bounds. Applications to practical problems and some mathematical complements are also included.