Showing papers by "Texas A&M University published in 1993"

Toward a Theory of Organizational Creativity

Abstract: In this article we develop a theoretical framework for understanding creativity in complex social settings. We define organizational creativity as the creation of a valuable, useful new product, service, idea, procedure, or process by individuals working together in a complex social system. The starting point for our theoretical development is provided by the interactionist model of creative behavior developed by Woodman and Schoenfeldt (1989). This model and supporting literature on creative behavior and organizational innovation are used to develop an interactional framework for organizational creativity. The theoretical framework is summarized by three propositions that can effectively guide the development of testable hypotheses.

Doing Naturalistic Inquiry: A Guide to Methods

Abstract: A Posture Toward Research The Need for a New Paradigm The Process of Inquiry Some Basic Considerations Getting Started on the Study Designing a Naturalistic Inquiry Gathering Data Data Analysis Quality Criteria for a Naturalistic Study Preparing the Report

The nature and determinants of customer expectations of service

Abstract: A conceptual model articulating the nature and determinants of customer expectations of service is proposed and discussed. The model specifies three different types of service expectations: desired service, adequate service, and predicted service. Seventeen propositions about service expectations and their antecedents are provided. Discussion centers on the research implications of the model and its propositions.

Evolution and Taxonomy of Positive-Strand RNA Viruses: Implications of Comparative Analysis of Amino Acid Sequences

Abstract: Despite the rapid mutational change that is typical of positive-strand RNA viruses, enzymes mediating the replication and expression of virus genomes contain arrays of conserved sequence motifs. Proteins with such motifs include RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, putative RNA helicase, chymotrypsin-like and papain-like proteases, and methyltransferases. The genes for these proteins form partially conserved modules in large subsets of viruses. A concept of the virus genome as a relatively evolutionarily stable "core" of housekeeping genes accompanied by a much more flexible "shell" consisting mostly of genes coding for virion components and various accessory proteins is discussed. Shuffling of the "shell" genes including genome reorganization and recombination between remote groups of viruses is considered to be one of the major factors of virus evolution. Multiple alignments for the conserved viral proteins were constructed and used to generate the respective phylogenetic trees. Based primarily on the tentative phylogeny for the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, which is the only universally conserved protein of positive-strand RNA viruses, three large classes of viruses, each consisting of distinct smaller divisions, were delineated. A strong correlation was observed between this grouping and the tentative phylogenies for the other conserved proteins as well as the arrangement of genes encoding these proteins in the virus genome. A comparable correlation with the polymerase phylogeny was not found for genes encoding virion components or for genome expression strategies. It is surmised that several types of arrangement of the "shell" genes as well as basic mechanisms of expression could have evolved independently in different evolutionary lineages. The grouping revealed by phylogenetic analysis may provide the basis for revision of virus classification, and phylogenetic taxonomy of positive-strand RNA viruses is outlined. Some of the phylogenetically derived divisions of positive-strand RNA viruses also include double-stranded RNA viruses, indicating that in certain cases the type of genome nucleic acid may not be a reliable taxonomic criterion for viruses. Hypothetical evolutionary scenarios for positive-strand RNA viruses are proposed. It is hypothesized that all positive-strand RNA viruses and some related double-stranded RNA viruses could have evolved from a common ancestor virus that contained genes for RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, a chymotrypsin-related protease that also functioned as the capsid protein, and possibly an RNA helicase.

Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Service Industries: A Conceptual Model and Research Propositions:

Abstract: This paper presents a review of the literature to demonstrate that research in services marketing is characterized more by an operations management orientation than a strategic orientation. Diverse literature on sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) is synthesized and a conceptual model of drivers of SCA is proposed in this paper. Lessons from the manufacturing sector form the basis for a number of sources of SCA for services industries outlined in the paper. The distinctive characteristics of services are posited to moderate the effectiveness of the sources of competitive advantage.

Design of multiple description scalar quantizers

Abstract: The design of scalar quantizers for communication systems that use diversity to overcome channel impairments is considered. The design problem is posed as an optimization problem and necessary conditions for optimality are derived. A design algorithm, a generalization of S.P. Lloyd's (1962) algorithm for quantizer design, is developed. Unlike a single channel scalar quantizer, the performance of a multiple description scalar quantizer is dependent on the index assignment. The problem of index assignment is addressed. Good index assignments, performance results, and sample quantizer designs are presented for a memoryless Gaussian source. Comparisons are made with rate distortion bounds for the multiple description problem. >

A rapid method for extraction of cotton (Gossypium spp.) genomic DNA suitable for RFLP or PCR analysis

Abstract: Extraction of high-quality genomic DNA fromGossypium (cotton) species is difficult due to high levels of polysaccharide, oxidizable quinones, and other interfering substances. We describe a procedure that consistently permits isolation of cotton genomic DNA of satisfactory size and quality for RFLP and PCR analysis, as well as for most routine cloning applications. Several antioxidants, phenol-binding reagents, and phenol oxidase inhibitors are used throughout the procedure, and most polysaccharides are eliminated early in the procedure by isolation of nuclei.

Relative Standing: A Framework for Understanding Departures of Acquired Executives

Abstract: Prior attempts to explain the departure rates of the executives of acquired firms, primarily through strategic and economic logics, have yielded limited results. This study drew on the concept of r...

Determinants of Employee Job Satisfaction: An Empirical Test of a Causal Model

Abstract: The job satisfaction model embedded in the Price-Mueller turnover model was revised and estimated. The revised model examined the effects of a series of environmental, job characteristics, and personality variables that were excluded from the Price-Mueller model. Two-wave longitudinal data were collected from 405 employees of a 327-bed Veterans Administration Medical Center. Four different models representing refinements of the proposed model were estimated using LISREL maximum likelihood methods. The exclusion of important job characteristics (role conflict, supervisory support, and task significance) by the Price-Mueller model was not found to have a significant impact on the explanatory power of the revised model. However, the exclusion of an environmental factor (opportunity) and a personality variable (positive affectivity) was found to be a serious omission. Overall, it was found that the degree to which employees like their job is influenced by a combination of characteristics of the environment (o...

Artifactual variation in randomly amplified polymorphic DNA banding patterns.

Abstract: Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR) represent novel DNA polymorphism assays that involve the amplification of random DNA segments using PCR and oligonucleotide primers of arbitrary sequence. Products defining the polymorphisms exhibit Mendelian inheritance and thus possess tremendous potential utility as genetic markers in a diverse array of scientific disciplines. Amplification profiles for specific oligonucleotide primers are highly dependent on the specific conditions of the reaction; banding patterns may thus vary extensively because of inconsistencies in a number of reaction parameters. Artifactual variation represents a potential problem in surveys of genetic variation in natural populations and must be discriminated from true polymorphism for the applications of RAPD to be both accurate and reliable.

Recovery after Disaster: Achieving Sustainable Development, Mitigation and Equity

Abstract: This paper reviews key findings and raises issues that are not fully addressed by the predominant disaster recovery literature. Achievement of equity, mitigation and sustainable development, particularly through local participation in redevelopment planning and institutional cooperation, is the central issue of the review. Previous research and past assumptions about the process by which communities rebuild after a disaster are reviewed. A conceptual model for understanding local disaster recovery efforts is then presented. The conceptual and practical significance of this model is then demonstrated by presenting case studies of local recovery experiences. Finally, conclusions on the current understanding of disaster redevelopment planning, as well as implications for public policy and future research are offered.

An Analysis of the Market Share-Profitability Relationship:

Abstract: A number of researchers in the marketing, management, and economics disciplines have expressed reservations regarding the validity and generalizability of the reported relationships between market ...

Isotope Fractionation during Primary Production

Abstract: The biological source of sedimentary organic matter can be inferred from detailed chemical studies on the structure of individual molecules extracted from sediments. These inferences are drawn from established relationships between biological source materials and diagenetically altered compounds (de Leeuw and Largeau, this volume, Chapter 2). A second method for inferring the biological source and the ecological setting in which organisms existed is with isotopic tracers of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur in organic matter and inorganic substances that have been processed by living organisms. Stable isotope compositions of bulk organic matter have integrative signals from processes that have occurred over the life of the organism, whereas those of individual compounds can record specific events in life. In this chapter, we will review recent advances in biological isotope fractionations of the light stable isotopes and attempt to offer an interpretation of processes that affected the isotopic signature of organic substances in living organisms that were preserved in the fossil record.

Constraining effects of examples in a creative generation task

Abstract: In three experiments we tested the conformity hypothesis--that subjects' ideas would conform to examples they had been shown--by using a creative generation paradigm in which subjects imagined and sketched new exemplars of experimenter-defined categories. Designs made by subjects who had first seen three examples of ideas were compared with those of control subjects, who received no examples. In all three experiments, the designs of subjects who had seen the examples were more likely to contain features of the examples. This conformity effect did not significantly decrease in Experiment 2, when a 23-min task was interpolated between viewing the examples and generating related ideas. The hypothesis that the observed conformity effects may have been caused by subjects' assumptions that they should try to generate ideas similar to the examples was refuted in Experiment 3; explicitly instructing subjects to create ideas that were very different from the examples did not decrease conformity to the examples, and instructing them to conform to the examples significantly increased conformity. The results show that recent experience can lead to unintentional conformity, constraining the generation of creative ideas.

Functional-Coefficient Autoregressive Models

Abstract: In this article we propose a new class of models for nonlinear time series analysis, investigate properties of the proposed model, and suggest a modeling procedure for building such a model. The proposed modeling procedure makes use of ideas from both parametric and nonparametric statistics. A consistency result is given to support the procedure. For illustration we apply the proposed model and procedure to several data sets and show that the resulting models substantially improve postsample multi-step ahead forecasts over other models.

Succession as A Sociopolitical Process: Internal Impediments to Outsider Selection

Abstract: Although traditional adaptive theory implies that poor organizational performance will directly increase the likelihood that an outsider will be selected to succeed a firm's chief executive, we dev...

Anchored reference loci for comparative genome mapping in mammals.

Abstract: Recent advances in gene mapping technologies have led to increased emphasis in developing representative genetic maps for several species, particularly domestic plants and animals. These maps are being compiled with two distinct goals: to provide a resource for genetic analysis, and to help dissect the evolution of genome organization by comparing linkage relationships of homologous genes. We propose here a list of 321 reference anchor loci suitable for comparative gene mapping in mammals and other vertebrate classes. We selected cloned mouse and human functional genes spaced an average of 5–10 centiMorgans throughout their respective genomes. We also attempted to include loci that are evolutionary conserved and represented in comparative gene maps in other mammalian orders, particularly cattle and the domestic cat. We believe that the map may provide the basis for a unified approach to comparative analysis of mammalian species genomes.

Sex differences in intensity of emotional experience: A social role interpretation.

Abstract: According to gender role theory, women's greater emotional intensity than men's stems from normative expectations for sex differences that arise as a result of men's and women's social roles. In the 1st experiment, endorsement of normative expectations for sex differences was associated with sex differences in Ss' own emotions: To the extent that they endorsed stereotypical differences between men and women, female Ss reported personally experiencing emotions of greater intensity and male Ss reported experiencing emotions of lesser intensity. The 2nd study manipulated expectations for responsiveness while Ss viewed a series of emotion-inducing slides. When instructions rendered normative expectations comparable for men and women, no sex differences were obtained in emotion self-reports. Furthermore, women evidenced more extreme electromyograph physiological responding than men, suggesting general sex differences in emotion that are not limited to self-report.

Toxicology, structure-function relationship, and human and environmental health impacts of polychlorinated biphenyls: progress and problems.

Abstract: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are industrial compounds that have been detected as contaminants in almost every component of the global ecosystem including the air, water, sediments, fish, and wildlife and human adipose tissue, milk, and serum. PCBs in commercial products and environmental extracts are complex mixtures of isomers and congeners that can now be analyzed on a congener-specific basis using high-resolution gas chromatographic analysis. PCBs are metabolized primarily via mixed-function oxidases into a broad spectrum of metabolites. The results indicate that metabolic activation is not required for PCB toxicity, and the parent hydrocarbons are responsible for most of the biochemical and toxic responses elicited by these compounds. Some of these responses include developmental and reproductive toxicity, dermal toxicity, endocrine effects, hepatotoxicity, carcinogenesis, and the induction of diverse phase I and phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes. Many of the effects observed for the commercial PCBs are similar to those reported for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related compounds. Structure-function relationships for PCB congeners have identified two major structural classes of PCBs that elicit "TCDD-like" responses, namely, the coplanar PCBs (e.g., 3,3',4,4'-tetraCB, 3,3'4,4',5-pentaCB and 3,3',4,4',5,5'-hexaCB) and their mono-ortho coplanar derivatives. These compounds competitively bind to the TCDD or aryl hydrocarbon (Ah) receptor and exhibit Ah receptor agonist activity. In addition, other structural classes of PCBs elicit biochemical and toxic responses that are not mediated through the Ah receptor. The shor-term effects of PCBs on occupationally exposed humans appear to be reversible, and no consistent changes in overall mortality and cancer mortality have been reported. Recent studies have demonstrated that some developmental deficits in infants and children correlated with in utero exposure to PCBs; however, the etiologic agent(s) or structural class of PCBs responsible for these effects have not been delineated. In contrast, based on a toxic equivalency factor approach, the reproductive and developmental problems in certain wildlife populations appear to be related to the TCDD-like PCB congeners.

Comparison of numerical models for computing underwater light fields

Abstract: Seven models for computing underwater radiances and irradiances by numerical solution of the radiative transfer equation are compared. The models are applied to the solution of several problems drawn from optical oceanography. The problems include highly absorbing and highly scattering waters, scattering by molecules and by particulates, stratified water, atmospheric effects, surface-wave effects, bottom effects, and Raman scattering. The models provide consistent output, with errors (resulting from Monte Carlo statistical fluctuations) in computed irradiances that are seldom larger, and are usually smaller, than the experimental errors made in measuring irradiances when using current oceanographic instrumentation. Computed radiances display somewhat larger errors.

Effects of executive departures on the performance of acquired firms

Abstract: Using a sample of 96 acquisitions that occurred between 1980 and 1984, this study concludes that the departure of executives from acquired firms is harmful to post acquisition performance. The negative effects of departures of the highest ranking executives (such as CEOs, Presidents, and Chairmen) appear to be most severe. Acquisition relatedness, contrary to hypothesis, did not moderate the departure-performance relationship. Finally we find that providing one or more executives with top management team status in the newly combined firm leads to better postacquisition performance. Our study implies that executives from acquired firms are an intrinsic component of the acquired firm's resource base, and that their retention is an important determinant of postacquisition performance. Our evidence supports the view that executives are important to postacquisition performance, and we believe that this evidence extends to other restructuring contexts as well.

Strategies for robust multiresponse quality engineering

Abstract: Virtually every manufactured product has more than one characteristic by which its overall quality is determined. Since those quality characteristics may be correlated, some changes in the levels of the controllable product design and process design variables may improve one of the quality characteristics while adversely affecting one or more of the other quality characteristics. In this paper we define a quadratic loss function for use with multiple quality characteristics. We discuss several strategies that could be employed for robust quality engineering of products and processes when there is more than one quality characteristic of interest.

On the circulation and stratification of the Weddell Gyre

Abstract: The availability of new, high-quality, hydrographic data has prompted a re-examination of the circulation in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. Dynamic topography maps and tracer distributions on selected isopycnal surfaces show that the Weddell Gyre is a large, elongated cyclone located south of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), extending northeastward from the Antarctic Peninsula. Patterns of geostrophic shear and a southward turn of the ACC mark its northeastern end near 30°E.

Effects of Communication Expectancies, Actual Communication, and Expectancy Disconfirmation on Evaluations of Communicators and Their Communication Behavior

Abstract: The current investigation addressed (a) the perseverance of preinteraction expectancies in the face of actual communication behavior, (b) the separate effects of personal attribute and communication expectancies, and (c) the role of expectancy confirmation or disconfirmation on postinteraction evaluations. Participant perceivers were induced to hold positive or negative expectancies regarding a target partner's general personal attributes and specific communication behavior prior to a problem-solving discussion. They then interacted with a confederate target who communicated in a pleasant, involved fashion or its opposite, after which perceivers evaluated target personal attributes and communication behavior. All three hypotheses received at least partial support. Preinteractional expectancies, especially personal attribute ones, caused perceivers to evaluate targets and their communication behavior differently, with negatively valenced expectancies serving as negative violations. Relative to a pleasant, involved communication style, unpleasant, uninvolved communication was less expected and evaluated negatively, thus functioning as a negative violation; it also reduced credibility, attraction, and perceived rewardingness of the target. Finally, disconfirmatory communication altered target evaluations relative to confirmatory communication, especially for high-valence targets. These results lend support to the premises and predictions of expectancy violations theory.