Key Point Of Contact Research Articles

Aligning strategic orientation with local market conditions

PurposeOne role of a foreign subsidiary within a multinational corporation's (MNC's) global portfolio is to connect the MNC to foreign customers. To examine this key customer contact point, this study aims to examine the linkages between local market conditions and strategic orientation, and how strategic orientation influences knowledge management capabilities of MNC subsidiaries, employing the Miles and Snow strategic orientation perspective.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted of 112 managers in foreign MNC subsidiaries in Croatia. Data were analyzed with both discriminant analysis and MANCOVA.FindingsThe results indicate that in highly dynamic and competitively intense markets, MNC subsidiaries primarily employ a Prospector orientation. Furthermore, the results indicate that there is a significant difference in knowledge management capabilities among subsidiaries depending on their strategic orientation, with the Prospector orientation most closely aligned with knowledge acquisition, knowledge conversion and knowledge application.Practical implicationsThe findings highlight the importance of strategic orientation in MNC subsidiaries tailoring to local market conditions. The results suggest that MNC subsidiaries undertaking a Prospector strategic orientation develop greater knowledge acquisition, conversion and application capabilities.Originality/valueThis study conceptualizes the MNC subsidiary as a key marketing element of the global MNC whole and examines the nuanced relationships between the host environment and MNC foreign subsidiary strategic orientation as well as MNC subsidiary strategic orientation and knowledge management relationship.

Unraveling Probation Officers' Practices with Youths with Histories of Trauma and Stressful Life Events

This study examines how probation officers' (POs) knowledge of juveniles' trauma influences probation practices. The study was conducted with POs who responded to a Web-based survey (n = 308). The POs were directed to randomly select one juvenile from their caseload and to complete the Probation Practices Assessment Survey to assess their knowledge of the youth's lifetime trauma and past-year stressful life experience and their practice approaches. Nineteen percent of youths were reported as having had lifetime exposure to at least one type of trauma (for example, physical assault, sexual assault, witness violent death). The most common traumatic experience was sexual assault, with 11% of POs reporting this experience among the study youths. Structural equation modeling results indicated that POs' knowledge of cumulative exposure to trauma is associated with treatment-oriented probation and counseling approaches. Results of this study signal the importance of careful assessments of exposure to trauma and stressful life events among youths on probation. The use of specialized trauma-informed assessment strategies also are recommended to increase the sensitivity of juvenile justice programs to trauma. KEY WORDS: adolescents; juvenile justice; probation; stressful life events; trauma ********** Evidence suggests that youths who have been exposed to trauma and stressful life events are at an elevated risk of juvenile delinquency and juvenile justice involvement (Ford, Chapman, Mack, & Pearson, 2006; Widom, 1989). Traumatic experiences, such as being a victim of or witness to violence, have been linked to juvenile delinquency (Maschi, 2006; Widom, 1989). Traumatic experiences often are described as extreme stressors that involve the threat of or actual serious physical or psychological harm to oneself or significant others, such as family members or close friends (Piotrkowski & Brannen, 2002). Exposure to trauma may result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for some youths (American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Arroyo, 2001). Studies have estimated up to 93% of youths in the juvenile justice system have histories of trauma, whereas upwards of 18% are diagnosed with PTSD (Abram et al., 2004; Crimmins, Cleary, Brownstein, Spunt, & Warley, 2000). Stressful life events, such as the death of a loved one and family and school problems, also have been linked to juvenile delinquency (Maschi, 2006; Thompson, Maccio, Desselle, & Zittel-Palamara, 2007). Compared with trauma, stressful life events more commonly tax the adaptive capacities of individuals and cause distress or concern in most people (Piotrkowski, 1998). In response to stressful life events, youths may manifest their distress in many ways, including psychological, emotional, and behavioral problems, including juvenile delinquency (Hoffman & Cerbone, 1999; Maschi, 2006). Youths who are exposed to traumatic or stressful experiences are at higher risk of developing adverse emotional and psychological consequences (for example, affect dysregulation and hyperarousal), which in turn interfere with problem solving and interpersonal functioning (Ford, Chapman, Hawke, & Albert, 2007; Potter & Jenson, 2007; Vermeiron, 2003). Moreover, exposure to trauma and stressful life events challenge youths' coping resources and are associated with a variety of negative developmental outcomes in addition to delinquency, including alcohol and drug abuse (Maschi, 2006; Thomberry, Ireland, & Smith, 2001; Vermeiron, 2003). The high rates of trauma exposure among youths in the juvenile justice system have led to calls for the development of trauma-informed juvenile justice interventions to improve the treatment of this high-risk population (Ford et al., 2007; Ko et al., 2008). Because a majority of youths legally considered delinquent have been sentenced to probation by a court (Snyder & Sickmund, 2006), probation programs are a key point of contact for many youths who have experienced trauma or stressful life events. …

Chimeric, mutant orexin receptors show key interactions between orexin receptors, peptides and antagonists

Orexin receptor antagonists are being investigated as therapeutic agents for insomnia and addictive disorders. In this study the interactions between the orexin receptors (orexin 1 receptor and orexin 2 receptor), orexin peptides, and small molecule orexin antagonists were explored. To study these phenomena, a variety of mutant orexin receptors was made and tested using receptor binding and functional assays. Domains of the two orexin receptors were exchanged to show the critical ligand binding domains for orexin peptides and representative selective orexin receptor antagonists. Results from domain exchanges between the orexin receptors suggest that transmembrane domain 3 is crucially important for receptor interactions with small molecule antagonists. These data also suggest that the orexin peptides occupy a larger footprint, interacting with transmembrane domain 1, the amino terminus and transmembrane domain 5 as well as transmembrane domain 3. Transmembrane domain 3 has been shown to be an important part of the small molecule binding pocket common to rhodopsin and β2-adrenergic receptors. Additional orexin receptor 2 point mutations were made based on the common arrangement of receptor transmembrane domains shown in the G-protein coupled receptor crystal structure literature and the impact of orexin 2 receptor residue threonine 135 on the ligand selectivity of the 2 orexin receptors. These data support a model of the orexin receptor binding pocket in which transmembrane domains 3 and 5 are prominent contributors to ligand binding and functional activity. The data also illustrate key contact points for ligand interactions in the consensus small molecule pocket of these receptors.

Beliefs and attitudes of final-year nursing students on honour crimes: a cross-sectional study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate perceptions of nursing students about honour crimes and examine their beliefs about inquiring information from the victims of honour crimes. A questionnaire including demographic data was administered to a sample of 225 male and female final-year students in a nursing school. Among them, we found that significantly more male students than female students justify honour crimes. Although the majority of both male and female nursing students believed that asking for honour crimes is useful, significantly more male than female nursing students were against screening for honour crimes. This study supports the belief that gender has an influence on nurses' perceptions, attitudes and tolerance of honour crimes.

Meet Editorial Board Member Mina Karamshi

100 My name is Mina Karamshi and I work at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London (United Kingdom), as a Specialist Sister within the radiology department. My job comprises of two roles. My first and predominant role (for 3 days a week) is specializing in the role of uterine artery embolization for patients with a symptomatic fibroid uterus. I work independently and autonomously in carrying out their consultations, organizing their blood tests, their magnetic resonance imaging scans, hysteroscopies and all other necessary investigations (all under the supervision of my consultant radiologist). Therefore overall coordinating and planning their procedure from start to finish and being the key point of contact for these patients. I scrub for their procedure and jointly discharge them from

Public Service in the Private Sector: Private Loan Originator Participation in a Public Mortgage Program

In the United States, housing policies focused on assisting low-income families towards homeownership have resulted in the creation of publicly subsidized affordable mortgage programs. Private lenders and their employees (loan originators) are often the key point of contact to connect low-income borrowers to these public programs. But why would loan originators offer borrowers public loan programs, particularly when such programs provide no additional (and sometimes reduced) direct financial compensation to the private lenders and potentially increased workloads? One possible rationale, and the one investigated here, is that loan originators may be diversely motivated towards public service and the advancement of the public interest. Though Alhough a great deal of research focuses on public service motivation among public sector employees, few studies investigate the tendency toward public service motivation and action in the private sector. Here we draw from surveys of private lenders to test a model and hypotheses about how private lenders’ associations, perceptions and values are related to voluntary participation in a government program. Our analysis highlights the importance of public associations, perceptions of government and public values in explaining the behavior of private sector employees. Our findings contribute to the literature on public service and public values and our understanding of how private organizations access government programs to advance the public good

The Role of Emigrants in Rural Development Associations in Morocco

Morocco remains very significantly divided along urban/rural lines. Since the 1990s there has been a growing intensity of public and private, national and international initiatives to improve socio-economic conditions in rural Morocco. These initiatives have fostered the creation of village associations which have provided a key point of contact with internal and international migrants from the village. This paper presents results of a national survey of village associations in Morocco comprising detailed interviews with 64 associations in 16 provinces. On the basis of this survey a typology is constructed of these associations. The nature of their links with emigrants varies significantly according to the nature of the village associations themselves and the villages where they are based. At their most mature, these organisations have formed professional international networks which have had very significant impacts at the local and regional levels and have further promoted the dynamic of collective organisation in rural society.

The Hindu Right and the Politics of Censorship: Three Case Studies of Policing Hindi Cinema, 1992–2002

The Hindu Right and the Politics of Censorship:Three Case Studies of Policing Hindi Cinema, 1992–2002 Nandana Bose In the 1990s Hindi cinema was firmly entrenched in the contentious sphere of the political. India's Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC, also sometimes referred to as the Censor Board), historically considered a primary regulatory mechanism of Hindi cinema and the custodian of public morality by both the citizenry and the state, found itself at the center of a maelstrom of moral panics, escalating Hindu right-wing protest politics, primarily under the aegis of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the extremist right-wing party the Shiv Sena, and repeated state interventions.1 I argue that the 1990s was marked by a gradual alignment of the right-wing nationalist agenda with the historically existing regulatory concerns of the state over the deleterious "effects" of cinema on vulnerable audiences, resulting in an unprecedented "censor-wave" (Bose xxxix). Exemplifying this temporal alignment, each of the three case studies discussed here—Khalnayak (The Villain, 1993), Bombay (1995), and War and Peace (2002)—represents the censorship of a "sensitive" issue for the Indian state—sex, religion, and national security—in a prevailing climate of reactionary right-wing politics, anxieties over cultural invasion by globalizing forces, and unstable coalition governments. It is my contention that censorship as a selective process was an intrinsic principle of Hindu nationalist discourse predicated on a series of exclusions in terms of religion, gender, class, and caste that led to the narrow remapping of the national imaginary, resulting in the "miniaturization" of the nation (Sen 46). The first case study, of Khalnayak, reveals how female sexuality was considered a threat to traditional Indian culture and Indian womanhood by the patriarchal alliance of the state, Hindu nationalist discourse, and the viewing public, resulting in moral panics and the demand for stringent obscenity regulations. The protracted censorship controversy surrounding Bombay, the second case study, foregrounds the state's anxieties about the cinematic medium engendering Hindu-Muslim communal tensions, prompting preemptive measures, the extraconstitutional power of Bal Thackeray, the leader of the Shiv Sena, and the direct involvement of the police as censor and arbiter. The third case study, of the documentary War and Peace, exemplifies the overlapping power relations between the Hindu Right and the BJP-led state. It represents the nadir of partisan political interventions under the pretext of safeguarding law and order and the attempted stifling of pluralistic voices in a shrinking public sphere. Through these three vignettes of landmark censorship controversies, "which reveal how deeply political the whole exercise has become in post-colonial India" (Pendakur, Indian Popular Cinema 79), I attempt to map the field of power relations that existed among the CBFC and the state, the Hindu Right, the viewing public, and various interest groups at a historical conjuncture and to locate various competing yet hierarchical, shifting, and diffused sites of political pressure and influence in the public sphere. As Lee Grieveson suggests, such "a struggle over culture and cultural space is, indeed, virtually a defining feature of democratic societies, which almost inevitably involve a complex negotiation between public authority and the dissemination of facts, ideas, and representations in public" (Policing Cinema 13). In order to contextualize the persistent regulatory concerns of the state apparatus over "obscene, indecent and/or immoral" cinematic material a brief overview of the media effects–based logic prompting direct state interventions, regulation, and the state-instituted codes of censorship is required. "Why Is Film Censorship Necessary?" (CBFC, "Annual Report" 1) According to Monika Mehta, "censorship has been a key point of contact between the post-colonial Indian [End Page 22] state, the Bombay film industry, and the Indian citizenry" (170). It is interesting to note from a historical survey of cinema and censorship the astonishing fact that at no stage has there been any concerted action for the abolition of censorship per se, despite the film industry's prolonged resentment of the CBFC's discriminatory policies and practices. A cursory look at the history of Indian cinema reveals a continuous and unequal battle between the censors and the Hindi film industry. In fact, "fear of the censor has caused producers to exercise...

T.P.3.06 The TREAT NMD registry of outcome measures for neuromuscular disease – An introduction

The Registry of Outcome Measures (ROM) is an on-line database that provides TREAT-NMD Partners and the wider NMD research community with information about existing Outcome Measures. ROM is a ready reference that provides important information about existing Outcome Measures and clear directions on key points of contact and comprehensive sources of information. To whatever extent is possible for each Outcome Measure, ROM will provide: (a) sufficient information to enable investigators to rapidly exclude non-suitable OMs, targeting their search to potentially useful OMs; (b) contact information for accessing OMs, equipment required, manuals, Standard Operating Procedures, etc.; and (c) a list of various types of reference materials including; key reference, validation references, systematic review references and other miscellaneous references.

Overview of the Lymphatic System/Cell and Tissue Biology of the Lymph Node

The lymphatic vascular system is a network of vessels (lymphatics) responsible for collecting tissue fluid from intercellular spaces and returning it to the venous system. Only the central nervous system lacks lymphatic vessels. Tissue fluid, originating as an ultrafiltrate of blood in capillary beds, enters the system through lymphatic capillaries and flows though a series of progressively larger vessels, the largest of which is the thoracic duct. Flow through the system is driven by compression of the surrounding tissues and directed by valves. At specific locations in the body, lymph vessels connect with encapsulated accumulations of lymphatic tissue known as lymph nodes. Lymph entering the nodes through afferent vessels percolates through sinuses allowing contact with macrophages and other antigen‐presenting cells. Foreign matter and cellular debris are filtered from the lymph and collect in the node. As reservoirs for tissue debris, metastatic cells, and infectious agents, lymph nodes improve the efficiency of interactions between reactive lymphocytes and these heralds of disease. Lymphoid nodules in the nodes' cortex contain abundant B‐lymphocytes that when activated form antibody‐secreting plasma cells. The nearby paracortical zone is a key point of contact between the blood and lymphatic vascular systems. Its high‐endothelial venules provide an entry point for T‐lymphocytes circulating in the blood and thus access to the reservoir of antigenic material in the node. Lymph nodes therefore play a critical role in lymphocyte activation for both humoral and cell‐mediated antigen disposal mechanisms. Filtrate exiting the node through the efferent vessels contains less antigenic material, but additional antibodies and activated lymphocytes.

Interactions in the mucosal microenvironment: vasoactive intestinal peptide modulates the down-regulatory action ofLactobacillus rhamnosuson LPS-induced interleukin-8 production by intestinal epithelial cells

Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) act as a key point of initial contact with bacteria in the microenvironment of the intestinal tract. Interactions between IECs and bacteria lead to alterations in IEC activity, including modified cytokine secretion patterns, which may influence the mucosal immune response. IECs respond to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from gramnegative bacteria by production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-8 (IL-8). Two strains of Lactobacillus rhamnosus , R0011 and R0049, were able to down-regulate LPS-induced IL-8 production by the human IEC line HT-29. Similar results were seen with KATO III gastric epithelial cells, suggesting a possible route for anti-inflammatory actions by L. rhamnosus . To further explore potential interactions in the gastrointestinal mucosal microenvironment, the effects of the neuropeptide vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on the actions of L. rhamnosus R0011 were examined. VIP blocked the ability of this strain to down-regulate both constitutive and LPS-induced IL-8 production, suggesting that interactions between lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and IECs can be influenced by neuropeptides released into intestinal tissues. High levels of protein kinase A (PKA) and protein kinase C (PKC) activation rendered IEC refractory to the down-regulatory effects of L. rhamnosus on IL-8 production. L. rhamnosus R0011 induces moderate elevation of intracellular cAMP levels, indicating that its actions may, at least in part, be mediated through this signalling pathway in IECs. Key words: interleukin-8, vasoactive intestinal peptide, lactobacilli, probiotics, intestinal epithelial cell

How effective are mental health nurses in A&E departments?

Background: A&E departments are key points of contact for many people with mental health problems. Various models of care have been developed in A&E departments for delivering mental health services,...

Protonation-mediated structural flexibility in the F conjugation regulatory protein, TraM

TraM is essential for F plasmid-mediated bacterial conjugation, where it binds to the plasmid DNA near the origin of transfer, and recognizes a component of the transmembrane DNA transfer complex, TraD. Here we report the 1.40 A crystal structure of the TraM core tetramer (TraM58-127). TraM58-127 is a compact eight-helical bundle, in which the N-terminal helices from each protomer interact to form a central, parallel four-stranded coiled-coil, whereas each C-terminal helix packs in an antiparallel arrangement around the outside of the structure. Four protonated glutamic acid residues (Glu88) are packed in a hydrogen-bonded arrangement within the central four-helix bundle. Mutational and biophysical analyses indicate that this protonated state is in equilibrium with a deprotonated tetrameric form characterized by a lower helical content at physiological pH and temperature. Comparison of TraM to its Glu88 mutants predicted to stabilize the helical structure suggests that the protonated state is the active form for binding TraD in conjugation.

Managing Brand Experience: The Market Contact Audit™

ABSTRACT Although 90 percent of marketing communication investments are accounted for by investments in brand contacts, i.e., the points at which the consumer and the brand come in contact with each other, until now, there has not been a tool that allows managers to identify, a priori and from a consumer perspective, the most effective set of contacts in which to invest. We describe a tool that we have developed that empowers the brand owners/marketers to (1) identify and select the critical contacts that are relevant for a particular brand, (2) integrate across these key contact points, and (3) deliver brand experience through a relevant and pertinent set of consumer brand encounters at a minimum cost, but with maximal impact. We then discuss how the metrics derived from this tool can be used to inform a variety of important decisions in the context of managing brand contacts. We close with a discussion of some of the regularities that we have uncovered from the over 150 brands that we have audited across numerous markets and categories.

CD1d antigen presentation: treats for NKT cells

Structural studies of CD1d presentation of α-galactosylceramide have shown that the lipid component fits snugly in the cleft, whereas the galactosyl head group protrudes upward, with key contact points between CD1d and the antigen conserved between mouse and human structures.

The Relational Unconscious: Commentary on Papers by Michael Eigen and James Grotstein

This discussion addresses key points of contact and difference in the work of Eigen and Grotstein, each of whom holds unique and highly dramatic and enigmatic views of unconscious life. Their views can be framed as relational. They each cite Bion as an important influence but develop distinct sensibilities. In conceptualizing the unconscious, each author must tangle with difficulties with language and representation. Using a clinical example, I point out four aspects of my work on the unconscious: that unusual links of body and mind are posited; that the unconscious is historical; that the unconscious also contains transhistorical forces and processes; and, finally, that unconscious life handles time in unusual and nonrational ways. Eigen's interest in process and Grotstein's interest in mental structures are contrasted. The ethical implications of work on the unconscious are suggested.

The Customer Service Management Process

Customer service management is the supply chain management process that represents the firm's face to the customer. The process is the key point of contact for administering product and service agreements (PSAs) developed by customer teams as part of the customer relationship management process. The goal is to provide a single source of customer information, such as product availability, shipping dates and order status. Customer service management requires a real‐time system to respond to customer inquiries and facilitate order placement. In this paper, we describe the customer service management process in detail to demonstrate how it can be implemented and managed. To do this, we detail the activities of each strategic and operational sub‐process; evaluate the interfaces with the business functions, the other seven supply chain management processes; and describe examples of successful implementation.

Arrest Referral in London Police Stations: characteristics of the first year. A key point of intervention for drug users?

The paper examines the demographic, drug use and offending profile of arrestees in contact with arrest referral (AR) schemes in London, compares these contacts with the arrestee population as a whole, and with drug users presenting to treatment services in the community, and assesses the proportion and characteristics of AR contacts that go on to attend drug-treatment services. Routine monitoring data from AR schemes (April 2000 to March 2001) were analysed and compared with data ( for equivalent time period) on arrestees from the Crime Reporting Information System (CRIS) and data from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS). AR schemes see about 10% of arrestees in London. Approximately half of those assessed by an AR worker report using heroin (55%) and crack cocaine (49%) with a similar proportion (51%) having no previous contact with drug-treatment services. The large majority (80%) report previous convictions. Of those referred by AR workers (50% of assessments) between 25 and 37% attend a first appointment at a drug-treatment service. Drug users seen by AR workers are younger, more likely to come from ethnic minorities and more likely to be using crack cocaine than those presenting to treatment services in the community. AR is a key point of contact with problem drug users, including those considered under-represented at drug-treatment services. However, to fully assess the effectiveness of AR, further information is required about retention in treatment and its effect on drug use and offending behaviour.

HEALTH SECTOR ACTIONS TO IMPROVE NUTRITION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Reducing malnutrition-related maternal and childhood morbidity and mortality in Africa requires a systematic and coordinated strategy. This paper discusses a health sector strategy which includes: i) advocating for action in nutrition at all levels; ii) integration of the essential nutrition actions into six key contact points (antenatal, maternity/delivery, postnatal, well-baby clinics, sick baby clinics and family planning); iii) management of the interventions to ensure client health care needs are met with a high level of quality and at an affordable cost, and iv) measurement of the changes in behaviour and nutrition outcomes. Core to the process is continuous advocacy, at all levels, for increased investment in nutrition and development of human and institutional capacity in order to address malnutrition. Key words: nutrition; essential behaviours; quality; health; sub-Saharan Africa (Af. J. Food and Nutritional Sciences: 2002 2 (1): 29-33)

The geometry of coexistence

Understanding the processes that maintain diversity has been the focus of extensive study, yet there is much that has not been integrated into a cohesive framework. First, there is a separation of perspective. Ecological and evolutionary approaches to diversity have progressed in largely parallel directions. Second, there is a separation of emphasis. In both ecology and population genetics, classical theories favour local explanations with emphasis on population dynamics and selection within populations, while contemporary theories favour spatial explanations, with emphasis on population structure and interactions among populations. What is lacking is a comparative approach that evaluates the relative importance of local and spatial processes in maintaining genetic and ecological diversity. I present a framework for diversity maintenance that emphasizes the comparative approach. I use a well-known but little-used mathematical approach, the perturbation theorem for dynamical systems, to identify key points of contact between ecological and population genetic theories of coexistence. These connections provide for a synthesis of several important concepts: population structure (source–sink versus extinction–colonization), spatial heterogeneity (intrinsic versus extrinsic) in fitness and competitive ability, and temporal scales over which local and spatial processes influence diversity. This framework ties together a large and diverse body of theory and data from ecology and population genetics. It yields comparative predictions that can serve as guidelines in biodiversity management.