Autonomy Structure Research Articles

READING ‘STUDIUM’ AND ‘PUNCTUM’ IN STEVE MCCURRY AND RAGHU RAI’S PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Introduction Photography is unique art of expression. It is 'picture taking' (Taminiaux 2009:6) process which produces images with accuracy and realism. Photography is structural grammar that deals with trans-linguistic fields of communication. It is performative survey of social structure that takes into account historical retrospectives and documentaries which rolls down from reel of camera. Roland Barthes's analogy of photography is critical discourse on rhetorical moves of images. It demonstrates how images are permissive of investigating intertextuality of cultures embedded in text. The definable meaning of text as decontextualized and anachronistic metaphor also lays embedded existential dimension in process of both production and of meaning processed through text. Photography as a source of emission, channel of transmission, and medium of reception (Barthes 1991:3) suggests codes of which is connotative mode of signification that out rightly searches for postures of being-in-the-World. The structural autonomy of photographic messages expressed through units of representation shift from reality to 'message without code' (Barthes 1991:5). This elucidates composed structures of cultural phenomena compressed in visual representation of language, same photographic image subsumes supplementary message through 'the style of reproduction' (Barthes 1991:5). Roland Barthes's primary focus on 'mathesis singularis' (Barthes 1981a:8) is pure contingency of photographic evidence. It is of maneuvers, effects and transformations which emphasize on rupture and nature of 'third text' (1). Barthes's contribution to analogical tools of photography as 'studium' (Barthes 1981a:26) and 'punctum' (Barthes 1981a:27) in Camera Lucida (2), offers 'coherent structure' (Seitz 1991:55) to normalize and recuperate vicissitudes of reading of images. It associates photography through constellation of signifiers clustering around (Wiseman 1989:138) image. Photography is discourse that is affected by 'amused consciousness' (Barthes 1981a:11) of 'docile interest' (Barthes 1981a:40). It is awakened by 'passive, negative, interrogative and emphatic transformations' (Barthes 1981a:40). The concept of studium and punctum in Camera Lucida culminates from both 'concept and tone' (Shawcross 1997:xi). Roland Barthes's analogical and political considerations of images are proffered by Lacan's l'imaginaire which is associated by analogy between images. The image-repertoire is register where subject adheres to an image in movement of identification that relies in particular on coalescence of signifier and signified (1081:209). Diana Knight writes: Barthes explores this hypothesis via figure which appears with increasing frequency in his later work, tel (just so) that will eventually pinpoint intractable photographic referent of La Chambre Claire: absolute Individuality, sovereign contingency, dull to point of stupidity, just So [le Tel] (that particular photo and not photos in general), in short, Touche', Occasion, Encounter, The Real, untiringly expressed (1984:834). Jonathan Culler suggests photography as 'a sign system', and is avowed by its 'exceptional power of denotation' (Culler 2002:21). Roland Barthes's photographic analog is precisely juncture of 'aesthetics of surplussage' (Aciman 1984-1985:110) that baffles meaning with erotic texture. It's slight, gentle, cautious, apologetic voice, touch nonchalant, which doesn't hang fire, not at all, but which advances in tiny bursts, in tiny scintillations, in tiny nibbles of writing (Guibert: 1984:115). According to Carol Mavor, Camera Lucida is physical embracement and philosophical study of Barthes's cherished concept of le neuter (Mavor 2011:219). The distinction between studium and punctum is the order of liking, not loving (Barthes 1981a:27). …

Cross-Industry Spatially Localized Innovation Networks

This article’s objective is to develop conceptual approach to the study of key decision-making factors of cross-industry spatially localized innovation networks regularities by the application of quantitative and qualitative data of St. Petersburg Innovation and Technology Cluster of Machinery Manufacturing and Metalworking. The paper is based on the previous research findings which conclude that such networks have a set of opportunities and constraints for innovation. The hypothesis is that in the clusters, representing a special type of these networks, the spatial proximity partly offsets the negative impact of industrial distance. The authors propose a structural and logical model of strategic decision-making to analyze these effects on innovation. They specify network’s influences on performance: cognitive diversity; knowledge and expertise; structural autonomy and equivalence. The model is applied to spatially localized cross-industry cluster and then improved in accordance with the obtained results for accounting resource flows. It allowed to take into account the dynamics of innovation activity and to develop the practical implications in the particular business context. The analysis identified the peculiarities of spatially localized crossindustry innovation cooperation in perspective of the combinations of tangible resources, information and other intangible resources for the renewal of mature industries. The research results can be used in business as well as in industrial and regional economic policy. In the conclusion, the article outlines future research directions: a comprehensive empirical study with the analysis of data on the factors of cross-industry cooperation which were identified in this paper with testing of causal relations; the developing an approach to the study of spatially localized networks based on the exchange of primary resources in the economic system stability framework.

Power Structure and Media Autonomy in China: The Case of Southern Weekend

ABSTRACTHow do Chinese media derive the autonomy to practice relatively freely, and how are they deprived of it? By analyzing the case of Southern Weekend, this study proposes one crucial factor—the central–local power structure within the Party’s censorship system to explain the dramatic changes of media autonomy in China. It argues that the divergence between the local authority and the central propagandists in dealing with the local media has guaranteed the autonomy of local media practitioners. The autonomy becomes eroded later when the central authority rationalizes the nomenklatura system of the regulatory bodies. By nurturing loyal agents at the local level, the central authority successfully eases the tension within the central–local power structure and strengthens its control over the regionally-based media outlets.

Corporate venture capital program autonomy, corporate investors’ attention and portfolio diversification

Purpose– From the attention-based view, the purpose of this paper is to examine how structural autonomy of a corporate venture capital (CVC) program influences its CVC managers’ investment decisions with regard to investment portfolio diversification.Design/methodology/approach– This study collects data from VentureXpert, Compustat, and the US Patent Office. The final sample consists of 868 CVC portfolio-year observations from 1990 to 2004. Panel linear regressions and hierarchical linear regressions are used in the analysis.Findings– The major finding of this study reveals that that structural autonomy of a CVC program is significantly related to its investment portfolio diversification. In addition to the direct effect, the authors also find that CVC structure autonomy moderates the relationship between corporate investor’s strategic attention and its CVC portfolio diversification. Specifically, when the autonomous level of a CVC program is high, the negative relationship between its parent’s relative growth potentials and CVC portfolio diversification will become positive, and the positive relationship between its parent’s business diversification and CVC portfolio diversification will become negative.Originality/value– The CVC literature has suggested the impact of CVC portfolio diversification on value creation for corporate investors (e.g. Yanget al., 2014), however, few studies have investigated why some corporate investors diversify their portfolio of venture companies while others do not. To fill such a gap, this study identifies antecedents of CVC portfolio diversification such as CVC structural autonomy and corporate investor’s strategic attention as well as their interactive impacts. The finding also provides valuable managerial implications on CVC program designs.

The Power of Non-Governmental Organizations in Sudan: Do Structural Changes Matter?

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are seen as drivers of change. This characterisation has led to the proliferation of NGOs, particularly in developing countries. Their numerous strengths and advantages have resulted in them being described as being 'there for the people'. Yet, despite their strengths, they have been criticised for their inability to meet structural and social challenges, as many of them are seen as being too professional, bureaucratic and focused on maintaining their funding, thereby perpetuating underdevelopment. Meanwhile, there are growing concerns regarding the partnership and accountability practices of NGOs. To contribute to this debate, this article will examine the roles of NGOs in the international arena and discuss the impact of funding in the creation and achievement of strategic goals, and how this directly affects the accountability of NGOs. In order to examine these issues, the author uses examples from Sudan to discuss how structural change and autonomy are both necessary for and detrimental to the accountability, reputation and role of NGOs in the development sector.

The implementation of integrated electronic service delivery in Quebec: the conditions of collaboration and lessons

The article addresses the difficult conditions of interorganisational collaboration for the implementation of integrated electronic service delivery from three theoretical perspectives: institutional, political and managerial. These perspectives are used to conceptually define the main obstacles to interorganisational collaboration and the leverage available to public managers to facilitate the integration of electronic services. Based on a multiple case study in Quebec, the authors examine, more specifically, the institutional, political and managerial conditions that have delayed the integration of electronic services in this Canadian province. They show how the persistency of administrative practices, the desire for autonomy of public organisations and cumbersome governance structures have contributed to the diversification of the supply of online services in Quebec at the expense of an integrated service. Drawing on theoretical considerations and the study results, the authors propose that public managers do not stick only to horizontal governance mechanisms, but also make use of vertical governance mechanisms, to mitigate the effects of certain constraints on interorganisational collaboration and to accelerate the implementation of integrated electronic service delivery. Points for practitioners Several countries have made integrated public service delivery a priority of e-government. To effectively coordinate these projects with their multiple partners, public managers need to apply a hybrid governance to benefit from the stability of the hierarchy and the flexibility of the network. More specifically, the study shows vertical governance to be an effective tool to coordinate the activities of a network of organisations involved in the implementation of integrated service delivery.

School autonomy, leadership and learning: a reconceptualisation

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for reconceptualising research on school autonomy to redress the limitations of traditional research, strengthen the conceptual links between school autonomy and learning outcomes and offer a range of new strategies for studying the interplay of school autonomy, leadership and learning.Design/methodology/approach– Based on a review of international studies and the findings of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS), the conceptual limitations of and gaps in traditional research on school autonomy in relation to leadership and learning are discussed, and their implications for the development of a new framework are outlined.Findings– The conceptual limitations of traditional research on school autonomy are as follows: internal school autonomy is insufficiently differentiated; too little attention is paid to cultural autonomy and internal structural autonomy at individual and group levels; autonomy is measured only as perceived by principals, with no attention to the perspectives of other key stakeholders; and conceptual links between school autonomy and learning outcomes are missing, leading to inconsistent findings on the effects of school autonomy on student learning. To redress these limitations, a new framework for research is developed. School autonomy is reconceptualised as a combination of functional autonomy, structural autonomy and cultural autonomy. Leadership is also reconceptualised by categorising three types of leadership activity: leadership for functional initiatives, leadership for structural initiatives and leadership for cultural initiatives. This categorisation may help to strengthen conceptions of the relevance of leadership to autonomy and performance in future research.Research limitations/implications– A typology of research strategies is developed to broaden the possibilities for implementing the reconceptualisation framework. A single-component strategy, a two-component strategy, an interaction strategy and a holistic case-study strategy are presented. Depending on the research purposes and the available resources, one or a combination of these strategies can be used to conceptualise the study of school autonomy, leadership and performance.Originality/value– The new ideas and perspectives associated with the reconceptualisation framework will contribute to future research in this area on an international scale. Future PISA, TALIS and similar studies will also benefit from this reconceptualisation.

The Federalist Safeguards of Politics

The Constitution's Guarantee Clause provides “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.” At a time of national political division and dysfunction the Union, as well as the Republican Form of Government itself, would be better served by letting states do more, and the United States less, to fulfill this guarantee. States do and should play as important a role as the federal government in articulating and implementing the law governing state political processes, or in formal terms, their republican forms of government. This article provides a reminder that the Guarantee Clause defines state governments by the indefinite article.The argument has four parts. Part I introduces the basic meaning of the guarantee and its evolution through the voting rights amendments. Beyond a consensus that holds our republicanism to require basic political equality, various perfectionist conceptions of a republican form of government diverge, reflecting the essential pluralism of republican governments in a federal system. Part II explains how the Supreme Court, Congress, and the Executive are now unable to articulate, let alone implement, any workable consensus on republicanism beyond a thin conception of those basic rights. Part III describes the states as the source of persistent and important distinctions in their republican forms of government, as both legal systems and political cultures that produce and are sustained by those systems. Part IV argues these distinctions in how states articulate and implement their own versions of republicanism are crucial to efforts toward reforming republicanism at the national level. Given the unsettled visions of republicanism at the national level, and the structural autonomy the states must retain at the core of our federal system, a plurality of views on republicanism among the states is not only durable but desirable.

Innovation strategy and performance of international technology services ventures

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating role of structural autonomy in the relationship between innovation strategy and performance of international technology services ventures (ITVs).Design/methodology/approach– Data were collected from 200 ITVs serving markets outside their country of origin. Instrumentation followed standard procedure by adapting validated and parsimonious items from existing literature. Factor and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were applied to examine the hypothesised relationships.Findings– The results indicate a significant relationship between innovation strategy (namely service products innovation, process innovation and administrative innovation) and performance of ITVs. Structural autonomy moderates the relationship between process innovation, administrative innovation and performance. There is no moderating effect of autonomy in the association of service products innovation and performance.Research limitations/implications– The study corroborates the argument that service firms have more to gain by granting autonomy. In the context of ITVs, such gains are directly linked to performance through enhanced innovation in service products, processes and administration. It adds to the growing suggestions and rebuttals in the literature of a trade-off between innovation and communication; and between exploration of new knowledge and exploitation of existing knowledge in organisations when there is autonomy.Practical implications– Management can increase innovation and performance by granting greater autonomy to employees. Managers who are concerned that autonomy’s capacity to increase innovation capability may come at the expense of intra-organisational communication can be assured that intra-organisation communications can exist in the face of autonomy, and there is no real trade-off after all. Similarly, there is no basis for any concern for potential trade-off between exploration of new knowledge and exploitation of existing knowledge in organisations.Originality/value– Research suggests that autonomy of subsidiaries, units, groups or individuals encourages innovation, and that innovation strategy can enhance organisational performance. However, there is a counter-argument that same autonomy potentially hinders exploitation and performance of innovations. The study sheds more light on these anecdotal views based on data from ITVs.

Late Mesozoic–Cenozoic intraplate magmatism in Central Asia and its relation with mantle diapirism: Evidence from the South Khangai volcanic region, Mongolia

The South Khangai volcanic region (SKVR) comprises fields of Late Mesozoic–Cenozoic volcanic rocks scattered over southern and central Mongolia. Evolution of the region from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cenozoic includes 13 successive igneous episodes that are more or less evenly distributed in time. Major patterns in the distribution of different-aged volcanic complexes were controlled by a systematic temporal migration of volcanic centers over the region. The total length of their trajectory exceeds 1600km.Principle characteristics of local magmatism are determined. The composition of igneous rocks varies from basanites to rhyolites (predominantly, high-K rocks), with geochemistry close to that of OIB. The rock composition, however, underwent transformations in the Mesozoic–Cenozoic. Rejuvenation of mafic rocks is accompanied by decrease in the contents of HREE and increase of Nb and Ta. According to isotope data, the SKVR magmatic melts were derived from three isotope sources that differed in the Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic compositions and successively alternated in time. In the Early Cretaceous, the predominant source composition was controlled by interaction of the EMII- and PREMA-type mantle materials. The PREMA-type mantle material dominated quantitatively in the Late Cretaceous and initial Early Cenozoic. From the latest Early Cenozoic to Late Cenozoic, the magma source also contained the EMI-type material along with the PREMA-type.The structural fabric, rock composition, major evolutionary pattern, and inner structure of SKVR generally comply with the criteria used to distinguish the mantle plume-related regions. Analogous features can be seen in other regions of recent volcanism in Central Asia (South Baikal, Udokan, Vitim, and Tok Stanovik). The structural autonomy of these regions suggests that distribution of the Late Mesozoic–Cenozoic volcanism in Central Asia was controlled by a group of relatively small hot finger-type mantle plumes associated with the common hot mantle field of Central Asia.

Inside the Government, but Outside the Law: Residents' Committees, Public Authority and Twilight Governance in Post-War Angola

This article explores the workings of public authority in post-war Angola through an analysis of the history and current functioning of residents' committees at neighbourhood level in peri-urban Luanda, based on case-study research in the Zango housing project. While recognising that power in Angola is highly centralised, and the autonomy of regular state structures limited, it argues that, when power is studied from below, state officials and those they engage with can be seen to produce, recognise and negotiate public authority in multiple ways that are embedded in the country's political history. In doing so, the article aims to bring a sense of history and agency to what is commonly seen by scholars as a top-down and repressive project of state-building. Yet the twilight existence of residents' committees – as institutions that function, but are not officially recognised, as part of the state – also illustrates the deeply ambiguous nature of this endeavour as one that, although formally aimed at building a democratic state that follows the rule of law, continues to be deeply entrenched in informal practices that ultimately serve to preserve the ruling party's hold on power.

Structural Autonomy, Technological Characteristics, and Innovative Performance in Corporate Venture Capital

Structural Autonomy, Technological Characteristics, and Innovative Performance in Corporate Venture Capital

A Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Research on the Learning Approaches and Transactional Distance in Students of Blended Learning

The learning approaches and the change in the perception of transactional distance throughout the education period of the blended learning students, is an important topic. This study investigates whether the learning approaches and sense of transactional distance of the blended learning students changes during their education. In addition, the relation between the learning approaches and sense of transactional distance of the students has been studied. Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional survey models were used and the results of this study revealed that with the advancement of the studies, the deep learning approaches and sense of dialog of the students decreases, while the surface learning approaches and sensed control increases. No significant difference has been found in the structure flexibility, content organization and autonomy dimensions.

Three-Tier Federative Structure and Local Government Autonomy in Brazil and Nigeria

This paper examines the nature of three tier federative structure of Brazil and Nigeria and the reasons for the failure of the model to guarantee local government autonomy as envisaged by the design. It is found that the two countries exhibit divergence in the manner of constitutionalisation, which also provides difference in degree of autonomy enjoyed by the local government- where the constitution provides powers and rights of local government directly or whether it seeks to achieve these through the laws of other governmental levels. In Nigeria the structure has not lifted the local government beyond an embedded system in a dual federal structure in which the states merely deal with local governments as appendages rather than as separate tier of government. In Brazil, the structure provides relative political and fiscal autonomy, but also inhibits smooth fiscal control by Federal government that makes constitutional changes more frequent. In both experience, it is seen that federalization through constitutionalism still has its limits.

Antecedents of relational inertia and information sharing in SNS usage: The moderating role of structural autonomy

This research looks at how the structural characteristics of network affect pressure of relational inertia and the behavior to share information through SNS. Also, we tested the moderating effect of the structural autonomy in network, the extent to which a user feels that ties of relationship can be managed in terms of holding important hubs in social network. The data were collected through online survey from 320 members of four online communities of two popular SNS, Facebook and KakaoStory. The findings show that first of all, three out of four constructs we studied as a structural characteristic, cohesiveness, multiplexity, and syncopated complexity had positive impact on relational inertia, and also relational inertia was positively associated with the decrease of information sharing on SNS. Second, the users' structural autonomy on SNS made the decrease of information sharing weaker and also moderated the relationship between relational inertia and decrease of information sharing. This study suggests that even SNS, which enables the relationship building and information sharing through social networking, could bring negative effect depending on the structural characteristics of a user's social network. In this study, we also confirmed the value of structural autonomy on SNS. Actors can benefit from being linked to only the important ties on social network to obtain effective information and social capital from relationships.

Findings from a survey of wildlife reintroduction practitioners

Wildlife reintroduction programs are a type of conservation initiative that seek to re-establish viable populations of a species in areas from which they have been extirpated or become extinct. Past efforts to improve the outcomes of reintroduction have focused heavily on overcoming ecological challenges, with little attention paid to the potential influence of leadership, management, and other aspects of reintroduction. This 2009 survey of reintroduction practitioners identified several key areas of leadership and management that may deserve further study, including: (i) the potential value of reintroduction partnerships for improving programmatic outcomes; (ii) the potential management value of autonomy vs. hierarchy in organizational structure; (iii) gaps in perceptions of success in reintroduction; and (iv) the need for improved evaluations of reintroduction programs and outcomes.

Transactional Distance and Student Ratings in Online College Courses

Student ratings were compared in courses offered either exclusively online (n = 13,416) or face-to-face (n = 5,272). Data from 105 institutions were accessed from archived files of the IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction system. If a course was taught online, the instructor was less likely to lecture and more likely to use discussion, especially in hard disciplines. A course was less likely to have been taught online if the instructor was rated high in establishing rapport and if the course was within hard and pure disciplines. A high rating on structuring classroom experiences and expecting students to share in responsibility for learning increased the odds the course was offered online. However, high ratings on stimulating student interest and student effort in the course made it less likely. Results are discussed with respect to transactional distance elements of dialogue, structure, and learner autonomy.

Secondary structure of bacteriophage T4 gene 60 mRNA: Implications for translational bypassing

Translational bypassing is a unique phenomenon of bacteriophage T4 gene 60 mRNA wherein the bacterial ribosome produces a single polypeptide chain from a discontinuous open reading frame (ORF). Upon reaching the 50-nucleotide untranslated region, or coding gap, the ribosome either dissociates or bypasses the interruption to continue translating the remainder of the ORF, generating a subunit of a type II DNA topoisomerase. Mutational and computational analyses have suggested that a compact structure, including a stable hairpin, forms in the coding gap to induce bypassing, yet direct evidence is lacking. Here we have probed the secondary structure of gene 60 mRNA with both Tb³⁺ ions and the selective 2'-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension (SHAPE) reagent 1M7 under conditions where bypassing is observed. The resulting experimentally informed secondary structure models strongly support the presence of the predicted coding gap hairpin and highlight the benefits of using Tb³⁺ as a second, complementary probing reagent. Contrary to several previously proposed models, however, the rest of the coding gap is highly reactive with both probing reagents, suggesting that it forms only a short stem-loop. Mutational analyses coupled with functional assays reveal that two possible base-pairings of the coding gap with other regions of the mRNA are not required for bypassing. Such structural autonomy of the coding gap is consistent with its recently discovered role as a mobile genetic element inserted into gene 60 mRNA to inhibit cleavage by homing endonuclease MobA.

An in vitro-selected RNA receptor for the GAAC loop: modular receptor for non–GNRA-type tetraloop

Although artificial RNA motifs that can functionally replace the GNRA/receptor interaction, a class of RNA–RNA interacting motifs, were isolated from RNA libraries and used to generate designer RNA structures, receptors for non-GNRA tetraloops have not been found in nature or selected from RNA libraries. In this study, we report successful isolation of a receptor motif interacting with GAAC, a non-GNRA tetraloop, from randomized sequences embedded in a catalytic RNA. Biochemical characterization of the GAAC/receptor interacting motif within three structural contexts showed its binding affinity, selectivity and structural autonomy. The motif has binding affinity comparable with that of a GNRA/receptor, selectivity orthogonal to GNRA/receptors and structural autonomy even in a large RNA context. These features would be advantageous for usage of the motif as a building block for designer RNAs. The isolated motif can also be used as a query sequence to search for unidentified naturally occurring GANC receptor motifs.

Control in an Internationalized Labour Process: Engineering Work in Global Design Networks

This article analyses the engineering labour process within global networks of production and design of the electronics industry. Its main argument is that the labour process in peripheral product design locations in Eastern Europe has developed considerably with regards to levels of autonomy in work tasks organization and control structure. A detailed case study on one particular product development centre in Bucharest, Romania illustrates these developments. Labour process theory is employed to analyse and understand dynamics in the local labour process organization, while the global design network approach locates labour process dynamics within a network perspective. Local factors such as the labour market are central to the analysis advancing a more dialectical perspective on the relations between global and local levels of internationalization. The analysis shows how integrated forms of international division of labour are increasingly developing.