Jay T. Worobets, Fausto Panizzolo, Steve Hung, John W. Wannop and Darren J. Stefanyshyn
The outsole of a running shoe must provide enough traction for the athlete to avoid slipping during running. What is unknown is whether there is any point to designing running…
Abstract
The outsole of a running shoe must provide enough traction for the athlete to avoid slipping during running. What is unknown is whether there is any point to designing running shoe outsoles with traction above this minimum required traction. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether performance could be enhanced by increasing the outsole traction of a running shoe. A commercially available running shoe (Control) was compared against the same shoe model with the outsole modified with a higher traction rubber (High Traction). The available traction of each shoe was measured with a traction testing system. Twenty male athletes completed a maximal effort timed running course in both shoes on two different surfaces. When wearing the Control running shoe, the athletes were able to complete the course on an asphalt road surface at maximal effort without slipping. When completing the same course wearing the High Traction shoe, the subjects were able to perform the course even faster. Therefore, the results show that the role of running shoe outsole traction is not to merely provide adequate traction to avoid large scale slips, but can also help athletes enhance performance of high-traction tasks such as accelerations and changes in direction.
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Goodwill Industries warehousing operations has increased as the Used Merchandise Store Sales in the US has also increased to a total spending of $17 billion in 2013. Goodwill…
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Goodwill Industries warehousing operations has increased as the Used Merchandise Store Sales in the US has also increased to a total spending of $17 billion in 2013. Goodwill Industries faces warehousing issues as their inventory fluctuates seasonally. As people do their spring cleaning in the beginning of the year and rush to get their tax-deductible donations in by the end of the year, the warehouses are overflowed but in the off-seasons they are scarce. The following case poses the issue of an efficient warehouse operation that also supports the company sales plan.
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China was the only developing country that participated in the human genome project and contributed 1 per cent of human genome sequencing in 2000. And it finished rice genome…
Abstract
China was the only developing country that participated in the human genome project and contributed 1 per cent of human genome sequencing in 2000. And it finished rice genome sequencing independently in 2002. China’s biomedical industry, however, remains largely an academic affair. The industry is characterized by its inability to support and commercialize innovative research, which in turn has resulted in the prevalence of generic drugs. Managers of Chinese firms have been focusing on the shortterm profits that can be generated by generics rather than the longer‐term potential profits arising from innovative research. But the viability of such short‐cut strategy is now called into question as the IPR infringements will mean hefty fines to the violators in the wake of China’s WTO accession. There is hence an urgent need to make the timely transformation from academic affair to commercialization. This paper examines the reasons why biomedical industry remains largely an academic affair in China by stacking China against the key success factors of biomedical industry in the world. It then suggests the ways to make the transformation by filling the gap between basic research and commercial products and cultivating the necessary business environment for biomedical drugs in China.
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The very contextual nature of most mitigating evidence runs counter to America’s individualistic culture. Prior research has found that capital jurors are unreceptive to most…
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The very contextual nature of most mitigating evidence runs counter to America’s individualistic culture. Prior research has found that capital jurors are unreceptive to most mitigating circumstances, but no research has examined the capital sentencing decisions of trial judges. This study fills that gap through a content analysis of eight judicial sentencing opinions from Delaware. The findings indicate that judges typically dismiss contextualizing evidence in their sentencing opinions and instead focus predominately on the defendant’s culpability. This finding calls into question the ability of guided discretion statutes to ensure the consideration of mitigation and limit arbitrariness in the death penalty.
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Derrald Stice, Han Stice and Roger White
This study aims to examine the effect of individual auditor quality (below the partner level) on overall audit quality.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the effect of individual auditor quality (below the partner level) on overall audit quality.
Design/methodology/approach
We aggregate audit employee-level individual performance evaluations to create a measure of auditor quality at the office level.
Findings
We find that high-quality audit offices are associated with a lower likelihood of client restatement, fewer client abnormal accruals and a higher likelihood of a client receiving a going concern opinion. We partition employees into low, medium and high level, based on job title, to investigate which employee levels drive these results. We find that the restatement results are driven by high quality high-level employees (Senior Managers/Directors), whereas the going concern results are driven by high quality low-level employees (Seniors). Furthermore, we find evidence that high-quality audit teams are associated with all aspects of audit quality and the magnitude of these team effects are much larger than those of the effects for any individual employee type.
Originality/value
Our findings are consistent with higher-level auditors preventing the most serious financial statement deficiencies, low-level employees contributing to audit firm independence and overall team quality creating synergy which has the strongest effect on all aspects of audit quality. These insights based on individual auditor evaluations are new to the literature. Overall, our empirical results suggest that individual auditor quality is associated with higher quality audits and that employees at all levels affect audit outcomes.
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Anne M. Velliquette, Jeff B. Murray and Deborah J. Evers
In order to emphasize in-depth analyses of individual life stories, seven informants were selected. Since breadth of experience will contribute to a more detailed…
Abstract
In order to emphasize in-depth analyses of individual life stories, seven informants were selected. Since breadth of experience will contribute to a more detailed contextualization of the consumer's use of products in identity negotiation, diversity across informants was emphasized. Interviews generally followed the format as suggested by Thompson, Locander, and Pollio (1989). A comfortable setting was chosen and pseudonyms were used to ensure anonymity. Interviews were audio-taped and lasted anywhere from one to just over two hours. Grand tour questions (McCracken, 1988) focused on the meaning of the tattoo design, the experience of being tattooed, perceptions of the body, words the informants used to describe themselves, and other biographical information important for understanding the informant's personal myth. Every effort was made to present a natural front, keep the informant on track without being too directive, demonstrate active listening, and prompt the informant as a way of probing for details (Spradley, 1979). To ensure accuracy, an experienced and trained transcriptionist transcribed each of the seven interviews. The final text totaled 450 typed double-spaced pages.
The Looking Glass simulation was developed by behavioural scientists at the Centre for Creative Leadership, North Carolina. Looking Glass, Inc is one of the best known examples of…
Abstract
The Looking Glass simulation was developed by behavioural scientists at the Centre for Creative Leadership, North Carolina. Looking Glass, Inc is one of the best known examples of a realistic behavioural simulation. Such simulations allow managers to be studied and trained in situations closely approximating their natural environment. A condensed version of an article which follows one manager through the simulation is presented, giving an insight into the process of self‐assessment and self‐discovery that can take place.
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The purpose of this paper is to assess the intra-party conflicts in Hong Kong’s Democratic Party (DP) and their implications for broader democratic processes in the territory. It…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the intra-party conflicts in Hong Kong’s Democratic Party (DP) and their implications for broader democratic processes in the territory. It also examines some other thematic issues including: the party’s policy decision-making process, candidate selection, party membership and mergers, and their overall relevance for democratisation in Hong Kong.
Design/methodology/approach
The study gives a historical review of intra-party conflicts. The concept of factionalism is applied to better understand the DP in Hong Kong’s political space.
Findings
Hong Kong is unique and popular models of party conflicts are hardly applicable to the country. Intra-party conflict is an obvious, expected conflict because of differences in formation, leadership, manifestoes and ideologies. The present author tries to examine the case with a view to making a novel contribution.
Originality/value
The study of political factionalism is not uncommon in Hong Kong but this paper intends to study intra-party elite conflicts and self-democratisation of the Hong Kong DP as a case study which is seldom addressed. Consolidation is a possible scenario and its presence is evident when political elites increasingly demonstrate commitment towards creating a democratic regime and when they hold strong beliefs in democratic procedures and institutions as crucial to governing public life.
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Projective identification occurs when an individual or group, unable to bear certain features of their own reality, unconsciously splits these features off and projects them into…
Abstract
Projective identification occurs when an individual or group, unable to bear certain features of their own reality, unconsciously splits these features off and projects them into another individual or group. As these features do not reside in the conscious minds of those who do the projecting, they are not available in their minds for scrutiny, understanding or learning. These projections also endow the recipients with unmanageable feelings and characteristics which are not of their own making, and may thereby have a detrimental effect on them and their relationship with those who do the projecting. This paper examines two case examples attempting to throw light on the implications of this concept for management education. The first emerges from a supervisory relationship with a mature student, while the second looks at an experiential group in a “working conference”.