Digital Commons Network^™

Emerging Threats For Mnc Subsidiaries And The Cycle Of Decline, Pamela Sharkey Scott, P. T. Gibbons Prof

Articles

Purpose – Subsidiary units have traditionally feared relocation of their activities to lower-cost locations. The authors identify other emerging threats which are changing how multinational corporations (MNCs) manage their subsidiary units, and develop a cycle of subsidiary decline demonstrating how these threats can undermine a subsidiary's position within the MNC.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents the results of a survey targeted at over 1,100 subsidiary CEOs of MNCs located in Ireland, a program of in-depth interviews of 24 subsidiary CEOs/directors, and a review of the literature relating to MNC and subsidiary management, are combined to identify emerging threats to subsidiary …

The Impact Of Macular Pigment Augmentation On Visual Performance In Normal Subjects: Compass, John Nolan, James Loughman, Akkali Makunda, Jim Stack, Grainne Scanlon, Peter Davison, Stephen Beatty

Articles

This study was conducted to investigate whether augmentation of macular pigment (MP) enhances visual performance (VP). 121 normal subjects were recruited. The active (A) group consumed 12 mg of lutein (L) and 1 mg of zeaxanthin (Z) daily. MP optical density (MPOD) was assessed by customized heterochromatic flicker photometry. VP was assessed as best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), mesopic and photopic contrast sensitivity (CS), glare disability, photostress, and subjective visual function. Subjects were assessed at baseline; 3; 6; 12 months (V1, V2, V3 and V4, respectively). Central MPOD increased significantly in the A group (p < 0.05) but not in the placebo group (p > 0.05). This statistically …

Prognostic Indicators And Outcome Measures For Surgical Removal Of Symptomatic Nonadvanced Cataract, Sofia Charalampidou, James Loughman, John Nolan, Jim Stack, Lorraine Cassidy, Konrad Pesudovs, Stephen Beatty

Articles

Objectives:

To report changes in perceived visual functioning after surgery for symptomatic cataract with pre-operative corrected distance visual acuity [CDVA] of 0.4 logMar or better (Snellen equivalent, 20/50) and to investigate the relationship between any observed changes and preoperative physical characteristics and psycho-physical consquences of the lens opacity and any changes in psychophysical findings after the procedure.

Minimal Analytical Characterisation Of Engineered Nanomaterials Needed For Hazard Assessment In Biological Matrices, Hans Bouwmeester, Hugh Byrne, Alan Casey, Gordon Chambers

Articles

Background: This paper presents the outcomes from a workshop of the European Network on the Health and Environmental Impact of Nanomaterials (NanoImpactNet) held in June 2008. During this workshop 45 experts in the field of safety assessment of engineered nanomaterials from academia, non-profit organizations and industry addressed a list of essential metrics of engineered nanomaterials that need to be characterized as a minimum.

Results: The group discussed the need to systematically study sets of engineered nanomaterials to generate a dataset that allows for the establishment of dose-response data related to specific metrics of engineered nanomaterials. Concomitantly the availability of analytical …

Leitrim Chefs Produce Lavish Irish Banquet At Oxford Symposium, Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, Pádraic Óg Gallagher

Articles

Description of Irish Banquet given at Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2010 by Irish chefs with Leitrim connections.

Do Organic Cherry Vine Tomatoes Taste Better Than Conventional Cherry Vine Tomatoes? A Sensory And Instrumental Comparative Study From Ireland, Clare Gilsenan, Roisin Burke, Catherine Barry-Ryan

Articles

A consumer panel was able to distinguish a perceptible difference between organically farmed and conventionally produced tomatoes, and preferred the taste of the conventional tomatoes. The sensory evaluation results of the trained panel revealed that the conventional tomatoes were sweeter and less sour than the organic tomatoes. In addition to this, the conventional tomatoes showed significant differences for ^oBrix, reducing sugars and electrical conductivity. No significant differences were observed between the organic and conventional tomato samples for color, size, firmness, pH and dry matter values.

Application Of Response Surface Methodology For Studying The Influence Of Hydrothermal Processing On The Phytochemical Constituents Of Irish Edible Brown Seaweed, Sabrina Cox, Shilpi Gupta, Nissreen Abu-Ghannam

Articles

We used response surface methodology to investigate the effect of time and temperature of hydrothermal processing (blanching) on the phytochemical content, texture and colour
of a semi-dried brown seaweed ( Himanthalia elongata ). A central composite design was employed with a hydrothermal processing time of 10 – 30 min and temperature of 60 – 90 ° C. Predicted models were found to be signifi cant for total phenolic
content, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity, total fl avonoids, total condensed tannins, texture and colour. The predicted values for each of the responses were in good agreement with experimental values. Processing time had …

Oxygen Rich Titania: A Dopant Free, A Dopant Free, High Temperature Stable, And Visible-Light Active Anatase Photocatalyst, Vinodkumar Etacheri, Michael Seery, Steven Hinder, Suresh Pillai

Articles

The simultaneous existence of visible light photocatalytic activity and high temperature anatase phase stability up to 900 ° C in undoped TiO 2 is reported for the fi rst time. These properties are achieved by the in-situ generation of oxygen through the thermal decomposition of peroxo-titania complex (formed by the precursor modifi cation with H 2 O 2 ). Titania containing the highest amount of oxygen (16 H 2 O 2 -TiO 2 )retains 100% anatase phase even at 900 ° C, where as the control sample exists as 100% rutile at this temperature. The same composition exhibits a six-fold …

The Innocence Rights Of Sentenced Offenders, Mary Rogan

Articles

Civil orders which take effect after a person has been released from a sentence of imprisonment have become more common features of Irish law. Despite representing a major departure from the principle that when a person has served a sentence the state has no further „call‟ on that person, such orders have received limited attention. This article examines some of these new orders, in particular section 26 and section 26A of the Criminal Justice Act 2007. It argues that these orders should be of concern, suggesting that they are likely to act as barriers to reintegration of ex-prisoners, represent a …

Criminalizing Corporate Killing: The Irish Approach, Bruce Carolan

Articles

The debate on criminal corporate liability in the United States might benefit from a comparative perspective: How have other countries treated the criminal liability of corporate entities? This benefit might be enhanced by focusing on a country with a similar legal heritage to the United States—a country with a common law legal system inherited from the British. And, it would help if that country were concurrently examining the issue of criminal corporate liability. Interesting questions might include: What issues dominate the debate? How are issues of punishment, reparations, and rehabilitation handled? Is a legislative approach contemplated? The purpose of this …

Tempo Detection Using A Hybrid Multi-Band Approach, Mikel Gainza, Eugene Coyle

Articles

In this paper, a novel tempo detection system is presented, which suggests the use of a hybrid multiband decomposition. The model tracks the periodicities of different signal property changes that manifest within different frequency bands by using the most appropriate onset/transient detectors for each frequency band. In addition, the proposed system applies a novel method to weight tempo candidates. Each contribution is evaluated by comparing the presented system against existing approaches using three different databases that comprises 1638 songs. These databases include the two publicly available database of songs used in the tempo evaluation contest of ISMIR 2004. These songs …

What Difference Does It Make?- The Current Role And Potential Impact Social Enterprise Can Play In The Regeneration Of Disadvantaged Communities, Gerard Doyle

Articles

At European level there is no universally accepted definition of what constitutes a social enterprise (GHK, 2006). However, the number of definitions of what constitutes a social enterprise reflects the diverse understanding of what a social enterprise actually is. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) (2002) definition is widely used: A social enterprise is a business with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners. Social enterprises share a number of common characteristics: they are …

Virtual Ed: Utilisation Of A Discrete Event Simulation-Based Framework In Identifying "Real-Time’ Strategies To Improve Patient Experience Times In An Emergency Department, Waleed Abo Hamad, John Mcinerney, Amr Arisha

Articles

Objectives and Backgrounds Emergency Department (ED) overcrowding and associated excessive Patient Experience Times (PETs) have proven deleterious impacts on patient mortality, morbidity and overall length of hospital stay. Health systems constantly seek cost-effective organisational strategies to reduce ED crowding and improve patient outcomes, but complex change implementation is constrained by the necessity of maintaining concurrent safe patient-care. Computer modelling in a “virtual reality” has been successfully utilised in industries outside medicine, in providing innovative “real-time” solutions to outdated practices. Therefore a bespoke “Virtual ED” computer model, based on a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) -Based Framework was constructed to determine the …

Questioning The Currency Of Marketing Planning Today, Sarah Browne, Laura Cuddihy

Articles

While marketing planning has received considerable scholarlv
attention from academics, particularly on how it should be approached,
extant research does not explicate in any great detail how this process is actually performed in practice. The limited existing empirical research suggests a lag between theory and practice in terms of marketing planning and strategy making. Therefore, in order to 'market' marketing in B2B organisations, and close this apparent academic-practitioner divide, a greater awareness of who is actually involved in marfceting planning and strategy making processes is needed. The emphasis in this paper thus is to place the 'how' and 'who' in …

Why Is Small Business The Chief Business Of Congress, Mirit Eyal-Cohen

Articles

No abstract provided.

Have We Overcome Foreword, Meredith M. Render

Articles

No abstract provided.

Subversive Apologia Symposium: The Right To Treatment And The Road Ahead, Fredrick E. Vars

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No abstract provided.

Defining Torture And Cruel, Inhuman, And Degrading Treatment, David Weissbrodt, Cheryl Heilman

Articles

Declaring a “war against terror,” the United States has detained foreign nationals suspected of terrorist activities and has interrogated them at various locations outside the United States. As the United States seeks to bring charges against the detainees, serious questions have arisen regarding the interrogation methods used to obtain evidence. Federal laws enacted to meet the United States' obligations under treaties prohibit the use of evidence obtained through torture or through cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. What legal standards should be applied to determine whether interrogation methods or conditions of confinement constitute torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment? Is …

Regulatory Contrarians, Brett Mcdonnell, Daniel Schwarcz

Articles

This Article explores the role that “regulatory contrarians” can play in promoting more adaptive financial regulation. Such contrarians have several distinguishing features. First, they possess persuasive authority by virtue of their position, access to media and officials, or speaking engagements and reports. Second, they are affiliated with, and enjoy privileged access to, a regulatory entity but are nonetheless independent, as reflected in their budget, staffing, and/or priorities. Finally, they are tasked with studying the regulatory process, policy positions, and the regulated market and in some way reporting on deficiencies and potential improvements. The Article argues that regulatory contrarians can modestly …

Compromised Fiduciaries: Conflicts Of Interest In Government And Business, Claire Hill, Richard W. Painter

Articles

In the present financial crisis, the government has become extensively involved in managing companies, at times undertaking massive bailouts. The results of government involvement in business are at best mixed. Moreover, its involvement has generated significant criticism. But government involvement in managing companies is sometimes inevitable. It is therefore important to consider how it can be improved. One critical reason why government might perform poorly is conflicts of interest. Given the conflicts that arise at multiple levels of decisionmaking in both government and private companies, it should not be surprising that government management of companies is often problematic. In both …

Radbruch's Formula And Conceptual Analysis, Brian Bix

Articles

Gustav Radbruch, in well-known work that appeared just after World War II, put forward a formula that stated that state-promulgated rules that are sufficiently unjust lose their status as valid law. Radbruch’s Formula has generally been understood as a claim about the nature of law, and recent variations of Radbruch’s Formula, like Robert Alexy’s “claim to correctness,” have similarly been characterized as offering a truth about the nature of law. Additionally, both Radbruch’s and Alexy’s theories have been presented as criticisms of, and alternatives to, legal positivism. An alternative understanding of the Formula (and its modern variations) is as (mere) …

Keeping Pace?: The Case Against Property Assessed Clean Energy Financing Programs, Prentiss Cox

Articles

Property Assessed Clean Energy (“PACE”) is a method of public financing for energy improvements through special assessments on local government property taxes. Interest in PACE exploded from its origination in 2008, with almost half the states rapidly enacted legislation enabling local governments to use their property collection power for this purpose. The growth in PACE is now suspended, and existing programs have been put on hold, in the face of opposition from the federal secondary mortgage market regulators. Governments and environmental advocates supporting PACE have initiated litigation against the federal regulators and are seeking passage of federal legislation to revive …

The Dodd-Frank Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Provision: Was It Effective, Needed Or Sufficient?, Richard W. Painter

Articles

In Morrison v. National Australia Bank, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June 2010 that securities fraud suits could not be brought under Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act against foreign defendants by foreign plaintiffs who bought their securities outside the United States (so called, “f-cubed,” securities litigation). The Court held that Section 10(b) reaches only fraud in connection with the, “purchase or sale of a security listed on an American stock exchange, and the purchase or sale of any other security in the United States.” Congress responded to Morrison with Section 929P of the Dodd-Frank Act, which gives federal …

Owning Hazard, A Tragedy, Barbara Welke

Articles

No abstract provided.

Successor Liability, John H. Matheson

Articles

The phrase mergers and acquisitions, or M&A for short, signifies both the business activity of growing (or divesting) corporate operations and the legal rules surrounding that activ- ity. One typical acquisition technique is the purchase of busi- ness assets by one company from another. Indeed, General Mo- tors and Chrysler utilized this transactional structure in their bankruptcy reorganization following the recent global financial crisis, with the United States Government as a part owner of the purchasing entities.1 Asset sales transactions have various benefits, one of which is that the purchaser presumptively does not assume any of the seller‘s liabilities as …

Of Mises And Min(Sky): Libertarian And Liberal Responses To Financial Crises Past And Present, Brett Mcdonnell

Articles

This article compares two approaches to understanding and preventing financial crises, Austrian and Keynesian business cycle theory. The two are traditionally, and rightly, seen as having diametrically opposed prescriptions, with the Austrian approach opposing governmental intervention and blaming central bank policy for most crises, while the Keynesian approach advocates active governmental intervention to both prevent crises and to end them when they do occur. The article argues that both approaches nonetheless have much in common. Each emphasizes the importance of radical uncertainty in financial markets and analyzes business cycles as tied to credit cycles that turn on shifting investor expectations. …

An Economic Analysis Of Patent Law's Inequitable Conduct Doctrine, Thomas F. Cotter

Articles

In recent years, patent law’s inequitable conduct doctrine has attracted considerable attention from judges, legislators, patent lawyers, and commentators, culminating most recently in the Federal Circuit’s decision to revise certain aspects of the doctrine in its en banc decision in Therasense, Inc. v. Becton, Dickinson & Co. Building on the work of other scholars, this Article proposes an instrumental view of the doctrine as, ideally, a tool for inducing patent applicants to disclose the optimal quantity of information relating to the patentability of their inventions; it then presents a formal model of the applicant’s choices in deciding how much information …

Setting Optimal Rules For Shareholder Proxy Access, Brett Mcdonnell

Articles

Recent developments in Delaware concerning shareholder bylaws and the SEC proposal concerning shareholder proxy access have moved the U.S. closer to a set of optimal rules for shareholder proxy access in nominating director candidates, but not all the way there. These rules must address both the default rule which applies in the absence of agreement within a corporation to the contrary, and the altering rule which specifies who within a corporation may choose to opt out of the default provisions. Applying principles of accountability and freedom of contract, the optimal default rule would allow for certain shareholders to use the …

Rights, Responsibilities, And Roles: A Comment On Waldron, Brian H. Bix

Articles

In his Edward J. Schoen Leading Scholar Lecture, "Dignity, Rights, and Responsibilities," Jeremy Waldron raises important issues regarding the connections between rights and responsibilities and rights and dignity. In this brief comment, I focus on the first set of connections - Waldron’s claim that "some rights actually are responsibilities" - examining in particular, the analytical claim he offers regarding a certain subset of rights. The paper ultimately concludes that Waldron’s argument that there is a type of right that is equivalent to a responsibility remains a provocative but not (yet) fully persuasive idea. Likely examples, like those involving a parent …

Synthesis And Characterisation Of Macrocycles Containing Both Tetrazole And Pyridine Functionalities, Adrienne Fleming, Jackie Gaire, Fintan Kelleher, John Mcginley, Vickie Mckee

Articles

The syntheses of tetra-tetrazole macrocycles containing at least one 2,6-bis(tetrazole)pyridine unit, linked by a variety of n-alkyl (n = 3, 5, 7 or 9 carbon atoms) chain lengths, are described. There has been no previous incorporation of the pyridine moiety into a tetra-tetrazolophane macrocycle. The crystal structure of one such tetra-tetrazole macrocycle has also been structurally characterised and revealed a bowl-shaped conformation.