33 research outputs found
The internationalization of family SME
No full textPurpose – Owing to its specificities, the family small and medium enterprise (SME) shows a particular behavior as for the creation, development, sharing, protection and transmission of knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to study the specificities of the processes of knowledge creation and development in family firms. Design/methodology/approach – Through a questionnaire, hypotheses of the model were tested. The study is based on 118 firms belonging to various industries. After evaluating the reliability and validity of the items through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, the model was tested through structural equation modeling (LISREL). Findings – The model retained induces the following conclusions. Internationalization knowledge positively influences internationalization degree of the firm. The conservatism of family SME does not directly influence the level of internationalization knowledge. The influence of conservatism on internationalization knowledge is exerted only through the decisional dimension of independence orientation. The independence orientation of family SME, then with its two dimensions simultaneously (decisional and resource independence), does not significantly influence internationalization knowledge. Contrary to decisional independence which influences indirectly the degree of internationalization (through the intermediation of internationalization knowledge), resource independence influences directly the dependant variable. The mediation of internationalization knowledge is thus not totally proven. Social networking positively influences the amount of internationalization knowledge. Research limitations/implications – A major weakness is the absence of a synchronic approach as the dependent and independent variables are measured at the same moment. A more longitudinal approach would be valuable to analyze the causal relationships between the independent variables and internationalization knowledge and internationalization degree. A second limitation is that the characteristics of the sample may limit the generalizability of the results.Family firms, Small to medium-sized enterprises, Globalization, Learning organizations, Knowledge management
Organizational Learning and Knowledge DevelopmentPeculiarities in Small and Medium Family Enterprises
No full textThe aim of this theoretical contribution is to analyze the processes of organizational learning and knowledge development within the small and medium sized family firm. Due to its founding characteristics, family SME seems to be a closed, hermetic and rigid organization. Besides, the specificity of mechanisms of learning and knowledge management, in general, within this entity are justified by:- First, the overlapping of "family" and "company" spheres: the family sphere realizes a unique contribution because it constitutes a supplementary source of knowledge inbound to the company compared to a firm without family involvement, - Then, the frequency of the exchanges within the organization: the processes of exchange of piece of information and knowledge take place not only in the organizational context but also and especially in the family context. The family meetings constitute, for example, supplementary occasions for exchange and sharing of knowledge.Schematically, two major characters inherent to this entity constitute obstacles to organizational learning. Indeed, conservatism and independence orientation strongly influence the processes of learning and knowledge development.The literature suggests that the family system attempts to create and maintain a cohesiveness that supports the family "paradigm" which is described as the core assumptions, beliefs, and convictions that the family holds in relation to its environment. Information that is not consistent with this paradigm is resisted or ignored (Davis, 1983). The search for security, conformism and tradition are characteristic of conservative organizations. Particularly to the family firm, the conservative posture could be studied through three dimensions (Miller and ali., 2003). First, on the governance level, the conservatism is exhibited by the plateauing and the growing rigidity of the owner-manager and by the inefficacy of the board of directors. Second, on the strategy level, conservative family SME favorites its actual markets, customers and products and globally is unwilling to change and adopt new paradigms. Then, on the organizational and cultural levels, this entity tends to be closed and introvert. These three components have an impact on knowledge development as the conservatism tends to limit the variation and the exposition to new environments. In short, within this entity the level of organizational knowledge would be weak.The second variable influencing the processes of development of knowledge within family SME is the independence orientation. This orientation is a consequence of the family long-term commitment to the business. Paradoxically, this commitment has two contradictory effects on growth. First, it implies the pursuit of future development and continuity of the firm to make sure that the family heritage is passed on to the following generations. On the other hand, commitment implies a strategy of conservation of the heritage which passes by a strong seek for the independence. Aiming to guarantee its continuity, the (small and medium-sized) family firm establishes an independence orientation of three different types. First, from the financial point of view, it avoids as much as possible turning to outside partners (Hirigoyen, 1985). Then, on the human plan, it would be favorable to the appointment of family members or individuals belonging to the close relational circle to the posts of direction and would be reluctant to the recruitment of professional directors. Finally, to maintain the decision-making in hands of the family, the family firm tends to avoid the inter-organizational relations, cooperative investments, and tries to limit the sharing of the control of its investments. The contribution of outsiders (financiers, directors or partner organizations) can, however, be precious to the company. And the introversion would be a major obstacle to the perpetuity of the firm because it inhibits growth. As a consequence, independence orientation limits the accumulation of knowledge because, on one hand, the horizons of the company will be limited and little varied, and on the other hand, the potential valuable knowledge contribution of outsiders is excluded.The study of these variables raises questions about the efficacy of the organizational memory within the family firm. This organization runs particular risks because of the peculiarity of its knowledge management mechanisms. Because of its founding natural characteristics, the family firm nurtures mechanisms which reinforce the causal ambiguity (Nelson and Winter, 1982) by strengthening the voluntary effort to avoid either a too fast imitation or the loss of knowledge-based resources if the individual or the group holding it leaves the organization (Arrégle, 1995). In short, family firms show an inclination to concentrate the processes of knowledge management around its tacit dimension by encouraging its formation contrarily to the explicit component. However the weak externalization of knowledge coupled with the avoidance of sharing outside the family causes serious risks. First, an obvious risk of deterioration is present because of the weak importance of the organizational protection mechanisms and the strong reliance on individual memory. Moreover, we suggest a risk of erosion of knowledge due to the fragmentation caused by successions that do not preserve the unity of the firm. There is risk of "fragmentation" of the strategic knowledge if the company is shared between the potential successors. This risk would be less pronounced if a prior sharing of knowledge with outside directors had been engaged.Another particularity of family firms is about the intergenerational transmission and transfer of knowledge (Cabrera-Suarez and ali., 2001). Mechanisms inciting to intergenerational transfer of knowledge must be set up because of the negative impact of conservatism and independence on organizational knowledge and due to the fragility of family firm organizational memory.Organizational knowledge, family business, conservatism, independence orientation
Perfil metabòlic del resveratrol dietètic i influència de la matriu de l’aliment en la seva biodisponibilitat en humans.Validació de la metodologia per espectrometria de masses (UPLC-MS/MS)
No full text[cat] L’interès creixent de la població general per la “medicina natural”, juntament amb els efectes beneficiosos que s’han demostrat per al resveratrol, ha incrementat la presència en els mercats d’aliments funcionals o nutracèutics basats en la seva composició. Per a poder fer al•legacions nutricionals i de propietats saludables en aquests tipus de productes és necessari un suport científic que recolzi, amb la màxima evidència, els efectes que es pretenen declarar, tenint en compte els paràmetres relacionats amb la biodisponibilitat i l’efecte de la matriu de l’aliment.
La biodisponibilitat del resveratrol és baixa, donat el seu elevat metabolisme, de manera que els seus efectes beneficiosos es troben, actualment, en una certa controvèrsia. Les futures investigacions s’estan enfocant cap a la possible activitat dels metabòlits del resveratrol. Abans, però, es requereix informació més concreta sobre la biodisponibilitat del resveratrol i, sobretot, del seu metabolisme després del consum de quantitats moderades d'aliments que el continguin, per tal de conèixer les concentracions dels diferents metabòlits que es poden assolir en l’organisme. Per a dur a terme aquest tipus d’estudis es requereixen tècniques analítiques d’elevada sensibilitat i selectivitat que permetin una clara identificació del perfil metabòlic del resveratrol en mostres biològiques.
L’objectiu principal d’aquesta Tesi Doctoral és conèixer el perfil metabòlic del resveratrol quan és administrat en dosis dietètiques en humans i la influència de la matriu de l’aliment en la seva biodisponibilitat, així com desenvolupar la metodologia adient per cromatografia líquida acoblada a espectrometria de masses (UPLC-MS/MS).
Per a assolir aquest objectiu i gràcies a la disponibilitat d’estàndards purs dels metabòlits pròpiament, ja sigui per la seva recent disponibilitat comercial o expressament sintetitzats, s’ha desenvolupat una metodologia òptima per a l’anàlisi del perfil metabòlic del resveratrol, que ha estat validada segons els criteris establerts per la FDA. Amb aquesta metodologia, s’ha definit el perfil metabòlic del resveratrol més complet de tota la literatura actual, constituït per 21 compostos que engloben als metabòlits de fase II del resveratrol i el piceid i els derivats de l’acció microbiana, proposant les estructures químiques d’aquells dels quals no es disposa estàndard. La quantificació d’aquest perfil, excretat 4 hores després de la ingesta d’una beguda funcional a base d’extracte de raïm, ha demostrat diferències interindividuals significatives.
El coneixement de la biodisponibilitat i el metabolisme del resveratrol al llarg del temps s’ha dut a terme amb un estudi farmacocinètic, en el qual s’ha demostrat que, després d’un consum moderat de vi negre i d’un nutracèutic a base d’extracte de raïm, el piceid pot ser absorbit ràpidament en la seva forma intacte, però assolint baixes concentracions; mentre que la formació de metabòlits de resveratrol requereix un temps major, que encara s’allarga més per als d’origen microbià. L’excreció més lenta dels sulfats de resveratrol ha aportat més evidència a la possible saturació de les vies de glucuronidació del resveratrol.
Pel que fa a l’efecte de la matriu alimentària, s’ha demostrat que l’alcohol no afecta al metabolisme del resveratrol, estudiant-ne el perfil metabòlic excretat. A més a més, l’excreció urinària global del perfil metabòlic del resveratrol no s’ha vist afectada per la matriu que constitueixen uns comprimits a base d’extracte de raïm, com a producte nutracèutic, en comparació amb la del vi negre; tot i que la dissolució del comprimit implica una absorció retardada dels compostos d’aquest, que fa augmentar la quantitat de metabòlits microbians excretats.[eng] The beneficial effects reported for resveratrol have aroused interest in its consumption, and thus a lot of functional foods or nutraceuticals based on their composition have been developed. Before making nutritional and health claims about these products, more information is required on the resveratrol bioavailability and metabolism after moderate doses consumed and with a special regard on the effect of the food matrix. In such studies, high sensitivity analytical techniques are necessary to allow clear identification of the metabolic profile of resveratrol in biological samples.
The aim of this thesis is to determine the metabolic profile of resveratrol when administered at dietary doses in humans and the influence of the food matrix on its bioavailability, as well as to develop a suitable methodology by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).
With the pure metabolite standards now available, an optimized methodology was developed and validated for analysis of the resveratrol metabolic profile. This method defined the widest profile until now available, consisting of 21 compounds which include resveratrol and piceid phase II metabolites and those derived from microbiota, for whose chemical structures were suggested. The quantification of this profile, excreted 4 hours after ingestion of a grape extract functional beverage, demonstrated significant interindividual differences.
The behaviour of resveratrol metabolism after the post-ingestion of natural products was studied in a pharmacokinetic study, which showed that, after a moderate consumption of red wine and a grape extract nutraceutical, piceid can be quickly absorbed in its intact form, but achieving low concentrations. Metabolites’ formation required more time and even though for the microbial ones. The slow excretion of resveratrol sulfates provided more evidence to the possible saturation of the glucuronidation pathway.
Regarding the food matrix effect, it was demonstrated that alcohol does not affect resveratrol metabolism. In addition, overall urinary excretion of the resveratrol metabolic profile was not affected by the tablet matrix of the grape extract nutraceutical, compared to red wine. However, dissolution of the tablet delayed absorption of their compounds, which increases the amount of microbial metabolites excreted
When is every order ideal a ring ideal?
No full textsummary:A lattice-ordered ring is called an {\sl OIRI-ring\/} if each of its order ideals is a ring ideal. Generalizing earlier work of Basly and Triki, OIRI-rings are characterized as those -rings such that is contained in an -ring with an identity element that is a strong order unit for some nil -ideal of . In particular, if denotes the set of nilpotent elements of the -ring , then is an OIRI-ring if and only if is contained in an -ring with an identity element that is a strong order unit
Electron spin resonance identification of irradiated ascorbic acid: Dosimetry and influence of powder fineness
No full textESR spectroscopy applied to the study of pharmaceuticals radiosterilization: cefoperazone
No full textCONSERVATISM: AN EXPLANATION OF THE FINANCIAL CHOICES OF THE SMALL AND MEDIUM FAMILY ENTERPRISE
No full textThe financial behavior of the family firm is a recurring topic in the literature. Hirigoyen's pioneer research (1984) reveals the specificity of the financial behaviors of industrial family medium-sized companies compared to those of the other categories of firms. This type of firms set out effective structures enabling them a better financial management because, on the one hand, they have a long term vision and, on the other hand, are not accountable for short-term results (Dreux, 1990), especially for unquoted firms. In addition, the desire to transmit the firm to the next generations would more encourage the effective management of capital (Gallo and Vilaseca, 1996). Precisely, the long-term horizons of the family firm make it possible to qualify its capital as “patient financial capital” (Reynolds, 1992). Indeed, this capital is invested for long periods without threat of liquidation contrary to “ordinary” financial capital which generally have a due limit corresponding to the end of investment (Dobrzynski, 1993). The firms having this type of capital would be able to pursue more creative and innovating strategies. Besides, family firms, of small and medium size especially, are characterized by the lack of financial resources. Ward (1987) observes that poverty in capital which is necessary to finance the needs of the family and the business is a factor which inhibits growth. Two explanations justify the lack of financial resources in SME. The first makes responsible the financial markets. Indeed, investors would be very hesitant as for investing in these firms (Mahérault and Lyagoubi, 2002). Many family firms SME are not able to meet the necessary conditions, or sometimes unwilling to set up the adequate organizational answers, to facilitate their access to the external capital (Davis and ali., 2000). The second explanation is about internal obstacles. To achieve its goal of durability, the family firm tries to evolve in a more or less hermetic universe. Accordingly, external financial intervention is avoided because it can deteriorate the independence of the firm. The small and medium family enterprise is characterized by a strong conservative attitude. How does conservative orientation influence the financial choices of the small and medium family enterprise? This theoretical contribution tries to answer this question. For Kreiser and ali. (2002), the family firm in general adopts a strategy of a conservative growth dedicating the “living company” model. Such a company consecrates long-term survival instead of financial performance as the main objective to be pursued. Accordingly, highly aware of its identity, it privileges financial conservatism and maintains a narrow control on strategic decisions in family hands. The analyzes of Hirigoyen (1985) join this idea since the author emphasizes that the industrial family SME does not furnish a true effort to increase its market share because it is mainly preoccupied by controlled growth. The analysis will be done in two steps. After pointing out the main dimensions of the financial conservatism of family SME: internal financing and avoidance of the external financial involvement, the analysis will explain the manifestations of conservatism and its sources. The paper will be concluded by reflections as for the strategies enabling to avoid, limit or even eliminate the impacts of conservatism.
Grandes thèses catholiques. I, Le Sacré Coeur : conférences selon la doctrine du vénérable Jean Duns Scot (2e édition) / par le R. P. Déodat de Basly,...
No full textAvec mode text
Les deux grandes ecoles catholiques du B. Duns Scot et de S. Thomas
No full textContiene: V.I Dieu (XXXVI, 272 p.)Contén: V. I: Dieu (XXXVI, 272 p.
