Error Recovery Performance: The Impact of Leader Behavioral Integrity and Job Satisfaction

This article introduces the concept of error recovery performance, followed by the development and validation of an instrument to measure it. The first objective of this article is to broaden the current concept of service recovery to be relevant to the back-of-house operations. The second objective is to examine the influence of leader behavioral integrity (BI) on error recovery performance. Moreover, the study examines the mediating effect of job satisfaction between BI and error recovery performance. Finally, the study links error management performance with work-unit effectiveness. Data for Study 1 were collected from 369 hotel employees in Turkey. The same relationships were tested again in Study 2 to validate the findings of Study 1 with a different sample. Data for Study 2 were collected from 33 departmental managers from the same hotels. Linear regression analysis was used to test the direct effects. The mediating effects were tested using the mediation test suggested by Preacher and Hayes. In addition, in Study 2, general managers of the hotels were asked to rate the effectiveness of each manager and their respective department. Results from Study 1 indicate that BI drives error recovery performance, and this impact is mediated by employee job satisfaction. Results of Study 2 confirm this model and finds further that managers��� self-rated error recovery performance was associated with their general managers��� assessment of their deliverables and of their department���s overall performance.

A Successful Leader or a Psychopathic Individual?

There are numerous studies that have focused on the qualities and attributes of an effective organisational leader, and these identified characteristics such as, charisma, confidence, persuasiveness and courage. What if these qualities however, were a mere fa��ade, underpinned by a more sinister side? The result might be far from an effective leader, but instead reveal... a psychopath!

Which Boxes Do You Tick on the Outstanding Leader List?

The article published in the Times Educational Supplement (TES) features research by Professor Dhillon from the University of Worcester.

Leader Based Cyclic Pursuit

In this work a system of autonomous agents engaged in cyclic pursuit (under constant bearing (CB) strategy) is considered, for which one informed agent (the leader) also senses and responds to a stationary beacon. Building on the framework proposed in a previous work on beacon-referenced cyclic pursuit, necessary and suffi- cient conditions for the existence of circling equilibria in a system with one informed agent are derived, with discussion of stability and performance. In a physical testbed, the leader (robot) is equipped with a sound sensing apparatus composed of a real time embedded system, estimating direction of arrival of sound by an Interaural Level and Phase Difference Algorithm, using empirically determined phase and level signatures, and breaking front-back ambiguity with appropriate sensor placement. Furthermore a simple framework for implementing and evaluating the performance of control laws with the Robot Operating System (ROS) is proposed, demonstrated, and discussed.

La presupuestaci��n como herramienta de planificaci��n y control de los recursos financieros y su aplicaci��n estrat��gica en Almacenes Leader S.A. de C.V.distribuidora de electrod��mesticos de San Salvador.

La elaboraci��n del presente trabajo de investigaci��n consiste en hacer uso de la presupuestaci��n como herramienta de planificaci��n y control de los recursos financieros de una empresa distribuidora de electrodom��sticos de San Salvador, denominada Almacenes Leader S.A. de C.V. ya que en la actualidad esta herramienta brinda beneficios de car��cter econ��micos, tales como aumentar la utilidad y disminuir los excesos de asignaci��n de recursos financieros en ��reas improductivas contribuyendo con la administraci��n de la misma, adem��s brindan apoyo para el cumplimiento de las diferentes operaciones permitiendo con esto que se logren los objetivos planteados. As�� mismo los presupuestos contribuyen a mantener una liquidez financiera estable, por lo que se realiz�� un diagn��stico en la empresa con el objeto de conocer la forma de administrar los recursos financieros, dicho diagn��stico se llev�� a cabo utilizando el m��todo cient��fico ya que ��ste, por ser un proceso sistem��tico, permite abordar el problema, recopilando, analizando y aplicando dicha informaci��n. A la vez se hace uso de la observaci��n directa, la entrevista realizada a los propietarios de la empresa y la encuesta dirigida al personal del ��rea contable y los jefes de tienda, en donde se encontr�� que dicha empresa no utiliza la presupuestaci��n como herramienta de planificaci��n y control de los recursos financieros, para lo cual se ha elaborado una propuesta de la aplicaci��n e implementaci��n de algunos de los presupuesto que sean apropiados al tipo de empresa. Para elaborar de dichos presupuestos se tom�� en cuenta los datos hist��ricos, la informaci��n obtenida de la entrevista y de la encuesta, tambi��n se hizo uso de algunos supuestos que permitieron elaborar los presupuesto, ya que no se tuvo acceso a toda la informaci��n necesaria por parte del Contador General. Se propone de igual manera un plan de implementaci��n y control que permita conocer c��mo se van a desarrollar los presupuestos, determinando si se est�� cumpliendo lo proyecto en comparaci��n a los datos reales que se ir��n obteniendo. Por otro lado, se realiz�� un an��lisis financiero de dos a��os anteriores al actual, utilizando algunas de las razones financieras que brindan informaci��n sobre la situaci��n financiera, aportando datos sobre la liquidez, rentabilidad, administraci��n de activos y el nivel de deuda de la empresa, que contribuyan a tomar decisiones financieras y adaptarlas a los presupuestos para obtener mejores resultados. Es por ello que se concluye que: Almacenes Leader, no utilizan la presupuestaci��n como herramienta de planificaci��n y control de los recursos financieros, debido a que la determinaci��n de sus operaciones se elaboran con base a la experiencia de los propietarios y el comportamiento del mercado, as�� mismo no hace uso de las razones financieras, lo que impide que se conozcan aspectos financieros importantes y por ende tomar buenas decisiones, que determinen el rumbo a seguir.

Programas de desarrollo rural en la Uni��n Europea: La iniciativa comunitaria LEADER

Introducci��n La puesta en marcha de una pol��tica de desarrollo rural por parte de la Uni��n Europea fue, en buena medida, la consecuencia de la coincidencia,�� a finales de la d��cada de los ochenta, de dos factores. Por un lado, la crisis de la Pol��tica Agraria Com��n (PAC) ���cl��sica��� y la necesidad de reorientar las medidas y recursos financieros de la misma, lo que llev�� a prestar una creciente atenci��n al ���mundo rural���, en detrimento de la ���modernizaci��n agraria��� y, por lo tanto, a ���ruralizar��� una parte del PAC. De otro lado, la creciente atenci��n ��prestada a la llamada ���cohecion econ��mica y social��� en un momento en que la Uni��n se hab��a ampliado (Espa��a y Portugal entraron en 1986), la integraci��n se estaba reforzando (el ���mercado ��nico���para 1992) y se estaba en v��speras de la unificaci��n monetaria. En este contexto, los territorios rurales deb��an ser objeto de atenci��n, pues muchos de ellos continuaban perdiendo poblaci��n y presentaban estructuras productivas poco diversificadas.

Sustainable initiatives focused on social responsibility and regional development: a study of the leader of the petrochemical industry

The present work will investigate the issue of environmental responsibility actions in the ABC Paulista region, of a leading company in the petrochemical sector. In this context, the problem has been to see how the leading company in the domestic petrochemical industry conducts itself relative to the concept of sustainability and what the consequences of these initiatives in the ABC Paulista are. Thus, the objectives are to identify these consequences and practices with regard to regional development in areas where the leader of the national petrochemical company has significant performance, with highlights on economic, social and environmental impacts. The present investigation is justified by the fact that the company is among the world leaders in the production of biopolymers. The methodology used was qualitative descriptive because this methodological procedure makes it possible to observe and analyze the facts relating to social responsibility initiatives undertaken by the company under study without manipulating them , in establishing correlations on perception of other stakeholders before the actions addressed in this research. Therefore, the results obtained indicate that environmental responsibility initiatives taken by the company satisfy the paradigm of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, in the promotion of regional development in its geographic area.

Apprendre �� ��tre un Leader dans un Programme de Leadership: Perceptions, ��xp��rience Pr��alable en Leadership et Sexe de l�����tudiant

The purpose of this study was to examine whether leadership can be learned through the Community Recreation and Leadership Training (CRLT) program and how effective the program is in terms of changing the perceptions and abilities of the students. The intentions of the researcher were to discover crucial learning moments as perceived by students and to gain insights that could lead to future improvements to enhance and enrich learning in a leadership program. To continue to be a viable program and to keep step with the demands of the recreation/leisure industry and society's wide-ranging needs, this study may help to inform the program's 'action plan' for continued success. This study employed a mixed method approach to determine how college students develop effective leadership ability in a three-year Community Recreation and Leadership Training (CRLT) college career program. First, a number of statistical tests were carried out to examine the four research questions used to guide the study. The SPSS software was used to analyze the data collected. The first research question asked how perceptions of leadership change as a result of being in a three-year leadership program. This study, using the Student Leadership Practice Inventory (SLPI), compared the five SLPI leadership dimensions by year. The SLPI was administered to all the first, second, and third year CRLT students ( N = 84). A one-way analysis of variance in participants' scores was conducted. No significant differences were revealed in any of the five dimensions of the SLPI among the first, second, and third year students at p < .05. However, two dimensions (model and encourage) approached significance and may hint at a possible influence the program is having on its students as they progress into the third year. The second research question asked whether perceptions of leadership vary by gender. Comparing the mean scores between the males and females on the five dimensions of the SLPI, no significant differences were found. The third research question asked whether prior leadership experience results in better academic performance for CRLT students in their 1st term. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate the relationship between prior leadership experience and mean scores on academic performance. No significant correlations were found between grades and low, medium, or high levels of prior leadership experience F(2,79) = 2.67, p = .08. A correlation coefficient was also computed to determine whether there was a relationship between the Recreation Leadership I course grade and prior leadership experience. The correlation coefficient (.02) was statistically significant, r(80) = .24, p < .05. However, further studies with a larger sample size would be necessary to help determine this. The fourth question asked whether there was a correlation between students' first semester grades and their scores on the Student Leadership Practice Inventory (SLPI). Bivariate correlations (Pearson) were computed for the five SLPI dimensions with academic performance. None of the correlations using the five SLPI indicators was significant. Qualitative data was examined to discover what factors and experiences help students to assert a more effective leadership role. The study relied on content analysis of personal statements, and focus groups. Student perceptions of an effective leader, students' perceptions of their own abilities, and the strengths of the program were explored. A content analysis of the 'Personal Statements' was carried out to determine how students defined leadership prior to their having had any formal teaching in a college program. The result of the analysis of personal statements provided eight leadership categories used as an initial baseline for the study. Six focus groups (totaling N = 30) were conducted. Students responded to four key questions: how they define leadership. What is the single most effective quality of a leader? What leadership skills did they feel they had gained? How had the program helped them obtain their skills? Students credited the CRLT program with helping them develop a variety of leadership skills. Students revealed that they had gained skills such as confidence, knowledge and understanding of people's needs, and becoming more self-directed. They attributed their skill development to such things as good course design, intensive outdoor education and fieldwork courses, "hands on" learning approaches, group work, skill practice, the support they received from teachers, and encouragement they were given by their peers. A common finding among genders was defining an effective leader as someone who is "confident". However, the definition of the most important quality of a leader varied by gender. While males showed a tendency to prefer a leader being "confident," females preferred a leader being a "teacher".

Creaci��n del ��rea de ventas y mercadeo para Industrias Leader Ltda.

El departamento de mercadeo y ventas es fundamental en una empresa debido a que es el encargado de desarrollar e implementar estrategias que satisfagan las necesidades y requerimientos del cliente. Es aqu�� donde m��s se puede ver reflejado el aumento de las ventas de la empresa. El servicio al cliente, la relaci��n con el mismo y el acompa��amiento, es un tema muy importante a tratar, tanto para atraer a nuevos clientes como tambi��n para conservar a los clientes actuales. Este trabajo se desarroll�� con base en la problem��tica de la creciente p��rdida de clientes de la empresa Leader Ltda., y tiene como objetivo dise��ar y crear un plan de mercadeo y ventas para la misma. Por medio de un estudio no experimental, descriptivo e interpretativo�� se enfoc�� en diferentes an��lisis internos y externos de la compa����a para poder desarrollar un plan de acci��n que se pueda implementar en la compa����a.

DISE��O DE UN GEOPORTAL PARA ANALIZAR LAS INICIATIVAS DE DESARROLLO RURAL LEADER EN EXTREMADURA

En Europa se est��n gestionando Pol��ticas de Desarrollo Rural desde el a��o 1991 bajo el amparo de la Iniciativa LEADER. En este proyecto se ha dise��ado un Geoportal para visualizar las Iniciativas LEADER de Desarrollo Rural en Extremadura. Para su elaboraci��n se utiliz�� MapServer que facilita la introducci��n de las variables f��sicas, demogr��ficas, econ��micas, equipamientos y las inversiones por medidas en una base de datos�� cartogr��fica y alfanum��rica a escala municipal. El dise��o de��dicho Geoportal permite, por una parte, analizar el impacto de este tipo de pol��ticas en los ��ltimos diecis��is a��os, as�� como establecer su contribuci��n a la mejora de las condiciones de vida de la poblaci��n rural, sin duda, objetivo principal de estas iniciativas. Y, por otra parte, facilita la consulta p��blica de los datos sin coste alguno para el usuario, al estar disponible en software SIG Libre.Palabras clave: Europa, LEADER Iniciativa, SIG, software libre, MapServer.ABSTRACTIn Europe, Rural Development Policy since 1991 has been managed under the auspices of the LEADER Initiative. In this project a Geoportal has been designed to visualize rural development under the LEADER Initiatives. MapServer has been used for elaboration and the physical, demographic, economic, equipment and investment measures have been introduced in an alphanumeric and cartographic database to municipal scale. The design of the Geoportal allows the impact of the��policies over the last 16 years to be analyzed, as well as to determine their impact on improving the living conditions of the rural population, without a doubt the main objective of these initiatives. Moreover, it allows inspection of the data at no cost to the user via free Open Source GIS software.Key Words: Europe, LEADER Initiative, GIS, Open Source, MapServer.

Analisi e progettazione di un nuovo magazzino automatico all'interno di un'azienda leader internazionale nell'impiantistica industriale: il caso Sacmi

La tesi �� basata sul dimensionamento e l���analisi degli articoli che possono andare all���interno di un nuovo magazzino. Il progetto nasce dalla necessit�� di espandere il centro di stoccaggio attuale. Verranno costruiti un magazzino Autostore, una struttura pi�� compatta ed efficiente nello stoccaggio della merce, ed un nuovo magazzino pallet servito da traslo elevatori. Dato che i materiali all���interno dell���Autostore devono essere stoccati all���interno di cassette pi�� piccole rispetto ad un pallet, �� stato necessario stimare il numero di articoli idonei a questo tipo di stoccaggio sia dal punto di vista del peso che dal punto di vista volumetrico, dato che di solo un 30% dei codici si �� a conoscenza delle dimensioni. L���analisi si �� sviluppata tramite stime in base a quanti codici siano presenti all���interno dei pallet e la loro quantit�� al suo interno. Da questa stima si sono ricavate tre categorie, verde, arancione e rossa che identificano se i materiali risultano idonei oppure no. I primi sono quelli che possono andare all���interno dell���Autostore, i secondi risultano essere border line, mentre i terzi non possono andare all���interno sicuramente. Degli articoli in esame sono state estratte anche le giacenze medie nei 3 anni passati, in modo tale da dimensionare adeguatamente i magazzini, le entrate merci, cos�� da vedere quante baie di carico sono necessarie e le varie tipologie di movimento legate ai prelievi e le tempistiche di prelievo per ogni baia di scarico, in modo tale da valutare le minime prestazioni che il nuovo magazzino deve soddisfare. Sono stati calcolati anche dei flussi di materiale, uscente ed entrante dall���azienda, in modo tale da individuare la posizione ottimale del nuovo centro di stoccaggio. Infine sono state dimensionate e costificate le due soluzioni: quella Autostore che pu�� ospitare tutti gli articoli della categoria verde, di cui sono stati sviluppati due scenari, mentre quella del magazzino automatico pallet che contiene le altre due categorie.

studio ed ottimizzazione del modello di valutazione del rapporto fra risorse ed obiettivi di consegna in un���azienda leader nel settore del packaging farmaceutico e cosmetico

Il presente elaborato di tesi riguarda uno studio che �� stato portato avanti durante il tirocinio curriculare svolto nell���ufficio Engineering di Marchesini Group S.p.A., azienda leader nella produzione di macchine automatiche per il packaging di prodotti farmaceutici e cosmetici. Dopo aver riscontrato alcune criticit�� nelle modalit�� con le quali vengono attualmente pianificate e gestite le risorse appartenenti ai team produttivi e con le quali vengono valutati i carichi di lavoro, si sono elaborati dei modelli e degli strumenti che permettono di migliorare ed ottimizzare l���assegnazione delle risorse ai gruppi e di visualizzare in tempo reale la distribuzione dell���impegno di lavoro dei reparti in relazione alla disponibilit�� in produzione. Le proposte supportano il trend dell���attuale contesto produttivo di garantire un elevato livello di servizio al cliente rispettandone le richieste e i tempi stabiliti. Difatti, un���assegnazione corretta delle risorse in produzione consente di ridurre i ritardi e le inefficienze e, di conseguenza, di migliorare i lead time. In aggiunta, una correlazione chiara e strutturata fra le risorse e gli obiettivi raggiungibili permette di conseguire con maggiore sicurezza i risultati economici stabiliti, evitando di perdere parte del valore potenzialmente collaudabile.

The Putative Leishmania Telomerase Rna (leishter) Undergoes Trans-splicing And Contains A Conserved Template Sequence.

Telomerase RNAs (TERs) are highly divergent between species, varying in size and sequence composition. Here, we identify a candidate for the telomerase RNA component of Leishmania genus, which includes species that cause leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease. Merging a thorough computational screening combined with RNA-seq evidence, we mapped a non-coding RNA gene localized in a syntenic locus on chromosome 25 of five Leishmania species that shares partial synteny with both Trypanosoma brucei TER locus and a putative TER candidate-containing locus of Crithidia fasciculata. Using target-driven molecular biology approaches, we detected a ���2,100 nt transcript (LeishTER) that contains a 5' spliced leader (SL) cap, a putative 3' polyA tail and a predicted C/D box snoRNA domain. LeishTER is expressed at similar levels in the logarithmic and stationary growth phases of promastigote forms. A 5'SL capped LeishTER co-immunoprecipitated and co-localized with the telomerase protein component (TERT) in a cell cycle-dependent manner. Prediction of its secondary structure strongly suggests the existence of a bona fide single-stranded template sequence and a conserved C[U/C]GUCA motif-containing helix II, representing the template boundary element. This study paves the way for further investigations on the biogenesis of parasite TERT ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) and its role in parasite telomere biology.

Trypanosoma cruzi: evaluation of (-)-cubebin derivatives activity in the messenger RNAs processing

No fully effective treatment has been developed since the discovery of Chagas` disease. Since drug-resistant Trypanosoma cruzi strains are occurring and the current therapy is effective in the acute phase but with various adverse side effects, more studies are needed to characterize the susceptibility of T. cruzi to new drugs. Pre-mRNA maturation in trypanosomatids occurs through a process called trans-splicing, which is unusual RNA processing reaction, and it implies the processing of polycistronic transcription units into individual mRNAs; a short transcript spliced leader (SL RNA) is trans-spliced to the acceptor pre-mRNA, giving origin to the mature mRNA. Cubebin derivatives seem to provide treatments with less collateral effects than benznidazole and showed similar or better trypanocidal activities than benznidazole. Therefore, the cubebin derivatives ((-)-6,6`-dinitrohinokinin (DNH) and (-)-hinokinin (HQ)) interference in the mRNA processing was evaluated using T. cruzi permeable cells (Y and BOL (Bolivia) strains) following by RNase protection reaction. These substances seem to intervene in any step of the RNA transcription, promoting alterations in the RNA synthesis, even though the RNA processing mechanism still occurs. Furthermore, HQ presented better activity against the parasites than DNH, meaning that BOL strain seems to be more resistant than Y.