The future of stakeholder management theory: a temporal perspective

We propose adding a temporal dimension to stakeholder management theory, and assess the implications thereof for firm-level competitive advantage. We argue that a firm’s competitive advantage fundamentally depends on its capacity for stakeholder management related, transformational adaptation over time. Our new temporal stakeholder management approach builds upon insights from both the resource-based view (RBV) in strategic management and institutional theory. Stakeholder agendas and their relative salience to the firm evolve over time, a phenomenon well understood in the literature, and requiring what we call level 1 adaptation. However, the dominant direction of stakeholder pressures can also change, namely, from supporting resource heterogeneity at the firm level to fostering industry homogeneity, and vice versa. When dominant stakeholder pressures shift from supporting heterogeneity towards stimulating homogeneity in industry, the firm must engage in level 2 or transformational adaptation. Stakeholders typically provide valuable resources to the firm in an early stage. Without these resources, which foster heterogeneity (in line with RBV thinking), the firm would not exist. At a later stage, stakeholders also contribute to inter-firm homogeneity via isomorphism pressures (in line with institutional theory thinking). Adding a temporal dimension to stakeholder management theory has far reaching implications for this theory’s practical relevance to senior level management in business.

Are individual differences in temperament of relevance to Gibson's theory of affordances?

The ambitious scope, complexity, and difficulty of Gibson’s project in proposing the theory of affordances are captured nicely by the words of Gibson’s biographer, Ed Reed:
“Gibson was convinced that the theory of affordances, in
conjunction with the concepts of information, persistence, and
change, would enable him to transcend the ancient debate between
subjectivity and objectivity and to resolve the mind-body problem. …
[H]e was offering a new approach to problems of psychology, one
that he believed would not sink in the morass that have engulfed
previous psychologies.” (Reed, 1988, p. 280).
These characteristics of the theory of affordances are further evidenced in the debates about the nature of affordances presented in the suite of papers in Ecological Psychology, Volume 12(1). In this paper we propose an elaboration of the notion of affordance by suggesting that those persisting individual differences in behaviour described as temperamental differences (e.g., differences on a dimension of temperament anchored at one end by behaviour described as ‘outgoingness’ and at the other by behaviour described as ‘avoidance’) can be integrated into the theory of affordances. We argue that such integration is consistent with Gibson’s project as reflected in Reed’s words, and as part of our argument, draw parallels between the integration of temperament with the theory of affordances and the way in which individual differences in body dimensions are incorporated in the theory. We also outline some empirical tests of our proposition.

Between theory and practice : Rudolf Steiner as philosopher and architect

The philosophy and architecture of Rudolf Steiner both aim to give formal expression to his esoteric worldview, however, the means of articulating this worldview fundamentally differ within each discipline. Philosophy and architecture are separated by both process and product, and while an interdisciplinary reading of Steiner’s work does make certain connections between them evident, the incorporeal nature of thinking and the physical reality of building inevitably require different skills of their author, as well as different standards by which to assess them. Although he had no formal training as an architect, Steiner believed that his system of Anthroposophy provided a conceptual framework that would inspire a new style of modern architecture imbued with a spiritual dimension. As such, architecture provided Steiner with a means of visually expressing what words could not, and was therefore a necessary and important part of his philosophical pursuit. This paper explores the tension that exists between Steiner’s philosophy and architecture in its translation from theoretical ideas into built form. Steiner’s approach to architectural design was less concerned with the methods and techniques of the craft than with achieving what he saw as architecture’s true purpose - namely to give voice to the inner spiritual content of the work. However, in order to achieve this ultimate goal, a certain level of architectural competence is required. Therefore, Steiner’s ability as an architect to articulate such lofty ideals will also be assessed. Conceived on the edge of theory and practice, Steiner’s work serves to demonstrate the richness and depth that such an approach has to offer the field of architecture.

The planning theory and natural law

The practical, normative dimension of planning is a plausible source of the ‘family resemblances’ noted by a number of legal theorists between Scott Shapiro’s Planning Theory and natural law jurisprudence. Foremost among these resemblances is Shapiro’s contention that the law, necessarily, has a moral aim. The moral aim thesis is at first glance surprising given Shapiro’s intention to defend exclusive legal positivism and unequivocal rejection of what he takes to be the core commitments of natural law theory. Shapiro’s claim, however, is that although the law necessarily has a moral aim, this does not entail that it is successful in satisfying that aim. In order to assess this thesis, it is helpful to compare the Planning Theory with contemporary natural law approaches. Bringing Shapiro’s Planning Theory into dialogue with contemporary natural law theories can demonstrate some of the Planning Theory’s weaknesses as an alternative explanation of the ultimate grounds of the authoritativeness of legal norms. Some of these weaknesses, moreover, are instructive beyond the specific contours of the Planning Theory insofar as they generalise to other legal positivist approaches. In section one I consider Shapiro’s treatment of the so-called ‘Possibility Puzzle’ regarding the grounding relation between authoritative norms and legal authority. Shapiro’s denial of the capacity of earlier jurisprudential theories to resolve this puzzle overlooks what is – I suggest – a plausible solution developed by John Finnis on the basis of Joseph Raz’s theory of practical reason and norms. Section two then demonstrates why Shapiro’s attempt to combine a robust construal of the social facts thesis with a commitment to the thesis that law necessarily has a moral aim is ultimately unsuccessful.

Colombeau's theory and shock wave solutions for systems of PDEs

In this article we study the existence of shock wave solutions for systems of partial differential equations of hydrodynamics with viscosity in one space dimension in the context of Colombeau's theory of generalized functions. This study uses the equality in the strict sense and the association of generalized functions (that is the weak equality). The shock wave solutions are given in terms of generalized functions that have the classical Heaviside step function as macroscopic aspect. This means that solutions are sought in the form of sequences of regularizations to the Heaviside function that have to satisfy part of the equations in the strict sense and part of the equations in the sense of association.

A new approach to integrable theories in any dimension

The zero curvature representation for two-dimensional integrable models is generalized to spacetimes of dimension d + 1 by the introduction of a d-form connection. The new generalized zero curvature conditions can be used to represent the equations of motion of some relativistic invariant field theories of physical interest in 2 + 1 dimensions (BF theories, Chern-Simons, 2 + 1 gravity and the CP1 model) and 3 + 1 dimensions (self-dual Yang-Mills theory and the Bogomolny equations). Our approach leads to new methods of constructing conserved currents and solutions. In a submodel of the 2 + 1-dimensional CP1 model, we explicitly construct an infinite number of previously unknown non-trivial conserved currents. For each positive integer spin representation of sl(2) we construct 2j + 1 conserved currents leading to 2j + 1 Lorentz scalar charges. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. B.V.

Immersions in the metastable dimension range via the normal bordism approach

Let f : M --> N be a continuous map between two closed n-manifolds such that f(*): H-*(M, Z(2)) --> H-* (N, Z(2)) is an isomorphism. Suppose that M immerses in Rn+k for 5 less than or equal to n < 2k. Then N also immerses in Rn+k. We use techniques of normal bordism theory to prove this result and we show that for a large family of spaces we can replace the homolog condition by the corresponding one in homotopy. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Dynamic scale theory for characterizing surface morphology of layer-by-layer films of poly(o-methoxyaniline)

The dynamic scale theory and fractal concepts are employed in the characterization of surface morphological properties of layer-by-layer (LBL) films from poly(o-methoxyaniline) (POMA) alternated with poly(vinyl sulfonic acid) (PVS). The fractal dimensions are found to depend on the procedures to fabricate the POMA/PVS multilayers, particularly with regard to the drying procedures. LBL films obtained via drying in ambient air show a more homogeneous surface, compared to films dried under vacuum or a flow of nitrogen, due to a uniform rearrangement of polymer molecules during solvent evaporation.

The Meaningful Fractal Fuzzy Dimension Applied to the Design of Self Organizing Maps

This paper presents the principal results of a detailed study about the use of the Meaningful Fractal Fuzzy Dimension measure in the problem in determining adequately the topological dimension of output space of a Self-Organizing Map. This fractal measure is conceived by combining the Fractals Theory and Fuzzy Approximate Reasoning. In this work this measure was applied on the dataset in order to obtain a priori knowledge, which is used to support the decision making about the SOM output space design. Several maps were designed with this approach and their evaluations are discussed here.

Quantum scattering in one dimension

A self-contained discussion of non-relativistic quantum scattering is presented in the case of central potentials in one space dimension, which will facilitate the understanding of the more complex scattering theory in two and three dimensions. The present discussion illustrates in a simple way the concepts of partial-wave decomposition, phase shift, optical theorem and effective-range expansion.

Tachyon condensation in superstring field theory

It has been conjectured that at the stationary point of the tachyon potential for the D-brane-anti-D-brane pair or for the non-BPS D-brane of superstring theories, the negative energy density cancels the brane tensions. We study this conjecture using a Wess-Zumino-Witten-like open superstring field theory free of contact term divergences and recently shown to give 60% of the vacuum energy by condensation of the tachyon field alone. While the action is non-polynomial, the multiscalar tachyon potential to any fixed level involves only a finite number of interactions. We compute this potential to level three, obtaining 85% of the expected vacuum energy, a result consistent with convergence that can also be viewed as a successful test of the string field theory. The resulting effective tachyon potential is bounded below and has two degenerate global minima. We calculate the energy density of the kink solution interpolating between these minima finding good agreement with the tension of the D-brane of one lower dimension. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.

Local dimension and finite time prediction in spatiotemporal chaotic systems

Predictability is related to the uncertainty in the outcome of future events during the evolution of the state of a system. The cluster weighted modeling (CWM) is interpreted as a tool to detect such an uncertainty and used it in spatially distributed systems. As such, the simple prediction algorithm in conjunction with the CWM forms a powerful set of methods to relate predictability and dimension.

Local dimension and finite time prediction in coupled map lattices

Forecasting, for obvious reasons, often become the most important goal to be achieved. For spatially extended systems (e.g. atmospheric system) where the local nonlinearities lead to the most unpredictable chaotic evolution, it is highly desirable to have a simple diagnostic tool to identify regions of predictable behaviour. In this paper, we discuss the use of the bred vector (BV) dimension, a recently introduced statistics, to identify the regimes where a finite time forecast is feasible. Using the tools from dynamical systems theory and Bayesian modelling, we show the finite time predictability in two-dimensional coupled map lattices in the regions of low BV dimension. © Indian Academy of Sciences.

An alternative procedure to decrease the dimension of the frequency dependent modal transformation matrices: Application in three-phase transmission lines with a vertical symmetry plane

The objective of this paper is to show an alternative representation in time domain of a non-transposed three-phase transmission line decomposed in its exact modes by using two transformation matrices. The first matrix is Clarke's matrix that is real, frequency independent, easily represented in computational transient programs (EMTP) and separates the line into Quasi-modes α, β and zero. After that, Quasi-modes α and zero are decomposed into their exact modes by using a modal transformation matrix whose elements can be synthesized in time domain through standard curve-fitting techniques. The main advantage of this alternative representation is to reduce the processing time because a frequency dependent modal transformation matrix of a three-phase line has nine elements to be represented in time domain while a modal transformation matrix of a two-phase line has only four elements. This paper shows modal decomposition process and eigenvectors of a non-transposed three-phase line with a vertical symmetry plane whose nominal voltage is 440 kV and line length is 500 km. © 2006 IEEE.

Fractal dimension and Shannon's entropy analyses of the architectural complexity caused by the inflammatory reactions induced by highly crystalline polyvinyl alcohol) microspheres implanted in subcutaneous tissues of the Wistar rats

The results of the histopathological analyses after the implantation of highly crystalline PVA microspheres in subcutaneous tissues of Wistar rats are here in reported. Three different groups of PVA microparticles were systematically studied: highly crystalline, amorphous, and commercial ones. In addition to these experiments, complementary analyses of architectural complexity were performed using fractal dimension (FD), and Shannon's entropy (SE) concepts. The highly crystalline microspheres induced inflammatory reactions similar to the ones observed for the commercial ones, while the inflammatory reactions caused by the amorphous ones were less intense. Statistical analyses of the subcutaneous tissues of Wistar rats implanted with the highly crystalline microspheres resulted in FD and SE values significantly higher than the statistical parameters observed for the amorphous ones. The FD and SE parameters obtained for the subcutaneous tissues of Wistar rats implanted with crystalline and commercial microparticles were statistically similar. Briefly, the results indicated that the new highly crystalline microspheres had biocompatible behavior comparable to the commercial ones. In addition, statistical tools such as FD and SE analyses when combined with histopathological analyses can be useful tools to investigate the architectural complexity tissues caused by complex inflammatory reactions. © 2012 WILEY PERIODICALS, INC.