Surface morphologies and internal fine structures of bast fibers

Fiber surface morphologies and associated internal structures are closely related to its properties. Unlike other fibers including cotton, bast fibers possess transverse nodes and fissures in cross-sectional and longitudinal directions. Their morphologies and associated internal structures were anatomically examined under the scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the morphologies of the nodes and the fissures of bast fibers varied depending on the construction of the inner fibril cellular layers. The transverse nodes and fissures were formed by the folding and spiralling of the cellular layers during plant growth. The dimensions of nodes and fissures were determined by the dislocations of the cellular layers. There were also many longitudinal fissures in bast fibers. Some deep longitudinal fissures even opened the fiber lumen for a short way along the fiber. In addition, the lumen channel of the bast fibers could be disturbed or disrupted by the nodes and the spirals of the internal cellular layers. The existence of the transverse nodes and fissures in the bast fibers could degrade the fiber mechanical properties, whereas the longitudinal fissures may contribute to the very rapid moisture absorption and desorption.

Comparing external and internal dorsal-spine bands to interpret the age and growth of the giant lantern shark, Etmopterus baxteri (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae)

The giant lantern shark, Etmopterus baxteri, is taken as bycatch of commercial fisheries that operate in deepwater off southeastern Australia. Bands on the second dorsal spine were used to obtain age estimates. The number of bands on the external surface of the spine and within the inner dentine layer increased with animal length. Most spines had more bands on the external surface, and the rate of band formation was significantly different between the external surface and the inner dentine layer. Females had a maximum of 57 external bands and 26 internal bands, while males had up to 48 external bands and 22 internal bands. Age estimates from external bands suggest maturity (A ₅₀) at 20 years for males and 30 years for females. Internal band age estimates suggest maturity at 10.5 years for males and 11.5 years for females. Although there is a large discrepancy between these two preliminary (i.e., unvalidated) age estimates, they both suggest that E. baxteri is a long-lived and late maturing species that is likely to be susceptible to over fishing.

Who thinks I need a perfect body? Perceptions and internal dialogue among adolescents about their bodies

The main aim of this study was to provide a detailed examination of the nature of the messages that adolescent boys and girls receive about their bodies. Forty adolescent boys and 40 adolescent girls participated in an in-depth interview to gain an understanding of the range of potential ‘sources’ of body-related messages. Messages were organized around the source of these messages (self, mother, father, brother, sister, female friends, male friends, media). There were consistent gender differences in the way that adolescents received and interpreted messages about their bodies. Overall girls received more positive and more negative messages than boys did. Boys reported having received virtually no negative messages from most people. The content of internal dialogue among adolescents revealed that messages about the body could be interpreted, distorted, and deflected. The implications of these findings for preventing body image-related problems and disordered eating among adolescents are discussed.

Investigation of effective material properties in composites with internal defect or reinforcement particles

This paper is concerned with the investigation of the effective material properties of internally defective or particle-reinforced composites. An analysis was carried out with a novel method using the two-dimensional special finite element method mixing the concept of equivalent homogeneous materials. A formulation has been developed for a series of special finite elements containing an internal defect or reinforcement in order to assure the high accuracy especially in the vicinity of defects or reinforcements. The adoption of the special finite element can greatly simplify numerical modeling of particle-composites. The numerical result provides the effective material properties of particle-reinforced composite and explains that the size of particles has great influence on the material properties. Numerical examples also demonstrate the validity and versatility of the proposed method by comparing with existing results from literatures.

Internal social performance motivators

The growth in research and writing on social reporting over recent years has seen an overwhelming focus on the external reporting of social performance measures. A remaining gap in our knowledge relates to what motivates managers to make socially aware decisions. This project identified relevant factors that guide decision-making in a firm that publishes audited social responsibility reports.

Applying external solutions to organizational development : elearning as a platform for internal growth

Innovations in technology have facilitated eLearning process development, bringing significant impact into education. eLearning is not simply putting study materials online on the Web, nor is it a substitute for traditional classroom teaching (KPMG, 2002). Businesses worldwide have been using eLearning as a facilitator in organisational development through knowledge sharing, especially in the area of web based training and project management. eLearning has also become a large area of potential business for many organisations. In this study, we explore how eLearning has helped an organisation based in India – Tata Interactive Systems (part of TATA conglomerate), which provides eLearning solutions for businesses locally and globally. In this single case study, we explored how the organisation has not only utilised eLearning as an internal development process, but also successfully converted this learning into business opportunities for itself. To study the development process, we have applied the process theories of Van De Ven and Poole (1995).

Issues in IT service-oriented requirements engineering

Corporate information technology (IT) management is increasingly service-oriented, offering continuous evaluation and improvement of application, communication, delivery and support services to internal and external customers. Service-oriented requirements engineering (SoRE) plays a significant role in identifying and specifying service requirements, formally defined through service-level agreements (SLAs). However, the new frameworks and approaches emerging to guide these developments have not yet addressed how requirements for such services can be effectively developed, nor identified the diverse issues involved. We report a case study of a web services team development of requirements for an internal Service Desk service. The study revealed five main issues of concern when developing service provider requirements: service roles, responsibilities and accountability; service performance metrics; resolution of conflicting stakeholder service requirements; customer acceptance of service change; and service provider team structure. This study suggests that in the new IT services era, new techniques and approaches are needed for eliciting and determining provider and customer requirements that involve key stakeholder groups equitably and more closely negotiate the sometimes-conflicting provider and customer needs.

Differences in the role of market research and internal CRM according to strategy type

The traditional or conventional role of market research is one of enabling marketing managers to make informed decisions about key strategic issues and likewise reduce chances of poor strategic decisions. (Hamlin, 2000; Raguragavan et al., 2000) Yet recent literature suggests marketing research is becoming marginalized in supporting strategic decisionmaking. (Weber, 2001) In addition internal CRM is emerging as a viable source of aggregated customer intelligence (Malhotra and Peterson, 2001). Very few studies have explored the contingent role business strategy may have in explaining either the changing role of market research or the emergence of internal CRM systems. This study involved a cross-industry postal survey of 240 Australian marketing managers. One contribution of this study was to find market research having a greater role in supporting productivity and political outcomes for Prospector strategies when compared to both Defender and Analyzer strategies. The findings also showed Prospector strategies to have more sophisticated internal CRM systems than Defender strategies.

Differences between differentiators and cost leaders in market research and internal CRM usage

The Porter strategy types of Differentiation and Cost Leadership are put forward as strategies leading to competitive advantage (Porter 1980). These types have quite contrasting implementation guidelines in terms of human resources, organisational structure, job design decision-making process, control systems, and information systems. These internal contrasts suggest Differentiators and Cost Leaders require contrasting roles for market research and internal CRM systems. Very few studies have explored the contingent role business strategy may have in explaining contrasting roles in marketing information systems or market research.

This study involved a cross-industry postal survey of 240 Australian marketing managers. One contribution of this study was to find market research having quite different roles in supporting Marketing (i.e. brand) Differentiators compared to Product (i.e. innovative feature) Differentiators. Surprisingly only one market research role differed when comparing Cost Leaders with Marketing Differentiator strategies. A final contribution was to find that no one strategy having a greater reliance on internal CRM systems in supporting decisionmaking.

Emotional turmoil at the Bauhaus : problems of internal and external legitimacy : an historical case study

Walter Gropius established the Bauhaus in Germany in 1919. The organization established one of the most important design movements of the twentieth century. The organization had a very brief existence and was fraught with disruptions and emotional turmoil. Despite the difficulties, Gropius managed to keep the organization alive long enough for its extraordinary creativity to be harnessed and developed. The organization closed in 1933, but by that time its legitimacy as a source of design and pedagogy was assured. Organizational survival is often dependent on government subsidies, support through sales, donations or sponsorships. A factor in attracting this support is the perceived legitimacy of the organisation. Legitimacy is defined as a degree of consensus that the meanings and behavior of an organisation are valid and desirable by society in
general. Legitimacy remains an undeveloped concept. This paper reviews relevant theories of legitimacy, considers the role of emotions in shaping legitimacy and the emotions evoked as legitimacy is negotiated by internal and external stakeholders. A historical case study of the Bauhaus provides the backdrop for portraying the focal role emotions can play in institutionalization. The paper concludes with a discussion of the lessons of legitimacy available to contemporary cultural organisations.

E-entrepreneurship and open source software

As the first stage of a larger project, this paper presents experiences of two e-Entrepreneurs in the light of Open Source Software (OSS) being accepted globally. Unlike proprietary software (such as Windows), OSS comes with its internal details visible to its users. The significant implications of this unique style of software distribution for e-Entrepreneurs are examined. Recommendations arising from the interviews include the need to be technically competent; understanding the reasons behind adopting this strategy; and identifying and addressing customers' requirements. Authors also found similarities between traits (such as being visionary; being responsive to market changes) which make an entrepreneur and e-Entrepreneurs successful.