scholarly journals Organisational life cycle, business orientation and performances of architectural firms in Nigeria

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-63
Author(s):  
Adedapo Adewunmi Oluwatayo ◽  
Dolapo Amole ◽  
Obioha Uwakonye
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Stage ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Business Orientation ◽  
Architectural Firms

This study sets out to investigate the relationships between the organisational life cycles, business orientation and performances of architectural firms, which often start with just the principal and little capital. In the study, the organisational life cycles stages of the firms were identified, and the way that business orientation emphasis changes with the firms’ life cycles were investigated. In addition, the business orientation dimensions that predict the architectural firms’ performance at each life cycle stage were identified. The study was carried out using data collected through self-administered questionnaires from architectural firms in Nigeria. The organisational life cycle stages of the firms were identified using cluster analysis, and the predictors of performances were identified using regression analysis. The results of the study show that only focus on prominence varied significantly with the organisational life cycles of the firms. Another important finding of the study is that market orientation led to better performance at some organisational life-cycle stages, while profit orientation led to better performance at some other stages. It was recommended that firms should choose business strategies that take into consideration their organisational life cycle stages to enhance their performances.

Autonomy and integration in complex parasite life cycles

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (14) ◽  
pp. 1824-1846 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL P. BENESH
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Complex Life Cycle ◽  
Functional Specialization ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Free Living ◽  
New Host ◽  
Complex Life Cycles ◽  
Life Cycle Stages

SUMMARYComplex life cycles are common in free-living and parasitic organisms alike. The adaptive decoupling hypothesis postulates that separate life cycle stages have a degree of developmental and genetic autonomy, allowing them to be independently optimized for dissimilar, competing tasks. That is, complex life cycles evolved to facilitate functional specialization. Here, I review the connections between the different stages in parasite life cycles. I first examine evolutionary connections between life stages, such as the genetic coupling of parasite performance in consecutive hosts, the interspecific correlations between traits expressed in different hosts, and the developmental and functional obstacles to stage loss. Then, I evaluate how environmental factors link life stages through carryover effects, where stressful larval conditions impact parasites even after transmission to a new host. There is evidence for both autonomy and integration across stages, so the relevant question becomes how integrated are parasite life cycles and through what mechanisms? By highlighting how genetics, development, selection and the environment can lead to interdependencies among successive life stages, I wish to promote a holistic approach to studying complex life cycle parasites and emphasize that what happens in one stage is potentially highly relevant for later stages.

scholarly journals The Open Innovation Model of Coaching Interaction in Organisations for Sustainable Performance within the Life Cycle

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 3516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelina Roša (Rosha) ◽  
Natalja Lace
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Life Cycle Stage ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Business World ◽  
Sustainable Performance ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
Innovation Model

Organizations need innovation to be competitive and sustainable on their marketplace. Sustainable performance is an important precondition for growth and development. In spite of a body of literature, non-financial factors of sustainable performance remain an open issue. Coaching has gained considerable attention in the business world for its impact on sustainable performance. The current research investigates the use of coaching interaction to facilitate organizational sustainable growth and development in the context of Miller and Friesen’s five stage life-cycle model. The expert opinion survey is chosen as a central method of research. The questionnaire is developed on the literature review that is focused on the drivers for sustainable development throughout the life cycle, and the features of coaching that accelerate these driving forces. Fifteen experts took part in the survey conducted from November 2017 to January 2018. The results are estimated by considering the competence coefficient for each expert. The findings led to creation of an open innovation model, which displays relationships between the appropriate coaching forms and types and the organizational life cycle stages. The developed model enables choosing the optimal way of coaching delivery at any life cycle stage. This model is particularly valuable for the coaching support programs.

Tightening the Life-Cycle Construct: A Taxonomic Study of Growth Stage Configurations in High-Technology Organizations

1994 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 5-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven H. Hanks ◽  
Collin J. Watson ◽  
Erik Jansen ◽  
Gaylen N. Chandler
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Growth Stage ◽  
High Technology ◽  
Life Cycle Stage ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Taxonomic Study ◽  
Organization Context ◽  
Organization Life Cycle

Over the years much has been written about the organization life cycle, yet there has been remarkably little attention given to the underlying construct of a life-cycle stage. It is proposed in this study that each life-cycle stage consists of a unique configuration of variables related to organization context and structure. Cluster analysis is used to derive a taxonomy of growth stage configurations in a sample of 126 high-technology organizations. The derived configurations suggest a sequence of four growth stages.

Is there a decision to make, boss? From understanding SME growth to managing employees' learning preferences

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Tam ◽  
David E. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
High Growth ◽  
Life Cycle Stage ◽  
Learning Preferences ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Managerial Decision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Life Cycle Stages

PurposeThis study examines employees' learning preferences in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) at different life-cycle stages.Design/methodology/approachThe study has two phases. Phase I classified a sample of 30 Hong Kong SMEs into three different life-cycle stages (inception, high growth or maturity). Phase II then explored/compared their employees' learning practices in terms of importance using a mixed-method design through an online learning questionnaire followed by face-to-face semi-structured interviews.FindingsBased on a list of 32 learning practices common to SME workplaces, the study identified how SME employees perceive the importance of a learning practice. The top 5 and the bottom 5 learning practices in SMEs across life-cycle stages are presented to promote best interests for SME executives.Research limitations/implicationsWhile SME learning is highly varied, this study sheds light on some traceable context about it as an SME grows. Similar studies with additional SMEs, including SMEs in other locations, are encouraged to strengthen the findings.Practical implicationsThe findings help SME executives understand what learning practices are most important (or least important) for their employees, given the life-cycle stage of the firm. Aligning a business with employees' learning preferences in a timely fashion is a managerial decision to be made for driving organizational effectiveness.Originality/valueIt is among the first studies connecting employee learning in SMEs and organizational life cycle to address a critical but missing inquiry.

scholarly journals Endocrine Control of Life-Cycle Stages: A Constraint on Response to the Environment?

The Condor ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 102 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry D. Jacobs ◽  
John C. Wingfield
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Control Systems ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Environmental Cues ◽  
Endocrine Control ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Abstract Most organisms live in seasonal environments that fluctuate on a predictable schedule and sometimes unpredictably. Individuals must, therefore, adjust so as to maximize their survival and reproductive success over a wide range of environmental conditions. In birds, as in other vertebrates, endocrine secretions regulate morphological, physiological, and behavioral changes in anticipation of future events. The individual thus prepares for predictable fluctuations in its environment by changing life-cycle stages. We have applied finite-state machine theory to define and compare different life-history cycles. The ability of birds to respond to predictable and unpredictable regimes of environmental variation may be constrained by the adaptability of their endocrine control systems. We have applied several theoretical approaches to natural history data of birds to compare the complexity of life cycles, the degree of plasticity of timing of stages within the cycle, and to determine whether endocrine control mechanisms influence the way birds respond to their environments. The interactions of environmental cues on the timing of life-history stages are not uniform in all populations. Taking the reproductive life-history stage as an example, arctic birds that have short breeding seasons in severe environments appear to use one reliable environmental cue to time reproduction and they ignore other factors. Birds having longer breeding seasons exhibit greater plasticity of onset and termination and appear to integrate several environmental cues. Theoretical approaches may allow us to predict how individuals respond to their environment at the proximate level and, conversely, predict how constraints imposed by endocrine control systems may limit the complexity of life cycles.

scholarly journals Identification of an antiretroviral small molecule that appears to be a host-targeting inhibitor of HIV-1 assembly.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan C. Reed ◽  
Dennis Solas ◽  
Anatoliy Kitaygorodskyy ◽  
Beverly Freeman ◽  
Dylan T. B. Ressler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Virus Production ◽  
Life Cycle Stage ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Capsid Assembly ◽  
Resistance Mutations ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
Gag Assembly ◽  
Hiv 1

Given the projected increase in multidrug resistant HIV-1, there is an urgent need for development of antiretrovirals that act on virus life-cycle stages not targeted by drugs currently in use. Host-targeting compounds are of particular interest because they can offer a high barrier to resistance. Here we report identification of two related small molecules that inhibit HIV-1 late events, an HIV-1 life cycle stage for which potent and specific inhibitors are lacking. This chemotype was discovered using cell-free protein synthesis and assembly systems that recapitulate intracellular host-catalyzed viral capsid assembly pathways. These compounds inhibit replication of HIV-1 in human T cell lines and PBMCs and are effective against a primary isolate. They reduce virus production, likely by inhibiting a post-translational step in HIV-1 Gag assembly. Notably, the compound colocalizes with HIV-1 Gag in situ; however, unexpectedly, selection experiments failed to identify compound-specific resistance mutations in gag or pol, even though known resistance mutations developed upon parallel nelfinavir selection. Thus, we hypothesized that instead of binding to Gag directly, these compounds localize to assembly intermediates, the intracellular multiprotein complexes containing Gag and host factors that form during immature HIV-1 capsid assembly. Indeed, imaging of infected cells shows compound colocalized with two host enzymes found in assembly intermediates, ABCE1 and DDX6, but not two host proteins found in other complexes. While the exact target and mechanism of action of this chemotype remain to be determined, these findings suggest that these compounds represent first-in-class, host-targeting inhibitors of intracellular events in HIV-1 assembly. IMPORTANCE The success of antiretroviral treatment for HIV-1 is at risk of being undermined by the growing problem of drug resistance. Thus, there is a need to identify antiretrovirals that act on viral life cycle stages not targeted by drugs in use, such as the events of HIV-1 Gag assembly. To address this gap, we developed a compound screen that recapitulates the intracellular events of HIV-1 assembly, including viral-host interactions that promote assembly. This effort led to identification of a new chemotype that inhibits HIV-1 replication at nanomolar concentrations, likely by acting on assembly. This compound colocalized with Gag and two host enzymes that facilitate capsid assembly. However, resistance selection did not result in compound-specific mutations in gag, suggesting that the chemotype does not directly target Gag. We hypothesize that this chemotype represents a first-in-class inhibitor of virus production that acts by targeting a viral-host complex important for HIV-1 Gag assembly.

Information System Life Cycles and Security

2011 ◽  
pp. 274-284
Author(s):  
Albin Zuccato
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Security Management ◽  
System Security ◽  
Life Cycle Stage ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Information Security Management ◽  
Legal Provision ◽  
Process Framework ◽  
System Life

Organizations are required by legal provision to include information system security into their day- today management activities. To do this effectively and efficiently, it is necessary that information security management integrates into the overall system life cycle. Here I will present a system life cycle and suggest which aspects of security should be covered at which life cycle stage of the system. Based on this, I will present a process framework that due to its iterativity and detailedness accommodates the needs for life cycle oriented security management.

Surface Characteristics of Observed Cold Pools

2008 ◽  
Vol 136 (12) ◽  
pp. 4839-4849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas A. Engerer ◽  
David J. Stensrud ◽  
Michael C. Coniglio
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Potential Temperature ◽  
Surface Characteristics ◽  
Life Cycle Stage ◽  
Cold Pool ◽  
Convective System ◽  
Cold Pools ◽  
Equivalent Potential ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Cold pools are a key element in the organization of precipitating convective systems, yet knowledge of their typical surface characteristics is largely anecdotal. To help to alleviate this situation, cold pools from 39 mesoscale convective system (MCS) events are sampled using Oklahoma Mesonet surface observations. In total, 1389 time series of surface observations are used to determine typical rises in surface pressure and decreases in temperature, potential temperature, and equivalent potential temperature associated with the cold pool, and the maximum wind speeds in the cold pool. The data are separated into one of four convective system life cycle stages: first storms, MCS initiation, mature MCS, and MCS dissipation. Results indicate that the mean surface pressure rises associated with cold pools increase from 3.2 hPa for the first storms’ life cycle stage to 4.5 hPa for the mature MCS stage before dropping to 3.3 hPa for the dissipation stage. In contrast, the mean temperature (potential temperature) deficits associated with cold pools decrease from 9.5 (9.8) to 5.4 K (5.6 K) from the first storms to the dissipation stage, with a decrease of approximately 1 K associated with each advance in the life cycle stage. However, the daytime and early evening observations show mean temperature deficits over 11 K. A comparison of these observed cold pool characteristics with results from idealized numerical simulations of MCSs suggests that observed cold pools likely are stronger than those found in model simulations, particularly when ice processes are neglected in the microphysics parameterization. The mean deficits in equivalent potential temperature also decrease with the MCS life cycle stage, starting at 21.6 K for first storms and dropping to 13.9 K for dissipation. Mean wind gusts are above 15 m s−1 for all life cycle stages. These results should help numerical modelers to determine whether the cold pools in high-resolution models are in reasonable agreement with the observed characteristics found herein. Thunderstorm simulations and forecasts with thin model layers near the surface are also needed to obtain better representations of cold pool surface characteristics that can be compared with observations.

scholarly journals The genetic covariance between life cycle stages separated by metamorphosis

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1788) ◽  
pp. 20141091 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. David Aguirre ◽  
Mark W. Blows ◽  
Dustin J. Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Life Cycle Stage ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Phenotypic Evolution ◽  
Genetic Associations ◽  
Embryo Viability ◽  
Genetic Covariance ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
Target Matrix ◽  
Before And After

Metamorphosis is common in animals, yet the genetic associations between life cycle stages are poorly understood. Given the radical changes that occur at metamorphosis, selection may differ before and after metamorphosis, and the extent that genetic associations between pre- and post-metamorphic traits constrain evolutionary change is a subject of considerable interest. In some instances, metamorphosis may allow the genetic decoupling of life cycle stages, whereas in others, metamorphosis could allow complementary responses to selection across the life cycle. Using a diallel breeding design, we measured viability at four ontogenetic stages (embryo, larval, juvenile and adult viability), in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis and examined the orientation of additive genetic variation with respect to the metamorphic boundary. We found support for one eigenvector of G ( g obs max ), which contrasted larval viability against embryo viability and juvenile viability. Target matrix rotation confirmed that while g obs max shows genetic associations can extend beyond metamorphosis, there is still considerable scope for decoupled phenotypic evolution. Therefore, although genetic associations across metamorphosis could limit that range of phenotypes that are attainable, traits on either side of the metamorphic boundary are capable of some independent evolutionary change in response to the divergent conditions encountered during each life cycle stage.

scholarly journals Sustainability Assessment of Product–Service Systems Using Flows between Systems Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 3415
Author(s):  
Natalia Muñoz López ◽  
Jose Luis Santolaya Sáenz ◽  
Anna Biedermann ◽  
Ana Serrano Tierz
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Sustainability Assessment ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Service Systems ◽  
Life Cycle Stages ◽  
Product Service ◽  
Retail Service ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Product Service Systems

The development of product–service systems (PSS) is currently considered a promising solution to the challenge of sustainability. Nevertheless, the sustainability of these systems has not been systematically assessed and there is a need to develop more guiding principles. In this work, an approach based on the flows between product and service systems is used to facilitate both the definition of PSS boundaries and the identification of links between the systems involved. In addition, the life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) method is applied to simultaneously quantify environmental, economic and social impacts. Two cases are analysed. First, the production process of cow´s milk, in which a veterinary service is required, is studied using data measured from a dairy farm. Next, the sustainability of a clothing retail service taking, into account that a construction product is involved in its creation stage, is evaluated. In each PSS specific life cycle, stages are analysed, a functional unit referred to both products and services is defined, and quantitative indicators are selected to assess each sustainability dimension. The category of workers is selected to evaluate social aspects. The relative incidence of each system is evaluated and the impacts of different factors on the PSS sustainability are analysed.

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