Transnational Strategies and Regional Development: The Case of GM and Delphi in Mexico

The Mexican automotive industry has been undergoing continuous and rapid change over the past two decades. Much of this change has been understood in the context of related processes of firm restructuring and globalization. The paper examines GM's global strategies and describes the profound transformation of Mexican affiliates in re-orientating away from production for the domestic market towards global operations. It also analyses the successful experience of Delphi (GM's former components division) in Ciudad Juarez as an example of how the agglomeration can add value under specific social and institutional conditions by forming a sectoral cluster in which a network of companies accelerate learning, especially among engineers and technicians. Delphi is one of the most conspicuous examples of the process of productive integration within the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), as well as a model of technological learning and upgrading in an emerging economy. Finally the paper examines the limited influence of public policy initiatives aimed at building on the upgrading strategies of transnational firms in Mexico to stimulate endogenous regional development by local suppliers.     

Transnational Strategies and Regional Development: The Case of GM and Delphi in Mexico

The Mexican automotive industry has been undergoing continuous and rapid change over the past two decades. Much of this change has been understood in the context of related processes of firm restructuring and globalization. The paper examines GM's global strategies and describes the profound transformation of Mexican affiliates in re-orientating away from production for the domestic market towards global operations. It also analyses the successful experience of Delphi (GM's former components division) in Ciudad Juarez as an example of how the agglomeration can add value under specific social and institutional conditions by forming a sectoral cluster in which a network of companies accelerate learning, especially among engineers and technicians. Delphi is one of the most conspicuous examples of the process of productive integration within the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), as well as a model of technological learning and upgrading in an emerging economy. Finally the paper examines the limited influence of public policy initiatives aimed at building on the upgrading strategies of transnational firms in Mexico to stimulate endogenous regional development by local suppliers.     

Alternatives in the management of penetrating injuries to the iliac vessels

BACKGROUND: The high mortality and morbidity rates after iliac vessel injuries remain a challenging problem for trauma surgeons. Several controversial issues surround the management of iliac vessel injuries, including the value of abbreviated laparotomy, the role of extra-anatomic bypass reconstruction (EABR), the use of vascular prostheses in the presence of contamination, and the need and timing for fasciotomy. METHODS: Retrospective review of the records of patients who sustained an injury to the iliac vessel between 1987 and 1996. RESULTS: A total of 64 patients were treated, including 23 with isolated iliac vein injuries, 17 with arterial injuries, and 24 with combined arteriovenous injuries. Vascular prostheses were placed in 17 patients with arterial injuries, including 12 with associated intestinal wounds. Graft infection did not occur. Of the 24 patients with combined injuries, 11 underwent abbreviated laparotomy and 1 died. Five deaths, however, occurred in 13 patients in whom no attempts were made for damage control laparotomy. Significant differences between survivors and nonsurvivors included final arterial pH, final prothrombin time, length of hypotension, and number of transfusions. Arterial ligation with EABR was performed in five patients and failed in two. Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism occurred in four patients, in three of them after venous injuries were ligated. The overall mortality rate was 23%. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that (1) abbreviated laparotomy reduces mortality in iliac injuries; (2) EABR should be performed early after stabilization to prevent limb ischemia; (3) the use of vascular prostheses with associated intestinal injuries did not appear to increase the incidence of graft infection; and (4) after vein ligation, early fasciotomy and prophylaxis against extremity swelling, deep venous thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism should be considered.     

Dissemination with malignant changes from a pineal tumor through the corpus callosum after total removal

Within the germinal neoplasms of the central nervous system, the embryonal carcinoma is a very rare tumor. The authors report such a lesion arising on the corpus callosum in a child 8 months after a differentiated teratoma was totaly removed from the pineal region. The classification of the germ cell tumors of the central nervous system and their relation with similar tumors of the gonads are discussed. The treatment of the pineal tumors is also discussed.     

Prototype System for Knowledge Problem Definition

Attitudes to knowledge management (KM) have changed considerably as organizations are now realizing its benefits. Implementation, however, has been facing serious difficulties attributed either to not being able to anticipate the barriers when planning KM strategies or to using inappropriate methods and tools for implementation. These difficulties are more critical in construction due to the fragmented nature of the industry. This paper suggests that proper definition of a KM problem at the early stages of developing the KM initiatives will result in better control over the KM barriers. A methodology for identifying KM problems within a business context is then introduced. The methodology is encapsulated into a prototype software system, which facilitates its deployment in organizations and provides online help facilities. The methodology, development, operation, and evaluation of the prototype are described. The paper concludes that the prototype offers considerable potential for delivering a clarified KM problem and a distilled set of issues for an organization to address. This represents a significant first step in any KM initiative.     

"Work-family conflict: Experiences and health implications among immigrant Latinos": Correction.

Reports an error in "Work-family conflict: Experiences and health implications among immigrant Latinos" by Joseph G. Grzywacz, Thomas A. Arcury, Antonio Márin, Lourdes Carrillo, Bless Burke, Michael L. Coates and Sara A. Quandt (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2007[Jul], Vol 92[4], 1119-1130). The wrong grant number was cited in the author note. The author note indicated that the research was supported by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Grant OH013182. It should have cited grant number OH008335. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2007-09571-017.) Work-family conflict research has focused almost exclusively on professional, White adults. The goal of this article was to expand the understanding of culture and industry in shaping experiences and consequences of work-family conflict. Using in-depth interview data (n = 26) and structured survey data (n = 200) from immigrant Latinos employed in the poultry processing industry, the authors evaluated predictions drawn from emerging models emphasizing the influence of cultural characteristics such as collectivism and gender ideology on work-family conflict. Results indicated that immigrant Latinos in poultry processing experienced infrequent work-to-family conflict; both the level and the antecedents of work-to-family conflict differed by gender, with physical demands contributing to greater conflict for women but not men. In addition, there was little evidence that work-family conflict was associated with health in this population. These results demonstrate how traditional models of work-family conflict need to be modified to reflect the needs and circumstances of diverse workers in the new global economy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of different models employed to describe the z-scan curves for thick nonlinear optical media

A model that considers a photoinduced lens with a focal length dependent on a real power of the incident beam radius is compared with other reported models employed to describe the z-scan curves for thick media. It is demonstrated that this model is equivalent to that used to describe z-scan curves for thin nonlocal nonlinear media; then an extension is made for thick nonlocal nonlinear media. A comparison is made with other models to obtain z-scan curves for thick media. It is demonstrated that, under the same conditions, remarkable differences can be found in the simulated z-scan curves.     

Preparation of highly concentrated inverse emulsions of acrylamide‐based anionic copolymers as efficient water rheological modifiers

Highly concentrated inverse anionic polymeric emulsions (with a solid content of up to 63 wt %) were prepared using a two‐step methodology: (i) First, acrylamide, acrylic acid, and its ammonium salts crosslinked copolymers were obtained by inverse emulsion polymerization, (ii) The water/volatile oil mixture was then separated from the heterogeneous system by vacuum distillation. To maintain sufficient stability during the reaction and distillation processes, a ternary surfactant mixture was used. A surface response methodology was employed to obtain the optimal values of the factors involved in both process and product specifications, and to maximize the high performance of these inverse anionic polymer emulsions. This yielded a product containing up to 63.2 wt % solids capable of achieving Brookfield viscosities as high as 40.3 Pa·s, using an aliquote of these concentrated inverse polymer emulsions (1.8 wt % in deionized water). Rheological characterization (oscillatory and rotational measurements) was carried out to evaluate the behavior of the diluted inverse anionic polymer emulsion in water thickening. The methodology developed can be used to formulate a wide range of viscoelastic (G″/G′) water‐based products from anionic water soluble polymers. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43502.     

Complete 2,5‐Diastereocontrol in the Organocatalytic Enantioselective [3+2] Cycloaddition of Enals with Azomethine Ylides Derived from α‐Iminocyanoacetates: Asymmetric Synthesis of Pyrrolidines with Four Stereocentres

Racemic α‐iminocyanoacetates have been used as azomethine ylide precursors in the catalytic enantioselective [3+2] cycloaddition with α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes catalyzed by (S)‐α,α‐diphenylprolinol leading to the fully stereocontrolled formation of pyrrolidine cycloadducts with four stereocentres, one of them being a quaternary one. The reaction proceeded with excellent yields, endo‐selectivities and enantioselectivities. Remarkably, complete 2,5‐diastereoselection has also been achieved under the optimized reaction conditions, which has been explained in terms of the participation of intramolecular H‐bonding interaction which contributes to stabilize one determined geometry for the in situ generated azomethine ylide.