Transparency and accountability influences of regulation on risk control: the case of a Swedish bank

Journal of Management and Governance - This qualitative in-depth case study explores the influence of financial regulation on risk control within Banque de Montagne, a large listed bank in Sweden....     

From the ‘crevices in dominant memories’: virtual commemoration and the 1984 anti-Sikh violence

Dominant collective memories around the anti-Sikh violence of 1984 are mostly dichotomous. The official state memories of 1984 are replete with omissions about the attack on Sikhs and several human rights violations. On the other hand, the counter-mobilisations that developed in the aftermath of 1984 are largely focused on the demand for a separate state of Khalistan. I problematise these dichotomous framings by examining what I call present-day ‘virtual commemorative crevices’. I suggest that these crevices are transnational, sacred or set-apart and liminal fissures in hegemonic memories and institutionalised forms of commemoration. I examine eight websites focusing on 1984 and the role of the Sikh diaspora in disrupting older temporal fixities and spatially rooted narratives. Virtual fissures mark a subtle, but significant shift from polarised hegemonic narratives to a more differentiated, future-oriented activism.     

Estimating hybrid frequency moments of data streams

We consider the problem of estimating hybrid frequency moments of two dimensional data streams. In this model, data is viewed to be organized in a matrix form (A _i,j )_1≤i,j,≤n . The entries A _i,j are updated coordinate-wise, in arbitrary order and possibly multiple times. The updates include both increments and decrements to the current value of A _i,j . The hybrid frequency moment F _p,q (A) is defined as \(\sum_{j=1}^{n}(\sum_{i=1}^{n}{A_{i,j}}^{p})^{q}\) and is a generalization of the frequency moment of one-dimensional data streams.We present the first \(\tilde{O}(1)\) space algorithm for the problem of estimating F _p,q for p∈[0,2] and q∈[0,1] to within an approximation factor of 1±ε. The \(\tilde{O}\) notation hides poly-logarithmic factors in the size of the stream m, the matrix size n and polynomial factors of ε ^?1. We also present the first \(\tilde{O}(n^{1-1/q})\) space algorithm for estimating F _p,q for p∈[0,2] and q∈(1,2].     

The Cultural Genogram: experiences from within a marriage and family therapy training program

The purpose of this article is to illustrate and demonstrate the use of the Cultural Genogram (CG) in a graduate-level course in gender and culture for family therapists-in-training at a large Midwestern university's accredited program in family therapy. Although the importance of the CG as a training tool is delineated by Hardy and Laszloffy, very little information exists about the actual implementation and usefulness of this tool within a training program for family therapists. In this article, we present a qualitative research study of the lived experiences of a class of women from diverse cultures as they constructed and presented their CGs. We discuss the basic curriculum and structure of the course in which the CG was used, the process the class members developed to create and present their CGs, the effects of presenting the CGs, and a set of recommendations and ideas for further exploration.     

Bird species assemblages across a rural urban gradient around Kolkata,India

Urban development leads to changes in habitat structure and resource base. Bird communities are known to respond sharply to such changes. Our result from study of bird community along urbanization gradient around Kolkata metropolitan city clearly separated the urban bird community from the rural and rural 3 habitats in terms of species diversity and foraging groups. Rural and rural 3 sites had more number of rare species and higher percentage of unique species as compared to the urban habitats. Functional group analysis showed higher abundance of granivores in urban habitats and absence of insectivore and carnivorous species that were found in the rural and rural 3 habitats. The bird species assemblage along the gradient was significantly nested where bird species recorded in urban areas were subset of the species rich rural areas. There was no difference in individual counts between urban and rural habitats, therefore nullifying the hypothesis that rural areas are more species rich because of higher population size. Bird community in the urban areas was less even as compared to the rural areas due to the dominance of omnivorous guild. Bird diversity was negatively correlated to the density of house lots.     

Masters or pawns? Examining injury and chronic disease in male Masters Athletes and chess players compared to population norms from the Canadian Community Health Survey

Background

Identifying the optimal type and amount of activity for the maintenance of function in older adults has proved challenging. On the one hand, Masters Athletes have been proposed as the ideal model of successful aging but most of this research has focused on physical functioning. On the other hand, the importance of cognitive engagement has been emphasized, which may be more strongly related to activities such as playing chess. The current study aimed to compare physical health outcomes (i.e., prevalence of physical injury and chronic disease) among older athletes and chess players. Masters Athletes and chess players were recruited from track and field and chess competitions within the province of Ontario. In addition to these primary groups, moderately active and inactive older adults from Canadian Community Health Survey were also included for comparison.

Results

Masters Athletes had significantly higher rates of injury with the lowest rates of chronic disease, compared to all other activity groups. In contrast, chess players reported lower rates of injury compared to Masters Athletes as well as lower prevalence of chronic diseases compared to the moderately active and inactive groups. The normative groups reported the lowest rate of injury, but increased prevalence of chronic diseases compared to Masters Athletes and chess players.

Conclusions

Findings from this study indicate that both athletic and cognitive engagement may be positively related to the physical health of older adults, since Masters Athletes and chess players reported a lower prevalence of chronic disease. Importantly, the results expand our current understanding of health by providing evidence for physical health outcomes associated with an activity that is primarily associated with cognitive health.

     

Lean Six Sigma implementation: modelling the interaction among the enablers

Abstract

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodology has been acquiring a prominent position in organisations. The aim of this study is to demonstrate an approach to LSS implementation in organisations using the development of a hypothetical model based on interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and fuzzy Matriced Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée á un Classement (fuzzy MICMAC) analysis phenomenon. Seventy Lean Six Sigma enablers (LSSEs) have been identified through extensive literature review and out of which 40 most important LSSEs were finalised through opinions of experts both from industry and academia. Furthermore, the valuable expert opinions have been applied to determine contextual relationships between these significant LSSEs and a hierarchical model has been created based on an ISM. The fuzzy MICMAC analysis has also been utilised to classify the enablers based on the dependence and driving power, and validate the created ISM-based model. The developed hierarchical model will assist to understand interrelationships and interdependencies among the identified LSSEs. Having high driving and low dependence power, the LSSEs have strategic significance because of their driving character. On the other hand, having high dependence and low driving power, LSSEs are more performance orientated. The mutual influence, driving and dependence power of LSSEs render valuable information to top management to distinguish between independent and dependent LSSEs. An organisation desiring of adopting LSS may get benefited by the understanding of LSSEs and their interactions.