Transnational corporations and human resource development

Conclusions The relationships between TNCs and human resource development are complex and multi-faceted. The operation of TNCs have the potential to make a considerable contribution to human resource development, particularly in developing countries. The contributions of TNCs to human resource development lie mainly in the areas of education and training. In education, their role is largely confined to direct or indirect investment in the provision of tertiary-level education, especially in business management. The major role of TNCs in the development of human resources stems from the training and other learning opportonities they provide to their staff in various forms. Such training may be valuable for workers in developing countries and others in which opportunities for acquiring vocational, technical and management skills are limited. Training and other forms of learning provided by TNCs are directed towards all categories of workers, although the main focus is on managerial and technical personnel. Evidence suggests that the size and scope of TNCs enable them to provide substantial formal and informal learning opportunities for employees. Moreover, the learning provided by TNCs often relates to new or different production and management methods. Under appropriate conditions, the contributions of TNCs to knowledge, skills and management experties of their employees can be disseminated more widely in the host economy and complement domestic human resource development in promoting growth and strengthening competitiveness. As the tendency of TNCs to pursue complex integration strategies proceeds and the links between parent companies and their affiliates become more complex, the training requirements that are needed to manage successfully the corporate production system and its geographically dispersed segments are likely to increase and become more sophisticated. Foreign affiliates may be progressively involved in higher value-added and more specialized activities, and more training needed to improve the quality of local personnel. The commitment to training in affiliates could be considerably reinforced by the growing interdependence between operations at home and in the various affiliates. This may lead to a wider distribution of training packages throughout the TNC. The trend towards complex integration strategies and the increasing competition for foreign direct investment (FDI) make it more important than ever for developing countries to build up their own human resource capabilities. In addition to providing the basis for the development of the domestic economy, such capabilities would allow labour and national enterprises to interact more effectively with TNCs. They would contribute to increasing the volume and raising the quality and sophistication of the FDI that a country could attract, thereby strengthening the prospects for further human resource development. At present, only a limited number of developing countries attract sizeable shares of FDI, particularly in areas that are technologically sophisticated. For those countries, foreign affiliates linked to TNCs’ value chains are an important complement to national programmes and efforts for upgrading human resources. However, other developing countries that do not-offer similar locational advantages may also benefit, in terms of improving their human resource development from FDI and the emerging integrated international production system. They need to consider how to formulate and co-ordinate policies so as to maximize the benefits to their human resource capabilities. Original language: English Padma Mallampally (India) Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago. From 1982 to 1988 she was employed by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok on transnational corporations. Prior to that she was a lecturer in economics at Delhi University. She now works as a Transnational Corporations Affairs Officer, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, New York.     

Effect of Hemodialysis on Plasma Myeloperoxidase Activity in End Stage Renal Disease Patients

End stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on hemodialysis (HD) have an increased oxidative stress, with a high risk of atherosclerosis and other co-morbid conditions. Recent studies have suggested that myeloperoxidase (MPO)—mediated oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular complications in dialysis patients. Furthermore, dialysis treatment ‘per se’ can aggravate oxidative stress. Hence this study was designed to determine whether HD leads to an alteration in the plasma levels of MPO and malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of oxidative stress in ESRD patients on maintenance HD. To study the effect of HD, plasma MPO and MDA were determined before and after HD in forty ESRD patients (24 men and 16 women, age between 8 and 71 years, median being 40.5 years) on maintenance HD. Plasma MPO and MDA were assayed by spectrophotometric methods. Haematological and other biochemical parameters were obtained from patients’ case records. Plasma MPO and MDA levels were significantly higher after HD when compared with pre-dialysis levels (p < 0.05). There was no correlation between MPO and MDA (r = 0.184, p = 0.10) and other biochemical parameters (p > 0.05). However, there was a significant correlation between MPO and MDA with haemodialysis vintage (p < 0.05). In univariate regression analysis duration of HD (β = 1.470, p = 0.045, β = 0.388, p = 0.013), was independently associated with MPO and MDA. Although HD is indispensable for survival of patients with ESRD, it is fraught with undesirable side-effects, such as an increase in the plasma MPO and MDA levels. The elevated levels of MPO contribute to the increased oxidative stress as free radicals are produced by the reaction catalyzed by it.     

High-throughput sorting of drops in microfluidic chips using electric capacitance

We analyze a recently introduced approach for the sorting of aqueous drops with biological content immersed in oil, using a microfluidic chip that combines the functionality of electrowetting with the high throughput of two-phase flow microfluidics. In this electrostatic sorter, three co-planar electrodes covered by a thin dielectric layer are placed directly below the fluidic channel. Switching the potential of the central electrode creates an electrical guide that leads the drop to the desired outlet. The generated force, which deflects the drop, can be tuned via the voltage. The working principle is based on a contrast in conductivity between the drop and the continuous phase, which ensures successful operation even for drops of highly conductive biological media like phosphate buffered saline. Moreover, since the electric field does not penetrate the drop, its content is protected from electrical currents and Joule heating. A simple capacitive model allows quantitative prediction of the electrostatic forces exerted on drops. The maximum achievable sorting rate is determined by a competition between electrostatic and hydrodynamic forces. Sorting speeds up to 1200 per second are demonstrated for conductive drops of 160 pl in low viscosity oil.     

Choice based diffusion model for predicting sales of mobile phones using conjoint analysis

The modeling of understanding consumers buying behavior requires a technique, which does not only incorporate the preferences of the consumers but also have the ability to trade-off between multi-characteristics products and services. This study is supported by evaluating a framework via a marketing research technique of Conjoint Analysis wherein we have shown how certain attributes of mobile phones when studied jointly can affect the overall buying behavior of the youth towards various brands taken into consideration. Further, customers' choice probabilities of the mobile phones, based on preferences have been evaluated and potential market size is determined. Also, this study has determined and forecasted the sales on the basis of choice probability and utility obtained via conjoint analysis. Customers of the mobile phone located in Delhi have been targeted for this study.