Something new: value and change in finance*

ABSTRACT

Ethnographic and social scientific accounts of the financiers that buy and sell companies for profit often homogenize the players in these social dramas, relying on blunt, totalizing definitions of culture or overly deterministic articulations of habitus. This article, drawing on a two-year study of private equity investors, offers an alternative analytic frame for making sense of how private equity people buy and sell companies. It explores the ways in which private equity people make arguments persuading one another and the larger public that an investment is worth making. Important to these arguments are not only substantive content, the evidence that investors marshal to support a thesis, but also reflective evaluation of what counts as good evidence, meta-commentary. It is in these split levels of analysis that we can appreciate the cultural diversity within finance, Wall Street, and investment banking. I will also suggest that understanding how investors are arguing substantively as well as meta-pragmatically begins to outline a useful theory of culture change within the world of investment banking.     

Sprint kayaking and canoeing performance prediction based on the relationship between maturity status,anthropometry and physical fitness in young elite paddlers

This study aimed to identify the maturity-related differences and its influence on the physical fitness, morphological and performance characteristics of young elite paddlers. In total, 89 kayakers and 82 canoeists, aged 13.69 ± 0.57 years (mean ± s), were allocated in three groups depending on their age relative to the age at peak height velocity (pre-APHV, circum-APHV and post-APHV) and discipline (kayak and canoe). Nine anthropometric variables, a battery of four physical fitness tests (overhead medicine ball throw, countermovement jump, sit-and-reach test and 20 m multistage shuttle run test) and three specific performance tests (1000, 500 and 200 m) were assessed. Both disciplines presented significant maturity-based differences in all anthropometric parameters (except for fat and muscle mass percentage), overhead medicine ball throw and all performance times (pre > circum > post; P < 0.05). Negative and significant correlations (P < 0.01) were detected between performance times, chronological age and anthropometry (body mass, height, sitting height and maturity status), overhead medicine ball throw and sit and reach for all distances. These findings confirm the importance of maturity status in sprint kayaking and canoeing since the more mature paddlers were also those who revealed largest body size, physical fitness level and best paddling performance. Additionally, the most important variables predicting performance times in kayaking and canoeing were maturity status and chronological age, respectively.     

A new footwear technology to promote non-heelstrike landing and enhance running performance: Fact or fad?

This study sought to compare the kinetics and kinematics data in a group of habitual shod runners when running in traditional running shoes and newly designed minimalist shoes with lug platform. This novel footwear design claims to simulate barefoot running and reduce energy loss during impact. We compared footstrike angle (FSA), vertical average (VALR) and instantaneous (VILR) loading rates, energy loss and initial vertical stiffness between two shoe conditions. Runners demonstrated a decreased FSA while running in minimalist shoes with lug platform than traditional shoes (P = 0.003; Cohen’s d = 0.918). However, we did not observe a landing pattern transition. VALR and VILR between two footwear conditions showed no significant difference (P = 0.191–0.258; Cohen’s d = 0.304–0.460). Initial vertical stiffness (P = 0.032; Cohen’s d = 0.671) and energy loss (P = 0.044; Cohen’s d = 0.578) were greater when running in minimalist shoes with lug platform. The results show that minimalist shoes with lug platform reduce the FSA but may not lead to a landing pattern switch or lower vertical loading rates. Interestingly, the new shoe design leads to a greater energy loss than traditional running shoes, which could be explained by a higher initial vertical stiffness.     

Trait Affection Given and Received: A Test of Hofstede’s Theoretical Framework

This study sought to address Hofstede and McCrae’s (2004) call for systematic cross-cultural comparisons of trait-like attributes. Specifically, we examined the extent to which Danish, Icelandic, Polish, and American adults’ trait affection given and trait affection received are (a) dependent on national origin, and (b) associated with Hofstede’s dimensions of cultures (i.e. individualism-collectivism, masculinity-femininity, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance). The participants (N = 606) completed a questionnaire in English that consisted of the trait affection given and trait affection received scales. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance and linear regression analyses revealed that people’s trait affection given and received are (a) dependent on national origin, and (b) associated with Hofstede’s dimensions of cultures.     

基于模糊理论和大数据的医学院校学生体质健康测试结果分析

基于2014年国家最新颁布的《学生体质健康标准》和湖南省医学院校体测大数据,运用模糊理论,对其进行研究与分析。研究表明湖南省医学院校学生体质健康测试结果不太理想,主要集中在及格区域,达到优秀和良好的学生比例男生仅为1.68%、女生0.73%,且男生7.54%没有达到及格要求。     

基于学生体质健康的“阳光长跑”干预效果研究

在大学生体质健康现状的视野下,响应国家“阳光长跑”活动的政策,借鉴成功的实践经验,采用实验法,制定“阳光长跑”干预实施方案,开展研究工作.结果显示:1)大学生在4个月的“阳光长跑”活动干预下,有氧耐力、柔韧素质有显著性的变化,而速度素质、平衡能力变化不明显;2)“阳光长跑”活动干预对提高机体有氧代谢酶活性、呼吸机能、刺激腰背部、腿部肌群柔韧性有重要帮助,而对大学生腿部力量、脚踝力量、机体平衡能力的刺激较小,没有显著影响.     

单板滑雪U型场地技巧优秀运动员落地稳定性研究

近年来,随着单板滑雪U型场地技巧项目的快速发展及国际运动成绩的快速提升,我国运动员在训练方面遇到了很多问题,如运动员在完成高难度的空中技术动作后,在落地时总是出现失误,直接影响运动员在比赛中的成绩.本文采用文献资料、专家访谈、录像分析等研究方法,对黑龙江省单板滑雪U型场地技巧优秀运动员的落地稳定性进行了分析,具体涉及运动员成套动作落点分析、滑行路线分析和运动员平衡能力,研究结果认为,运动员的平衡能力差和落点区域的不同选择是导致落地稳定性差的主要原因.为帮助单板滑雪U型场地技巧项目备战2018年平昌冬奥会提供了一定的理论依据.