Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Finding form: elite sports and the business of change

Purpose – To explain how an organization has been able to use seismic changes in its wider external environment to transform its performance without the need for radical internal restructuring or coercive forms of leadership.Design/methodology/approach – This paper utilises a three year case study from elite sport, an under‐represented sector in the management literature but one that offers a fascinating view of change.Findings – Whilst the change management literature typically emphasises dramatic and rapid coercive restructuring accompanying open‐ended environment change, this study found that known routines and historical ways of working existed alongside innovation, risk‐taking and learning; the paradoxical foundation upon which performance flourished.Research limitations/implications – Although the dangers of single cases are noted, difficulties regarding access and comparability with other similar organizations prevented a similar degree of focus on multiple cases. Future research either within elit.
Local Political Marketing in the Context of the Conservative Party

Local political marketing can be defined as marketing related strategy, activities, and tactics implemented by a political party in a local geographic constituency, in order to attempt to maximize aggregate potential voter satisfaction, and therefore maximize total number of votes and electoral support in the constituency. Through 12 in-depth interviews with Local Constituency Party representatives from the Conservative Party, the study found that local political marketing was acknowledged by a majority of respondents although this was not unequivocal, and was frequently conflated with campaigning. Local political marketing was associated with: visual identity, language/messages, values, image, communication devices, awareness raising, data management and targeting, and simplification. The support from higher levels of the party in local political marketing was varied across constituencies. There was evidence of growing coordination/influence by higher levels of the party in local political marketing. However, this tended to be in seats judged as ‘winnable’.
The State of the Notion: Knowledge Management in Practice

To a growing number of companies, knowledge management is more than just a buzzword or a sales pitch, it is an approach to adding or creating value by more actively leveraging the know-how, experience, and judgement resident within and, in many cases, outside of an organization. Based primarily upon the results of a study of 431 U.S. and European organizations, this article describes what firms are actually doing to manage knowledge, what else they think they could be or should be doing, and what they feel are the greatest barriers they face in their efforts.
Towards decoding speech production from single-trial magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals

Patients with locked-in-syndrome (fully paralyzed but aware) struggle in their life and communication. Providing a level of communication offers these patients a chance to resume a meaningful life. Current brain-computer interface (BCI) communication requires users to build words from single letters selected on a screen, which is extremely inefficient. Faster approaches for their speech communication are highly needed. This project investigated the possibility to decode spoken phrases from non-invasive brain activity (MEG) signals. This direct brain-to-text mapping approach may provide a significantly faster communication rate than current BCIs can provide. We used dynamic time warping and Wiener filtering for noise reduction and then Gaussian mixture model and artificial neural network as the decoders. Preliminary results showed the possibility of decoding speech production from non-invasive brain signals. The best phrase classification accuracy was up to 94.54% from single-trial whole-head MEG recordings.
Depression and the existential domain in the assessment of quality of life in HIV outpatients with the McGill questionnaire.

AIM The aim of the present study was to further test criterion validity and factorial validity of the McGIll Quality Of Life (MQOL) questionnaire, and to assess its reliability and sensitivity to clinical change in outpatients with HIV infection. METHODS The authors present a longitudinal study on a consecutive sample of 216 adults treated with HAART at the outpatient facility of an hospital-based tertiary care center in Italy. Patients completed the MQOL and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) both at baseline and follow-up assessments. Patients were classified into subgroups (improved, unchanged, worsened) based on change in BDI scores or CD4 count over time. RESULTS The pattern of correlation between MQOL subscales and the BDI was as hypothesised. A fairly simple factor structure emerged, with a striking resemblance between the factors and the MQOL subscales. The internal consistency of the MQOL and its subscales was high. The test-retest reliability in clinically unchanged patients was satisfactory. Sensitivity to change, as measured by Guyatt responsiveness statistic, was also satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS This study contributed to building evidence of reliability and validity for the MQOL questionnaire, which may be particularly useful to assess the so-called "existential" aspects of QOL that are particularly relevant for patients infected with HIV.
The M184I/V and K65R nucleoside resistance mutations in HIV-1 prevent the emergence of resistance mutations against dolutegravir

Objective:Recommended treatments for newly diagnosed HIV-positive individuals now focus on the integrase strand transfer inhibitors, raltegravir (RAL), elvitegravir (EVG) and dolutegravir (DTG). In treatment-naive individuals, cases of RAL-based and EVG-based virological failure, although rare, are associated with the occurrence of resistance mutations in integrase and/or reverse transcriptase coding sequences. In such cases, common resistance substitutions in reverse transcriptase that were associated with nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors included M184I/V and K65R and these occurred together with various mutations in integrase. In some instances, these mutations in reverse transcriptase preceded the emergence of mutations in integrase. In contrast, no resistance substitutions in either integrase or reverse transcriptase have been observed to date in viruses isolated from treatment-naive individuals who experienced treatment failure with DTG-based regimens. Design:The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the M184I/V and K65R substitutions in reverse transcriptase on the ability of HIV-1 to become resistant against RAL, EVG or DTG. Methods:We performed tissue culture selection experiments using reverse transcriptase inhibitor-resistant viruses containing resistance substitutions at positions K65R, M184I or M184V in the presence of increasing concentrations of RAL, EVG or DTG and monitored changes in integrase sequences by genotyping. Results:Selections using EVG and RAL led to the emergence of resistance mutations in integrase. In contrast, only the wild-type virus was able to acquire resistance mutations for DTG. Conclusion:Resistance mutations against nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors antagonized the development of HIV-1 resistance against DTG but not RAL or EVG.
Permits, Starts, and Completions: Structural Relationships Versus Real Options

Real estate development from raw land to completed structures is a multistage process. Given the current view of development as the exercise of a real option, the question arises whether development should be modeled as a compound option. This paper tests the validity of the compound option characterization by determining whether builders start units for which they have permits and then complete units started consistent with the predictions of the real options model. To do so, I first identify a reduced form relationship between permits and starts and then between starts and completions. The parameters of this relationship indicate how well permits proxy for starts and starts for completions. Then, I determine whether controlling for this structural relationship, new information, and uncertainty in returns affect permit exercise and completion rates, as in the exercise of real options. I find that current and previous quarter permits forecast current single-family starts, while multifamily starts require more quarterly lags of permits. More than one and two year's worth of lagged starts numbers are needed to estimate current quarter completions for single- and multifamilys buildings, respectively. The principal result is that once building permits have been obtained, the development process proceeds to completion. While there is no evidence that completion is the exercise of an option embedded in a start, some aspects of permits are consistent with builders treating them as an option for starts. However, even if they do, given permits obtained, it takes large changes in market conditions to affect small changes in starts. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd 2001.
The Causal Effect of Competition on Prices and Quality: Evidence from a Field Experiment

This paper provides experimental evidence on the effect of increased competition on prices and quality in the retail sector. We randomized the entry of 61 firms into 72 markets serving the beneficiaries of a conditional cash transfer program in the Dominican Republic. Six months after the intervention, entry into the market led to reductions in prices ranging from 2 to 6 percent and to a statistically significant improvement in self-reported service quality. Prices dropped more in areas where the number of entrants was larger. Competition seems to have driven part of the clientele away from incumbent retailers. (JEL C93, I38, L11, L15, L81, O14)
In Letter But Not in Spirit: An Analysis of Corporate Governance in the UK

We examine the effectiveness of the "comply or explain" approach to corporate governance in the UK. Using a unique database of 245 non-financial companies for the period 1998-2004, we perform a detailed analysis of both the degree of compliance with the provisions of the corporate governance code of best practice (Combined Code), and the explanations given in case of non-compliance. We rank the quality of explanations based on their information content. We find an increasing trend of compliance with the provisions of the Combined Code, but also a frequent use of standard and uninformative explanations when departing from best practice, which highlights a common conformity with the letter but not the spirit of the Code.
Two algorithms for multi‐constrained optimal multicast routing

Multimedia applications, such as video‐conferencing and video‐on‐demand, often require quality of service (QoS) guarantees from the network, typically in the form of minimum bandwidth, maximum delay, jitter and packet loss constraints, among others. The problem of multicast routing subject to various forms of QoS constraints has been studied extensively. However, most previous efforts have focused on special situations where a single or a pair of constraints is considered. In general, routing under multiple constraints, even in the unicast case is an NP‐complete problem. We present in this paper two practical and efficient algorithms, called multi‐constrained QoS dependent multicast routing (M_QDMR) and (multicasting routing with multi‐constrained optimal path selection (M_MCOP)), for QoS‐based multicast routing under multiple constraints with cost optimization. We provide proof in the paper that our algorithms are correct. Furthermore, through extensive simulations, we illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposals and demonstrate their significant performance improvement in creating multicast trees with lower cost and higher success probability. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Corruption in the post-Soviet workplace: the experiences of recent graduates in contemporary Ukraine

While Ukraine was bestowed market economy status by the European Union in 2005 its labour market still endures many structural problems. By exploring the experiences of young graduate employees this article highlights the difficultly in obtaining work within Ukraine's labour market and the problems they face once they have secured employment. Rather than seeing the development of a transparent labour market the collapse of the command economy has seen a relatively closed system develop. The article demonstrates how many jobs are secured through the use of connections or the demanding, and payment, of bribes.The situation does not improve once graduates obtain long-term employment. Interviewees discuss the lack of job security, the informal payment of wages and the lack of legal protection from corrupt employer practices. The article has broader resonance outside of the Ukrainian case study as the discussion of workplace corruption highlights how the issue is concerned with much more than simply cash based transactions and how those that endure it are likely to turn to the informal economy for employment.
EXCHANGE RATE REGIMES FOR EMERGING MARKETS: MORAL HAZARD AND INTERNATIONAL OVERBORROWING

This paper investigates the role of the exchange-rate regime in a simple Fisherian model of the overborrowing syndrome. Where domestic banks are subject to moral hazard, the choice of exchange-rate regime may have important implications for the macroeconomic stability of the economy. Banks that enjoy government guarantees have an incentive to increase foreign borrowing and incur foreign-exchange risks that are underwritten by the deposit insurance system. In the absence of capital controls, this increases the magnitude of overborrowing and leaves the economy both more vulnerable to speculative attack and more exposed to the real economic consequences of such an attack. While "bad" exchange-rate pegs will tend to exacerbate the problem of overborrowing in emerging markets, it is unclear that flexible exchange rate always dominates fixed exchange rates. A "good fix"--one that is credible and close to purchasing power parity--may reduce the "super risk premium" in domestic interest rates and thereby narrow the margin of temptation for banks to overborrow internationally. Contrary to the current consensus regarding the lessons that should be drawn from the Asian crisis, a good fix may better stabilize the domestic economy while limiting moral hazard in the banking system. Copyright 1999 by Oxford University Press.
The Determinants of Immigration from Fiji to New Zealand: An Empirical Reassessment Using the Bounds Testing Approach

This article re-examines Gani's (1998) findings on the determinants of migrant flows from Fiji to New Zealand by employing the bounds testing procedure to cointegration, within an autoregressive distributive lag framework. The main findings are that in the long run all variables are statistically insignificant, although correctly signed with the exception of the unemployment differential. In the short run, in sharp contrast to Gani's (1998) findings, political instability is consistently the most important determinant of migration flows while the standard of living and real wage differentials are statistically insignificant across all specifications.
Money, Debt and Prices in the United Kingdom, 1705-1996

This paper constructs a consistent series for the market value of UK government debt over almost 300 years, analysing how monetary and fiscal policy affect the path of the UK price level. Specifically, it examines the interactions between debts, deficits, the monetary base and the price level. Overall, the price level has been closely related to the evolution of the base money supply. Across different sample periods, there is little econometric evidence that fiscal policy has affected the course of the price level (or of the exchange rate under the Gold Standard). Government debt has not significantly affected the base money stock, either.
Social Mix and Passive Revolution. A Neo-Gramscian Analysis of the Social Mix Rhetoric in Flanders, Belgium

Belgium's housing policy has always been instrumental in the pillarisation process. As a consequence, two competing historical models have existed: first, a model promoted by the socialist pillar based on social rental housing in urban settings; second, the model put forward by the hegemonic Catholic party, emphasising the promotion of homeownership of single-family dwellings in rural settings. When this second, anti-urban model, became the main housing model for the masses in the post-war period, its spatial layout was one of sprawl and disinvestment in urban neighbourhoods. However, from the 1970s onwards, various actors have contested this policy. In response, policy makers have turned to a discourse of inner-city social mix. However, this discourse was barely translated into practice and did not affect the hegemonic model. Following Gramsci, this paper analyses how social mix has primarily served as an instrument for passive revolution, by deviating and disempowering counter-hegemonic attacks on the leading model of suburban homeownership.
CSR for Development Through Sport: examining its potential and limitations

Abstract Recent publications have highlighted the growth of sport as a vehicle in deploying corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes or for disseminating international development initiatives. However, very little has been written on the considerable increase of the use of sport with corporate social responsibility to further social and economic development. This will expand as a range of CSR for development initiatives are being launched to coincide with mega-sports events in the coming years, starting with the 2010 football World Cup. This article addresses this gap by charting the ways in which sport is being used by businesses (ranging from multinational corporations to sports federations) as part of discrete development initiatives. It highlights the opportunities (notably developing partnerships and reaching those alienated from traditional development) and limitations associated with this. Limitations form around Stefano Ponte et al's typology of CSR initiatives, which is used to highlight the fact that many projects are poorly linked to core business objectives and are therefore less likely to be taken seriously and succeed. A lack of evaluation and the tarnished reputation of sport are other problems associated with CSR for development through sport.
Do Inward Investors Achieve Their Job Targets?

The paper utilizes data for north-east England over the period 1985-98 to examine if foreign-owned start-up plants achieve their job targets. Different models are estimated, each shedding light on the relationship between the jobs promised by plants in their initial investment and their actual employment attained. On average, it is found that the plants achieve their job targets, but larger plants fall someway short. It is argued that these plants may deliberately overstate the number of jobs, and that the employment-creation claims of inward investors and economic development agencies should be treated with skepticism. Copyright 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Slavery in United States Survey Textbooks.

I have taught the first half of the United States history survey course some fifteen times, during a teaching career that has covered almost thirty years at four different state universities. I have assigned several different textbooks in these classes, never with total satisfaction. As the number of textbooks has proliferated, it has become more difficult to assess their relative quality. Students seem to dislike them all: whichever I assign, they complain that it is boring and fact-laden, and (I suspect) they read at it only sporadically. Although tempted to dispense with a textbook altogether and to rely only on the primary documents that I also assign, I feel that students need one and that I too need one, so that I can be selective and interpretive in lecture without worrying that the students are missing important parts of the national narrative. I therefore welcomed the invitation by the editors of the "Textbooks and Teaching" section of the Journal of American History to examine the treatment of slavery in survey texts, as a way to inform myself better about the relative merits of a growing number of competing works, each of which is advertised by its publisher's representative as the best, most up-to-date, and most userfriendly volume available. In this essay, I sample eight widely used college-level textbooks, in all cases the most recent edition available. 1 The sample does not include every textbook or even every widely used textbook, but it represents a broad cross section of the volumes currently available to college instructors. The books vary in focus, with some stressing political narrative and others social trends. They also vary in the student level at which they are pitched, their interpretive sophistication, the number of authors (which ranges from two to six), and the price (one volume is substantially less expensive than the others). 2 My goal is not to provide a precise grade for each textbook, but to see, first, how they are doing collectively in presenting a subject that historians have subjected to extensive reinterpretation, second, how they compare with each otherin coverage, approach, interpretation, and organization and,
The Impact of Ownership, Governance and Non-Audit Services on Audit Fees: Evidence from the Insurance Industry

This paper adds to the existing audit pricing literature in three respects. First we focus our analysis on insurance companies thereby allowing us to compare the pricing of audits in mutual and proprietary companies. The different external ownership structure of mutual and proprietary insurers provides an ideal environment in which to explore the influence of external governance on auditors’ pricing decisions. Second, we examine the impact of board composition and audit committees on audit fees. Third, we analyse the impact of non-audit fees on audit fees. Data for the study were obtained from both statutory disclosures and a postal questionnaire. Our results suggest that mutual insurers pay significantly lower audit fees compared to their proprietary counterparts. We find some evidence that the existence of an audit committee has a positive impact on audit fees paid by companies in the sample but we find no evidence that audit fees are sensitive to the composition of audit committees. We find weak evidence that the provision of non-audit services exerts a positive impact on audit fees but the nature of the non-audit service provided has no significant impact. Apart from governance factors, we find that company size and complexity are the most important determinants of audit pricing in insurance with significant price reductions earned by insurers specialising in either general or life business.
Ex Ante Evaluation of the Economic Impact of Agricultural Biotechnology: The Case of Porcine Somatotropin

Introduction of a new growth hormone, porcine somatotropin, will have a significant impact on the U.S. pork industry. Ex ante effects are estimated using a linear elasticity model, which accounts for interrelationships between domestic and international markets for hogs and pork, different adoption rates and lengths of run for supply, and consumer demand shifts from leaner pork. The paper shows how to use experimental data to quantify production function and supply shifts. Results indicate that, for a five-year adjustment period, producers' surplus will increase between $250 million and $720 million; consumers' surplus will increase between $900 million and $1.95 billion.