Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information Systems Outsourcing Decision Making: A Managerial Approach

From the Book: Organizations are increasingly considering outsourcing part or all of their information systems activities to external suppliers. Some client organizations have very high expectations of outsourcing, fed by positive media attention and eloquent suppliers. Other clients doubt whether the improvements attributed to outsourcing will arise and fear that they will become overly dependent on external suppliers. The main conclusion of the research presented in this book is that outsourcing only leads to the improvements decision makers expect if specific conditions are fulfilled, and that it may otherwise even appear to be detrimental to the organization. Improvements from outsourcing are never achieved automatically but must be supervised, and enforced if necessary, by the client organization. The question of outsourcing is an inherent part of organizing the IS function of any organization. It is an important decision, that can have-reaching short and long term consequences, both positive and negative. The management of any organization should, when (re)organizing the IS function, decide what part of the IS function is to be performed internally and what part could be better outsourced to external suppliers. IS outsourcing decisions should be taken with care, as today the IS function plays an important role in most organisations. The IS function is the aggregate of activities and resources needed to establish and sustain the information systems an organization needs. The IS function often takes up an increasingly large part of an organization's expenditures. Nowadays almost every organization depends to some extent on computerized information systems and the IS function is often of strategic importance to the organization. Furthermore the strategy of an organization can be supported or limited by the possibilities of information technology. Innovative information systems can even support and pave the way for new products or services. The question of who is to provide these information systems is therefore very important. The research described in this book is intended to support the management of organizations that are considering or have chosen to outsource. A model for IS outsourcing decision-making is provided in this book. Managers can use this model during analysis to decide whether outsourcing will be sensible and beneficial for their organization. The model is also intended to be used during the supplier selection process and to design and manage the outsourcing relationship. The model is based upon established organizational theories and case study research. The model is described in chapter 5, which can be read and used independently from the other chapters of this book. Recommendations for IS suppliers are given which can used when developing marketing strategies and strategies for the acquisition and tendering process. The result of this research is intended to be used in practice, I therefore look forward to receiving comments and suggestions, and I am willing to answer questions from practitioners implementing the guidelines provided in this book.
Seaweeds in Two Oceans: Beta-Diversity

Several species assembly mechanisms have been proposed to structure ecological communities. We assess the biogeography of seaweeds along 2,700 km of South Africa's coastline in relation to a thermal gradient produced by the Agulhas Current, and contrast this with the environmental structure created by the Benguela Current. We subdivided the coastline into `bioregions' to examine the regional patterning. To investigate the assembly mechanisms, we decomposed Sorensen's Beta-diversity into `turnover' (Bsim) and `nestedness-resultant' (Bsne) dissimilarities, and used distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) to relate them to the Euclidian thermal difference, dE, and geographical distance. Moran's eigenvector maps (MEM) were used as an additional set of spatial constraints. Variation partitioning was then used to find the relative strengths of thermal and spatially-structured thermal drivers. Spatial and environmental predictors explained 97.9% of the total variation in Bsim and the thermal gradient accounted for 84.2% of this combined pool. Bsim was the major component of overall Beta-diversity in the Agulhas Current region, suggesting niche influences (environmental sorting) as dominant assembly process there. The much weaker thermal gradient in the Benguela Current-influenced region resulted in a high amount of Bsne that could indicate neutral assembly processes. The intensification of upwelling during the mid-Pliocene 4.6--3.2 Ma (i.e. historical factors) were likely responsible for setting up the strong disjunction between the species-poor west coast and species-rich south and east coast floras, and this separation continues to maintain two systems of community structuring mechanisms in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean influenced sides of South Africa.
Decreased renal function as an independent predictor of re-hospitalization for congestive heart failure.

BACKGROUND Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) are often re-hospitalized, worsening both their quality of life and prognosis. Although renal dysfunction reportedly increases the risk of CHF, the association between renal dysfunction and re-hospitalization for CHF remains unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS Patients with CHF and decreased renal function were reviewed. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated with the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation. Patients with decreased renal function (estimated GFR on admission <45 ml .min(-1) . 1.73 m(-2)) were re-hospitalized more frequently than were patients with preserved renal function (estimated GFR on admission >or=45). Patients with decreased renal function were older and had higher rates of anemia, worsening renal function during hospitalization, and previous hospitalization for CHF. Independent predictors of re-hospitalization for CHF identified with multivariate analysis were age, previous hospitalization for CHF, decreased renal function, and non-use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin-receptor blocker. CONCLUSIONS Renal dysfunction is an independent predictor of re-hospitalization for CHF, so careful follow-up is needed, even after discharge.
Another Decade of Research in Club Management: A Review of the Literature in Academic Journals for the Period 1994–2005

This article presents a review of 45 articles that have been published in the area of club management in academic journals available in North America. Sampling, methodologies, and results of the articles are presented in an effort to illustrate that while the number of articles that were published during this time represents a four-fold increase over the previous ten year period, research methods are still rather limited. Finally, this article summarizes the published research, categorizes each of the articles, makes some observations on the state of club management research, and makes some suggestions for a future research agenda.
Recent explanatory trials of the mode of action of drug therapies on lipoprotein metabolism

Purpose of review Dysregulated lipoprotein metabolism leads to increased plasma concentrations of atherogenic lipoproteins. We highlight the findings from recent studies of the effect of lipid-regulating therapies on apolipoprotein metabolism in humans employing endogenous labelling with stable isotopically labelled isotopomers. Recent findings Fish oil supplementation and niacin treatment both reduce fasting and postprandial triglyceride levels by decreasing the hepatic secretion of VLDL-apoB-100 (apoB) and apoB-48-containing chylomicron particles in obese and/or type 2 diabetes. Niacin also lowers plasma LDL-apoB and Lp(a) levels by increasing catabolism of LDL-apoB and decreasing secretion of Lp(a), respectively. In subjects with hypercholesterolaemia, inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein raises apoA-I and lowers apoB by decreasing and increasing the catabolism of HDL-apoA-I and LDL-apoB, respectively. Antisense oligonucleotides directed at apoB mRNA lowers plasma LDL-cholesterol and apoB chiefly by increasing the catabolism and decreasing the secretion of LDL-apoB in healthy subjects. That apoB ASO treatment does not lower hepatic secretion in humans is unexpected and merits further investigation. Summary Kinetic studies provide mechanistic insight into the mode of action of lipid lowering therapies and lipoprotein disorders. Understanding the mode of action of new drugs in vivo is important to establish their effective use in clinical practice.
Effects of Organizational Change on Firm Productivity

An increasing use of IT facilitates firms to use more efficient organiza- tional forms. Significant reorganizations of business processes around IT capital can thereby boost productivity growth. The aim of this study is to empirically examine how …rm productivity growth is affected by orga- nizational changes and investments in IT using a Difference-in-Difference approach on a panel of Swedish firms over the years 1997-2005. The empirical results show a positive and significant effect on total factor pro- ductivity growth for firms that invested above median in IT and at the same time undertook organizational changes.
Audit pricing and product differentiation in small private firms : evidence from Thailand

Purpose – There is limited evidence on how differences in economic environments affect the demand for and supply of auditing. Research on audit pricing has mainly focused on large client markets in developed economies; in contrast, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the small client segment in the emerging economy of Thailand which offers a choice between auditors of two different qualities. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on a random stratified sample of small clients in Thailand qualifying for audit exemption. The final sample consists of 1,950 firm-year observations for 2002-2006. Findings – The authors find evidence of product differentiation in the small client market, suggesting that small firms view certified public accountants as superior and pay a premium for their services. The authors also find that audit fees have a positive significant association with leverage, metropolitan location and client size. Audit risk and audit opinion are not, however, significantly associated with audit fees. Furthermore, the authors find no evidence that clients whose financial year ends in the auditors’ busy period pay significantly higher audit fees, and auditors engage in low-balling on initial engagements to attract audit clients. Research limitations/implications – The research shows the importance of exploring actual decisions regarding audit practice and audit pricing in different institutional and organizational settings. Originality/value – The paper extends the literature from developed economies and large/listed market setting to the emerging economy and small client market setting. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first paper to examine audit pricing in the small client market in an emerging economy.
Investigation of the Annexin A 5 M 2 haplotype in 500 white European recurrent miscarriage couples

Annexin A5 is a placental anti-coagulant protein that contains four nucleotide substitutions (M2 haplotype) in its promoter. Studies have shown that this haplotype is a risk factor for recurrent miscarriage (RM). Our aim was to investigate the influence of the M2 haplotype in the gestational timing of miscarriages, assessing the paternal risk and investigate for relationships with known risk factors. Five hundred white European couples with three or more consecutive miscarriages and two fertile control groups were selected for this study. The allele frequency of M2 was found to be significantly higher among early RM patients than among controls (P=0.002) and there was no difference between controls and patients with late miscarriages. Moreover, there was no difference between RM patients who had a live birth or no live births or between patients who were positive or negative for known risk factors. Male and female partners in each group had similar allele frequencies of M2. In conclusion, the M2 haplotype is a risk factor for early miscarriages, before the 12 th week of gestation and confers about the same relative risk to carriers of both sexes. Having one or more M2 allele(s) in combination with other risk factors further increases the RM risk.
Renewal Theory Based Performance Analysis for IEEE 802.15.4 MAC Protocol with ACK mode

In this study, we model and analyze an wireless sensor network. First, we develop an analytic model for the homogeneous network where all nodes in the network have the same traffic characteristic. For our model, we assume a sensor network with star topology which is operated using the IEEE 802.15. 4 MAC protocol with ACK mode. From our analytical model we derive performance metrics such as throughput, mean service time of a packet, transmission success probability of an arbitrary packet, transmission failure (due to collision) probability of an arbitrary packet and CCA failure probability. Using our analytic model for the homogeneous sensor network, we also develop an analytic model for the non-homogeneous network where a tagged node called cluster header node in the network has different traffic characteristic than the other nodes called normal nodes.
Buying behaviour of consumers for food products in an emerging economy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a marketing strategy for a modern food/grocery market based on consumer preferences and behaviour.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 101 households having sufficient purchasing power were personally surveyed with a structured questionnaire. These households are spread across the well‐developed Gomtinagar area of Lucknow city. Simple statistical analysis such as descriptive statistical analysis, frequency distribution, cross tabulation, analysis of variance, and factor analysis to assess the consumers' preferences for food and grocery products and market attributes were carried out.Findings – The preferences of the consumers clearly indicate their priority for cleanliness/freshness of food products followed by price, quality, variety, packaging, and non‐seasonal availability. The consumers' preference of marketplace largely depends on the convenience in purchasing at the marketplace along with the availability of additional services, attraction for ch.
First isolation of a rabies-related virus from a Daubenton's bat in the United Kingdom

On May 30, 1996, a sick Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentonii) was recovered from the cellar of a public house in Newhaven, East Sussex. Its condition deteriorated rapidly, and it was euthanased and examined. Positive results, establishing the presence of a rabies or rabies-related virus in its brain, were obtained from the fluorescent antibody test, the rabies tissue culture isolation test, and a hemi-nested reversetranscription PCR. The complete sequence of the nucleoprotein gene was determined and a phylogenetic analysis, based on the 470 nucleotide bases of the amino terminus of the nucleoprotein, established the genotype of the virus as European bat lyssavirus 2. Bat rabies had not previously been recorded in the UK but does occur in mainland Europe. A study of the back-trajectories of the wind on May 29 and 30, established that the infected bat possibly came from near the Franco-Swiss border.
Effects of Discounting Cues and Gender on Apprehension

Two experiments examined the hypothesis that quantitative depictions of improvement in threatening trends that were subsequently discounted would engender greater apprehension than undiscounted depictions of improving trends among men but not among women. Support for this interaction hypothesis was obtained in Experiment 1. When improvement in the threatening trends was depicted verbally, the interaction between discounting cues and gender was hypothesized to reverse. Experiment 2 found evidence supporting the predicted reversal of the interaction found in Experiment 1. These interaction effects are explained in terms of differential vigilance potentiated by quantitative and verbal depictions of threatening trends among women and men and gender differences in quantitative and verbal skills.
A Scale for Measuring Student Perceptions of Quality: An Australian Asian Perspective

ABSTRACT Australia is rapidly moving into the globally competitive higher education market. As a consequence the issue of consumer satisfaction and quality is emerging as an area of interest. This paper focuses on the issue of student understandings of quality by developing a consumer derived scale which identifies the quality variables related to student perceptions with the university experience. The scale was derived from focus groups, in-depth interviews and through an examination of the literature. The scale was tested and refined on a cohort of 351 Australian and Singaporean/Hong Kong students studying business subjects at an Australian University. The refined scale comprised 25 quality variables which factored into four orthogonal components. The mean values of the variables and factors were examined to make inferences about how educational marketing practitioners can be assisted.
10-meter walking test among obese and non-obese community dwelling elderly

There are over 72 million people in the US are obese (BMI>30). Falls have been identified as the most common cause of injuries in the obese, and obese elderly fell almost twice as frequently as their lean counterparts per year. Falls among older adults often occur during walking, and gait dysfunction is included among the many risk factors for falls. As such, this study evaluated gait functions during 10-meter walking tasks among twenty community-dwelling elderly. Ten obese elderly and ten non-obese elderly (aged 65-84) participated in this study. Participants were asked to walk at selfselected pace for two 10-meter trials. This was performed on a walking course marked by blue tape on the floor to indicate 10-meter distance. Total walking time was recorded. Three custom-made wireless inertial measurement units (IMUs) were attached on participants’ trunk and both shanks to obtain the temporal and kinematic parameters. The results showed that there was no significant difference in walking velocity, stance time, double support time, step length, cadence and total walking time to complete the task (p>0.05) between the obese and non-obese groups. However, obese participants walked with significantly less swing time than their non-obese counterparts (p=0.04). The less swing time may be explained as gait adaptations among the obese related to their increased need of effort to move a heavier limb with impaired lower extremity muscle functions. However, the evaluation of walking behavior itself would not provide sufficient information to identify differences in the dynamic postural control between obese and non-obese elderly.
The Societas Privata Europaea - Could it Promote the Internationalization of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises?

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are important for employment, innovation and growth. However, due to their size, SMEs experience a number of restrictions which also lead to a low degree of internationalization. To promote their internationalization, the European Union plans to introduce a supranational private limited liability company (the European private Company, SPE). After an empirical overview of SMEs in the EU, we analyze whether the SPE draft regulation does indeed provide rules which result in (1) low transaction and coordination costs, (2) provide secure ownership rights and (3) reduce information asymmetries and thus mitigate agency relations among owners, management, employees and creditors of SMEs. As this can be agreed to, we ask whether an additional 28th EU-wide private legal form is necessary. We discuss the available empirical findings about the extent of horizontal and vertical competition in company law in the EU. Finally, we examine whether the theory of interjurisdictional competition provides normative arguments in favour or against of introducing the SPE. We conclude that there are no profound objections against the introduction of the SPE from the theory of regulatory competition.
Understanding the Internationalization of the US Venture Capital Industry: The Role of Experience, Reputation, and Networks

The development of breakthrough innovation in new nations, the emergence of entrepreneurial talent to new regional clusters, and the attendant need to participate in emerging growth markets have encouraged venture capital firms to develop global strategies and make offshore investments. While a growing collection of studies document the globalization of venture capital investment and its impact on portfolio firms, we know surprisingly little about the internationalization processes of venture capital firms themselves or the consequences for performance. This study departs from the conventional emphasis on venture capital as an inherently local business and draws upon the resource-based view and the capabilities literature to explain why some venture capital firms internationalize and others do not. We develop and test propositions using panel data over a twenty-eight year period containing 21,604 rounds of venture capital financing. Our results showcase the subtle interplay between venture capital firm experience, reputation, and network quality in the global market for the financing of high-growth new ventures.
Invariant sets for a class of linear systems with variable time-delay

This paper focuses on the control of a class of linear systems with polytopic uncertainty to model the presence of variable delay affecting the input. It is shown that the embedding problem can be casted as a polytopic containment problem and a new approach to construct a simplex enclosure is proposed. The stability of the closed-loop system is guaranteed by forcing the state trajectories to attain a robust positively invariant set in a given prediction window. Illustrative examples complete the paper.
Necrotising Enterocolitis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants in Italy: Incidence and Non-nutritional Risk Factors

Incidence and non-nutritional risk factors were estimated for necrotising enterocolitis in 2035 very low birth weight infants, admitted to 14 tertiary-level neonatal intensive care units in Lombardy, northern Italy. There were 62 necrotising enterocolitis cases, with an overall incidence of 3.1%. After adjustment for gestational age and centre, the risk factors were mechanical ventilation, patent ductus arteriosus, and late-onset sepsis, whereas surfactant treatment was associated with decreased risk. Significant variations in necrotising enterocolitis incidence among hospitals were found.
Carbon disclosure, carbon performance, and cost of capital

More and more firms are voluntarily disclosing carbon information as a response to the challenge of climate change. This research investigated the interactions among carbon disclosure, carbon performance, and the cost of capital. Because unobservable overall strategic decisions by management affect each of these outcomes and phenomena, we used a simultaneous equations model to analyse our data. We used data from S&P 500 firms that participated in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in 2010. We found that the cost of capital is negatively associated with carbon disclosure, which is consistent with voluntary disclosure theory. This relationship is weaker for firms with good carbon performance. In addition, there is an inverse relationship between carbon disclosure and carbon performance, which is consistent with legitimacy theory. Our results suggest that voluntary carbon disclosure is a rational choice that firms make to reduce the pressure exerted by legitimacy threats and to lower the cost of capital.