bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consumer ethics: an application and empirical testing of the Hunt‐Vitell theory of ethics
Authors: Vitell Scott J. , Singhapakdi Anusorn , Thomas James
Published: April 2007

Analyzes how consumers make decisions involving ethical issues. In particular, investigates the extent to which consumers rely on ethical norms (deontology) versus the perceived consequences of behaviors (teleology) in forming their ethical judgments and in determining behavioral intentions in situations involving ethical issues. The results based upon three studies, including a national sample of adult consumers, reveal that consumers tend to rely primarily on ethical norms and less on perceived consequences in forming ethical judgments. Results also indicate that consumers, to a large degree, rely primarily on ethical norms in determining their behavioral intentions in situations involving ethical issues. Finally, a number of personal characteristics were tested as moderating variables, but results were generally inconclusive, despite some evidence that education and religiosity may be moderators.
Validating acculturation models: the case of the Australian‐Chinese consumers
Authors: Quester Pascale G. , Chong Irene
Published: April 2007

Previous research in the area, predominantly conducted in North America with Hispanics or French Canadians, has provided two alternative models of acculturation. This study examines empirically whether the assimilation model of acculturation is more valid than the “unique behavior”’ model in the case of Australian‐Chinese consumers. Based on 288 respondents of Chinese background but exhibiting contrasting degrees of acculturation, several aspects of consumer behavior, including information search, product evaluation, purchase behavior and post‐purchase evaluation, were examined in the case of three products of increasing involvement, namely toothpaste, stereos and cars. Our results suggest that both views are valid and demonstrate that further research is needed in this area of growing economic significance.
Developmental relationship marketing (connecting messages with mind: an empathetic marketing system)
Authors: Wolfe David B.
Published: April 2007

Reviews the evolution of marketing to date. Discusses the different stages of transaction marketing and relationship marketing. Goes on to discuss a new marketing system called developmental relationship marketing. The system integrates concepts and approaches used in both transaction marketing and relationship marketing and is based on the principle that consumer behavior cannot be predicted. Asserts that the main challenge confronting marketers is understanding consumers’ psychosocial needs. Goes on to discuss consumers’ root motivations and refers to these as key underlying motivating values. These are based on the different stages in a person’s life. Finally, the developmental relationship marketing model anticipates developmental changes in consumers’ needs, motivations, and the strategies they employ to meet needs.
Enhancing access through electronic resources: the University of Botswana Library experience
Authors: Mutshewa A. , Rao K.N.
Published: April 2007

Libraries are changing their modes of information delivery at a very fast rate. This article describes how the University of Botswana Library has taken advantage of the new technologies to enhance its service to its patrons. The university local network is used to bring library electronic resources to the desktops of the patrons in their offices.
Looking at four UK “hybrid” libraries
Authors: Boone Morell D.
Published: April 2007

As part of my on‐going investigation into the ways library planners are integrating learning technologies into their buildings’ architecture and facilities, I visited the libraries of four professional/technical universities in the UK. All of these institutions have only become fully fledged universities within the past ten years and all of them have opened libraries within the past four. In each instance, the buildings modify the traditional understanding of a “library” as an information resource by integrating technology training labs, multimedia resources, and other support services. The British consider these to be “hybrid” libraries, although these buildings are also indicative of the future of information resource accessibility for academic institutions across the board. This article will analyze the features of each of the four libraries and seek to demonstrate how their “hybrid” qualities are fitting into developing trends of library design and technology design already identified by this author in previous articles.
Product services: from a service supporting the product to a service supporting the client
Authors: Mathieu Valérie
Published: April 2007

Challenges the traditional perspective of product services in the business marketing literature. An original classification system is proposed that isolates and compares two types of product services: services that support the supplier’s product (e.g. after‐sale services) and services that support the client’s action in relation to the supplier’s product (e.g. training service). A qualitative study based on this classification is then reported. The study centered on one of the main European manufacturers in the micro‐electronics industry, and involved interviews with customers, distributors, and managers in the manufacturing firm.
A cost/benefit approach to understanding service loyalty
Authors: Lee Moonkyu , Cunningham Lawrence F.
Published: April 2007

Examines determinants of service loyalty under the assumption that consumers perform a cost/benefit analysis when deciding whether or not they want to be “regular customers”. It develops potential determinants of service loyalty based on the service quality, transaction cost, and switching cost literature, and estimates their relative influences with survey data from customers currently using banks and travel agencies. The results indicate that, in addition to service quality perceptions, transaction/switching cost factors have a significant impact on service loyalty. Implications of the results are discussed.
Customer orientations and usage of financial distribution channels
Authors: Thornton Jennifer , White Lesley
Published: April 2007

This research examined the survey responses of 801 financial customers who provided information regarding their usage of, and attitudes towards, financial distribution channels. The study found that there were distinctive segments within the financial market that had significantly different levels of usage of financial distribution channels. Financial customers were asked to indicate their orientation towards convenience, service, technology, computers, change, knowledge about methods of accessing money, and confidence in using electronic banking. Financial customers’ usage of human tellers, automated teller machines, electronic funds transfer at the point of sale, credit cards, cheques, Internet banking and telephone banking was investigated, and this information was used to determine if relationships exist between customer orientations and the usage of financial distribution channels. Further results and implications of the study for financial services are addressed.
Fundraising in academic libraries: the United States experience
Authors: Rader Hannelore B.
Published: April 2007

Funding in academic libraries has become increasingly problematic and competitive during the last part of the twentieth century. Academic libraries manage, collect and provide access to an ever‐growing arsenal of information for an increasing number of users in an environment of growing financial constraints. Libraries employ highly trained and educated staff, need complex facilities and sophisticated electronic technologies in order to operate successfully. The economic issues facing libraries in the 1990s and beyond are complex. Today, new approaches are needed to address financial dilemmas of the academic library. Thus, major efforts are underway to increase budgets for academic libraries through fundraising. Different types of fundraising for academic libraries are examined here and creative methods are detailed, as examples, from different institutions. Some statistics are included to provide illustrations. Related issues of resource sharing, contracts and fee‐based services are offered as part of an entrepreneurial approach to library management.
Cost/benefit analysis for digital library projects: the Virginia Historical Inventory Project (VHI)
Authors: Byrd Sam , Courson Glenn , Roderick Elizabeth , Taylor Jean Marie
Published: April 2007

Since 1995, the Library of Virginia’s Digital Library Program (DLP) has created digital images of more than 700,000 original document pages, 1,100 maps, 36,000 photographs, and 1.6 million catalog card images, and has created 32 bibliographic databases with more than 330,000 MARC records, 50 electronic card indexes, and numerous electronic finding aids. The bulk of the DLP’s funding comes from the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) federal program, but in 1997 the Library received a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to catalog and digitize the Virginia Historical Inventory Project (VHI). After an introduction to the DLP and VHI, this article will discuss the costs and benefits of creating the online version and will compare the one‐time development cost and subsequent delivery of the digital resource to the long‐term costs and benefits of providing access to these materials via traditional means.
Business students’ perceptions of faculty evaluations
Authors: Ahmadi Mohammad , Helms Marilyn M. , Raiszadeh Farhad
Published: April 2007

Students are asked to evaluate faculty on a continual basis at most universities throughout the world, yet students have varying perceptions about the purpose and usefulness of these evaluations. While research has focused on the faculty issues regarding evaluations and their use in subsequent evaluation, yearly reviews, tenure decisions, and even post‐tenure review, little research has been conducted to evaluate student feelings on the evaluations. In a case study format, a random sample of College of Business Administration students from freshman to EMBA levels was polled about their perceptions of the student ratings of faculty. The results provide interesting insights into their perceptions as well as constructive ideas on how better to administer the evaluations and publish the results. Results can benefit not only business schools but also other colleges in improving the evaluation process and linking the results to other rewards and faculty improvement mechanisms.
Leadership development and reflection: what is the connection?
Authors: Densten Iain L. , Gray Judy H.
Published: April 2007

Examines the relevance of critical reflection practices in leadership development. The article provides suggestions for incorporating critical reflective practices in a leadership development program. A constructivist approach is adopted from educational literature which advocates using critical lenses to enable students to build on previous experiences of leadership and to incorporate new learning. Reflective processes encourage multiple perspectives to be generated that challenge teachers and future leaders to excel in complex and uncertain environments. Consequently, leadership development and good teaching practices depend on reflection‐in‐action.
Joint doctoral programs: collaboration while co‐mingling university missions
Authors: Cantrell Harris Judith , Williams Kimberly
Published: April 2007

Today higher education in the USA is faced with rising enrollment demands. As a means of efficiently and creatively meeting graduate education needs, universities are collaborating on doctoral programs. In California, although the sole authority for granting doctorates in the public sector belongs to the University of California (UC), joint doctoral programs may be developed between UC and the California State University (CSU), and between CSU and independent private universities. Currently there are 16 joint doctoral programs in existence in California. Development and implementation of these joint programs frequently involve lengthy, complex collaborations between universities. In order to gain an understanding of the challenges and factors that influence universities’ collaborations on joint doctoral programs, a study was conducted in spring 2000 using interviews with 14 university leaders. The article discusses several critical issues and factors that were found to influence effective collaborative planning and implementation of joint doctoral programs.
Corruption in education sector development: a suggestion for anticipatory strategy
Authors: Tanaka Shinichiro
Published: April 2007

Corruption is a major but neglected problem in international development literature. From a review of available literature and the author’s experiences within consulting services for various educational projects in developing countries, proposes an anticipatory strategy that will help professionals to protect an education project from corruption. Finds that there is no universal definition of corruption; thus, in anticipating corruption, one should be aware of possible disparities in recognising corruption, and avoid imposing inappropriate culturally defined ideas when administering a project. Suggests that an anticipatory strategy is not a direct anti‐corruption strategy, and may exist as a “hidden agenda” within the main project. Thus, attention should first be paid to diagnosing rather than redressing a system that is thought to be corrupt, adopting prevention rather than punishment, informal rather than formal approaches, and situational norms rather than formalised legislation. The protection of students from corruption should be a priority throughout the strategy.
Competency management in the Flemish and Dutch civil service
Authors: Hondeghem Annie , Vandermeulen Filip
Published: April 2007

Competency management has become a new trend in the public sector. There is some doubt, however, if competency management is really something new or whether it is just old wine in new bottles. Academics seem to be more sceptical about its novelty than practitioners. This article attempts to combine theory and practice. Some theoretical aspects of competency management are explored and definitions, reasons for implementation, novelty and implications for the HRM function are discussed. The theory is then confronted with two cases of competency management in the public sector. The first deals with the appraisal system in the Flemish administration and the second with the HR‐policy towards public managers in the Dutch civil service. The research material for the case studies was collected during a research project on international perspectives for HRM in the Flemish government.
New managerialism and Australian police organizations
Authors: Vickers Margaret H. , Kouzmin Alexander
Published: April 2007

Fundamental “purposes” of Australian police organizations are examined, not with a view to solving the complex and ongoing question of an accountable police mandate, but to consider the difficulty of its reconciliation with the new managerialism sweeping numerous public organizations in Australia – police organizations included. Briefly explores the purposes of policing and a problematic police culture as a lead in to a discussion on the possibly deleterious effects of new managerialism and its associated management faddism. Problems associated with the theory of managerialism, which police managers may not be aware of, are explored: managerialism and economic rationalism; management fads and tool tropism; managerialism as a thinly veiled control agenda; and the potential human costs to police officers arising from managerialist approaches. Suggestions are made for ways forward for police organizations which include a recognition of the down‐side of managerialism and a suggested shift away from a belief in a purely rationalistic organization to one which recognizes and accommodates an actor’s “voice” as a legitimate input to growth, learning and institutional development.
Managing organisational change in the public sector ‐ Lessons from the privatisation of the Property Service Agency
Authors: Coram Ron , Burnes Bernard
Published: April 2007

Whilst organisational change appears to be happening with increasing frequency and magnitude in both the public and private sectors, most of the major studies of change focus on the private sector and tend to derive their approaches to change from that sector. From a review of the literature, it is argued that there is no “one best way” to manage organisational change but that public sector organisations need to adopt an approach to change which matches their needs and situation. The article examines the privatisation of the Property Services Agency (PSA) in order to draw lessons as to how the public sector can and should manage change. It is shown that the privatisation was characterised by a lack of clarity, an over‐emphasis on changes to structures and procedures, and staff resistance. However, underpinning this was an inappropriate approach to change. The article concludes that the main lessons of the PSA’s privatisation are that, in such circumstances, it is necessary to adopt an approach to change which incorporates both the structural and cultural aspects of change, and which recognises the need to appreciate and respond to staff fears and concerns.
Employee surveys ‐ Strategic aid or hand‐grenade for organisational and cultural change?
Authors: Hartley Jean
Published: April 2007

Employee surveys are becoming increasingly widespread among both public and private sector organisations. Yet, while there are many articles and books on the technical aspects of how to carry out an employee survey there is much less contemporary information about the impact of employee surveys on the organisation? This paper examines why local authorities undertake employee surveys and the extent to which these contribute to strategic change. The research is based on a review of the use of employee surveys by 12 organisations using surveys at the corporate level. The research found that surveys are used for a variety of purposes to influence change. Purposes are primarily either concerned with organisational assessment (as a diagnostic prior to change) or to implement organisational changes. These results suggest that employee surveys are both mirrors and makers of organisational change. The paper concludes with some theoretical, methodological and ethical implications for academic researchers in the ways that they use and report surveys.
We’re off to see the wizard
Authors: Hines Tony , McBride Karen , Fearnley Stella , Brandt Richard
Published: April 2007

The Financial Reporting Review Panel (FRRP) was an innovation in the UK as it was responsible for the previously little considered issue of ensuring compliance with financial reporting regulations. This paper draws on institutional theory to compare the stated aims, objectives and operating procedures of the FRRP with the practical experiences of those who have had discussions with them, and evidence of the wider impact of their work. The aim is to provide a richer understanding of the way in which this relatively new institution achieves its objectives, and to determine whether it has engaged in “myth making” in order to establish and maintain its legitimacy. The original objectives of the FRRP are explored in this paper, as well as subsequent public pronouncements on its aims, procedures, and achievements. Discussions with key members of the FRRP have enabled further clarification of some of the issues. The perceptions of those with experience of dealing with the FRRP were gained by a series of semi‐structured interviews. Interviews were carried out with company directors and audit firm partners who had direct experience of the FRRP. The analysis draws out themes related to the investigation process and final outcomes of this process. The paper concludes that there is some evidence that the FRRP has engaged in “myth building”. For example, it was considered that cases the FRRP chose to pursue tended to involve rather less serious issues than their public statements might suggest. Also they have considerable operational discretion and this appears to be exercised in a rather unpredictable way without explanation. Overall, however, the evidence suggests that the FRRP is an effective regulator.
A negotiated order perspective on public sector accounting and financial control
Authors: Shiraz Rahaman Abu , Lawrence Stewart
Published: April 2007

Just over two decades ago, Hopwood criticised accounting researchers for how little they knew of the actual functioning of accounting in organisational contexts. Recently, Parker and Roffey reminded us that this is still the case. A new wave of critical and interpretive researchers have not been able to ground their theorising in the actual practice of accounting. This paper attempts to explicate the negotiated order perspective as a social theory that may help to better understand accounting in its organisational context. The paper not only presents the theoretical constructs of the negotiated order perspective but also a case (Volta River Authority) illustration of how the perspective could help in appreciating accounting practice within organisations and society.
Generational accountability of public sector management ‐ A case study of the State Authorities Superannuation Board of New South Wales
Authors: Klumpes Paul
Published: April 2007

Examines the financial accountability implications arising from the adoption of accrual‐based accounting principles by Australia’s largest public sector employee pension fund manager, the State Authorities Superannuation Board of the Australian State of New South Wales (SASB), during its brief existence from 1988 to 1996. While the adoption of accrual‐based accounting principles increased management’s political accountability concerning the performance of SASB’s commercially‐managed asset portfolio, it reduced the level of generational accountability concerning the under‐funding of its major pension fund, the State Authorities Superannuation Scheme (the SAS). Negative political visibility associated with management’s voluntary compliance with a controversial financial reporting standard, together with government’s adoption of accrual accounting, resulted in two major changes in the SASB’s organizational structure. The impact of political visibility on the generational accountability behavior of SASB management is examined by comparing stock and flow funding trends of the SAS over time.
Current development in human resource costing and accounting
Authors: Gröjer Jan‐Erik , Johanson Ulf
Published: April 2007

Human resource costing and accounting (HRCA) is a complex and poorly understood process of accounting. The behavioural impact of HRCA, the many diverging internal forces of an organization, the increasing need of information from the capital market and action from organizations, such as the organization for the economic co‐operation and development (OECD) and European commission (EC), are all part of this accounting change process. With Sweden as a starting point, forces stimulating and inhibiting the development of HRCA are discussed. The main conclusion is that the actual state of things (reality) provides more research opportunities today than in the 1970s. But where are the researchers?
Exploring the reliability of social and environmental disclosures content analysis
Authors: Milne Markus J. , Adler Ralph W.
Published: April 2007

This paper reports the results of an exploratory study of inter‐coder reliability of annual report social and environmental disclosures content analysis. Using the sentence‐based coding instruments and decision rules from Hackston and Milne (1996), this study reports the co‐agreement levels reached by three coders over five rounds of testing 49 annual reports. The study also provides a commentary on the implications of formal reliability analysis for past and future social and environmental disclosures content analyses, and the complexities of formal reliability measurement. The overall findings suggest that the coded output from inexperienced coders using the Hackston and Milne approach with little or no prior training can be relied on for aggregate total disclosures analysis. For more detailed sub‐category analysis, however, the findings suggest a period of training for the less experienced coders with at least 20 reports appears necessary before their coded output could be relied on.
The Health Care Assistant:
Authors: Roberts Ivor L.
Published: April 2007

The budgets of NHS Trust Hospitals are continually under scrutiny in an
endeavour to reduce operating costs. Skill mix, the balance of
professional staff to non‐professional staff, is a part of this process
and the NHS has introduced a new level of staff called “health care
assistants” (HCA). Examines the role and training of the HCA, and the
reaction of professional nurses to their introduction into the area of
patient care. Highlights areas of concern in relation to HCA training,
selection techniques, and the absence of national guidelines which would
ensure the quality level of HCAs produced. There is evidence of some
managements leaning towards “cheaper” staffing, i.e. using HCAs to replace
professional nurses, and the conclusions give rise to some concern in
quality of patient care and in the falling morale of professional
nurses.
What Makes for Successful TQM in the NHS?
Authors: Joss Richard
Published: April 2007

A three‐year evaluation of total quality management (TQM) at NHS
demonstration sites shows there are clear factors which predict
successful implementation of TQM. The intention is to raise awareness
at both TQM and non‐TQM sites of the need to have a structured,
pre‐planned approach to TQM, based on a thorough understanding of
alternative approaches.
CADCAM integration and the practical politics of technological change
Authors: Tantoush Tarek , Clegg Stewart , Wilson Fiona
Published: April 2007

Discusses the issue of computer‐aided design/computer‐aided manufacturing (CADCAM) integration from an organizational point of view. The installation of cross‐functional integrating technology in manufacturing organizations involves technical problems related to hardware, software and database interfacing, as well as data exchange and communication requirements. Such technical problems are perhaps more obvious and widely recognised than the organizational challenges involved in the process of organizational change that accompanies implementation. This paper uses a case study approach to analyse data gathered from two UK manufacturing companies over a five‐year period. The aim here is to compare and contrast the experiences of the two companies with a view to explaining how organizational processes contribute or otherwise to the adoption of CADCAM integration as a business strategy. A conceptual model is devised to analyse the data from the cases using a grounded qualitative research methodology. It is concluded that the crucial technological change competencies are political rather than either technological or economic. Some tactical elements of these are elaborated from the case studies.
Enterprise resource planning
Authors: Koch Christian
Published: April 2007

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) technologies can, despite their apparent flexibility, act as a rather obdurate tool for management’s political programmes. To understand this, a combined organisational politics and sociology of technology approach is adopted, viewing technology as a political programme for change. A total of 30 manufacturing case studies grouped around three ERP vendors and systems, show that using technology is not only an issue controlled by an enterprise’s actors. IT suppliers and management consultants and others form communities, which promote certain political programmes. These cases demonstrate that enterprise configurations of ERP do share commonalities, whereas two longitudinal case studies are used to discuss unique enterprise politics. While some features of the systems/political programmes were frozen, others were fluid, and could be configured in micro political processes. Thus hardness is contextual. The political role of technology is not just a case of flexibility or hardness, but a complicated pattern of negotiability, resources, social and geographical distance.
A role for individuality and mystery in “managing” change
Authors: Steiner Carol
Published: April 2007

This philosophical paper explores why people have so much trouble understanding, coping with and managing change. It looks behind the problem to try to understand its origins. It provides an account of human nature that suggests people are “naturally” capable of coping with change but that we have forgotten how to do so because of our intellectual history. It suggests the pervasive influence of scientific paradigms and rationalism has turned us into conformists who are afraid to trust our own individual experiences and who rely on others to validate them and tell us how to respond. Change makes it difficult to conform because we do not know on whom to rely for validation; we do not know which paradigm is “right.” This paper suggests some current management remedies respond to this conformity problem but others may exacerbate it. It offers its philosophical analysis as a tool to interpret and evaluate such remedies from a fresh perspective.
Tin pest in lead‐free solders
Authors: Kariya Yoshiharu , Gagg Colin , Plumbridge William J.
Published: April 2007

Considers the effect of low temperatures on the characteristics of lead‐free alloys based upon tin, which is the most popular basis for the new alloys.
Critical factors affecting paste flow during the stencil printing of solder paste
Authors: Durairaj R. , Nguty T.A. , Ekere N.N.
Published: April 2007

The paste printing process accounts for the majority of assembly defects, and most defects originate from poor understanding of the effect of printing process parameters on the printing performance. As the current product miniaturisation trend continues, area array type package solutions are now being designed into products. The assembly of these devices requires the printing of very small solder paste deposits. The printing of solder pastes through small stencil apertures typically results in stencil clogging and incomplete transfer of paste to the PCB pads. At the very narrow aperture sizes required for flip‐chip applications, the paste rheology becomes crucial for consistent paste withdrawal. This is because, for smaller paste volumes, surface tension effects become dominant over viscous flow. Proper understanding of the effect of the key material, equipment and process parameters, and their interactions, is crucial for achieving high print yields. During the aperture filling and emptying sub‐process, the solder paste experiences forces/stresses as it interacts with the stencil aperture walls and the pad surfaces, which directly impact the paste flow within the apertures. As the substrate and stencil separate, the frictional/adhesive force on the stencil walls competes directly with the adhesives/pull force on the PCB pads, often resulting in incomplete paste transfer or skipping/clogged apertures. In this paper, we investigate the effect of stencil design on the printing process and in particular the effect on paste transfer efficiency.
Stud bump bond packaging with reduced process steps
Authors: Zhong Zhaowei
Published: April 2007

The stud bump bonding (SBB) process was evaluated for a flip chip in package application. An SBB packaging process, having a reduced number of process steps compared with the typical SBB process, was proposed. The two separate steps of curing of conductive adhesive and underfill epoxy, which for the application targeted in this study needed a total of four hours for curing plus further time for cooling, were not required. This proposed process therefore resulted in a reduced packaging time. Several issues affecting the assembly are also discussed in this paper.
An application of experimental design for process optimisation
Authors: Rowlands Hefin , Antony Jiju , Knowles Graeme
Published: April 2007

Dr Taguchi is a Japanese engineer and an international quality consultant who has made breakthrough improvements in product and process quality through the use of statistical design of experiments (SDOE). The Taguchi method became popular in the West in the 1980s as a means to design robust products and processes. Although many companies and industries have used the method with success, the real benefits of the approach were not realised and fully understood in many cases. This lack of success could be attributed to a number of factors, but mainly because the experiments were treated in isolation and not integrated into a continuous improvement strategy. This paper briefly presents the results of the application of the Taguchi methodology in the UK industry. The paper also illustrates the application of the Taguchi method for optimising the production process of retaining a metal ring in a plastic body in a braking system.
The benefits of the implementation of the ISO 9000 standard: empirical research in 288 Spanish companies
Authors: Casadesús Martí , Giménez Gerusa
Published: April 2007

Since 1987, when the International Organization for Standardization accepted a series of quality norms – the ISO 9000 standards – large companies and small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) have been obliged to open their doors to something new: the culture of quality, a message which is very often associated with the initials of this well‐known standard. In Spain there are around 6,000 companies with this certificate, but they have not always obtained the same results. In this article we expose the results of an empirical research developed in 288 Spanish companies, to determine what the benefits are of the implementation of this standard. With a cluster analysis we found the existence of different typologies of companies. We found that nearly 65 per cent of the companies that have been certified in Spain have obtained very high levels of internal and external benefits.
An EMS approach to environmentally‐friendly construction operations
Authors: Pun K.F. , Hui I.K. , Lee W.K.
Published: April 2007

The increasing consciousness of environmental protection has fostered the development of environmental management systems (EMS). ISO 14001 is an international standard that provides guidance for the establishment and monitoring of EMS implementation. Investigates the development of environmentally‐friendly construction operations based on a recent study in Hong Kong. Contributes to identifying the elements and processes of EMS implementation, and explaining the procedural guideline of a seven‐step EMS approach in managing construction practice. Incorporating the compliance requirements of ISO 14001, the approach addresses the policy, the implementation and monitoring, and continuous improvement of construction operations. The tangible and intangible benefits of the approach are also discussed with reference to the experiences of the Housing Department in Hong Kong. The approach may also be useful for construction practitioners to manage the EMS processes and assess their environmental performance towards continuous improvement.
Total quality management: an examination of the writings from a UK perspective
Authors: Zain Z.M. , Dale B.G. , Kehoe D.F.
Published: April 2007

Uses the three quality dimensions of: systems; tools and techniques; and people, analyses the contribution of UK writers to the development of the body of knowledge known as total quality management (TQM). From examination of a range of source material (e.g. books, papers, postgraduate theses, and articles) it is clear that quality and TQM, within the UK, is still a subject of research and reporting. Those papers written by the academic fraternity tend to focus on the systems, and tools and techniques dimensions, whilst the more journalistic papers show a preference for people‐related issues. The examination reveals that the contribution of UK writers presents a rich and broad picture of TQM, however, a truly integrated view is not provided.
Knowledge: the key to organisational survival
Authors: Raeside Robert , Walker John
Published: April 2007

In modern business the acquisition and management of information has become a competitive force. It can be argued that this has always been the case. Critical in the gathering of information and its analysis is the use of statistics, yet there remains a huge element of distrust amongst senior management in the use of statistical tools. Some of the reasons for this will be discussed in this paper and the issue of the need for statisticians to take more responsibility for bridging this gap will be raised. A theme of this paper is how recent trends in knowledge discovery and data mining (KDD) may be instrumental in breaking down traditional barriers between analysts and managers. Case studies from the use of KDD in customer relations management are presented, from which guidelines for the acquisition and management of information will be given. Some cautionary pointers, such as the need to look beyond current customer bases and to speculate in possible organisational and market futures, will also be given. Case studies will be drawn from the areas of contract electronic manufacture, education and financial retailing.
State‐of‐the‐art study on self‐assessment
Authors: van der Wiele Ton , Dale Barrie , Williams Roger , Kolb François , Moreno Luzon Dolores , Schmidt Andreas , Wallace Mike
Published: April 2007

Based on a recent European Committee‐sponsored survey on quality
management self‐assessment. Outlines research methodology and main
findings. Details reasons for self‐assessment in companies and methods
of self‐assessment, and discusses whether or not self‐assessment is
worthwhile. Provides key learning points based on respondents’
experiences. Concludes that self‐assessment helps management understand
what TQM is about and how important it is for the organization.
Striving for excellence: how self‐assessment using the Business Excellence Model can result in step improvements in all areas of business activities
Authors: Shergold Kevin , Reed Deborah M.
Published: April 2007

Self‐assessment using the Business Excellence Model has been in place in Europe since 1990 as a means of obtaining competitive advantage. Describes the history, design and application of the model and self‐assessment in the context of the desire of all organizations to strive for excellence. Emphasizes is on self‐assessment but reference is made to the use of the model of self‐assessment to identify model organizations through the UK Quality Award (UKQA) and European Quality Award (EQA) processes.
Simulation in hospitals
Authors: Proctor Tony
Published: April 2007

Health care costs continue to rise because increased demand for services and limited budgets put pressure on resources, however efficiently they may be used. Proposes discrete event simulation as an effective tool in the search for more efficient health care systems. Looks at the application of a desktop computer simulation package to model part of a hospital subsystem. The simulation package shows how efficiency might be improved by moderating available resources and times taken to complete tasks. Maintains that the principles expounded here are applicable to many different aspects of health care management.
Implications of Grameen banking system in Europe: prospects and prosperity
Authors: Hussain Mostaque , Maskooki Kooros , Gunasekaran A.
Published: April 2007

The philosophy of Grameen (rural) banking system was invented by a maverick economist (Dr Yunus) in a tiny village of Bangladesh in 1976, with the aim to eliminate poverty and improve the socio‐economic condition of the rural poor. The bank provides loans to poor people who are unable to provide collateral and indoctrinated in Grameen social values, known as the “sixteen decisions”. Grameen borrowers also vow to observe the bank’s “four basic principles”, and they are the owners (92 per cent) of the bank. Grameen bank began its operations by giving a small amount of money ($30) to 40 people. Today, it employs 14,000 staff and has disbursed more than $1 billion dollars of loan among two million rural people in Bangladesh of which 95 per cent are women, and the rate of its loan repayment is 98 per cent. The Grameen is functioning not only in Bangladesh but also in 50 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa, Oceania, and in the USA. Moving onto the implementation of Grameen‐type micro‐credit systems in Europe, or elsewhere, the differences in socio‐culture, economics and politics (between Bangladesh and the region concerned) should be considered. Thus, this paper is an attempt to investigate the prospects of the implementation of Grameen/micro‐credit banking system in European socio‐economic and cultural contexts.
Convection/diffusion test method for porous textiles
Authors: Gibson Phillip , Rivin Donald , Kendrick Cyrus
Published: April 2007

Reports on an automated apparatus and test procedure to determine the convective and diffusive gas and vapor transport properties of small pieces of woven and nonwoven fabrics, membranes, and foams. The apparatus allows measurement of these properties in the very small quantities typical of material development programs, where the largest sample available may only be 1‐10cm2 in area. The convection/diffusion test method is useful for determining the gas flow resistance property and water vapor diffusion properties from a single experimental run. This eliminates the need for two separate tests, which is the usual procedure. The apparatus may also be used to perform separate tests for the diffusion property or the air permeability property, which may have some advantages when materials exhibit strongly concentration‐dependent transport properties. The convection/diffusion test method is well‐suited for rapid screening and comparison of the properties of a large number of materials with widely‐varying transport properties.
A garment design system using constrained Bézier curves
Authors: Eckert Claudia M. , Bez Helmut E.
Published: April 2007

A CAD tool for the garment industry is described. The tool generates garment patterns using Bézier curves and is currently embedded within an intelligent knitwear design support system. The curves fulfil the design constraints imposed by the domain, are adaptable to individual styles and enable intuitive manipulation by the user. The system described is designed primarily to provide a means of improved communication between designers and technicians but it has the potential to become a key component in a bespoke design system.
Progress towards effective garment CAD
Authors: Gong D.X. , Hinds B.K. , McCartney J.
Published: April 2007

The requirements in CAD modelling of garments are first considered and alternative user interfaces are considered. Features which occur in block patterns and for which accurate simulation is required are identified. An energy based modeller, developed for drape simulation, is introduced and applied to model garment constructional details in fabric test specimens of variable stiffness. The modeller is further applied to garment pieces in contact with a mannequin to compare drape with and without constructional features.
Simulation of seam pucker on two strips of fabric sewn together
Authors: Inui S. , Okabe H. , Yamaraka T.
Published: April 2007

In our previous study, seam pucker simulation baased on mechancial calculation was proposed. Here, the simulation system is extended to consider collision between fabrics and seam pucker simulation of two strips of fabric is carried out. We adopt non‐linear bending rigidity observed in actual fabric tests and obtained results much closer to the real results. With the consideration of collision and the improved treatment of bending rigidity, the following results were obtained. The wave length of wrinkles is more broadly distributed when material puckering is 0.96 or 0.94 compared to the case of 0.98. The wave length increases as the value of bending rigidity does and decreases as Young’s modulus increases. In the case of two strips seam pucker, the distribution of the wave length is wider than the case of the single strip.
An Analysis of the Fluttering of a Membrane Suspended in Air Flow
Authors: Minami Hirokazu , Okuda Yasuo , Kawamura Sumio
Published: April 2007

Follows a presentation at a symposium in 1993 where the authors presented an experimental investigation on a fluttering membrane for use in a wind‐tunnel. Analyses the fluttering of an object by a theoretical method. Compares the experimental results with those of the theoretical and discusses their effectiveness. States that the present analysis is effective for approximate investigations.
Investigation of the Performance of Sewing Thread
Authors: Mori Miyuki , Niwa Masako
Published: April 2007

Reports on the importance of the mechanical properties of sewing thread and its interaction with the sewing process.
Influence of a Spinning Process on Spun Yarn Quality and Economy of Yarn Production
Authors: Nikolic Momir , Cerkvenik Janez , Stjepanovic Zoran
Published: April 2007

Presents the mechanical models of ring, rotor and air‐jet staple yarn formation. The analysis of formation peculiarities has enabled the establishment of differences among them in micro‐ and macrostructure as well as in their mechanical and physical properties. The comparison of yarn and fabric quality parameters will be very valuable for weavers, knitters, garment manufacturers, finishers and designers. Gives productivity, spinability and economic factors for ring spinning, OE‐rotor and air‐jet spinning processes.
Coveralls for grass fire fighting
Authors: Huck Janice , Kim Younghee
Published: April 2007

Defines the purpose of this research as to design a coverall for fire fighting, with special emphasis on sizing and fit to maximize wearer comfort and mobility, as well as incorporate design features which would improve the functionality of the garment. Uses a structured functional apparel design approach to develop garment specifications and an interaction matrix. Using a literature review, user input, and market survey, details the development of a prototype fire fighting coverall. Evaluates the prototype coverall using objective measurements of range of motion for ten selected body movements and subjectively by having wearers fill out a wearer acceptability scale to determine their perceptions of fit and comfort in both their current and prototype coveralls. Results show that for all measurements, the prototype coveralls were preferable to the current coveralls worn, indicating the potential for further development of this design.
Seam pucker simulation
Authors: Inui S. , Yamanaka T.
Published: April 2007

States that computer simulations of seam pucker were executed. The simulations were based on the computer program which predicts the shape of virtual fabric with an assumption that the relationship between stress and strain of the virtual fabric is linear. The simulations predicted the shape of fabric with the conditions such as material puckering and mechanical properties of fabric. The rating of simulated seam pucker changes according to material puckering. It was shown that bending stiffness and tensile modulus affect the rating of seam pucker. Seam pucker samples were made from fabric for comparison. Computerised seam pucker samples were executed utilising the same properties and shape of seam line as the sample fabric. A fairly similar shape was obtained by the simulation.
Influence of mechanical and physical properties of fabrics on cutting process
Authors: Blekac Rozalija , Gersak Jelka
Published: April 2007

The influence of mechanical and physical properties of fabrics on cutting process and the behaviours of fabrics during automatic cutting of a fabrics lay into garment pieces is studied. It is shown that the blade forces and the mechanical and physical properties of fabrics, such as elongation strength, bending and shear rigidity have significant influences on cutting of fabrics lay. The velocity of vertical and horizontal components of movements of the knife blade, elastic properties of fibres and the air permeability have significant influence on the quality of cutting and pattern pieces, as well.