bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analysis and determination of mechanical bearing load caused by unbalanced magnetic pull
Authors: Ruf Andreas , Schröder Michael , Putri Aryanti Kusuma , Konrad Roman , Franck David , Hameyer Kay
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to focus on the mechanical bearing load caused by the unbalanced magnetic pull (UMP), which is studied in detail. The applied approach is based on an analysis of static and dynamic eccentricities at different positions and different amplitudes. The influence of the operating points is calculated to show the effective bearing load for machines operating at different speeds. The decreasing lifetime of the applied bearings is examined and evaluated in detail.

Design/methodology/approach

– To evaluate the proposed methodology a permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) with buried magnets is used. To consider effects of slotting and saturation, a finite element (FE) model is employed. The Monte Carlo method is used to determine the most likely amplitudes of the eccentricities. Calculating the UMP for all possible operating points using a control strategy for the machine and coupling this results with a drive cycle, determines the effective force acting on the bearing.

Findings

– It has been shown that the position of the eccentricity has a not significant influence on the behavior of the UMP and may therefore be neglected. The amplitude of the eccentricity vector influences the amplitude of the UMP including all harmonic force components. For technical relevant eccentricities, the influence is approximately linear for the average and the dominant harmonics of the UMP. In most cases, it is sufficient to displace the rotor at an arbitrary position and amplitude. It is sufficient to simulate one type of eccentricity (static or dynamic) with an arbitrary value of displacement (rotor or stator) to evaluate all possible airgap unbalances. Using stochastic simulations of the eccentricity amplitudes enables an a priori design and lifetime estimation of bearings.

Originality/value

– This paper gives a close insight on the effect of mechanical bearing load caused by rotor eccentricities. The effect of the position of the eccentricity vector, the operational range and a drive cycle are considered. A stochastic simulation and an empirical lifetime model of one bearing gives an example of using this methodological approach.
Novel switched flux machine with radial and circumferential permanent magnets
Authors: Al-ani M.M.J. , Zhu Z.Q.
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The paper purposes a novel SFPM machine topology with radial and circumferential permanent magnets (PMs). The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

– In order to reduce the flux leakage in the stator-outer region and consequently achieve higher magnetic material utilization in switched flux permanent magnet (SFPM) machine, a novel topology with radial and circumferential PMs is proposed. This topology (SFRCPM) has the same structure as conventional SFPM (CSFPM) machine except of the additional set of radially magnetized PMs located around the back iron and surrounded by a laminated ring frame. Using finite element analysis (FEA) the influence of the design parameters on the performance is investigated in order to obtain an effective optimization procedure. Internal and external rotor SFRCPM machines with either NdFeB or ferrite magnets are investigated, optimized and compared with the CSFPM machine having the same size, copper loss and stator/rotor pole combination.

Findings

– It is concluded that comparing SFRCPM with its CSFPM machine counterpart, internal rotor SFRCPM machine can achieve high PM flux-linkage per magnet volume, however reduced slot area leads to low output torque, whereas external rotor SFRCPM machine can produce higher torque and torque per magnet volume.

Originality/value

– This paper proposes a novel SFPM machine topology.
Design of external rotor switched flux memory machine with hybrid magnets
Authors: Wu D. , Zhu Z.Q. , Liu X.
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose the design concepts of external rotor switched flux hybrid magnet memory machine (SFHMMM) to further increase the torque capability while keeping the merits of internal rotor SFHMMM, such as adjustable back-EMF, and good flux weakening performance, etc.

Design/methodology/approach

– The torque enhancing principle of external rotor SFHMMM, and the design considerations such as feasible stator and rotor pole numbers (Ns/Nr) are discussed by equations. Then, the performances such as back-EMF, dq-axis inductances, torque and flux weakening performances are calculated and compared with the aid of finite element analysis software.

Findings

– The external rotor SFHMMMs have obviously larger torque capabilities compared with the internal rotor ones under the same copper loss and machine size. The main reason is that the external SFHMMs could fully utilize the inner space of stator, which offers higher slot area, larger split ratio and consequently the higher average torque. For the external rotor machines with larger rotor pole numberNr, the back-EMF adjust ratio as well as the maxim torque are better. However, leakage flux and losses also increase with Nr due to limited machine size and higher operation frequency. Considering torque capability and flux weakening performance (efficiency map), the external SFHMMM withNr=2Ns+1, e.g. 6/13Ns/Nrstator/rotor pole machine, is the optimal choice.

Originality/value

– This paper introduces the design concept and design considerations of external SFHMMM for the first time. The proposed machine could be a competent candidate for direct-drive electric vehicle applications.
Analytical sub-domain model for predicting open-circuit field of permanent magnet vernier machine accounting for tooth tips
Authors: Oner Y. , Zhu Z.Q. , Wu L.J. , Ge X.
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– Due to high electromagnetic torque at low speed, vernier machines are suitable for direct-drive applications such as electric vehicles and wind power generators. The purpose of this paper is to present an exact sub-domain model for analytically predicting the open-circuit magnetic field of permanent magnet vernier machine (PMVM) including tooth tips. The entire field domain is divided into five regions, viz. magnets, air gap, slot openings, slots, and flux-modulation pole slots (FMPs). The model accounts for the influence of interaction between PMs, FMPs and slots, and radial/parallel magnetization.

Design/methodology/approach

– Magnetic field distributions for slot and air-gap, flux linkage, back-EMF and cogging torque waveforms are obtained from the analytical method and validated by finite element analysis (FEA).

Findings

– It is found that the developed sub-domain model including tooth tips is very accurate and is applicable to PMVM having any combination of slots/FMPs/PMs.

Originality/value

– The main contributions include: accurate sub-domain model for PMVM is proposed for open-circuit including tooth-tip which cannot be accounted for in literature; the model accounts the interaction between flux modulation pole (FMP) and slot; developed sub-domain model is accurate and applicable to any slot/FMP/PM combinations; and it has investigated the influence of FMP/slot opening width/height on cogging torque.
Modeling and simulation analysis of the hybrid excitation synchronous machine system utilizing tooth harmonic for excitation
Authors: Xia Yonghong , Liu Junbo , Xu Bo , Wu Hongjian
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel hybrid excitation permanent magnet synchronous generator (HEPMSG) utilizing tooth harmonic for excitation, the structural features and operation principle of which are also described.

Design/methodology/approach

– To obtain the operation performance quickly, this paper derives the mathematical model of the machine system represented by circuit, and analyzes the operation mode of rectifier circuit in the tooth harmonic excitation system, then the standard state equations for each operation mode are obtained. Combining the inductance parameter of this machine with the load resistance and inductance, the armature current waveform, the field current waveform and tooth harmonic winding current waveform are obtained by using the numerical method to solve the standard state equation.

Findings

– Comparing with the experimental results, the availability of the principle and the validity of the model of the machine system are verified.

Practical implications

– This HEPMSG is a new brushless self-excited and self-regulated generator, which is suitable for an independent power source.

Originality/value

– Unlike the existing hybrid excitation permanent magnet machine, this HEPMSG utilized the inherent tooth harmonic EMF of the rotor to adjust the air-gap magnetic field of the permanent magnet machine.
Electromagnetic performance of switched flux PM machines with two separate stators
Authors: Awah Chukwuemeka Chijioke , Zhu Z.Q. , Wu Zhongze , Wu Di , Ge Xiao
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel type of switched flux PM machines with two separate stators.

Design/methodology/approach

– 2D-FEA is employed to analyze the electromagnetic performance of the proposed machines. Moreover, the results are validated by experiments.

Findings

– The proposed machine has higher torque density, less unbalanced magnetic force on the modulating steel piece and uses less PM volume.

Originality/value

– The proposed machine is a low-cost novel topology with different rotor pole combinations.
Influence of back-EMF and current harmonics on sensorless control performance of single and dual three-phase permanent magnet synchronous machines
Authors: Almarhoon Ali , Ren Yuan , Zhu Z.Q.
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of back-EMF and current harmonics on position and speed estimation accuracy for single and dual three-phase (DTP) permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) with two fundamental-model-based sensorless control strategies which are widely utilized for AC machines, i.e. flux-linkage observer (FO) and simplified extended Kalman filter (EKF).

Design/methodology/approach

– The effect of distorted back-EMF is studied for sensorless vector control of single three-phase PMSM. For the influence of current harmonics, unlike the existing literature where the current harmonics are deliberately injected, in this paper, sensorless switching-table-based direct torque control (ST-DTC) strategies for DTP-PMSM which inherently suffer from non-sinusoidal stator currents in addition to the distorted back-EMF, are investigated experimentally.

Findings

– By employing the FO and simplified EKF-based sensorless vector control of single three-phase PMSM, it can be concluded that the rotor position estimation accuracy is less affected by the back-EMF harmonics when the simplified EKF method is utilized since it is less sensitive to such noises. When the influence of non-sinusoidal stator currents together with back-EMF harmonics is investigated for the conventional and modified ST-DTC of DTP-PMSM, it is indicated that the simplified EKF exhibits better position and speed estimation accuracy in both the conventional and modified ST-DTC strategies. In addition, its steady-state performance shows a slight superiority over that based on FO, in terms of flux and torque ripples, and THD of phase currents. For the dynamic performance, the estimated speed of simplified EKF shows less phase lag and fluctuations compared to that of FO.

Originality/value

– This paper introduces the influence of back-EMF and current harmonics on sensorless control performance for single and DTP PMSMs. Detailed experimental results show that the simplified EKF exhibits better rotor position and speed estimation accuracy compared to that of FO due to its higher noise-rejection ability.
Control simulation of PMSM traction system of high speed train when passing neutral section
Authors: Huang Xinxing , Yao Yihua , Lu Qinfen , Huang Xiaoyan , Fang Youtong
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– In electric system of high-speed trains, neutral sections are set to balance the three-phase load. When passing neutral sections, the train should detach from the power supply for a short time. To permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) traction system, the voltage of DC link will increase quickly due to the back-EMF of PMSM during this time. Although the energy consumption braking method can be adopted to consume the feedback energy. It not only wastes energy, but also causes more speed drop of the train. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– In order to get better performance when the train is under passing neutral section condition, a suitable control method is proposed, in which the torque command is set to zero and d-axis current order remains unchanged during passing neutral section. Based on a co-simulation model, the influences of this method on the PMSMs traction system are compared with that of traditional method, which is used in induction motors traction system. This model combines both control strategy and finite element model of motor, which can take the effects of magnetic saturation and power loss into consideration.

Findings

– In PMSMs traction system, PMSMs work as generators during neutral section, and charge to DC bus, which may cause over-voltage damage. Moreover, there would be strong torque shock at the moment of power cut-off. It is finally found that, with the suitable control method, the high-speed train can pass the neutral section with less speed drop, less torque shock and little DC link voltage rise.

Originality/value

– The control method proposed in this paper is easier to achieve and gets a better performance of PMSMs traction system in high-speed train compared with the traditional method. Furthermore, the co-simulation model is much closer to reality than the analytical model.
Organizational culture of the Croatian construction industry
Authors: Sandrk Nukic Ivana , Huemann Martina
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– As a transitional country and the newest EU Member State, Croatia is facing a more turbulent business environment, which imposes a need for change of companies seeking to achieve a competitive advantage. Being a labour-intensive business, adaptation of construction companies’ strategy strongly depends on the underlying values of their employees. The purpose of this paper is to determine cultural profiles within the construction industry in Croatia.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research has been conducted using inferential analysis based on primary and secondary data sources. After an extensive literature review, the empirical research was conducted based on a national sample. In all, 108 managers working in construction companies were surveyed using the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument. Reliability of variables was tested by calculating Cronbach α reliability coefficients. Differences among identified mean scores were examined by ANOVA analysis.

Findings

– The results were analysed in respect of the size, core business, regional orientation and ownership of the respondents’ employing companies. The findings show that, on average, construction companies in Croatia currently function with domination of the hierarchy type of organizational culture, which insufficiently responds to the increasingly competitive environment. Additionally, the study identified the clan as the preferred culture type in Croatian construction companies.

Originality/value

– The paper offers insights into the organizational culture of Croatian construction companies, which has not been studied before. The value of the paper is the novelty of findings regarding existing and preferred cultural profiles, which have the potential to improve team cohesiveness, team leading, communication among the main stakeholders and efficiency of performance in this transitional country’s construction industry.
Service quality in bank during an economic crisis
Authors: Monferrer-Tirado Diego , Estrada-Guillén Marta , Fandos-Roig Juan Carlos , Moliner-Tena Miguel Ángel , Sánchez García Javier
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to address the aftermath of the crisis that has plagued the Spanish financial sector from a microeconomic and emotional perspective associated to financial entities’ relationships with their customers.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors build a model of effects with structural equation modelling based on the quality of the relationship between financial entities and their customers. The authors identify the different dimensions of quality in the entity’s service provision (tangible quality, functional quality and staff quality) as essential antecedents of the different dimensions of relationship quality (satisfaction, trust and loyalty). Moreover, the authors develop a multi-group analysis to test the moderator effect of age in the proposed model.

Findings

– The work shows that bank customers have been eminently results driven focusing on functional quality which is a determinant cause of customer satisfaction and trust.

Research limitations/implications

– Furthermore the authors consider that the dimensions of service quality are interrelated. Functional quality represents an essential quality in customer service, whereas tangible and personnel qualities act to reinforce functional quality. In turn, qualities based on tangible aspects have positive effects on qualities based on intangible aspects.

Practical implications

– Moreover, the results confirm the consideration of related variables to conform the construct of relationship quality: satisfaction, trust and loyalty. Finally, age has been found to have a considerable effect as a moderating variable in the relations.

Originality/value

– These results represent a significant change in traditional patterns of bank customer behaviour, and fit in with postulates of a new approach based on individual differences in attitudes, with relevant practical implications.
Perceptions of fairness in financial services: an analysis of distribution channels
Authors: Sekhon Harjit Singh , Roy Sanjit Kumar , Devlin James
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine fairness within financial services. In making the contribution the authors examine fairness by four different channels to market and across a range of financial services products. The product categories in the study are those with the highest density levels in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

– Underpinned by the development of new measures, this paper is based on telephone interviews and on-line surveys with UK customers of financial services. More than 1,000 customers participated in the survey during the middle of 2013. After reporting the measurement model, the authors use ANOVA to report the differences in the perception of the dimensions of fairness by channel to market.

Findings

– The authors found there to be significant differences in perceptions using different channels to market. The research shows that where a face-to-face interaction takes place, such as branch contact, they are perceived to be fairer than when interactions are more remote. Given the dimensions of fairness, this reveals the importance of communications during explanations so that interactions are deemed to be fair.

Research limitations/implications

– The focus of this research was the examination of fairness within the setting of the UK’s financial services sector. The authors are minded that if the research is replicated in other countries or contexts then different aspects of fairness might emerge.

Practical implications

– Given the challenges faced by the financial services sector, there are implications for practitioners because they must be seen to be treating customers fairly. The research shows that remote contact such as the internet is not perceived as being as fair as face-to-face contact. The fair treatment of customers is likely to lead to positive brand benefits.

Originality/value

– This study complements the understanding of fairness and provides insight for scholars and practitioners, within financial services.
Sport event-sponsor fit and its effects on sponsor purchase intentions: a non-consumer perspective among athletes, volunteers and spectators
Authors: Papadimitriou Dimitra , Kaplanidou Kyriaki Kiki , Papacharalampous Nikolaos
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to explore how event volunteers, athletes and onsite spectators perceive the impact of sport event sponsorship on future purchase intentions of the event sponsor brand.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research problem was based on propositions by Novais and Arcodia (2013) and proposes relationships between sponsor–event fit, brand attitude, perceived brand quality and sponsor brand purchase intentions. Data were collected from 352 Greek sport event consumers from the 2013 Classic Marathon event, in Athens, Greece, using onsite surveys targeting non-sponsor brand consumer spectators, volunteers and athletes.

Findings

– The results reveal that sponsor–event fit indirectly influenced sponsor brand purchase intentions via brand attitude and brand quality across all three groups. However, the fit did not directly influence perceived brand quality of the sponsor across all three groups and directly influenced purchase intentions of the athlete group.

Research limitations/implications

– Because of the duration of the event (one day), the sample sizes were not very large. In addition, the study was delimited on one sponsor from a single sport event. Therefore, the findings need to be tested with larger samples and additional sponsors and events to arrive to more robust conclusion about the purchase intention formation and its antecedents across multiple sport event consumer groups.

Originality/value

– This study explores the power of sponsor–event fit among non-consumers of the sponsor brand and how the “interface” of event consumption through the lenses of three groups, namely, volunteer, spectator and athlete, influences brand attitude, perceived brand quality and sponsor brand purchase intentions.
The impact of creative competence and project management on longevity of the client-advertising agency relationship
Authors: Levin Elizabeth , Thaichon Paramaporn , Quach Thu Nguyen
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The study aims to consider the overall impact of the service encounters and projects undertaken on the long-term relationship between the agency and its clients.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study uses a parallel mixed-method design incorporating quantitative and qualitative elements in the client–advertising agency context. Data obtain via an online survey in Study 1 were analysed using structural equation modelling and bias-corrected bootstrapping technique. Study 2 featured 15 in-depth interviews with marketing managers and project leaders.

Findings

– The findings revealed that advertising agencies deliver value and create trust through creativity aspects as well as project management processes. In addition, both perceived value and trust have crucial roles in fostering client–agency relationships and the continuance of business relationships. Value has a stronger direct effect on loyalty when compared with trust, confirmed by the results of Study 2. Several respondents pointed out the influence of client characteristics on both evaluation of creativity as well as loyalty.

Practical implications

– The results highlight the importance of project management and planning which should be seen as an investment by both parties. Moreover, agencies need to involve clients in the creative process and focus on marketing themselves and the value they add to enhance client loyalty.

Originality/value

– This study was the first to develop a model for the drivers of loyalty, drawing from literature in three key areas: service quality, relationship marketing and project management. An additional contribution of the study stems from the incorporation of an integrated parallel mixed-methods approach.
Returns on key accounts: do the results justify the expenditures?
Authors: Sharma Arun , Evanschitzky Heiner
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The use of key accounts has become a mature trend and most industrial firms use this concept in some form. Selling firms establish key account teams to attend to important customers and consolidate their selling activities. Yet, despite such increased efforts on behalf of key accounts, sufficient research has not quantified the returns on key account strategy nor has it firmly established performance differences between key and non-key accounts within a firm. In response to this shortcoming, this study aims to examine returns on key accounts.

Design Methodology/approach

– Data were collected from a global consulting firm. The data collection started two years after the implementation of the key account program. Data were collected on recently acquired customers (within the previous year) at two time periods: year 1 and year 3 (based on company access of data).

Findings

– Initially, key accounts perform as well or better than other types of accounts. However, in the long term, key accounts are less satisfied, less profitable and less beneficial for a firm’s growth than other types of accounts. Because the returns to key account expenditures, thus, appear mixed, firms should be cautious in expanding their key account strategies.

Research limitations implications

– The study contributes to research in three areas. First, most research on the effectiveness of key accounts refers to the between-firm level, whereas this study examines the effect within a single firm. Second, this study examines the temporal aspects of key accounts, namely, what happens to key accounts over time, in comparison with other accounts in a fairly large sample. Third, it considers the survival rates of key accounts versus other types of accounts.

Practical implications

– The authors suggest that firms also need to track their key accounts better because the results show that key accounts are less satisfied, less profitable and less beneficial for a firm’s growth than other types of accounts.

Originality/value

– Extant research has not examined these issues.
Between need and innovative challenge: observations on female solo self-employment
Authors: Bögenhold Dieter , Fachinger Uwe
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to discuss the ongoing increase of female entrepreneurship within a broader context of influencing factors, especially within the division of work. Talk about the rise and future of self-employment must be linked to the discussion about changes in the structure of occupations, labour markets and regulations and gender. The increase of the service sector and the continuous rise of the liberal professions mirror changes within the category of self-employment. All different items are embedded into a general trend of a growing knowledge society. A fundamental question is how gender matters when investigating these trends. Do we find specific “gender patterns” or will the new chances and risks lead to a greater equality of opportunities? Is the increase of solo self-employment of females driven by the need to earn a living, or is it the result of females taking the risk, e.g., to become more economically independent?

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper combines conceptual thoughts on the development of self-employment and gender within stratified modern societies with empirical reflections based on public census data for Germany. The research delves deeper into the different segments of the employment system and connects empirical findings with the theoretical discussion on professional groups in modern capitalist societies.

Findings

– We learn to acknowledge that the rise of self-employment is mostly supported by the rise of micro-firms and solo self-employment, of which especially solo self-employment is a female domain. The independent liberal professions also indicate a significant revival of female labour.

Originality/value

– The paper highlights the increasing expansion of self-employment and specific gender patterns within this trend.
Investigation of nurses’ intention to leave: a study of a sample of UK nurses
Authors: Robson Andrew , Robson Fiona
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide an evaluation of the key antecedents of leave intention demonstrated by nurses employed in UK National Health Service (NHS).

Design/methodology/approach

– Survey assessment of a sample of 433 nurses employed within the NHS was undertaken, potential relationships relating to both affective commitment and leave intention and work-place experiences assessed through leader-member exchange (LMX) and perceived organisational support (POS) have been evaluated quantitatively, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equations modelling (SEM).

Findings

– The study indicates that both LMX and POS act as direct antecedents to nurses’ leave intention. Additionally, both LMX and POS in combination, significantly effect employees’ affective commitment, the latter further impacting on employee leave intention. This would suggest that both LMX and POS have a significant role to play in employee leave intention that is partially mediated by affective commitment, further analysis confirming this to be the case.

Research limitations/implications

– The sample of nurses is large in absolute terms, permitting the CFA/SEM analysis undertaken, although the data represented only two NHS trusts, hence generalisation across the NHS should be done so cautiously. Various other drivers of leave intention, personal and organisational, have not been assessed here.

Practical implications

– The implications of these results are that to safeguard nurse retention, appropriate line manager engagement is crucial, but this requires organisational support that is recognised by the employees, especially to enhance their levels of affective commitment.

Originality/value

– This is given by providing NHS-based assessment of the role of both POS and LMX in the realisation of both affective commitment and desire to remain with their current organisations amongst members of the UK nursing profession.
Benchmarking management practices in Australian public healthcare
Authors: Agarwal Renu , Green Roy , Agarwal Neeru , Randhawa Krithika
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the quality of management practices of public hospitals in the Australian healthcare system, specifically those in the state-managed health systems of Queensland and New South Wales (NSW). Further, the authors assess the management practices of Queensland and NSW public hospitals jointly and globally benchmark against those in the health systems of seven other countries, namely, USA, UK, Sweden, France, Germany, Italy and Canada.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this study, the authors adapt the unique and globally deployed Bloomet al.(2009) survey instrument that uses a “double blind, double scored” methodology and an interview-based scoring grid to measure and internationally benchmark the management practices in Queensland and NSW public hospitals based on 21 management dimensions across four broad areas of management – operations, performance monitoring, targets and people management.

Findings

– The findings reveal the areas of strength and potential areas of improvement in the Queensland and NSW Health hospital management practices when compared with public hospitals in seven countries, namely, USA, UK, Sweden, France, Germany, Italy and Canada. Together, Queensland and NSW Health hospitals perform best in operations management followed by performance monitoring. While target management presents scope for improvement, people management is the sphere where these Australian hospitals lag the most.

Practical implications

– This paper is of interest to both hospital administrators and health care policy-makers aiming to lift management quality at the hospital level as well as at the institutional level, as a vehicle to consistently deliver sustainable high-quality health services.

Originality/value

– This study provides the first internationally comparable robust measure of management capability in Australian public hospitals, where hospitals are run independently by the state-run healthcare systems. Additionally, this research study contributes to the empirical evidence base on the quality of management practices in the Australian public healthcare systems of Queensland and NSW.
Contradicting logics in everyday practice
Authors: Kristiansen Margrethe , Obstfelder Aud , Lotherington Ann Therese
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– Performance management is criticised as a direct challenge to the dominant logic of professionalism in health care organisations. The purpose of this paper is to report an ethnographic study that investigates how performance management and professionalism as contradicting logics are interpreted and implemented by managers and nurses in everyday practice within Norwegian nursing homes.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper presents an analysis of 18 semistructured interviews and 100 hours of observation of managers and nurses from three nursing homes. The study draws on the institutional logic perspective as a theoretical framework. In the analysis, the authors searched for patterns of activities and interactions that reflected managers and nurses’ coping strategies for handling contradicting logics. Qualitative content analysis was used to systematically code the data, supported by NVIVO software.

Findings

– The authors identified three forms of coping strategies: the adjustment of professionalism to standards, the reinforcement of professional flexibility and problem solving, and the strategic adoption of documentation. These patterns of activities and interactions reflect new organisational structures that allowed contradicting logics to co-exist. The study demonstrates that a new complex dimension of governing processes within nursing homes is the way in which managers and nurses handle the tension between contradicting logics in their daily work and clinicians’ everyday practice.

Originality/value

– The study provides new insight into how managers and nurses reshape internal organisational structures to cope with contradicting logics in nursing homes.
The provision of business advice to SMEs by external accountants
Authors: Carey Peter , Tanewski George
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– Business advisory services are an emerging service category for external accountants in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) environment. The purpose of this study is to investigate determinants of SME demand for business advice, drawing on the agency theory, relational marketing and resource-based literatures.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study empirically tested theoretical predictions based on an Australia-wide survey of SMEs, in which 485 firms responded to a questionnaire.

Findings

– The results show that the purchase of business advice is significantly and positively associated with the perceived competence of the external accountant, but significantly and negatively associated with length of the relationship. However, the authors observe a significant positive interaction between tenure of the relationship and competence. A unique contribution of this study is the development of the understanding of the combined role of the external accountant’s competence and the tenure of the relationship. The findings indicate that SMEs require time to verify whether accountants have the competence to provide business advice, suggesting that information asymmetry and uncertainty is minimised only after SMEs have nurtured relationships with their external accountants, and after they have developed some confidence in the competence of their external accountants. At the same time, the negative association with tenure suggests that when accountants are not perceived as competent advisors, SMEs purchase less advice over time.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper has important theoretical implications by augmenting agency theory, the relational marketing and the resource-based literature, and it clarifies which antecedent factors are important in explaining demand for business advisory services provided by accountants to their SME clients. In particular, the paper highlights the importance of the combined roles that the external accountant’s competence and tenure play in the SME–accountant relationship, highlighting how these two factors can overcome credence issues and ex ante information problems.

Practical implications

– The findings have practical implications for government initiatives targeting support to SMEs, as the findings identify small firms and firms planning to grow as likely to gain the greatest benefit from external advice and support.

Originality/value

– This study adds to the limited literature and scant theoretical discussions on the emergence of business advisory services that accountants provide to their SME clients by drawing on several theories to explain the determinants of business advice.
An empirical test of calendar anomalies for the Indian securities markets
Authors: Jaisinghani Dinesh
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to test prominent calendar anomalies for Indian securities markets those are commonly reported for advanced markets.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study considers closing values of 11 different indices of National Stock Exchange India, for the period 1994-2014. By using dummy variable regression technique, five different calendar anomalies namely day of the week effect, month of the year effect, mid-year effect, Halloween effect, and trading-month effect are tested. Also, the evidence of volatility clustering has been tested through the application of generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH)-M models.

Findings

– The results display weak evidence in support of a positive Wednesday effect. The results also display weak evidence in support of a positive April and December effect. The results show strong evidence in support of a positive September effect. The Halloween effect was not found significant. The test of mid-year effect provides evidence that the returns obtained on the second-half or the year are considerably higher than those obtained during the first half. The test of interactions effects showed possible presence of interactions among various effects. The GARCH-based tests display strong evidence in support of volatility clustering.

Practical implications

– The results have several implications for investors, regulators, and researchers. For investors, the trading strategies based on results obtained have been discussed. Similarly, certain key implications for regulators have been described.

Originality/value

– The originality of the paper lies in the long time frame and multiple indices covered. Also, the study analyses five different calendar anomalies and the interactions among these effects. These analyses provide useful insights regarding returns predictability for the Indian securities markets.
Exploring green purchasing behaviour of young urban consumers
Authors: Uddin S M Fatah , Khan Mohammed Naved
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to explore factors that affect green purchasing behaviour (GPB) of young Indian consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

– A total of 161 young Indian consumers between age group of 15 and 18 years residing in northern region of the country were surveyed employing researcher controlled sampling. Data was collected thorough structured refined research instrument that comprised scales to measure various facets of green purchasing behaviour using five point Likert scale. The research instrument also included questions for generating demographic profile of respondents. For the purpose of meeting the study objectives, research hypotheses, well-grounded in relevant theory were empirically tested using appropriate statistical tools.

Findings

– Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed existence of five underlying factors namely green purchasing behaviour, environmental involvement, environmental attitude, environmental consciousness and perceived effectiveness of environmental behaviour that affect green purchasing behaviour of young urban consumers in India. Green purchasing behaviour and its variation across demographic variables has been ascertained by testing the considered hypotheses.

Research limitations/implications

– The results may not be providing generalizability.

Practical/implications

– This paper is expected to provide valuable insights in the area of green purchasing behaviour of young Indian urban consumers which can be of immense help to domestic and international marketers in dovetailing their marketing strategies and developing appropriate promotional messages.

Originality/value

– The paper attempts to provide a glimpse into the nature of green purchasing behaviour of young urban Indian consumers which has been scantily researched. Also the gender differences among young Indian consumers regarding green attitudes contributes to the worth of literature.
An Efficient Design Strategy for Logistic Regression Using Outcome- and Covariate-Dependent Pooling of Biospecimens Prior to Assay
Authors: Lyles Robert H. , Mitchell Emily M. , Weinberg Clarice R. , Umbach David M. , Schisterman Enrique F.
Published: March 2016

Potential reductions in laboratory assay costs afforded by pooling equal aliquots of biospecimens have long been recognized in disease surveillance and epidemiological research and, more recently, have motivated design and analytic developments in regression settings. For example, Weinberg and Umbach (1999, Biometrics  55, 718–726) provided methods for fitting set-based logistic regression models to case-control data when a continuous exposure variable (e.g., a biomarker) is assayed on pooled specimens. We focus on improving estimation efficiency by utilizing available subject-specific information at the pool allocation stage. We find that a strategy that we call “(y,c)-pooling,” which forms pooling sets of individuals within strata defined jointly by the outcome and other covariates, provides more precise estimation of the risk parameters associated with those covariates than does pooling within strata defined only by the outcome. We review the approach to set-based analysis through offsets developed by Weinberg and Umbach in a recent correction to their original paper. We propose a method for variance estimation under this design and use simulations and a real-data example to illustrate the precision benefits of (y,c)-pooling relative to y-pooling. We also note and illustrate that set-based models permit estimation of covariate interactions with exposure.
Marginal Regression Analysis of Recurrent Events with Coarsened Censoring Times
Authors: Hu X. Joan , Rosychuk Rhonda J.
Published: March 2016

Motivated by an ongoing pediatric mental health care (PMHC) study, this article presents weakly structured methods for analyzing doubly censored recurrent event data where only coarsened information on censoring is available. The study extracted administrative records of emergency department visits from provincial health administrative databases. The available information of each individual subject is limited to a subject-specific time window determined up to concealed data. To evaluate time-dependent effect of exposures, we adapt the local linear estimation with right censored survival times under the Cox regression model with time-varying coefficients (cf. Cai and Sun, Scandinavian Journal of Statistics 2003, 30, 93–111). We establish the pointwise consistency and asymptotic normality of the regression parameter estimator, and examine its performance by simulation. The PMHC study illustrates the proposed approach throughout the article.
The Foundations of International Business: Cross‐Border Investment Activity and the Balance between Market‐Power and Efficiency Effects
Authors: Clougherty Joseph A. , Kim Jin Uk , Skousen Bradley R. , Szücs Florian
Published: March 2016

The foundational international business (IB) scholarship grappled with whether multinational enterprises (MNEs) are largely efficiency‐enhancing or market‐power inducing institutions. Contemporary scholarship, however, often associates foreign direct investment (FDI) with efficiency‐enhancing properties and thus neglects the market‐power interpretation of the MNE. Such an imbalance is problematic given that the theoretical and empirical justifications behind the field's embrace of the efficiency interpretation are not fully evident. Instead, both efficiency and market‐power effects are seemingly present in cross‐border investment activity. Based on a comprehensive sample of up to 4,361 cross‐border investments materializing between 1986 and 2010, we present theoretically‐grounded hypotheses with regard to when market‐power effects will tend to dominate efficiency effects. We find that cross‐border investments undertaken by emerging‐market MNEs in both developed and emerging markets tend to involve substantial efficiency effects and minimal market‐power effects when compared with the cross‐border investments undertaken by developed‐country MNEs in both developed and emerging markets.
Multifunctional Guide for Implant Placement, Impressions, and an Occlusal Index for Fixed Complete Dentures
Authors: Ozkomur Ahmet , Manfroi Fernando
Published: March 2016

This article proposes an approach to simplify the steps and reduce fabrication time for fixed implant‐supported complete dentures. A multifunctional guide can function as a surgical template during implant placement and provides a framework for the definitive impression and occlusal registration. It therefore enables immediate or early loading of dental implants in full‐arch rehabilitations.
La escolarización de los saberes: un escenario relevante para rastrear y comprender algunos problemas sociales y humanos contemporáneos
Authors: Parra-Mosquera Carlos Andrés
Published: March 2016

El texto perfila un horizonte de poco interés para los lugares dominantes de producción discursiva sobre educación, currículo y formación. Se trata de algunas tensiones y modificaciones en el sentido del conocimiento que desafían los procesos, agentes e instituciones vinculadas con el proceso de escolarización de los saberes en la actualidad. Entre la apuesta dominante por una valoración instrumental y una opción que reivindica un sentido de las humanidades canónicas eurocéntricas, se avizora una alternativa en la exploración de saberes menospreciados o desconocidos por las miradas que han dominado en la academia y la escuela.
Comparison of Flame Stability Under Air and Oxy-Fuel Conditions for an Aerodynamically Stabilized Pulverized Coal Swirl Flame
Authors: Habermehl Martin , Hees Johannes , Maßmeyer Anna , Zabrodiec Diego , Hatzfeld Oliver , Kneer Reinhold
Published: March 2016

The flame characteristics of a pilot-scale swirl burner for air and oxy-fuel combustion of pulverized coal are investigated. The local burner air (or oxygen) ratio λ and the oxygen concentration have been systematically varied. The investigated flames were characterized recording UV emissions originating from OH* chemiluminescence indicating the reaction zone in the gas phase, measuring the axial and tangential velocities using an laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) system and analyzing the composition of the flue gas. A change of the flame structure was revealed from the conducted measurement: the “regular” flame for the investigated burner is characterized by a cone-shaped swirling combustion zone with a distinct inner recirculation zone. Reducing the oxidizer flows through the burner leads to a breakdown of the inner recirculation zone and a significant change of the flame pattern. This change was identified by the LDV measurements as well as from the chemiluminescence images, and it was found to be closely related to the momentum flow through the burner into the main combustion zone.