bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Institutional repositories: review and an information systems perspective
Authors: Anne Kennan Mary , Wilson Concepción
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to review the current literature and discussion on institutional repository (IR) and open access (OA) issues, to provide examples from the information systems (IS) literature, and to propose the use of IS literature and further research to inform understanding of institutional repository implementations for library managers.

Design/methodology/approach

Recent literature is reviewed to provide the background to, and current issues in, the development of institutional repositories to support open access to refereed research output.

Findings

The brief examples in this paper indicate that research can build on existing knowledge already gained by IS researchers to enhance our understanding of IR and their users. Research can also lead to learning to create more successful IR implementations and therefore the more successful dissemination of refereed research output and other intellectual and research contributions of institutions such as universities.

Practical implications

Existing research is identified, as are areas for potential research. Brief examples from IS literature are provided which may provide strategies for libraries and other organisations to speed up their implementation of IR to provide access to, and management of, their own institutions refereed research output.

Originality/value

The paper brings together recent opinion and research on IR and OA to provide librarians and other information managers with a review of the field, and proposes research on IR and OA building on existing IS as well as information management and librarianship research.
Quality management service at the University of Malaya Library
Authors: Kaur Kiran , Mohamad Pauziaah , George Sossamma
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the steps in attaining the ISO 9001:2000 quality management system certification at the University of Malaya Library.

Design/methodology/approach

This article includes description of the planning, implementation and maintenance of the quality management system by the library, along with continual improvement efforts to provide quality service to the library clientele.

Findings

Finds that the move towards a quality management system within quality standard requirements, such as the MS ISO 9001:2000 proved challenging to obtaining the management commitment and the reorganization of services. Customer feedback becomes the focus of on‐going planning to fulfill customer requirements. A quality management system has brought about informed decision making and increased customer satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

The study is limited to only four university libraries, thus generalization to Malaysian academic libraries is premature at this stage.

Practical implications

This paper will be helpful to libraries planning to implement a quality management system to improve its quality service and increase customer satisfaction.

Originality/value

This paper will be helpful to libraries planning to implement a quality management system to improve its quality service and increase customer satisfaction. As libraries strive to provide quality services to their clients, it is important that their quality standards be accepted globally, therefore the implementation of a quality management system based on ISO 9001:2000 may be helpful in providing clear guidelines on measuring performance.
Continuing professional development and workplace learning – 15
Authors: Smith Ian
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Subsequent instalments in the series examined achieving readiness for change, recognising and responding to change resistance, and communicating in times of change. This, the last in the series, focuses on nine fundamental, and interrelated, elements that are key to achieving successful and sustained change.

Design/methodology/approach

Focuses on nine fundamental, and interrelated, elements that are key to achieving successful and sustained change.

Findings

Finds that change is now a constant organisational imperative.

Originality/value

This article and those preceding have attempted to provide, for those tasked with guiding and steering change, pointers to how the challenge of successfully achieving change might best be met.
Transformational leadership in organizations: an environment‐induced model
Authors: Beugré Constant D. , Acar William , Braun William
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to analyze the impact of the external environment on the emergence of particular forms of transformational leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

To develop a conceptual model, the extant literature on environment and transformational leadership was used. Specifically, the focus was on the constructs of volatility of the external environment, environmental uncertainty, and existing models of transformational leadership.

Findings

In this article, an environment‐induced model of transformational leadership was developed, which identifies three types of transformational leaders – revolutionary, evolutionary and transgressor. Revolutionary transformational leaders are likely to emerge in organizations operating in volatile environments and whose members show either a high or a low degree of receptivity. However, evolutionary‐transformational leaders are likely to emerge in less volatile environments whose members show a high degree of receptivity, and transgressor‐transformational leaders would emerge in less volatile environments whose members show a low degree of receptivity.

Research limitations/implications

This model is a conceptual one and has not been empirically validated yet. However, the model's propositions have implications for research. Organizational scholars may empirically test the extent to which firms' external environments influence the types of transformational leaders that emerge within them. They may also assess the extent to which the external environment facilitates employee acceptance of particular forms of transformational leadership.

Practical implications

Knowing the external environment of a firm may help select the appropriate type of leaders needed to move the organization ahead. For instance, when organizations face high volatile environments, they may be well advised to select revolutionary‐transformational leaders as CEOs or change agents.

Originality/value

The value of the present article lies in the fact that it binds together the literature on the firm external environment and transformational leadership. Thus, the article helps reduce the artificial boundary between macro and micro issues in the study of organizations.
Self‐leadership skills and innovative behavior at work
Authors: Carmeli Abraham , Meitar Ravit , Weisberg Jacob
Published: July 2006

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between self‐leadership skills and innovative behaviors at work. Design/methodology/approach – The study's participants were employees and their supervisors, working in six organizations in Israel. Data were collected through structured surveys administered to the employees and their supervisors. A total of 175 matched questionnaires were returned. Path analysis, using AMOS program, was conducted to assess the research model. Findings – The results indicate that the three‐dimensional scale of self‐leadership skills is positively associated with both self and supervisor ratings of innovative behaviors. The findings also show that income and job tenure are significantly related to innovative behaviors at work. Practical implications – Organizations that seek ways in which to foster innovative behaviors in their employees, need to recognize the importance of building up self‐leaders who can successfully meet the required expectations and standards of innovative behavior. Originality/value – This research suggests ways for organizations to enhance their innovativeness through employees who possess high self‐leadership skills and receive appropriate extrinsic rewards for their leadership skills and innovative behaviors.
Why leaders fail: exploring the darkside
Authors: Burke Ronald J.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

With half of those in leadership positions maybe falling short, the purpose of this paper is to review literature on why leaders fail.

Design/methodology/approach

A number of recent journal articles, book chapters and books were examined.

Findings

The paper identified common causes of failure and possible remedial actions. Leaders that fail behave in ways reflective of their personality that limit or derail their careers. These flaws include arrogance, aloofness, perfectionism, insensitivity, selfishness and betraying the trust of others.

Research limitations/implications

Very little research on this important topic has been conducted.

Practical implications

Solutions highlight the role of early feedback in reducing leadership failures.

Originality/value

This paper raises a topic important in leadership development but ignored by both researchers and managers.
Mergers and acquisitions as a human resource strategy
Authors: Lin Bou‐Wen , Hung Shih‐Chang , Li Po‐Chien
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper investigates how a firm's human resource capability can affect the deployment and effectiveness of corporate mergers and acquisitions strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is treated as a long‐term strategic orientation based on human resource advantage rather than a tactic to pursue short‐term goals. Using a sample of 267 US banking firms, the main and interaction effects of M&A intensity, HR capability, and in‐state propensity on four firm performance measures were examined.

Findings

The findings confirm that banking M&A could be very effective when the firm had high HR capability. Evidence was also found that HR capability had a direct impact on firm performance. Although in‐state M&A strategy was in general superior to out‐of‐state M&A strategy, a firm with excellent HR capability might narrow the performance difference between in‐state and out‐of‐state M&A.

Research limitations/implications

An obvious drawback of using this sample of banking firms is that it raises questions about the generalizability of these findings to smaller financial firms and firms in other industries. This study considers firms having at least one M&A over a three‐year period, so we should not generalize our findings to those firms preferring to use internal growth strategies or greenfield start‐ups.

Practical implications

The main message of this paper is that human resource capability is critical for M&A strategy to be effective.

Originality/value

By extending previous investigations which showed that M&A strategy and HR capacity should be independently treated, this study highlights the critical role of internal HR capability in performance implications of M&A strategy.
Is workers' mobility a source of R&D spillovers?
Authors: Magnani Elisabetta
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This study asks whether working in a R&D intensive industry affects a worker's wage profile. If R&D investment translates into transferable human capital or knowledge, workers' mobility constitutes a negative externality from the point of view of the firm/industry that bears the cost of R&D activities. A steepening of the wage profile would address such externality.

Design/methodology/approach

Using PSID data combined with US BEA data on US manufacturing industries' R&D intensities between 1981 and 1992, regression analysis is used to explore the hypothesis that, similarly to general training, industry R&D steepens a worker's wage‐experience profile.

Findings

In general the evidence is mixed. The results obtained from biennial wage growth regressions support to some extent the hypothesis that exposure to R&D activities allows a specific group of workers to accumulate general human capital for which they pay a positive price in early stages of their career.

Research limitation/implications

An important caveat applies to the results. Unlike previous research by Møen who uses firm level R&D, the results found in this study are generated by using industry level R&D, which, being possibly affected by severe measurement errors, may bias the estimated coefficients towards zero.

Originality/value

This study complements Møen's evidence based on Norwegian wages with the effects of industry‐specific R&D intensities on the earnings profile in US manufacturing industries. By investigating whether industry R&D affects the return to experience and/or to tenure this study addresses an overlooked issue of which type of skills R&D allows workers to accumulate.
Is the learning organization a valid concept in the Taiwanese context?
Authors: Ya‐Hui Lien Bella , Yu‐Yuan Hung Richard , Yang Baiyin , Li Mingfei
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the psychometric characteristics of a Chinese version of the Dimensions of Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ©).

Design/methodology/approach

The DLOQ©, developed by Watkins and Marsick in 1997, assessed the characteristics of a learning organization. This study employed a survey validate utility of the DLOQ©for the Taiwanese context.

Findings

Psychometric analyses revealed that the Chinese DLOQ©has reasonable reliability, and that the seven‐dimensional factor structure was appropriate for the Taiwanese context. Study results also revealed that the seven dimensions of a learning organization can classify different organization types successfully and demonstrate a statistically significant correlation between organization type and perceptual measures of organizational performance.

Research limitations/ implications

This study has implications for both research and practice in HRD. It offers preliminary evidence of reliability and validity for the Chinese DLOQ©. The positive evidence supporting the psychometric properties of the Chinese DLOQ© indicates the potential for particular cross‐cultural applications. Experimental results also suggest that the Chinese DLOQ© can be utilized to determine cultural differences in building a learning organization. Further studies are required to investigate the relationships between the concept of a learning organization and its antecedent and outcomes variables, such as organizational structure, culture, and performance.

Originality/value

This study confirms that the validity of applying the seven dimensions as determinants of a learning organization in the Taiwanese context and, in particular, supports the cross‐validity of the DLOQ© in this context. This study also offers practical help to understand the concept of organizational learning and developing learning organizations.
The impact of individual values on human resource decision‐making by line managers
Authors: McGuire David , Garavan Thomas N. , Saha Sudhir K. , O'Donnell David
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper explores this relationship between the individual values of managers and human resource (HR) decision‐making.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaire data were collected from a total of 340 line managers from both Ireland and Canada. The questionnaire instrument comprises three components: Rokeach's instrumental and terminal values instrument; two HR related decision scenarios; and demographic and human capital data.

Findings

The results provide modest support for the proposed model that individual values affect HR decision‐making in that capability values were shown to be a significant positive predictor of the importance of health and safety, and peace values were a significant positive predictor of the importance of employment equity.

Research limitations/implications

The findings emphasise the need to simultaneously examine both individual values and organisational factors as predictors of HR decision‐making. Future work should examine the psychometric use of value instruments.

Practical implications

The study underlines the fact that managers need to be aware of the fact that their own values influences how they make decisions. Attention to the values concept amongst managers will improve comprehension of the decision‐making process within organizations.

Originality/value

The value of the paper lies in the fact that the effect of individual values on decision‐making has been under‐researched in the literature.
Leadership coaching in health care
Authors: Henochowicz Stuart , Hetherington Diane
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Medicine is undergoing dramatic changes that will alter its basic organizational structure. The integration of evidence‐based medicine, patient centered care, and the electronic medical record into medical practice will necessitate innovative approaches to management.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature was undertaken to assess the current state of leadership coaching for physicians and non‐medical health care leaders. Different models of leadership coaching are described and examined.

Findings

Leadership coaching has been an underutilized resource in health care executive training. The use of coaching methods has been of great utility for physician and non‐medical managerial leadership. Health care leaders will need to develop interpersonal and emotional intelligence competencies in order to successfully run increasingly complex organizations.

Originality/value

To encourage further quantitative studies of coaching in the health care field. Such studies would be significantly helpful in elucidating those approaches to coaching that yield the best results. Encouraging the greater use of leadership coaching by medical executives can be of potentially important benefit to the successful operation of their institutions.
Creating organizational conditions that foster employee spirit at work
Authors: Kinjerski Val , Skrypnek Berna J.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This study sought to identify organizational factors that foster an individual's experience of spirit at work.

Design/methodology/approach

Ten women and three men, ranging in age from 26 to 81, who were in full‐time paid employment in a variety of occupations, and who self‐identified as having high spirit at work, participated in in‐depth, reflective interviews.

Findings

Inspired leadership emerged as central to influencing individual experiences of spirit at work and was strongly linked to six other organizational factors (strong organizational foundation; organizational integrity; positive workplace culture and space; sense of community among members; opportunities for personal fulfillment, continuous learning, and development; and appreciation and regard for employees and their contribution).

Research limitations/implications

Future research needs to investigate how each of these conditions is related to measured levels of spirit at work in a larger, representative sample, and how measured spirit at work is related to work outcomes.

Practical implications

Although this study did not investigate specific practices or strategies to increase spirit at work, results suggest that organizations wishing to enhance their employees' spirit at work could focus efforts on creating organizational conditions that encourage inspiring leadership and mentorship and the other six identified factors.

Originality/value

The paper raises awareness and highlights issues surrounding organizational factors that foster an individual's experience of spirit at work.
Cost effective robotics in the nuclear industry
Authors: Sands David
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Aims to clarify the use of “nuclear” robots with special reference to one UK contractor (Magnox) and the cost‐effectiveness of its decommissioning programme.

Design/methodology/approach

Goes through the protocol of the use of robots in the disposal of contaminated scrap.

Findings

Justifies the use of a built‐to‐order modular linear (Cartesian) robot system required by Magnox.

Originality/value

Provides valuable advice for handling nuclear materials, especially reactors.
Effects of genetic algorithm parameters on trajectory planning for 6‐DOF industrial robots
Authors: Çakır Mustafa , Butun Erhan , Kayman Yekta
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Seeks to present a new method of trajectory planning, i.e. genetic algorithms (GA), for six‐degree‐of‐freedom (DOF) industrial robots.

Design/methodology/approach

Describes the effects of the GA method with the advantage of quaternion algebra and by a process of elimination selects the optimal solution.

Findings

Finds that the problem of optimization, caused by having two contrary response variables, i.e. time and distance, can only be solved by determining the importance of the variables and calculating the optimum levels of the parameters.

Originality/value

This study would appear to break new ground in the trajectory planning of six‐DOF industrial robots in proposing a superior alternative to conventional methods.
AirEOD
Authors: Molfino Rezia , Costo Sandro , Cepolina Francesco , Zoppi Matteo
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To present a new special explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) robot designed to operate onboard airplanes.

Design/methodology/approach

The design approach adopted is multidisciplinary: mechanical and control architectures are conceived simultaneously. Modularity and lifecycle are considered. Motion and EOD tasks are controlled in tele‐operation.

Findings

A new EOD robot was designed in detail and it is ready to be built. A dynamic simulator has been written and set‐up, including a virtual reality module. The simulator is used to define the control logics. Simulation results are satisfactory. The simulator can be used as a training platform for the bomb squads.

Research limitations/implications

The intent to keep the cost of the robot low conditioned the selection of the materials. Only aluminium and standard composites (like carbon fibers composites) have been used. A higher degree of freedom of the arm could increase the usability of the system; to limit the cost, the degree of freedom was limited to seven. A decision support system based on an expert system interfaced with the simulator could improve the performance of the system.

Practical implications

A new EOD robot will be built and commercialised soon by the industrial partner Ansaldo Ricerche.

Originality/value

The EOD robots available for use inside aircrafts are discussed. A new system named AirEOD is presented, including mobile platform, dexterous arm and all related design and control issues.
An environment for programming and control of multi‐robot manipulators
Authors: Moallem M. , Khoshbin R.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Discusses development of an open architecture multi‐robot system that can be used for training engineers in the area of networked‐based multi‐robot programming.

Design/methodology/approach

The robots are operated under their original controllers connected together through a network of supervisory computers. A preemptive multi‐tasking real time operating system (RTOS) running on these computers is used to perform supervisory and cooperative tasks involving multiple robots. The software environment allows for controlling the motion of one or more robots and their interaction with other devices.

Findings

Robots can be networked to perform more elaborate tasks.

Originality/value

The environment is used to train undergraduate and graduate students on how to develop software for various robotic applications, including scheduling techniques, cooperative manipulation, collision avoidance, and emerging robotic applications.
Lemur IIb: a robotic system for steep terrain access
Authors: Kennedy Brett , Okon Avi , Aghazarian Hrand , Badescu Mircea , Bao Xiaoqi , Bar‐Cohen Yoseph , Chang Zensheu , Dabiri Borna E. , Garrett Mike , Magnone Lee , Sherrit Stewart
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Introduces the Lemur IIb robot which allows the investigation of the technical hurdles associated with free climbing in steep terrain. These include controlling the distribution of contact forces during motion to ensure holds remain intact and to enable mobility through over‐hangs. Efforts also can be applied to furtherin‐situcharacterization of the terrain, such as testing the strength of the holds and developing models of the individual holds and a terrain map.

Design/methodology/approach

A free climbing robot system was designed and integrated. Climbing end‐effector were investigated and operational algorithms were developed.

Findings

A 4‐limbed robotic system used to investigate several aspects of climbing system design including the mechanical system (novel end‐effectors, kinematics, joint design), sensing (force, attitude, vision), low‐level control (force‐control for tactile sensing and stability management), and planning (joint trajectories for stability). A new class of Ultrasonic/Sonic Driller/Corer (USDC) end‐effectors capable of creating “holds” in rock and soil as well as sampling those substrates.

Practical implications

Planetary exploration of cliff faces. Search and rescue in steep terrain. Robotic scouting and surveillance in natural environments.

Originality/value

The technologies developed on this platform will be used to build an advanced system that will climb slopes up to and including vertical faces and overhangs and be able to react forces to maintain stability and do useful work (e.g. sample acquisition/instrument placement).
3D control of a high‐speed quadruped trot
Authors: Palmer L.R. , Orin D.E.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Legged vehicles offer several advantages over wheeled vehicles, particularly on broken terrain, but are presently too slow to be considered for many high‐speed tasks. This paper presents an effective 3D controller for a high‐speed quadruped trot.

Design/methodology/approach

To successfully regulate forward velocity and heading, secondary motions such as body pitch and roll must be stabilised. The complicated coupling between pitch and roll motion causes the control effort on one axis to disturb the motion and control effort of the other. Unlike the modular methods in previous research, the algorithm presented here employs a cooperative approach where pitch stability effort is directly accounted for by the roll controller.

Findings

When the secondary motions such as pitch and roll are well stabilized, forward velocity and heading can be regulated up to 3 m/s and 20°/s, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

For many quadrupeds, trotting is usually employed as the precursor to galloping, which is ultimately used at top speeds. Because these two gaits are commonly used together, we expect their control algorithms to share a number of similar components. It is then expected that understanding the quadruped trot will serve as a valuable foundation to understanding the quadruped gallop.

Originality/value

This appears to be the first reported regulation of quadruped heading while running at significant speeds.
A portable light‐weight climbing robot for personal assistance applications
Authors: Jardon A. , Gimenez A. , Correal R. , Cabas R. , Martinez S. , Balaguer C.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Human care and service demands will need innovative robotic solutions to make the day‐to‐day life of elderly and disabled people in home and workplace environments easier. The main objective of this work is to develop a new concept of climbing robot for this type of service applications.

Design/methodology/approach

ASIBOT is a 5 DOF self‐containing manipulator that includes the entire control system on‐board. The main advantage of this robot is its light weight, about 11 kg with 1.3 m reach. The robot is totally autonomous and only needs a power supply to be operated.

Findings

The robot is an arm able to move between different points (Docking stations (DS)) of the rooms and, if necessary, “jump” to (or from) the environment to the wheelchair. In this way the ASIBOT robot could become a home companion and assistance for numerous people.

Originality/value

ASIBOT is a 5 DOF self‐containing light weight manipulator that includes the entire control system on‐board.
Force‐feedback teleoperation of an industrial robot in a nuclear spent fuel reprocessing plant
Authors: Desbats Philippe , Geffard Franck , Piolain Gérard , Coudray Alain
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Aims to describe how to make an industrial robot work as a telemanipulator with force feedback, in order to carry out various tasks for remote handling in nuclear fuel cycle plants.

Design/methodology/approach

The robot Staübli RX170 (used as a slave arm) has been fitted with a force‐torque sensor and an electronic system for sensors' signals multiplexing. The overall system has been made tolerant to γ radiation up to a 10 kGy integrated dose. The industrial robot has been coupled to a master arm with force feedback capability and to the computer assisted teleoperation controller TAO2000 developed by CEA‐LIST.

Findings

The result of the maintenance operation reported in the paper, carried out with a Staübli RX170 robot at AREVA/COGEMA La Hague plant, illustrates the validity of this approach and demonstrates how remote handling can benefit from this new technology.

Originality/value

Introduces the teleoperation of industrial robots as a new solution for the maintenance of nuclear facilities. Wrist force/torque sensing and advanced master‐slave controller provide the operators with a high performance teleoperation system. Only limited modification of the existing design of the industrial robot has been carried out in order to transform it into a nuclear telemanipulator.
“Trust”, professional power and social theory
Authors: Owen Tim , Powell Jason L.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper sets out to examine the relationship between trust and professional power in the context of post‐Foucauldian social theory. Understood in its micro‐political terms and conceived as impacting on individual identity and agency at a number of levels: intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational and macro levels.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual and theoretical approach.

Findings

The findings illustrate that the concept of “trust” and relationship to health services can be understood through a post‐Foucauldian lens.

Research limitations/implications

This is a very theoretical paper with implications for epistemological development grounded in understanding “trust” and ethics of self.

Originality/value

This is an original paper on post‐Foucauldian analysis of trust and relationship to health policy and professional autonomy.
Confronting the “corporate citizen”
Authors: Burchell Jon , Cook Joanne
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To demonstrate, through the application of Fairclough's critical discourse analysis framework, that the discourse surrounding corporate social responsibility (CSR) has broader implications.

Design/methodology/approach

Argues that the evolution of CSR has become a two‐way process of interaction between business and civil society.

Findings

As companies place increasing emphasis on their ability to act responsibly as “corporate citizens”, CSR provides new opportunities for social actors to assimilate these strategies; enabling them to scrutinise, question and oppose the business practices of global corporations and challenging them to prove that there is more to CSR than merely corporate rhetoric.

Originality/value

Demonstrates that the discourse surrounding CSR has broader implications.
Transnational influences in the social production of adoptable children
Authors: Fonseca Claudia
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To consider transnational aspects linked to the social production of adoptable children in a Brazilian setting.

Design/methodology/approach

Looks at legislation and media reports, giving particular attention to how, during the 1990s, vigorous campaigns in favor of plenary adoption by Brazilian nationals implied the near‐total silencing of alternative forms of childcare such as foster care, and how recent circumstances are reversing this trend.

Findings

Argues that an apparently straightforward conflict between poverty‐stricken families and the state authorities that strip them of parental rights is in fact a highly political issue involving innumerous overseas as well as national influences. National childcare policies that encourage certain childcare options and eliminate others emerge as much from scandals in the media, “consumer demands” by adoptive parents, and philanthropic support as from the more apparent global trends in child welfare legislation.

Research limitations/implications

The findings challenge the view that childcare is a consensual issue with all fronts working for the “child's best interest”. Rather, in this paper, the issue is revealed as a political matter of conflicting interests between unequal categories of caretakers.

Practical implications

This paper has direct relevance for international legislation on child adoption policy.

Originality/value

This paper furnishes a “view from below” on international adoption, putting in question principles that are normally accepted as obvious in international legislation on child rights.
The United Arab Emirates youths (UAEU) between modernity and traditionalism
Authors: Simadi Fayez A.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assess the values held by United Arab Emirates University students and to assess the influence of socio‐demographic factors, such as gender, citizenship, income, education, occupation, family size, on their values.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted a questionnaire with 242 men and 353 women students.

Findings

The results indicate that religious and cognitive values were prioritised by the respondents and that gender, income levels, family size and father's occupation were the most important factors influencing values.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies of the values held by people living in the United Arab Emirates.
Research into regeneration: gaps in our knowledge base
Authors: Diamond John , Southern Alan
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this editorial is to provide an overview to four papers in this issue that deal with regeneration.

Design/methodology/approach

This guest editorial summarizes four papers from a regeneration management conference held at the University of Liverpool.

Findings

City growth coalitions are, it seems, in abundance, and one should be aware of their unintended outcomes, likewise, such outcomes that occur during partnership processes.

Originality/value

Readers gain a quick overview of regeneration which will be of interest to academics and practitioners alike.
Collaborative partnerships and urban change management
Authors: Williams Gwyndaf
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This article aims to consider the benefits of collaboration in programming the delivery of complex regeneration strategies, focusing on the renewal of Manchester city centre following its terrorist bombing. Set within the wider discourse on the nature of partnerships, it situates the city centre renewal process within Manchester's locally‐grounded development agenda, focusing in particular on programme management achievements.

Design/methodology/approach

The article uses a qualitative approach to look at the institutional basis for collaborative action, and the management structures put in place to deliver the renewal programme over a five‐year period of concentrated activity.

Findings

In the renewal of Manchester city centre a common purpose was found within the partnership approach. Such an approach appeared to be driven by inter‐urban competition for public and private investment.

Research limitations/implications

Implications for organizational capacity and for master plan delivery were noted, and with the approach taken to performance management and the accommodation of risk, and the delivery of a forward strategy to ensure the completion of the rebuilding programme.

Practical implications

The findings have had practical implications with a number of other cities pursuing like‐minded strategies based on the Manchester experience.

Originality/value

The article adds further knowledge to our understanding of renewal and regeneration in major cities.
Abusive partnerships
Authors: Rowe Mike
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to critically consider the role of partnerships in regeneration. There has been a proliferation of partnerships at local, sub‐regional and regional levels, that has brought new people together around a shared agenda, and has sought to challenge and change the ways in which mainstream public services are delivered.

Design/methodology/approach

This article uses a qualitative approach drawing on previous research work and using narrative to construct a series of metaphors to provide greater levels of explanation and understanding of partnerships.

Findings

The current approach to partnership working arises principally from analysis of the weaknesses of fragmented services, it is also attractive to those who seek to open up the cosy, inefficient and, at times, corrupt worlds of local government. This is shown through an innovative typology of partnerships.

Research limitations/implications

While there are sound policy reasons for engaging in the game of partnerships, there are dangers in underestimating the capacity of public agencies to adopt and adapt the language of partnership, without genuinely engaging with the intent behind the policy.

Practical implications

The implications from this article have practical relevance for those working in public policy and for those involved in partnerships.

Originality/value

By drawing upon examples of the abuse of partnership arrangements, this article provides an original perspective on those phenomena that might be an indication of trouble.
Consulting the community
Authors: Fuller Duncan , Mellor Mary , Dodds Lynn , Affleck Arthur
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to highlight the multifaceted nature of financial exclusions, the range of potential needs that require addressing via financial inclusion policy and grounded initiatives, and emphasise that future “new models of affordable credit” must be framed by, and embedded in local communities.

Design/methodology/approach

Documentation and analysis of an innovative participatory consultation that explored the perceptions and financial needs of a local population through use of participatory appraisal is used, one of a growing family of participatory approaches that is recognised as taking a “whole community approach” to conducting action research.

Findings

Provides evidence of the range of services actually available to the “financially excluded” in a so‐called disadvantaged area, reasons for their use (or lack of), and the needs, wants, and/or desires to be fulfilled by any local “ideal” form of financial service provision.

Research limitations/implications

The research suggests any financial inclusion solution must be sensitive and responsive to the varied circumstances and multifarious financial needs of local communities – one‐size‐fits‐all models of financial inclusion will have limited success due to the heterogeneous local manifestations of financial exclusions, the variety of perceived needs, and the variances of both of these over space and across social groups. More research is needed in other locations to explore geographical/social differences in such problems and needs.

Originality/value

This paper presents the findings of an innovative participatory consultation used to directly underpin and inform a local financial inclusion initiative.
An empirical study of lean production in the ceramic tile industry in Spain
Authors: Bonavia Tomas , Marin Juan Antonio
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To determine the degree of use of some of the most representative lean production (LP) practices in the Spanish ceramic tile industry, their relationship with plant size and their effect on the operational performance of the companies in the sector.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was developed for data collection. Findings are presented from 76 companies (79.17 per cent of the total sample) that specialise in single firing ceramics.

Findings

In the sector under study, there is one set of practices that have as yet scarcely been implemented (group technology, kanban, reduction of set‐up time, development of multi‐function employees and visual factory) and another set whose use is fairly widespread (standardisation of operations, total productive maintenance and quality controls). The degree of their respective use depends on a firm's size. Very few correlations appear between the degree of use of any specific LP practice in isolation and the operational indicators.

Research limitations/implications

For certain variables we found very little variation between the firms in our sample. Moreover, many firms did not have available the data needed for calculating capacity utilisation, and hence we have not been able to check its effects in our analysis.

Practical implications

The paper presents data for reflecting on the application of different LP practices in isolation and on the impediments limiting the use of some of them in the sector.

Originality/value

The paper extends the work of other researchers by focusing on a sector and a country that have been very little studied until now. The sample consists of a set of firms that are fairly homogeneous; this facilitates analysing the relationships between the selected variables while keeping other variables controlled.
Modularity in supply chains: a multiple case study in the construction industry
Authors: Voordijk Hans , Meijboom Bert , de Haan Job
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The objective of this study is to assess the applicability of Fine's three‐dimensional modularity concept as a tool to describe and to analyze the alignment of product, process, and supply chain architectures. Fine claims that the degree of modularity in the final output product has a one‐to‐one correspondence with the degree of modularity in transformation processes and supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory three‐company case study is used to investigate Fine's three‐dimensional modularity concept.

Findings

Empirical research shows that Fine's three‐dimensional modularity concept works well for descriptive purposes. However, the concept needs refinement when it is used for analytical purposes. For process modularity, the spatial aspect can be related to the concept of the territorial economy of firms, while the time aspect can be elaborated using a product life‐cycle perspective and the concept of interface reversibility. With respect to supply chain modularity, the concept of modular production networks, which specifies combinations of different degrees of geographic, organizational, cultural, and electronic proximity, is appropriate. In the specific setting of the building industry, a methodology for developing product platform architectures would refine the dimension of product modularity.

Research limitations/implications

Starting from the above‐mentioned concepts, several strands of research are outlined for a further elaboration of product (developing a methodology for developing product platform architectures), process (taking a life‐cycle perspective on module development), and supply chain modularity (analyzing conditions for the application of modular networks).

Originality/value

The application of systematic engineering design methods, interface reversibility, and interorganizational ICT allows firms to align product, process, and supply chain modularity.
Forecasting demand from heterogeneous customers
Authors: Kalchschmidt Matteo , Verganti Roberto , Zotteri Giulio
Published: July 2006

Purpose

In many industrial contexts, firms are encountering increasingly uncertain demand. Numerous factors are driving this phenomenon; however, a major change that is spreading among different sectors is the ever‐growing attention to customers. Companies have identified that customers are critical not only because they directly influence the success of specific products or firms, but also because they play a fundamental role in many internal processes. Although the role of customers in business processes has been deeply analysed, the issue of demand forecasting and the role of customers has not been fully explored. The present study aims to examine the impact of heterogeneity of customer requests on demand forecasting approaches, based on three action research cases. Based on the analysis of customer behaviour, an appropriate methodology for each case is designed based on clustering customers according to their demand patterns.

Design/methodology/approach

Objectives are achieved by means of three action research case studies, developed in cooperation with three different companies. The paper structures a general methodology based on these three experiences to help managers in better dealing with uncertain demand.

Findings

By means of proper analysis of customers' heterogeneity and by using simple statistical techniques such as cluster analysis, forecasting performance can significantly improve. In these terms, this work claims that focusing on customers' heterogeneity is a relevant topic both for practitioners and researchers.

Originality/value

The paper proposes some specific guidelines to forecast demand where customers' differences impact significantly on demand variability. In these terms, results are relevant for practitioners. Moreover, the paper claims that this issue should be better analysed in future researches and proposes some guidelines for future works.
Supply chain management: theory and practice – the emergence of an academic discipline?
Authors: Cousins Paul D. , Lawson Benn , Squire Brian
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To introduce the special issue focusing on the question: is supply chain management (SCM) an emerging academic discipline?

Design/methodology/approach

A brief discussion of the papers in the special issue.

Findings

Outlines how the papers stimulate debate on the nature and development of SCM and indicates that there is an intense research effort being conducted around the world in this field.

Originality/value

Provides a summary of the perspectives considered within the issue.
Extending green practices across the supply chain
Authors: Vachon Stephan , Klassen Robert D.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This research aims to extend the “collaborative paradigm” proposed by others in prior research beyond a supply chain's core operations. To date, this paradigm has generated relatively little empirical research on peripheral, non‐core areas such the natural environment. Antecedents (both plant‐level and supply chain characteristics) of green supply chain practices (GSCP) are examined. Among possible antecedents, prior research pointed to supply chain integration – both logistical (tactical level) and technological (strategic level) – as a potentially important determinant of green practices.

Design/methodology/approach

Green practices are defined along the two dimensions of environmental collaboration and monitoring. The empirical analysis used data from 84 plants in North America surveyed in 2002. Validity and reliability of scales for new and existing constructs were assessed through factor analysis. Hierarchical linear regression was used to test the hypotheses for the antecedents of GSCP.

Findings

Technological integration with primary suppliers and major customers was positively linked to environmental monitoring and collaboration. For logistical integration, a linkage was found only with environmental monitoring of suppliers. Finally, as the supply base was reduced, the extent of environmental collaboration with primary suppliers increased.

Research limitations/implications

Greater supply chain integration can benefit environment management in operations, and the collaborative paradigm can be extended to this domain. A limitation is that the empirical analysis focused on one industry representing a single echelon.

Originality/value

This is one of the few studies that conceptualize and empirically test GSCP, and consider both and separately upstream and downstream interactions in the supply chain.