bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effects of entrepreneurs’ socioeconomic status and political characteristics on new ventures’ establishment of formal political ties in China
Authors: Mai Yiyuan , Xiong Chan , He Xiaobin
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This study aims to examine, by drawing upon resource dependence theory and upper echelon theory, how entrepreneurs’ socioeconomic statuses and political characteristics influence the establishment of formal political ties by new ventures, and how these relationships are moderated by new ventures’ degrees of innovation and internationalization.

Design/methodology/approach

– An empirical research approach is used in this paper. This is because this model evaluates the interaction effects between the socioeconomic statuses and political characteristics of entrepreneurs and the market strategies of their new ventures. Moderated multiple regression models were used to test our hypotheses with data from 2,297 new ventures in China.

Findings

– Using a questionnaire survey about new ventures in China, it was found that entrepreneurs’ socioeconomic statuses and political characteristics are positively related to the establishment of formal political ties by new ventures. It was also found that this positive relationship is stronger when new ventures have a higher degree of internationalization, while the relationship between the socioeconomic statuses of entrepreneurs’ and the establishment of formal political ties by new ventures is weaker when new ventures have a higher degree of innovation.

Research limitations/implications

– This research provides a deeper insight into the personal roles that are played in the establishment of formal political ties and it advances the research into new ventures’ competitive strategies.

Practical implications

– This study reveals the situations in which formal political ties are connected with new-venture advantages in China, and it will help entrepreneurs establish and use formal political ties strategically to correspond with the different strategies of new ventures.

Originality/value

– This research distinguishes the effects of two types of personal status on the establishment of formal political ties by new ventures, and it contributes to an understanding of the situations under which entrepreneurs should establish formal political ties. The findings will also be helpful for entrepreneurs who are choosing how to combine their market and non-market strategies.
P-TRANSQUAL: a service quality model of public land transport services
Authors: Bakti I Gede Mahatma Yuda , Sumaedi Sik
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to test a model of service quality of public land transport services, especially paratransit services.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study used quantitative approach. Data were collected through a survey method using questionnaire. The respondents of the study are 880 passengers of paratransit services in Indonesia. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed in order to identify the dimensions of service quality and test the convergent and discriminant validity of the dimensions. Cronbach’sαanalysis was carried out to test the reliability of the dimensions. In addition, criterion-based validity and the stability of the service quality model were also tested.

Findings

– A model of service quality of public land transport, namely P-TRANSQUAL, was tested. P-TRANSQUAL consists of four dimensions, which are comfort, tangible, personnel, and reliability. The model has been proven to have good validity, reliability, and stability for measuring service quality of paratransit services in Indonesia.

Research limitations/implications

– This research was carried out in a single developing country, namely Indonesia. Hence, the stability of the model needs to be tested in different cultures.

Practical implications

– Public transport managers can use P-TRANSQUAL to monitor, measure, and improve the service quality of the public transport they manage.

Originality/value

– This paper has tested a new model of service quality for public transport services, especially paratransit services.
The true motives behind the adoption of QLASSIC-CIS 7: 2006
Authors: Kam Kenn Jhun , Abdul Hamid Ahmad Hilmy
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate contractors’ awareness level and adoption of QLASSIC assessment system in construction industry and to identify the variables that influenced the adoption of QLASSIC assessment system.

Design/methodology/approach

– Quantitative research method was adopted in order to test the above issues. The questionnaire composed for two parts: awareness and adoption of QLASSIC system; and the factors that influenced the adoption of QLASSIC system. Those contractors who registered under grade 6 and 7 are the scope of respondents in this study.

Findings

– The adoption of QLASSIC assessment is not significantly affected by the awareness whereas the motivations and barrier factors do. It was discovered that the contractors perception on QLASSIC adoption are basically due to the significant factors; the internal motivations and barrier. The major influencing factors are internal motivation factors, external motivation factors and barrier factors.

Originality/value

– This study reveals the true motives behind the adoption of QLASSIC assessment in the construction industry, where this finding significantly contributes to the understanding of contractors’ perception on this quality assurance program for the construction industry.
Can socially responsible leaders drive Chinese firm performance?
Authors: Wang Shuo , Huang Wei , Gao Yuhui , Ansett Sean , Xu Shiyong
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The relationship between socially responsible leaders, the key driver of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices, and organizational financial performance is a salient issue in the global context for both CSR scholars and practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to provide much-needed insights into the interplay of responsible leadership, CSR practices, and organizational outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

– It analyses 85 CEOs’ behaviors and their companies’ performance in a two-year database. It thereby enriches understanding of how leaders’ socially responsible decisions impact upon CSR engagement and firm performance.

Findings

– The results suggest that socially responsible leaders were positively related with organizational performance of return on equity (ROE). The aspects of integrity, morality, and stakeholder relationship aspects of responsible leadership are closely related to CSR. However, CSR practices were negatively related to ROA and ROE. It implies that in China CSR activities could not boost organizational performance in the short term, at least in two years.

Research limitations/implications

– Our research has clear limitations. First, most selected firms are renowned large corporations, state-owned, or private enterprises. Foreign-owned enterprises are excluded. Second, the evaluation of CSP is based on the content analysis of firms’ annual CSR reports. Our research has clear limitations. First, most selected firms are renowned large corporations, state-owned, or private enterprises. Foreign-owned enterprises are excluded. Second, the evaluation of CSP is based on the content analysis of firms’ annual CSR reports.

Practical implications

– Our research has practical implications for the business world. First, CSR practices in China shall be conducted in a strategic way. Second, responsible leadership is of significance for the Chinese MNCs that are overseas to build trustful stakeholder relations with local stakeholders.

Originality/value

– Based on the data analysis, this study provides in-depth discussion of CSR situation in China and its relationship with firm performance, which is one of the first studies to examine responsible leadership in Chinese context and investigate the relationship between responsible leadership and organizational performance.
What matters most in leader selection? The role of personality and implicit leadership theories
Authors: Carnes Andrew , Houghton Jeffery D. , Ellison Christopher N.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to determine the primary basis upon which raters make decisions in the context of selection for formal leadership positions. Specifically, this paper examines the applicant’s personality, the rater’s personality, and the congruence between the applicant’s personality and the rater’s implicit leadership theories (ILTs) as predictors of interview scores.

Design/methodology/approach

– The hypotheses were tested via random coefficient modeling analyses using HLM software with the control variables included in Step 1 and the main effects entered in Step 2, and interaction effects in Step 3 as appropriate.

Findings

– Analyses suggest that both applicant and rater personality impact interview scores, but raters do not appear to select leaders on the basis of their conceptualization of an ideal leader.

Research limitations/implications

– The results suggest that raters may not consider their own ILTs when attempting to identify future leaders. Given this lack of a natural tendency toward selecting individuals that match one’s perceptions of an ideal leader, future research should focus on adapting current selection methods to leader selection and the development of new selection methods that are more valid.

Practical implications

– These findings suggest that current staffing practices may not encompass the most effective tools for selecting future leaders of the organization. These results highlight the importance of clarifying the outcome goals of the selection process in advance by giving raters a clear representation of the qualities and ideals that should be present in potential leaders.

Originality/value

– This study is among the first to examine the relationships between personality and ILTs in the context of a formal leadership selection process and makes a significant contribution to the literature by providing insight into the influence of both rater and applicant personality differences along with rater conceptualizations of ideal leadership in the context of formal leadership selection.
Religion, religiosity, and leadership practices
Authors: Hage Joe , Posner Barry Z.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify and measure the relationship between a leader’s religion and religiosity (independent variables) and leadership practices (dependent variables) in the context of non-western Christian and Muslim organizational leaders.

Design/methodology/approach

– The quantitative correlation study involved 384 organizational leaders (150 Christians and 234 Muslims) working in various industries in Lebanon. Organizational leaders supplied their religious affiliation and self-rated their religiosity and leadership practices.

Findings

– Results were somewhat mixed, supporting some prior studies and contradicting others. Differences in the hypothesized relationship between the religious affiliation, religiosity, and leadership practices of organizational leaders were noted. The findings revealed that religion and religiosity both have an influence on the behavior and practices of organizational leaders; although the former is much more significant than the latter.

Research limitations/implications

– Organizational leaders reported their leadership practices and religiosity, hence self-rating bias. The data collection method allowed participant self-selection, thus potentially introducing self-selection bias in this study. Cultural response bias may be another possible limitation to this study. There were no controls for possible confounding factors (such as organizational, psychological, personal, or environmental variables) that may have influenced respondents.

Practical implications

– This study confirmed that leadership practices were significantly complicated by the respondents’ religious affiliation and religiosity. Scholars and practitioners may use the results as guidelines to further understand leadership dynamics generally, and more particularly in a non-western context. Leaders may gain practical insight about how to meet organizational challenges in a religiously diverse workplace.

Originality/value

– This study sheds new light on how leadership practices may be influenced by people’s religious affiliation and religiosity; and especially so in the Middle East where a paucity of empirical research on workplace issues exists.
Examining the quantitative determinants of organizational performance: evidence from China
Authors: Wang Ying , Bhanugopan Ramudu , Lockhart Pamela
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to examine the determinants of organizational performance (OP) of business enterprises located in China and to explore how individual demographic and organizational characteristics affect OP.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study applies quantitative methods to examine the OP. Data were collected from 405 managers across 306 organizations in China.

Findings

– The study finds that, overall, OP is related to five factors, namely, finance and customer, internal business, work satisfaction, pay and benefits and innovation and technology (INT). The results from this study provide new perspectives and support the overall validity of the nomological network of OP factors. The findings also provide guidelines on which perspectives of performance organizations should be enhanced.

Practical implications

– The five-factor model of OP provides benefit to any organization or individual who intends to examine OP in China. In addition, the findings suggest that organizations should explore ways to enforce their performance. The findings also inform organizational decision makers about practices for performance improvement.

Originality/value

– The present study was undertaken to advance understanding of OP in China in several ways. The most significant element of this study was the five-factor performance model generated from the structural equation modeling analysis. The results from MANOVA highlight the potential impact of organization theory on how demographic and organizational variables influence OP in China.
At what level is your organization managing knowledge?
Authors: Galati Francesco
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to combine different perspectives concerning knowledge management (KM), thus developing a theoretical framework that could be used, as a basic strategic tool, both to control and to plan KM level of implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

– Bringing together previous research in KM and providing an analysis of the main issues discussed in the literature, an integrative framework for evaluating the level of implementation of knowledge management within organizations is proposed.

Findings

– The major contribution is the final theoretical framework proposed, which allows the possibility to dynamically analyze the evolution of the KM maturity level of an organization, thus assuming a relevant strategic importance.

Research limitations/implications

– The model proposed provides only the basis for an extensive analysis on the topic. Further research could focus on the quantitative development of the suggested framework.

Practical implications

– The paper is very useful in practical terms. From a static perspective, a manager can use the resulted framework as a strategic tool able to portray the level of implementation of KM within his organization. From a dynamic perspective, the framework could be adopted to analyze the evolution of the KM within the organization, thus gaining deeper understanding on the link between KM and organizational change.

Originality/value

– This paper presents a novel framework. Unlike previous literature on KM, this paper combined numerous perspectives in the field and provides a useful strategic tool.
Effects of non‐amputative wide local excision on the local control and prognosis of in situ and invasive subungual melanoma
Authors: Nakamura Yasuhiro , Ohara Kuniaki , Kishi Akiko , Teramoto Yukiko , Sato Sayuri , Fujisawa Yasuhiro , Fujimoto Manabu , Otsuka Fujio , Hayashi Nobukazu , Yamazaki Naoya , Yamamoto Akifumi
Published: May 2015

Subungual melanomas (SUM) are rare, and amputation is often required. Non‐amputative wide local excision (WLE) of the nail unit with the periosteum of the distal phalanx, followed by skin graft, has been accepted for in situ or SUM of 0.5 mm or less thickness. However, previous reports have included a limited number of cases, and not all more than 0.5‐mm thick SUM exhibit invasion or attachment to the distal phalanx. The aim of the present study was to investigate the local recurrence and prognosis for in situ, minimally invasive and invasive SUM that were treated using WLE. We retrospectively reviewed 50 patients with in situ (n = 48) or minimally invasive SUM (n = 2) (in situ or minimally invasive group) and 12 patients with more than 0.5‐mm thick invasive SUM (invasive group) who were treated using WLE. All patients survived the follow‐up period (24–207 months), although four patients with in situ SUM experienced local recurrence at the lateral margin and re‐excision was required. In the invasive group, no patients experienced local recurrence, although one patient (8.3%) developed nodal metastasis at 86 months and regional lymph node dissection was required. WLE may provide acceptable local control for in situ and intermediate thickness SUM, without compromising the vital prognosis. However, a larger randomized prospective study with long‐term follow up is required to evaluate adequately the risks associated with a non‐amputative WLE for in situ and invasive SUM.
The role of a dominant predator in shaping biodiversity over space and time in a marine ecosystem
Authors: Ellingsen Kari E. , Anderson Marti J. , Shackell Nancy L. , Tveraa Torkild , Yoccoz Nigel G. , Frank Kenneth T.
Published: May 2015

Exploitation of living marine resources has resulted in major changes to populations of targeted species and functional groups of large‐bodied species in the ocean. However, the effects of overfishing and collapse of large top predators on the broad‐scale biodiversity of oceanic ecosystems remain largely unexplored.

Populations of the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) were overfished and several collapsed in the early 1990s across Atlantic Canada, providing a unique opportunity to study potential ecosystem‐level effects of the reduction of a dominant predator on fish biodiversity, and to identify how such effects might interact with other environmental factors, such as changes in climate, over time.

We combined causal modelling with model selection and multimodel inference to analyse 41 years of fishery‐independent survey data (1970–2010) and quantify ecosystem‐level effects of overfishing and climate variation on the biodiversity of fishes across a broad area (172 000 km2) of the Scotian Shelf.

We found that alpha and beta diversity increased with decreases in cod occurrence; fish communities were less homogeneous and more variable in systems where cod no longer dominated. These effects were most pronounced in the colder north‐eastern parts of the Scotian Shelf.

Our results provide strong evidence that intensive harvesting (and collapse) of marine apex predators can have large impacts on biodiversity, with far‐reaching consequences for ecological stability across an entire ecosystem.
Grey seal predation impairs recovery of an over‐exploited fish stock
Authors: Cook Robin M. , Holmes Steven J. , Fryer Robert J.
Published: May 2015

Grey seal predation has been blamed by fishers for the decline of Atlantic cod stocks and has led to calls for seal culls. In the West of Scotland, estimates of cod consumption by seals have exceeded reported catches and spawning biomass, focussing attention on the interaction between fishers and seals.

Bayesian models making different assumptions about seal predation were used to estimate the size of the West of Scotland cod stock between 1985 and 2005 and the mortalities due to fishing and seal foraging. A simple population model was used to identify the likely direction of cod population change at recent mortality rates.

All model configurations suggest that the total mortality of cod has remained fairly stable and high for many years regardless of the assumptions on seal predation. The high mortality explains the long‐term decline of the stock.

The best‐fitting model suggests that mortality due to fishing reduced substantially in the decade up to 2005, but has been replaced by increased seal predation mortality on a smaller cod stock. Given total mortality estimates, the stock is unlikely to recover even at present reduced levels of fishing.

Synthesis and applications. Our model offers a method of estimating seal predation mortality as part of routine stock assessments that inform fishery management. The analysis shows that predation by seals can be an important component of the total stock mortality. It also shows that assuming invariant natural mortality, as adopted in many standard fish stock assessments, may lead to incorrect perceptions of fishing mortality, over‐estimating the benefits of reducing fishing mortality when there is density‐dependent predation. It is essential to consider predation by top predators when formulating appropriate advice for managing the fishery.
Changes in secondary metabolic profiles of Microcystis aeruginosa strains in response to intraspecific interactions
Authors: Briand Enora , Bormans Myriam , Gugger Muriel , Dorrestein Pieter C. , Gerwick William H.
Published: May 2015

The cyanobacteria Microcystis proliferate in freshwater ecosystems and produce bioactive compounds including the harmful toxins microcystins (MC). These secondary metabolites play an important role in shaping community composition through biotic interactions although their role and mode of regulation are poorly understood. As natural cyanobacterial populations include producing and non‐producing strains, we tested if the production of a range of peptides by coexisting cells could be regulated through intraspecific interactions. With an innovative co‐culturing chamber together with advanced mass spectrometry (MS) techniques, we monitored the growth and compared the metabolic profiles of a MC‐producing as well as two non‐MC‐producing Microcystis strains under mono‐ and co‐culture conditions. In monocultures, these strains grew comparably; however, the non‐MC‐producing mutant produced higher concentrations of cyanopeptolins, aerucyclamides and aeruginosins than the wild type. Physiological responses to co‐culturing were reflected in a quantitative change in the production of the major peptides. Using a MS/MS‐based molecular networking approach, we identified new analogues of known classes of peptides as well as new compounds. This work provides new insights into the factors that regulate the production of MC and other secondary metabolites in cyanobacteria, and suggests interchangeable or complementary functions allowing bloom‐forming cyanobacteria to efficiently colonize and dominate in fluctuating aquatic environments.
Ritual, value, and example: on the perfection of cultural representations
Authors: Robbins Joel
Published: May 2015

For modes of thinking influenced by the fact/value distinction, values are often defined as in some sense unreal. Against this view, I argue that values exist in the form of socially concrete, enacted examples. In making this argument, I define examples as representations that model the realization of single values in full form – forms that are not common in daily life because most actions are driven by a mix of diverse value considerations. I further suggest that rituals are a key social form in which exemplary representations of values are made socially available. I illustrate this argument by analysing two important rituals among the Urapmin of Papua New Guinea, and by exploring several innovative Urapmin rituals that have failed to become established because, I suggest, they do not provide examples of fully realized values.
Double standards: examples and exceptions in scientific metrological practices in Brazil
Authors: Walford Antonia
Published: May 2015

Drawing on fieldwork with metrologists from Brazil's Space Institute in the southeast of Brazil, this paper explores the science of measurement and calibration in terms of the relation between examples and exceptions. It argues that in order to understand how examples circulate in metrological practice in the form of versions of an absolute standard for a measurement, it is necessary to take into account how they appear as exceptions from that standard. The example and the exception emerge as forms of each other – neither opposed nor alike, but conveying the same information differently. The paper then turns to examine how this example of exemplification as exception can be methodologically engaged. If the introduction to this special issue proposes that ‘their’ examples are best thought of as ‘our’ examples, this paper ends with a discussion of how exactly metrological exemplification could come to be anthropological description.
Of figures and types: brokering knowledge and migration in Indonesia and beyond
Authors: Lindquist Johan
Published: May 2015

This paper takes the broker as an entry‐point for considering the problem of exemplification in anthropology. In particular, it approaches this problem by way of the relationship between figure and type, or between example and theoretical exemplar. While the figure is contingent on a specific socio‐historical context, the type consciously accentuates particular characteristics in order to form the basis for comparison. More specifically, the paper approaches this relationship by considering the broker as type in relation to two specific figures in the current regime of transnational Indonesian migration, namely the NGO outreach worker and the informal labour recruiter, both identified as ‘field agents’, orpetugas lapangan, in Indonesia. By way of juxtaposition the paper discusses the oscillation between figure and type in order to consider biases in the anthropological literature on brokers – most notably that the the broker is inherently amoral if not immoral – while suggesting that the broker is an exemplary methodological starting‐point for contemporary anthropology.
Community‐Level Quality Improvement and the Patient Experience for Chronic Illness Care
Authors: McHugh Megan , Harvey Jillian B. , Kang Raymond , Shi Yunfeng , Scanlon Dennis P.
Published: May 2015

Objective

To determine whether chronically ill adults from communities participating in a community‐level quality improvement effort reported greater improvement on four domains of patient experience: care coordination, patient satisfaction, provider interaction and support, and receipt of recommended care for diabetes.

Study Setting

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) initiative provides multistakeholder alliances with funding and technical assistance to improve quality in their communities.

Study Design

This is a quasi‐experimental, pre‐post study. We used a difference‐in‐difference approach to detect relative changes over time on 16 survey‐based outcome measures representing the four patient experience domains.

Data Collection

We surveyed adults with chronic illness(es) in 14 AF4Q communities and a national comparison group. Wave 1 was completed in 2008 (8,140 respondents) and wave 2 in 2012 (9,565 respondents).

Principal Findings

Respondents from AF4Q communities reported modestly greater improvement on patient satisfaction and receipt of recommended care for diabetes.

Conclusions

Results suggest that community‐level QI efforts led by multistakeholder alliances hold the potential to improve patient satisfaction and receipt of recommended care for diabetes, but the magnitude of the effect may be limited. However, there is less evidence that community‐level QI can improve patient perceptions of care coordination or provider interaction and support.
Medicaid Expansions and Crowd‐Out: Evidence from HIFA Premium Assistance Programs
Authors: Atherly Adam , Call Kathleen , Coulam Robert , Dowd Bryan
Published: May 2015

Objective

To evaluate the effect of the Oregon and New Mexico Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) demonstrations. HIFA is an optional state Medicaid expansion targeted at adults and children with incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). The study has five research questions: What type of health insurance do HIFA enrollees self report in surveys? What are the demographic characteristics of these enrollees? What type of health insurance coverage, if any, did HIFA enrollees have just prior to enrollment in the HIFA program? Among those with prior coverage, what prompted participation in the HIFA program? What type of health insurance, if any, would HIFA enrollees have in the absence of HIFA?

Methods

Data were collected via telephone interviews with a total of 406 enrollees from Oregon and 409 enrollees from New Mexico. The survey was conducted between July 7 and September 20, 2009, for both states. The sample frame for the survey was based on administrative records of adults enrolled in June 2009. After completion of the survey, active enrollment status as of the date the telephone interview was confirmed. Respondents no longer enrolled at the time of the survey (7 cases in NM and 14 in OR) were excluded from the analysis. The final sample size was 794 verified HIFA enrollees.

Results

HIFA enrollees tended to be middle‐aged, male, and relatively unhealthy. Employment status varied tremendously from the self‐employed to retired to unable to work. HIFA enrollees were reasonably well educated with 80 percent having at least a high school education. Most HIFA enrollees (90 percent) reported being uninsured just prior to participation in HIFA. Of those who were uninsured, most reported having been uninsured for an extended time—a year or more. Most enrollees joined HIFA because they lacked access to health insurance or could not afford insurance on the private market. The overwhelming majority (76 percent) of respondents believed that they would be uninsured in the absence of HIFA, with few considering either an employer plan or private purchase to be a viable option. Over 90 percent of enrollees correctly indicated they had insurance coverage. However, characterization of the type of coverage was problematic, particularly in the absence of the program‐specific name.

Conclusions

HIFA enrolled a relatively sick, male, middle‐aged population that tended to have been long‐term uninsured—the kind of enrollees for which the programs were designed—with little apparent crowd‐out of private insurance. The reported health status coupled with low incomes suggests that individual purchase is unlikely, a sentiment echoed by the respondents. In the absence of HIFA, most enrollees believed they would rejoin the ranks of the uninsured from where they came.
Typology of Alcohol Mixed with Energy Drink Consumers: Motivations for Use
Authors: Peacock Amy , Droste Nicolas , Pennay Amy , Miller Peter , Lubman Dan I. , Bruno Raimondo
Published: May 2015

Background

Previous research on alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED) has shown that use is typically driven by hedonistic, social, functional, and intoxication‐related motives, with differential associations with alcohol‐related harm across these constructs. There has been no research looking at whether there are subgroups of consumers based on patterns of motivations. Consequently, the aims were to determine the typology of motivations for AmED use among a community sample and to identify correlates of subgroup membership. In addition, we aimed to determine whether this structure of motivations applied to a university student sample.

Methods

Data were used from an Australian community sample (n = 731) and an Australian university student sample (n = 594) who were identified as AmED consumers when completing an online survey about their alcohol and ED use. Participants reported their level of agreement with 14 motivations for AmED use; latent classes of AmED consumers were identified based on patterns of motivation endorsement using latent class analysis.

Results

A 4‐class model was selected using data from the community sample: (i) taste consumers (31%): endorsed pleasurable taste; (ii) energy‐seeking consumers (24%): endorsed functional and taste motives; (iii) hedonistic consumers (33%): endorse pleasure and sensation‐seeking motives, as well as functional and taste motives; and (iv) intoxication‐related consumers (12%): endorsed motives related to feeling in control of intoxication, as well as hedonistic, functional, and taste motives. The consumer subgroups typically did not differ on demographics, other drug use, alcohol and ED use, and AmED risk taking. The patterns of motivations for the 4‐class model were similar for the university student sample.

Conclusions

This study indicated the existence of 4 subgroups of AmED consumers based on their patterns of motivations for AmED use consistently structured across the community and university student sample. These findings lend support to the growing conceptualization of AmED consumers as a heterogeneous group in regard to motivations for use, with a hierarchical and cumulative class order in regard to the number of types of motivation for AmED use. Prospective research may endeavor to link session‐specific motives and outcomes, as it is apparent that primary consumption motives may be fluid between sessions.
Design of MySuper default funds: influences and outcomes
Authors: Butt Adam , Donald M. Scott , Foster F. Douglas , Thorp Susan , Warren Geoffrey J.
Published: May 2015

We interview Australian fund executives about how their organisations responded to MySuper, a regulatory framework for default retirement savings funds that providers were required to have in place by the beginning of 2014. We provide an account of the influences on MySuper product design. Our analysis generates insight into how fund providers balanced their perceptions of the needs of default fund members against business considerations. Differences in member bases and organisational circumstances across funds are found to lead to considerable variation in default fund design.
Lymph node grafting in the treatment of upper limb lymphoedema: a clinical trial
Authors: Travis Elizabeth C. , Shugg Sarah , McEwan Winston M.
Published: May 2015

Background

Microvascular lymph node transfer has been shown to improve the severity of lymphoedema. However, microvascular surgery is not suitable for all patients. Simple lymph node grafting does not require general anaesthetic or significant surgical resources and is a technique that has been tested in animal models only until this point. Our hypothesis is that the transplanted lymph nodes integrate into the lymphovascular system and function as a ‘pump’, directly pumping interstitial fluid back into the venous system.

Methods

We hypothesized that lymph node grafting would improve lymphoedema with a low risk of complications. The procedure was performed in a day surgery setting under local anaesthetic with sedation. Two lymph nodes were harvested from the groin and grafted into subcutaneous tissue on the volar aspect of the affected limb at supratrochlear and wrist levels.

Results

We found that nine of 10 patients reported a subjective and/or functional improvement in their lymphoedema, including an improvement in hand function and tissue feel. Truncal cone calculation volumes showed an overall decrease in affected limb volume of 89.7 mL (standard deviation = 136.5). Furthermore, follow‐up lymphoscintigram imaging on one patient demonstrated viability and function of the implanted node.

Conclusions

We conclude that this is a safe procedure and should be further investigated as an alternative to a microsurgical procedure as a treatment for upper limb lymphoedema. Further research with a larger sample size is needed to confirm the findings of this pilot study.
Alternative technique for nipple‐areola complex reconstruction with poor skin condition
Authors: Pizzonia Giuseppe , Sasso Andrea , Rossello Carlo
Published: May 2015

Background

Reconstruction of the nipple‐areola complex (NAC) is generally the final step in breast reconstruction. NAC reconstructions are frequently complicated by scars, which are a common complication of radical surgery. Sometimes, radiotherapy further complicates these cases.

Methods

Under these conditions, we present an alternative technique with a better chance of ensuring the vitality of the reconstructed NAC. We evaluated in a 35‐patient group (G1) the average healing time, the subjective perception (aesthetics satisfaction), projection and diameter of the NAC as measures of the aesthetic and safety of the results compared with those of a control group 2 who underwent traditional techniques reconstruction.

Results

We present the following results: an average post‐op projection of 5 ± 2 mm in group 1 and 8 ± 2 mm in group 2; good stability over a 12‐month period: lower reduction of the NAC projection (cumulative values within 2 mm) has been 80% in group 1 and 68.57% in the control group G2. A faster full recovery has been observed without post‐operative complications in group 1 (11 ± 2 days) versus group 2 (14 ± 2 days) with minor complications. Other parameters were good in measures and comparable in both groups.

Conclusion

According to our data, this technique appears to ensure a good aesthetic result with acceptable stability over time. Moreover, healing process appears to be faster and less complicated in the experimental group.
Immunolocalization of a p53/p63‐like protein in the regenerating tail of the wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) suggests it is involved in the differentiation of the epidermis
Authors: Alibardi Lorenzo
Published: May 2015

During tail regeneration in lizards, the epidermis forms new scales comprising a hard beta‐layer and a softer alpha‐layer. Regenerated scales derive from a controlled folding process of the wound epidermis that gives rise to epidermal pegs where keratinocytes do not invade the dermis. Basal keratinocytes of pegs give rise to suprabasal cells that initially differentiate into a corneous wound epidermis and later in corneous layers of the regenerated scales. The immunodetection of a putative p53/63 protein in the regenerating tail of lizards shows that immunoreactivity is present in the nuclei of basal cells of the epidermis but becomes mainly cytoplasmic in suprabasal and in differentiating keratinocytes. Sparse labelled cells are present in the regenerating blastema, muscles, cartilage, ependyma and nerves of the growing tail. Ultrastructural observations on basal and suprabasal keratinocytes show that the labelling is mainly present in the euchromatin and nucleolus while labelling is more diffuse in the cytoplasm. These observations indicate that the nuclear protein in basal keratinocytes might control their proliferation avoiding an uncontrolled spreading into other tissues of the regenerating tail but that in suprabasal keratinocytes the protein moves from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, a process that might be associated to keratinocyte differentiation.
Tensions between politico‐institutional factors and accounting regulation in a developing economy: insights from institutional theory
Authors: Nurunnabi Mohammad
Published: May 2015

The study contributes to building an understanding of the impact of political forces on the information environment of listed firms in a developing economy. Specifically, it investigates the tensions between politico‐institutional factors and accounting regulation on the prolonged and incomplete implementation of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in Bangladesh from 1998 to 2010. Two phases of interviews were conducted in 2010–2011 and IFRS‐related enforcement documents from 1998 to 2010 were evaluated. The study contributes that IFRSs are being diffused to developing countries like Bangladesh, but they invariably interact with local institutions (political institutions in this case), with variable outcomes (i.e. negative outcomes of IFRS implementation). Coercive, normative and mimetic isomorphisms are low in Bangladesh. Notably, political forces have been undermining mimetic isomorphism because of the high level of government intervention and the high level of political lobbying. Political institutional pressures stand in the way of mimetic isomorphism and constitute negative forces that add further tension to accounting regulation (e.g. the implementation of IFRS) in Bangladesh. Regarding the low level of normative isomorphism, there is evidence of a ‘blame culture’, with state institutions and professional accountancy institutions in the country blaming each other for the poor progress in IFRS implementation. Although the study focuses on Bangladesh, its results have implications for international policy makers (the International Accounting Standards Board, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank), as well as the governments and regulators of other developing economies facing similar challenges in implementing IFRS.
A comparative picture of the ease of use and acceptance of onscreen marking by markers across subject areas
Authors: Coniam David , Yan Zi
Published: May 2015

Onscreen marking (OSM) has been used for the majority of Hong Kong public examinations since 2012. The current study compares marker reactions to OSM, ie, perceived ease of use and acceptance of OSM, against the backdrop of virtually all subject areas being marked on screen. The data were collected from three major sources: (1) survey data obtained from 1743 markers across 14 major subject areas, (2) markers' qualitative comments about the OSM system and (3) post‐hoc interviews with a key informant from the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). Results showed that, in general, markers revealed a high level of perceived ease of use and positive acceptance of OSM. The effect of subject area for both scales was statistically significant. On the Ease of Use in the OSM Environment scale, markers of information and communication technology (ICT) and mathematics were the most positive, with markers of history and geography the least positive. On the Acceptance of OSM scale, markers of mathematics and ICT were the most accepting, with markers of biology and geography the least. The analysis of survey data was triangulated by markers' qualitative comments together with the HKEAA staff interview. Possible explanations for the results are proposed and implications for the further development of OSM are briefly discussed.
Union Strategies, National Institutions and the Use of Temporary Labour in Italian and US Plants
Authors: Pulignano Valeria , Signoretti Andrea
Published: May 2015

This article analyses variation in the use of temporary labour based on a comparison of two plants of the same US automotive multinational corporation, one in Italy and the other in the United States. We argue that differences in the use of temporary labour are explained by union capacities to make trade‐offs between alternative forms of flexibility as well as trade‐offs in the protection of internal and external groups of workers. Union capacity is dependent on the availability of power resources within different national institutional environments. These resources are shown to influence not only the ways in which temporary workers are used but also bargaining outcomes — including employment conditions — benefiting them.
The Setback in Political Entrepreneurship and Employment Dualization in Japan, 1998–2012
Authors: Yun Ji‐Whan
Published: May 2015

Scholars are mainly concerned about how policy makers in advanced countries have succeeded in dualizing labour market regulations in a way to realize their vision or to represent powerful industrial interests. However, Japan's recent experiences suggest the possibility that this dualization is not such a straightforward outcome. This study argues that as Japan's political entrepreneurs have undergone setbacks in their reform attempt to overcome the tradition of employment dualism, they have improvised to close the reform process by institutionalizing this tradition. This study corroborates the argument by investigating state‐industry conflicts over the revisions of the Worker Dispatch Law in 1999, 2003 and 2012.
The role of parental and peer attachment relationships and school connectedness in predicting adolescent mental health outcomes
Authors: Oldfield Jeremy , Humphrey Neil , Hebron Judith
Published: May 2015

Background

Adolescent attachment relationships with parents and peers and the sense of connectedness with the schools attended have been established as salient predictors of psychological well‐being. Few studies, however, have assessed the relative importance of each attachment or connectedness relationship and how they interrelate to influence mental health outcomes.

Method

A total of 203 adolescents (11–16 years) completed self‐report measures of parental and peer attachment (Inventory of Parental & Peer Attachment – Revised; Gullone & Robinson, ); school connectedness (Psychological Sense of School Membership; Goodenow, ); conduct problems, emotional symptoms and prosocial behaviour (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; Goodman, ).

Results

Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that more insecure parental attachment (although not peer attachment or school connectedness) predicted conduct problems and emotional difficulties. Peer attachment and school connectedness were significant predictors of prosocial behaviour, whereas parental attachment was not. A mediational analysis revealed that peer attachment and school connectedness both mediate the relationship between parental attachment and prosocial behaviour. No significant moderation effects of either peer attachment or school connectedness on the relationship between parental attachment and mental health outcomes were found.

Conclusions

Different attachment and connectedness relationships, although related, predict adolescent mental health outcomes in distinct ways. Improving parental attachment may have particular salience in reducing negative behaviours such as conduct problems and emotional difficulties, whereas improving peer attachment and school connectedness could be important for the display of prosocial behaviour.
Development and validation of theHealthy‐UnhealthyMusicScale
Authors: Saarikallio Suvi , Gold Christian , McFerran Katrina
Published: May 2015

Background

Music is an integral part of life in youth, and although it has been acknowledged that musical behavior reflects broader psychosocial aspects of adolescent behavior, no measurement instruments have been specifically designed for assessing musical engagement as an indicator of adolescent wellbeing and/or symptomatology. This study was conducted in order to develop and validate a scale for assessing musical engagement as an indicator of proneness for depression in youth.

Method

Items were developed based on the literature and a prior grounded theory analysis and three surveys (N = 54,N = 187,N = 211) were conducted to select, refine, test, and validate the items. Scale structure was investigated through interitem correlations, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA,CFA), and concurrent validity was tested with correlations to depression and wellbeing.

Results

The final Healthy‐Unhealthy Music Scale (HUMS) consists of 13 items that are divided into Healthy and Unhealthy subscales. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were .78 for Healthy and .83 for Unhealthy. The concurrent validity of theHUMSwas confirmed through correlations to wellbeing, happiness and school satisfaction on one hand and depression, rumination, and stress on the other.

Conclusions

TheHUMSis as a promising instrument for screening musical engagement that is indicative of proneness for depression in youth.