bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Systematics and biogeography of Tropical Eastern Pacific Chthamalus with descriptions of two new species (Cirripedia, Thoracica)
Authors: PITOMBO FÁBIO BETTINI , BURTON RON
Published: June 2019

Distribution patterns of Chthamalus along the Tropical Eastern Pacific region have not yet been described, mostly due to unknown species ranges and the presence of cryptic species that has biased previous attempts to describe them. Prior to this paper, four formal and two informal species of Chthamalus have been recognized as occurring along the Pacific Americas coast: C. dalli Pilsbry; C. fissus Darwin; C. anisopoma Pilsbry; C. panamensis Pilsbry, Chthamalus sp. “cortezianus” and Chthamalus sp. “mexicanus”. The two informal species were already known to exist, based on previous studies using allozymes and gene sequencing, but their morphological characterizations were not determined, thus preventing their recognition and the ascertainment of their status under the International code of Zoological Nomenclature. The main goal of the present study was to discover the morphological differences that distinguish these two species, to determine their latitudinal range, to establish some relationship among the other species of Chthamalus, and to correlate these with the informal names previously used. Two new species of Chthamalus are described: C. hedgecocki sp. nov. occurring along the Mexican coast (Mexican province) and Chthamalus southwardorum sp. nov. occurring from the Gulf of California (Mexico) to the north of Peru, being a typical member of Panamanian s. l. Province. Both species belong to the Chthamalus fissus group of species as they have bidenticulate setae with basal guards on cirrus II and an absence of conical spines on the outer face of the exopod of cirrus I. The names Chthamalus sp. “cortezianus” is herein associated with C. hedgecocki and Chthamalus sp. “mexicanus” with C. southwardorum. An extensive sympatric distribution of Chthamalus species was noticed along the Eastern Pacific, and Chthamalus panamensis, previously known to be limited to the Panamanian coast, was found up to the Mexican coast in sympatry with C. hedgecocki. The COI genetic divergence between C. panamensis and C. hedgecocki varied between 2.8–4.3 using (GTR+G). We suggest that these species form a sibling pair based on to their morphological, ecological and genetic similarities and their evolution took place along the Eastern Pacific coast after the closure of the Isthmus of Panama. Chthamalus southwardorum is the best choice for a sibling pair with C. proteus, as they share morphological and ecological features; nevertheless they present a very high genetic divergence (24.3 to 25.1 GTR+G). Further studies are needed to clarify the evolutionary processes that led to the evolution of the Chthamalus fissus group of species along the Tropical Eastern Pacific coast and in the Caribbean.
Two new canyon-dwelling frogs from the arid sandstone Isalo Massif, central-southern Madagascar (Mantellidae, Mantellinae)
Authors: MERCURIO VINCENZO , ANDREONE FRANCO
Published: June 2019

We describe two new mantellid frogs of the subfamily Mantellinae from the arid sandstone Isalo Massif, central southern Madagascar. The first - assigned to the genus Gephyromantis, subgenus Phylacomantis - is a stream frog living in open canyons and associated gallery forest, and is phylogenetically related to G. corvus and G. pseudoasper. It has a larger maximum SVL than G. corvus (43 mm vs. 38 mm in the examined males) and is featured by a mostly contrasted and lighter dorsal pattern. Its advertisement call also differs from that of G. corvus in having more numerous and slightly longer notes per call composed of seven to ten sub-units, a clear harmonic structure, and a wider frequency spectrum with a higher dominant frequency. The second new species belongs to the genus Mantidactylus, subgenus Brygoomantis. It shares morphological and life history similarities with species of the subgenus Ochthomantis, in having comparatively expanded fingertips and leading a rupicolous and scansorial life.
Parasitic copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda) from Algerian marine fishes
Authors: RAMDANE ZOUHIR , TRILLES JEAN-PAUL
Published: June 2019

Two thousand and eight teleost fishes from the Gulf of Béjaïa belonging to 51 species and 24 families were studied for their parasitic copepods. Twelve percent were infected by 24 species of parasitic Copepoda from 7 families (Bomolochidae, Caligidae, Ergasilidae, Hatschikiidae, Lernanthropidae, Lerneopodidae and Pennellidae). All these species are reported for the first time from the Gulf of Béjaïa; 11 are new to Algerian waters. Most of them settled on the gills of hosts. The specificity is varied and the parasitologic indexes display a low general infection rate. An up-to-date checklist of parasitic copepods recorded from Algeria is presented.
New Caledonia as the centre of origin of Parastephanellus Enderlein, with a phylogeny and description of the female of P. khogis Aguiar (Hymenoptera, Stephanidae)
Authors: AGUIAR ALEXANDRE P. , JENNINGS JOHN T.
Published: June 2019

The female for Parastephanellus khogis Aguiar is described, expanding the knowledge of the family Stephanidae in New Caledonia, previously centered on four species all known from single specimens. We also provide additional localities for P. khogis and discuss the morphological variation among the New Caledonian taxa, which seems to be morphologically conservative. A preliminary cladistic analysis including all stephanid species from New Caledonia and 63 species from other biogeographic regions suggests the origin of the genus Parastephanellus Enderlein in New Caledonia (lineage of P. delicatus Aguiar and P. mouensis Aguiar), and a recolonisation with taxa related to a possibly Australian lineage (P. khogis and P. sarramea Jennings).
A new species of Goneplax Leach, 1814 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Goneplacidae) from the south Atlantic and the western limits of the Indo-West Pacific region, long confused with G. rhomboides (Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: GUINOT DANIÈLE , CASTRO PETER
Published: June 2019

A new species of Goneplax Leach, 1814, G. clevai n. sp., is described from the South Atlantic and the western limits of the Indo-West Pacific region. The new species was for a long time confused with G. rhomboides (Linnaeus, 1758), senior synonym of Cancer angulata Pennant, 1777, Ocypoda bispinosa Lamarck, 1801, Ocipode [sic] longimana Latreille, 1803, Goneplax rhomboїdalis Risso, 1827, and Gelasimus bellii Couch, 1838. Goneplax rhomboides is found in the northeastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Museum collections contain mixed material belonging to the two species. Carcinoplax barnardi Capart, 1951, which is close to Goneplax, is also present in the South Atlantic, its distribution overlapping that of the new species. The sympatry of G. rhomboides and G. clevai n. sp. is uncertain owing to the absence of information on the southern limit of G. rhomboides.
Revision of the Alpheus nuttingi (Schmitt) species complex (Crustacea: Decapoda: Alpheidae), with description of a new species from the tropical eastern Pacific
Authors: ANKER ARTHUR , HURT CARLA , KNOWLTON NANCY
Published: June 2019

The Alpheus nuttingi (Schmitt, 1924) species complex consists of three species.  The only western Atlantic species, A. nuttingi, occurs from the southeastern United States to Brazil.  The two eastern Pacific species are A. galapagensis Sivertsen, 1933 (synonyms: A. canalis Kim & Abele, 1988; A. cryptodentatus Christoffersen & Ramos, 1988), which occurs from the Gulf of California to Colombia and Galapagos, and A. millsae, n. sp., presently known only from a few localities in Panama.  The three species differ morphologically, genetically, and in color pattern.  The two eastern Pacific species both can be found in the intertidal, but A. millsae, n. sp. occurs slightly deeper, suggesting the possibility of ecological speciation.  All evidence shows that A. nuttingi and A. millsae, n. sp. are transisthmian sister species, with A. galapagensis forming their sister clade.  Genetic differentiation between the transisthmian sister species suggests a divergence time of approximately 6 mya, well before the final closure of the Isthmus of Panama.
Congruence between morphology and molecular data supports the distinction between the snapping shrimps Alpheus macrocheles and A. amblyonyx (Caridea, Alpheidae)
Authors: SOLEDADE GUIDOMAR O. , SCIOLI JUSTIN A. , TEROSSI MARIANA , MANTELATTO FERNANDO L. , ALMEIDA ALEXANDRE O.
Published: June 2019

The snapping shrimp Alpheus macrocheles (Hailstone, 1835b) is widely distributed across the Atlantic Ocean and was originally described from Hastings, England, based on a very brief description with limited morphological details and diagnostic illustrations. The morphologically similar A. amblyonyx Chace, 1972, type locality Quintana Roo, Mexico, is a western Atlantic taxon. The superficial description of A. macrocheles by Hailstone and the high similarity with A. amblyonyx has led to taxonomic confusion regarding the precise identification of these species. Thus, our objective was to reexamine these two species, based on a combined analysis of morphological—including a redescription for A. macrocheles and new morphological characterization of A. amblyonyx—and molecular data. In total, 42 morphological characters were analyzed, in addition to a phylogenetic analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences. A Bayesian Inference analysis recovered A. macrocheles and A. amblyonyx as distinct clades supporting the taxonomic distinction between them. The tree topology suggests that A. macrocheles is more closely related to A. crockeri (Armstrong, 1941) and A. puapeba (Christoffersen, 1979) than to A. amblyonyx, which forms the sister group to a well-supported clade containing these three species. This contribution conclusively distinguishes between A. macrocheles and A. amblyonyx and points out the need for a comprehensive review involving all species of the larger A. macrocheles group.
Channa brunnea, a new species of snakehead (Teleostei: Channidae) from West Bengal, India
Authors: PRAVEENRAJ JAYASIMHAN , UMA ARUMUGAM , MOULITHARAN NALLATHAMBI , KANNAN RAJESH
Published: June 2019

Channa brunnea, a new species of snakehead fish lacking pelvic fins, from West Bengal, India, is distinguished from its pelvic fin-less congeners by possessing an uniform dark brown body, ochre to bright-orange blotches on the caudal fin, fewer dorsal and anal-fin rays (35–37 vs. 47–51 and 24 vs. 28–32, respectively), fewer vertebrae (43 vs. 45–57), and fewer lateral-line scales (43–46 vs. 51–63). Though Channa brunnea superficially resembles C. bleheri, it can be distinguished from the latter by possessing dark-brown oblique markings on the upper half of the body; transverse scale rows (4½–5½ vs. 3½); pre-anal scales (22–26 vs. 17–20); 2 rows of teeth in the fifth ceratobranchial, the outer row with 16 large conical teeth (vs. 3 rows of teeth, the outer row with 13 large conical teeth); dentary with 20 large, stout, conical teeth in the inner row (vs. 32 medium-sized conical teeth); and a Kimura’s two parameter (K2P) distance of 9.8–10.6%.
Tenebriochernes, a new genus and species of Chernetidae (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) from north-western Colombia, with ecological observations
Authors: BEDOYA-ROQUEME EDWIN , TORRES RICHARD A.
Published: June 2019

A new pseudoscorpion genus, Tenebriochernes n. gen., with the type species T. concavus n. sp. is described from two caves in northern Colombia, where it inhabits the dark zone of caves. Two additional new species T. mohani n. sp. and T. pilosus n. sp., are described from conserved dry forest areas and buffer zones. Sexual dimorphism of the pedipalps is evident, particularly in the length of appendages and the width of the hand. The new genus shows affinities with the genus Neoallochernes Hoff, 1947. A taxonomic key, distribution map and ecological comments are given.
A Drift-Free Decadal Climate Prediction System for the Community Earth System Model
Authors: Chikamoto Yoshimitsu , Timmermann Axel , Widlansky Matthew J. , Zhang Shaoqing , Balmaseda Magdalena A.
Published: June 2019

Performance of a newly developed decadal climate prediction system is examined using the low-resolution Community Earth System Model (CESM). To identify key sources of predictability and determine the role of upper and deeper ocean data assimilation, we first conduct a series of perfect model experiments. These experiments reveal the importance of upper ocean temperature and salinity assimilation in reducing sea surface temperature biases. However, to reduce biases in the sea surface height, data assimilation below 300 m in the ocean is necessary, in particular for high-latitude regions. The perfect model experiments clearly emphasize the key role of combined three-dimensional ocean temperature and salinity assimilation in reproducing mean state and model trajectories. Applying this knowledge to the realistic decadal climate prediction system, we conducted an ensemble of ocean assimilation simulations with the fully coupled CESM covering the period 1960–2014. In this system, we assimilate three-dimensional ocean temperature and salinity data into the ocean component of CESM. Instead of assimilating direct observations, we assimilate temperature and salinity anomalies obtained from the ECMWF Ocean Reanalysis version 4 (ORA-S4). Anomalies are calculated relative to the sum of the ORA-S4 climatology and an estimate of the externally forced signal. As a result of applying the balanced ocean conditions to the model, our hindcasts show only very little drift and initialization shocks. This new prediction system exhibits multiyear predictive skills for decadal climate variations of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and North Pacific decadal variability.
Identifying Key Controls on Storm Formation over the Lake Victoria Basin
Authors: Woodhams Beth J. , Birch Cathryn E. , Marsham John H. , Lane Todd P. , Bain Caroline L. , Webster Stuart
Published: June 2019

The Lake Victoria region in East Africa is a hot spot for intense convective storms that are responsible for the deaths of thousands of fishermen each year. The processes responsible for the initiation, development, and propagation of the storms are poorly understood and forecast skill is limited. Key processes for the life cycle of two storms are investigated using Met Office Unified Model convection-permitting simulations with 1.5 km horizontal grid spacing. The two cases are analyzed alongside a simulation of a period with no storms to assess the roles of the lake–land breeze, downslope mountain winds, prevailing large-scale winds, and moisture availability. While seasonal changes in large-scale moisture availability play a key role in storm development, the lake–land-breeze circulation is a major control on the initiation location, timing, and propagation of convection. In the dry season, opposing offshore winds form a bulge of moist air above the lake surface overnight that extends from the surface to ~1.5 km and may trigger storms in high CAPE/low CIN environments. Such a feature has not been explicitly observed or modeled in previous literature. Storms over land on the preceding day are shown to alter the local atmospheric moisture and circulation to promote storm formation over the lake. The variety of initiation processes and differing characteristics of just two storms analyzed here show that the mean diurnal cycle over Lake Victoria alone is inadequate to fully understand storm formation. Knowledge of daily changes in local-scale moisture variability and circulations are keys for skillful forecasts over the lake.
Systematic Review of Postfertilization Effects and Potential for Embryo Formation and Loss during the Use of Intrauterine Devices
Authors: Buskmiller Cara , Harrison Donna , Ruppersberger Lester A. , Yeung Patrick P.
Published: June 2019

Objectives:

This review sought to evaluate the evidence for embryo formation during intrauterine device (IUD) use, to articulate how often embryo loss occurs in well-designed studies, and to comment on other bodies of literature suggestive of postfertilization mechanisms of action of IUDs.

Methods:

The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Ovid databases were searched for English-language studies of markers of pregnancy in IUD users in May 2018. Studies of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) were subjected to quality assessment based on the US Preventive Services Task Force quality tool. Bias of studies assessing pregnancy in other ways was assessed on a study-to-study basis.

Results:

In all, 1,073 studies were identified and 138 were read in detail. Twenty-three studies of β-hCG, 4 studies of direct observation of embryos in fallopian tubes, 2 studies of pregnancy-specific binding globulin (PSBG), and 1 study of heat-shock protein 10 (Hsp10) or chaperonin 10 were included. In all studies considered together, 7.3 percent of IUD users had evidence of fertilization and pregnancy failure. In good-quality studies, 4.5 percent had evidence of fertilization and pregnancy failure.

Discussion:

There are no randomized trials of embryo formation and loss in IUD users compared with noncontracepting controls. Studies of β-hCG span a large spectrum of quality, but several good-quality studies exist, which support embryo formation and loss in IUD users. Evidence of embryos found in tubes is moderate and evidence of PSBG and Hsp10 elaboration was limited, but these are also concerning for embryo formation and loss.

Conclusion:

There is good-quality evidence of embryo formation and loss in IUD users. Studies are inconsistent, and the stated conclusions of several papers inaccurately diminish postfertilization evidence of embryo formation. To better assess the rate of embryo loss in IUD users compared with non-users, future research should include well-designed prospective trials and less subjective assessments of embryos in fallopian tubes.

A systematic review was carried out examining the English-language literature in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Ovid databases for evidence of embryo formation and loss during IUD use. In all, 1,073 studies were identified and 138 were read. There are no randomized trials and evidence ranges in quality, but evidence for the embryo formation and loss in 4.5 percent of IUD users exists in good-quality research. Further research is needed to compare embryo loss in IUD users to loss in controls.
Book review: Maitrayee Chaudhuri and Manish Thakur (eds.), Doing Theory: Locations, Hierarchies and Disjunctions
Authors: Gill Rajesh
Published: June 2019

Maitrayee Chaudhuri and Manish Thakur (eds.), Doing Theory: Locations, Hierarchies and Disjunctions. Hyderabad: Orient BlackSwan, 2018, 378 pp., Price not listed (Hardback). ISBN: 978-93-5287-364-7.
The real estate foothold in the Holy Land: Transnational gentrification in Jerusalem
Authors: Zaban Hila
Published: June 2019

Gentrification theory blames the widening and transnationalisation of the phenomenon on the global commodification of housing and the emergence of a ‘planetary rent gap’. This article draws on fieldwork in the UK and Israel and argues that while transnational gentrification is economically driven, in the sense of an unequal global division of labour, we need to reinstate the cultural context into the core of gentrification theory and pay more attention to what motivates people to purchase homes in particular foreign locations. I argue that these motivations can be emotional, and adopt the concept of the ‘real estate as foothold’– a way of holding onto an emotionally laden space through the acquisition of property. Tying together gentrification and lifestyle migration literatures and using the case study of British Jews with second homes in Israel, I explore such motivations and connect them with Israel’s political and economic quest to attract diaspora Jews. Israel’s neoliberalisation made it a second-home destination for wealthy Jews, part of the second-homes trend, who favour Israel due to emotional, national and religious ties. I focus on the case of Jerusalem, the Israeli city most affected by the phenomenon, to explore the intersecting outcomes of top-down policies and bottom-up lifestyle demands on the upscaling of the inner city and the displacement of Israeli residents. Residents’ displacement results in their replacement in cheaper areas, often beyond the ‘Green Line’ in the Occupied Territories, a problematic outcome to any peace negotiations, but one that follows the agenda of municipal and state-level policymakers.
Me and Us Versus the Others: Troubling the Bullying Phenomenon
Authors: Carrera-Fernández María Victoria , Cid-Fernández Xosé Manuel , Almeida Ana , González-Fernández Antonio , Lameiras-Fernández María
Published: June 2019

The bullying phenomenon has been simplified and studied primarily from a psychological perspective. In this study, the phenomenon of bullying was examined by analyzing the joint influence of sociocultural factors such as gender stereotypes, sexism, and attitudes toward sexual and cultural diversity on bullying participation as a bully and a bully follower. Participants were 1,165 Spanish and Portuguese adolescents with a mean age of 14.64 years. The hierarchical linear regression model reveals that bullies are less expressive and more instrumental, they hold more hostile sexist and less benevolent sexist attitudes, more negative attitudes toward homosexuality and more positive ones toward lesbianism, as well as more negative behavior toward gender nonconforming people, and more negative attitudes toward cultural diversity. With the exception of expressiveness and negative attitudes toward cultural diversity, these variables also explain participation as a bully follower. Implications for the development of educational policies and practices of bullying prevention are discussed.
Hiring the Formerly Incarcerated: The Mediating Role of Morality
Authors: Mikkelson Shelby , Schweitzer Kimberly
Published: June 2019

Obtaining employment has been shown to reduce recidivism among formerly incarcerated individuals, but many face discrimination when applying for jobs. The current research examined how the length of incarceration and the time since an applicant was released from prison affected the likelihood of the applicant being hired. Community members ( N = 688) nationwide were randomly assigned to read one of 10 different resume and job application pairings in which the length of incarceration (15 months, 5 years, or 10 years) and time since release from prison (2 weeks, 3 months, or 1 year) were varied. Participants then decided whether to hire the applicant and answered questions regarding his morality. Results indicated that perceived morality of the applicant mediated the relationship between hiring decisions and felon status. Applicants with a felony were perceived to be less moral, which then made them less likely to be hired. Implications are discussed.
Stepping into Perpetrators’ Shoes: How Ingroup Transgressions and Victimization Shape Support for Retributive Justice through Perspective-Taking With Perpetrators
Authors: Li Mengyao , Leidner Bernhard , Fernandez-Campos Silvia
Published: June 2019

Three experiments (total N = 1,061) examined the morally disengaging function of perspective-taking with ingroup perpetrators in intergroup conflict. In the context of the Iran–U.S. conflict, Americans who strongly identified with their country showed increased perspective-taking with perpetrators, which in turn led to reduced support for retributive justice in response to the perpetration rather than suffering of intergroup violence (Experiment 1; N = 191). Experiment 2 ( N = 294) replicated these findings in the context of the Israel–Syria conflict with Israeli Jews and demonstrated that perspective-taking with ingroup perpetrators serves a similar function as moral disengagement. Experiment 3 ( N = 576) manipulated perpetrator perspective-taking, demonstrating its causal effect on support for retributive justice, again moderated by ingroup identification. The negative implications of understanding perpetrators for addressing intergroup transgressions are discussed.
Citizen Science and the Politics of Environmental Data
Authors: Kuchinskaya Olga
Published: June 2019

In this commentary, I reflect on the differences between two independent citizen approaches to monitoring radiological contamination, one in Belarus after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident and the other in Japan following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident. I examine these approaches from the perspective of their contribution to making radiological contamination more publicly visible (i.e., publicly recognized as a hazard). The analysis is grounded in my earlier work (Kuchinskaya 2014), where I examined how we have come to know what we know about post–Chernobyl contamination and its effects in Belarus, a former Soviet republic most heavily affected by the fallout. As I described in this study, much of what we know about the consequences of Chernobyl is based on the work of the Belarusian nonprofit Institute of Radiation Safety, “Belrad.” I compare Belrad’s approach to radiological monitoring with the work of the volunteer network Safecast, arguably one of the best-known citizen science projects in the world, which is working to monitor the scope of the post–Fukushima contamination. Through this comparison of approaches, I raise broader questions about a form of sensing practices—data-related practices of citizen science that make environmental hazards publicly in/visible.
Predicting Indian Shoppers’ Malls Loyalty Behaviour
Authors: Prashar Sanjeev , Singh Harvinder , Parsad Chandan , Vijay T. Sai
Published: June 2019

Executive Summary

Mall managers tend to believe that purchasing decisions are made inside the shopping malls. These decisions, however, are influenced by various antecedent factors. This implies that shoppers look beyond the basic chore of shopping and experience while shopping plays a vital role. To attract the attention of shoppers, mall developers make huge investments in mall promotion and ambient factors in order to enhance the shopping experience. As the Indian shoppers’ euphoria about shopping malls gets toned down with time, mall managers need to focus on something more substantive. Such fundamental benefits can be offered to shoppers only if mall managers know what is more relevant for the shoppers visiting the malls. Past studies have identified a number of factors such as ambience, physical infrastructure, convenience, safety, and marketing activities. This research posits that a more optimal and focused approach in mall management requires identification of relative significance of various influencing factors. This way, mall managers would be able to offer the most meaningful benefits to shoppers at a very optimal level of investment. Once shoppers get what they value the most, they are expected to be more loyal to the shopping mall.

Despite the development of various forecasting techniques, predicting mall loyalty has remained under-explored in marketing literature. This article addresses the gap by using neural network model to predict shoppers’ loyalty towards a particular mall. To gain more insights from the model, the authors have also identified relative significance of the factors impacting shoppers’ mall selection.

This study establishes that mall shoppers value ‘convenience’ as the most influencing factor in their selection of malls. This factor alone garners one-third of the total weightage among the five factors, which reflects that significance of convenience is 66 per cent more than what is expected in a scenario when all determinants contribute equally. This strongly indicates that Indian mall shoppers are more utilitarian than hedonic.
Factors Mitigating Firm-specific Information Asymmetry and Target Price Accuracy in India
Authors: Sayed Samie Ahmed , Sreeram Latha
Published: June 2019

Executive Summary

Over the last decade, efforts have been made to improve the quality of financial reporting and corporate governance standards prevailing in emerging markets. Even after 20 years of globalization, emerging markets continue to trade as a separate class ( Bekaert & Harvey, 2014 ). On account of a weak regulatory environment, firm-specific information asymmetry is expected to be on the higher side as compared to developed markets. In such an environment, any factors which mitigate information asymmetry may help improve efficiency of information providers such as equity research analysts. The role of equity research analysts is to process financial information and provide estimates which may be used by investors to make informed investment decisions. This study investigates whether the factors which mitigate firm-specific information asymmetry improve analyst target price accuracy in India.

We expect sophisticated financial intermediaries such as equity research analysts to produce more accurate target price forecasts for firms with higher frequency of corporate announcements, higher analyst coverage, and higher foreign institutional holdings. Past research suggests that these three factors reduce information asymmetry and this reduction could possibly help analysts produce superior results.

Our results show that higher frequency of corporate announcements creates short-term noise which reduces target price accuracy at the end of one-year forecast horizon. Our findings reveal that higher analyst coverage leads to better flow of firm-specific private information and improves target price accuracy anytime during or at the end of one year. We report that higher foreign institutional holding possibly improves stock liquidity, attracting more traders, which eventually leads to better target price accuracy at the end of forecast horizon. Our key finding is that there is a reduction in firm-specific information asymmetry due to the presence of more number of analysts and higher percentage of institutional holding.
Professionalizing a Religio-centric Firm through Workplace Learning
Authors: Sinha Anamika , Varkkey Biju , Kikani Rajesh , Dave Priyanka
Published: June 2019

On a Monday morning, after a three-week holiday in Brazil, Rakesh Patel, Chairman of Steel Tubes and Pipes Ltd (STPL), was consolidating his thoughts on the tasks ahead. He was back to work after his first family holiday in many years. Experiencing lovely beaches, football fever, and a leisurely cruise in the Amazon basin had rejuvenated the family. He too was recharged, and ready to take his medium-sized company into, as they say, the next orbit.
Executive Stress: Should it Always be Avoided?
Authors: Pestonjee D M
Published: June 2019

Executive stress is inevitable, but contrary to popular belief, it can also have positive effects. In this article, D M. Pestonjee demystifies the concept, discusses various types of organizationrelated stresses, and outlines the consequences of both too little and too much stress. He concludes the article explaining briefly proactive organizational interventions and indicating the strategies an individual can follow to alleviate stress.
Indian Psycho‐Philosophy and Human Response in Organizations
Authors: Jhunjhunwala L.N.
Published: June 2019

The ideas S K Chakraborty presented in his article “The Will-to-Yoga: Key to- Better Quality of Work Life,” published in the April-June 1986 issue, have drawn several responses from our readers. Some of them were published in the Letters to the Editor in the October-December 1986 issue along with a reply from the author. In this issue we publish three more responses.

In the first instance, L N Jhunjhunwala narrates his experiences of putting some of Chakraborty's ideas into practice in his company.

In the second response, R Jayaraman Iyer wonders whether a majority of the executives who need to practise the yoga concepts can do so. On the other hand, a minority of executives who can, do not specifically need the concepts, he states. Even so, he feels that the dissemination of concepts themselves and attempts at praGtising them would help.

The final piece by P K Srivastava provjdes additional insights into some of the concepts of yoga and their impact on organizational life when they are put into practice.

Vikalpa hopes that this exchange of ideas and experiences clarifies the issues and improves managerial practices.
Drought Identification Procedure and Rainfall Pattern
Authors: Sharan Girja , Shah Nitin , Gupta K K
Published: June 2019

Since drought occurs frequently, method of identifying it and procedure for the consequent declaration, of scarcity have been laid out. The current annawari method has an element of subjectivity in it, and the present procedure takes so long to be completed that there is very little time to plan and successfully implement the measures to alleviate the conditions in the drought affected areas. Girja Sharan, Nitin Shah, and K K Gupta suggest in this article a more objective method which can identify drought early enough to enable the authorities to take timely steps.
Total Quality Management: How can We Make the Implementation Effective?
Authors: Ojha Abhoy K
Published: June 2019

Total Quality Management (TQM) has been extensively adopted by many organizations but has not necessarily resulted in the desired levels of effectiveness. A large number of failures have been attributed to faulty implementation. This paper presents the results of a study of implementation processes in hospitals. It examines the role of vision, leadership, momentum of change, teamwork, availability of resources, focus, and training on the desired medical and financial outcomes. The paper also discusses the lications of the study for decision-makers.
Lucas-TVS Limited: A Journey towards Manufacturing Excellence
Authors: Sethuraman Kannan , Tirupati Devanath
Published: June 2019

The case featured in this issue of Vikalpa discusses the journey embarked on by the top management of Lucas-TVS Limited in 1985 to make their firm a world-class manufacturing organization. The company's oldest plant at Padi, Chennai acted as a test bed for several of their initiatives. The case describes the steps that Lucas-TVS management took to implement this change process in manufacturing at their Padi plant during the period 1985-1998. The case concludes at an interesting stage where the company needs to decide on a future course of direction that would address a number of critical issues identified by Mr T K Balaji, the Chief Executive and MD of Lucas-TVS.

Readers are invited to send their responses on the case to Vikalpa Office.
Abstracts Indian Management Research
Authors: Sarkar Mitali
Published: June 2019

This section features abstracts of articles covering empirical studies, experiences, ideas, and theories published in Indian and international journals. Sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, this service is intended to facilitate Indian management research.

Authors desirous of having their publications considered for inclusion in this feature may please send reprints of their articles to Vikalpa Editorial Office.
Effective Retail Promotion Management: Use of Point of Sales Information Resources
Authors: Banerjee Arindam , Banerjee Bibek
Published: June 2019

The increasing availability of customers' transaction level data at the point of sale (POS) in electronic form in various stores in India is opening up important arenas in marketing analytics that can enhance business dicision-making process. This paper discusses the strategic role that management of customer information resources can play for the growth and sustenance of business. This paper also provides examples of simple analysis using POS data that can directly aid practising managers in their strategic and tactical decision-making.
Societal Beliefs, Organizational Climate, and Managers' Self-Perceptions
Authors: Sinha Jai B P , Gupta Parvinder , Singh Sarita , Srinivas E S , Vijaykumar V S R
Published: June 2019

This study examines how traditional societal beliefs affect organizational climate, and how the two, independently or jointly, shape managers' selfperceptions. It also investigates the impact of the levels of development on societal beliefs, organizational climate, and managers' self-perceptions. Results confirmed that the traditional societal beliefs affect organizational climate; but it is the organizational climate that has a deeper impact on managers' selfperceptions. The article highlights the importance of creating work-centric and caring organizations.
Price Thresholds in a Promotion Intensive Retail Environment: Implications on Consumer Purchase Behaviour and Managerial Insights
Authors: Banerjee Arindam , Divakar Suresh
Published: June 2019

How do consumers behave when they are confronted with price promotions at the retail level? Do they buy as much as they can and stock for future? Do they postpone their purchases in anticipation of further price cuts? Do they decide not to buy at all? What do these responses mean to the retailer? Does he maximize his sales? Does he maximize his profits? Does he lose? In this article, Banerjee and Divakar examine the behaviour of the consumers in a promotion intensive retail environment. Based on their findings, they draw implications for promotion management in the retailing context.
Week-end Effect: New Evidence from the Indian Stock Market
Authors: Amanulla S , Thiripalraju M
Published: June 2019

This paper tests whether the carry-forward transactions in different periods have any impact on week-end effect in the Indian stock market during the period January 1990-December 1999. This study uses the daily stock return of 82 companies traded in the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and three stock market price indices, viz., BSE sensitive index, BSE national index, and S&P CNX Nifty index to investigate the weekend effect The results from the subsample period strongly support the existence of week-end effect during the period of ban on carry-forward (badld] transactions. This study also evidenced a reversal in week-end effect, i.e., positive Monday return and negative Friday return in modified carryforward transactions and revised modified carry-forward transactions. This paper further finds that there is consistent positive return on Wednesday and negative return on Tuesday due to possible impact of National Stock Exchange (NSE) on the week-end effect.
Understanding Organizational Culture: A Perspective on Roles for Leaders
Authors: Panda Abinash , Gupta R K
Published: June 2019

The influence of organizational leaders on the evolution and maintenance of organizational culture has been accepted as a fact in organizational life. The roles and challenges of organizational leaders are contingent upon the way organizational culture is conceived. In the traditional rational perspective, organizational culture is treated as an “instrument” or “function” that can and should be manipulated by leaders to help organizations adapt to the external environmental realities. In the symbolic-interpretive perspective, organizational culture is viewed as a “social phenomenon.” Consequently, the roles and challenges of leaders become significantly different from the traditionalrational perspective. In this paper, the authors have discussed the symbolic-interpretive perspective, with a focus OB semiotic analysis, to understand organization and organizational culture. The authors have argued that organizational symbols, rituals, and stories are too critical to be marginalized or ignored. The authors have proposed three roles of organizational leaders from the symbolic-interpretive perspective: as symbols, as the central characters in organizational stories, and as managers of symbols and rituals.
International Joint Ventures and Shareholder Value Creation: Evidence from Manufacturing and Non-manufacturing Sectors
Authors: Merchant Hemant
Published: June 2019

Numerous empirical studies have suggested that the economic performance of international joint ventures (IJVs) is modest, at best. This suggestion may be inaccurate, however, since the studies' findings are based on ex post managerial perceptions of IJV performance that are found to be biased. Stated differently, there is a need to investigate IJV performance from ex ante “external* perspective—that of capital markets. Consequently, this study investigates the extent to which IJVformation announcements increase the shareholder value pf participating firms. Despite the merits of engaging a capital markets' perspective, it is necessary to investigate the extent to which capital markets are informationally ‘efflcient’- particularly given persistent doubts about whether capital markets really are as efficient as is widely accepted. Hence, this study compares IJV&' expected performance with their actual performance that is reported in other empirical studies. This study engages the event-study methodology to examine the impact of IJV formation announcements on the shareholder value of IJV parents, and tries to circumvent the methodology's principal limitations in doing so. Based on a sample of more than 500 IJVs, the study's findings indicate participation in IJVs increases parents' shareholder value by an average of approximately one per cent, albeit this figure varies across industry sectors (manufacturing; non-manufacturing) and firm size (large; small). Shareholder value is created for about 50 per cent Of firms in the sample. Moreover, the study's findings suggest that capital markets are informationally efficient
The Impact of International Listings on Liquidity: Evidence from the Indian Stock Market
Authors: Kumar Manoj , Bhole L M , Saudagaran Shahrokh M
Published: June 2019

Between May 1992 and June 2001, 72 Indian companies tapped the international capital markets with their equity offerings in form of Depositary Receipts (DRs). Initially, most of these programmes were in the form of Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) and were traded on London and Luxembourg stock exchanges. Since 1999, many Indian companies have been listing their American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) on the US stock exchanges. Home market responses to issuance of DRs are of interest to the policy makers, investors, market intermediaries, CFOs, and finance scholars. Policy makers m emerging markets are increasingly concerned about the consequences for the domestic equity market when companies list stocks abroad. The present paper assesses the impact of listing of ADRs/GDRs on the liquidity of the firm's underlying domestic shares by using a sample of 30 Indian DR programmes that listed on the foreign markets between 1st January, 1996 and 30th June, 2001. Consistent with the theoretical assertions and results of Domowitz, Glen and Madhavan (1998), the authors record mixed results — while ADR listings in most cases reduce the liquidity of the domestic underlying shares, GDR listings in most cases increase the liquidity of the domestic underlying shares.
Amtrex Hitachi Appliances Limited: Competing for the Future
Authors: Sridharan Anand , Ravichandran N
Published: June 2019

The case featured in this issue presents the history and managerial initiatives of a rapidly growing organization in the consumer durable industry. The industry is characterized by the presence of several competing (national/multinational) players, changing consumer need and preferences, and MNC's access to national market. The Organization needs to take stock of what it has achieved so far, what needs to be done, and how?
Indian Management Research
Authors: Sarkar Mitali
Published: June 2019

This section features abstracts of articles covering empirical studies, experiences, ideas, and theories published in Indian and international journals. Sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, this service is intended to facilitate Indian management research.

Authors desirous of having their publications considered for inclusion in this feature may please send reprints of their articles to Vikalpa Editorial Office.
‘Trust’ as a Foundation for Strategic Alliances in Global Software Outsourcing
Authors: Ojha Abhoy K
Published: June 2019

Indian software firms are involved in a variety of relationships with international organizations that have opted for global software outsourcing. Most firms, if not all, started as vendors on short-term contracts and many of them are at various stages of becoming strategic partners with their long-term clients. Uncertainty is inherent in these arrangements, and trust is an essential ingredient at each stage of maturity in the development of such relationships. This paper provides some guidelines for Indian software firms on how to build trust to move from short-term contractual relationships to long-term strategic alliances.
A Quest for Reality: Deconstructing the Democratic Environments of Learning Organizations
Authors: Akella Devi
Published: June 2019

There is a burgeoning stream of literature which has argued for the adoption of a critical methodology to reflect critically on a number of relevant issues like the notion of ideology and power, rationality, control and surveillance, and the functions of communication. This paper considers the effectiveness of a political, valuebased critical perspective to examine the political and yet unexplored dimensions of management. The critical methodology is used to deconstruct the democratic working environments of learning organizations. The analysis suggests that learning organizations are complex and intricate working environments where employees and management negotiate with each other to effectively function as an organization
BHP Limited: Risk Management Strategy
Authors: Sinha Sidharth
Published: June 2019

BHP Limited, a global natural resource company based in Australia, has traditionally hedged its market price risks with derivatives. Based on the analysis of a ‘Cash Flow at Risk’ model, which exploits the diversification effect in a portfolio context, it has now decided to discontinue its hedging activities. However, this portfolio approach to risk management raises questions about the standard ‘stand-alone’ approach to project evaluation and capital allocation.

Readers are invited to send their responses on the case to Vikalpa office.
Competitive Strategies and New Venture Performance
Authors: Kakati Rinalini Pathak , Dhar U R
Published: June 2019

This paper presents the results of a longitudinal survey of 100 owner-managed new and small ventures. The survey was designed to explore the strategic orientations of new ventures and their performance implications. Results of the analytical study based on the application of factor analysis and cluster analysis indicate the existence of multiple strategies adopted by new ventures in order to remain competitive. The multiple regression models and cluster-wise performance analysis further indicate that a venture's competitive strategy significantly influences its performance. On the other hand, a complete lack of strategic orientation in a new venture may lead to negative performance and subsequently may even threaten its very survival.