bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ballast water transport of non-indigenous zooplankton to Canadian ports
Authors: DiBacco Claudio , Humphrey Donald B. , Nasmith Leslie E. , Levings Colin D.
Published: September 2011

DiBacco, C., Humphrey, D. B., Nasmith, L. E., and Levings, C. D. 2012. Ballast water transport of non-indigenous zooplankton to Canadian ports. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 483–491. Ballast water is one of the primary transport vectors for the transfer and introduction of non-indigenous zooplankton (NIZ). Regulations require vessels from overseas to conduct mid-ocean exchange before discharging ballast in Canadian ports. Intracoastal vessels from nearby ports may be exempt from exchange, whereas intracoastal vessels from more distant ports are required to exchange. Zooplankton in the ballast water of transoceanic exchanged (TOE), intracoastal exchanged (ICE), and intracoastal unexchanged (ICU) vessels arriving at Canada's west (WC) and east (EC) coasts were examined. NIZ density, propagule pressure, taxon richness, and community composition were compared among the three shipping classes. The WC ports received greater densities of NIZ and had greater NIZ propagule pressure than EC ports. Within WC vessels, NIZ propagule pressure and density were significantly greater in ICU vessels. TOE vessels on the EC had the greatest NIZ propagule pressure and density. ICU vessels entering Vancouver ports represented the greatest invasion risk to Canadian waters. These vessels likely mediate secondary invasions by facilitating the transport of unexchanged ballast directly from ports previously invaded, whereas short ICU voyage duration enhances organism survivorship and vessels transport NIZ over natural dispersal barriers.
Promicromonospora endophytica sp. nov., an endophytic actinobacterium isolated from the root of an Australian native Grey Box tree
Authors: Kaewkla Onuma , Franco Christopher M. M.
Published: September 2011

A novel aerobic actinobacterium, strain EUM 273T, was isolated from the root of a Grey Box tree (Eucalyptus microcarpa Maiden). Cells were Gram-staining-positive with well-developed substrate mycelia which were non-motile and rod-like, with coccoid elements. Phylogenetic evaluation based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis placed the isolate as a member of the family

Promicromonosporaceae

that was most closely related to

Promicromonospora xylanilytica

YIM 61515T (98.2 %) and

Promicromonospora vindobonensis

V45T (98 %). Chemotaxonomic data including cell wall components, major menaquinone and major fatty acids confirmed the affiliation of strain EUM 273T to the genus

Promicromonospora

. The results of the phylogenetic analysis, including physiological and biochemical studies in combination with DNA–DNA hybridization, allowed the genotypic and phenotypic differentiation of strain EUM 273T from the closest related species with validly published names. The name proposed for the novel species is Promicromonospora endophytica sp. nov. The type strain is EUM 273T ( = DSM 23716T = NRRL B-24816T).
Albidovulum xiamenense sp. nov., a moderately thermophilic bacterium from a terrestrial hot spring
Authors: Yin Decui , Xiao Jing , Ao Jingqun , Ai Chunxiang , Chen Xinhua
Published: September 2011

An aerobic, motile, moderately thermophilic, rod-shaped bacterium, strain YBY-7T, was isolated from a terrestrial hot spring of a garden exhibition located in Xiamen City, Fujian Province, People’s Republic of China. Cells of strain YBY-7T were Gram-negative, irregular rods, 2–6 µm long and 0.4–0.6 µm wide, with polar flagella, and the organism formed beige colonies. The temperature and pH ranges for growth of strain YBY-7T were 28–65 °C (optimum 50–58 °C) and pH 6.5–9.5 (optimum pH 7.5–8.5). Growth occurred in the presence of 5.5 % NaCl (optimum 3.0 %). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that

Albidovulum inexpectatum

FRR-10T was its closest neighbour (95.9 % similarity). Ubiquinone (Q-10) was the sole respiratory quinone and the DNA G+C content of strain YBY-7T was 70.6 mol%. The predominant polar lipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylethanolamine. The major fatty acids were C18 : 1ω7c (29.3 %), C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c (25.6 %), C18 : 0 (23.6 %) and C16 : 0 (9.6 %). Based on its physiological characteristics and our phylogenetic analysis, we propose that strain YBY-7T represents a novel species of the genus

Albidovulum

, for which the name Albidovulum xiamenense sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain YBY-7T ( = MCCC 1A06317T  = CGMCC 1.10789T  = LMG 26247T).
Arenimonas daejeonensis sp. nov., isolated from compost
Authors: Jin Long , Kim Kwang Kyu , An Kwang-Guk , Oh Hee-Mock , Lee Sung-Taik
Published: September 2011

A Gram-negative, aerobic, motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain T7-07T, was isolated from compost in Daejeon, Korea. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that strain T7-07T had 99.0 % gene sequence similarity with

Arenimonas malthae

KACC 14618T and 94.7–95.9 % with other recognized species of the genus

Arenimonas

. Cells formed creamy white to yellowish colonies on R2A agar and contained Q-8 as the predominant ubiquinone, C15 : 0 iso, C16 : 0 iso, C17 : 1 iso ω9c and C11 : 0 iso 3-OH as the major fatty acids, and diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmethylethanolamine and an unknown aminolipid as the major polar lipids. The DNA G+C content of strain T7-07T was 68.3 mol%. DNA–DNA reassociation experiments between T7-07T and

Arenimonas malthae

KACC 14618T resulted in a mean relatedness value of 22.2 %. Combined genotypic and phenotypic data supported the conclusion that the strain T7-07T represents a novel species, for which the name Arenimonas daejeonensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is T7-07T ( = KCTC 12667T = DSM 18060T).
Nocardiopsis coralliicola sp. nov., isolated from the gorgonian coral, Menella praelonga
Authors: Li Jie , Yang Jian , Zhu Wen-Yong , He Jie , Tian Xin-Peng , Xie Qiong , Zhang Si , Li Wen-Jun
Published: September 2011

An actinobacterial strain, SCSIO 10427T, was isolated from a gorgonian coral sample collected from Weizhou Island, Guangxi province, China, and its taxonomic position was investigated using a polyphasic approach. The organism was found to have a range of chemical and morphological properties consistent with its classification in the genus

Nocardiopsis

. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strain SCSIO 10427T and type strains of other recognized members of the genus

Nocardiopsis

was lower than 98.4 %. Furthermore, phenotypic characteristics revealed that the strain differed from the currently recognized species of the genus

Nocardiopsis

. Therefore, strain SCSIO 10427T represents a novel species of the genus

Nocardiopsis

, for which the name Nocardiopsis coralliicola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SCSIO 10427T ( = CCTCC AA 2011010T = DSM 45611T).
Homozygosity mapping and targeted genomic sequencing reveal the gene responsible for cerebellar hypoplasia and quadrupedal locomotion in a consanguineous kindred
Authors: Gulsuner Suleyman , Tekinay Ayse Begum , Doerschner Katja , Boyaci Huseyin , Bilguvar Kaya , Unal Hilal , Ors Aslihan , Onat O. Emre , Atalar Ergin , Basak A. Nazli , Topaloglu Haluk , Kansu Tulay , Tan Meliha , Tan Uner , Gunel Murat , Ozcelik Tayfun
Published: September 2011

The biological basis for the development of the cerebro-cerebellar structures required for posture and gait in humans is poorly understood. We investigated a large consanguineous family from Turkey exhibiting an extremely rare phenotype associated with quadrupedal locomotion, mental retardation, and cerebro-cerebellar hypoplasia, linked to a 7.1-Mb region of homozygosity on chromosome 17p13.1–13.3. Diffusion weighted imaging and fiber tractography of the patients' brains revealed morphological abnormalities in the cerebellum and corpus callosum, in particular atrophy of superior, middle, and inferior peduncles of the cerebellum. Structural magnetic resonance imaging showed additional morphometric abnormalities in several cortical areas, including the corpus callosum, precentral gyrus, and Brodmann areas BA6, BA44, and BA45. Targeted sequencing of the entire homozygous region in three affected individuals and two obligate carriers uncovered a private missense mutation, WDR81 p.P856L, which cosegregated with the condition in the extended family. The mutation lies in a highly conserved region of WDR81, flanked by an N-terminal BEACH domain and C-terminal WD40 beta-propeller domains. WDR81 is predicted to be a transmembrane protein. It is highly expressed in the cerebellum and corpus callosum, in particular in the Purkinje cell layer of the cerebellum. WDR81 represents the third gene, after VLDLR and CA8, implicated in quadrupedal locomotion in humans.
A Novel Isoform of Sucrose Synthase Is Targeted to the Cell Wall during Secondary Cell Wall Synthesis in Cotton Fiber
Authors: Brill Elizabeth , van Thournout Michel , White Rosemary G. , Llewellyn Danny , Campbell Peter M. , Engelen Steven , Ruan Yong-Ling , Arioli Tony , Furbank Robert T.
Published: September 2011

Sucrose (Suc) synthase (Sus) is the major enzyme of Suc breakdown for cellulose biosynthesis in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fiber, an important source of fiber for the textile industry. This study examines the tissue-specific expression, relative abundance, and temporal expression of various Sus transcripts and proteins present in cotton. A novel isoform of Sus (SusC) is identified that is expressed at high levels during secondary cell wall synthesis in fiber and is present in the cell wall fraction. The phylogenetic relationships of the deduced amino acid sequences indicate two ancestral groups of Sus proteins predating the divergence of monocots and dicots and that SusC sequences form a distinct branch in the phylogeny within the dicot-specific clade. The subcellular location of the Sus isoforms is determined, and it is proposed that cell wall-localized SusC may provide UDP-glucose for cellulose and callose synthesis from extracellular sugars.
Perturbations of Amino Acid Metabolism Associated with Glyphosate-Dependent Inhibition of Shikimic Acid Metabolism Affect Cellular Redox Homeostasis and Alter the Abundance of Proteins Involved in Photosynthesis and Photorespiration
Authors: Vivancos Pedro Diaz , Driscoll Simon P. , Bulman Christopher A. , Ying Liu , Emami Kaveh , Treumann Achim , Mauve Caroline , Noctor Graham , Foyer Christine H.
Published: September 2011

The herbicide glyphosate inhibits the shikimate pathway of the synthesis of amino acids such as phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. However, much uncertainty remains concerning precisely how glyphosate kills plants or affects cellular redox homeostasis and related processes in glyphosate-sensitive and glyphosate-resistant crop plants. To address this issue, we performed an integrated study of photosynthesis, leaf proteomes, amino acid profiles, and redox profiles in the glyphosate-sensitive soybean (Glycine max) genotype PAN809 and glyphosate-resistant Roundup Ready Soybean (RRS). RRS leaves accumulated much more glyphosate than the sensitive line but showed relatively few changes in amino acid metabolism. Photosynthesis was unaffected by glyphosate in RRS leaves, but decreased abundance of photosynthesis/photorespiratory pathway proteins was observed together with oxidation of major redox pools. While treatment of a sensitive genotype with glyphosate rapidly inhibited photosynthesis and triggered the appearance of a nitrogen-rich amino acid profile, there was no evidence of oxidation of the redox pools. There was, however, an increase in starvation-associated and defense proteins. We conclude that glyphosate-dependent inhibition of soybean leaf metabolism leads to the induction of defense proteins without sustained oxidation. Conversely, the accumulation of high levels of glyphosate in RRS enhances cellular oxidation, possibly through mechanisms involving stimulation of the photorespiratory pathway.
Tomato SlSnRK1 Protein Interacts with and Phosphorylates βC1, a Pathogenesis Protein Encoded by a Geminivirus β-Satellite
Authors: Shen Qingtang , Liu Zhou , Song Fengming , Xie Qi , Hanley-Bowdoin Linda , Zhou Xueping
Published: September 2011

The βC1 protein of tomato yellow leaf curl China β-satellite functions as a pathogenicity determinant. To better understand the molecular basis of βC1 in pathogenicity, a yeast two-hybrid screen of a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cDNA library was carried out using βC1 as bait. βC1 interacted with a tomato SUCROSE-NONFERMENTING1-related kinase designated as SlSnRK1. Their interaction was confirmed using a bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay in Nicotiana benthamiana cells. Plants overexpressing SnRK1 were delayed for symptom appearance and contained lower levels of viral and satellite DNA, while plants silenced for SnRK1 expression developed symptoms earlier and accumulated higher levels of viral DNA. In vitro kinase assays showed that βC1 is phosphorylated by SlSnRK1 mainly on serine at position 33 and threonine at position 78. Plants infected with βC1 mutants containing phosphorylation-mimic aspartate residues in place of serine-33 and/or threonine-78 displayed delayed and attenuated symptoms and accumulated lower levels of viral DNA, while plants infected with phosphorylation-negative alanine mutants contained higher levels of viral DNA. These results suggested that the SlSnRK1 protein attenuates geminivirus infection by interacting with and phosphorylating the βC1 protein.
Consumer behaviour in the market of catering services in selected countries of Central‐Eastern Europe
Authors: Dąbrowska Anna
Published: September 2011

Purpose

New member countries of the European Union such as Lithuania, Latvia and Poland are an interesting subject of study due to the fact that processes of changes in consumption and consumer behaviour in these countries are characterized by large dynamics. The purpose of this paper is to present consumer behaviour in the market of catering services in all the above‐mentioned countries as well as in Ukraine. Catering services are an important market on account of their functions and the needs they satisfy. Moreover, on the one hand, under favourable conditions the market of catering services develops dynamically, and, on the other, in time of economic crisis we can feel its consequences fast because of decreasing demand. The possibility of observing consumer behaviour and its sensitivity to factors influencing food purchase decisions is interesting to both researchers and business practice.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is of an empirical character. The presented consumer research findings, which refer to gastronomic services are a part of a study aimed at examining the situation of consumers and consumer behaviours in four countries: Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine. Consumer research like Omnibus, which has been conducted by GfK Research Company for a research project: “The Position of a Consumer and Changes in Consumption in the Central‐Eastern Europe following the EU Enlargement” (the author has been the manager of the project), is representative with regard to: age, sex and the size of location. The research method was a direct (face‐to‐face) interview, based on a standardized questionnaire, conducted in a respondent's house.

Findings

Analysis of the obtained qualitative and quantitative data allows us to conclude that consumers react to factors creating demand in various ways; consumers‐respondents are differentiated with regard to frequency of using catering outlets; social and demographic features also influence consumer behaviour; and the greatest number of respondents use the services of cafés.

Originality/value

The paper examines consumer behaviour in the gastronomic services market. The findings may be interesting for entrepreneurs whose activity is connected with the gastronomic sector or who are interested in diversifying onto the markets analysed in the research. What is worth emphasizing is that the majority of respondents perceive a positive influence of Europeanisation on quality, competition, the level of service or observing consumer rights. These evaluations also concern the changes which occur in domestic markets of catering services.
A road‐map for outsourcing facilities‐related services in SMEs
Authors: Cigolini Roberto , Miragliotta Giovanni , Pero Margherita
Published: September 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on the outsourcing facilities management (FM) services in small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs a Define‐Measure‐Analyze‐Improve‐Control (DMAIC) methodology. A survey in Italy, a country quite representative when talking about SMEs, is first presented and evidence from the field is discussed. Stemming from the evidence, a road‐map is presented to overcome these criticalities and to support, also in SMEs, the diffusion of the outsourcing of the FM services, whose benefits in terms of higher efficiency and better service are already being experienced by larger companies. The proposed model is then validated through the extensive survey on small and medium‐sized Italian enterprises.

Findings

The survey shows that the current level of adoption of advanced outsourcing practices is very low: less than 5 percent of the companies in the sample resort to a single supplier delivering multiple FM services. The adoption rate of such practices is hence very low, and the survey has pointed out three different levels of causes: size‐related, cultural, and managerial.

Research limitations/implications

The survey used in this paper is based on a questionnaire but does not consider non‐respondents. The database of companies provided by IFMA – Italian Chapter – could also possibly introduce bias.

Practical implications

Starting with the early recognition that the main problem in the field implementations of result‐oriented approaches lies in determining whether the expected results have been achieved and that two key tools are available (i.e. the service level agreement and the reporting system), the model suggests a new organizational and managerial structure, even simpler than the traditional (i.e. not integrated) approach. To design the kernel of the control system, DMAIC has been used, after a specific customization.

Social implications

Results show a widespread outsourcing of the facilities‐related services in the larger organizations and some hurdles of the smaller ones in exploiting all the opportunities offered, so that – on average – the management of facilities‐related services represents an opportunity to exploit rather than an actually implemented methodology.

Originality/value

Only a few international contributions refer to local environments: here an extensive survey involving more than 1,000 Italian companies is presented.
Effect of property management on property price: a case study in HK
Authors: Chi‐Man Hui Eddie , Ting Lau Hoi , Hayat Khan Tareef
Published: September 2011

Purpose

It has been said that people's expectation towards their living space has been increased. They have a higher requirement not only for the facilities it provides, but also for the quality of property management services. Property management is now regarded as one of the important considerations of buyers in purchasing a property. This research paper aims to investigate the significance of the quality of property management to property buyers.

Design/methodology/approach

ISO 9001 Certification and HKMA Quality Award (HKMAQA) are used as the measurement of the quality of property management. The paper used a hedonic price model to determine whether there is a relationship between property management and property price and the inference of property management on property price if there is such relationship. Seven private residential estates in Ma On Shan with similar locational characteristics were selected in the research.

Findings

The empirical results show that property management has a significant and positive relationship with property prices. People are willing to pay 4.92 percent and 2.84 percent more on properties managed by a property management company that is ISO 9001‐certified and HKMAQA winner respectively.

Research limitations/implications

The implications of the results imply that well‐recognized property management increases the value of a property and attracts second‐hand property buyers, and quality property management adds value to properties and hence increases the property price.

Originality/value

The research has contributed an indication of the amount a household would be willing to pay on quality property management services as a reference for investors, users, developers and property management services providers.
Are we making progress in international business ethics?
Authors: Warren Richard C.
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The internationalisation of business and the process of globalisation raise many ethical issues about acceptable norms of conduct on the part of corporations. This article aims to evaluate whether there is progress in establishing standards for international business ethics.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explores whether the case for a global standard of business conduct can be grounded and justified in rational argument.

Findings

As a moral minimum, corporate ethical codes need to rule out what the management believes to be clearly unacceptable behaviour. The distinction between thick and thin moral rules is particularly important in wrestling with the rights and wrongs of international business ethics. A good deal of room needs to exist for the local interpretation of these codes, but there are a number of situations where universal standards have to be enforced in the host country.

Originality/value

This paper summarises the progress made in establishing the field of international business ethics. And it identifies and discusses the evidence on the effectiveness of ethical codes in improving international business practice.
Investigating the design process: participatory design in agile software development
Authors: Kautz Karlheinz
Published: September 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to explore a case of customer and user participation in an agile software development project, which produced a tailor‐made information system for workplace support as a step towards a theory of participatory design in agile software development.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on an integrated framework for user participation derived from the participatory design literature the research was performed as a case study and semi‐structured, open‐ended interviews were conducted with about a third of the development team and with a representative sample of key players and future users in the customer organization. The interview data were supplemented with company and project documents.

Findings

The paper found genuine customer and user participation carried out by onsite customers and by other operational staff in the form of direct and indirect participation and with functional and democratic empowerment. The onsite customers played informative, consultative and participative roles. The analysis revealed that planning games, user stories and story cards, working software and acceptance tests structured the customer and user participation. This form of user participation supported a balance between flexibility and project progress and resulted in a project and a product which were considered a success by the customer and the development organization. The analysis showed that the integrative framework for user participation can also fruitfully be used in a new context to understand what participatory design is and how, when and where it can be performed as an instance of a design process in agile development. As such the paper contributes to an analytical and a design theory of participatory design in agile development. Furthermore the paper explicates why participatory design contributes to the successful completion of the investigated project. By drawing on innovation theory it was found that participatory design in agile development bears the characteristics of a successful organizational innovation. Grounding further explanations in complex adaptive systems theory the paper provides an additional argument why participatory design despite some identified challenges fosters project staff to successfully carry out the agile development project.

Originality/value

The paper presents an exploratory, empirical study of an understudied phenomenon and contributes to theory building.
A cross‐country study of signals of brand quality
Authors: Agrawal Jagdish , Grimm Pamela , Kamath Shyam , Foscht Thomas
Published: September 2011

Purpose

This study seeks to examine differences in the signals of brand quality that consumers utilize in and across different countries. The approach is driven by the practical goal of helping international firms understand how they could tailor their marketing mix to target consumers based on the particular signals of brand quality that they use in different countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data are collected from Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore, Thailand and the USA and analyzed using factor analysis to identify the signals that are used as extrinsic and intrinsic cues of brand quality in different clusters of countries. Two major dimensions of signals of quality are identified and used to generate four clusters of countries representing different beliefs in signals of brand quality.

Findings

Two major dimensions of signals of quality are identified and used to generate four clusters of countries representing different beliefs in signals of brand quality. These dimensions broadly fall in to those that can be characterized as external signals (brand popularity, retailer's name and volume of advertising) and internal signals (brand name, price and country of origin) with the eight countries clustering in terms of these signals. Thus, Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong and the USA form one cluster with Thailand and Russia forming another cluster while Indonesia and Singapore show differences in their signal preferences.

Practical implications

Practical implications in terms of standardization versus differentiation of marketing mix strategies are discussed. The most important implication is that differentiation of marketing strategies would seem to be advantageous contrary to the commonly held view that international firms need to standardize their marketing strategies in the face of increasing globalization and alleged consumer convergence.

Originality/value

This study seeks to examine differences in the signals of brand quality that consumers utilize in and across different countries.
Characteristics‐based innovation adoption: scale and model validation
Authors: Flight Richard L. , D'Souza Giles , Allaway Arthur W.
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to develop a measurement scale that encompasses a wide array of product characteristics. In addition, a comprehensive model is developed and tested illustrating the relationship among product characteristics and with adoption.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilizing 628 respondents, a measurement scale is developed and a structural equation model is tested through a multi‐stage series of surveys. The scope of the research is consumer durable products.

Findings

This paper is successful in developing a 43‐item scale that measures 15 unique innovation characteristics. This scale is then used to test a second order model illustrating the relationships innovation characteristics have with each other and ultimately innovation adoption.

Research limitations/implications

The major limitation this research suffers from is its lack of variety in products under analysis. For the four consumer durable products studied, the research finds significant results. However, these findings would have greater impact if they reflected a broader array of products and product classes.

Originality/value

To date there have been very few attempts to model and test in an exhaustive fashion the role innovation characteristics play during the adoption process. This current research advances Holak and Lehmann and empirically tests first and second order characteristics within the context of a structural equation model.
Focal and contextual components of price history as determinants of expected price
Authors: Chandrashekaran Rajesh
Published: September 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how consumers adjust their price expectations for brands in response to previously encountered prices. The effects of two distinct components of price history, focal and contextual, are examined. The focal component represents the role of a brand's own previous price(s) in determining future price expectations. In contrast, the contextual component represents the impact of the prices of previously considered competing brands.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 60 subjects were enrolled to participate in a longitudinal, quantitative, survey‐based study that required them to provide information on brand perceptions, price expectations, brand consideration and choice.

Findings

Empirical comparison of several model formulations confirms that both components are crucial in explaining how consumers adjust their price expectations in response to the prices of considered brands. Consistent with a wide body of research, a brand's own previous price exerts the greatest influence on price expectations. However, the extent to which contextual prices are assimilated depends on the composition of consumers' consideration sets. Avenues for future research and implications for brand pricing and positioning are discussed.

Originality/value

The results offer several unique perspectives that stand out from (and build further on) previous research. First, although previous research has examined the effects of competing brands' current prices on brand choices, it has not incorporated the prices of competing brands that may have been observed on previous shopping occasions. Second, measures and assesses the perceived variability within the consumers' consideration sets influences the impact of the contextual component on a brand's current reference price.
Avoiding the weak link
Authors: Fox Robert
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to give an overview of linked data, and to look at some of the possibilities for leveraging linked data in library discovery systems.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper explores linked data methodology, and the benefits of using linked data as a discovery mechanism. It briefly touches on the possibilities of using linked data within research.

Findings

It is important for libraries to build in mechanisms for exposing data that are being archived and preserved digitally. This will help libraries to participate in the semantic web both by enriching one's own data exposure mechanisms as linked data, and by providing means for patrons to take advantage of the growing volume of linked data available on the internet.

Originality/value

The paper explores the basic principles of using linked data, and compares and contrasts that with traditional web browsing using HTML pages. It also touches on the ways in which linked data can help researchers to gain access to data that would otherwise be hidden on the web, by tapping into semantic ontologies that link data in multifaceted ways.
Leveraging the FRBR model for music discovery and data sharing
Authors: Riley Jenn
Published: September 2011

Purpose

In 2008, Indiana University received a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for a project entitled “Variations/FRBR: variations as a testbed for the FRBR conceptual model”. The V/FRBR initiative aims to provide a real world, production implementation in a music digital library system of the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) suite of reports from the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) that are being presented as revolutionizing library discovery systems. This paper seeks to examine this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper discusses the issues encountered in creating an interoperable data model that implements FRBR concepts. It uses the work of the V/FRBR initiative to describe how FRBR can be used in both a generic and a music‐specific environment.

Findings

An abstract data model representing FRBR at three levels of specificity (two generic and one music‐specific) is defined, along with its binding in XML and plans for expanding into an RDF representation into the future.

Practical implications

The data model and its XML representation created by the V/FRBR project have the potential to be re‐used by other FRBR‐based cataloging and discovery systems in the future.

Originality/value

While much discussion of FRBR has taken place in the library community, relatively little formal testing of FRBR‐ized data has been done, with even less widespread reporting of lessons learned. The V/FRBR project is among the first to share detailed information about the practical issues faced when implementing the FRBR models.
Creating a specialized music search interface in a traditional OPAC environment
Authors: Thomas Bob
Published: September 2011

Purpose

Undergraduate music majors often search for resources in a limited number of formats. This developed a specialized search interface which might better support the needs of undergraduate music majors. The aim of this paper is to improve music resource discovery now, without spending any additional funds.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature search was conducted to inform the design process. The web search capabilities of the library's existing catalog system were then used to develop a specialized music search interface. Finally, user testing was conducted to obtain qualitative feedback on the effectiveness of the new interface compared with the general‐purpose library catalog interface.

Findings

This project confirmed that an effective specialized music search interface could be created at no additional cost and with minimal effort, and that coupling a keyword search with pre‐search format limiting was an effective strategy.

Originality/value

The paper provides a low‐cost approach to improving music searching using tools that already exist in most ILSs.
The roles of management control in a product development setting
Authors: Akroyd Chris , Maguire William
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which management control is enacted in a product development setting, to provide new insights into the different roles that control can play in this context.

Design/methodology/approach

A nine‐month, in‐depth field study was carried out at a subsidiary of an Australasian multinational firm which operates in the consumer foods industry. A participant observation approach was used to collect field notes and documents from the organisation, which were analysed through the lens of ethnomethodology.

Findings

The results indicate that the role of management control during product development is mainly focused on reducing uncertainty at each stage and promoting goal congruence at the decision gates. The authors argue that this helps explain why management control has a positive effect in a product development setting.

Research limitations/implications

The implication of this finding is that the role of management control changes during product development due to the involvement of different organisational members (communities of practice) and the activities that they carry out. This helps build a more holistic understanding of control in product development. As this is a field study of a specific company, the findings are not generalizable to other companies or settings. Future research needs to investigate other possible roles which management control may play in this context.

Originality/value

The paper extends the research in this area by showing how and why management control can take on multiple roles in practice.
The art of managing individuality
Authors: Nørreklit Hanne
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the symbolic forms used in selected mainstream management models and to assess whether it would be expedient for enforcing the connection between leadership and individual human reality if such management models were fundamentally inspired by a successful manager and artist.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical starting point of this article is Cassirer's philosophy on symbolic forms. The paper analyses the symbolic forms embedded in the management discourse practice of art in the way that the concept is practiced by Kasper Holten, the highly successful Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Opera.

Findings

The analysis shows that conventional management control models are rooted in the symbolic form of science, but are at risk of getting caught in assumptions of the form gliding into the symbolic form of religion and myth, where all the forms tend to oppress essential aspects of individuality. Kasper Holten integrates the symbolic forms of art and science, which makes him capable of binding to the individual's life‐world.

Research limitations/implications

Analysing Kasper Holten's views on management reveals features and structures for a new management discourse practice which is far better suited to most of the knowledge jobs in contemporary society than the more conventional management discourse.

Originality/value

The paper provides novel insight into the interrelationship between the specific way of using language and the way of managing and constructing a world. It paves the way for another way of doing management control and accounting.
Convergence versus divergence of performance measurement systems
Authors: Jazayeri Mostafa , Wickramsinghe Danture , Gooneratne Tharusha
Published: September 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on two institutional change scenarios of performance measurement (PM) systems, namely, subversion and integration. Subversion represents insiders' use of existing institutional logic whereas integration represents insiders' use of imported institutional logic.

Design/methodology/approach

The scenarios are drawn from two case studies: BAE Systems (a large UK manufacturing company) and Alpha (a medium‐sized Sri Lankan manufacturing company). The data were collected through in‐depth interviews and documentary sources.

Findings

An internal “culture change programme” led to a business value scorecard (BVS) in BAE Systems, and an external knowledge diffusion programme gave rise to a balanced scorecard (BSC) in Alpha. The culture change programme was facilitated by a particular institutional logic resulting in a successful BVS practice. In contrast, at Alpha, the BSC project was externally imposed, although it was designed with the blessing of the owner‐manager. This triggered internal controversies and the workforce became unreceptive. Consequently, attention was diverted to other management fads such as total quality management, Six Sigma, and enterprise resource planning but these were also short lived.

Research limitations/implications

While this paper provides evidence on practice variation and adds to neoinstitutional‐based management accounting research, the empirical materials, however, did not allow the authors to trace all four scenarios in the typology.

Practical implications

PM systems, such as the BSC, seem to be malleable and adaptable to local requirements subject to organisational and managerial flexibility and democratic possibilities.

Originality/value

This research highlights how the institutional environment is fragmented and contested, in different organisational and political conditions and spaces, resulting in variation in practices.
Recent Research on Offenders with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Hayes Susan
Published: September 2011

People with learning disabilities are typically over‐represented in Western criminal justice systems. They are vulnerable during police questioning, and may not comprehend their right to silence; they may confess, or acquiesce to the police version of events. They may have a long history of challenging behaviour which has never been appropriately addressed until the behaviour brings them into contact with the criminal justice system. It is important for service providers to have a working knowledge of the criminal justice system, and a clear idea of their role in relation to the client, especially during police interviews.
Supported Employment in Britain
Authors: Beyer Stephen , Kilsby Mark
Published: September 2011

This paper describes supported employment, its growth as an alternative to traditional day services and research which indicates potentially beneficial outcomes in the areas of increased employee income, social integration, satisfaction, engagement in activity, employer satisfaction, and in the relationship between financial costs and savings. Outcomes may be reduced due to welfare benefit restrictions that hamper transition into employment, and more part‐time jobs are found as a result in the UK compared to the USA. Providers face problems with low expectations among carers, lack of knowledge of disability among employers, and their funding is precarious. If people with severe disabilities are not to be excluded from supported employment, commissioners need to consider the outcomes they require and the priority needs of clients when setting day service contracts.
Developing Mental Health Services for People with Learning Disabilities in England
Authors: Simpson Neill
Published: September 2011

Many people with learning disabilities experience mental health problems, and the outcome is likely to be better if they have a good mental health service. Opinions vary about what form a good mental health service for people with learning disabilities would take. Great changes have occurred in services, but research about the effect of these changes is sparse. This paper explores the nature of mental health problems which require services and compares two models for providing a specialist mental health service for people with learning disabilities.
Social Services Law: Judicial Review, Financial Resources and Legitimate Expectations
Authors: Schwehr Belinda
Published: September 2011

In the context of a recent judicial review case, the Court of Appeal has delivered, on the one hand, a powerful weapon for people with disabilities who need social services, but, on the other, managerial implications which are bound to be keeping budget holders awake at night. The final outcome of the case — due for hearing before the Lords at some point in the next year — may well have wider implications for changes to social services legislation generally. The significance of this case for local authorities, practitioners and users of community care services is analysed and commented upon in this article. Further, the interplay between the concept of statutory discretion and the emergent legal doctrine of substantive legitimate expectation is considered, and its significance for social services attitudes and practice is articulated.
Auditing Service Quality in Residential and Supported Housing Services: Creating Conditions for Service Improvement
Authors: Joyce Theresa , Close Wendy
Published: September 2011

It is essential that the quality of residential services is monitored, both to identify service deterioration and to improve service quality. Current models of community services have produced fragmentation among service providers, and a separation of purchasers and providers. These different groups need to work together to share a vision and a model of good practice. Participation in the auditing of each other's services, and a focus from commissioners on being supportive rather than punitive, assist in this. Audit also enables a view of the strategic challenges which face services to be developed. These challenges include ensuring that staff are skilled in supporting clients to live as ordinary a life as possible, as well as meeting any additional complex needs they may have.
The Physical Abuse of People with Learning Disabilities and Challenging Behaviours: Lessons for Commissioners and Providers
Authors: Cambridge Paul
Published: September 2011

This paper describes the circumstances surrounding the physical abuse of persons with learning disabilities and challenging behaviours in a residential service and the findings of a related inquiry. The findings are used to identify the signs and signals associated with a culture of abuse, of use to commissioners and providers for helping detect abusive services and for adult protection more widely.
Hearing Loss in People with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Yeates Sybil
Published: September 2011

This paper demonstrates the lack of importance which, until recently, has been accorded to the distinction between hearing loss and learning disability when they occur together. It then emphasises the problems which this has caused, including challenging behaviour. A summary of the causes common to both learning disability and hearing loss is given, along with brief descriptions of tests used to diagnose hearing loss in the learning‐disabled. The importance of team work is stressed, together with the necessity of education for all personnel working with the learning‐disabled. Some ideas contributing to rehabilitation are suggested and the importance of restoring some hearing even to the most severely handicapped is described. Finally, readers are reminded that rehabilitation is not a ‘quick fix’ but the product of much patient work undertaken by all concerned probably over a long period.
Access to Educational Opportunities for Children with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Ware Jean
Published: September 2011

What counts as the heart of access to educational opportunities for children with learning disabilities depends on the context in which the issue is viewed. Globally, there can be little doubt that addressing poverty and international debt would make most difference. On a more local basis, while poverty remains the single most important factor, physical factors, location, attitudes, curriculum and the nature of the individual's disabilities are also important in facilitating or impeding access. These factors do not operate singly, but in complex interaction with each other. An examination of the literature shows a tendency for different aspects of access to be in the limelight at different times, but a great deal of progress has been made towards understanding how access can be facilitated. This paper concludes that the greatest danger lies in oversimplifying the issues and concentrating on some problems to the neglect of others. Further progress can best be achieved through taking seriously the nature and complexity of the barriers to access, especially for children with the most severe disabilities.
Reflections on Developing and Managing Community Services for People with Learning Disabilities
Authors: Steele Linda
Published: September 2011

Success in providing and maintaining services for people with learning disabilities requires constant vigilance and attention to relationships — with the community, staff, media and, above all, service users. This article provides reflections on and conclusions from more than 20 years of managing and developing services in the USA and England.
The General Social Care Council: Some Implications for Learning Disability Services
Authors: Brand Don
Published: September 2011

The Government's proposals for the regulation of social care services are set out in the Social Services White Paper. They include changes to the inspection of services, the abolition of the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work and the establishment of a new statutory body, the General Social Care Council (GSCC), to be responsible for regulating conduct and practice standards for all who work in social care. This article describes the background to the proposed general council and its links to training and service regulation, outlines the Government's approach to setting and enforcing standards, and suggests ways in which the general council will affect those who use and work in learning disability services.