bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Involving young people in changing their school environment to make it safer
Authors: Fletcher Adam , Fitzgerald-Yau Natasha , Wiggins Meg , Viner Russell M. , Bonell Chris
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the process of involving students and staff on school action groups, and staff and student experiences of reviewing local data and initiating school-level changes, to address bullying and other aggression.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors draw on qualitative, process data collected at four purposively sampled pilot intervention schools in England via semi-structured interviews with school managers, action group members and facilitators (n=33), focus groups with students (n=16) and staff (n=4), and observations.

Findings

– School staff used multiple methods to recruit a diverse range of students onto school action groups. Locally tailored data reports were an important catalyst for action groups to identify priorities and plan whole school change – both through the process of “validation” (whereby existing concerns were confirmed) and “discovery” (whereby new problems were identified). An unexpected benefit of providing schools with these data was that it triggered analyses of other data sources, including routine monitoring data. External facilitators were important in promoting student voice and ensuring the intervention retained integrity as a whole-school restorative approach.

Practical implications

– It was feasible to involve young people using action groups, and there was evidence of school-level actions led by students, including in disadvantaged school contexts. Future Health Promoting Schools interventions could incorporate this approach to support locally appropriate, school-level change.

Originality/value

– The micro-level processes that were observed, whereby action groups interrogated feedback reports and collected additional data, suggest the responsiveness of such youth-involvement interventions to local needs. Contrary to many public health interventions, implementation appeared to befacilitatedrather than hindered by features of the secondary-school “market” whereby parents have some choice between schools.
An evaluation of an integrated perspective of perceived service quality for retail banking services in India
Authors: Mittal Sanjiv , Gera Rajat , Batra Dharminder Kumar
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to extract and validate the dimensions of service quality in retail banking services in India by adopting an integrated and hierarchical perspective of service quality determinants.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper empirically validates a parsimonious (multi-dimensional and multi-level) model of service quality in retail banking services in India. The analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling. A hypothesized second-order model was tested and compared with a first-order model of service quality. The dimensions were extracted through exploratory factor analysis and validated through confirmatory factor analysis.

Findings

– The second-order service quality model was accepted based on parsimony as it consisted of five primary dimensions: Service delivery (describing the efficiency with which the service is provided), tangibles (the quality of physical service environment), reliability (the promise of right service being provided), core service (the attributes and features of the service product) and competence (the capability of employees and systems for providing the service). The second-order model enhances the understanding of the structure of service quality for retail banking services in India. The most important dimension was tangibles, especially the physical environment which facilitates efficient delivery of service.

Research limitations/implications

– The research provides support for a multi-dimensional second-order model of service quality in retail banking service in India. The results show that customers form perceptions of overall service quality which are reflected by five primary dimensions. The primary dimension of tangibles is the most influential.

Practical implications

– Organizations need to measure and manage overall service quality perceptions to build trust and reinforce loyalty intentions among their customers. Banks need to adopt a multi-level approach to managing service quality perceptions, i.e. both at the dimensional level and organizational level.

Social implications

– This study would contribute to the enhancement of service quality outcomes in retail banking services in India which has a crucial role in the economic development.

Originality/value

– The study proposes and validates a parsimonious and hierarchical model of service quality in the context of retail banking in Indian cultural context. Thus this research provides support to existing knowledge of service quality measurement and management and extends the understanding of its structure by validating the multi-level model in an emerging market context.
Selection of appropriate electronic banking channel alternative
Authors: Mishra Vaibhav , Singh Vrijendra
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the important criteria responsible for the adoption of different electronic banking channel (EBC) alternatives in Indian perspective. It also evaluates the intensity of the various criteria, namely demographics, technological factors, service components and intention to use in determining the overall priorities of EBC.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected from 110 respondents using pairwise comparison-based survey instrument. The collective data was analyzed using analytical hierarchy process and priorities of different EBC were computed.

Findings

– ATM was found out to be the most preferred EBC alternative, followed by internet banking (IB) and mobile banking. Awareness, self-efficacy, ease of use, usefulness and security were the criteria responsible for making ATM, the most preferred channel.

Practical implications

– This paper imparts a better understanding of customers’ preferences among different EBC alternatives. It also explores the relationship between different criteria and sub-criteria based on the data collected from both the parties involved in electronic banking, i.e. customers and bankers. This research would be helpful to guide the strategy maker of electronic banking, so that penetration rate may improve in India. This would also give an idea which factor should be given more emphases, while offering new electronic banking services. Considering same method, further detailed research on specific EBC is required. Similarly, studies of different demographic area may consider for robustness of concept.

Originality/value

– In the past research work, many researchers talked about the specific EBC and now it is needed to find the gap between all channels selection attitude, considering same parameters. Through pairwise comparison, priorities of different criteria and sub-criteria have been evaluated. This also leads to the selection of most preferred EBC. The results would also be useful in enhancing the customer base, thus reducing the barriers in the adoption of IB and mobile banking.
Spatial analysis of the distribution and determinants of bank branch presence in Ghana
Authors: Ansong David , Chowa Gina , Adjabeng Bernice Korkor
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– Expanding access to financial services for the 70 percent of Ghanaians who are unbanked is critical. Bank branches have been the primary channel for financial service delivery, but this may be changing because of technological innovations. Analysts believe branch-based banking still has a role in promoting financial inclusion. The purpose of this paper is to examine the pattern of bank branch presence across rural and urban Ghana; the disparities in the spatial distribution of domestic, foreign, and rural and community bank branches; and the district level characteristics associated with the pattern of spatial distribution of bank branches.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study uses spatial analyst tools, geographically weighted Poisson regression, and data from Ghana’s banking sector to show the inequality in availability of branch-based services and to highlight the district and regional level differences in the determinants of branch allocation.

Findings

– The study finds evidence of inequality in access to financial services. Physical bank branches are disproportionately more accessible in the urban south compared to the rural north. The study also finds that population size, percentage of urban residents, workforce size, and literacy level are associated with bank allocation but the results vary by district.

Practical implications

– Branch banking needs modernization to continue to bring financial services in closer proximity. Development of physical and electronic infrastructure could attract financial institutions to serve deprived areas with significant concentration of unbanked populations.

Originality/value

– Findings of the study point to the need for banks to re-envision branch banking technology to make branch banking more interactive. Banks need to find ways to fuse transferable elements of mobile phone banking into branch-based banking, not just to attract younger technology-savvy customers but also to help make operations more attractive, efficient, and cost effective.
What are the best HRM practices for retaining experts? A longitudinal study in the Canadian information technology sector
Authors: Renaud Stéphane , Morin Lucie , Saulquin Jean-Yves , Abraham Jocelyne
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to answer the following two questions: What are the HRM practices that have a significant impact on employees’ functional retention?, and Does the impact of these HRM practices on functional retention differ based on the employee’s status as an expert or a non-expert? Our theoretical foundation rests on human capital theory and social exchange theory.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study uses longitudinal data that come from multiple surveys conducted on new employees within a Canadian subsidiary of an international information technology (IT) firm.

Findings

– Results show that four out of five HRM practices under study have a significant and positive impact on functional retention of employees regardless of their expert status: satisfaction with a respectful and stimulating work environment, satisfaction with training and development, satisfaction with innovative benefits and satisfaction with incentive compensation significantly increase functional retention of employees. Functional retention was found to be higher for experts than for their non-expert counterparts. Last, results show that expert/non-expert status play a moderating role between HRM practices and functional retention.

Originality/value

– In short, this study offers five main contributions to the literature: first, it focuses on retention rather than turnover; second, it goes further by examining functional retention as the dependant variable; third, it distinguishes between two categories of employees: experts and non-experts; fourth, it extends the limited literature on IT workers, HRM practices and retention; and fifth, it is based on longitudinal data whereas the overwhelming majority of published studies have been based on cross-sectional data.
Gender-based differences in employment conditions of local and expatriate workers in the GCC context
Authors: Al-Waqfi Mohammed A. , Abdalla Al-faki Ibrahim
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The labor force participation rates of females have been increasing steadily over the past few decades in the UAE and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and are expected to continue to increase due to increasing levels of education and social change. While, there is a substantive amount of literature on the issues of gender gap in wages and employment conditions in Western developed economies, the evidence from developing economies – especially in the Middle East – remains very scant. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to contribute to bridging this gap by examining gender-based differences in employment conditions for local and expatriate workers in the context of the GCC region.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors utilize a data set from the 2007 cross-section Dubai Labor Market Survey which covers a stratified random sample of employees in the UAE labor market. In addition to descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations of the data by workers’ gender, nationality, and various characteristics of their employment conditions, two empirical models intended to investigate factors that influence access to employment and wage determination of male and female workers in the UAE labor market were estimated.

Findings

– The findings of the study reveal that there are gender-based differences and inequity in employment in the UAE labor market. The authors highlight specific impacts of contextual factors on the employment conditions of women compared to men. The gender gap in the UAE context is compounded by nationality effects; whereby gender-based differences become less apparent in the case of foreign workers compared to UAE nationals.

Originality/value

– This paper is one of very few studies that addressed the gender gap in employment conditions in the Arab Middle Eastern or GCC context. The paper uses quantitative data from a large random sample of workers in the UAE.
Antecedents of environmentally conscious operations in transitioning economies
Authors: Hartmann Julia , Germain Richard , Grobecker Anna
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify and empirically examine antecedents to environmentally conscious operations (ECOs) and to investigate the effect of ECOs on performance in the transitioning economy Russia. The authors examine organizational antecedents such as innovativeness, proximity to major urban centers of gravity, and interaction with international customers because there is evidence that external antecedents such as stakeholder pressure may not be as effective in transitioning economies as they are in developed countries.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors develop a structural equation model to test the hypothesized relationships on a sample of 769 private sector manufacturing companies located in Russia having used the survey method for data collection.

Findings

– The authors find that the proximity to major urban centers of gravity, interaction with international customers and a firm-internal culture of innovativeness are positively related to ECOs. The authors also find evidence that ECOs are positively related to performance. ECOs partially mediate the relationship between international trade and firm performance.

Originality/value

– This is one of the first studies to investigate antecedents to ECOs in Russia and one of the few that uses diffusion of innovations theory to unpack potential ECO antecedents.
How important is the “social” in social networking? A perceived value empirical investigation
Authors: Cocosila Mihail , Igonor Andy
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report on a value-based empirical investigation of the adoption of Twitter social networking application. The unprecedented popularity of social networking applications in a short time period warrants exploring theory-based reasons of their success.

Design/methodology/approach

– A cross-sectional survey-based study to elicit user views on Twitter was conducted with participants recruited through the web site of a North-American university.

Findings

– All facets of perceived value considered in the study (utilitarian, hedonic and social) had a significant and relatively strong influence on consumer intent to use Twitter. Quite surprisingly for a social networking application, though, the social value facet had comparatively the weakest contribution in the use equation.

Research limitations/implications

– User value perception might have been influenced by the features of the actual social networking application under scrutiny (i.e. Twitter in this case).

Practical implications

– To maximize the chances of success of new social networking applications, developers and marketers of these media should focus on the hedonic and utilitarian sides of their perceived value.

Social implications

– Additional efforts are necessary to better understand the reasons and factors leading to a comparatively lower social value perception of a social networking application, compared to its hedonic and utilitarian values.

Originality/value

– Overall, the study opens the door for investigating user perceptions on popular social networking applications in an effort to understand the unparalleled success of these services in a short time period.
“Through the looking glass: envisioning new library technologies” mobile libraries, beyond the Web site
Authors: Fernandez Peter
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to highlight recent and near-future innovations relating to mobile access that can facilitate new interactions between patrons and libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper explores mobile hotspots that allow library patrons to “check out” the Internet to access a world of information, as well as the related technologies on the horizon that are poised to transform Internet access worldwide. Innovative libraries and vendors are catching up to the implications of “mobile” beyond the Web interface and are making their collections and technological offerings available using re-envisioned bookmobiles, servers and library circulation modules.

Findings

– This paper finds that, by using new and cleverly reconfigured technology, libraries can continue to play a central role in the sharing of information in an increasingly mobile world.

Originality/value

– This paper demonstrates that the technological infrastructure that supports mobile libraries will continue to develop and expand access to information around the globe.
Hangout at the library: video conferencing and more with Google+
Authors: Youngkin C. Andrew
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to review the features of Google+ Hangouts and to discuss how it would be useful for libraries. Google+ Hangouts is a free, easy-to-use video conferencing Web application that allows users to host, record and broadcast online meetings.

Design/methodology/approach

– This is an observational paper.

Findings

– This paper discusses the implications of Google+ Hangouts for libraries and reviews the main features for getting started and using Google+ Hangouts and Hangouts On Air.

Originality/value

– Google+ Hangouts has been specifically reviewed very rarely in prior library and/or technology literature. This paper addresses some features and uses for Google Hangouts as an audio-visual communication tool within libraries – observations not found elsewhere in the reviewed literature.
Institutional theory and international market selection for direct selling
Authors: Ragland Charles B. , Brouthers Lance Eliot , Widmier Scott M.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to use a theoretical framework (institutional theory) to predict international market selection (IMS) for the direct selling industry.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors use independent variables taken from institutional theory to predict IMS for the direct selling industry, allowing the authors to show the relationship between institutional theory – defined independent variables and the relative attractiveness of international markets. The model is applied to a broad sample of 51 developed and emerging nations that comprise 91 percent of worldwide GDP.

Findings

– The authors found that the hypotheses were confirmed. Institutional theory – defined independent variables did a good job of predicting the relative attractiveness of international markets.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors used cross sectional country level data to validate their model. One major implication: institutional theory appears to do an excellent job of predicting IMS in contrast to geographic proximity or cultural similarity for the direct selling industry.

Practical implications

– Managers should consider formal and informal aspects of the institutional environment, when selecting new international markets.

Originality/Value

– In contrast to most IMS papers, the authors apply a theory to predict IMS outcomes, helping to provide greater potential generalizability. The authors show that selected dimensions of institutional theory do a good job of predicting IMS for the direct selling industry. Future efforts may wish to apply institutional theory to new IMS contexts. The authors conclude with managerial implications.
Using spotlight effect to curb counterfeit consumption – an experimental investigation
Authors: Zhan Lingjing , Sharma Piyush , Chan Ricky Y. K.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how counterfeit users estimate the probability of being detected and how this probability affects their counterfeit consumption behaviour. Specifically, it addresses three questions: do perceived social consequences influence counterfeit users’ probability estimate of being detected? What is the psychological mechanism underlying the estimation of this probability? And how does this probability estimate affect counterfeit purchase and usage intentions?

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors used three scenario-based experimental studies with university students in Hong Kong, a place where counterfeit products are widely available. First study used a factitious brand of jeans as the stimulus and the other two studies used a Ralph Lauren polo shirt. In each study, the authors measured participants’ responses towards counterfeit purchase and the probability of being detected after they read the relevant brand information and had a close-up view of the attributes in the genuine and counterfeit versions.

Findings

– The authors found that counterfeit users are susceptible to a pessimism bias such that they estimate a higher probability of being detected when they judge the outcome of being detected as more severe and this bias is driven by the spotlight effect in that counterfeit users judging the outcome as more severe tend to perceive that others pay more attention to their counterfeit usage. Moreover, this pessimism bias is mitigated when the target user is another person instead of oneself, thus suggesting the egocentric nature of the bias.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors used undergraduate students and scenario-based experimental approach in all the studies that may limit the generalisability of the findings.

Practical implications

– The results suggest that brand managers should emphasise the importance of negative social consequences and highlight the role of outcome severity and egocentric bias in their advertising and communication programmes in order to curb counterfeit consumption.

Originality/value

– The research contributes to the growing literature on counterfeit consumption by studying the process underlying estimation of the probability of being detected by others, an important but often neglected factor that influences counterfeit purchase decision. The authors also highlight the role of outcome severity and egocentric bias in this process.
How customer novelty seeking influences customer CSR perceptions
Authors: Pérez Andrea , Rodríguez del Bosque Ignacio
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to first, propose a causal model to understand the process of corporate social responsibility (CSR) perception formation among customers; and second, identify differences among innovative and conservative customers in that process.

Design/methodology/approach

– A structural equation model is tested in a sample of 1,124 banking services customers in Spain. Also, a multisampling analysis is implemented in order to determine how novelty seeking moderates the process of CSR perception formation among customers.

Findings

– Results confirm that customer CSR perceptions are directly and positively influenced by: the congruence between CSR initiatives and corporate profile; customer attributions of corporate motivations to engage in CSR; and corporate credibility in developing CSR initiatives. Nonetheless, while innovative customers pay greater attention to corporate credibility than conservative customers when evaluating CSR initiatives, conservative customers evaluate the congruence of CSR initiatives and their attribution of altruistic motivations to a larger extent than innovative customers.

Practical implications

– These findings suggest that companies should take into account customer novelty seeking when planning their CSR and communication strategies because highlighting different qualities of their CSR initiatives can have diverse effects for the success of corporate investments.

Originality/value

– The greatest contribution of the paper is the study of the moderating role of novelty seeking in the process of customer CSR perception formation; previous scholars had long ignored this variable when evaluating customer perceptions.
Chinese police cadets’ attitudes toward police roles revisited
Authors: Cuvelier Steven Jay , Jia Di , Jin Cheng
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Chinese police cadets’ background, motivations and educational perceptions and their attitudes toward common police roles.

Design/methodology/approach

– Self-administered questionnaires were collected from 382 Chinese police cadets. Based upon predisposition and socialization theories, personal background, career motivation and attitudes toward education were examined as statistical explanations of cadets’ attitudes toward order maintenance, preventative patrol, law enforcement, and community building as elements of the police role.

Findings

– Cadets who recognized more value in their practical and academic education also significantly favored the transitional and contemporary police roles (preventative patrol, law enforcement, and community building), which are taught as part of their college curriculum. But educational perceptions had no effect on order maintenance, which is a more historical role, and not emphasized by the police college. Cadets from lower SES backgrounds and those receiving outside influence to select a policing career tended to support traditional police roles whereas cadets with a relative in policing tended to show greater support for contemporary policing roles.

Research limitations/implications

– This study is limited by being a cross-sectional study of a single police college. Future studies should incorporate a longitudinal element to follow the perceptions of cadets from their school experience into the policing profession and should be conducted in other settings to assess generalizability.

Practical implications

– The impact of higher education on police cadets appears to be better measured as a function of their perceived importance of education (engagement) rather than measuring their exposure to it. The effectiveness of police training and education may be enhanced by adopting teaching methods that better engage learners.

Social implications

– Better alignment between police officers’ attitudes toward their roles and duties and contemporary police standards and practices will assure more effective and responsible police action and delivery of police services to the community.

Originality/value

– This study is among the first to demonstrate that Cadets who hold higher regard for practical and academic education are significantly better aligned to the policing roles emphasized by their educational program.
Addressing role and value in policing: toward a sustainable policing framework
Authors: Caputo Tullio , McIntyre Michael Louis
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the sustainability of policing organizations and propose approaches to enhance their sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper uses an action research approach involving the researchers and partners from the main national policing bodies in Canada and six police service research sites.

Findings

– This paper presents a Sustainable Policing Framework (SPF) intended to enhance the sustainability of policing services.

Practical implications

– The SPF the authors present can be implemented by police service organizations to assist with organizational development as the external environment changes.

Originality/value

– No other approaches to police sustainability that involve a framework similar to the one that is presented are known. This paper provides specific tools for police services to deploy to address their sustainability concerns.
The effect of socio-demographic characteristics on the information-seeking behaviors of police officers
Authors: Guclu Idris , Can Ali
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to determine the information-seeking behaviors of police officers who work in police stations in the context of staying current. Leckieet al.’s (1996) model of the information-seeking behavior of professionals is tested.

Design/methodology/approach

– A quantitative research design was employed for data collection. The sample includes 642 cases. It is both descriptive and exploratory.

Findings

– Police officers first rely upon their personal knowledge and experience, then their colleagues and then official documents. On the other hand, they rarely consulted informants, libraries, journals, books, and attendance at conferences as information sources. There were significant differences in the information sources used by police officers based on their gender in the context of staying current. Lastly, the results of this study indicated that service years in policing and the roles in police station were significantly correlated with the information sources used by police officers regarding staying current.

Originality/value

– This study, being the first, provides a huge theoretical base for future studies. It contributes to the discipline of information science by validating a theoretical model in a different context. In addition, it contributes to public safety by understanding the frontline police officers’ information needs and information-seeking behavior.
Key corporate sustainability drivers: engaged boards and partnerships
Authors: Avery Gayle C.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This article reports on a whitepaper showing the key success factors involved in driving corporate sustainability, and illustrates them using mini-case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

– Results from a 2015 whitepaper published by Boston Consulting Group and MIT Sloan Management Review in association with the United Nations Global Compact are discussed. The findings are based on interviews conducted globally with 2,587 business managers, experts and practitioners. Best practice examples are provided of what three leading corporations are doing to achieve their sustainability strategies.

Findings

– Two key drivers of corporate sustainability emerged. First, successful corporate sustainability involves collaborations with a range of other organizations. Essentially, the more partners in a particular project, the more successful the initiative is judged to be. Second, boards drive successful corporate sustainability where directors are interested in setting the sustainability strategy, its implementation and the outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings open many research questions and hypotheses to sustainability researchers and academics.

Practical implications

– Guidance is provided for senior executives seeking to improve and/or increase corporate sustainability initiatives, namely, to collaborate with other parties and engage the board.

Social implications

– The planet and its inhabitants will benefit if obstacles to successfully tackling wicked problems such as hunger, poverty and the effects of climate change can be reduced using the power of collaborations between business, government, NGOs, and academe.

Originality/value

– This paper provides insight into the perceived current state, obstacles and drivers of corporate sustainability, along with examples of successful approaches.
How “The Three Rules” guide strategy and investment decisions at Deloitte Consulting LLP
Authors: Moffatt Jim
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This case example looks at how Deloitte Consulting applies the Three Rules synthesized by Michael Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed based on their large-scale research project that identified patterns in the way exceptional companies think.

Design/methodology/approach

– The Three Rules concept is a key piece of Deloitte Consulting’s thought leadership program. So how are the three rules helping the organization perform? Now that research has shown how exceptional companies think, CEO Jim Moffatt could address the question, “Does Deloitte think like an exceptional company?”

Findings

– Deloitte has had success with an approach that promotes a bias towards non-price value over price and revenue over costs.

Practical implications

– It’s critical that all decision makers in an organization understand how decisions that are consistent with the three rules have contributed to past success as well as how they can apply the rules to difficult challenges they face today.

Originality/value

– This is the first case study written from a CEO’s perspective that looks at how the Three Rules approach of Michael Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed can foster a firm’s growth and exceptional performance.
A leader’s guide to an organization-wide strategy journey
Authors: Aurik Johan , Fabel Martin , Jonk Gillis
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The methodology for developing transformational strategy in a dynamic business environment described in this article is based on three principles: 1. Draw inspiration from the future. 2. Be organizationally inclusive. 3. Take a portfolio approach.

Design/methodology/approach

– The article guides leaders through the five steps required to implement the transition from a sequential and top-down strategy process to a continual and organizationally inclusive one.

Findings

– Making a portfolio of competitive opportunities part of program management and reporting requires more than a new approach to solving strategic puzzles. It requires new ways of managing strategy and new ways of working – not once but on a continual basis.

Practical implications

– Rather than thinking of strategy as a single perfect plan with a multi-year deployment cycle, think of it as a portfolio of competitive opportunities with each one managed throughout its life cycle.

Originality/value

– This article lays out in detail the process of shifting strategy development from focusing on research, analyses and extrapolations of current issues to looking to the future for strategic inspiration and purpose.
Thermal physiology and urbanization: perspectives on exit, entry and transformation rules
Authors: Chown Steven L. , Duffy Grant A.
Published: May 2015

More than 50% of the global human population lives in urban settings, which, for urban agglomerations with >1 million inhabitants, span a 30 °C range in mean annual temperature and 4000 mm annual precipitation range.

Although the biodiversity impacts of urbanization are most commonly investigated at the assemblage level, these impacts are mediated through organismal physiology and behaviour.

At the individual level, mechanistic models, which provide an explicit means to understand how organisms meet the requirements of heat, water and nutrient balance, offer a useful way to assess physiological and behavioural responses to urban environments and their consequences for population dynamics.

Physiological determinants of assemblage variation can usefully be investigated by examining entry, exit and transformation rules. These are biases in the processes that determine which individuals join or leave a population or assemblage, and processes that act on individuals, which remain part thereof.

Direct evidence for physiological adaptation (broadly construed as phenotypic plasticity, genotypic change or some interaction between them) to urban environments is remarkably limited, owing largely to low numbers of investigations, given that most studies that have been conducted reveal some form of adaptation.

A warming tolerance approach, applied to insects globally, demonstrates that transposing sampled populations to the nearest urban area reduces warming tolerance by several degrees, though this effect is on average more marked for the Southern than the Northern Hemisphere. The lowest warming tolerance is found between 30 and 35°N or S, suggesting that in the absence of mitigation, the urban heat island effect of cities here will have the most pronounced impacts on insect populations.

Physiological approaches offer a useful means for understanding the urban–rural gradient across a wide range of climatically variable settings during a period of background environmental change.
Estimating True Resource Costs of Outpatient Care for Medicare Beneficiaries: Standardized Costs versus Medicare Payments and Charges
Authors: Schousboe John T. , Paudel Misti L. , Taylor Brent C. , Kats Allyson M. , Virnig Beth A. , Ensrud Kristine E. , Dowd Bryan E.
Published: May 2015

Objective

To compare standardized estimates of the true resource costs of outpatient health care to the allowable and billed charges for that care among Medicare Fee for Service (FFS) beneficiaries.

Data Sources/Study Setting

Medicare Carrier and Outpatient Standard Analytic (SAF) files linked to participant data in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures from 2004 through 2010. Participants were 3,435 female Medicare Fee for Service enrollees age 80 and older recruited in one rural and three metropolitan areas of the United States.

Study Design

We estimated standardized costs for Carrier and OP‐SAF claims using Medicare payment weights, and compared them to allowable and billed charges for those claims. We used semilog linear regression to estimate the associations of age, race, bone mineral density, prior fracture, and geriatric depression scale score with allowable charges, billed charges, and standardized costs.

Results

Estimated associations of patient characteristics with standardized costs were not statistically different than the associations with allowable charges (chi‐squared [χ2]: 8.6, p = .13) but were different from associations with billed charges (χ2: 25.5, p < .001).

Conclusion

Allowable charges for outpatient utilization in the Carrier file and OP‐SAF may be good surrogates for standardized costs that reflect patient medical and surgical acuity.
Core‐Shell Collagen Peptide Chelated Calcium/Calcium Alginate Nanoparticles from Fish Scales for Calcium Supplementation
Authors: Guo Honghui , Hong Zhuan , Yi Ruizao
Published: May 2015

We report simple methods for preparing collagen peptide chelated calcium (cpcc) and a novel cpcc‐loaded nanoparticle from marine fish scales for calcium supplementation. Cpcc nanoparticles have an average diameter of approximately 150 nm and a calcium content of up to 130.4 g/kg. Calcium alginate was selected to encapsulate cpcc for the preparation of core‐shell cpcc/calcium alginate nanoparticles. The core‐shell nanoparticles were mainly 200 to 500 nm in diameter. The ratio of calcium to sulfur was approximately 1.6:1.In vivoexperiments indicated both cpcc and core‐shell cpcc were able to improve calcium absorption and prevent calcium deficiency. Especially core‐shell cpcc worked well to increase femur bone mineral density and femur calcium content in rats significantly. The study demonstrated that cpcc and core‐shell cpcc nanoparticles were ideal for calcium supplementation.
Improving sixth year medical students' performance in knee arthrocentesis using a synthetic knee model
Authors: Chiowchanwisawakit Praveena , Ratanarat Ranistha , Srinonprasert Varalak
Published: May 2015

Aim

A knee arthrocentesis (KA) workshop using synthetic knee model was arranged for all sixth‐year medical students (MS) in our institute to ensure equity in receiving training. We evaluated confidence level and knowledge of KA and synovial fluid analysis testing pre‐ and post‐workshop for MS.

Methods

The workshop was divided into two parts. The first part was to provide knowledge in arthrocentesis and synovial fluid interpretation and the second was a practice session on the synthetic model under supervision. This is a report of pre‐and post‐workshop self‐evaluation about the confidence in performing KA (0–10 scales), improvement of knowledge in KA, and synovial fluid analysis earned from attending the workshop. Pearson χ2 test or Fisher's exact test was used to compare categorical variables, where appropriate.

Results

There were 247 MS attended and 228 (92.3%) evaluated the workshops. Ninety‐six (42.1%) MS had experience in KA prior to this workshop. The mean (SD) levels of confidence in performing the procedure before and after the workshop were 3.6 (2.5) and 7.5 (1.7), respectively, P < 0.001. Improvement was shown regardless of previous exposure to KA. Knowledge of appropriate testing for synovial fluid was significantly improved in all items explored after the workshop and extended to the better scores earned from a competency examination.

Conclusions

A hands‐on structured workshop using a synthetic knee model for KA is a successful model for improving medical students' confidence in performing the procedure with evidence of sustaining knowledge in short‐term follow‐up.
Inhibitory effects of antiseptic mouthrinses on Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sanguinis and Lactobacillus acidophilus
Authors: Evans A , Leishman SJ , Walsh LJ , Seow WK
Published: May 2015

Background

Oral antiseptics are valuable in controlling oral infections caused by cariogenic bacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mouthrinses and pure antiseptic compounds on Streptococcus mutans and non‐mutans bacteria (Streptococcus sanguinis and Lactobacillus acidophilus).

Methods

The agar diffusion assay was employed to determine bacterial growth inhibition.

Results

Commercial mouthrinses containing chlorhexidine gluconate (0.2%), cetylpyridinium chloride (0.05%) and sodium fluoride (0.05%) produced statistically similar growth inhibition of S. mutans, S. sanguinis and L. acidophilus (with zones of inhibition ranging from 7.56 ± 0.52 mm to 7.39 ± 0.53 mm, 17.44 ± 0.94 mm to 18.31 ± 0.62 mm and 8.61 ± 1.43 to 8.67 ± 1.43 mm respectively, p > 0.05). The chlorhexidine mouthwash produced the greatest mean growth inhibition of S. sanguinis and S. mutans compared to all other mouthrinses tested (p < 0.01). The minimum concentrations at which inhibition against S. mutans could be detected were chlorhexidine gluconate at 0.005% (wt/vol), cetylpyridinium chloride 0.01% (wt/ vol), povidone iodine 10% (wt/vol) and sodium hypochlorite 0.5% (vol/vol).

Conclusions

Chlorhexidine (0.01%), cetylpyridinium chloride (0.01%), povidone iodine (10%) and sodium hypochlorite (0.5%) are effective at inhibiting the growth of S. mutans, S. sanguinis and L. acidophilus.
Effect of chemomechanical caries removal on bonding of resin‐modified glass ionomer cement adhesives to caries‐affected dentine
Authors: Hamama HHH , Yiu CKY , Burrow MF
Published: May 2015

Background

This study evaluated the effect of: (1) chemomechanical caries removal (CMCR); (2) dentine surface treatments and (3) dentine substrates on adhesion of resin‐modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) adhesives.

Methods

One hundred and twenty permanent molars exhibiting moderate cavitation on the occlusal surface into dentine were used. Seventy‐five carious molars were used for bond strength testing; the remaining 45 for micromorphological evaluation of the bonded interface. Caries was excavated with NaOCl‐based CMCR (Carisolv), enzyme‐based CMCR (Papacarie), or conventional rotary caries removal methods. Dentine surface treatment was performed using 37% phosphoric acid, 25–30% PAA or 20% PAA + 3% AlCl3.

Results

Three‐way ANOVA revealed that all three factors ‘caries removal methods’, ‘dentine surface treatments’ and ‘dentine substrates’ did not significantly affect bond strength (p > 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed that the acid‐base resistant layer was thicker in caries‐affected dentine compared to sound dentine.

Conclusions

NaOCl‐ and enzyme‐based CMCR methods have no adverse effect on adhesion of RMGIC adhesives to sound and caries‐affected dentine. Dentine surface treatment with 37% phosphoric acid for 5 s has no negative effect on bonding of RMGIC adhesives to dentine compared with using polyacrylic acid for 10 s. RMGIC adhesives bonded well to both sound and caries‐affected dentine.
Exploring child dental service use among migrant families in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia
Authors: Christian B , Young D , Gibbs L , de Silva A , Gold L , Riggs E , Calache H , Tadic M , Hall M , Moore L , Waters E
Published: May 2015

Background

This study describes and explores factors related to dental service use among migrant children.

Methods

A cross‐sectional analysis of baseline data from Teeth Tales, an exploratory trial implementing a community based child oral health promotion intervention. The sample size and target population was 600 families with 1–4 year old children from Iraqi, Lebanese and Pakistani backgrounds residing in metropolitan Melbourne. Participants were recruited into the study using purposive and snowball sampling techniques.

Results

Most (88%; 550/625) children had never visited the dentist (mean (SD) age 3.06 years (1.11)). In the fully adjusted model the variable most significantly associated with child dental visiting was parent reported ‘no reason for child to visit the dentist’ (OR = 0.07, p < 0.001). Of those children whose parents reported their child had no reason to visit the dentist, 22% (37/165) experienced dental caries with 8% (13/165) at the level of cavitation.

Conclusions

Dental service use by migrant preschool children was very low. The relationship between perceived dental need and dental service use is currently not aligned. One in 10 children of select migrant background had visited a dentist, which is in the context of 1 in 3 with dental caries. To improve utilization, health services should consider organizational cultural competence, outreach and increased engagement with the migrant community.
Sources of occupational stress in NSW and ACT dentists
Authors: Johns RE , Jepsen DM
Published: May 2015

Background

This study aimed to identify and understand the chronic sources of work stress in the NSW and ACT dentistry context. Further, the study examines whether Australian dentists are exposed to similar sources of work stress as dentists internationally.

Methods

A purposive sample of registered members of the NSW Branch of the Australian Dental Association (ADA) were interviewed. Participants were selected because they represented the key characteristics of the broader ADA population. Interviews were recorded and fully transcribed. Themes were identified, developed, refined and clarified using established and rigorous methods of interview investigation and analysis.

Results

A total of 18 dentists participated in the study. Inductive content analysis was used to develop six main categories of chronic sources of stress. These groupings were time and scheduling pressures, professional concerns, patient/public perceptions of dentists, staffing problems, pressures associated with treating patients and business process stressors.

Conclusions

Like their international counterparts, Australian dentists are subject to a variety of job‐specific stressors. However, the most notable difference between Australian and international dentists relates to the business side of dentistry. It would appear that the Australian statutory, regulatory and industrial relations environment place unique and profound pressures on Australian dentists.