bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Do It Yourself (DIY) portalets” for developing e‐business solutions for small and medium enterprises
Authors: Huang George Q. , Zhao J.B. , Chen X.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To propose and develop a cost‐effective approach to developing and implementing customized electronic business solutions in a do‐it‐yourself (DIY) fashion.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed DIY approach is based on the concept of “portalets” that are used as building blocks to develop e‐business solutions with little or varying degree of customization efforts. Portalets form a platform for deriving the software (e‐business) product lines.

Findings

This paper not only discusses the necessity but also demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed DIY e‐business approach. New challenges associated with the approach are highlighted.

Research limitations/implications

It is a critical and incremental task to develop portalets building blocks and identify their interfaces and standardize their customization points in terms of backend, middleware and client components.

Practical implications

The study identifies a suite of tools and techniques for building and implementing EBS in order for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to significantly reduce the time and effort to an affordable level while capturing the unique business logics into the solutions.

Originality/value

The DIY e‐business approach represents a unique alternative for SME companies to adopt and implement EBS to best suit their operational characteristics.
Knowledge sharing issues in the introduction of a new technology
Authors: Finnegan David , Willcocks Leslie
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This exploratory case study research aims to apply a processual analysis to the implementation of a customer relationship management (CRM) system from a knowledge management perspective to a contemporary (1999‐2004) situation within a UK city council. The paper seeks to place a specific focus on areas neglected in previous CRM studies – sub‐cultures, psychological contracts, how tacit knowledge is surfaced and transferred, and with what effects on implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper investigates how the system stakeholders and the information system (IS) itself evolved through encountering barriers, sharing knowledge, finding new uses, inventing work‐arounds.

Findings

A rich picture emerges of sub‐cultural silos of knowledge linked with psychological contracts and power‐based relationships influencing and inhibiting adoption and acceptance of the CRM system.

Originality/value

This case study research provides useful information on the implementation of a CRM system from a knowledge management perspective with a specific focus on sub‐cultures, psychological contracts, how tacit knowledge is surfaced and transferred, and with what effects on implementation, which are areas neglected in previous CRM studies.
A data envelopment analysis approach based on total cost of ownership for supplier selection
Authors: Mohammady Garfamy Reza
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Management accounting contains several techniques such as total cost of ownership (TCO) that provide necessary information related to supply issues for supplier evaluation and selection purposes. However, it is not clear whether these techniques should be applied along with other evaluation approaches. This paper aims to examine such kind of applicability to provide some insight about alternative solutions, which can be considered as well.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes and demonstrates the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach in evaluating the overall performances of suppliers on multiple criteria based on TCO concept and simulated data in a hypothetical firm and with a strategic orientation of being able to reduce TCO by identifying benchmark values.

Findings

It is shown that management accounting techniques should be used in a holistic and comprehensive way and complemented by other evaluation approach in the supplier selection decision‐support framework.

Originality/value

The overall value of this study can be said to be a contribution to enhancing knowledge about management accounting and supplier selection. The results offer important theoretical and managerial implications and future research directions for purchasing as well as management accounting.
Information preloading strategies for e‐government sites based on user's stated preference
Authors: de Korvin André , Hashemi Shohreh , Quirchmayr Gerald
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to improve website performance by developing a specific preloading strategy tuned to the needs of a web server. Applying simple preloading strategies, as used in various operating systems' memory management algorithms, does not suffice when managing websites due to the uncertainty of internet users' behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses rough, or fuzzy, sets as the framework to introduce a website management strategy based on a user's stated preference. This mathematical approach allows the derivation of preloading strategies from uncertain and partially contradicting information generated from site usage statistics.

Findings

A paper example of an application of the algorithm is used to illustrate how this approach can be applied to efficiently manage a website.

Originality/value

Performance is one of the key issues in managing websites, especially as the internet gains popularity and becomes the common access point for information retrieval. This technique has the potential to deliver greater efficiency; faster response times; and reduces the need to hold detailed individual user profiles.
Collaborative performance management: present gaps and future research
Authors: Busi Marco , Bititci Umit S.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To identify gaps in current research concerning the critical issues, threats and opportunities in the design of a system for managing performance in collaborative enterprises; and to define a performance management research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

An interdisciplinary study examines performance management from different disciplinary perspectives with the purpose of giving insights into the area, which is currently not sufficiently explained. Three sources of knowledge are investigated: scientific literature; practitioners' magazines; and research project reports.

Findings

There is a lack of understanding of what collaboration means and what it implies on the development of appropriate performance measurement systems. Future research should study the nature of collaboration and the characteristics of performance indicators to support it.

Research limitations/implications

The selection of the disciplines to be investigated and knowledge sources to be searched is based on the authors' definition of collaborative performance management. This implies that different definitions of the same concept could lead other researchers to study different disciplines, reach different conclusions and define a different research agenda.

Practical implications

It helps researchers build a sound knowledge base in collaborative performance management and focuses their research efforts on the most relevant issues.

Originality/value

The value of this paper resides in its ability to structurally gather most of the information available in the area, which is usually scattered in several different disciplines. This paper's contribution should be seen in the context of an ever‐increasing use in performance management research of the constructive approach, where a priori knowledge is very important.
Holistic performance management: an integrated framework
Authors: Andersen Bjørn , Henriksen Bjørnar , Aarseth Wenche
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The work presented aimed at developing an integrated framework for holistic performance management.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was carried out using an action research approach. A case study was used as the basis for developing a pilot framework for performance management, involving both employees in the case organization and researchers. The research is based on theoretical contributions within performance management, total quality management, and trend analysis.

Findings

A generic holistic performance management framework is outlined, encompassing diverse areas that need to play together and reinforce each other to give full effect to an organization. The main focus is a case study of a bank office, where a tailored version of the performance management framework was developed to give a setting where all these elements now are harmonized and work together.

Research limitations/implications

The framework must be viewed as a pilot that should be further tested in other types of industries/organizations to verify its validity on a broader basis.

Originality/value

The generic framework for integrated performance management is novel and seems suitable for adaptation to many different industries and types of organization and can function as a guideline to avoiding launching concepts and programs that ultimately do not cancel each other out as their inter‐linkages have not been understood.
How can comedy be used in business?
Authors: Vitug Matthew , Kleiner Brian
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To explain how comedy can be effectively used in business.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature review covering: need for comedy; advantages of using comedy; applicability to business; tips for implementation; and contemporary examples.

Findings

There are two immediate benefits of applying comedy in a business setting. First, there is a natural physiological response experienced by both the sender and the receiver. Second, appropriate and effective use of comedy allows for a “humanizing” effect that creates a connection between the speaker and the audience. When applying comedy concepts to business, the speaker may utilize the three components of comedy or apply improvisation principles. However, the presenter should use comedy that is carefully calibrated and without using offensive material. If the individual is interested in applying comedy principles in business, it is recommended that they utilize one of three types of professional organizations that are available to help tailor messages to fit objectives.

Practical implications

The application of the ideas found in this article will help a speaker develop rapport with his/her audience, keeping them more alert and focused on what the speaker is desiring to communicate to them.

Originality/value

Comedy as a topic of business research inquiry for the purpose of improving productivity and performance has received very limited attention in relation to other topic areas. This article is intended to draw interest to this underappreciated subject for both additional research and practical management behavior.
Paul Virilio: a critic of international business?
Authors: Armitage John
Published: January 2007

Purpose

To investigate the importance of the work of French cultural theorist Paul Virilio for critics of international business.

Design/methodology/approach

The article employs Virilio's and others' writings on “dromoeconomics” or the political economy of speed and “hypermodern” forms of organization with the aim of expounding a “Virilian” approach to the critique of international business. This standpoint necessitates a discussion of dromoeconomics in addition to deliberations on “hypermodern organization”. Two jointly authored articles by the author are introduced and explored as examples of a Virilian perspective on international business.

Findings

The author argues that whilst a Virilian point‐of‐view regarding the field of international business might initially appear as inappropriate to orthodox critics, a deeper examination reveals its usefulness.

Originality/value

The article considers Virilio's groundbreaking cultural theory in view of contemporary debates over international business, dromoeconomics, and hypermodern modes of organization.
Survey research in finance: views from journal editors
Authors: Kent Baker H. , Mukherjee Tarun K.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to analyze both survey and non‐survey data to draw conclusions about the status of survey‐based research in finance.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper surveys editors from 15 core and 35 non‐core finance journals to learn their views about specific issues involving survey research and reviews 49 finance journals over the period 1985‐2005 to identify and classify published survey research.

Findings

Editors indicate that survey‐based manuscripts typically go through the same review process as other manuscripts. They view the chief strengths of surveys as producing data unavailable from other sources and suggesting new avenues for future research. The major weaknesses of surveys are the difficulty of generalizing the results and non‐response bias. A review of 49 finance journals shows that 63.3 percent published at least one survey article during this period. The most common topic area for published surveys was financial management.

Research limitations/implications

The paper contains the normal limitations associated with the survey method including potential non‐response bias.

Practical implications

Survey‐based research has a definite place in financial research if such research is done to the same standards as other types of research.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine the use of survey research in finance by asking journal editors their opinions and by inspecting finance journals' record of publication.
Valuation of private companies by Estonian private equity and venture capitalists
Authors: Sander Priit , Kõomägi Margus
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The paper aims to investigate the views of Estonian private equity and venture capitalists about the valuation of high‐growth companies and compare these with theoretical recommendations found in corporate finance and venture capital literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis was carried out by using the case study methodology. Structured interviews were conducted in order to present the material for analysis. The dominant model of the case study analysis is exploratory, using an explanation‐building and pattern‐matching technique.

Findings

Main findings of the empirical study show that Estonian private equity and venture capitalists make the valuation somewhat differently compared to Western European and American ones. Some findings do not confirm the suggestions made by scientists.

Research limitations/implications

Some of the required data were considered to be a business secret. The research could be extended to a broader sample.

Practical implications

The findings can be used by the managers of private equity and venture capital funds for choosing appropriate cost of capital and valuation model for venture capital projects.

Originality/value

The paper is the first empirical paper, investigating how Estonian private equity and venture capitalists make the valuation of target companies.
Unpacking complexity, pinning down the “elusiveness” of strategy
Authors: Bakir Ali , Bakir Vian
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The dominant strategy discourse projects strategy as rational and calculable. However, leading academics conclude that strategy is “elusive” and “complex”. The purpose of this paper is to unravel strategy's elusiveness and unpack its complexity through empirical hermeneutic investigation.

Design/methodology/approach

Strauss' grounded theory is used to investigate leisure and cultural managers' understanding of strategy‐making. Data were collected through multiple interviews with senior managers of a local authority, and the organisation's strategy documents were examined. The grounded theory's transferability to organisations in, and outside, public leisure and culture was provisionally tested.

Findings

It was found that in making strategy, managers engage in purposeful, complex processes, here termed “navigational translation” which have mutually impacting relationships with organisational resources, the environment and managers' character, explaining its complexity and elusiveness. The provisional testing of navigational translation's transferability suggests that it has scope beyond public sector leisure and cultural strategy.

Research limitations/implications

As this research focused on theory generation, a main limitation is its small‐scale testing of navigational translation's transferability. Future research could test transferability with more organisations in leisure, culture and other fields.

Practical implications

This explanation provides a robust understanding of strategy that could improve practice. It empowers managers so that they are no longer subjugated to unrealisable expectations that rationalistic strategy tools will work in a complex world.

Originality/value

Navigational translation offers a richer, practitioner‐oriented understanding of strategy, which utilises leading academic explanations from the various, competing and divergent strategy schools into a pragmatic, multiparadigmatic framework.
Clusters of entrepreneurs
Authors: Butel Lynne , Watkins Alison
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Entrepreneurs operate in conditions of dynamic uncertainty; identifying and exploiting opportunities presented by the business environment. Opportunistic search is core to entrepreneurial activity, but its dynamics are rarely explored. Groups of entrepreneurs are attracted to the same potential business opportunities. They have no incentive to cooperate, they may not even know of the existence of others. However, over time, clusters of entrepreneurs interested in the same opportunities develop. Aims to discuss the issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Ant colony optimisation modelling is used to simulate the activities of entrepreneurs in an opportunity rich environment. The entrepreneurs must identify the locations of the appropriate resources. Three simulations were run to observe entrepreneurial success in different environments.

Findings

A random search of the business environment for resources by individual entrepreneurs was unproductive. Once the entrepreneurs learned to read the business environment and so refine their search, they were increasingly efficient. This was even more pronounced when time allowed for search was constrained and weaker entrepreneurs had little influence.

Research limitations/implications

The computer simulations demonstrate how a cluster of entrepreneurial activity may begin. The results raise questions about the appropriateness of policies supporting entrepreneurial activity and about the path dependency of cluster development. Empirical research is now needed to test these research implications.

Originality/value

Focusing on the little explored dynamics of opportunistic search by would‐be entrepreneurs in a spatially defined business environment combines previous research in the fields of entrepreneurial outcomes and cluster development. Using a multi‐agent search model to simulate the dynamic interaction of a number of entrepreneurs in the same business environment demonstrates early cluster formation without the protagonists relying on cooperative, competitive or value chain interaction.
The development of manufacturing safety programme simulator
Authors: Charles‐Owaba O.E. , Adebiyi K.A.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The manufacturing industry perceives government standards as an attempt to unnecessarily increase production cost. This may be due to lack of acceptable models for demonstrating the associated benefits to industry. It was the goal of this study to develop a simulation model for predicting the performance of a manufacturing safety programme (SP).

Design/methodology/approach

The principles of system‐dynamics were applied to identify the relevant safety‐related components and their relationships. A simulation model for evaluating periodic performance of a manufacturing SP was then developed. A set a dynamic equations for predicting factory accidents or preventions and the monetary saving were the performance measures. Two set of factory data: non‐SP (1979) and SP (1991‐2004) were collected from a bottling company. The parameters of the model were estimated using the first set while it was validated with the second and associated monetary saving computed.

Findings

Solutions to factory accidents or preventions yielded exponential functions. The means and standard deviations of the predicted and actual accidents were 32 and 5.66; and 30 and 7.46, respectively. The corresponding values for predicted and actual preventions were 55 and 10.47; and 59 and 7.45, respectively. There were no significant differences between the predicted and actual for the accidents and preventions, respectively, at 5 per cent level. The predicted SP saving per annum was 6.96 millions.

Originality/value

The model is a useful tool for setting profitable manufacturing safety standards and effective SP management.
The “business ethics” of management theory
Authors: Schwartz Mark
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current gap between the subjects of business ethics and pre‐1960 management theory.

Design/methodology/approach

In an attempt to achieve the objective of the paper, the business ethics content of three leading management theorists during the first half of the 1900s is examined: Frederick Taylor; Chester Barnard; and Peter Drucker.

Findings

The paper concludes that there are significant business ethics content as well as ethical implications in the writings of each of the three management theorists.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis focused on only three, albeit significant, management theorists. A more complete discussion would have included other important management theorists as well.

Practical implications

The analysis suggests that management theory should not be taught without discussing both the business ethics implications and the business ethics content inherent in the theory. In addition, failure on the part of business ethics academics to understand early management theory, the ethical ramifications of such theory, and the business ethics issues explicitly discussed by leading management theorists, may lead to teaching and research in a subject without a proper theoretical foundation.

Originality/value

The paper attempts to address a gap in management literature by demonstrating some of the linkages between business ethics and business management thought, and thereby be of value to management theorists as well as business ethicists in their teaching and research efforts.
Curves in the high road
Authors: Knouse Stephen B. , Hill Vanessa D. , Hamilton J. Brooke
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to trace a history of American codes of business ethics as they evolved from religious bases to legalistic bases to an international emphasis.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes the evolution of business codes of ethics over the twentieth century in relation to the development of social issues.

Findings

It is found that ethical codes are influenced by the prevailing ideology of the time regarding the social responsibility of business. The earlier part of the twentieth century emphasized religious values governing the treatment of customers and competitors and the responsibility of businesses for the well‐being of their employees by directing their private as well as business conduct. The latter part of the twentieth century stressed legal compliance as government regulation sought to control business behaviors that were harmful to society and to the environment. Entering into the twenty‐first century, we are seeing an increase in international emphases in codes of ethics. We discuss these trends in terms of evolving approaches to corporate social responsibility.

Practical implications

Organizations writing (and rewriting) codes of ethics should move beyond reactive legal compliance and proactively examine values associated with their stakeholder relationships as well as relationships to corporate social responsibility issues.

Originality/value

While there have been histories of medical and legal codes of ethics, to the authors' knowledge, this is the first exploration of a history of American business codes of ethics. The paper examines the development of codes of ethics in the context of business needs and social values prominent during those times.
Turn to your customers to solve flat sales and customer churn
Authors: Hall Shelley F.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This viewpoint article explores how companies can solve the problems of flat sales revenue and customer churn by conducting an honest self‐assessment of corporate culture, then reinventing or refocusing products and services to provide the value that customers want.

Design/methodology/approach

Using examples drawn from real businesses facing real problems, the author describes the process companies can use to reenergize their people and their offerings when flat sales and customer churn are symptoms of a flat culture.

Findings

Connecting with customers helps a company develop the roadmap it needs to reenergize and reinvent its products, services, sales reps, and marketing and management teams. The only way to remain on target with customer value needs is to develop systems that communicate with internal and external customers and act upon the knowledge gained – and consistently keep the company in touch with its customers.

Practical implications

It is recommended that companies start with a situational assessment that includes an exploration of four key customer value determinants: products and/or services, sales representatives, management, and service quality. Healthy companies listen to their customers' concerns and partnership requirements, and then act accordingly.

Originality/value

This article offers practical recommendations to help managers get their companies back on track if flat sales and customer churn are problems.
Leveraging emerging markets for commercial success
Authors: Coleman Gary
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Emerging markets are becoming the catalysts for new product and service innovation. Long‐term success, however, will take far more than simply making minor adjustments to existing products, lowering prices, and developing new sales channels, according to a new report, “Laboratories of innovation: leveraging emerging markets for commercial success” by the Member Firms of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (Deloitte).

Design/methodology/approach

Study by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Findings

The Deloitte study shows that companies will need to acquire a new set of competencies and organizational structures to generate a continuing stream of innovative products tailored to the needs of consumers and industrial buyers in emerging markets.

Practical implications

Companies will need to acquire a new set of competencies and organizational structures to generate a continuing stream of innovative products tailored to the needs of consumers and industrial buyers in emerging markets. They will need to allow for local autonomy, for example local R&D and local commercial operations, while taking advantage of their parent company's governance, business processes, and management expertise to offer these products at dramatically lower prices that match the lower purchasing power of most buyers in emerging markets.

Originality/value

Successful companies are looking beyond traditional strategies to meet the needs of markets with significantly lower per capita GDP.
Successful innovations from an established company
Authors: Kekäle Tauno , Kola‐Nyström Sari
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The article recognizes the problems of successful innovation in big, “established” companies. However, these problems can be overcome; indeed, some companies are quite successful despite having been around for decades in several different businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

Two case companies are studied in three stages of a general model of innovation, where innovation consists of an ideation/discovery phase, an engineering/solution phase and a testing/launch phase. Some earlier research is quoted to support the statements.

Findings

In the ideation/discovery phase, the most important thing is novel ideas, which create novel, non‐established minds. In the engineering phase, surviving the turf wars of an established company require a “godfather” who can ensure the resources. In testing/launch phases, the support of real‐life users is especially important for both working solutions and understanding of the use environment.

Research limitations/implications

In our general understanding, all case studies attempt to show identifiable patterns that may or may not be relevant for the situation of the individual companies of the readers. The amount of detail allowed by the space limitations may also make it difficult to benchmark the practices of the case companies. However, we try to explain the mechanisms that make established companies non‐innovative and possible solutions to them as well as possible in this limited space and just two case studies.

Originality/value

The value of article lies in understanding that the problems of established companies to succeed in innovation are different in different stages of the process, e.g. unestablished ideators do not have sufficient power in the organization to see their ideas through the engineering and testing phases, while the established people will not typically search for such radical new ideas as the “young of mind” do.
The power of platforms
Authors: Jonash Ron , Koehler Holger , Onassis Iason
Published: January 2007

Purpose

Every CEO has one core mandate from investors – to profitably grow the company. But this is easier said than done. Why have so many undoubtedly great firms like IBM, Digital Equipment, AT&T, GM, McDonald's and Coca Cola to name just a few with such potential been unable to sustain their growth, while the likes of Apple Computer, Pepsi and Starbuck's have been able to virtually reinvent their industries?

Design/methodology/approach

This article, based on both primary and secondary research, walks the reader through several case studies of companies we have had personal professional experience with, and some that have been written about widely in the media.

Findings

Our findings show that “growth platforms” are a beneficial way for companies to generate sustainable, profitable growth.

Practical implications

These companies are just a few out of many that have discovered the power of platforms. Not in the old‐fashioned way of using similar parts to enhance their products, on the one hand covering a broad range of the market, while on the other keeping development time and cost low; but these companies are demonstrating the next generation of platform thinking, creating and acting on sustainable growth and innovation opportunities from a combination of well‐established internal capabilities and accessible external market opportunities.

Originality/value

By reading this article, the reader will gain insight into what a growth platform is, how to create one in their own organization, and what other companies' growth platforms look like, and how they bring about real sustainable growth through innovation.
Redefining the paradigm of global competition: offshoring of service firms
Authors: Klaas Jagersma Pieter , van Gorp Désirée M.
Published: January 2007

Purpose

The article discusses offshoring as an irreversible trend that is redefining the paradigm of global competition of service firms, and provides insight and practical advice regarding the offshore behavior of service firms for management professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

The offshoring process is applied to service firms including lessons learned. It is largely based on the results of a research study among 247 service firms determining their offshore behavior and illustrated with examples of their offshoring activities.

Findings

Offshoring is redefining global competition and service firms should use it as a tool to create a competitive advantage vis‐à‐vis their competitors. In doing so they should careful prepare offshoring in different phases of the process as suggested in the 4M approach. Moreover, they should decide in an early stage on monitoring, reporting and measuring the offshoring process and secure continuous commitment from management.

Research limitations/implications

The offshoring process referred to in this article as the 4M approach should be further tested among service firms.

Practical implications

Providing insight and practical advice regarding the offshore behavior of service firms for management professionals.

Originality/value

Research in the past has been largely focused on manufacturing firms. This article focuses on service firms and is based on findings of primary research executed by the authors.
What is required for growth?
Authors: Carneiro Alberto
Published: January 2007

Purpose

This article is concerned with growth processes, growth dimensions and conditions for growth. In it, the author espouses the importance of a strong management mentality capable of providing an appropriate organizational arrangement and supporting competitive growth.

Design/methodology/approach

Original and other research.

Findings

Organizations that are integrated into industries with intensive technologies are more likely to strongly emphasize innovation efforts, flexibility, and growth orientation than firms in industries with long‐linked technologies.

Practical implications

Management's challenge is to continually try to focalize on organizations' growth, adapting technological capabilities to be in dynamic alignment with the chosen growth dimensions and to take into account business vision and environmental opportunities.

Originality/value

Successful organizations will be differentiated by their ability to visualize the logic growth dimensions and to leverage technological advances to create an appropriate organizational arrangement to support a competitive growth. The future of technological innovation and advanced manufacturing processes depends on continued investment in cutting‐edge research and development, finding new market segments, and a highly qualified workforce.
The value of seeking strategic direction in ensuring a future pattern of “realistic” growth potential
Authors: Groucutt Jonathan
Published: January 2007

Purpose

By using the internet search engine Google™ as the primary example, this article illustrates: (1) that some high‐growth expectations are unsustainable over the short and medium term; and (2) that dependency on single revenue streams may provide growth over the short term, but may not be sustainable over the medium and longer terms, and may be a high‐risk scenario. An approach is presented that companies can undertake to critically evaluate current and future positions and consider such options as acquisition and integration as a means of building future growth potential.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary research based on the analysis of published data.

Findings

Dependency on one revenue stream within a volatile market can impact upon growth expectations. Hyper‐growth expectations may be unsustainable, indeed unrealistic, over the medium term. Such growth expectations may be detrimental to the company. Companies who can spread the risk through acquisition and integration through strategic fit may have greater longer‐term growth potential, notwithstanding market and environmental dynamics.

Research limitations/implications

Future opportunities for research could include, among other areas, how Google™ and similar online companies could use currently free products to generate revenues.

Practical implications

Companies need to consider the volatility of the marketplace. Dependency on one revenue stream could be a high‐risk scenario, especially in relation to sustainable high growth expectations. Companies also need to consider various strategic options for sustainable longer‐term growth, and continually critically review both internal and external environments, as well as product ranges and revenue streams. Companies should take action to sustain growth, whether that is through new market development, acquisition or even divestment.

Originality/value

While being flexible companies need to consider a realistic strategic direction for the business. Companies also need to consider realistic growth rates as compared to hyper‐growth expectations that are unlikely to be sustainable over the medium and longer term.
OPTIMAL EXPORT AND HEDGING DECISIONS WHEN FORWARD MARKETS ARE INCOMPLETE
Authors: Pong Wong Kit
Published: January 2007

This paper examines the behaviour of the competitive firm that exports to two foreign countries under multiple sources of exchange rate uncertainty. There is a forward market between the home currency and one foreign country's currency, but there are no hedging instruments directly related to the other foreign country's currency. We show that the separation theorem holds when the firm optimally exports to the foreign country with the currency forward market. The full‐hedging theorem holds either when the firm exports exclusively to the foreign country with the currency forward market or when the relevant spot exchange rates are independent. In the case that the relevant spot exchange rates are positively (negatively) correlated in the sense of regression dependence, the firm optimally opts for a short (long) forward position for cross‐hedging purposes.
SHORT‐ AND LONG‐RUN DECOMPOSITIONS OF UK WAGE INEQUALITY CHANGES
Authors: Huw Edwards Terence , Whalley John
Published: January 2007

This paper focuses on the decomposition of observed increases in UK wage inequality since 1979 into the component factors of competition from low‐wage imports and technological change. Building on recent work by Abrego and Whalley, we argue that the length of production run and degree of fixity of factors is crucial in such analyses. If the response of labour markets to date is a short‐run response, in which factors and output have not adjusted fully, then analysis of the causes of increased inequality is substantially altered relative to a long‐run factors mobile world.
A method for constraining the age of origination of derived characters
Authors: Hermsen Elizabeth J. , Hendricks Jonathan R.
Published: January 2007

Fossils are the physical records of the history of morphological character evolution on Earth and can provide valuable information concerning the sequence and timing of origination of derived characters. Knowledge of the timing of origination of synapomorphies makes it possible to estimate when unobserved character changes occurred in the geological past. Here we present a method for estimating the temporal interval during which synapomorphies evolved. The method requires either direct inclusion of fossil taxa (with or without extant taxa) in cladistic analyses based on morphological or combined data, or indirectly using the “molecular scaffold approach.” Second, characters of interest are mapped on a most parsimonious tree and “minimum age node mapping” is used to place minimum ages on the nodes of the tree. Finally, characters of interest are evaluated for younger and/or older temporal constraints on the time of their origination; application of the older bound assumes ancestry of fossil terminals included in the tree. A key is provided herein describing the method. Among other applications, this approach has the potential to provide a powerful test of purported evolutionary cause–effect relationships. For example, the method has the ability to discover that derived characters of suggested adaptational significance may considerably pre‐date the cause(s) that are hypothesized to have favored their establishment.

© The Willi Hennig Society 2007.
REVISION OF CRYSTALLINE PHASES IN THE SYSTEM ZRO2‐P2O5
Authors: ALAMO JAMES , ROY RUSTUM
Published: January 2007

Crystalline phases in the system ZrO2‐P2Os were reexamined. Samples of varied composition were prepared by the sol‐gel route and calcining, as well as by reacting mixtures ofZrO2 and NH4H2PO4, at temperatures from 200° to 1400°C. Confusion regarding compositions and structures was clarified, and the phase Zr3(PO4)4 was confirmed. The latter can be written Zro.2sZr2(PO4)3 and is iso‐structural withNaZr2P3O12. The role of mineralizers and the influence of zirconium salts can now be understood.
Preparation of Alumina‐Zirconia Powders by Evaporative Decomposition of Solutions
Authors: Sproson Derek W. , Messing Gary L.
Published: January 2007

Fine‐grained, homogeneously dispersed alumina‐zirconia and zirconia powders were prepared by evaporative decomposition of solutions. The pure metastable tetragonal zirconia powder transformed to the monoclinic form when it was heated to 1150°C. The zirconia in the alumina‐zirconia powder, which was also in the tetragonal form, did not transform when the powder was heated to 1150° C. This result is explained in terms of inhibition of coarsening of the zirconia grains by the alumina particles.
Reaction of Hydrogen with Optical Defects in Glasses
Authors: Shelby James E.
Published: January 2007

A kinetic model for the removal of optical defects in glasses by exposure to hydrogen or deuterium gas is presented. Since annealing involves a chemical reaction at low temperatures, it is called “chemical annealing” to distinguish it from the common, higher‐temperature, thermal annealing processes. As an example, this model is applied to the elimination of the aluminum/oxygen hole center in irradiated vitreous silica at 73°C in 93 kPa of D2.
Solid‐State Reaction Between Titanium Carbide and Titanium Metal
Authors: QUINN C.J. , KOHLSTEDT D.L.
Published: January 2007

The solid‐state reaction between titanium and titanium carbide to form substoichiometric titanium carbide was studied by annealing single‐crystal diffusion couples at T= 1350° to 1525°C. The thickness of the epitaxially grown carbide layer was almost an order of magnitude greater than that predicted from published values for chemical diffusion of carbon through titanium carbide. A value of 424 exp[–368 kJ/mol/RT] cm2/s is calculated for the chemical diffusivity of carbon from the diffusion‐couple data of the present study. This anomalously rapid diffusion of carbon is associated with short‐circuit diffusion along platelets of Ti2C which develop parallel to {111} planes in TiC during the reaction. The Ti2C platelets extend from the original Ti‐TiC interface to the moving reaction front and also grow from the original interface into the original carbide crystal.
Crystalline Titanate Ceramic Nuclear Waste Forms: Processing and Microstructure
Authors: DOSCH R. G. , HEADLEY T. J. , HLAVA P.
Published: January 2007

A process leading to titanate‐based crystalline ceramic waste forms for commercial high‐level nuclear waste is described. Precursor materials referred to as hydrous calcium titanates are prepared by sol‐gel‐related techniques. Radionuclides are retained on the precursors by ion‐exchange/sorption reactions and the material is converted to a dense, ceramic form by hot‐pressing. Transmission electron microscopy‐electron microprobe characterization was used to determine the effects of compositional changes and process variations on microstructure.
Effect of Sulfur on Grain Growth in UO2 Pellets
Authors: ZAWIDZKI T. W. , APTE P. S. , HOARE M. R.
Published: January 2007

The influence of sulfur content in the range of 20 to 200 μg/g on grain growth in sintered pellets of ceramic uranium dioxide(UO2) fuel originating from the ammonium uranate (AU) process was investigated. Results indicate a strong dependence of discontinuous grain growth on sulfur content and on sintering rates. The data show that, in the absence of sulfur, normal microstructures are obtained by sintering, whereas the presence of sulfur can cause coring. A possible mechanism is proposed based on the effect of the sintering atmosphere, hydrogen.
Variability of the Sr/Ti Ratio in SrTiO3
Authors: WITEK S. , SMYTH D. M. , PICLUP H.
Published: January 2007

TiO2 is observed as a second phase in SrTiO3 having Sr/Ti ≤ 0.995 (≥0.5 mol% excess TiO2). The effect of excess TiO2 on the equilibrium electrical conductivity at 1000°C is consistent with a solubility of <0.1 mol% TiO2 with the formation of unassociated oxygen vacancies. More Ti02 is retained in solid solution when samples are quenched from the sintering temperature rather than furnace‐cooled. The effect of excess SrO on the equilibrium electrical conductivity also indicates some solid solubility.
MutationView/KMcancerDB: A database for cancer gene mutations
Authors: Shimizu Nobuyoshi , Ohtsubo Masafumi , Minoshima Shinsei
Published: January 2007

It is known that cancers are caused by accumulated mutations in various genes and consequent functional alterations of proteins that are important for maintenance of normal cellular functions. The changes in nucleotide sequences and expression patterns of cancer‐related genes are being extensively studied to better understand the mechanisms of tumorigenesis and to develop methods for DNA protein diagnosis and drug discovery. At present, a number of computer databases for molecular information on cancer‐related genes are available publicly through the internet. These databases deal with familial cancer and sporadic cancer at the levels of germline mutation or somatic mutation, genomic or chromosomal abnormalities, and changes in the expression levels of relevant genes. Previously, we constructed a human gene mutation database named MutationView (http://mutview.dmb.med.keio.ac.jp/) and have accumulated mutation data for ∼300 genes that are involved mainly in monogenic diseases. Forty‐two genes are cancer‐related and therefore a separate cancer database named KMcancerDB was constructed. MutationView/KMcancerDB utilizes a graphic display function for both queries and search results much more often than other existing databases, making the system quite user friendly. MutationView/KMcancerDB provides a highly sophisticated search function for all genes through a single internet URL. In the present paper, we briefly review various useful databases for cancer‐related genes, and describe MutationView/KMcancerDB in more detail. (Cancer Sci 2007; 98: 259–267)
Buprenorphine‐associated gastroparesis during in‐patient heroin detoxification
Authors: Jakobovits Simon L. , Mcdonough Michael , Chen Robert Y.
Published: January 2007

Background  Buprenorphine is a partial mu receptor agonist used in opiate detoxification. It has been shown to cause delayed gastric emptying in healthy volunteers.

Case description  We describe a case of clinically severe gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying due to impaired contraction of the stomach) whose onset coincided with the commencement of buprenorphine‐assisted detoxification.

Conclusion  We review the literature on gastric effects of buprenorphine in healthy volunteers, providing proof of the concept that this was the most probable cause of this patient's gastroparesis.
Identifying drunkenness in the night‐time economy
Authors: Perham Nick , Moore Simon C. , Shepherd Jonathan , Cusens Bryany
Published: January 2007

Background  Prohibiting the sale of alcohol to intoxicated patrons by licensees and their staff requires definitions of drunkenness.

Aims  To assess the relationship between blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and indicators used in field sobriety tests putatively associated with intoxication.

Design, participants, setting, material and methods  A random sample of 314 female and 579 male city centre drinkers. Surveyors scored respondents' and non‐respondents' gait, eyes and speech for signs of drunkenness as well as their drunkenness on a 10‐point Likert scale. Breath analysis was used to determine respondents' BAC.

Findings  Combinations of slurred speech, staggering gait and glazed eyes significantly predicted levels of BAC with a staggering gait indicating highest levels of intoxication.

Conclusions  Subjective ratings of drunkenness by trained observers corresponded with BAC. Transition BACs denoting observable behaviour change associated with intoxication have been identified. Observations of gait, combined with assessment of slurred speech should be the basis of estimates of drunkenness.