bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mechanistic and structural basis for inhibition of thymidylate synthase ThyX
Authors: Basta Tamara , Boum Yap , Briffotaux Julien , Becker Hubert F. , Lamarre-Jouenne Isabelle , Lambry Jean-Christophe , Skouloubris Stephane , Liebl Ursula , Graille Marc , van Tilbeurgh Herman , Myllykallio Hannu
Published: October 2012

Nature has established two mechanistically and structurally unrelated families of thymidylate synthases that produce de novo thymidylate or dTMP, an essential DNA precursor. Representatives of the alternative flavin-dependent thymidylate synthase family, ThyX, are found in a large number of microbial genomes, but are absent in humans. We have exploited the nucleotide binding pocket of ThyX proteins to identify non-substrate-based tight-binding ThyX inhibitors that inhibited growth of genetically modified
Escherichia coli
cells dependent on
thyX
in a manner mimicking a genetic knockout of thymidylate synthase. We also solved the crystal structure of a viral ThyX bound to 2-hydroxy-3-(4-methoxybenzyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone at a resolution of 2.6 Å. This inhibitor was found to bind within the conserved active site of the tetrameric ThyX enzyme, at the interface of two monomers, partially overlapping with the dUMP binding pocket. Our studies provide new chemical tools for investigating the ThyX reaction mechanism and establish a novel mechanistic and structural basis for inhibition of thymidylate synthesis. As essential ThyX proteins are found e.g. in
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
and
Helicobacter pylori
, our studies have also potential to pave the way towards the development of new anti-microbial compounds.
CD4+ T-cell responses to foot-and-mouth disease virus in vaccinated cattle
Authors: Carr B. Veronica , Lefevre Eric A. , Windsor Miriam A. , Inghese Cristina , Gubbins Simon , Prentice Helen , Juleff Nicholas D. , Charleston Bryan
Published: October 2012

We have performed a series of studies to investigate the role of CD4+ T-cells in the immune response to foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) post-vaccination. Virus neutralizing antibody titres (VNT) in cattle vaccinated with killed FMD commercial vaccine were significantly reduced and class switching delayed as a consequence of rigorous in vivo CD4+ T-cell depletion. Further studies were performed to examine whether the magnitude of T-cell proliferative responses correlated with the antibody responses. FMD vaccination was found to induce T-cell proliferative responses, with CD4+ T-cells responding specifically to the FMDV antigen. In addition, gamma interferon (IFN-γ) was detected in the supernatant of FMDV antigen-stimulated PBMC and purified CD4+ T-cells from vaccinated cattle. Similarly, intracellular IFN-γ could be detected specifically in purified CD4+ T-cells after restimulation. It was not possible to correlate in vitro proliferative responses or IFN-γ production of PBMC with VNT, probably as a consequence of the induction of T-independent and T-dependent antibody responses and antigen non-specific T-cell responses. However, our studies demonstrate the importance of stimulating CD4+ T-cell responses for the induction of optimum antibody responses to FMD-killed vaccines.
The emerging transnational “retirement industry” in Southeast Asia
Authors: Toyota Mika , Xiang Biao
Published: October 2012

Purpose

This article aims to explain how a transnational “retirement industry” in Southeast Asia has emerged recently as a result of interplays between various national and transnational forces, particularly in the domain of elderly care. “Retirement industry” refers to business operations related to the relocation of foreign retirees, primarily Japanese pensioners, who seek affordable social care and alternative retirement life.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on extensive documentary studies and multi‐sited ethnographic research from 2004 to date. In‐depth interviews with retirees and relevant agencies were carried out in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Findings

This article delineates how demographic and economic changes in Japan create demand for the transnational retirement industry, and how Southeast Asian countries actively promote the industry as a national development strategy. As such the boundaries between nation‐state and between the market and the state are simultaneously crossed. The industry opens new transnational routes and spaces and thus further complicates the transnationalization of elderly care in Asia.

Originality/value

Current research on social welfare remains dominated by methodological nationalism, and this article calls attention to the transnational dimension in understanding recent changes in social care. By engaging the predominant paradigm of “care diamond”, the article shows that how boundaries shift between various care providers within nation states is inextricably related to how borders are crossed between nation states.
Bank profitability and inflation: the case of China
Authors: Tan Yong , Floros Christos
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the determinants of bank profitability in China. It examines the effects of inflation on bank profitability, while controlling for comprehensive bank‐specific and industry‐specific variables.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample comprises a total of 101 banks (five state‐owned banks, 12 joint‐stock commercial banks and 84 city commercial banks). The period under consideration extends from 2003‐2009. The two step generalized methods of moments (GMM) estimators are applied.

Findings

Empirical results exhibit that there is a positive relationship between bank profitability, cost efficiency, banking sector development, stock market development and inflation in China. The authors report that low profitability can be explained by higher volume of non‐traditional activity and higher taxation. Moreover, the authors confirm that there is a competitive environment in the Chinese banking industry. Furthermore, the authors propose policy actions that should be taken to improve bank profitability in China.

Research limitations/implications

Further research can be conducted by investigating the profitability of numerous branches of all national banks and its determinants.

Practical implications

The findings of the current study have considerable policy relevance. First, Chinese banks should emphasize the improvement of labour management and training skills, the purpose of which is to increase their productivity and boost the profitability. Furthermore, the government should gradually continue to open the banking and stock market, as the development of the financial sector is helpful in increasing the banks' profitability in China.

Originality/value

Particular emphasis will be placed on the investigation into the effect of inflation on bank profitability while controlling for most comprehensive internal and external factors.
Exchange rate effects on trade in services
Authors: Pattichis Charalambos
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use disaggregated data on US‐UK trade to investigate the effects of exchange rate depreciation on trade in services both in the short‐ and long‐run.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper focuses on the three traditional categories of internationally traded services – travel, passenger fares and other transportation services – and employs the “bounds” testing procedure advanced by Pesaran, Shin and Smith to investigate the J‐curve effect.

Findings

The results reveal that the real exchange rate has a statistically significant effect on trade in services in at least one of the time periods. The results also provide some support for the J‐curve effect.

Practical implications

Empirical evidence on the J‐curve provides policymakers with valuable information about the effects of currency depreciation on the trade balance.

Originality/value

To the best of the author's knowledge this is the first paper to investigate the J‐curve effect using data on trade in services.
IPO characteristics of index firms
Authors: Colak Gonul
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the initial public offerings (IPOs) of the firms that are eventually included in one of the S&P 400, the S&P 500, or the S&P 600 Indices. Do these firms have very different IPO features than the rest of the IPOs?

Design/methodology/approach

The control sample is formed of IPOs that are not included in the corresponding index, and the IPOs that end up in each S&P index are compared to this control sample. Logistic regressions are utilized to estimate the odds of inclusion into one of these indices.

Findings

The author finds that the IPO features, such as underpricing, offer price, underwriter's reputation, venture capital presence, and so on, are found to be substantially different for the index samples. The index firms are found to be “superstars” that deliver extremely high long‐run returns between their IPO date and their index inclusion date. The above results suggest that the quality of index firms has a persistent component to it that can be detected even during the IPO process. After estimating the determinants of the index inclusion, the author discovers that factors implying lower asymmetric information about firm's business (such as, the firm being a spinoff, or being certified by a venture capitalist or a prestigious underwriter, etc.) increase its odds of inclusion.

Originality/value

The paper proposes and tests two new hypotheses related to inclusion into an S&P index. Discoveries made in this paper can help someone recognize which IPOs could become “superstars” that end up in an S&P index.
The operating leverage impact on systematic risk within a context of choice
Authors: Houmes Robert E. , MacArthur John B. , Stranahan Harriet
Published: October 2012

Purpose

Strategic cost structure choices determine how firms divide operating costs between fixed and variable components, and therefore have important implications for financial performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of operating leverage on equity Betas when managers have discretion over firms' cost structures.

Design/methodology/approach

Using panel data for publicly listed trucking firms over years 1994‐2006, market model Betas are regressed on controls and alternatively measured proxies for operating leverage: degree of operating leverage, assets in place and percentage of company employed drivers.

Findings

Results of this study generally show positively significant coefficients on all three operating leverage variables.

Originality/value

Operating characteristics of many industries require that firms make substantial investments in long‐lived assets that result in high fixed costs (e.g. depreciation), and for these firms cost structure is exogenously or technologically constrained leaving managers with little discretion. In contrast to these types of firms, the authors examine the effect of operating leverage (OL) on Betas when managers have discretion over firms' cost structures. Trucking firms are a particularly interesting industry group for analyzing the impact of operating OL choices on Beta because distinct strategic cost structure choices are available to the management of trucking firms that result in various degrees of OL throughout the industry.
Regulation of supervision on financial markets
Authors: Costantino Fulvio
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider financial services sector macro‐prudential and micro‐prudential supervisory reforms in the European Union (EU). It aims to critically examine the new system, reviewing in particular the adequacy of the reform to address financial crises.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a qualitative analysis of the relevant academic and trade literature.

Findings

In considering the new EU supervisory system's constitutional and legal foundation and its organizational structure, the study highlights the revamped and complex architecture's strengths and limitations.

Originality/value

The paper makes a contribution to the understanding of the new financial services sector supervisory system in the EU; few studies have analyzed its constitutional legality and satisfactoriness for the prevention of new crises.
Outpatient satisfaction and quality of health care in North Indian medical institute
Authors: Puri Neelu , Gupta Anil , Aggarwal Arun K. , Kaushal Vipin
Published: October 2012

Purpose

Outpatient departments (OPDs) need to monitor the quality of care and patient satisfaction for continuous quality improvement. Additionally, there is a need for an increase in focused literature on patient satisfaction and quality of health care at a tertiary care level. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to fulfil this need.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross‐sectional hospital‐based study among OPD patients was undertaken, where investigators conducted interviews with 120 patients at entry (registration), 120 patients at the OPD clinic (60 doctor‐patient interactions and 60 exit interviews), and a further 120 patients at investigation facilities. Patient satisfaction, client convenience facilities, prescription quality, doctor‐patient interaction and other quality elements as described in the study were given score of 0 or 1.

Findings

At exit, 52 (86.6 percent) patients were satisfied with the OPD care. The mean total quality score was 80.9 percent of the total scores. It was above 90 percent of the total score for patient convenience facilities and for doctor‐patient interaction, 76 percent for the prescription quality of the doctors and 43.3 percent for signage display. The mean score for patient‐doctor interaction was found to be significantly lower (3.6/5) among dissatisfied patients compared to the satisfied patients (4.7/5). Satisfied patients reported a significantly higher consultation time (12.4 minutes) with a doctor compared to dissatisfied patients (8.5 minutes) (p=0.04).

Research limitations/implications

Not using a Likert scale to measure patient satisfaction could be considered a limitation. However, the authors also arrived at similar conclusions with their tools as with the use of Likert scales in other studies. Furthermore, findings are limited to medicine and surgery general OPDs in a tertiary care setting. Any interpretation beyond this frame may be done with caution.

Practical implications

Hospitals should encourage good patient‐doctor interaction as it has emerged as the key factor associated with patient satisfaction.

Social implications

Quality improvements in public sector health institutes can lead to better utilization of health care by the poor and compromised sections of society and can lead to a reduction in the inequity associated with health care.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils the need to evaluate quality of hospital care in public sector hospitals at the tertiary care level. The methods and tools used are simple and extensive enough to capture information at multiple service points.
Simultaneous development of guidelines and quality indicators – how do guideline groups act?
Authors: Blozik Eva , Nothacker Monika , Bunk Thomas , Szecsenyi Joachim , Ollenschläger Günter , Scherer Martin
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the question of how official bodies, health care organisations, and professional associations deal with the absence of a methodological gold standard for the simultaneous development of clinical practice guidelines and quality indicators, what procedures they use and what they feel are major strengths and limitations of their methods.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a web‐based survey among 90 organisational members of the Guidelines International Network (G‐I‐N) representing 34 countries from Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. All organisational G‐I‐N members were invited to participate in the survey by following a link provided in the invitation e‐mail.

Findings

The responses of 24 organisations were included in the final analysis. The results indicate a broad variability in the approaches and methods used to develop quality indicators and guidelines simultaneously. The answers of the participants indicated a lack of formal procedures for the simultaneous development. Formal procedures exist in only about half of the participating organisations. In addition, piloting or evaluation of the procedures is almost completely missing. Significantly, respondents mainly reported that the procedure used in their organisation “could certainly be more rigorous”. Besides various strengths, participants reported a considerable number of limitations of the development processes they use.

Originality/value

This survey among G‐I‐N members – despite limitations – gives helpful insights in the state of the simultaneous development of quality indicators and clinical practice guidelines and underlines the need for future activities in methodological standard development and quality improvement of these processes.
A sustainable tourism planning model: components and relationships
Authors: Padin Carmen
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to describe the concept of sustainable tourism planning, establishing the theoretical foundations, the components that make up the model, and the relationships that ensure the sustainability of a tourist destination.

Design/methodology/approach

Tourism planning is based on the principles of sustainability and is defined by three dimensions: environmental, economic and cultural tourism development.

Findings

The goal of comprehensive tourism planning is to achieve economic growth and efficiency, ensuring efficiency and social equity by solving the basic needs of the population and on the basis of stable and continuous environmental systems.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of this paper is the need to validate the dynamic elements raised and test the robustness of the model in an application.

Practical implications

Finding the right balance between these three dimensions is necessary to ensure comprehensive long‐term sustainability, while finding ample references of theoretical and conceptual frameworks of sustainability are based on the triple bottom line, as referred to later in this paper.

Originality/value

The contribution of this paper is to propose, within the model itself, the mechanisms of connection between the three dimensions and the relationships among them, emphasizing the importance of the “stakeholders” in the process.
An assessment of the early stages of a sustainable business model in the Canadian fast food industry
Authors: Hutchinson David , Singh Jang , Walker Kent
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a Canadian corporation's implementation and application of a sustainable business operation and model. It is based upon a case study of an International Canadian coffee and donut chain: Tim Hortons.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through: extensive publications of corporate documents, observations of actual operations at retail sites and social media sites.

Findings

The paper finds that Tim Hortons has clearly made progress toward greater sustainability. However, its program often lacks specificity, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Within a visibly and highly polluting industry Tim Hortons sustainability program is a step in the right direction but there are areas in need of improvement.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study paradoxically suggest that it is difficult for a company in the fast food industry to truly become sustainable given certain characteristics of the industry (disposal food and beverage containers, and drive‐thrus for example), yet sustainability is also imperative to business success and competitiveness.

Practical implications

Through a detailed examination of Tim Hortons' sustainable business approach the authors delineate a number of areas where the company can improve its sustainability. The paper also discusses areas of difficulty (e.g. drive‐thrus) and areas in need of improvement (e.g. a detailed description of the sources of the company's greenhouse‐gas emissions).

Social implications

Tim Hortons' sustainability program was only recently launched, and although the motivations behind the program are not discussed, it was not developed in response to any government subsidies or legislation.

Originality/value

The main contributions are as follows. First, the authors methodically analyze the sustainable business approach of a Canadian fast‐food company including but not limited to its value‐added process, driving forces, and purchasing policies. This provides a beginning for others who wish to implement sustainability into an industry not known for its environmental responsibility. Second, the authors suggest ways that Tim Hortons could improve its sustainable business approach. Third, the authors provide a case study of how an iconic Canadian company with revenues over $2.5 billion and nearly 4,000 stores across the globe has begun to implement sustainability into its core strategic approach.
Business sustainability and E‐footprints on Earth's life and ecosystems: generic models
Authors: Svensson Göran , Wagner Beverly
Published: October 2012

Purpose

Companies and their business networks impact on Earth's life and ecosystems must be seriously addressed and minimized. The purpose of this paper therefore proposes and describes a generic model as well as a network model of business sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

“Business sustainability” is defined as a company's or an organization's efforts to manage its impact on Earth's life‐ and eco‐systems and its whole business network. The work concentrates on one research question, namely: how can business sustainability and E‐footprints be conceptualised?

Findings

The model introduced emphasises not only the importance of business networks adopting an E‐footprint and an Earth‐to‐Earth (EE) cradle‐to‐cradle approach, but also a transformative Earth (E) footprint‐model derived and inspired from a causal framework in complexity sciences.

Research limitations/implications

Research is rare that simultaneously focuses on EE‐approaches, E‐footprint stakeholders and zero‐sum cycles. The authors have striven to address this gap by introducing a business sustainability model in an EE‐approach and with an interconnecting transformative E‐footprint‐model.

Practical implications

It is crucial to embed appropriate routines and processes within the company in the first instance with the aim of business sustainability. This may cause a ripple effect in the company's business network as raw material producers, value‐adding suppliers and customers become drawn into make appropriate strategic, tactical and operative adaptations in their own business dealings. This stresses the importance of E‐footprint stakeholders fostering networks of both interdependent and collaborative corporate efforts aimed at business sustainability.

Originality/value

The main contribution should be a business sustainability model of life and ecosystems from an EE‐approach with a transformative E‐footprint.model. Each company within a business network must endeavour to minimise its E‐footprint through its zero‐sum cycles. These should be seen as interdependent and interconnected thereby contributing to the total E‐footprint of the business network.
Social networks and customer involvement in new service development (NSD)
Authors: Sigala Marianna
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The study aims to use netnography to investigate the role of customers' contributions in social networks for NSD purposes.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted an exploratory case study methodology to conduct a content analysis of customers' contributions in a social network, namely www.mystarbucksidea.com. Netnography was used for data analysis and interpretation.

Findings

The findings reveal that online customers' interactions and dialogues enable customers to share and understand the context of using services, which in turn triggers emotions and cognition that help customers to generate and further enhance ideas for new services. Thus, the variety of customers and the sharing of their diverse roles have a positive influence on enabling participants of online social networks to generate new service ideas.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are applicable to the study's context, but future research should try to triangulate and enhance them by conducting studies in other contexts. The findings also provide ideas on how to further investigate the observational learning processes and behavioural impacts taking place amongst customers' interactions within online social networks.

Practical implications

The findings provide several implications showing firms why and how to nurture, develop and moderate online customer interactions to enhance the effectiveness of their NSD processes.

Originality/value

The paper examines the role and the management of customers' contributions in social networks for NSD purposes. The topic has received only limited attention in traditional and online settings. Several suggestions for further research are also provided.
Emotional intelligence and emotional labor acting strategies among frontline hotel employees
Authors: Kim Taegoo (Terry) , Jung‐Eun Yoo Joanne , Lee Gyehee , Kim Joungman
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The study aimed to test the antecedents and consequences of emotional labor (EL) acting strategies in the hotel industry. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of emotional intelligence (EI) on the relationships among EL acting strategies, emotional exhaustion (EE) and service recovery performance (SRP).

Design/methodology/approach

The survey was administered in five‐star hotels in Korea. Frontline employees of the hotels participated in the survey and a total of 353 returned questionnaires were used for data analysis.

Findings

The research confirmed the importance of EI in the context of EL. The paper provided empirical evidence that EI affected the EL acting strategies and their consequential behavioral outcomes.

Practical implications

The study suggests that hospitality managers must find ways to elevate employees' EI level. Performance management processes should incorporate identification and positive reinforcement of EL acting strategies that enhance SRP and customer satisfaction.

Originality/value

This study explored the under‐researched subject of EL and its role within a hospitality industry context. The study is among the first to examine EI as an emotional resource, EL acting strategies, EE and SRP as a form of job‐related performance simultaneously.
The effectiveness of a mediation program in symmetrical versus asymmetrical neighbor‐to‐neighbor conflicts
Authors: Ufkes Elze G. , Giebels Ellen , Otten Sabine , van der Zee Karen I.
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The last decades, neighborhood mediation programs have become an increasingly popular method to deal with conflicts between neighbors. In the current paper the aim is to propose and show that conflict asymmetry, the degree to which parties differ in perceptions of the level of conflict, may be important for the course and outcomes of neighborhood mediation.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for testing the hypotheses were based on coding all (261) files of neighbor conflicts reported to a Dutch neighborhood mediation program in the period from 2006 through 2008.

Findings

As expected, cases were more often about asymmetrical than symmetrical conflicts. Moreover, compared to symmetrical conflicts, asymmetrical conflicts less often led to a mediation session; the degree of escalation was lower; and, particularly in asymmetrical conflicts, a mere intake session already contributed to positive conflict outcomes.

Originality/value

Past research on the effectiveness of mediation programs mainly focused on cases in which a mediation session effectively took place. However, persuading parties to participate in a mediation session forms a major challenge for mediators. In fact, many cases that are signed‐up for mediation programs do not result in an actual mediation. The current study examines the entire mediation process – from intake to follow‐up.
How to facilitate the learning of creativity: thinking “outside the box” and beyond textbook solutions
Authors: Boge Knut
Published: October 2012

Purpose

One of the challenges in higher education is how to teach creativity; i.e. the ability to think outside the box and beyond standard textbook solutions. This paper seeks to explore what is creativity, whether it is possible to learn creativity, and if so, how to facilitate learning of creativity. One such method is innovation camps. The paper asks, is it possible to transfer the experiences from innovation camps to other kinds of organizations and settings?

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on one qualitative and two quantitative surveys.

Findings

Interdisciplinary teams of students from different educations who did not know each other before the innovation camps were able to work together and produce creative and innovative concepts. The students' learning outcomes differed, depending on their education.

Research limitations/implications

This study indicates that interdisciplinary teams where the participants do not know each other in advance may produce creative and innovative concepts if the process is properly organized.

Social implications

Many of the experiences from innovation camps about how to facilitate learning of creativity are most likely transferable to other organizations and settings. Creativity is an important determinant of future wealth and prosperity.

Originality/value

The paper provides new insight for those interested in how to develop creativity, particularly in teams where the team members do not know each other in advance.
You are crazy! A classroom experiment to enhance creativity among management students
Authors: Oltra Victor , Escribá‐Esteve Alejandro
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The paper aims to focus on fostering a strategic attitude and creativity‐related competences among management students, through alternative teaching‐learning methods, whereby students propose “crazy” ideas that can be applicable to (business) organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken was an active learning classroom experiment. In total, 22 participants volunteered among the authors' own students, enrolled at different management‐related degrees at the University of Valencia (Spain).

Findings

Five student teams proposed very interesting and original ideas (some “crazier” than others, many highly relevant and feasible), aimed at tackling relevant challenges at the workplace or at the university.

Research limitations/implications

Further research may be inspired by this experiment, expanding the scope of the inquiry to other student profiles and/or to actual initiatives involving organizational development and learning dynamics.

Practical implications

All proposals implied that employees/students who have fun will be more committed to their job/studies, involving “win‐win” outcomes. Moreover, the university‐related proposals can be easily adapted to a workplace context. On the other hand, the experiment itself can be also adapted as part of organizational development and learning policies – with employees taking the role here assigned to students.

Social implications

These “crazy” ideas are invaluable in societies needing radical social‐economic change (e.g. Spain) towards new, knowledge‐based models.

Originality/value

Beyond the most immediate benefits for them, private and public organizations can crucially contribute to knowledge‐driven social‐economic change by embracing these “crazy” ideas in their development and learning policies.
How to concretize dynamic capabilities? Theory and examples
Authors: Kuuluvainen Arto
Published: October 2012

Purpose

Dynamic capabilities approach, having roots in evolutionary economics, has recently become popular also among strategic management researchers. However, the dynamic capabilities construct has been criticised for being too confusing and abstract. The purpose of this paper is to tackle this criticism by first introducing a theoretical framework for concretising dynamic capabilities and then by testing the framework empirically.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilises qualitative case study methods. The empirical part of the research introduces a single case study of Finnish manufacturing small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME). The longitudinal research data include two structured telephone interviews and two personal interviews with the case firm's managers. Also significant amount of secondary data were analysed during the study. Pre‐planned systematic coding methods were utilised during the data‐analysis phase of the study.

Findings

Concrete examples were provided of the dynamic capabilities identified from the international growth of the studied firm.

Research limitations/implications

The research design led to a sample of only one case. Therefore, the findings have a strong intuitive and conceptual appeal and statistical generalizability is not appropriate.

Practical implications

The paper introduces an example of how SME can grow in international markets. Some good practices can be identified from the case study.

Originality/value

By introducing a new and operationalized classification for studying dynamic capabilities qualitatively, the paper makes methodological contributions. The paper also answers criticism addressed towards the dynamic capabilities construct by making dynamic capabilities more concrete.
Promoting discourse analysis as a linguistic perspective to further explore strategic management issues
Authors: Koeberlé Pascal
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to promote discourse analysis as a valuable theoretical perspective to further examine how communication and other discursive practices may impact strategy‐related outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The author uses a single case study of a French village in an illustrative way, to show how stakeholders (can) communicate to influence the strategic development of an organization.

Findings

A set a propositions is identified as an understanding of why new discourses emerge and institutionalize in a given setting.

Research limitations/implications

As the production of texts was used to observe practitioners’ participation in the strategy process, silent forms of participation may have passed unnoticed.

Practical implications

Practitioners who aim at influencing the strategy process may be interested in identifying the discursive context (producers of consumers of texts) and in improving their conversational skills.

Originality/value

The paper suggests a three‐step process to study the strategy process from a linguistic perspective: identify the producers of texts, examine how the texts are written/told, explain how a set of texts come to dominate a conversation.
The economic impact of the Comrades Marathon
Authors: Saayman Melville , Saayman Andrea
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The Comrades Marathon is a world‐renowned ultra marathon that takes place yearly between the cities of Pietermaritzburg and Durban in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa. It attracts athletes from around the world, and boasts a participation of more than 14,000. The purpose of this article is to determine the impact that this marathon has on the provincial economy – a manufacturing‐based economy.

Design/methodology/approach

Spending data of participants and their accompanying spectators were compiled by means of surveys and participants were split into categories based on their origin. The provincial Social Accounting Matrix is used to quantify the impact of this spending stimulus on production, income and job creation within the province.

Findings

The results show that Comrades Marathon contributes significantly to the provincial economy and that more than 600 jobs are dependent on the event.

Research limitations/implications

It has a larger impact on the local economy than many similar sport events and this is attributed to the specialised nature of the event as well as its status as an ultra‐marathon.

Originality/value

This research is one of few on ultra‐marathons and the focus is on participants’ spending behaviour during the event.
Host population perceptions of the social impacts of sport tourism events in transition countries
Authors: Pranić Ljudevit , Petrić Lidija , Cetinić Liljana
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate residents’ perceptions of social impacts from co‐hosting the 2009 World Men's Handball Championship (WMHC09) in a small Croatian city – Split – in response to the need for social impacts research at a variety of sport tourism events and locations. Additional analysis was performed on a number of socio‐demographic factors that may affect the magnitude of residents’ perceptions.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative methodology was employed using a convenience sampling method. A drop and mail‐back technique with self‐completed surveys was used. A total of 92 completed surveys were returned. Mann‐Whitney U and Kruskal‐Wallis tests were used to test for patterns of social impacts across demographic variables.

Findings

Overall, respondents’ perceived the social impacts from co‐hosting WMHC09 as mostly positive. However, the majority of respondents believed that the public monies spent on a new arena construction should have been allocated to construct facilities for which there is a greater public need (healthcare centers, schools, etc.). Variations in respondents’ perceptions generally could not be explained by their socio‐demographic characteristics.

Practical implications

Any future decisions to use public monies for one‐time financially intensive events should perhaps be subjected to a decision by a popular vote.

Originality/value

This is one of the few studies to examine the residents’ perceptions of the social impacts of sport tourism events in transition countries. It also extends social exchange theory and reports validity and reliability of the social impacts scale.
Contrasting continuous quality improvement, Six Sigma, and lean management for enhanced outcomes in US hospitals
Authors: Gowen Charles R. , McFadden Kathleen L. , Settaluri Sriranjita
Published: October 2012

Purpose

Rapidly rising healthcare costs, partially due to preventable medical errors, have led hospitals to redouble their process improvement (PI) efforts. The purpose of this paper is to examine how PI initiatives mediate the effect of medical error sources to enhance three hospital outcomes (patient safety, operational effectiveness, and competitiveness).

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the authors develop a framework to explore three PI initiatives: Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Six Sigma Initiatives (SSI), and Lean Management Initiatives (LMI). Hierarchical regression analysis is employed to test the proposed model, using data from a nationwide survey of 210 US hospitals.

Findings

For enhancing patient safety outcomes, it was found that CQI and LMI were significant in mediating hospital error sources; however, SSI was not significant after accounting for the other two PI types. For improving organizational effectiveness, CQI and SSI were significant; whereas LMI was not significant over and above the other two PI types. Finally, only SSI was significant for superior sustainable competitive advantage.

Research limitations/implications

The paper provides insight into which PI initiatives were most effective for various hospital outcomes. The findings can benefit healthcare practitioners as they select among different PI programs for enhancing healthcare results. Limitations of the study include the use of perceptual measures, relatively small sample size, and potential alternate relationships relevant to the outcome variables.

Originality/value

This is the first study to explore the mediating effects of three PI programs for the impact of medical errors on each of three hospital outcomes.
“Young faces in old places”: perceptions of young cultural visitors for the archaeological site of Delphi
Authors: Boukas Nikolaos
Published: October 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify young cultural visitors’ perceptions towards culture and cultural heritage destinations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study, based on a survey conducted in the archaeological site of Delphi in Greece, examines young cultural visitors’ perceptions by identifying their perceived importance for a series of destination attributes.

Findings

Findings reveal the important characteristics of cultural heritage sites for young travelers. Emphasis needs to be given on the following four influential factors of a cultural heritage site: organization and facilities, learning and experience, operation and accessibility, and place and promotion.

Research limitations/implications

Tourism authorities ought to focus upon young people and understand their needs in order to attract them to cultural destinations providing positive experience/s. This study is a unique attempt to analyze the perceptions of young people in cultural destinations and is limited to only one cultural heritage site, Delphi. Further, research in other sites examining younger ages and their differences would provide significant information about this unexplored market in cultural sites.

Originality/value

This paper examines that misconception about culture concerning only older age‐groups needs a new way of thinking that takes into consideration young visitors as important cultural visitors. By ignoring their importance, opportunities to maximize value from the sites as well as to operate them in a more sustainable manner are lost. Knowing exactly the perceptions of young people for culture gives insights into their present and future behavior in cultural heritage destinations.
Prospects for using combined engineered bacterial enzymes and plant systems to rhizoremediate polychlorinated biphenyls
Authors: Sylvestre Michel
Published: October 2012

The fate of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil is driven by a combination of interacting biological processes. Several investigations have brought evidence that the rhizosphere provides a remarkable ecological niche to enhance the PCB degradation process by rhizobacteria. The bacterial oxidative enzymes involved in PCB degradation have been investigated extensively and novel engineered enzymes exhibiting enhanced catalytic activities toward more persistent PCBs have been described. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that approaches involving processes based on plant‐microbe associations are very promising to remediate PCB‐contaminated sites. In this review emphasis will be placed on the current state of knowledge regarding the strategies that are proposed to engineer the enzymes of the PCB‐degrading bacterial oxidative pathway and to design PCB‐degrading plant‐microbe systems to remediate PCB‐contaminated soil.
Why Do Some Primary Care Practices Engage in Practice Improvement Efforts Whereas Others Do Not?
Authors: Goldberg Debora Goetz , Mick Stephen S. , Kuzel Anton J. , Feng Lisa Bo , Love Linda E.
Published: October 2012

Objective

To understand what motivates primary care practices to engage in practice improvement, identify external and internal facilitators and barriers, and refine a conceptual framework.

Data Sources

In‐depth interviews and structured telephone surveys with clinicians and practice staff (n = 51), observations, and document reviews.

Study Design

Comparative case study of primary care practices (n = 8) to examine aspects of the practice and environment that influence engagement in improvement activities.

Data Collection Methods

Three on‐site visits, telephone interviews, and two surveys.

Principal Findings

Pressures from multiple sources create conflicting forces on primary care practices' improvement efforts. Pressures include incentives and requirements, organizational relationships, and access to resources. Culture, leadership priorities, values set by the physician(s), and other factors influence whether primary care practices engage in improvement efforts.

Conclusions

Most primary care practices are caught in a cross fire between two groups of pressures: a set of forces that push practices to remain with the status quo, the “15‐minute per patient” approach, and another set of forces that press for major transformations. Our study illuminates the elements involved in the decision to stay with the status quo or to engage in practice improvement efforts needed for transformation.
The Impact of Hospital‐Based Skilled Nursing Facility Closures on Rehospitalizations
Authors: Rahman Momotazur , Zinn Jacqueline S. , Mor Vincent
Published: October 2012

Objective

To examine the effect of reductions in hospital‐based (HB) skilled nursing facility (SNF) bed supply on the rate of rehospitalization of patients discharged to any SNF from zip codes that lost HB beds.

Data Source

We used Medicare enrollment records, Medicare hospital and SNF claims, and nursing home Minimum Dataset assessments and characteristics (OSCAR) to examine nearly 10 million Medicare fee‐for‐service hospital discharges to SNFs between 1999 and 2006.

Study Design

We calculated the number of HB and freestanding (FS) SNF beds within a 22 km radius from the centroid of all zip codes in which Medicare beneficiaries reside in all years. We examined the relationship between HB and FS bed supply and the rehospitalization rates of the patients residing in corresponding zip codes in different years using zip code fixed effects and instrumental variable methods including extensive sensitivity analyses.

Principal Findings

Our estimated coefficients suggest that closure of 882 HB homes during our study period resulted in 12,000–18,000 extra rehospitalizations within 30 days of discharge. The effect was largely concentrated among the most acutely ill, high‐need patients.

Conclusions

SNF patient‐based prospective payment resulted in closure of higher cost HB facilities that had served most postacute patients. As other, less experienced SNFs replaced HB facilities, they were less able to manage high acuity patients without rehospitalizing them.
Effect of different blood glucose target levels on the incidence of hypoglycemia during insulin therapy in the intensive care unit (在重症监护病房中使用胰岛素治疗后不同的血糖目标水平对低血糖发生率的影响)
Authors: Okawa Makio , Kunimoto Fumio , Kanamoto Masafumi , Narahara Hajime , Hinohara Hiroshi , Tobe Masaru , Yanagisawa Akihiro , Saito Shigeru
Published: October 2012

Background

Prior to 2003, the target blood glucose level at our institute was <200 mg/dL. This target was reassessed in 2004 and again in 2006 based on reports showing decreased mortality in patients with target glucose levels between 80 and 110 mg/dL and results from subsequent randomized controlled trials. The aim of the present study was to determine the incidence of hypoglycemia due to IIT. The primary endpoint of the study was the incidence of hypoglycemia, with secondary outcomes of morbidity and mortality in three different periods.

Methods

A total of 2038 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were divided into three groups with different target blood glucose levels: Group H, <200 mg/dL; Group M, <150 mg/dL; and Group L, <120 mg/dL. The incidence of hypoglycemia and patient outcomes in the three groups were compared.

Results

The incidence of serious hypoglycemia (<40 mg/dL) in Groups H, M and L was 3.5%, 4.0%, and 5.4%, respectively; the incidence of moderate hypoglycemia (<60 mg/dL) was 9.4%, 11.7%, and 21.0% (P < 0.01), respectively. There were no significant differences among the groups in terms of days connected to the ventilator, length of ICU stay and ICU mortalities.

Conclusions

The incidence of moderate hypoglycemia (<60 mg/dL) was significantly increased during the period when the target blood glucose level was <120 mg/dL. Changes in target blood glucose levels did not affect patient mortality.