bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The visibility of health web portals for teens: a hyperlink analysis
Authors: Bowler Leanne , Hong Wan‐Yin , He Daqing
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to analyse the hyperlinks leading to six teen health websites in order to assess the visibility of teen health web portals as well as to discover which websites refer teens to reliable health information.

Design/methodology/approach

An environmental scan of the web was conducted to find sample health websites for teens. Inlink data was gathered using Google Webmaster Tools, and the inlink sources were classified by the type of creator.

Findings

The teen health websites in this study had a low level of visibility on the web compared to general health web portals (such as Medline Plus, for example) and a weak level of referrals from health‐related groups compared to other organisations such as schools and public libraries. Many non‐healthcare related websites are linking to teen health information, demonstrating that teens' health information needs are being met by sources that lack expertise in health care.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the small sample of six websites, generalisations beyond the context of the study are difficult to infer. The Google Webmaster inlink tool does not guarantee 100 per cent coverage and some inlinks may not have been captured by the tool, although this number is most likely minimal. The results of this study present a snapshot rather than an all‐inclusive view of the visibility of teen health websites and offer a starting point for further investigation.

Practical implications

The weak network of inlinks leading from reliable health care providers is a lost opportunity for health care professionals to reach young people.

Social implications

Due to the weak network of inlinks from reliable health information sources, teens may not be accessing accurate and reliable health information. This could have a potential cost in terms of health outcomes.

Originality/value

The study investigates health information for teens, a population that increasingly uses the web as a source for health information. The authors used an approach that has not been used before in the study of teens and health information on the web.
Concentration effect of citation to Iranian papers: Iran's Matthew core journals
Authors: Sotudeh Hajar
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to attempt to suggest an adjustment in Iran's national publication strategy based on the country‐specific Matthew core journals. It investigates Iran's performance in its national journal set, and proposes a more prominent journal subset.

Design/methodology/approach

A citation analysis method is applied to study Iran's scientific performance in its national journal set. The data were extracted from the Science Citation Index at Web of Science and JCR and imported to SPSS for further refinement and analysis.

Findings

The results showed that Iran experienced comparatively considerable citation loss. Surplus citations are concentrated in a small number of journals, presented as Iran's positive Matthew core journals. The results also confirm a relatively poor publication strategy adopted by Iranian scientists and that a publication concentration does not necessarily enhance the chance of being widely cited.

Research limitations/implications

These findings imply that Iran needs to watch more vigilantly the functioning of its science system. To improve its presence at the international level, Iran should re‐orient its publication strategy towards a more prominent one. This may be the case for similar science systems, where the emphasis is given to quantity rather than quality.

Originality/value

Country‐specific Matthew core journals, with serious citation competition, can serve as an important criterion to monitor the functioning of science systems regarding publication strategy. This is the first empirical study to employ the concept to suggest improvements in a country's publication strategy.
The h‐index, h‐core citation rate and the bibliometric profile of the Scopus database
Authors: Jacsó Péter
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The h‐index has been used to evaluate research productivity and impact (as manifested by the number of publications and the number of citations received) at many levels of aggregations for various targets. The purpose of this paper is to examine the bibliometric characteristics of the largest multidisciplinary databases that are the most widely used for measuring research productivity and impact.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents preliminary findings about the Scopus database. It is to be complemented and contrasted by the bibliometric profile of the Web of Science (WoS) database.

Findings

The test results showed that 18.7 million Scopus records had one or more cited references, representing 42 per cent of the entire database content. The ratio of cited reference enhanced records kept slightly increasing year by year from 1996 to 2009. Scopus classifies the journals and other serial sources into 27 broad subject areas by assigning its journals to 21 science disciplines, four social science disciplines, a single Arts and Humanities category, and/or a multidisciplinary category. The distribution of records among the broad subject areas can be searched in Scopus using the four‐character codes of the subject areas. A journal or a single primary document may be assigned to more than one subject area. However, Scopus overdoes this, and it significantly distorts the h‐index for the broad subject areas. The h‐index of the pre‐1996 subset of records for the 21,066,019 documents published before 1996 is 1,451, i.e. there are records for 1,451 documents in that subset that were cited more than 1,450 times. The total number of citations received by these 1,451 papers (i.e. the h‐core, representing the number of items that contribute to the h‐index) is 4,416,488, producing an average citation rate of 3,044 citations per item in the h‐core of the pre‐1996 subset of the entire Scopus database. For the subset providing records for 23,455,354 documents published after 1995, the h‐index is 1,339, so the total number of citations must be at least 1,792,921. In reality the total number of citations received by these papers is 3,903,157, yielding a citation rate of 2,915 citations per document in the h‐core. For the entire Scopus database of 44.5 million records the h‐index is 1,757.

Originality/value

Knowing the bibliometric features of databases, their own h‐index and related metrics versus those of the alternative tools can be very useful for computing a variety of research performance indicators. However, we need to learn much more about our tools in our rush to metricise everything before we can rest assured that our gauges gauge correctly or at least with transparent limitations. Learning the bibliometric profile of the tools used to measure the research performance of researchers, departments, universities and journals can help in making better informed decisions, and discovering the limitations of the measuring tools.
Brand transaction announcements and stock price volatility
Authors: Assunta Baldini Maria , Liberatore Giovanni , Ridi Tommaso
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the potential relationship between the stock market announcement of a brand's buy and sell agreement, and the stock price trend.

Design/methodology/approach

The research question was approached using a GARCH‐based statistical analysis on a sample of companies listed on the Mibtel (Italian stock exchange) that have a brand among their assets and have undertaken a purchase/sale from 2006 to 2008.

Findings

Although the brand is believed to be an important value driver, the mere occurrence of a purchase/sale operation for this asset only occasionally leads to a reaction in the market; at any rate, the stock's volatility quite rarely depends solely on such an occurrence.

Research limitations/implications

The statistical relevance of the analysis is limited by the observational data that it was possible to analyse. In particular, to give a positive conclusion about the influence of the brand's buy and sell agreements on a stock's return, it is necessary to have a time series of a greater number of firms. A larger availability of data might, in the future, allow a more detailed analysis and the opportunity to investigate the possible impacts of the event with relation to the business's characteristics – something that could not be carried out in this study because of the aforementioned problems.

Practical implications

Researchers and practitioners are now aware that the market does not always look upon the operations of a brand's buy and sell agreement as value‐relevant.

Originality/value

The originality of the present work lies in the fact that, to the best of one's knowledge, no other surveys were carried out on the chosen sample (i.e. the companies listed on the Italian stock market); that only a few international contributions posed the same research question; and most importantly, that the statistical methodology used can very well provide more reliable results than regression analysis, which is normally applied to such data.
Emerging technologies for BIM 2.0
Authors: Underwood Jason , Isikdag Umit
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to present a new perspective regarding how newly emerging ICT may have an impact on Building Information Modelling and Management (BIM‐M); specifically, towards enabling the next generation of (full state) BIMs.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a literature and technology review, and articulates a novel vision for the future of BIM. It starts with exploring how ICT has had an impact on shaping and modernising the sector, compared to the “traditional”, “archaic” and “draconian” heritage. The paper elaborates on the current interpretation of BIM‐M and emerging technologies that may change this interpretation from a semantic model to a full state digital building model evolving through the lifecycle of a building.

Findings

The vision presented in this paper underlines the focus that BIM‐M is now becoming broader, as the information management paradigm shifts from enabling model‐based management of shared building information, which provides meaningful data about a building in a standardised way (i.e. BIM 1.0), to enable an integrated environment of distributed information which is always up to date and open for derivation of new information (i.e. BIM 2.0). Technologies such as cloud computing, sensor networks, stateless web services and semantic web are presented as the new facilitators of this paradigm shift.

Originality/value

This paper provides value by stipulating a new vision (i.e. BIM 2.0) for BIM‐M and BIM (in particular) in light of emerging technologies such as cloud computing, sensor networks and semantic webs.
General framework for designing multi‐use simulation modules for estimating project durations
Authors: AL‐Tabbaa Omar , Rustom Rifat
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper seeks to propose a general framework to be used in developing multi‐use simulation modules for estimating project durations at the planning phase.

Design/methodology/approach

The research method incorporates two main stages. First, conceptualisation of the general framework, and second, implementing the framework in modelling and experimenting simulation modules, which involves data collection, statistical analysis, templates building through the ARENA software, and modules verification and validation.

Findings

The framework was found to be effective in providing an approach for building multi‐use simulation modules. The validation and verification processes of the developed simulation module reflect the soundness of the proposed framework.

Practical implications

Useful insights have been presented in this research regarding building multi‐use simulation modules in infrastructure construction projects. In addition, the paper demonstrates examples about how simulation interaction interface can contribute to the efficiency of using the simulation technique.

Originality/value

Given the lack of general approaches for building multi‐use simulation modules, this research suggests a simplified approach for developing multi‐use modules. Both academics and practitioners can benefit from this new approach by understanding the mechanism behind the multi‐use model concept as explained in this paper.
Efficient on‐site construction: learning points from a German platform for housing
Authors: Thuesen Christian , Hvam Lars
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This research aims to analyse the implementation of a German platform for housing projects through a successful case on modern methods of construction featuring efficient on‐site construction. Through continuous development, the platform has been carefully designed to suit a carefully selected market – optimising cost and value. Based on the platform, the company has managed to create a high‐quality product at low cost. In fact, they have managed to reduce costs by more than 30 per cent, enabling the company to sell houses to people that normally would not be able to afford a house of their own.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a case study approach combining a qualitative collection of empirical material with an analytical framework drawing upon classical modelling techniques for development of product platforms.

Findings

The paper identifies some central learning points from the German platform such as: platform does not imply that “off‐site manufacturing” is the most optimal production method, rather it is a matter of handling complexity; strong commitment and loyalty from the whole organization is needed; importance of having a specific customer focus (target costing); and incremental rather than radical innovation.

Originality/value

The findings challenge the predominant understanding of industrialisation of the construction processes, illustrating how substantial improvements can be achieved through platform thinking, on‐site production and traditional construction practices.
Can CRM survive integrating franchisees with a corporate giant?
Authors: O'Reilly Kelley , Paper David
Published: July 2011

Purpose

A paucity of literature considers a growing trend within the retail space whereby franchise companies and their franchisees market and sell products and services across multiple channels, including company‐owned retail stores. This case study aims to explore the processes used to support the customer experience, the control mechanisms that are in place, and the channels by which these customer‐company interactions occur.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach employing an adaptation of the grounded theory method for data collection, coding, and analysis was used and this study specifically focused on an international van‐based service franchise during the integration of the franchise company's service into the retail brick‐and‐mortar locations of the parent company. Participants included retail employees of the parent company, franchise company support staff, franchisees, and third‐party call center agents working for the parent company.

Findings

Findings suggest a relationship exists between the alignment of the internal factors of the customer relationship management (CRM) experience (e.g. people, processes, and technology) and the relative strength or weakness of each external factor (e.g. customer, company, and competition). Moreover, it is postulated that weaker customer‐centric service results in greater misalignment of internal factors and leads to larger service variability, or sub‐optimized CRM.

Originality/value

The unique contribution of this research is the juxtaposition of the disparate marketing approaches of the parent company and franchisees and the subsequent impact on CRM efforts of the company. A conceptual model of internal and external factors of the CRM experience is presented.
Corporate governance and capital flows
Authors: Talamo Giuseppina
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze existing corporate governance rules which aim to regulate and control the following type of problems: to restore confidence in the financial markets, to reformulate the existing corporate governance systems and mechanisms that have been inadequate, and, finally, to rethink the relationship between ethics and economy. It also aims to identify the factors determining the corporate governance systems and mechanisms in a global economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reports the results of a comparative analysis between different corporate governance systems and mechanisms. In addition, in order to explore the role of institutional determinants in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, this study considers variables such as an index of shareholder protection, openness to FDI and the interaction between the two above mentioned variables.

Findings

This analysis confirms the economic theory that less open countries are characterized by stronger ownership restrictions and a weak corporate governance mechanism. Conversely, open market and investment regimes are particularly powerful instruments to attract investment in general and FDI in particular.

Originality/value

This study provides a survey of the main system and mechanisms of corporate governance all supported by a survey of recent developments regarding the empirical analysis on the role of institutional determinants in attracting FDI flows.
Military construction projects: comparison of project delivery methods
Authors: McWhirt Darren , Ahn Junyong , Shane Jennifer S. , Strong Kelly C.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

Design‐build project delivery will likely yield benefits when it is a rational choice by a program director or owner's construction manager. It is not well understood whether those benefits translate to construction programs where design‐build is mandated for the vast majority of project types. Such a determination for military construction (MILCON) is the purpose of this paper.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology for the research involved a comparison of mean performance metrics for design‐build and design‐bid‐build MILCON projects. Once an appropriate sample of projects was identified, project data were corrected for project location, size and time‐value‐of‐money.

Findings

Military design‐build projects did experience a lower total cost of change orders as well as a reduced change order cost associated with field changes. Also, statistical analysis demonstrated no significant difference in project performance metrics based on facility type. These results indicate that design‐build project delivery method can work equally well on all types of MILCON projects and is an effective system for cost and scope control, but that some of the expected schedule performance gains underlying the decision to use design‐build will be difficult to achieve on all MILCON projects.

Originality/value

The paper presents advantages and disadvantages of utilising design‐build to MILCON projects by facility types.
Measuring the performance of office buildings maintenance management in Malaysia
Authors: Elyna Myeda Nik , Nizam Kamaruzzaman Syahrul , Pitt Michael
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the key aspects of performance measurement for maintenance management of office buildings, in order to enhance maintenance service delivery.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed method was adopted with the selection of five buildings as the case studies. In total, 1,230 questionnaires were distributed to the end‐users of the buildings.

Findings

This paper proposes a performance measurement system that is proved to be practical and suitable to measure the effectiveness of maintenance service delivery of office buildings.

Research limitations/implications

Future research could focus on developing a performance measurement system from a strategic approach.

Practical implications

The proposed performance measurement system is anticipated to facilitate the evaluation process for maintenance providers, as it has taken into account the key elements of a maintenance management system.

Originality/value

The outcomes of this research are significant in their own right but also serve as a platform for future research in this area.
Impact of the Doha round negotiation on Bangladesh agriculture
Authors: Deb Uttam , Al Amin Muhammad
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the potential impact of the latest World Trade Organization (WTO) agricultural draft modalities circulated on December 2008 on the economy of Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted simulation exercise using partial equilibrium model – Agricultural Trade Policy Simulation Model – to estimate the likely impact of the Doha round negotiation on Bangladesh agriculture.

Findings

One of the major findings of the study is that the world prices of agricultural commodities are likely to increase by 5 per cent if proposed modalities are implemented. The estimated results reveal that Bangladesh is likely to lose a considerable amount of economic welfare. This is due to a larger amount of loss (consumer surplus and government revenue) compared with a smaller amount of (producer surplus) gain. However, the study estimates that aggregate production of agricultural commodities, and production and export of most of the agricultural commodities will increase. On the other hand, import of agricultural commodities will decrease.

Practical implications

The study puts forward a number of suggestions with regard to Bangladesh's negotiating strategy for advancing its interests in the ongoing WTO negotiations on agriculture.

Originality/value

This study is the first ever attempt that has identified a number of negotiation strategies for Bangladesh using partial equilibrium modelling technique with respect to the latest WTO agricultural draft modalities.
The trade‐labour and trade‐environment linkages: together or apart?
Authors: González‐Garibay Montserrat
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to challenge the common wisdom that environmental and labour concerns have been treated in a similar way by the multilateral trade regime by assessing the two subjects' patterns of inclusion in regional trade agreements and in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Design/methodology/approach

An historical overview of the institutional developments at the regional and the bilateral level is provided. The selected analytical perspective focuses primarily on institutional change rather than on a normative analysis of the righteousness of linkage.

Findings

The article finds that the common knowledge placing both labour and the environment in the same position at the WTO originates from the alliances between organised labour and environmentalists during the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations. However, that alliance did not translate into the inclusion of both subjects at the WTO, which incorporated the environment while rejecting labour.

Research limitations/implications

The findings make clear that more academic attention should be paid to the differential treatment to non‐trade issues by the WTO by raising questions on the political factors that influenced the WTO Member States' decisions.

Originality/value

The article's added value lies in its comparative approach and its focus on WTO policies. So far, the degree of penetration of non‐trade subjects at the WTO has not been comparatively assessed, and the academic debate on non‐trade issues at the WTO has been dominated by speculative approaches that underplay the importance of actual political dynamics.
How can very small SMEs make the time for training and development: skill charting as an example of taking a scenistic approach
Authors: Lyons Paul , Mattare Marty
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to make clear some of the issues and problems that confront the small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME) when it comes to the training and development of employees. The paper aims to present a training methodology specifically for the small business.

Design/methodology/approach

The scenistic method, which involves trainees directly in the creation of strategies to improve performance in some domain, has been introduced in prior literature, and is proposed as particularly appropriate for the small business environment.

Findings

Very small enterprises provide workplace training in a significantly different manner than do larger organizations. Usually, the owner‐manager conducts whatever training there is and the training provided addresses only what is needed at the moment rather than be part of an overall training strategy. Workplace training correlates with employee satisfaction and lower turnover. However, often the very small enterprise does not have the resources to provide such a training program. This paper proposes an on‐the‐job training model for very small organizations.

Practical Implications

The scenistic method provides an inexpensive training opportunity that is tailored to specific needs. It may be conducted on site. It is flexible. Both the owner/manager and the employees play key roles in the training experience. It is experiential and hands on. And, it provides a model that is adaptable across several skill needs.

Originality/value

This paper introduces a training method to SMEs that can be easily adopted and used. Training and development of employees matters. Studies show that competitive advantage is compromised if employees are not adequately trained. Competition is demanding enough but when employees of the SME are less well equipped per knowledge and skills than their counterparts in larger businesses, the small firm is likely further disadvantaged. A trained, knowledgeable employee adds value to the firm and helps the firm to be more competitive. The scenistic method will allow the very small SME to effectively address these critical issues.
FDI, economic decline and recovery: lessons from the Asian financial crisis
Authors: Moon Hwy‐Chang , Cheng Joseph L.C. , Kim Min‐Young , Kim Jin‐Uk
Published: July 2011

Purpose

While many studies have investigated the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on a host country's economic development, little research has been done on the role of FDI as related to economic decline and recovery. This paper aims to fill this gap by investigating the economic effects of inward and outward FDI during turbulent times.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper develops a theoretical argument postulating that FDI will have a stabilizing effect on a nation's economic growth during crisis and also at times of recovery. Hypotheses were advanced and tested with data collected from affected economies during the Asian financial crisis using a fixed‐effect panel regression analysis.

Findings

Results confirm that both inward and outward FDI stabilizes a country's economic growth during times of a financial crisis. Countries that had higher levels of FDI prior to the crisis experienced a milder recession and a more gradual recovery. This stabilizing effect, however, is found to be more robust for FDI‐stock than for FDI‐flow.

Social implications

This paper reveals that FDI has a stabilizing rather than an accelerating effect on a country's economy growth during both periods of crisis and recovery. It contradicts the common belief that FDI would help speed up, not stabilize or dampen the uptake of economic activities during the recovery period. This finding will help policy makers educate the public and set realistic expectations about the economic impact of FDI.

Originality/value

This paper makes original contributions by uncovering the complex and unexpected role of FDI as related to a nation's economic decline and recovery during a financial crisis. The findings have important implications for both international business scholars and public‐policy decision makers.
Gravity, the English language and international business
Authors: Hejazi Walid , Ma Juan
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the merits of the view that the English language has emerged as the dominant language in international business. If there is merit to this view, then the ability to speak English and its role as a lingua franca in the global economy would imply that countries which have English as an official language should have a benefit over non‐English‐speaking countriesvis‐à‐vistheir abilities to undertake international business.

Design/methodology/approach

Within an augmented gravity model framework, the importance of the English language in explaining bilateral foreign direct investment (FDI) data within the OECD is tested. In addition to English, all other common official languages within the OECD are also tested. Furthermore, the linguistic distance to English is used to test whether closeness of languages to English enhance international business activity.

Findings

The results indicate that English‐speaking countries within the OECD do have a benefit that comes with the English language. Furthermore, countries whose official languages are linguistically close to English benefit from the special role played by the English language. These results therefore highlight the importance of the English language in deploying multinational strategies, even in countries whose official language is not English.

Research limitations/implications

These results therefore indicate the importance of the English language in international business. As such, having a proficiency with English within any corporation should enhance that corporation's ability to engage in international business.

Originality/value

Sharing a common language with FDI partners enhances the ability to communicate, and hence enhances FDI between the countries. This paper extends this evidence to show that when the common language is English, the common language effect is strongest.
Family and television influences on materialism: a cross‐cultural life‐course approach
Authors: Moschis George , Sim Ong Fon , Mathur Anil , Yamashita Takako , Benmoyal‐Bouzaglo Sarah
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the development of materialistic values in early life reflects cultural norms or is the outcome of media and family influences. It seeks to examine the role of family communication and television, which were found to promote materialistic values in individualistic countries, by assessing their effects on youths in four countries that represent the Eastern and Western cultures: Japan, Malaysia, USA, and France.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used an anonymous self‐administered survey of young adults aged 18 to 32 years in two diverse Eastern countries: Japan and Malaysia (total n=351); the sample size was approximately the same for the Western countries of USA and France (n=315). The samples were equivalent with respect to demographic characteristics. The Malaysian questionnaires were available in both English and Malay. Measurement scales included in the Japanese questionnaires come from available translated versions. The French questionnaires were subjected to back translation.

Findings

The findings suggest that the influence of the socio‐oriented family communication structure on materialistic attitudes in Western cultures might be indirect by affecting the youth's patterns of television viewing. The findings also suggest that concept‐oriented family communication has no effect on youth's development of materialistic values, regardless of cultural background.

Originality/value

The findings suggest that television might not be as important a socialization agent in the development of materialistic values of youths in collectivistic Eastern countries as it has been in individualistic Western countries
Strategic change and firm performance: the moderating effect of organisational learning
Authors: Vithessonthi Chaiporn , Thoumrungroje Amonrat
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The primary purpose of this research is to review and discuss the potential associations among strategic change, organisational learning, and firm performance, and to propose a conceptual model to investigate such relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature on the strategic change‐performance relationship was explored with the emphasis on elaborating the effects of frequency of strategic change on firm performance. In addition, a moderating role of organisational learning on such a relationship is introduced.

Findings

From the literature review, it is proposed that the relationship between strategic change and firm performance is an inverted U‐shape. Extremely frequent and infrequent strategic changes are deemed to be detrimental to firm performance. However, the research reveals that the strategic change‐performance relationship may alter due to the moderation of organisational learning.

Research limitations/implications

Given the conceptual nature of this paper, a review of relevant literature and a conceptual model are presented with suggestions for future empirical study. This paper also extends the strategic change‐performance research by advocating an inverted U‐shape relationship as one plausible explanation for inconsistent findings found in past literature.

Practical implications

Managers should try to understand their organisations and implement an appropriate level of strategic change in order to maximise the firm's overall performance. In addition, a significant role of organisational learning in supporting firms to manoeuvre in today's increasingly dynamic and competitive environment is highlighted to managers.

Originality/value

This paper attempts to explain: why firms might attain different levels of performance provided that they undergo various degrees of strategic change (in terms of frequency); and what factors contribute to the variations in organisational performance among firms that have undertaken the same number of strategic changes during a given period of time.
Information theoretic approach for constructing a super data envelopment analysis
Authors: Al‐Nasser Amjad D. , Rahim Y. Al‐Atrash Abdel
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a robust statistical procedure for evaluating and measuring the relative efficiency of multiple decision‐making units. This robust approach is based on the generalized maximum entropy principle.

Design/methodology/approach

Information‐theoretic estimation approach is employed in this paper and a comparison is made with the classical relative efficiency (CCR) by using a non‐parametric bootstrap simulation. A real data application on the research performance of faculty members at Yarmouk University is presented.

Findings

Results indicate that the relative efficiency based on the generalized maximum entropy estimation approach is more accurate, costs less and is more efficient than the CCR relative efficiency.

Research limitations/implications

Owing to use of Shannon's entropy formulation, it is still critical whether the results also hold with cross entropy or a higher order entropy formulation for modeling additive, multiplicative or partial relative efficiency.

Originality/value

A super data envelopment analysis has been introduced for finding superior decision‐making units (DMU) by solving only one nonlinear programming system, which could be considered as a flexible tool for modeling multiple input‐output DMU.
Investigation into the effects of solid lubricant on the surface characteristics of some metals during orthogonal machining
Authors: Ojolo Sunday J. , Damisa Olatunde , Iyekolo Oluwatoyin
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to explore the use of solid lubricant during orthogonal machining of carbon steels. This is a pioneer work in Nigeria. Most works have been on oblique cutting using conventional oil as lubricants.

Design/methodology/approach

Different steels (low, medium and high carbon) were machined at different cutting conditions and tool geometries to determine the effects on surface characteristics while applying solid lubricant.

Findings

The results showed considerable improvement in the surface finish with the use of solid lubricant. There was also a decrease in surface roughness values as compared to wet machining.

Research limitations/implications

Further works on solid lubricant's effects on cutting force and residual stress could be done.

Practical implications

From the findings of this work, solid lubricant use can be advocated as a better alternative to conventional cutting fluid. It is easily recoverable from the chips after machining.

Originality/value

So far, in Nigeria, solid lubricant has not been exploited as coolant during machining. This paper will be a platform for other researches on solid lubricants as coolant during cutting/machining in Nigeria.
Development of digital product catalogue for enabling agility in a manufacturing organisation
Authors: Vinodh S. , Arvind K.R. , Rajanayagam D.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the application feasibility of information technology (IT) for achieving agility in a typical manufacturing organisation.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature study was conducted. It was found out that IT is not fully utilised for achieving agility in certain traditional manufacturing sectors. An implementation study was conducted in an Indian electronics switches manufacturing organisation to identify the causes of this insufficient utilisation. Finally, a feedback session was conducted to explore the practitioners' views of this research.

Findings

The outcome of this research indicated the feasibility of adopting IT for infusing agility in contemporary manufacturing organisations.

Research limitations/implications

This research was conducted in only one electronics switches manufacturing organisation situated in India. This may lead to the impression that the findings from this research may not represent all manufacturing organisations. However, the environment prevailing in the above organisation is similar to that which is prevailing in any other contemporary manufacturing organisation. Hence, the outcome of this research could represent other manufacturing organisations situated throughout the world.

Practical implications

The research reported in this paper has shown the way of adopting IT for achieving agility and examined the hindrances that have to be overcome in future to integrate IT in practical scenarios.

Originality/value

Significant researches have been pursued in agile manufacturing and IT fields. However, no researcher has attempted to examine the practicality of adopting IT for infusing agility in a practical scenario. Hence, this work is original and valuable.
Today's pupils, tomorrow's engineers! Pedagogy and policy: a UK perspective
Authors: Clark Robin
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a critical analysis of UK Government policy in respect of recent moves to attract young people into engineering. Drawing together UK and EU policy literature, the paper considers why young people fail to look at engineering positively.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing together UK policy, practitioner and academic‐related literature the paper critically considers the various factors influencing young people's decision‐making processes in respect of entering the engineering profession. A conceptual framework providing a diagrammatic representation of the “push” and “pull” factors impacting young people at pre‐university level is given.

Findings

The discussion argues that higher education in general has a responsibility to assist young people overcome negative stereotypical views in respect of engineering education. Universities are in the business of building human capability ethically and sustainably. As such they hold a duty of care towards the next generation. From an engineering education perspective, the major challenge is to present a relevant and sustainable learning experience that will equip students with the necessary skills and competencies for a lifelong career in engineering. This may be achieved by promoting transferable skills and competencies or by the introduction of a capabilities‐driven curriculum which brings together generic and engineering skills and abilities.

Social implications

In identifying the push/pull factors impacting young people's decisions to study engineering, this paper considers why, at a time of global recession, young people should select to study the required subjects of mathematics, science and technology necessary to study for a degree in engineering. The paper identifies the long‐term social benefits of increasing the number of young people studying engineering.

Originality/value

In bringing together pedagogy and policy within an engineering framework, the paper adds to current debates in engineering education providing a distinctive look at what seems to be a recurring problem – the failure to attract young people into engineering.
Computational Markovian analysis of large systems
Authors: Mehmood Rashid , Lu Jie A.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

Markov chains and queuing theory are widely used analysis, optimization and decision‐making tools in many areas of science and engineering. Real life systems could be modelled and analysed for their steady‐state and time‐dependent behaviour. Performance measures such as blocking probability of a system can be calculated by computing the probability distributions. A major hurdle in the applicability of these tools to complex large problems is the curse of dimensionality problem because models for even trivial real life systems comprise millions of states and hence require large computational resources. This paper describes the various computational dimensions in Markov chains modelling and briefly reports on the author's experiences and developed techniques to combat the curse of dimensionality problem.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper formulates the Markovian modelling problem mathematically and shows, using case studies, that it poses both storage and computational time challenges when applied to the analysis of large complex systems.

Findings

The paper demonstrates using intelligent storage techniques, and concurrent and parallel computing methods that it is possible to solve very large systems on a single or multiple computers.

Originality/value

The paper has developed an interesting case study to motivate the reader and have computed and visualised data for steady‐state analysis of the system performance for a set of seven scenarios. The developed methods reviewed in this paper allow efficient solution of very large Markov chains. Contemporary methods for the solution of Markov chains cannot solve Markov models of the sizes considered in this paper using similar computing machines.
Application of Self Organizing Map (SOM) to model a machining process
Authors: Saraee Mohamad , Vahid Moosavi Seyed , Rezapour Shabnam
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to present a practical application of Self Organizing Map (SOM) and decision tree algorithms to model a multi‐response machining process and to provide a set of control rules for this process.

Design/methodology/approach

SOM is a powerful artificial neural network approach used for analyzing and visualizing high‐dimensional data. Wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process is a complex and expensive machining process, in which there are a lot of factors having effects on the outputs of the process. In this work, after collecting a dataset based on a series of designed experiments, the paper applied SOM to this dataset in order to analyse the underlying relations between input and output variables as well as interactions between input variables. The results are compared with the results obtained from decision tree algorithm.

Findings

Based on the analysis of the results obtained, the paper extracted interrelationships between variables as well as a set of control rules for prediction of the process outputs. The results of the new experiments based on these rules, clearly demonstrate that the paper's predictions are valid, interesting and useful.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first time SOM and decision tree has been applied to the WEDM process successfully.
Intelligence decision systems in enterprise information management
Authors: Kahraman Cengiz , Kaya İhsan , Çevikcan Emre
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how intelligence techniques have been used in information management systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The results of a literature review on intelligence decision systems used in enterprise information management are analyzed. The intelligence techniques used in enterprise information management are briefly summarized.

Findings

Intelligence techniques are rapidly emerging as new tools in information management systems. Especially, intelligence techniques can be used to utilize the decision process of enterprises information management. These techniques can increase sensitiveness, flexibility and accuracy of information management systems. The hybrid systems that contain two or more intelligence techniques will be more used in the future.

Originality/value

The intelligence decision systems are briefly introduced and then a literature review is given to show how intelligence techniques have been used in information management systems.
The practice of the Balanced Scorecard in health care services
Authors: Kollberg Beata , Elg Mattias
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main characteristics of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) practice in health care services

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a case study approach focusing on three health care organisations in Sweden using the BSC. The focus is upon different management levels in a hierarchical branch in each organisation.

Findings

The paper concludes that the BSC is used as a tool for improving internal capabilities and supporting organisational development. More specifically, the BSC is used as a tool by management and employees in discussions, information dissemination, knowledge creation, follow‐up and reporting processes. Instead of using the BSC as a tool to implement and communicate strategy formulated by management it is used as a tool for opening up the organisation and providing a foundation for an improvement dialogue, which consequently increases the demands on management.

Research limitations/implications

The paper contributes to changing the focus in existing research away from the design and construction of the BSC towards its use in managerial work.

Practical implications

The paper emphasises important aspects in using the BSC in a health care context that will help managers in improving performance measurements.

Originality/value

The paper shows that the use of the BSC includes several aspects, such as the purpose of the system, implementation process, actions taken and the expected contribution.