bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monitoring building operation and maintenance contracts
Authors: Lai Joseph H.K. , Yik Francis W.H.
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to study the use of management tools and their costs for monitoring building operation and maintenance (O&M) service contracts.

Design/methodology/approach

The management tools usable for monitoring building O&M contracts were reviewed, with their characteristics highlighted and compared. A series of face‐to‐face interviews with practitioners looking after building O&M contracts was conducted to collect empirical information, followed by data analysis and discussion of the results.

Findings

The paper finds that using balanced scorecard or benchmarking to monitor building O&M contracts was unpopular. The use of customer satisfaction survey was rather common. The cost for monitoring contracts through performance review meeting and O&M audit was measured. It tended to reduce in relative amount with larger scale of contracts.

Research limitations/implications

More research is needed to study the effect of factors, including propriety of contract, complexity of work, contractual relationship, capability and quality of the contract and management teams on contract monitoring effort. Further works may take a similar approach of the study to investigate other transaction cost elements.

Practical implications

The cost amounts for implementing the management tools inform practitioners about their significance relative to the amounts for procuring O&M services. How to make effective use of management tools to monitor O&M contracts should be investigated.

Originality/value

It has been demonstrated how to measure the cost for using management tools to monitor building O&M contracts. The reviewed characteristics of the management tools and the unveiled amounts of contract monitoring cost are useful information to O&M practitioners.
Planned residential community developments: do they add value?
Authors: Eves Chris
Published: April 2007

Purpose

An increasing trend in residential property markets is the concept of planned residential community developments, offering a range of services not available to the existing residential property markets in that given location. The purpose of this paper is to analyse a number of planned residential community developments in a major city to determine the demand for these developments and the impact they have in relation to price premiums and the overall residential property market.

Design/methodology/approach

This study has identified four planned residential developments in the Sydney property market and all sale transactions in these developed estates or unit complexes have been analysed and compared to the sales transactions in the residential areas immediately adjoining the planned residential developments. These sales represent all sales transactions in the study areas and this database has enabled a comparison based on price trends, average annual capital return and price volatility.

Findings

Results from this study have shown that residential property buyers are prepared to pay a premium for property in a planned residential community, despite the availability of cheaper housing within immediately adjoining locations, with this premium being maintained over time. The study also shows that buyers are prepared to purchase a property in a planned residential estate even though the adjoining areas are not considered to be as desirable, and in time the planned residential estate can increase the price of residential property in the adjoining areas.

Research limitations/implications

Although the sales data for two of the planned residential developments only covers the period 1999‐2004, this limitation is offset by the greater time period of sales transactions for the other two planned residential estates in the study. The limited sale period is due to the relatively new nature of these developments in Sydney, Australia.

Originality/value

The research has indicated that, in developed residential property markets, consumers will pay a premium for property that meets their lifestyle or security requirements, irrespective of the actual location of the development.
A hybrid ant strategy and genetic algorithm to tune the population size for efficient structural optimization
Authors: Kaveh A. , Shahrouzi M.
Published: April 2007

Purpose

Although genetic algorithm (GA) has already been extended to various types of engineering problems, tuning its parameters is still an interesting field of interest. Some recent works have addressed attempts requiring several GA runs, while more interesting approaches aim to obtain proper estimate of a tuned parameter during any run of genetic search. This paper seeks to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a competitive frequency‐based methodology is proposed to explore the least proper population size as a major affecting control parameter of GAs. In the tuning stage, the indirect shared memory in ant strategies is borrowed in a discrete manner to generate a dynamic colony of the most successive recent solutions to be added into each new population. An adaptive variable band mutation based on direct index coding for structural problems is also employed to increase the convergence rate as well as to prevent premature convergence especially after determining a proper population size. As an important field of engineering problems, the method is then applied to a number of structural size and layout optimization examples in order to illustrate and validate its capability in capturing the problem optimum with reduced computational effort.

Findings

It was shown that improper fixed size population can lead to premature convergence. Applying the proposed method could result in a more efficient convergence to the global optimum compared with the fixed size population methods.

Originality/value

A novel combination of genetic and ant colony approaches is proposed to provide a dynamic short‐term memory of the sampled representatives which can enrich the current population, avoiding unnecessary increase in its size and the corresponding computational effort in the genetic search. In addition, a dynamic band mutation is introduced and matched with such a search, to make it more efficient for structural purposes.
Natural neighbour Galerkin computation of the vibration modes of fluid‐structure systems
Authors: Daneshmand F. , Niroomandi S.
Published: April 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to extend the application of the natural neighbour Galerkin method to vibration analysis of fluid‐structure interaction problems.

Design/methodology/approach

The natural element method (NEM) which is a meshless technique is used to simulate the vibration analysis of the fluid‐structure interaction systems. The method uses the natural neighbour interpolation for the construction of test and trial functions. Displacement variable is used for both the solid and the fluid domains, whereas the fluid displacement is written as the gradient of a potential function. Two classical examples are considered: free vibration of a flexible cavity filled with liquid and vibration of an open vessel containing liquid. The corresponding eigenvalue problems are solved and the results are compared with the finite element method (FEM) and analytical solutions to show the accuracy and convergence of the method.

Findings

The performance of the NEM is investigated in the computation of the vibration modes of the fluid‐structure interaction problems. Good agreement with analytical and FEM solutions are observed. Through the notable obtained results, it is found that the NEM can also be used in vibration analysis of fluid‐structure interaction problems as it has been successfully applied to some problems in solid and fluid mechanics during the recent years.

Originality/value

In spite of notable achievements in solving some problems in solid and fluid mechanics using NEM, the vibration analysis of fluid‐structure interaction problems, as considered in this paper, has not been investigated so far.
Organizational commitment and auditors in public accounting
Authors: Kalbers Lawrence P. , Cenker William J.
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine organizational commitment within the context of important antecedents, correlates, and consequences for auditors in public accounting. Specifically, to explore the relationships among the constructs of experience, role ambiguity, organizational commitment (affective and continuance), job satisfaction, and turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

An integrated model is developed and tested using structural equation modeling techniques. A sample of 334 auditors working for international and regional public accounting firms in a major metropolitan area of the USA is used to test the model.

Findings

The findings support nearly all of the hypothesized relationships. Auditors with more experience have less role ambiguity, have more affection for their organization, and are less inclined to leave their organization. Continuance commitment plays a less important role in the integrated model. However, the study lends support to the notion that the two dimensions of continuance commitment, high sacrifice and low alternatives, are distinct and have different patterns of relationships with other important variables.

Research limitations/implications

The sample was taken from one geographic area of the US and may not be representative of all auditors. Auditors from the regional public accounting firms may not be representative of other regional firms.

Practical implications

Despite the fact that auditors with higher levels of affective organizational commitment and job satisfaction are less likely to leave their organizations, the findings also indicate a direct link with more experience and the desire to leave the firm. Role ambiguity and continuance commitment do not have direct links to turnover intentions, but deserve consideration for their indirect influence on important job outcomes.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the study of organizational commitment by using auditors from all job levels and from public accounting firms from varying sizes. Few studies have examined the sub‐dimensions of continuance commitment for auditors.
Motivations for environmental collaboration within the building and construction industry
Authors: Fiedler Terese , Deegan Craig
Published: April 2007

Purpose

This paper sets out to document a review of environmental collaborations in the Australian building and construction industry and to identify a number of motivations that appear to drive particular environmental groups and building and construction companies to collaborate on specific projects.

Design/methodology/approach

The research involves a series of in‐depth interviews with individuals from building and construction companies and from environmental groups, and utilises a number of theoretical perspectives to explain the various perspectives being adopted by the interviewees.

Findings

The results indicate that corporate managers seek to collaborate with environmental groups as a result of pressures exerted by particular stakeholder groups, particularly government, and by the desire to be aligned with an organisation that has “green credentials” – something that is valuable in enhancing the reputation and legitimacy of the company and the related building project. There was also a related financial motivation for collaborating. The representatives from the environmental groups indicated that motivations for collaboration included developing a project that could be used as a vehicle for “educating” the public, generating positive environmental outcomes, complying with the expectations of their constituents, and setting an example for other building and construction companies to follow.

Originality/value

Little research has been done in the area of environmental collaborations. In this study, environmental collaborations were considered as a vehicle for both the environmental groups and the companies to further meet their organisational objectives and were generally considered as successful initiatives from each organisation's perspective.
Making use of knowledge sharing technologies
Authors: Hedgebeth Darius
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show that collaboration is a vital cog in the “wheel” of knowledge management. The exchange of knowledge between individuals and enterprises is accomplished by knowledge sharing technology, enabling tools that provide communication and knowledge capture in the form of wikis, blogs, online repositories, and instant messaging applications. In order to keep pace with the demands of the ever‐changing knowledge economy, organizations must be aware of the knowledge sharing tools that are in use today, customizing the technology to help them maintain a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. This article introduces knowledge sharing products that are readily available in the commercial market. Products distributed by SalesForce.com, BMC Software, DCASoft, and Atlassian are highlighted. An evaluation of Atlassian's Confluence collaboration product is provided.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper lists the capabilities of product offerings by several companies, and provides an in‐depth product review of a web and database‐enabled collaboration application that is fully‐installed on a web server.

Findings

There have been several success stories in which government, commercial, and academic institutions have improved performance by using knowledge sharing technology. However, organizations must be prepared to identify technical staff and/or hire consultants who can integrate and customize knowledge sharing applications to suit the needs of their environments. These system integrators should have extensive internet development skills using the eXtensible Markup Language (XML), Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), Really Simple Syndication (RSS), database connectivity, portals, and web programming languages such as Java and Perl.

Originality/value

Enterprises can achieve a significant return on investment (ROI) by integrating collaborative technology into their daily operations. Benefits would be measured in terms of increased productivity, improved performance, and profitability.
STI capacity building: a knowledge‐centric strategic process
Authors: Harmon Ken
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to define a knowledge‐centric model of the technological innovation process which can serve as a baseline for the development of enhanced enterprise performance capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

This purpose is achieved through the integration of basic knowledge derived from a critical review of contemporary R&D, intellectual property and new product development.

Findings

Emerging from this research is a holistic appreciation for technological innovation at both the micro and macro levels of practice.

Originality/value

Corporate executives and technology professionals engaged in enterprise transformation initiatives; government and NGO professionals responsible for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) capacity building; and students of technological innovation in both graduate and continuing education programs will find this knowledge‐centric portrayal of technological innovation helpful in modeling the current performance capabilities of a competitive global enterprise. A further outcome of this research is an indication that ongoing managerial effort to further enhance capabilities for technological innovation (STI capacity) is a rational strategy for improving the global competitiveness of any complex enterprise.
Learning goal orientation, formal mentoring, and leadership competence in HRD
Authors: Kim Sooyoung
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a conceptual model of formal mentoring as a leadership development initiative including “learning goal orientation”, “mentoring functions”, and “leadership competencies” as key constructs of the model.

Design/methodology/approach

Some empirical studies, though there are not many, will provide positive suggestions for the effectiveness of formal mentoring in leadership development. Then the rationale of the conceptual model will be provided with testable propositions. Further, the future direction of research on mentoring in relation to leadership development will be recommended.

Findings

Formal mentoring could have great potential as a leadership development initiative.

Research limitations/implications

A conceptual model of formal mentoring for leadership development could lead HRD professionals to identify and develop learning goal‐oriented mentors and protégés.

Originality/value

Contributes to the literature in human resources about formal mentoring programs as a potential leadership development initiative in the workplace.
Net social capital processes
Authors: Bowey James L. , Easton Geoff
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The paper seeks to use the concept of net social capital to help explain the behaviour of a business constellation, a group of entrepreneurial firms in different businesses that cooperate to their mutual benefit.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of an in‐depth case study of the Canadian Groupement Quebecoise.

Findings

The members of the group create and maintain net social capital among themselves in a variety of ways both social and economic and in turn use that net social capital outside the group in dealings with other organisations, profit and non‐profit.

Practical implications

The findings suggest ways in which firms can work with other non‐competing firms.

Originality/value

The concept of net social capital is novel and the study is the first of its kind that investigates such a tightly knit and productive business constellation.
Supply network initiatives – a means to reorganise the supply base?
Authors: Holmen Elsebeth , Pedersen Ann‐Charlott , Jansen Nikolai
Published: April 2007

Purpose

While numerous articles have stressed the importance of developing and maintaining supply networks, there is still a dearth of studies that address how supply networks arise and change over time. The purpose of this article is to describe and conceptualise how a firm initiates the development of a supply network, and how the structure of the firm's supply network and supply base change over time as a consequence of the type and duration of initiative taken?

Design/methodology/approach

Empirically, the article is based on a longitudinal, single case study, which is real‐time, theory‐led and contextual. The case study concerns the efforts of a main contractor (within the construction industry) who changed its sourcing strategy, initiated the development of a supply network, and restructured part of its supply base. Theoretically, the article reviews both supply base and supply network management literature, highlights important issues related to both concepts, and discusses similarities and differences between them.

Findings

It is possible to discern between supply network initiatives of more permanent versus more temporary character. Supply network initiatives of a more permanent character comprise the establishment of, for example, organisational structures, functions, manuals and (explicit) routines aimed at continually supporting the maintenance of the supply network. Supply network initiatives of a more temporary character are organised as projects and aim to set in motion a process that may result in the creation of a supply network which develops over time without institutionalised network support structures. A single temporary supply network initiative is useful to consider in relation to the pre‐initiative stage, the ongoing initiative stage and the post‐initiative stage of the initiative. Furthermore, supply networks may be managed through an emergent series of temporary supply network initiatives aimed at supporting the supply network as it emerges over time in a changing context.

Practical implications

Managers may benefit from considering whether a supply network initiative is of a more permanent or a more temporary nature. If it is of a more temporary character, managers may consider analysing the initiative in its pre‐initiative, ongoing initiative, and post‐initiative stages in order to reflect on and learn from the initiative. Furthermore, if the initiative is temporary but form part of a planned or an emerging sequence of initiatives, managers may search for and consider earlier initiatives which may be viewed as “experiments” in a emerging trial‐and‐error learning process aimed at managing supply networks.

Originality/value

The article illustrates how a temporary supply network initiative can be used as a means to instigate reform of a supply base.
Sourcing from outside – six managerial challenges
Authors: Freytag Per V. , Mikkelsen Ole S.
Published: April 2007

Purpose

As companies become more aware of their role in the business network and their own value contribution hereto, the question of the companies’ sourcing strategy and use of suppliers has simultaneously come more and more into focus of their decision making. The purpose of this paper is to describe some managerial challenges on the sourcing side, which companies must address in order to be able to act appropriately in relation to their own role and the cooperation with others in the network. The paper aims to focus on managerial implications of deliberate strategic sourcing.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on empirical observations, discussions with managers, and previous research the paper discusses six significant strategic managerial challenges that companies must address in their quest to form their role in the network.

Findings

Strategic sourcing is not a stand alone activity, but an activity impacting the whole network. The paper pinpoints how important it is to address the raised managerial challenges when relationships are to be terminated, maintained or developed.

Originality/value

The paper helps managers to navigate and focus in discussing their strategic sourcing process.
Reactions to the glass cliff
Authors: Ryan Michelle K. , Alexander Haslam S. , Postmes Tom
Published: April 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the phenomenon of the glass cliff, whereby women are more likely than men to be placed in precarious leadership positions. Men's and women's reactions to this subtle form of gender discrimination are examined, the identity processes involved, and the implications for organisations who must manage this change in the gender make‐up of their workforce.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is qualitative analysis of participants’ spontaneous explanations for the glass cliff, after having read about the phenomenon on an online news web site.

Findings

The research demonstrates clear differences in men's and women's reactions to the glass cliff. While women were more likely to acknowledge the existence of the glass cliff and recognise its danger, unfairness, and prevalence for women, men were more likely to question the validity of research into the glass cliff, downplaying the dangers. These patterns were mirrored in the explanations that individuals generated. While women were most likely to explain the glass cliff in terms of pernicious processes such as a lack of alternative opportunities, sexism, or men's ingroup favouritism, men were most likely to favour largely benign interpretations, such as women's suitability for difficult leadership tasks, the need for strategic decision‐making, or company factors unrelated to gender.

Originality/value

This research examines people's reactions to a new form of subtle sexism in the workplace which allows one to develop a more thorough theoretical understanding of the phenomenon and of the likely impact of practical interventions designed to help eliminate discriminatory appointment practices.
“The lady vanishes”: some thoughts on women and leadership
Authors: Höpfl Heather , Matilal Sumohon
Published: April 2007

Purpose

This paper is concerned with some speculations and observations on the position of women in relationship to leadership roles in organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a theoretical piece. It attempts to analyse some of the reasons why women find it difficult to attain leadership roles and reflects on the costs to them when they do.

Findings

It considers why women are considered a threat to organizations and why organizations seek to subject women to the therapeutic imperative of rationality as the price of membership and of “success”. Put simply, it considers how women have to demonstrate male characteristics in order to “succeed” as leaders and must set aside feminine qualities: to live hyper‐abstractly “in order thus to earn divine grace and homologation with the symbolic order”. This results in an irresolvable lack in terms of what the organization desires for its completion.

Originality/value

Leadership is defined by the phallus and women's leadership by its absence. The woman vanishes.
The international protean career: four women's narratives
Authors: Crowley‐Henry Marion , Weir David
Published: April 2007

Purpose

Using narratives from four women following international careers in France, this paper seeks to offer an insight into the depth and complexity of career issues for women working in a foreign country.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a qualitative hermeneutic inductive research undertaking on international protean careers, using in‐depth interview data together with contextual information regarding the specificity of the location in question.

Findings

The concept of the protean career is highlighted in the findings. This concept is described as “having an ability to reform oneself” also referred to as “morphing”. The findings in this study demonstrate how the women in the sample had the proven capability of morphing their professional role over time due to circumstance.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are limited as they cannot be generalised to a wider population due to the small sample size. However, the aim was not to generalise, but to share an in‐depth collection of real‐life stories from women.

Practical implications

Careers are complex, even more so on an international level. Individual choices regarding career pathways require more individualised career management approaches within organisations.

Originality/value

This research adds to the limited extant European research on women and international careers from a qualitative perspective.
Logistical network design with robustness and complexity considerations
Authors: Meepetchdee Yongyut , Shah Nilay
Published: April 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a logistical network design framework with robustness and complexity considerations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper defines robustness, complexity, and normalised efficiency of a logistical network. A mathematical model is then constructed based on the conceptual framework and applied to a hypothetical case study with varying robustness requirements. The mathematical model is formulated as an Mixed‐Integer Linear Programming problem. Furthermore, the paper introduces a graph‐theoretic view of the logistical network and presents its topological properties such as average path length, clustering coefficient, and degree distribution.

Findings

The results show that logistical network configurations can be obtained with desirable robustness levels whilst minimising cost. The relationships of robustness versus normalised efficiency and complexity are also presented. The results show that relationships between logistical network topological properties and robustness exist, as in other real world natural and man‐made complex networks.

Practical implications

Logistical network design is one of the earliest strategic decisions in supply chain management that supply chain managers have to make. Practitioners and researchers typically focus on optimising efficiency and/or responsiveness of logistical networks. It is argued that logistical network designers should also consider robustness and complexity as they are important characteristics of logistical network functionality. The logistical network design frame work successfully incorporates robustness and complexity into design considerations.

Originality/value

This paper newly introduces other important performance measures, robustness and complexity, into the logistical network design objective. The design framework is highly relevant and adds value to logistical network designers and managers.
The role of online and offline features in sustaining virtual communities: an empirical study
Authors: Lin Hsiu‐Fen
Published: April 2007

Purpose

By expanding the technology acceptance model, the purpose of this paper is to provide a research model to examine the impact of online (information quality, system quality and service quality) and offline (offline activities) features on the sustainability of virtual communities.Design/methodology/approach– Based on a survey of 165 community members, the paper uses structural equation modeling approach to investigate the research model.

Findings

The findings indicate that perceived of usefulness, perceived ease of use and offline activities are determinants of sustainability of virtual communities. In addition, information quality affects perceived usefulness, while system‐quality and service quality influence both perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness of virtual communities.

Research limitations/implications

Since this study only considered non‐profit virtual communities, it is unclear whether these analytical results can be generalized to other virtual communities. Further research can apply this research model to examine profit‐oriented virtual communities, such as eBay.com.tw or brand communities.

Practical implications

To sustain a successful virtual community, attention must be paid to enhance both online and offline interactions, including content management, specific sets of web site functions and offline communication. Virtual community providers can apply the findings of this study to focus on the determinants of success for their virtual communities.

Originality/value

Theoretically, while drawing upon the extended TAM, this paper provides a model that is capable of understanding the determinants of sustainability of virtual communities. From a managerial perspective, the findings should provide further insight into member behaviors, leading to more effective strategies for expanding the virtual community.
Network externality and future usage of Internet services
Authors: Yong Chun Sung , Hahn Minhi
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate different effects of three network externality factors, i.e. local network size, network strength, and total network size, on online messenger, online community, chat room and e‐mail services.

Design/methodology/approach

In the paper hypotheses are tested with a regression model using a survey data collected from 107 MBA students at a business school in South Korea.

Findings

The paper finds that the three network externality factors have different effects on the users' future usage intention for the four Internet services. Local network size is significant for online messenger services, local network size and network strength are significant for online community services, and total network size is significant for chat room services. For email services, none of the network externality factors are significant.

Research limitations/implications

The paper shows that a total network size is an important network externality factor affecting the success of a network. However, users' satisfaction with network services and two additional network externality factors, local network size and network strength, are also important determinants. To generalize the finding, investigations into other network services in other environments and into some offline networks are necessary.

Originality/value

The paper shows that depending on types of networks, managers can focus on different important network externality factors in managing their networks.
An overview of the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) as an anti‐phishing mechanism
Authors: Görling Stefan
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the Sender Policy Framework (SPF) and discuss its merits for adoption as an anti‐phishing mechanism.

Design/methodology/approach

All of the active domains in the .se zone were probed to determine if they have an SPF‐policy. This data collection step is combined with a theoretical discussion of the SPF standard and related initiatives.

Findings

This paper finds that the adoption ratio is very low. Few seem to be interested in deploying it, despite it being designed for easy adoption and being consistently implemented in several popular anti‐spam solutions.

Practical implications

The paper shows that despite the low adoption‐ratio the standard merits implementation by IT/IS managers and software vendors.

Originality/value

This paper analyzes the adoption ratio, which is valuable both for software vendors and endorsers of the standard. It also provides an overview of the standard itself as an attempt to avoid common misconceptions about the role of the standard and its relation to other anti‐spam initiatives.
The impact of web site structure on link analysis
Authors: Mandl Thomas
Published: April 2007

Purpose

This web mining paper aims at analyzing whether the number of links pointing to a web page is biased by the structure of web sites.

Design/methodology/approach

By web‐design mining methods, two collections of web pages are extracted and the in‐links counts are determined by querying web search engines.

Findings

The paper finds that the structure bias and pages on a higher hierarchical level are likely to receive more links than other pages.

Research limitations/implications

The links are set by web page authors whose behaviour is not yet fully understood and which requires further research.

Practical implications

The paper shows that the structure bias of in‐links should be considered by link analysis measures used in search engines. Potential consequences are presented.

Originality/value

The number of links toward a web page are considered to be an indicator for the quality of that page. This measure is biased and cannot be solely trusted as a knowledge source for the quality of a page.
Conceptualization of hybrid web sites
Authors: Navarro Antonio , Fernández‐Valmayor Alfredo
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a mechanism to characterize web sites, at the conceptualization stage, whose information content can be defined in terms of hybrid conceptual models. Usually in this type of web site, some of the domain information units are modeled in terms of classes/entities while others remain as heterogeneous irregular elements. Web sites built on this type of hybrid conceptual domain are referred to as hybrid web sites in this paper.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper characterizes a hybrid web site, at the conceptualization stage – the site of the Virtual Campus of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. For the characterization of this site the Pipe notation, a notation that has proven to be appropriate when characterizing web sites built on irregular domains, was used. In addition, the Pipe notation was combined with entity‐relationship diagrams to characterize the most homogeneous and regular elements of the web site. The paper also analyzed several alternative notations intended for the characterization of web sites.

Findings

It was found that if in hybrid web sites, entity‐relationship diagrams are complemented with other notations able to characterize the most heterogeneous and irregular elements of these web sites, important benefits can be obtained from a modeling point of view. These benefits are later easily translated into an easier evolution and maintenance of the web site.

Research limitations/implications

Only some web applications can be characterized as hybrid web sites. Therefore, there are many web applications whose conceptual domain is best characterized using classes/entities based models.

Practical implications

Persons in charge of modeling web sites must first identify the nature of the information domain of the web site in order to choose the most appropriate modeling mechanism.

Originality/value

This paper explicitly identifies hybrid web sites and provides a notation, which is able to characterize them at the conceptualization stage.
Process planning method for mask projection micro‐stereolithography
Authors: Limaye A.S. , Rosen D.W.
Published: April 2007

Purpose

Mask projection micro‐stereolithography (MPμSLA) is an additive manufacturing process capable for fabricating true three‐dimensional microparts and hence, holds promise as a potential 3D MEMS fabrication process. With only a few MPμSLA systems developed and studied so far, the research in this field is inchoate and experimental in nature. In order to employ the MPμSLA technology for microfabrication, it is necessary to model its part building process and formulate a process planning method to cure dimensionally accurate microparts. The purpose of this paper is to formulate a process planning method for curing dimensionally accurate layers.

Design/methodology/approach

A MPμSLA system is designed and assembled. The process of curing a single layer in resin using this system is modeled as the layer cure model. The layer cure model is validated by curing test layers. This model is used to formulate a process planning method to cure dimensionally accurate layers. The process planning method is tested by conducting a case study.

Findings

The layer cure model is found to be valid within 3 percent for most of the features and within 10 percent for very small features (<250μm). The paper shows that ray tracing can be effectively used to model the process of irradiation of the resin surface in a MPμSLA system.

Research limitations/implications

The process planning method is applicable only to those imaging systems, which are aberration limited as opposed to diffraction limited. The dimensional errors in the lateral dimensions of single layers cured by MPμSLA have been modeled, but not the vertical errors in 3D parts.

Originality/value

In this paper, a process planning method for MPμSLA has been presented for the first time.
Dimensional accuracy analysis of wax patterns created by RTV silicone rubber molding using the Taguchi approach
Authors: Rahmati S. , Akbari J. , Barati E.
Published: April 2007

Purpose

Dimensional accuracy analysis of wax model created by room temperature vulcanization (RTV) silicone rubber molding to be used in investment casting is presented. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the effective parameters of dimensional accuracy in RTV tooling technique.

Design/methodology/approach

After producing a pattern by stereolithography (SLA) and then creating the RTV silicone rubber mold by the SLA pattern, dimensional accuracy of wax models produced by RTV tool are analyzed. Design of experiments (DOE) using the Taguchi approach is used for analysis and determination of optimum condition.

Findings

Experiments show that the dimensional accuracy in RTV technique is as accurate as in traditional molding. Hence, RTV tooling technique can be used in investment casting. Using Taguchi approach based on DOE, it was realized that the optimum condition to achieve acceptable accuracy is 35°C for mold temperature, 85°C for wax temperature, and −0.5 barG for vacuum pressure.

Practical implications

RTV silicone rubber mold is a useful alternative of metallic mold to produce wax patterns for investment casting. It has benefits such as reduction in production lead‐time and cost, compared with traditional metallic mold.

Originality/value

A case study for research of dimensional accuracy of wax patterns created by RTV silicone rubber mold had not been attempted as such. In addition to reduction in production lead‐time and cost, the dimensional accuracy of wax patterns using RTV tooling technique are as accurate as in traditional technique.
Sell‐side analysts' creation of value – key roles and relational capital
Authors: Johansson Jeaneth
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to increase the transparency of the value‐creation chain in the stock market. It aims to: conceptualize the value‐added through the relational capital, inductively develop models on how values are created, and discuss the values created for the analyst firm, the clients and investors in the stock market in general.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a case study of sell‐side analysts at a big Swedish investment bank and their work with real life situations of changes in recommendations.

Findings

The findings of the case study indicate that analysts, through their relational capital, access competitive advantages needed for remaining on a highly competitive market. They get access to value‐added information and knowledge and also business for the firm. This helps them to fulfill the three roles played, i.e. as information intermediaries, knowledge builders and businessmen. However, the analysts' dependencies, due to their relational capital and the analysts' conflicting roles, result in ambiguous or even biased information. The values added to clients differ between prioritized clients who receive value‐added information through the relational capital with the analysts and non‐prioritized clients with limited, or no access, to the analysts' services.

Originality/value

Value created through relational capital within organizations has been intensively studied within the area of intellectual capital. However, the sell‐side analysts' value‐creation chain linked to their relational capital with company representatives and clients, considered in the present study, has been neglected.
Building the requisite capacity for stewardship and sustainable development
Authors: Kevany Kathleen D.
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a menu of instruction methods for educators to increase engagement in sustainable practices. The paper also aims to assist those increasing the understanding of education for sustainable development, to the power of two‐EfSD2, through research and teaching.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides a descriptive and analytical approach to the field of education for sustainable development. It includes a review of the relevant literature on stewardship and sustainable practices.

Findings

The paper provides a succinct summary of gaps to and remedies for sustainable development. It offers a comprehensive explanation of eight distinct approaches to education for sustainable development.

Practical implications

The application of EfSD2 methods described in this paper have been found to increase productive results through enabling learners to grapple with and create solutions for real life sustainability problems. The paper proposes a more thorough testing of the various educational methods to assess their effectiveness in increasing sustainable practices.

Originality/value

As far as the author is aware, this paper is the first to compile this “tool kit” for EfSD2. It offers the reader new ways to interpret older techniques along with a plethora of instructional methods not previously consolidated to advance stewardship and sustainable practices.
The role of environmental engineering education in sustainable development in Iran
Authors: Alavi Moghaddam M.R. , Taher‐shamsi A. , Maknoun R.
Published: April 2007

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to explain the strategies and activities of a main technical University in Iran (Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT)) toward sustainable development goals.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, three main strategies of AUT to achieve sustainable developments goals in engineering education are explained. In addition, the main obstacles of these programs including the budget limitation for implementation of main activities related to sustainable development and difficulties in official procedure for the change of educational system is also explained.

Findings

The study of strategies and activities of a university can provide useful information for other universities (especially in developing countries) that like to promote their activities toward sustainable development goals. According to the final results, international education of engineering students and teachers, especially those who are living in developing countries, have an important role in promoting their environmentally aware attitudes, skills and behavior patterns help their societies make the transition to sustainable development.

Practical implications

As earlier mentioned, these experiences are useful for the universities that like to promote their education system toward sustainable development. In addition, it is necessary to think about solving the main obstacle of these activities especially in the universities of developing countries. Further, action should be taken toward international cooperation of universities in order to improve their educational system, which will be suitable for the new millennium.

Originality/value

This paper describes the strategies, activities and main obstacles of a main technical University that has adopted the strategy “pioneer of sustainable development” in Iran for the next decade. The paper mainly focuses on experiences regarding these activities.
A methodology for teaching industrial ecology
Authors: Cervantes Gemma
Published: April 2007

Purpose

To describe a way of teaching industrial ecology (IE) and to show some tools that may help for the IE teaching.

Design/methodology/approach

In the paper, the development of lectures, practical lessons and projects on real industrial ecosystems are described. Also the teaching materials used are described.

Findings

The presented methodology for teaching IE has been a good means for the understanding of the IE concept. Some of the educational tools presented have helped the students to increase their awareness of the distance between IE and the real industrial field, discover that there are a lot of by‐product exchange possibilities between industries, to develop their creativity, to connect the theory to practice in the industrial systems and have encouraged them to try to put the IE ideas into practice. This methodology has been useful for either small or big groups and for people with either the same or very different backgrounds. And it has been observed that the quality of the work is enhanced when the members of the group have different backgrounds.

Practical implications

The paper shows methodologies and tools that may encourage and help other teachers/professors to use them in their IE lessons. It may also help IE researches to know which real examples and methodologies help students to understand IE concept. This could encourage them to develop projects and research in those directions.

Originality/value

The paper fulfils the need of knowing real experiences in IE teaching and their results. And in special, experiences that have been tested for a long period of time and with a great number of students. All the experiences described in the paper have been created and put into practice by the author.