bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Drift and directional selection are the evolutionary forces driving gene expression divergence in eye and brain tissue ofHeliconiusbutterflies
Authors: Catalán Ana , Briscoe Adriana , Höhna Sebastian
Published: November 2018

Investigating gene expression evolution over micro- and macroevolutionary timescales will expand our understanding of the role of gene expression in adaptation and speciation. In this study, we characterized which evolutionary forces are acting on gene expression levels in eye and brain tissue of fiveHeliconiusbutterflies with divergence times of ~5-12 MYA. We developed and applied Brownian motion and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models to identify genes whose expression levels are evolving through drift, stabilizing selection, or a lineage-specific shift. We find that 81% of the genes evolve under genetic drift. When testing for branch-specific shifts in gene expression, we detected 368 (16%) shift events. Genes showing a shift towards up-regulation have significantly lower gene expression variance than those genes showing a shift leading towards down-regulation. We hypothesize that directional selection is acting in shifts causing up-regulation, since transcription is costly. We further uncover through simulations that parameter estimation of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models is biased when using small phylogenies and only becomes reliable with phylogenies having at least 50 taxa. Therefore, we developed a new statistical test based on Brownian motion to identify highly conserved genes (i.e., evolving under strong stabilizing selection), which comprised 3% of the orthoclusters. In conclusion, we found that drift is the dominant evolutionary force driving gene expression evolution in eye and brain tissue inHeliconius. Nevertheless, the higher proportion of genes evolving under directional than under stabilizing selection might reflect species-specific selective pressures on vision and brain necessary to fulfill species-specific requirements.
Drug prescription pattern in European neonatal units
Authors: Mesek Inge , Nellis Georgi , Lass Jana , Metsvaht Tuuli , Varendi Heili , Visk Helle , Turner Mark A. , Nunn Anthony J. , Duncan Jennifer , Lutsar Irja
Published: November 2018

Background

Hospitalized neonates receive the highest number of drugs compared to all other age groups, but consumption rates vary between studies depending on patient characteristics and local practices. There are no large scale international studies on drug use in neonatal units. We aimed to describe drug use in European neonatal units and characterize its associations with geographic region and gestational age (GA).

Methods

A one-day point prevalence study (PPS) was performed as part of the European Study of Neonatal Exposure to Excipients (ESNEE) from January to June 2012. All neonatal prescriptions and demographic data were registered in a web-based database. The impact of GA and region on prescription rate were analyzed with logistic regression.

Results

In total, 21 European countries with 89 neonatal units participated. Altogether 2173 prescriptions given to 726 neonates were registered. The 10 drugs with the highest prescription rate were multivitamins, vitamin D, caffeine, gentamicin, amino acids for parenteral nutrition, phytomenadione, ampicillin, benzylpenicillin, fat emulsion for parenteral nutrition and probiotics. The six most commonly prescribed ATC groups (alimentary tract and metabolism, blood and blood-forming organs, systemic anti-infectives, nervous, respiratory and cardiovascular system) covered 98% of prescriptions. GA significantly affected the use of all commonly used drug groups. Geographic region influenced the use of alimentary tract and metabolism, blood and blood-forming organs, systemic anti-infectives, nervous and respiratory system drugs.

Conclusions

While GA-dependent differences in neonatal drug use were expected, regional variations (except for systemic anti-infectives) indicate a need for cooperation in developing harmonized evidence-based guidelines and suggest priorities for collaborative work.
An empirical study of oil and gas value chain agility in the UAE
Authors: Shqairat Ala , Sundarakani Balan
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the agility of oil and gas value chains in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and to understand the impact of implementing supply disruption (SD) strategies, outsourcing strategies (OS) and management strategies (MS) on oil and gas value chain agility (VCA). The results can support the oil and gas industry across the UAE to build resilience in the value chain.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design consists of a comprehensive literature review, followed by questionnaire-based survey responses of 106 participants and comprehensive statistical analysis, thus validate the developed theoretical framework and contribute to both practical and methodological approaches.

Findings

The findings indicate that oil and gas value chain in the UAE has moderate a significant degree of SD, when OS in place that are synchronized with the overall MS. Among the hypotheses developed, two were accepted thus warranting both SD strategies (r=+0.432) and MS (r= +0.457) found to have a positive moderate effect on VCA. The third hypothesis was rejected by revealing OS (r=+0.387) found to have a positive moderate relationship with VCA. Therefore, implementation of all three strategies has a positive moderate effect on the agility of the value chain and, therefore, supports to sustain competitive position.

Research limitations/implications

Some of the limitations of this research include the geographic coverage of the study region and other methodological limitation.

Practical implications

The research provides guidance for oil and gas supply chain managers to better understand the critical factors that impact and determine VCA. The paper also describes relevant strategies that should be taken into consideration by these managers in order to build their agile value chains.

Social implications

The research contributes to the social dimensions of supply chain sustainability of how resilient is the oil and gas value chain during uncertain conditions, so that it can respond to uncertain changes in order to contribute to corporate social responsibility.

Originality/value

This research is the first of its kind in the UAE region to assess the link between dimensions of agile value chain, OS, SD strategies and MS primarily from the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Achieving economic and social sustainability through hyperconnectivity
Authors: Apaydin Marina , Bayraktar Erkan , Hossary Mohammad
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify cross-country differences in socio-economic sustainability, which are operationalized as relative efficiency of economic and social impacts of hyperconnectivity (usage intensity of information and communication technologies (ICT) devices). The authors have a particular interest in the emerging economies because they enjoy outstanding growth rates and prospects for market expansion, and have undertaken significant economic reforms and, thus, should be expected to lead other two groups in the efficiency of transforming hyperconnectivity into sustainable growth.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to confirm the existence of a strong and significant relationship between hyperconnectivity drivers and socio-economic outcomes on a country level. The authors test the difference in efficiency of transforming hyperconnectivity into socio-economic sustainability among three groups of countries: advanced, emerging and developing nations using data envelopment analysis (DEA).

Findings

The findings indicate that indeed emerging economies were the most effective ones to use infrastructure and digital content followed by developing and advanced countries, respectively. However, relatively better affordability of technologies in the emerging countries did not produce as much socio-economic impact as compared with developing nations. Favorable legislative conditions and high individual ICT usage in advanced economies did not contribute much to socio-economic sustainability either.

Research limitations/implications

One of the limitations of this study stems from the classification of the countries. World Economy Forum and International Monetary Fund resources are utilized for the economy categories, but their basis for classification of counties is rather subjective. Lack of existing comparative efficiency studies on a country level prevents effective benchmarking of the results.

Practical implications

Since the key vehicles of transforming technology into socio-economic impact are organizations, they should design and implement an appropriate organizational architecture which would facilitate this transformation in the emerging markets more effectively.

Social implications

In a climate of increasing public accountability, governments have been increasingly urged to introduce good administrative practices and performance standards to enable efficient utilization of their resources and enhance social implications within and across countries.

Originality/value

Although the impact of ICT on macro-economic development has been previously studied, the efficiency of this impact was not. Using CCA as a complementary tool for DEA approach in this study constitutes a methodological contribution to existing DEA research, mostly done in the area of operations management. Using DEA on a country level is a novel approach which contributes to the realm of application of this methodology.
Benchmarking Indian ceramic enterprises based on green supply chain management pressures, practices and performance
Authors: Choudhary Kailash , Sangwan Kuldip Singh
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze the impact of green supply chain management (GSCM) pressures, implementation level of GSCM practices and improvement in performance of the Indian ceramic enterprises. The paper also aims at benchmarking the Indian ceramic enterprises based on enterprise size and market orientation (export activity).

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on the empirical study of Indian ceramic industry. Propositions are developed to study: the impact of GSCM pressures, implementation level of GSCM practices, improvement in GSCM performance, and the effect of GSCM pressures on implementation of practices, and impact of GSCM practices on GSCM performance. Data are collected from Indian ceramic enterprises of different sizes. Exploratory factor analysis is performed to segregate the pressures, practices and performance variables into constructs. Two-step algorithm, with log-likelihood measures of distance and Bayesian information criterion, is used to decide the optimal number of clusters. These clusters are compared and benchmarked according to the enterprise size and export activity.

Findings

This study finds that the implementation level of GSCM practices is higher in large- and medium-size enterprises as compared to small-size enterprises. Large- and medium-size enterprises have high impact of mimetic and informative pressures and small enterprises have high impact of coercive pressure (CP). Although the CP is high on small enterprises but due to the limited resources, these enterprises cannot afford to implement GSCM practices. The implementation of GSCM practices results into the improvement of environmental and operational performance but decrease in economic performance.

Practical implications

The findings of this study will suggest the policy maker to encourage the diffusion mechanism through a collaborative partnership with larger enterprises to enhance the implementation level of GSCM practices in small-size enterprises.

Originality/value

The novelty of the paper are: it analyzes and benchmarks GSCM pressures, practice and performance for Indian ceramic enterprises by considering enterprises size and export activities as control variables, and it finds the effect of GSCM pressures on the implementation level of GSCM practices and improvement in enterprise performance for Indian ceramic enterprises.
Scale purification: state-of-the-art review and guidelines
Authors: Wieland Andreas , Kock Florian , Josiassen Alexander
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to identify scale purification criteria for both uni- and multidimensional reflective scales and apply these criteria to an evaluation of the methodological status quo of the hospitality literature.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a literature review, the authors develop a taxonomy of statistical and judgmental criteria across scale levels, from which best practices are derived. Recent publications in leading hospitality journals are then evaluated based on these scale purification steps.

Findings

The authors uncover a lack of transparency when reporting scale purification practices. Moreover, methodological steps are often entirely omitted or insufficiently followed, especially when it comes to judgmental scale purification practices.

Research limitations/implications

The authors focus on reflective scales in the hospitality discipline. Methodological traditions in other fields might lead to different results if the chosen approach was to be repeated there.

Practical implications

The authors provide a set of suggestions that will help researchers in hospitality and adjacent disciplines to greater consensus and consistency of application regarding the methodological steps when carrying out scale purification in reflective scales.

Originality/value

Application of scale purification in hospitality research has been scarce. The authors extend existing research and provide the most comprehensive study so far of present and best scale purification practices, using both statistical and judgmental criteria.
Attitudes towards accounting and intention to major in accounting: a logistic regression analysis
Authors: Bekoe Rita Amoah , Owusu Godfred Matthew Yaw , Ofori Charles Gyamfi , Essel-Anderson Anthony , Welbeck Edem Emerald
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the attitude of business students towards the accounting profession and investigate the relationship between students’ attitude and their intention to pursue a degree in accounting.

Design/methodology/approach

A self-administered survey was used to collect data from students from the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS). A total of 457 questionnaires were used in the empirical analysis. A binary logistic regression analysis technique was employed to analyse the data.

Findings

The logistic regression analysis demonstrates that intrinsic interest in the accounting discipline, prior exposure to accounting at the senior high level and the desire to pursue professional accounting qualification in future are good predictors of students’ intention to major in accounting. The results also indicate family members, course instructors and other referent group play a crucial role in influencing students’ intention to pursue a career in accounting.

Practical implications

The findings of this study have important implications for the professional accountancy body and business educators interested in addressing the skill shortage in the accounting profession.

Originality/value

This study does not only examine students’ attitude towards the accounting discipline but also investigates how such attitudes influence intentions to major in accounting.
Accrual management and expected stock returns in India
Authors: Dayanandan Ajit , Sra Jaspreet Kaur
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the stock market in India is efficient in the semi-strong form.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses financial and stock market data of 1,135 listed Indian companies (non-financial) during 2003–2011 collected from Capital IQ to estimate discretionary accruals (DA) using modified Jones model (1995). The study also examines using the widely used Mishkin (1983) test to whether equity market prices accruals in India. The study is conducted for profit/loss-making firms separately as well as for a hedge portfolio of firms based on the lowest to highest accruals.

Findings

The empirical study of DA of 1,135 listed Indian companies (non-financial) during 2003–2011 shows that the estimated average DA of the corporate sector in India comes to 1 percent of the total assets of these firms. An empirical analysis whether equity market prices DA in India finds no evidence of investors/market pricing DA. Empirical evidence also finds that the results are invariant for profit/loss-making firms as well as portfolio of firms based on the lowest to highest accruals in the Indian context. The empirical evidence shows that the Indian equity market is inefficient with regard to the incorporation of accruals in expected returns of stocks.

Research limitations/implications

This study builds on the previous literature on accrual pricing in the context of the USA and developed markets. The study extends the empirics to the one of the largest emerging market economy – India. This issue is important not only to investors, but also to policy makers and researchers because the mispricing of accruals could potentially lead to misallocation of capital. The study has implications for stock/firm valuations and cost of equity/capital.

Originality/value

This is the first study for the pricing of accruals and test of semi-strong efficiency of the Indian stock market.
Allocation of internally generated corporate cash flow in Africa
Authors: Agyei-Boapeah Henry , Machokoto Michael
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how managers of African firms, operating in environments characterised by less developed capital markets and weak institutional structures, make use of their internally generated cash flows.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a panel data methodology which regresses a particular use of cash flow (e.g. capital expenditure) on the internally generated operating cash flow of a firm and a set of control variables. The estimation of the regression model is done by ordinary least squares regressions. For robustness, the authors also estimate the models using system generalised method of moments to control for endogeneity and measurement error problems.

Findings

The authors find that managers of African firms hold most of their internally generated cash flows, and when they decide to spend, they allocate a higher proportion towards dividend payments; followed by debt adjustments; then to investments; and lastly, to equity repurchases.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are consistent with the existence of a significant financial constraint in African markets, and the use of dividends to signal credit quality in relatively underdeveloped capital markets.

Originality/value

The authors provide a more extensive analysis of how a firm spends a unit of the incremental cash flow it generates. In particular, the analysis shows that beyond investments in capital expenditure, other cash flow uses (i.e. cash holdings, dividend payments, and adjustments in debt and equity capital) which have been largely overlooked in the literature are important to understanding the effects of financial constraints on corporate decisions. Also, the early empirical evidence on the cash flow allocations of African firms could be a step in the right direction in informing theory development in this area.
An evaluation of German active labour market policies: a review of the empirical evidence
Authors: Zoellner Moritz , Fritsch Michael , Wyrwich Michael
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the results of studies that investigate the most important active labour market policy (ALMP) measures in Germany. A focus is also on programmes devoted to foster entrepreneurship which can make important contributions to a country’s growth and social welfare.

Design/methodology/approach

The study relies on quantitative and qualitative assessments and a comparison of results of previous studies on ALMPs.

Findings

The available evidence suggests that most ALMP measures increase labour market prospects of the participants. In particular, evaluations of the entrepreneurship promotion activities show high success rates as well as high cost efficiency. The bulk share of participants of entrepreneurship measures is still self-employed after several years and nearly one-third of these businesses had at least one employee. The authors mention problems regarding the evaluation of previous programmes and highlight future challenges of German ALMP.

Originality/value

This is the first study on ALMP that has an extensive and explicit focus on entrepreneurship-promoting programs.
Visions of entrepreneurship policy
Authors: Lucas David S. , Fuller Caleb S. , Piano Ennio E. , Coyne Christopher J.
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present and compare alternative theoretical frameworks for understanding entrepreneurship policy: targeted interventions to increase venture creation and/or performance. The authors contrast the Standard view of the state as a coherent entity willing and able to rectify market failures with an Individualistic view that treats policymakers as self-interested individuals with limited knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw on the perspective of “politics as exchange” to provide a taxonomy of assumptions about knowledge and incentives of both entrepreneurship policymakers and market participants. The authors position extant literature in relation to this taxonomy, and assess the implications of alternative assumptions.

Findings

The rationale for entrepreneurship policy intervention is strong under the Standard view but becomes considerably more tenuous in the Individualistic view. The authors raise several conceptual challenges to the Standard view, highlighting inconsistencies between this view and the fundamental elements of the entrepreneurial market process such as uncertainty, dispersed knowledge and self-interest.

Research limitations/implications

Entrepreneurship policy research is often applied; hence, the theoretical rationale for intervention can be overlooked. The authors make the implicit assumptions of these rationales explicit, showing how the adoption of “realistic” assumptions offers a robust toolkit to evaluate entrepreneurship policy.

Practical implications

While the authors agree with entrepreneurship policy interventionists that an “entrepreneurial society” is conducive to economic development, this framework suggests that targeted efforts to promote entrepreneurship may be inconsistent with that goal.

Originality/value

The Individualistic view draws on the rich traditions of public choice and the entrepreneurial market process to highlight the intended and unintended consequences of entrepreneurship policy.
Institutional barriers to productive public-sector entrepreneurship
Authors: Strow Brian , Strow Claudia
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline barriers to public-sector entrepreneurship and explore the impact of those barriers on population shifts within the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper lays out five specific barriers to public-sector entrepreneurship: barriers to entry and exit for consumers and producers, increased centralization and concentration in government, the lack of residual claim amongst public-sector actors, the rise of public-sector union membership and increasingly uncompetitive elections. The paper then assesses the impact of each of these barriers on population and production changes within the USA from 2010 to 2017.

Findings

Those state governments with limited barriers for productive public-sector entrepreneurship are rewarded with faster growing populations. Specifically, states with higher incomes, less centralized spending, lower public-sector unionization rates and higher state credit ratings tend to experience the greatest levels of population growth. States with less centralized spending also experience the largest increases in gross state product per capita.

Practical implications

This paper offers practical applications for policy makers wishing to increase their tax bases, increase the standard of living for their constituents or increase the efficiency in production and distribution of government goods and services. In particular, this paper offers evidence that an improved credit rating carries the most economic significance for population gains.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to examine Tiebout effects from barriers to public-sector entrepreneurship in the USA. Researchers in fields including political science, economics, management and public policy have all contributed to our understanding of public entrepreneurship. And yet, there are still numerous barriers preventing productive public-sector entrepreneurship from occurring at an optimal level.
Emergent perspectives toward the business plan among nascent entrepreneur start-up competition participants
Authors: Watson Kayleigh , McGowan Pauric
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how nascent entrepreneur perspectives towards the utility of the formal written business plan (BP) change before and after start-up competition (SUC) participation. Such focus is pertinent and timely given the enduringly contentious matter of BP creation for nascent entrepreneurs. Despite mounting criticisms, considerable resources continue to be expended on promoting the BP within educative and start-up support provision; the globally ubiquitous SUC phenomenon provides a prominent example of such promotion.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth open-ended interviews were undertaken with nascent entrepreneurs at the start, end and six months after participation in a UK university-based SUC. An inductive thematic content analytical approach was taken to identify patterns across participant accounts at each wave of data collection.

Findings

Upon entering the competition, the nascent entrepreneurs held highly positive views towards the BP, believing that it provided legitimacy and served as a means of sense-making. Immediately after the competition, views were more ambivalent, with the BP viewed as secondary to action but remaining an external expectation. Six months after the competition, the BP was viewed as underutilised and internally irrelevant; an unnecessary feature of an action-led approach and only useful when needed by external parties.

Originality/value

Contributing to the limited body of SUC research, the enduring centrality of formal BP production within competition provision is challenged given its limited relevance to the nascent entrepreneur beyond the competition context. Emphasis on BPning within a competition need not automatically require BP creation; this has implications for business competition organisers.
An examination of reduced audit quality practices within the beyond the role stress model
Authors: Smith Kenneth J. , Emerson David J. , Boster Charles R.
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role stress model originally developed by Fogarty et al. (2000) using more refined measures, a context-specific performance metric and a targeted respondent group. The investigation uses a sample of working professional auditors to investigate the associations between job stressors, burnout and job outcomes using an industry-specific measure of job performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The analyses use structural equations modeling procedures to examine a model that postulates that burnout will mediate the relations between job stressors and job outcomes. The data for the study come from 293 survey instruments completed by auditors working at the offices of 11 public accounting firms. A parsimonious job satisfaction scale based on Churchill et al.’s (1985) 27-item scale is developed using classical test-item analysis and is incorporated into the analysis.

Findings

The results suggest three significant items of note. First, although prior research has found that burnout partially mediates relations between job stressors and job outcomes, this study shows that burnout fully mediates these associations. Second, the study provides support for the reduced audit quality practices (RAQP) scale as an audit-specific construct for job performance. Finally, results show that the 27-item job satisfaction scale can successfully be reduced to a six-item scale.

Research limitations/implications

While this study is subject to the limitations inherent to all cross-sectional studies that use self-report instruments, the results further the knowledge related to the role stress paradigm in auditor work settings.

Practical implications

This study’s findings provides a cogent argument for human resource managers at public accounting firms to monitor staff burnout levels and implement interventional strategies (Jones III et al., 2010) when these levels become excessive. Efforts to mitigate staff burnout levels may decrease the likelihood of staff engagement in dysfunctional audit practices and the associated costs to the firm and the individual(s) involved.

Originality/value

The findings also demonstrate the superiority of the RAQP scale in terms of explaining variance in auditor performance when compared to the modified performance measures utilized in prior research.
Mathematical optimisation of location and design of windows by considering energy performance, lighting and privacy of buildings
Authors: Hammad Ahmed , Akbarnezhad Ali , Grzybowska Hanna , Wu Peng , Wang Xiangyu
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is known for its extreme weather conditions during Summer. A major determinant of the sustainability of the design of a building is its fenestrations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the problem of designing and locating windows on building facades such that a number of relevant criteria to the MENA region are optimised, including solar heat gain, privacy, daylighting and cost of installation.

Design/methodology/approach

A multi-objective optimisation problem is proposed with the focus on capturing the requirements of residential dwellings in the MENA region. Since the problem contains conflicting objectives that need to be optimised, a lexicographic approach is adopted. In order to display the Pareto curve, a bi-objective analysis based on the ε-constraint method is utilised.

Findings

The conflicting nature of the proposed problem is indicated via the Pareto optimal solutions yielded. Depending on the preference of criteria adopted in lexicographic optimisation, the location of the windows on the building façade tends to change. The bi-objective analysis indicates the importance of balancing out the daylight factor against each of privacy, solar heat gain and installation cost criteria. Furthermore, an analysis conducted in three major cities in the MENA region highlights the discrepancy in design alternatives generated depending on the local climatic condition.

Originality/value

This work proposes a novel mathematical optimisation model which focuses on producing a sustainable design and layout for windows on the facades of residential dwellings located in the MENA region. The proposed model provides designers with guidance through an automated support tool that yields optimised window designs and layout to ensure the sustainability of their designed buildings.
Competency requirements of supply chain planners & analysts and personal preferences of hiring managers
Authors: Flöthmann Christoph , Hoberg Kai , Wieland Andreas
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This study aims to enhance the understanding of competency requirements of supply chain planners and analysts (SCP&As) and identify different personal preferences of hiring managers toward job candidates’ competency profiles.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 243 supply chain managers with hiring experience participated in an adaptive choice-based conjoint experiment to uncover the relative importance of six competency attributes, namely, analytical and problem-solving ability, interpersonal skills, general management skills, computer/IT skills, supply chain management (SCM) knowledge and industry experience.

Findings

SCM knowledge and analytical and problem-solving ability were identified as the most important competencies and were considered three times more important than general management skills. Based on convergent cluster and ensemble analysis, two types of hiring managers were identified. The first group is characterized by a pronounced preference for job candidates with extensive SCM knowledge. In contrast, the second group’s members prefer candidates with a more balanced competency profile.

Originality/value

The authors’ findings help companies to facilitate a better person–job fit, a key determinant of employee performance and job satisfaction.
Towards an integrated conceptual model of supply chain learning: an extended resource-based view
Authors: Yang Yang , Jia Fu , Xu Zhiduan
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the academic literature on Supply Chain Learning (SCL), including the definitions, drivers, sources, barriers and consequences of SCL, and to propose an integrated conceptual model.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review has been conducted, with an analysis of 123 papers in peer-reviewed academic journals published from 1998 up to March 2018.

Findings

Through analysis and synthesis of the literature, this paper identifies and classifies the concepts of SCL into four types, that is, process orientation, structure orientation, consequence orientation and other informal definitions. Based on the Extended Resource-Based View (ERBV), the authors develop an integrated conceptual framework, which brings together various constructs. Within the framework, the authors identify the drivers and sources of SCL at intra- and inter-organizational levels. SCL consists of exploratory and exploitive learning capabilities, and the outcomes of SCL are dynamic supply chain management capabilities and sustainable supply chain performance.

Originality/value

The authors propose a capability perspective of SCL and develop a conceptual model and a number of associated propositions of SCL based on the ERBV and review findings, which is subject to future empirical testing and propose five future research directions. The findings of this paper can be extended beyond the dyad and be applied in multi-tier supply chain context.
Pint-size powerhouses: a qualitative study of children’s role in family decision-making
Authors: Chaudhary Monica
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Children are becoming consumers at younger ages; a variety of influences and experiences shape their as well as their family’s consumer habits. With the changing economic scenario, power has been shifting toward the new emerging economies. These nations are rapidly developing, where the children population is high, parents are young and have money to spend. This study aims at exploring family’s consumer decision-making process to understand the influencing role of young Indian children in a family setting.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzes young children and their parents through semi-structured interviews with the families. The phenomenological interviews with six families in the National Capital Region of India capturing 23 informants were conducted.

Findings

Children’s influence is omnipresent, in all the product categories as well as buying stages. For products of their direct use like books, clothes and snacks items, they are very much involved and their level of influence is highest from both the parents’ and children’s perception. Role of siblings and joint collaboration with the grandparents are also parts of the findings.

Research limitations/implications

This study attempts to actively listen to young children’s voices. However, it is acknowledged that in some families, the parent’s presence may have affected the results.

Originality/value

There are just few studies that have tapped the family’s consumer decision-making intricacies. There exists an enormous research gap which needs to be filled by more empirical research into the arena of family consumer decision-making. Also, India has a distinct cultural entity as compared to Western nations; to understand how children influences in such traditional setting is insightful.
Privately protected areas provide key opportunities for the regional persistence of large‐ and medium‐sized mammals
Authors: Clements Hayley S. , Kerley Graham I. H. , Cumming Graeme S. , De Vos Alta , Cook Carly N.
Published: November 2018

Biodiversity conservation relies heavily on protected areas (PAs). However, in locations that are desirable for agriculture, industry, or human habitation (e.g., lowland habitats on fertile soils, coastal zones), land is often privately owned and state‐owned PAs tend to be under‐represented. Despite the potentially disproportionate contribution that privately protected areas (PPAs) could make to representing biodiversity and supporting its persistence across regional PA estates, this contribution is poorly understood.

We assessed the capacity of PPAs to contribute to the persistence of 38 large‐ and medium‐sized mammals in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa, based on a previously published conservation plan that used species population requirements to identify areas of importance for mammal conservation.

We hypothesized that, relative to state‐owned PAs, PPAs would be disproportionately located in areas important to the regional persistence of the mammal assemblage, given: (a) historic biases in the distribution of private‐ and state‐owned land across high and low productivity landscapes, respectively; (b) private landholders’ recent focus on wildlife‐orientated enterprises; and (c) the conservation trade‐offs influencing expansions of the state‐owned PA estate.

As a result of the high numbers of PPAs and their bias towards areas of importance for mammal conservation, the potential mammal species diversity and richness that could persist within a PA increased more rapidly with PA size on PPAs than on state‐owned PAs. These PPAs therefore have the potential to significantly increase both the regional‐scale diversity of protected mammals and the number of viable populations. Furthermore, PPAs could make the greatest absolute contribution to the conservation of protected species when adjoining, and thus expanding, state‐owned PAs (i.e., mixed‐ownership PAs). Regional conservation targets for a quarter of the species were only met due to the inclusion of private‐ and/or mixed‐ownership PAs in the estate.

Policy implications. Our findings show that privately protected areas (PPAs) could play a substantial role in the long‐term conservation of terrestrial megafauna within a multi‐tenure protected area (PA) estate, due to their prevalence in high‐productivity landscapes. The significant gains from augmenting state‐owned PAs with PPAs emphasize the value of systematic conservation planning and implementation across tenure types.
Direct Measures of Intergenerational Income Mobility for Australia
Authors: Murray Chelsea , Clark Robert Graham , Mendolia Silvia , Siminski Peter
Published: November 2018

We present the first Australian estimates of intergenerational mobility that draw on direct observations of income from two generations. Using panel data for three birth cohorts of young adults from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Australia Survey, the estimated intergenerational income elasticity is 0.28. Correcting for attenuation bias raises this to 0.41. We estimate the rank correlation to be 0.27. We show that Australia has greater mobility than the USA, and this is not sensitive to methodological choices. We also show that spousal selection and family structure may be important determinants of income persistence across generations.
Pediatric Emergency Care Research Networks: A Research Agenda
Authors: Stoner Michael J. , Mahajan Prashant , Bressan Silvia , Lam Samuel H. F. , Chumpitazi Corrie E. , Kornblith Aaron E. , Linakis Seth W. , Roland Damian , Freedman Stephen B. , Nigrovic Lise E. , Denninghoff Kurt , Ishimine Paul , Kuppermann Nathan
Published: November 2018

Background

Pediatric emergency care research networks have evolved substantially over the past two decades. Some networks are specialized in specific areas (e.g., sedation, simulation) while others study a variety of medical and traumatic conditions. Given the increased collaboration between pediatric emergency research networks, the logical next step is the development of a research priorities agenda to guide global research in emergency medical services for children (EMSC).

Objectives

An international group of pediatric emergency network research leaders was assembled to develop a list of research priorities for future collaborative endeavors within and between pediatric emergency research networks.

Methods

Before an in‐person meeting, we used a modified Delphi approach to achieve consensus around pediatric emergency research network topic priorities. Further discussions took place on May 15, 2018, in Indianapolis, Indiana, at the Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) consensus conference “Aligning the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Research Agenda to Reduce Health Outcome Gaps.” Here, a group of 40 organizers and participants met in a 90‐minute “breakout” session to review and further develop the initial priorities.

Results

We reached consensus on five clinical research priorities that would benefit from collaboration among the existing and future emergency networks focused on EMSC: sepsis, trauma, respiratory conditions, pharmacology of emergency conditions, and mental health emergencies. Furthermore, we identified nonclinical research priorities categorized under the domains of technology, knowledge translation, and organization/administration of pediatric emergency care.

Conclusion

The identification of pediatric emergency care network research priorities within the domains of clinical care, technology, knowledge translation and organization/administration of EMSC will facilitate and help focus collaborative research within and among research networks globally. Engagement of essential stakeholders including EMSC researchers, policy makers, patients, and their caregivers will stimulate advances in the delivery of emergency care to children around the globe.
Trophic ecology of young‐of‐the‐year elasmobranchs in a critical habitat within the Río de la Plata outer estuarine waters
Authors: Milessi Andrés C. , De Wysiecki Agustín M. , Jaureguizar Andrés J.
Published: November 2018

Knowledge on the trophic ecology of elasmobranch species in all their size classes is important to determine complex trophic roles and relationships between members of the community, which ultimately promotes the development of more effective conservation measures. This study investigates the diet of young‐of‐the‐year from two shark and one skate species that are common within the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. Identification and analysis of stomach contents indicated that the broadnose sevengill shark Notorynchus cepedianus fed mostly on fishes (96.08%IRI), whereas the angular angel shark Squatina guggenheim, and the smallnose fanskate Sympterygia bonapartii preyed mainly on crustaceans (68.73–99.96%IRI). In particular, Artemesia longinaris, a widely distributed small shrimp, was an important prey item for the two crustacean feeders. The high proportion of stomachs with food and the trophic levels suggest that the three species are active predators at a very young age. A high frequency of neonates was also observed for all species, suggesting that parturition events are probably occurring nearby. Overall, this study suggest that the nearshore waters of northern Argentina are functioning as an important feeding ground for co‐occurring elasmobranch species within an important estuarine habitat.
Turning Points in the Chinese Civil War: A Financial Market Perspective
Authors: Howell Anthony , Zhao Liuyan
Published: November 2018

This paper provides a quantitative assessment of contemporary beliefs about ‘turning points’ that shaped the outcome of the Chinese Civil War (1946–49). We employ an endogenous structural break method relying on a novel data set to exploit breakpoints in the daily price quotes of Chinese sovereign bonds traded on the London market. As late as spring 1947, the London market evidently believed there was a reasonable chance of either the Kuomintang Party winning the war or alternatively achieving a peace agreement. The timing of our major breakpoints generally correspond with the dates of well‐known events deemed as important turning points. Caveats exist, however. In particular, some events – for example the Liu‐Deng expedition – stand out where we observe stark contrasts between the perceptions held by contemporaries and historians.
Modinomics: Design, Implementation, Outcomes, and Prospects
Authors: Jha Raghbendra
Published: November 2018

This paper presents an analysis of the key elements of Modinomics, defined as “everyone's participation, everyone's progress.” It investigates the reasons why Modinomics was necessary, the key elements of Modinomics, and how this policy was implemented. It argues that India's economic policy has had continuity since the economic reform package of 1991, so Modinomics has involved a high component of better implementation. Nevertheless, there have been some major policy changes as well. The paper discusses the deep structural reforms of demonetization and a Goods and Services Tax as well the new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Act. The paper examines the record of economic growth under Modi as well as new welfare and employment programs to make economic growth more inclusive. Finally, the paper examines the medium and long‐term growth prospects for India.
Preventive sublingual immunotherapy with House Dust Mite extract modulates epitope diversity in pre‐school children
Authors: Ponce Marta , Schroeder Fabian , Bannert Christina , Schmidthaler Klara , Hansen Christian Skjødt , Lindholm Bøgh Katrine , Soldo Regina , Tsui Stephen Kwok‐Wing , Weinhäusel Andreas , Szépfalusi Zsolt , Eiwegger Thomas
Published: November 2018

Background

The preventive effect of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) on allergy and asthma development is currently assessed using primary and secondary AIT approaches. Knowledge of the immunological effects of these interventions is limited and the impact on epitope diversity remains to be defined.

Methods

We used high‐density peptide arrays that included all known Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Der p) and Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f) allergens and the whole proteome of Der f to study changes in House Dust Mite (HDM) linear peptide recognition during a 2‐year preventive double‐blind placebo‐controlled sublingual HDM AIT pilot study in 2‐5‐year‐old children with sensitization to HDM but without symptoms.

Results

Preventive AIT‐treated patients showed significantly higher IgG epitope diversity to HDM allergens compared to placebo‐treated individuals at 24 months of treatment (P < 0.05), while no increase in IgE diversity was seen. At 24 months of treatment, IgG4 diversity for HDM allergens was significantly higher in the pAIT‐treated patients compared to placebo group (P < 0.05). Potentially beneficial changes in epitope recognition throughout the treatment are also seen in peptides derived from Der f proteome.

Conclusion

These data suggest a beneficial immunomodulation of preventive sublingual immunotherapy at a molecular level by favoring a broader blocking repertoire and inhibiting epitope spreading.