bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An automated syllabus digital library system for higher education in Ireland
Authors: Joorabchi Arash , Mahdi Abdulhussain E.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

With the significant growth in electronic education materials such as syllabus documents and lecture notes, available on the internet and intranets, there is a need for robust central repositories of such materials to allow both educators and learners to conveniently share, search and access them. The purpose of this paper is to report on the work to develop a national repository for course syllabi in Ireland.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes a prototype syllabus repository system for higher education in Ireland, which has been developed by utilising a number of information extraction and document classification techniques, including a new fully unsupervised document classification method that uses a web search engine for automatic collection of training set for the classification algorithm.

Findings

Preliminary experimental results for evaluating the performance of the system and its various units, particularly the information extractor and the classifier, are presented and discussed.

Originality/value

In this paper, three major obstacles associated with creating a large‐scale syllabus repository are identified, and a comprehensive review of published research work related to addressing these problems is provided. Two different types of syllabus documents are identified and describe a rule‐based information extraction system capable of extracting structured information from unstructured syllabus documents is described. Finally, the importance of classifying resources in a syllabus digital library is highlighted, a number of standard education classification schemes are introduced, and the unsupervised automated document classification system, which classifies syllabus documents based on an extended version of the International Standard Classification of Education, is described.
No more room aboard the ark! A UK higher education perspective on space management
Authors: Sharp Steven
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to highlight some of the ways in which UK academic libraries are responding to the increasing space pressures in both their library buildings and their external stores.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of academic libraries looks at current practice, with examples taken from the University of Leeds and a number of other UK universities.

Findings

The paper finds that relegation of stock has become a fact of life, and withdrawal is becoming more common. It is clear that the shortage of physical space cannot be solved by institutions in isolation, and that a collective strategy is essential in order to guarantee long‐term sustainable storage of low‐usage material.

Originality/value

It is hoped that the examples discussed can help inform stock management decisions in other institutions that are starting to face storage problems.
Organizational adoption of e‐HRM in Europe
Authors: Strohmeier Stefan , Kabst Rüdiger
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine which factors influence the cross‐national organizational adoption of electronic human resource management (e‐HRM) in Europe.

Design/methodology/approach

Major general and contextual influence factors are derived and tested based on a large‐scale survey with a sample of 2,336 organizations in 23 European countries using logistic regression.

Findings

The findings first reveal that e‐HRM is a common practice throughout Europe since two‐thirds of all organizations have already adopted e‐HRM. Major general determinants of e‐HRM adoption are size, work organization, and configuration of HRM. In addition, there are major cross‐national differences in e‐HRM adoption, unexpectedly revealing Eastern post‐communist countries to lead e‐HRM adoption.

Research limitations/implications

Abundance of general and scarcity of contextual factors imply that there should be further important factors of adoption not considered in this paper. Owing to its cross‐sectional character, the paper is not able to reveal findings of convergence or divergence of adoption over time.

Practical implications

HR professionals should be informed about the advanced state of e‐HRM adoption, while some general insights are offered which kind of organizations should take an adoption of e‐HRM into consideration.

Originality/value

This paper is a large‐scale sample‐based evaluation of cross‐national influence factors that drive organizational adoption of e‐HRM in Europe.
Advancement to partnership in public accounting firms in Hong Kong
Authors: Law Philip
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Although the prior literature has examined gender in analysing the factors underlying departures from and career progression in public accounting practices, the inconclusive results that have been obtained and the evolution of the situation over time bring about opportunities for further research. The paper reported herein differs significantly from earlier studies in that it uses both qualitative methods and quantitative analysis to explore the underlying factors (including gender) behind advancement to partnership in certified public accountant (CPA) firms in Hong Kong. This paper aims to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Six variables are identified from the literature and used to develop a survey that is carried out amongst 241 CPAs in Hong Kong. The quantitative data collected are then supplemented by semi‐structured, face‐to‐face interviews with ten partners of CPA firms. Finally, logistic regression is employed to analyse the survey data and examine the associations between the six variables and advancement to partnership in CPA practices.

Findings

The results of this paper refute those of the prior literature that have found “years of service in the firm”, “analytical ability” and “physical appearance” to have an influence on career progression or advancement to partnership in CPA practices. Instead, it is found that “social networking” and the “internal locus of control” have a positive influence on such advancement. Gender also plays a role, with males being the predominate partners of CPA practices in Hong Kong.

Originality/value

The findings of this paper contribute to the accounting literature and enhance the understanding of the factors underlying advancement to partnership in CPA practices in Hong Kong. Future research is recommended to determine whether these findings can be replicated.
Altruism – an alternative value in policy formation and decision making
Authors: Gates Donald , Steane Peter
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative approach to the decision‐ and policymaking that has been practiced in most developed countries for more than a quarter of a century. Such policies followed, to a greater or lesser degree, the policies adopted in the UK and the USA since the period of the Thatcher and Reagan administrations, respectively. These policies proclaimed the supremacy of the market and downplayed government intervention in the marketplace.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws upon earlier research by the authors as well as upon published works of other researchers.

Findings

Self‐interest governed the way policies are formed and through a process of extreme capitalism financial leaders took ever‐increasing risks for which executives received lucrative incentive salaries. The recent crash suggests a failure in such policies and this paper proposes an alternative way of operating – the way of altruism. Selfishness and egoism are argued as endemic in economic rationalism and extreme capitalism, replacing selflessness that engenders policies more aligned to altruism.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited by the ability to examine all the research literature in the field at greater depth. However, the examination that has been possibly indicated that self‐interest and greed, endemic in extreme capitalism and economic rationalism, have made significant contributions to the recent subprime and global financial crises.

Practical implications

This paper provides government and corporate policymakers with an understanding of an alternative value – selflessness as aligned to altruism – than the values of selfishness and greed that are endemic in economic rationalism and extreme capitalism guiding policies that led to the global financial crisis.

Originality/value

The paper fulfils an identified need and supports policymakers seeking to achieve just outcomes for all stakeholders across the globe.
Europe: is it ready for free movement of its workforce?
Authors: Floyd David , McManus John
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine what could be achieved through workforce mobility in Europe.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken is a literature and case review.

Findings

Findings indicate that full mobility of a European workforce is largely permitted and tolerated though a complex web of legal policy and constraints which need to be reviewed if full mobility is to be achieved within the European Union (EU).

Practical implications

The paper draws on integration and trade theory to highlight the issues of mobility within the EU. The paper may prove useful to policy makers and researchers.

Originality/value

This paper allows researchers to gain an understanding of the issues in workforce mobility within the EU and build a conceptual portrait of the challenges faced by policy makers.
Pricing the lease during the contract: an in‐progress approach to lease evaluation
Authors: Carretta Alessandro , Nicolini Gianni
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Leasing evaluation is a subject that has drawn significant interest in economic circles for many years. The numerous models proposed in the literature have approached the topic from a variety of outlooks and approaches. The contributions made to date, however, all share what would appear to be an unwritten premise: namely, that leasing evaluation logically occurs prior to the start of the leasing relationship. The purpose of this paper is to eliminate this premise, in order to take an in‐progress approach to the evaluation of leasing.

Design/methodology/approach

The evaluation approach is based on a model that takes into account both the real factors (the market value of the asset) and the financial aspects of the lease (interest rates on the market). The leasing price is arrived at by taking the sum of: the advantage offered by the leasing, as compared to potential purchase of the asset on the spot market; and the added yield provided by the leasing, as compared to alternative investments.

Findings

The paper finds that an in‐progress approach allows measurement of the value of a leasing even if the lessor and the lessee have already decided to initiate the leasing relationship. This approach is called for when one of the parties (the lessor or the lessee) is replaced, as well as in cases where pathological situations lead to the interruption of the relationship, plus instances where it is necessary to carry out estimates for accounting purposes. The need to evaluate the leasing in terms of its different components (real and financial) also emerges from the instructions contained in the IAS17 regarding leasing.

Originality/value

The contribution of the work to the leasing evaluation theme can be identified in a different perspective that can be useful both in a financial point of view and in an accounting one.
Lessors' recovery risk management capability
Authors: De Laurentis Giacomo , Mattei Jacopo
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to verify recovery risk management capabilities by lessors. It tests several hypotheses and finds out interesting specific results for lessors.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is empirical: two different database of leasing contracts are analysed with econometric methodologies.

Findings

There is clear evidence that: lessors are ex ante able to balance the probability of default and the loss given default case by case, using proper contract structures; and they carefully manage recovery procedures and strategies according to operations' characteristics.

Research limitations/implications

The data used are large enough, but come from institutions concentrated in Italy. Future research could be extended to other relevant countries.

Practical implications

Results presented are verified in leasing companies which made a limited use of rating systems and credit risk model: they have been achieved by the continuous improvements of traditional lending practices. The development of modern reliable systems can enhance risk management capabilities; our findings can help building more structured and advanced credit risk management tools.

Originality/value

The paper adds to the literature in the sense that gives clear evidence of a neglected but important fact of real world credit markets: financial intermediaries have the capability of properly assessing risk components and manage loss given default (LGD) in order to control overall credit risk.
Automatic differentiation for electromagnetic models used in optimization
Authors: Enciu P. , Wurtz F. , Gerbaud L. , Delinchant B.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate automatic differentiation (AD) as a new technology for the device sizing in electromagnetism by using gradient constrained optimization. Component architecture for the design of engineering systems (CADES) framework, previously described, is presented here with extended features.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is subject to further usage for optimization of AD (also named algorithmic differentiation) which is a powerful technique that computes derivatives of functions described as computer programs in a programming language like C/C++, FORTRAN.

Findings

Indeed, analytical modeling is well suited regarding optimization procedure, but the modeling of complex devices needs sometimes numerical formulations. This paper then reviews the concepts implemented in CADES which aim to manage the interactions of analytical and numerical modeling inside of gradient‐based optimization procedure. Finally, the paper shows that AD has no limit for the input program complexity, or gradients accuracy, in the context of constrained optimization of an electromagnetic actuator.

Originality/value

AD is employed for a large and complex numerical code computing multidimensional integrals of functions. Thus, the paper intends to prove the AD capabilities in the context of electromagnetic device sizing by means of gradient optimization. The code complexity as also as the implications of AD usage may stand as a good reference for the researchers in this field area.
Synthesis and characterisation of some new arylazopyridone dyes
Authors: Bahreini Zaker
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to synthesise, characterise and find out properties of some new arylazopyridone disperse dyes, bearing different substituents on coupling component of the dyes.

Design/methodology/approach

The dyes are synthesised by diazotisation, coupling and cyclization reactions, starting from various aryldiazonium salts and different β‐diketoesters followed by condensation with cyanoacetamide. The structures of these dyes are characterised and confirmed by melting point, elemental analysis, infrared, ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy (UV/VIS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR) data. Their absorption properties in different solvents are also investigated.

Findings

The wavelength of maximum absorptions, molar extinction coefficients are strongly dependent on the electron donating ability of the substituents on the coupling moiety. The absorption bands of these dyes move towards longer wavelength as the polarity of the solvents and electron density of substituents on the coupling moiety increase. These dyes are chromophorically strong as evidenced by molar extinction coefficient in solvents.

Originality/value

In this paper, four series of arylazopyridone dyes (21 dyes) are synthesised and characterised. They have not been registered in the literature previously.
The adhesive and durability of adhesive‐poly (ethylene terephthalate) film joints
Authors: Li L. , Wang C.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to research the durability of the adhesive‐poly(ethylene terephthalate) film joints.

Design/methodology/approach

The adhesive‐poly(ethylene terephthalate) joints are prepared with poly ethylene terephthalate film synthesised from thioglycolic acid, terpene hydrocarbon resin and acetone resolution at room temperature. These joints are characterised by methods of peel strength tests, energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDX) and analysis of glass transition temperature (Tg) to examine their durability.

Findings

Peel strength tests and EDX analyses prove that water diffusion in different humidity aging conditions causes similar changes, namely having the time‐temperature equivalence at 45°C for 200, 300, 500 and 600 h, respectively, almost corresponding with those at 55°C for 100, 200, 300 and 400 h, respectively, and at 65°C for 50, 100, 150 and 200 h, respectively. The changes in EDX spectra of adhesive‐poly(ethylene terephthalate) film joints indicate that the rate of water penetration in the adhesive is faster than that in the poly(ethylene terephthalate) film. In humidity aging process, the decline ratio of peel strength of adhesive‐poly(ethylene terephthalate) film joints treated with Co60 irradiation is lower than that treated with acetone washing or chemical treatment.

Originality/value

The paper shows that using EDX for analysis of durability of adhesive film joints is of significance to industrial process.
Limited influence of loyalty program membership on relational outcomes
Authors: Lacey Russell
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate customer loyalty program membership effects from a multi‐faceted relational outcome perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

A model was developed to assess hypothesized loyalty program effects on a series of linkages between relationship commitment and a variety of relational outcomes. The study's hypotheses are tested with customer survey data from an upscale department store chain. Structural model multi‐group analysis is used to test the hypotheses between members (n=1,239) and non‐members (n=743) of the department store's customer loyalty program.

Findings

The findings display the surprisingly limited impact of loyalty program membership on the tested relational outcomes. Loyalty program membership favorably influences customers' desires to increase their purchases and provide complaint feedback to the firm. However, loyalty program membership fails to favorably impact four key advocacy outcomes; namely, customers' willingness to provide personal referrals, marketing research support, share personal information, and demonstrate openness to firm promotions.

Research limitations/implications

The results are based on a large sample of highly educated and affluent customers of a specific retailer, encompassing members of one particular loyalty program.

Practical implications

The results provide cautionary evidence as to what marketers may be able to gain from loyalty programs as a relationship marketing tool for impacting firm advocacy behaviors.

Originality/value

The tested model captures potential contributions of customers as advocates to the firm. The mixed empirical support demonstrates the limited impact of loyalty programs on strengthening non‐purchase‐related outcomes.
Wiki to the rescue: creating a more dynamic intranet
Authors: Dworak Ellie , Jeffery Keven
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a project to convert a library intranet from HTML format to Wiki software and presents evidence of the success of this project.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conduct a pre‐ and post‐survey of intranet users.

Findings

Use of the intranet increases after the transition to a Wiki. Updating does not increase, but is more evenly spread among departments rather than being concentrated among technical staff.

Practical implications

Wiki software is an excellent choice for a library intranet because it allows for easy editing and shared responsibility.

Originality/value

There are few articles written that assess the merits of Wiki software. This article establishes an ongoing discussion of which new web technologies have the most utility in a library setting.
The moral resonance of Catholic globalization perspectives
Authors: Ianelli James , Block Walter
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that there is a gigantic difference in political philosophy between earlier and later Catholic theology, regarding free trade.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper compares statements on free trade made in the earlier period by adherents of the School of Salamanca, and in the later period by Populorum Progressio.

Findings

The paper finds that early theologians favored free trade unreservedly, while later ones were either ambivalent, or in opposition.

Research limitations/implications

Catholicism is not an unchanging philosophy, at least insofar as the economics of free trade is concerned. Catholic social thought on other economic issues, price controls, profits, usury, ought to be studied to see if there has been a similar sea change in perspective from earlier to later theologians.

Originality/value

It might be harsh to characterize what has occurred in this dimension as the “high‐jacking” of a political economy. On the other hand, it is not clear that this is not an accurate characterization.
Drawing on students' evaluation to draw a strategy canvas for a business school
Authors: Salem Khalifa Azaddin
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how to construct a strategy canvas for a business school based on students' perceptions of the importance of critical value dimensions of its undergraduate offering(s) and its comparable performance on each. This can be used in evaluating the school's extant strategy and in developing a new innovative one.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey research is used to solicit and measure students' perception. This is then subjected to proper statistical analysis to draw conclusions, which are then used to construct the strategy canvas.

Findings

The findings show the strengths and weaknesses of the school's current strategy profile. They suggest how to use resources to improve performance on critical value dimensions and trigger thinking on new innovative dimensions.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations include the focus on one constituent (students) of the business school, and the choice and size of the sample.

Practical implications

The use of students' perception to construct a strategy canvas proved to be useful and revealing. It shows how the strategy profiles of competitors compare and where to look for further information. This process helps create, evaluate, and develop new strategic insights.

Originality/value

The paper endeavors to use the rigor of survey analysis to provide valid and reliable information on the basis of which to construct a strategy canvas. This, perhaps, represents the first attempt to bring this combination to the context of higher education management.
Culturally‐anchored values and university education experience perception
Authors: Mitsis Ann , Foley Patrick
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether business students' gender, age and culturally‐anchored values affect their perceptions of their university course experience.

Design/methodology/approach

Culturally diverse business students (n=548) studying at an Australian university were surveyed using previously established scales. Multivariate analysis was used to test six hypotheses.

Findings

High uncertainty avoidance explained unique variation in the six dependent variables analysed using OLS regressions. These dependent variables were: goals, generic skills, good teaching, intellectual motivation, learning community and learning resources. Each of these variables identified different dimensions of a students' university education experience. High collectivism also explained unique variation for all except for goals. High masculinity only explained unique variation for learning resources. Age only produced a unique variance explanation for good teaching, and gender did not produce any. Nevertheless, most of the six independent variables had significant zero‐order correlations with the six dimensions of university experience examined in this study.

Research limitations/implications

Changes in business students' perceptions over time is a limitation of this study, as it was an exploratory cross‐sectional one.

Practical implications

This study's findings may help universities improve their relationship with their total student population by recognising the non‐homogeneous nature of this business student cohort, especially their culturally‐anchored values.

Originality/value

This paper suggests that it may be both possible and useful to identify different student customer segments based on students' culturally‐anchored value orientations, which may be valuable to universities in their efforts to attract, retain and grow an ongoing relationship with students, especially international full‐fee paying students.
Performance, emotion and photographic histories
Authors: Warren Samantha
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on Professor Lee D. Parker's article on photo‐elicitation.

Design/methodology/approach

Two exciting possibilities addressed in Parker's paper are discussed: the potential of archival photographs to transcend their status as “evidence” of times gone by; and the mobilisation of emotional oral histories through photographs as objects.

Findings

The status of photographs as emotional artefacts and issues surrounding their production, curation, storage, circulation and consumption are found to be as important as analysis of what photographs depict.

Research limitations/implications

Analysing the performative and emotional character of historical research using photographs poses a challenge for the accounting and management scholar on account of the non‐reductionist nature of images.

Practical implications

Addressing these difficulties has great potential advance research methodology in this area.

Originality/value

Literature and ideas from geography and museum studies bring a new perspective on Professor Parker's article. The paper is of interest to researchers interested in the visual dimension of accounting and management, or those wishing to keep abreast of avant‐garde developments in accounting research methodology.
Comparing R&D consortia in Taiwan and the Chinese mainland
Authors: Xu Qiang , Chi Renyong
Published: October 2009

Purpose

R&D consortia as a new R&D cooperative form flourished in Japan, the USA, and Europe and can be regarded as a major tool for promoting industrial technological innovation and enhancing industry competitiveness. Inspired by R&D consortia in advanced countries, Taiwan and the Chinese mainland seek to develop the cooperative R&D mechanism in their own distinctive contexts. The purpose of this paper is to identify the patterns of their formation and development and to reveal the dynamics of R&D consortia (termed “public technological platforms” – PTPs) in the Chinese mainland) to give some implications for other developing countries that try to model the cooperative R&D policy for their own technology catch‐up programmes.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides an explanatory framework for analyzing how Taiwan and the Chinese mainland seek to develop R&D consortia based on comparative analysis and case study.

Findings

R&D consortia in Taiwan and PTPs in the Chinese mainland have unique structural characteristics with their common catch‐up goals and have been developing in different ways reflecting the relationships and interaction between academia, industry, and government. The effectiveness of R&D consortia is largely determined by the institutional arrangements including goal setting, organizational arrangements, and government involvement.

Research limitations/implications

Further analysis of R&D consortia and PTPs would be required to form empirical studies based on the collection of more extensive data.

Practical implications

The key to R&D consortia/PTPs' success is how to devise institutional arrangements to ensure effective cooperation between academia, industry, and government and to implement certain technology strategies effectively.

Originality/value

This research contributes by identifying the differences in development of Taiwan R&D consortia and Chinese mainland PTPs and by revealing their evolutionary process.
Moderating the collective and self‐efficacy relationship
Authors: Lev Smadar , Koslowsky Meni
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher collective efficacy and three components of teacher self‐efficacy – instructional, social, and management. In addition, teacher role and school level are suggested as moderators.

Design/methodology/approach

The study design examined the relationship between teacher collective efficacy and self‐efficacy over time. Data were collected from 97 junior and senior high school teachers.

Findings

The study finds that collective efficacy was positively associated with self‐efficacy, with teacher role moderating the association of two components of self‐efficacy: social and management. Also, managerial staff members showed higher levels of self‐efficacy.

Research limitations/implications

It is possible that high school teachers and junior high are not easily distinguished. Also, the ns may not have been large enough to detect significant group differences. Furthermore, given that all scales were self‐report measures, common method variance may have affected the findings.

Originality/value

The present study demonstrates the significant association between collective efficacy and self‐efficacy. Moreover, role in the organization moderates the association between collective and self‐efficacy.
Reconsidering grades as data for decision making: more than just academic knowledge
Authors: Bowers Alex J.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Much of the recent research on data‐driven decision making in US schools has focused on standardized test scores while other forms of data in schools have gone largely unexamined as useful data, such as teacher‐assigned grades. Based on the literature, the theory outlined in this paper is that grades, as data historically overlooked in schools, are a useful multidimensional assessment for decision making by educational leaders. This paper aims to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Using multidimensional scaling, grades, and standardized test scores are compared for 195 students in grades 9‐12 from two US school districts. The relationship between these assessments is visualized between grades in core subjects, such as Mathematics and English, non‐core subjects, such as Art and Physical Education, and standardized test scores, such as the ACT.

Findings

Two significant dimensions appear to be embedded within grades; assessment of academic knowledge and an assessment of a student's ability to negotiate the social processes of school. These findings indicate that grades should be reconceptualized as informative for data‐driven decision making in schools as a potential assessment of both academic knowledge and a student's ability to negotiate the social processes of school.

Originality/value

Grades have been overlooked as useful data in the data‐driven decision‐making literature. This paper provides novel evidence for the usefulness of actual teacher‐assigned grades in school and district decision making as well as research and policymaking versus the past use of student self‐reported grades or teacher perceptions of grading practices.
Towards setting a sustainable manufacturing safety programme in Nigeria
Authors: Adebiyi K.A. , Charles‐Owaba O.E.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The manufacturing industry in Nigeria often perceives government safety standards as an attempt to increase production cost. This is due to lack of acceptable template for setting an attainable standards and safety programme to the manufacturing industry. It is the goal of this work to develop such a template for an effective and sustainable manufacturing safety programme.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 30 manufacturing firms were examined and five experienced manufacturing, and three safety engineers interviewed for information on types of SP activities. Review and synthesis of literature was carried out.

Findings

Four types of accidents are identified as fatal, serious, minor and trivial wounds. Accidents causing factors are classified into human factor, deficient maintenance of facilities and environmental factors. The prevention activities were categorized into training, guarding, awareness, incentive, accident investigation and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Practical implications

This study provides baseline information for academics, industry and safety practioners to setting an attainable and effective manufacturing safety programme.

Originality/value

The paper suggests a mathematical approach for developing a manufacturing safety programme.
Governance issues in accounting
Authors: Hutchinson Marion
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify some key issues for the analysis of corporate governance based on the papers within this special issue including the Guest Editor's perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach

The five papers included in this special issue are summarized and their main contribution to the literature is highlighted.

Findings

The paper collectively deal with the role and impact of corporate boards on the quality of information provided to capital markets.

Practical implications

The theoretical and empirical research included in the special issue advance the understanding of corporate governance which provides impetus for practitioner and policy change.

Originality/value

The normative concepts of best practice need to be validated by empirical testing in the context of firms and their institutional settings. This suite of papers provides evidence of the effectiveness of corporate governance in improving accounting quality.
Board composition and firm performance variance: Australian evidence
Authors: Wang Yi , Oliver Judith
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between board composition and firm performance variance in the context of recent corporate governance reforms, based on the agency and organisational literatures.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses 384 of the top 500 Australian companies as its dataset. Board composition measures include the percentages of affiliated, executive and independent members on the board. Firm risk is represented by the standard deviation of shareholder return. Several control variables are introduced in the regression analysis.

Findings

The results show a negative impact of executive directors on subsequent risk. Affiliated and independent directors, however, have no significant effect on the level of performance variance. Blockholders give a positive influence on firm risk. Moreover, companies with poor dividend payout or low managerial shareholdings tend to be riskier.

Research limitations/implications

This paper does not examine the actual risk preference of individual directors, which could involve an attitudinal survey of board members. Future research may also examine the specific attributes towards risk for each type of affiliated directors.

Practical implications

The findings cast doubts on the hope that promoting board independence would reduce agency conflicts relating to managerial risk aversion, and support the proposition that, although firms may comply with the demands for more independent directors, they could employ a number of tactics to neutralize the power of outsiders.

Originality/value

The empirical work surrounding this topic has been scant. This study may present the first Australian empirical evidence on the relationship between board composition and firm performance variance.
Evolution and its discontents
Authors: Staton Michael
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper seeks to describe the evolution of the web outside academia and the Academy's struggle both to adapt and to cope, and to recommend policy changes vis‐à‐vis the barriers to innovation in the higher education market.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper first describes the evolution of the web and the Academy's struggle and goes on to deal with breaking down the barriers to openness and monetization.

Findings

The paper finds that there is a giant usage gap between the way computing has been used and the new approach to social computing. Also there is a growth model gap vis‐à‐vis the growth model and user experience. Finally, the interoperability gap – educational institutions should look towards request‐driven interoperability.

Originality/value

The paper suggests recommendations – minor policy decisions, which will help to create an ecosystem of innovation in higher education.
Why 5 percent? An analysis of optimal endowment spending rates
Authors: Green Steven L.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Some members of Congress in the USA have expressed serious concern that endowment spending rates of major American universities are too low. The purpose of this paper is to derive optimal spending rates and compare them with actual rates to determine if this concern is warranted.

Design/methodology/approach

A Cobb‐Douglas utility function is used to represent the trade‐off between current spending and endowment (which allows more future spending). Maximization of this function subject to relevant constraints yields a formula for the optimal endowment spending rate, which takes the form of a difference equation. The steady‐state solution to this difference equation is explored, along with the nature of convergence to the steady‐state. Relevant data are obtained from American universities with endowments over $500 million in 2007 to determine the optimal spending rates implied by the theory. These optimal rates are then compared with actual average spending rates.

Findings

Actual average spending rates are just below 5 per cent, which is well below the optimal rates of 7‐8 per cent implied by the theory.

Practical implications

The results provide some support for regulations mandating minimum average spending rates from university endowments over time.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to model this problem using a theoretical framework that closely parallels the actual trade‐off considered by university investment managers, and it is the first to compare actual and theoretically optimal rates of endowment spending.
Asymmetric central bank's preference and inflation rate in Jordan
Authors: Sweidan Osama D.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the hypothesis that a central bank's asymmetric preferences are able to explain inflation rate in a developing country. In addition, it seeks to help comprehend movements of inflation rate in Jordan and to understand Central Bank of Jordan preferences regarding inflation rate and output.

Design/methodology/approach

A standard monetary model consists of a central bank's loss function and an economy structure is constructed, which acts as a constraint on the central bank's behavior. Then, a distribute‐lag version of the derived model is estimated using ordinary least squares method.

Findings

The empirical evidence from the Jordanian economy shows that inflation rate relies on the variances of inflation rate and the variances of output. This finding supports the hypothesis that a central bank's asymmetric loss function is able to justify inflation rate movements. Moreover, the Jordanian central banker prefers higher inflation rate and higher level of output.

Originality/value

The paper provides evidence from a developing country regarding the ability of the asymmetric central bank preferences to justify inflation rate movement. In addition, the paper links central banks' losses with the uncertainty level and inflation rate in the economy.
Mine maintenance time as a non‐linear optimization problem under uncertainty
Authors: Kumral Mustafa
Published: October 2009

Purpose

During operation, mines experience safety, reliability, environmental and financial problems. In order to avoid these problems or idle capacities, mining operations should be performed within the specified reliability level of the system. Therefore, mining sub‐systems such as drilling, blasting, loading, hauling, ventilation, hoisting and supporting should be designed and maintained carefully. In this context, maintenance time causes a critical optimization problem in mines. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The problem is formulated as a non‐linear optimization problem and solved by genetic algorithms. A case study is conducted to demonstrate to the performance of approach for an underground operation.

Findings

The results show that the approach can be used to determine the best action time.

Practical implications

The approach can be applicable to different mining methods in more sophisticated sub‐systems.

Originality/value

The paper recommends a genetic algorithmic approach to make a decision on optimal timing of maintenance of a mine.
Efficient computer‐generated alternatives to Taguchi's crossed arrays for robust parameter design
Authors: Hijar‐Rivera Humberto , Garcia‐Castellanos Victor
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present computer‐generated combined arrays as efficient alternatives to Taguchi's crossed arrays to solve robust parameter problems.

Design/methodology/approach

The alternative combined array designs were developed for the cases including six to twelve variables where CMR designs are not smaller than Taguchi's designs. The efficiency to estimate the effects of interest was calculated and compared to the efficiency of the corresponding CMR designs.

Findings

For all the cases investigated at least one computer generated combined array design was found with the same size as the CMR design and with higher efficiency.

Practical implications

Robust parameter design identifies appropriate levels of controllable variables in a process for the manufacturing of a product. The designed experiments involve the controllable variables along with the uncontrollable or noise variables to design a product or process that will be robust to changes in these noise variables. Response surface methodology estimates the actual relationship between the response and the input variables with an empirical model based on the designed experiment. Once the empirical model is fitted, the surface described by the model can be used to describe the behavior of the response over the experimental region. The higher efficiency of the computer generated combined array designs proposed in this research produces lower variances for the parameter estimates and lower variance of prediction for the model. As a result, the response will be described in a more realistic form.

Originality/value

The paper shows that using a computer‐generated design to solve a robust parameter problem will result in a better approximation to the true response of the process. Consequently, optimizing the fitted model will produce settings for the parameters closer to the real optimal settings.
Rapid manufacture of custom‐fitting surgical guides
Authors: Bibb Richard , Eggbeer Dominic , Evans Peter , Bocca Alan , Sugar Adrian
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The computer‐aided design (CAD) and manufacture of custom‐fitting surgical guides have been shown to provide an accurate means of transferring computer‐aided planning to surgery. To date guides have been produced using fragile materials via rapid prototyping techniques such as stereolithography (SLA), which typically require metal reinforcement to prevent damage from drill bits. The purpose of this paper is to report case studies which explore the application of selective laser melting (SLM) to the direct manufacture of stainless steel surgical guides. The aim is to ascertain whether the potential benefits of enhanced rigidity, increased wear resistance (negating reinforcement) and easier sterilisation by autoclave can be realised in practice.

Design/methodology/approach

A series of clinical case studies are undertaken utilising medical scan data, CAD and SLM. The material used is 316L stainless steel, an alloy typically used in medical and devices and surgical instruments. All treatments are planned in parallel with existing techniques and all guides are test fitted and assessed on SLA models of the patients' anatomy prior to surgery.

Findings

This paper describes the successful application of SLM to the production of stainless steel surgical guides in four different maxillofacial surgery case studies. The cases reported address two types of procedure, the placement of osseointegrated implants for prosthetic retention and Le Fort 1 osteotomies using internal distraction osteogenesis. The cases reported here have demonstrated that SLM is a viable process for the manufacture of custom‐fitting surgical guides.

Practical implications

The cases have identified that the effective design of osteotomy guides requires further development and refinement.

Originality/value

This paper represents the first reported applications of SLM technology to the direct manufacture of stainless steel custom‐fitting surgical guides. Four successful exemplar cases are described including guides for osteotomy as well as drilling. Practical considerations are presented along with suggestions for further development.
Perceptions of countries based on personality traits: a study in China
Authors: d'Astous Alain , Li Dong
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine country perceptions in China from the point of view of the personality concept.

Design/methodology/approach

A country personality scale developed in a Western country was adapted to the Chinese social context and used to position 11 different countries, including China, on six personality dimensions. This was accomplished by means of a survey of 184 adult Chinese people from the city of Beijing.

Findings

The results show that the adapted scale has good psychometric properties, that it behaves appropriately with respect to some theoretical expectations, and that it brings about results that are consistent with common sense and with previous country image research.

Research limitations/implications

The study should be replicated with a more representative sample of Chinese people and a larger array of country stimuli.

Originality/value

The paper shows that the country personality scale can be used to better understand how Chinese consumers think of a product's country of origin and suggest appropriate product positioning strategies to help multinational corporations define their strategic actions with respect to China.