bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Work-life conflict and facilitation among Australian Muslim men
Authors: Sav Adem , Harris Neil , Sebar Bernadette
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore work-life conflict and work-life facilitation among employed Muslim men, a growing ethno-religious minority in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study is guided by the interpretive paradigm and is qualitative in nature. The primary data collection method was semi-structured in-depth interviews and 20 participants participated in the study.

Findings

– Australian Muslim men experience both work-life conflict and facilitation simultaneously; however, facilitation is reported more frequently. Work flexibility, work and family support, and religiosity promote work-life facilitation. In contrast, workload and work hours lead to feelings of conflict, with workload being the stronger antecedent. Importantly, religious values and beliefs are an underpinning influence on participants’ experiences.

Research limitations/implications

– The study is conducted with a small sample and hence, lacks the power to generalise findings to the broader Muslim male population.

Practical implications

– There is a strong need to modify the traditional western models of work-life conflict and facilitation and workplace policies designed to assist workers when dealing with minorities, such as Australian Muslims. By including religion, the research offers a fresh voice to work-life research and encourages to think about the salience of other life domains beside family, an issue of great concern within the work-life literature.

Originality/value

– This is one of the few studies to focus on Australian Muslim men and explore how religion fits into the current understanding of work-life balance.
A new era of consumer marketing?
Authors: Gamble Jordan , Gilmore Audrey
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to address the emerging post-millennium trends in co-creational marketing, in the context of how these trends apply to the recorded and live sectors of the music industry. Consideration of marketing as a broadened concept to include societal processes has implications not only for the marketing concept itself, but also for the roles of the parties implicitly involved in the marketing process. Therefore, the standard and polarising marketing clichés of “firm and customer”, “buyer and seller”, and “producer and consumer” may be replaced with a more contemporary marketing approach in which value can be created and shared by either party.

Design/methodology/approach

– Initially the paper provides a review of contemporary literature on co-creational aspects of marketing and a subsequent identification of typologies of co-creation practices. Conceptual frameworks pertaining to the relationships of these typologies are then proposed. An extensive review and analysis of journal articles, industry reports and news sources on music industry marketing was conducted. From this review and analysis, 30 examples of co-creational marketing were identified. The music industry was chosen as it constitutes a relevant and contemporary marketing context due to the existence of interactive technology and changing consumer preferences regarding their interaction with music intermediaries and against a context of digital piracy.

Findings

– Five typologies of co-creational marketing were found to be relevant to the music industry. Key examples of co-creational marketing within the music industry are discussed and analysed in relation to the identified typologies and conceptual frameworks.

Research limitations/implications

– The relevancy of co-creational marketing practices to the music industry is investigated, followed by consideration of managerial implications and future research directions.

Originality/value

– The theoretical prospect of value co-creation through active consumer contributions to the marketing process is not revolutionary or new, but the implications of such a potential shift in power or influence have developed into a contemporary challenge for marketers.
Is work engagement gendered?
Authors: Banihani Muntaha , Lewis Patricia , Syed Jawad
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The way work engagement is constructed and researched in literature is assumed, at least implicitly, to be gender-neutral where women and men have equal opportunity to demonstrate their engagement in the workplace. This review paper aims to integrate gender into the notion of work engagement in order to examine whether the notion of work engagement is gendered.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on a review of the literatures related to work engagement and gendered organisations.

Findings

– The paper proposes a conceptual framework to develop and explain the notion of gendered work engagement. It shows that work engagement is gendered concept as it is easier for men to demonstrate work engagement than for women.

Originality/value

– The paper investigates the gendered nature of work engagement which is an under-explored area.
Gender roles and organizational citizenship behaviors: effects on managerial evaluations
Authors: M. Cameron Sean , T. Nadler Joel
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) are defined as non-required workplace behaviors that have potential positive organizational impact. This study examined gender roles and differences in employee evaluations based on OCB participation. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– College students (n=160) rated male and female managers, who did or did not participate in OCBs, on the evaluation of behaviors and possessed gendered traits (agentic and communal). Additionally, participants rated the gendered nature of OCBs.

Findings

– OCB participation had a direct effect on managerial ratings and OCBs were perceived to be more feminine than masculine. Gender did not predict differences in ratings; however, women were seen as more likely to participate in OCBs compared to men. Additionally, the gender roles associated with OCBs were measured and OCBs were perceived to be mostly feminine in nature.

Research limitations/implications

– The results indicated the importance of OCBs in managerial ratings and established that OCB behaviors are more aligned with stereotypes of women than men. Gendered expectations regarding OCB behaviors may further bias subjective workplace evaluations.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to establish the perception that OCBs as commonly categorized in research studies are perceived to be associated with feminine behaviors. OCBs had a strong effect on evaluations of managers and OCBs are more associated with feminine gender roles.
Ancillary service impact on outpatient scheduling
Authors: Huang Yu-Li
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The paper aims to provide a simulation optimization solution to improve patient scheduling that accounts for varying ancillary service time such as x-ray to minimize patient wait time.

Design/methodology/approach

– The two-step approach is to: identify patients' needs for ancillary services while scheduling appointments; and propose an algorithm to determine ancillary service time via simulation optimization. The main aim is to provide sufficient time between arrival at the clinic and the actual examination time for a patient to complete pre-visit activities without contributing significantly to patient wait time. Two case studies are included to demonstrate the approach.

Findings

– Triaging at the appointment-scheduling time saves an average 17 minutes for physician's first consultation in a clinic day, and a 7 percent reduction on current average patient wait time for case 1. Case 2 results in a 9 percent reduction on average patient wait time. The scheduled ancillary service time depends on the frequency and the ancillary service time, and appointment slot design.

Research limitations/implications

– One limitation is the impact of modeling error on the account of ancillary service times and the modeling assumptions.

Practical implications

– The proposed approach provides a studying method for clinic staff to account for ancillary services prior to physicians' visits for a better patient care. Two case studies demonstrated the practicability and promising results on reducing patient waiting.

Originality/value

– This article presents a unique approach to considering the required ancillary services in outpatient scheduling system that minimizes patient wait times. The approach will strengthen the existing scheduling methods to allow the time for ancillary services.
Assess, enhance, repeat: fostering a culture of continuous improvement in document delivery
Authors: Charles Bruno Thomas
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the launch of the Yale University Library's Scan and Deliver electronic document delivery service and provide an initial assessment of its first full academic year of operations.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author outlines how the service functions and how it is assessed both from the perspective of the library patron and the service provider.

Findings

– The author demonstrates how assessment, when incorporated from the very start of a new service, can be utilized as a tool for continuous improvement.

Originality/value

– This case study will be of value to any ILL practitioners who are considering launching a similar service, or who wish to incorporate assessment or continuous improvement into existing library services.
Digital archiving as information production
Authors: Foster Jonathan , Benford Steve , Price Dominic
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This article aims to develop a framework that considers digital archiving as a form of networked information production, in which the different stages of producing a digital archive are modularized and distributed across different actors. The framework is applied and developed within the context of designing a digital archive for the electronic artwork Rider Spoke. More specifically the framework is applied and developed within the context of designing a subject scheme that provides its users with consistent yet relevant access to the content of the archive.

Design/methodology/approach

– A total of 74 postgraduate students from the Information School at the University of Sheffield were invited to tag four videos from the Riders Have Spoken archive as a voluntary exercise. Students were evenly distributed across the four videos and each participant was invited to generate up to ten tags; with each tag or annotation representing a point of interest in the content of the video for viewer. The time was also noted. In total, 46 students completed the exercise and this generated 356 user tags. As a collection these tags and annotations represent the terms and vocabulary on which a subsequent content analysis was conducted and a subject language developed.

Findings

– The development of a subject scheme for a particular single electronic artwork with seven facets, sub-facets, and illustrative examples is presented. The design of the scheme and its relations to prior work in classification is discussed.

Research limitations/implications

– Implications of the research for the design of a digital archive and the methods used to construct them are discussed

Originality/value

– The originality of the article lies in its characterization of digital archiving as a form of networked information production; and the application of the framework to the design of a faceted scheme enabling subject access to the digital archive of an electronic artwork called Rider Spoke.
The knowledge organization of DBpedia: a case study
Authors: Pattuelli Cristina , Rubinow Sara
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper investigates the semantic structure underlying DBpedia, one of the largest and most heavily used datasets in the current Linked Open Data (LOD) landscape. The analysis attempts to shed light on this new type of knowledge organization tool.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research followed a case study methodology to analyze DBpedia using the domain of jazz as the application scenario.

Findings

– The study reveals an evolving knowledge organization tool where different descriptive and classification approaches are employed concurrently. The semantic constructs employed in the DBpedia knowledge base vary significantly in terms of their degree of formalization, stability, cohesiveness and consistency. As such, they challenge the tolerance threshold for data quality and the traditional notion of authority control.

Research limitations/implications

– The analysis is conducted on a limited portion of a large knowledge base. Initial findings provide a basis for further research and study.

Practical implications

– Revealing the knowledge organization underlying DBpedia increases the understanding of its power, its limitations and its implications for the new semantic context provided by LOD. Having an understanding of the range of entities and properties available enables LOD users to formulate queries with higher precision.

Originality/value

– This study is the first conducted from the perspective of the knowledge organization community.
Governance and performance reporting in Scottish charities
Authors: Dunne Theresa
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore the governance and performance reporting practices of Scottish charities at a time of unprecedented legislative and regulatory reform. Such reforms include the revision of the SORP governing charity reporting and the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act which led to the establishment of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper provides a descriptive examination of the Trustees' Reports (TRs) produced by a sample of Scottish charities; this assessment was facilitated by means of a content analysis of these documents following the introduction of the new regulatory regime.

Findings

– The findings indicate that the regime change had a significant impact on the provision of performance, governance and accountability-related information in Scottish charities' TRs.

Originality/value

– The paper provides the first detailed descriptive account of reporting practices across a range of charities in Scotland at a time of unprecedented regulatory change.
Factors influencing accountants' behavioural intentions to use and actual usage of enterprise resource planning systems in a global development agency
Authors: Alleyne Philmore , Lavine Marcia
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This research aims to explore factors influencing accountants' usage of enterprise resource planning (ERP) at a global development agency. The paper tests a model, which hypothesised that attitudes, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence and self-efficacy would have significant and positive effects on behavioural intention to use, and facilitating conditions and behavioural intention would have significant and positive effects on frequency of use (actual usage).

Design/methodology/approach

– The study utilised a quantitative approach through an online survey of 104 respondents from the different countries that the organisation operates within.

Findings

– Using multiple regression analysis, the findings showed that attitudes towards use, performance expectancy, self-efficacy and effort expectancy were significant predictors of behavioural intention to use the ERP system. Behavioural intentions and facilitating conditions significantly and positively influenced actual ERP usage. Social influence was found to be non-significant.

Research limitations/implications

– The study used a small sample drawn from a single organization.

Practical implications

– The paper tests a model of usage of ERP and identifies those factors that are likely to influence ERP usage in a global development agency.

Originality/value

– The paper supplements the existing literature on ERP usage in global organizations.
Impact of lean practices on operations performance and business performance
Authors: Nawanir Gusman , Kong Teong Lim , Norezam Othman Siti
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This study aims to investigate the relationship between lean practices, operations performance (OP), and business performance (BP).

Design/methodology/approach

– This survey-based study was a cross-sectional study. The samples were drawn by using stratified random sampling procedure from large Indonesian manufacturing companies based on the directory provided by the Data and Information Center of Indonesian Ministry of Industry with the final number of respondents of 139. Four main hypotheses were developed and tested statistically by applying multivariate data analyses.

Findings

– The results provided evidence that lean practices should be implemented holistically. Lean practices have a positive and significant impact on both OP and BP. Moreover, OP partially mediates the relationship between lean practices and BP.

Research limitations/implications

– The data used in this survey represent self-reporting by mainly the middle or top management in production.

Practical implications

– This study contributes to the lean manufacturing (LM) body of knowledge by identifying the relationships between the LM practices, OP, and BP. Understanding these relationships will help practitioners in making better decisions in manufacturing organizations as well as enable application of the concepts in this study to other contexts such as service organizations.

Originality/value

– Although there are a growing number of anecdotal and empirical evidences in favor of LM in manufacturing environment, there has been almost no theory-building and methodologically rigorous research examining the link between LM, OP, and BP. This study is addressed to fill this gap.
Change and learning strategies in large scale change programs
Authors: Elisabeth Nyström Monica , Höög Elisabet , Garvare Rickard , Weinehall Lars , Ivarsson Anneli
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The study identifies the variation of change strategies used in a complex large scale change program in health and social services in Sweden, aimed at changing professionals' health promoting practices. The purpose is to investigate the change strategies used over time and describe the potential variation in key change agent views, using a framework inspired by De Caluwé and Vermaak's multi paradigm change typology.

Design/methodology/approach

– The first six years of the regional multi-sector program are examined. Results are based on content analyses of interviews with key change actors, and archival data describing program activities. Respondents belonged to either the strategic or the operational program management team, representing different sectors of health and social services in a region.

Findings

– Multiple strategy paradigms showed varying influence over the program's different phases, partly due to program progress, change agent influence and/or varying contextual demands. Respondents' views on strategies and program focus varied depending on their program roles. Respondents expressed insights about the varying conditions for change and on the conflicting expectations within and between program management teams.

Originality/value

– This study introduces the application of a new framework on a large scale, complex change program. The framework sheds light on a number of basic assumptions and change strategies that can be further compared with content and context factors, barriers, facilitators, outcomes, and in turn with other programs.
Understanding the features of performance measurement system: a literature review
Authors: Keong Choong Kwee
Published: October 2013

Purpose

–The purpose of this paper is to identify the required factors that can be considered necessary in conceptualizing the features of an efficient and effective performance measurement system (PMS) that is appropriate in the modern organizational setting. The field of PMS is heavily researched and yet certain fundamentals of PMS, in particular the precise meaning and application of the features of PMS: data, measuring attributes consisting of measures, metrics and indicators, and methods of measurement remain unclear.

Design/methodology/approach

–The paper uses a systematic approach in reviewing and examining existing PMS and non-PMS articles that focus on the features for measurement from 1990 (January) to 2012 (November). Further, citation analysis was used to support the review as well-cited articles are considered well-read by researchers, and hence they should have sufficient impact in the academic community.

Findings

–The outcomes of this review contribute and update existing literature on PMS in three ways: identification of gaps in terms of practical usefulness and academic research; suggestions of solutions in the form of a conceptual framework to improve measurement and performance measurement using the correct features of PMS; and recommendation of a direction for future research with regard to the features of PMS.

Research limitations/implications

–Although the proposed concept has many merits, the conceptualized features (as yet) have not reached the stage beyond normative reasoning.

Practical implications

–The paper defines a measure, metric and an indicator which relates to the use of accounting and non-accounting data, and suggests some of the non-accounting methods of measurement and performance measurement that can be used generally in various organizations. Using an illustration, this paper suggests appropriate ways to construct and implement the measuring attributes using appropriate measuring methods in a car maker. This paper also warns users to construct and use the features of PMS judiciously as incorrect uses of these attributes can easily be misconstrued, and thus causing incorrect inferences in decision-making.

Originality/value

–This is a seminar paper that defines the measuring attributes of PMS for the conceptualization of a workable framework of the features of PMS.
Bad news bears
Authors: Matthew Holzhauer Hunter , Lu Xing , W. McLeod Robert , Mehran Jamshid
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This study aims to look into how volatility significantly impacts the tracking error for daily-rebalanced leveraged bull and bear ETFs.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using Morningstar return data and Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) volatility index (VIX) data, the paper examines the daily tracking error for leveraged bull and bear ETFs. Tracking error is defined as the difference between the daily returns for a leveraged bull or bear ETF and the multiple of the daily return for that ETF's respective underlying benchmark index.

Findings

– Changes in the market VIX of the CBOE have a significant and opposite effect on the daily returns for both leveraged bull and bear ETFs. Furthermore, these effects are more pronounced for bear ETFs than similarly leveraged bull ETFs.

Research limitations/implications

– The sample period (June 19, 2006 to September 22, 2009) contains periods of extraordinarily high volatility. Considering that the VIX reached an all-time high during this period, the results may be time-period specific and may not translate to other time periods.

Practical implications

– The implication is that market timing may be feasible for enhancing daily returns for both leveraged bull and bear ETFs. However, any specific timing strategies go beyond the scope of this paper.

Originality/value

– In this study, the paper examined the effects of expected market volatility on the daily tracking error of leveraged bull and bear ETFs. Specifically, the paper performed multiple linear regression analysis using Morningstar return data for the ETFs and their underlying benchmark and CBOE VIX data. The findings suggest that market timing could be beneficial for increasing daily yields for leveraged and inverse ETFs.
Practice-informed research
Authors: Chynoweth Paul
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to introduce a model for practice-informed research and to propose this as an alternative paradigm of enquiry, capable of satisfying the competing demands for research in the built environment to be both academically rigorous, and also relevant to practice.

Design/methodology/approach

– The model is defined in terms of research whose primary purpose addresses the immediate needs of professional practice, rather than theoretical, policy or other academic concerns, and which also utilizes the researcher's experientially gained knowledge as a methodological device. The extent to which this model is capable of demonstrating the required degree of rigour demanded by the academic world is then evaluated through a review of relevant theoretical and methodological literature.

Findings

– The model is seen to draw upon the Aristotlean notions of techne and phronesis, and to belong to a long epistemological and methodological tradition associated with the concept of knowledge in action. The relationship between this concept and that of tacit knowledge, as well as emic and ideographic approaches to research are demonstrated. The model is also seen to have particular resonances with recent developments in the arts and design disciplines, in qualitative social research and in aspects of the current discourse surrounding the emergence of the knowledge economy.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper demonstrates the academic legitimacy of the proposed model as an alternative research paradigm for use in a built environment context.

Practical implications

– The model presents an approach that has the potential to increase the relevance of research, and to generate an increased level dialogue between academics and practitioners in the built environment field.

Originality/value

– The paper places the concept of practice-informed research into the public domain for subsequent consideration and debate by members of the built environment research community. The concept's insider and practice-centric approaches distinguish it from earlier contributions to the relevance v. rigour debate. By drawing on a wide range of interdisciplinary sources the paper also offers new theoretical insights that have not previously been aired in a built environment context.
What constitutes success? A critical review of the practice and implementation of Crime Prevention through Environmental Design in New Zealand
Authors: Butler Chris
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to offer a commentary on the implementation of the Guidelines for Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) in New Zealand. Published in 2005, the guidelines represented a significant shift in both the appreciation and awareness of CPTED amongst its built environment professionals and those involved in crime prevention. The author refers to a case study from Maraenui, New Zealand, which demonstrates a holistic approach to regeneration through community involvement and decision making.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is an invited opinion piece and comment based upon the specialist experience and viewpoint of the author as an urban designer with an Australasian multi-disciplinary design company. Through the use of a case study, the author discusses creative solutions to reducing crime that has helped to promote and support a more resilient future for Maraenui.

Findings

– The author explores the realities and challenges to progressing the practice and evaluation of CPTED in New Zealand, and outlines, in his opinion, what actions may impact its future direction and success.

Originality/value

– On the basis of their experience, the author argues the need for four key actions that he believes are required to advance CPTED in New Zealand.
Engaging graduates to recruit the best
Authors: Linley Alex , Garcea Nicky
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This article explores how strengths-based recruitment is enabling graduate recruiters to engage, attract and select the best talent. Drawing from the example of major graduate recruiter, Ernst & Young, it shows how strengths assessment can be used at each stage of the recruitment and selection process.

Design/methodology/approach

– Strengths-based recruitment is focused on assessing candidates in relation to their performance and motivation. It identifies what people do well and enjoy doing, relative to the requirements and job-fit of the prospective employer. Strengths are also assessed online as part of a front-end screening process through the situational strengths test. This assesses the strengths candidates have, together with how they would use those strengths in a range of scenarios and situations they would be likely to experience in the role.

Findings

– Strengths-based recruitment and the Situational Strengths Test engage candidates by providing them with a realistic job preview of the role. They help candidates to make informed decisions about their own fit with the role. They help organizations to select the candidates who match their requirements more effectively from those who do not, delivering better outcomes for candidates and employers.

Originality/value

– Strengths-based recruitment is an engaging recruitment approach that appeals to the Generation Y of current graduates who are focused on the opportunity to use their strengths at work. Ernst & Young has seen improved candidate experience, enhanced business engagement, and better selection outcomes through its use of strengths-based recruitment.
JCT600 engages expanding team with benefits package
Authors: Mason Steve
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to present a case study about how JCT600 has implemented an employee benefits program that offers its staff a comprehensive range of benefits in an engaging and easy-to-use format.

Design/methodology/approach

– Looking after its people and rewarding their loyalty is a major part of JCT600's core values. Feedback had suggested that the benefits program that was originally in place needed to be made more appealing, accessible and comprehensive, with certain additional benefits such as a cycle to work scheme and retail discounts. Personal Group proposed a program called “Just Rewards”, which comprised a range of bespoke benefits including JCT600's existing staff benefits. A thorough communications plan was put in place ahead of the launch, including posters and internal company newsletters, to ensure employees were aware of the program. Upon launch, one-to-one meetings were offered to every employee to introduce them to the scheme and to drive their practical understanding of it. The one-to-one meetings were facilitated by Personal Group using their innovative iPad app to bring the program to life.

Findings

– Of JCT600's 1,350-strong team, 754 joined the program within the first three months. In an employee survey following the launch, 93 percent of the staff surveyed were very satisfied or satisfied with the benefits on offer, with 94 percent very satisfied or satisfied with the overall benefits package. Overall, JCT600 felt that it was a successful roll out. Simple protection products were also offered by Personal Group, namely Voluntary Group Income Protection (VGIP) and the Hospital Cash Plan. Both have been well received with 274 VGIP registrations and 158 Hospital Cash Plan take up. A total of 56 percent of staff registered and 35 percent were actively using the program within the first three months. The early usage and engagement with the program has exceeded expectations.

Originality/value

– Following research with staff, JCT600 felt that employees would appreciate more comprehensive benefits in an easy to access package. It shows that even large companies with multiple locations can retain a “family values” ethos by taking responsibility for the wellbeing and incentivization of a diverse workforce.
Sea shells used as partial aggregate replacement in concrete
Authors: Elliott Richardson Alan , Fuller Thomas
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of a waste marine sea shell product incorporated into a concrete mix as an aggregate replacement. Utilising shells reduces the storage of shell waste, also reducing the need for quarried aggregate and has potential benefits of adding a different material to a design mix concrete mix design for improved performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– The test methods used to evaluate the concrete were, British Standard tests for compressive strength (BS EN 12390-3:2002) and porosity (BS EN 12390-8:2009). A paired comparison test was carried out examining two different partial replacement shell aggregate mixes against a plain concrete control sample.

Findings

– The results showed a reduction in compressive strength when 50 per cent of sea shells were used as an aggregate replacement, for both sand and gravel, compared to the control sample. Crushed and graded sea shells used in concrete displayed a lower porosity/permeability than plain concrete.

Originality/value

– Whilst there is existing work relating to the compressive strength of concrete using sea shells, the porosity of concrete using sea shells has not been widely addressed and the paper investigates this aspect of sustainable concrete research.
Team performance management: past, current and future trends
Authors: Srivastava Mohit , Rogers Helen , Lettice Fiona
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to update the Team Performance Management (TPM) readership on the development of the journal since the first review article was written in 2007.

Design/methodology/approach

– Each of the 136 articles published in the journal between 2007 and 2012 were analyzed to identify interesting trends and patterns.

Findings

– The USA still holds the top positions in terms of the largest number of published articles, and a total of 28 countries are represented by first author affiliation. Academic first authors have increased from 69 to 92 percent since the 2007 analysis. Of the total articles published from 2007-2012, 32 percent of the articles are single authored, while 35 percent are double authored. The majority of the authors published just once in the journal (84 percent) during that period. The publication of research articles has increased from 55 to 67 percent. The most popular article achieved 4,310 downloads.

Research limitations/implications

– This study is not a rigorous statistical analysis, but rather seeks to provide an update on the 2007 analysis, with a review of the last six years' articles published in the journal. As before, only the first author's details were used for the analysis, which may have caused a slight bias in the findings.

Originality/value

– This article provides a quick guide in terms of the types of articles published in TPM during the last six years and with the 2007 article, gives an overview of the journal and team performance management research in the last 18 years.
Maternal, social and abiotic environmental effects on growth vary across life stages in a cooperative mammal
Authors: English Sinead , Bateman Andrew W. , Mares Rafael , Ozgul Arpat , Clutton‐Brock Tim H.
Published: October 2013

Resource availability plays a key role in driving variation in somatic growth and body condition, and the factors determining access to resources vary considerably across life stages. Parents and carers may exert important influences in early life, when individuals are nutritionally dependent, with abiotic environmental effects having stronger influences later in development as individuals forage independently.

Most studies have measured specific factors influencing growth across development or have compared relative influences of different factors within specific life stages. Such studies may not capture whether early‐life factors continue to have delayed effects at later stages, or whether social factors change when individuals become nutritionally independent and adults become competitors for, rather than providers of, food.

Here, we examined variation in the influence of the abiotic, social and maternal environment on growth across life stages in a wild population of cooperatively breeding meerkats. Cooperatively breeding vertebrates are ideal for investigating environmental influences on growth. In addition to experiencing highly variable abiotic conditions, cooperative breeders are typified by heterogeneity both among breeders, with mothers varying in age and social status, and in the number of carers present.

Recent rainfall had a consistently marked effect on growth across life stages, yet other seasonal terms only influenced growth during stages when individuals were growing fastest. Group size and maternal dominance status had positive effects on growth during the period of nutritional dependence on carers, but did not influence mass at emergence (at 1 month) or growth at independent stages (>4 months). Pups born to older mothers were lighter at 1 month of age and subsequently grew faster as subadults. Males grew faster than females during the juvenile and subadult stage only.

Our findings demonstrate the complex ways in which the external environment influences development in a cooperative mammal. Individuals are most sensitive to social and maternal factors during the period of nutritional dependence on carers, whereas direct environmental effects are relatively more important later in development. Understanding the way in which environmental sensitivity varies across life stages is likely to be an important consideration in predicting trait responses to environmental change.
REVIEW: Identifying links between vital rates and environment: a toolbox for the applied ecologist
Authors: Frederiksen Morten , Lebreton Jean‐Dominique , Pradel Roger , Choquet Rémi , Gimenez Olivier
Published: October 2013

In a rapidly changing world, understanding and predicting population change is a central aim of applied ecologists, and this involves studying the links between environmental variation and vital rates (survival, fecundity, etc.). Demographic analysis and modelling can be daunting for practicing ecologists, and here we provide an overview of some of the most important issues and methods.

Collection of demographic data should follow standardized protocols and the statistical power to detect links with environment is critically dependent on long time‐series. Candidate environmental covariates should be carefully selected with a view to reducing the risk of spurious correlations. The relevant sample size for environment–demography links is typically the number of years and mixed models with random year effects offer a powerful framework to enforce this.

Data on individually marked animals are the best source of information on demography. These data can be analysed and demographic parameters estimated using a wide variety of capture–mark–recapture models, available in standard software packages.

Population models integrate all demographic variables and provide estimates of population growth rate. Two common classes of models are matrix models and integrated population models, where the latter combine parameter estimation and dynamic modelling.

Synthesis and applications. Careful demographic analysis and modelling has provided solutions for many real‐world problems in population management, as well as assisting the development of general principles. The tools currently available are flexible and powerful, and the main limitations to their more general use are data availability and training.
Modelling edge effects of mature forest plantations on peatland waders informs landscape‐scale conservation
Authors: Wilson Jeremy D. , Anderson Russell , Bailey Sallie , Chetcuti Jordan , Cowie Neil R. , Hancock Mark H. , Quine Christopher P. , Russell Norrie , Stephen Leigh , Thompson Des B. A.
Published: October 2013

Edge effects of native forest fragmentation have been well studied, but there are few studies of open‐ground habitats fragmented by plantation forests. We measure forestry edge effects on open‐ground breeding birds, following one of Europe's biggest and most controversial land‐use transformations.

The ‘Flow Country’ of northern Scotland is one of the world's greatest expanses of blanket bog. It became fragmented by conifer forests planted in the late 20th century, and these now adjoin open peatlands protected under European conservation legislation. Detrimental edge effects on breeding birds were anticipated, but not apparent shortly after planting.

Using survey data collected in 2003–2006, and logistic regression modelling, we tested whether breeding distributions of three wader species of international conservation concern, dunlin, European golden plover and common greenshank, were influenced by distance to forest edge, controlling for habitat and topography.

All three species were more likely to occupy flatter, more exposed ground close to bog pools and were influenced by peatland vegetation structure. There was an additive and adverse effect of proximity to forest edge for dunlin and European golden plover, but not common greenshank. This effect was strongest within 700 m of forest edges. We used these results to predict which areas should benefit most from removal of adjacent forestry and so guide maintenance and restoration of the bird interests of the protected areas.

Synthesis and applications. Edge effects of mature forestry on dunlin and golden plover are apparent over several hundred metres and are now being used to guide forest planning in northern Scotland. The scale of edge effect is broadly consistent with other avian studies in open‐ground habitats across Eurasia and North America, so buffer zones of this order are consistent with possible impacts of plantation forestry on open‐ground habitats of bird conservation interest. Given renewed interest in conifer afforestation as a climate change mitigation measure, an improved understanding of edge effects and the mechanisms through which they operate is vital to managing plantation forestry in ways that maintain open‐ground landscapes of high conservation value.
Effectiveness of intensive, group therapy for teenagers who stutter
Authors: Fry Jane , Millard Sharon , Botterill Willie
Published: October 2013

Background

Treatment of adolescents who stutter is an under‐researched area that would benefit from greater attention.

Aims

To investigate whether an intensive treatment programme for older teenagers who stutter, aged over 16 years of age, is effective in reducing overt and covert aspects of stuttering.

Methods & Procedures

A repeated‐measures, single‐subject experimental design was replicated across participants. The study consisted of a 5‐week baseline phase, 2‐week intensive treatment phase, 5‐week consolidation phase and 10‐month follow‐up phase. Participants were asked to make ten video recordings at home during each phase, while completing a reading and a conversation task. Recordings were analysed in terms of the percentage of stuttered syllables using a simplified time‐series analysis. Participants completed self‐report questionnaires at predetermined times throughout the study. Data are presented for three males aged 17;7, 17;11 and 18;10.

Outcomes & Results

One participant completed all required recordings. Difficulties were encountered collecting follow‐up data with the other two participants and data are available up to 5 months after the intensive therapy phase. A significant trend of reduced frequency of stuttering was found for all three participants during the intensive therapy phase. This trend continued throughout the consolidation phase and remained significant when available longer‐term data were included in the analysis. Participants also reported increased self‐efficacy about speaking and reduced overt and covert aspects of stammering.

Conclusions & Implications

Findings show that this therapy programme for teenagers had a significant treatment effect for the participants studied in the short‐ and medium‐term, however longer‐term data were not available for all participants. Issues in conducting research with this client group are discussed.
Estimation of Urinary Concentration of Aflatoxin M1 in Chinese Pregnant Women
Authors: Lei Yajing , Fang Lizheng , Akash Muhammad Sajid Hamid , Rehman Kanwal , Liu Zhiming , Shi Weixing , Chen Shuqing
Published: October 2013

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is a main cause of hepatocarcenogenoma in Chinese population. Measurement of aflatoxin exposure in human may help in providing clear evidence for the exposure of specific environmental pollutants in certain population. “One child policy” in China offered parents more careful to choose safe food during pregnancy, but no reports published on the efficacy of their endeavor. In present study, we aimed to assess the exposure of AFM1 in Chinese pregnant women. The urine samples were collected from 600 volunteers from Zhejiang province, China and the urinary concentration of AFM1 was measured using ELISA kit. AFM1 was detected in 84% of the pregnant women. The geometric mean and 95th percentile concentration of AFM1 in pregnant women were 50.3 ng/L and 633.5 ng/L, respectively. Our results point out that pregnant women especially are at the high risk of exposure to AFM1. Our results also indicate that although “one child policy” offered parents to pay more attention for the selection of safe food, but detection of AFM1 in urine of pregnant women indicate that more foods containing AFM1 still need to be detected. Highest exposure of AFM1 in pregnant women indicates that awareness campaigns must be started especially in the rural areas of China regarding the possible hazardous effects of AFM1 exposure in pregnant women.
Glucocorticoid‐induced hyperglycemia (糖皮质激素诱导的高血糖)
Authors: Perez Antonio , Jansen‐Chaparro Sergio , Saigi Ignasi , Bernal‐Lopez M. Rosa , Miñambres Inka , Gomez‐Huelgas Ricardo
Published: October 2013

Corticosteroid‐induced hyperglycemia is a common medical problem that can lead to frequent emergency room visits, hospital admissions and prolonged hospital stay, in addition to the well known morbidity associated with hyperglycemia. However, the diagnosis and treatment of corticosteroid‐induced hyperglycemia is surprisingly undervalued by most professionals, probably because of the lack of quality studies to determine specific strategies of action. In the present review, we discuss the pathophysiology of corticosteroid‐induced hyperglycemia, focusing on diverse patterns of hyperglycemia induced by the different formulations, and provide clues for diagnosis based on the duration of treatment and the administration schedule of corticosteroids. We propose a treatment strategy based on both the pathophysiology of the process and the mechanism of action of different corticosteroids, and take into account dosing and administration timing to predict the duration of therapy. Finally, we propose treatment goals that differ slightly between the transient and continuous use of corticosteroids based on evidence from clinical practice guidelines of diabetes care both in ambulatory and hospital settings.
Taxonomy of the genus Udara (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in New Caledonia and the Wet Tropics of Australia, with a review of butterfly endemism in these regions
Authors: Braby Michael F , Müller Chris J
Published: October 2013

The lycaenid genus Udara Toxopeus is recorded for the first time from New Caledonia where it is represented by the newly described species U. renevieri sp. nov. The species is figured, the male genitalia are illustrated, and the taxon is compared with U. cardia (C. Felder, 1860) (from Maluku through New Guinea to the Solomon Islands and Australia) to which it appears to be most closely related. The taxonomic status of U. cardia tenella syn. nov. and stat. nov. from the Wet Tropics biome of north‐east Australia is revised and treated as a subspecies of U. cardia based on comparative evidence of the morphology of the male genitalia and wing colour pattern elements. The holotypes of both Lycaena cardia C. Felder, 1860 and Lycaena tenella Miskin, 1891 are illustrated. Patterns of butterfly endemism in New Caledonia‐Loyalty Islands and the Wet Tropics are discussed in relation to the conservation importance of these biodiversity hot spots. Estimated levels of endemism are 21% for New Caledonia and 5% (17% if subspecies are included) for the rainforest component of the Wet Tropics.