bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Real-time powder diffraction studies of energy materials under non-equilibrium conditions
Authors: Peterson Vanessa K. , Auckett Josie E. , Pang Wei-Kong
Published: September 2017

Energy materials form the central part of energy devices. An essential part of their function is the ability to reversibly host charge or energy carriers, and analysis of their phase composition and structure in real time under non-equilibrium conditions is mandatory for a full understanding of their atomic-scale functional mechanism. Real-time powder diffraction is increasingly being applied for this purpose, forming a critical step in the strategic chemical engineering of materials with improved behaviour. This topical review gives examples of real-time analysis using powder diffraction of rechargeable battery electrodes and porous sorbent materials used for the separation and storage of energy-relevant gases to demonstrate advances in the insights which can be gained into their atomic-scale function.
ζ-Glycine: insight into the mechanism of a polymorphic phase transition
Authors: Bull Craig L. , Flowitt-Hill Giles , de Gironcoli Stefano , Küçükbenli Emine , Parsons Simon , Pham Cong Huy , Playford Helen Y. , Tucker Matthew G.
Published: September 2017

Glycine is the simplest and most polymorphic amino acid, with five phases having been structurally characterized at atmospheric or high pressure. A sixth form, the elusive ζ phase, was discovered over a decade ago as a short-lived intermediate which formed as the high-pressure ∊ phase transformed to the γ form on decompression. However, its structure has remained unsolved. We now report the structure of the ζ phase, which was trapped at 100 K enabling neutron powder diffraction data to be obtained. The structure was solved using the results of a crystal structure prediction procedure based on fullyab initioenergy calculations combined with a genetic algorithm for searching phase space. We show that the fate of ζ-glycine depends on its thermal history: although at room temperature it transforms back to the γ phase, warming the sample from 100 K to room temperature yielded β-glycine, the least stable of the known ambient-pressure polymorphs.
Comparability of leadership constructs from the Malaysian and Pakistani perspectives
Authors: Hussain Ghulam , Wan Ismail Wan Khairuzzaman , Javed Muzhar
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the applicability of transformational leadership and substitutes-for-leadership theories in Malaysia’s and Pakistan’s work settings.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a survey-based approach using professional employees in both countries as respondents. In total, 215 responses to a web-based survey in Malaysia and 523 responses to a survey administered using personal methods in Pakistan were used for the analysis.

Findings

The results revealed that Malaysia’s leaders were rated high on the dimensions of transformational and transactional leadership. The transformational leadership dimensions produced desirable effects on subordinates’ outcomes in both samples, but the contingent punishment dimension of transactional leadership produced especially undesirable effects on subordinates’ outcomes. Substitutes for leadership also independently affected subordinates’ outcomes and produced similar effects on subordinates’ outcomes in both samples. In general, the effects in the Malaysian sample are larger than those in the Pakistani sample.

Research limitations/implications

The results suggest that the transformational leadership style is effective in both cultures, but the transactional leadership style is culturally contingent. While leaders in collectivist cultures like Malaysia and Pakistan should practice more transformational leadership than transactional leadership, leaders in Pakistan should be particularly careful while practicing transactional leadership because of the society’s high level of collectivism and moderately high-power distance orientation.

Practical implications

The results suggest that the transformational leadership style is effective in both cultures, but the transactional leadership style is culturally contingent. While leaders in collectivist cultures like Malaysia and Pakistan should practice more transformational leadership than transactional leadership, leaders in Pakistan should be particularly careful while practicing transactional leadership because of the society’s low power distance orientation.

Originality/value

Since this study is the first to compare the applicability of western theories in collectivist cultures that differ significantly in their power distance orientation, it contributes meaningfully to the cross-culture leadership field.
Building entrepreneurial capacity in rural areas
Authors: Krakowiak-Bal Anna , Ziemianczyk Urszula , Wozniak Andrzej
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to verify the development of economic activities in rural areas in terms of their public infrastructural equipment.

Design/methodology/approach

As a case study, the Polish rural areas were selected. A two-stage survey was conducted in 2015. The first stage involved entrepreneurs from rural areas. The second stage of survey was data collection for rural areas regarding economic activity and infrastructural equipment. In total, 121 objects (communes) were selected. The multicriteria analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method was used for the analysis.

Findings

The results demonstrate that for each kind of business, communication accessibility is the most important criterion. By contrast, environmental awareness and concern for the environment is the least important element for pursuit of the economic activity in rural areas.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations are connected mainly with the applied AHP method. The number of the comparable elements at the same hierarchy level is limited due to practical purposes. In addition, an assumption of full comparability of elements (criteria and alternatives) in the hierarchy model can be discussed. Furthermore, data quality and availability limit the scope of the empirical work. This study is a major simplification of reality modeling, but it gives practical benefits by simplifying the decision support procedure.

Practical implications

The findings of this paper contribute to the advancing theory of local development, with public infrastructure being one of its basic elements (factor of production). This paper explores the importance of physical infrastructure for different economic activities, and thus offers theoretical insights in two areas. First, this paper indicates the uneven weight of each infrastructure element for the various business sectors. Second, based on the collected data, this study also contributes to the literature, by using the AHP method to explore the relationships between infrastructural equipment and economic activity in rural areas. As the practical implication for local and regional development policies, this study indicates, that the most important criterion for each kind of economic activity is communication accessibility. This kind of public investment should be undertaken primarily to support entrepreneurship, especially in rural areas.

Originality/value

The uniqueness of the method lies in assumption about the uneven weights of infrastructure elements and therefore their impact on the process of ranking the objects (rural areas). The weight of individual infrastructure elements will vary depending on the kind of economic activity; therefore, the way of ordering will also be different for each economic activity.
Modeling students’ problem solving performance in the computer-based mathematics learning environment
Authors: Lee Young-Jin
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a quantitative model of problem solving performance of students in the computer-based mathematics learning environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Regularized logistic regression was used to create a quantitative model of problem solving performance of students that predicts whether students can solve a mathematics problem correctly based on how well they solved other problems in the past. The usefulness of the model was evaluated by comparing the predicted probability of correct problem solving to the actual problem solving performance on the data set that was not used in the model building process.

Findings

The regularized logistic regression model showed a better predictive power than the standard Bayesian Knowledge Tracing model, the most frequently used quantitative model of student learning in the Educational Data Mining research.

Originality/value

Providing instructional scaffolding is critical in order to facilitate student learning. However, most computer-based learning environments use heuristics or rely on the discretion of students when they determine whether instructional scaffolding needs be provided. The predictive model of problem solving performance of students can be used as a quantitative guideline that can help make a better decision on when to provide instructional supports and guidance in the computer-based learning environment, which can potentially maximize the learning outcome of students.
A rubric for describing competences in the areas of circuitry, computation, and crafting after a course using e-textiles
Authors: Lee Victor R. , Fields Deborah A.
Published: September 2017

Purpose

In light of growing interest in the maker movement and electronic textiles (e-textiles) as an educational technology, the purpose of this paper is to characterize competence change in undergraduate students who participated in a semester-length course that used e-textiles.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative and exploratory research study used semi-structured pre- and post-interviews with undergraduate students (N=7) thinking aloud through novel tasks in order to understand their learning from a semester-long course involving e-textiles. This design was intended to elicit student thinking with commercial toys that differed from the types of projects they had completed in their course. A coding scheme was developed and organized into an analytical rubric to map depth of understanding in the three spheres of circuitry, computation, and crafting. Select cases of pre-post change were identified to illustrate growth in specific content spheres.

Findings

Students’ ability to reason through novel tasks showed growth in each sphere, provided that the student did not begin with a full level of sophistication in a particular area during the pre-interview. Although students may not reach normative or expert-like competence, there are demonstrable indications of growth for each of the dimensions.

Originality/value

As e-textiles are increasingly turned to educationally, the creation and presentation of a rubric for describing competence in three spheres, especially the previously understudied area of crafting knowledge in e-textiles, is itself a useful contribution to the field. This is also an extension of e-textiles learning research into undergraduate instruction, an as-yet understudied setting for maker education.
Educators’ perceptions of a maker-based learning experience
Authors: Cohen Jonathan D. , Huprich Julia , Jones W. Monty , Smith Shaunna
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine a cohort of educators’ perspectives of a semester-long maker-based university course.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative study utilized participants’ weekly and end-of-semester written reflections to illustrate the participants’ perceptions of a semester-long university course focused on the role of maker principles and technologies in a variety of educational contexts.

Findings

The participants’ perceptions of learning following the semester-long maker experience viewed learning as a more collaborative experience, and noted the benefits of a classroom community that arose from the collaboration.

Originality/value

This study adds empirical research to the literature base on the use of maker tools and strategies in formal educational environments. While other studies have examined similar environments, they tend to focus on short-term, single experiences. This study followed the development of educators’ perceptions of a maker-based learning experience over a longer duration of time. The findings of this study provide a research-based foundation for teacher educators to build upon when developing maker-based learning activities.
Examining elementary school teachers’ integration of technology and enactment of TPACK in mathematics
Authors: Urbina Angela , Polly Drew
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how elementary school teachers integrated technology into their mathematics teaching in classroom settings that were one-to-one computer environments for most of the day. Following a series of classroom observations and interviews, inductive qualitative analyses of data indicated that teachers felt that technology supported students’ mathematics learning and prepared them for their future where technology was important. However, observations indicated that despite teaching in one-to-one environments, students only used technology on rare occasions or if they finished activities early. Further, these technology-based activities were low-level review of mathematics computations. Implications include the need to provide effective support to teachers about integrating technology in meaningful ways.

Design/methodology/approach

This study involved classroom observations of two-third grade teachers.

Findings

Findings indicate that teachers used Chromebooks in one-to-one classrooms to provide students with extra practice on computational skills.

Research limitations/implications

There is a need for future studies to look at teachers’ use of technology and its influence on student learning.

Practical implications

Teacher education programs and school leaders should provide opportunities for current and future teachers to learn about technology with content specific examples.

Originality/value

This study provided an examination of all of the third grade teachers in a school who all were teaching mathematics in one-to-one classroom environments.
Another failed M&A: misaligned business models as culprit
Authors: Le Floc’h Gaël , Scaringella Laurent
Published: September 2017

Purpose

Literature on business models (BMs) has grown ve
ry rapidly since the beginning of the twenty-first century, and although the theoretical and empirical literature has developed significantly, the number of practical and management-oriented studies remains relatively low. A recent debate in the field has focused on the definition of BM invariants: sensing customer needs, creating customer value, sustaining value creation and monetizing value. Extant empirical studies have mainly focused on multinational enterprises (MNEs) and successful BMs; however, this study concentrates on the failure of BMs in the case of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). An important source of a BM’s failure is the misalignment between MNE and SME involved in an acquisition.

Design/methodology/approach

Looking through the lens of the four BM constants, the aim of this study is to examine the case of the acquisition Domestic Heating (an SME) by Ventilair (an MNE).

Findings

Although both separate entities were achieving good results and each had a specific BM, the acquisition produced poor results mainly due to the misalignment of the two BMs. The findings lead the authors to make recommendations to practitioners on avoiding BM misalignment during an acquisition.

Originality/value

The authors encourage practitioners to enhance communication, promote organizational experiments, acknowledge specificities of both entities, foster employee commitment and ensure homogeneity in IT system usage.
Stakeholder dialogue: strategic tool or wasted words?
Authors: Guibert Laetitia , Roloff Julia
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify which stakeholder dialogue approach has the best outcomes. Moreover, it is investigated how stakeholder dialogue practices are linked to the quality of stakeholder management and the maturity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

Twelve CSR managers of 11 French enterprises are interviewed.

Findings

Four different types of stakeholder dialogue are identified and their characteristics, as well as the opportunities and risks connected to each approach, are discussed.

Research limitations/implications

Only a limited number of enterprises operating in France are studied. More research is needed to ensure the generalisability to other countries and to identify the prevalence of each dialogue type.

Practical implications

Proactive companies manage their stakeholders in a mutually beneficial way and receive more stakeholder support on strategic issues. They discuss issues material to stakeholders, include a wide range of stakeholders and organise frequent meetings. This approach, the Hanoï Dialogue, has the best outcomes and is, therefore, best practice.

Social implications

Stakeholder dialogue is key for the development of CSR strategies which truly benefit society.

Originality/value

Although stakeholder dialogues become empirically more relevant, most researchers conduct single-case studies of good practices and do not systematically compare a range of practices.
When firms mature: keeping the ho-hum at bay and embracing change
Authors: TenBrink Candace , Gelb Betsy
Published: September 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to offer a research-based assessment of why mature firms in mature industries may struggle to survive. The basic issues explored are major hurdles to the dynamic path that the contingency theory would predict.

Design/methodology/approach

By examining dozens of studies through the lens of organizational and industry life cycle theory, the authors investigate how organizational maturity itself thwarts better choices.

Findings

Environmental shifts in the marketplace, rigid policies, lengthy procedures and internally focused politics often hinder change.

Research limitations/implications

Limited to examining the work of others, this paper, nevertheless, offers an approach to using the life cycle theory for new insights.

Practical implications

The results provide practitioners with a roadmap. The authors advise them to prepare early for the maturity stage, possibly bring in external talent, evaluate potential mergers or partnerships and consider building the R&D budget.

Social implications

Firm failure brings dislocation to a wide array of stakeholders. This paper emphasizes viable growth strategies, given the constraints firms face in maturity.

Originality/value

This paper deals with survival, integrating both environmental and organizational obstacles. This unique approach offers practitioners a synthesized view of the challenges they face in a mature stage and simultaneously suggests methods for change.
Sense, seize, reconfigure: online communities as strategic assets
Authors: Wagner David , Wenzel Matthias , Wagner Heinz-Theo , Koch Jochen
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore and illustrate how organizations may use online communities strategically to adapt to a changing business environment, specifically from a dynamic capabilities perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents empirical evidence from three cases.

Findings

Online communities may help organizations to adapt to a changing business environment by allowing them to sense opportunities and threats, seize opportunities and reconfigure organizational assets.

Research limitations/implications

The paper contributes to both the strategy and the information systems literatures by providing empirical insights into the strategic use of online communities.

Practical implications

The results of the paper are relevant for managers, helping them to understand the strategic role online communities (may) play and illustrating ways to use them accordingly.

Originality/value

The paper addresses a previously defined gap in the literature and provides novel empirical evidence. As online communities become integral parts of digital strategy and open innovation initiatives, the paper is both timely and relevant.
Does organizational justice affect turnover-intention in a developing country? The mediating role of job satisfaction and organizational commitment
Authors: Suifan Taghrid S. , Diab Hannah , Abdallah Ayman Bahjat
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of organizational justice on turnover-intention via the mediating influences of organizational commitment and job satisfaction. In addition, the study aims at incorporating all four facets of organizational justice (procedural, distributive, interpersonal and informational) in an attempt to test the model in a developing country context.

Design/methodology/approach

The study targeted employees in the airline industry working for airline companies currently operating in Jordan. A count of 323 questionnaires were directly distributed and completed and returned by employees yielding a response rate of 81 percent. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results led to the acceptance of all hypotheses. Most importantly, it was confirmed that both organizational commitment and job satisfaction had a mediating effect on the relationship between organizational justice and turnover-intention. While job satisfaction fully mediated the relationship, organizational commitment only had a partially mediating effect.

Originality/value

The study took a step beyond the simple linear models typically used in the literature by proposing a more complex one that investigated the mediating role of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Moreover, the researchers applied this model to a developing country setting in order to bridge the research gap.
Entrepreneurial knowledge and start-up behavior in a turbulent environment
Authors: Yasir Muhammad , Majid Abdul , Yasir Muhammad
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to refine the relationship between environmental turbulence and start-up behavior by considering entrepreneurial-related antecedents (alertness to business ideas, entrepreneurial opportunities, and intention toward entrepreneurship) and moderating roles of entrepreneurial knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted through a self-administered survey of owner/managers of SMEs in Pakistan. Correlation, moderated hierarchical regression, and structural equation modeling approach were used for the analysis.

Findings

The results revealed that environmental turbulence positively affects the alertness to business ideas and entrepreneurial opportunities which, in turn, affect intention toward entrepreneurship. The results also suggested that entrepreneurial knowledge significantly moderates the relationship between intention toward entrepreneurship and start-up behavior.

Research limitations/implications

The changes in the market and technologies which shape the entrepreneurial behavior toward start-up activities should be longitudinally observed. The research data came from the owner/managers of SMEs industries; therefore, the findings may not be generalized to other sectors due to industry-specific difference.

Practical implications

The positive impact of environmental turbulence suggests that turbulence is a presentiment signal, calling upon the entrepreneurs to collect meaningful information as well as identify new opportunities and adjust their capabilities for any challenges and changes ahead.

Originality/value

The study confirmed the positive impact of environmental turbulence toward the creation of new ventures in the context of developing economies as well as the moderating role of entrepreneurial knowledge on the relationship between intention toward entrepreneurship and start-up behavior in small and medium enterprises.
Modeling of role of public leader, open government information and public service performance in Indonesia
Authors: Fernandes Adji Achmad Rinaldo , Fresly Jhon
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between public leadership and open government information to public service’s performance in Indonesia.

Design/methodology/approach

The object of the study is Jakarta Capital City Government, which is divided into five areas of administrative city and one administrative district, samples of 178 respondents are obtained. The analysis tools use the moderator regression analysis. The assumption of linearity is not met, and the alternative tools use nonparametric regression. This research uses the nonparametric moderator regression analysis: Truncated Spline.

Findings

The role of public leader has a significant and positive effect on public service performance, on different levels of role of public leader, moderated by the implementation of open government information. In the high level of open government information, it has a higher slope than the low level of open government information, in the range of moderate to high-level leader of public leaders. On the other hand, in the low level of open government information, it has a higher slope than the high level of open government information, in the range of moderate to high-level leader of public leaders. This shows that the higher implementation of open government information, the stronger the influence of role of public leader on public service performance.

Originality/value

No previous study has studied comprehensively the Moderation Effect of Open Government Information Policy in relationship between public leadership to public service performance, especially in Indonesia.
Optimal location of a multinational corporation resulting from knowledge transfer
Authors: Leszczynska Dorota , Pruchnicki Erick
Published: September 2017

Purpose

A multinational corporation (MNC) looking to locate within a cluster is mainly interested in gaining access to scarce and highly valuable tacit knowledge. The transfer of such resources first requires sharing a certain degree of architectural and component knowledge. The social, organizational, cultural, institutional, technological, and physical distances between a MNC and the new subsidiary, as well as its local partners, offer a good indication of the way the architectural and technological knowledge is shared. The purpose of this paper is to examine the transfer of systemic technological expertise (component tacit knowledge) that is incorporated into organizational practices (architectural knowledge).

Design/methodology/approach

The mathematical expression of localization performance is inferred from a conceptual research that formulates hypotheses regarding the impact of these variables on knowledge transfer. The MNC chooses its location in such a way as to maximize this performance.

Findings

This research contributes to a better understanding of how knowledge transfer effects may interact with local effects, while explaining a subsidiary’s performance with regard to location.

Research limitations/implications

In order to apply this model, one would need to numerically compute the variables of this model and the performance in order to obtain a numerical estimation of the variables, by the econometric methods, which intervenes in the performance. Then one could use this numerical expression of the performance as a specific criterion of localization. Indeed it would be sufficient to evaluate both architectural and component knowledge which could be exchanged as well as different distances and the motivation for each of possible localizations and to select the one which gives the maximal numerical value for the performance.

Practical implications

The authors deduced from the mathematical model a simple decisional criterion for a manager in search of an optimal location.

Originality/value

This research provides an interpretation of the concept of knowledge embeddedness by showing that the effective transfer of architectural and component knowledge involves the prior sharing of a certain amount of this knowledge.
The relationship between training satisfaction, organisational citizenship behaviour, and turnover intention
Authors: Memon Mumtaz Ali , Sallaeh Rohani , Baharom Mohamed Noor Rosli , Md Nordin Shahrina , Ting Hiram
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of training satisfaction as a predictor of organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and turnover intention. The study further examines the mediating role of OCB between training satisfaction and turnover intention.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 409 Malaysian oil and gas (O&G) sector employees. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypotheses in the research model using SmartPLS 3.0.

Findings

This study highlights the significant positive impact of training satisfaction on OCB and the negative effect on turnover intention. Contrary to expectations, OCB proved to be neither a predictor of turnover intention nor a mediator in the model.

Practical implications

Although the main aim of this study was to test the theoretically driven hypotheses, the findings have a number of valuable implications for organisations. This study suggests that O&G organisations should focus on increasing employee satisfaction with training to maximise desired workplace attitudes and behaviours.

Originality/value

This is the first study to explore the causal links between training satisfaction, OCB and turnover intention. Although it has been observed in the past that training does not directly influence turnover intention, the present study indicates that training satisfaction significantly influences turnover intention. Further, this study unexpectedly found no direct relationship between OCB and turnover intention. Also, OCB was not a significant mediator in the present study. These unexpected findings open new avenues for future research, thus representing an important contribution of the present study.
Audit fee discounting in the post-SOX environment
Authors: Hoffman Benjamin W. , Nagy Albert L.
Published: September 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate whether the expected implementation of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX 404(b)) (the integrated audit requirement) caused auditors to discount their audit fees for non-accelerated filers in anticipation of expected increased future economic rents (DeAngelo, 1981) from those clients.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper predicts that auditors charged their non-accelerated filer clients lower audit fees during the years 2005-2007 (in anticipation of increased expected future economic rents from the implementation of the SOX 404(b) requirement) compared with the years 2010-2012 (when it had been determined that non-accelerated filers were permanently exempt from complying with SOX 404(b)). The authors use ordinary least squares regression analysis to examine whether audit fees increased significantly for non-accelerated filers after the permanent exemption announcement.

Findings

The results show a significant positive association between the exemption announcement and audit fees, supporting the theory that auditors discounted their audit fees for non-accelerated filers in the pre-exemption announcement period. This finding is robust when sensitivity tests are used.

Practical implications

The findings of audit fee discounting literature related to the post-SOX period are mixed. This study adds to this stream of literature by supporting the notion that audit fee discounting is being practiced post-SOX and is a potential unintended consequence of SOX 404 and the exemption. Thus, investors will be interested in the results of this paper when making their investment decisions with regard to non-accelerated filers.

Social implications

The results of this paper show that, even in the post-SOX environment, auditors will employ the use of audit fee discounting if a change in regulation incentivizes it. This commentary on the present state of the audit pricing market should be of interest to audit pricing policymakers.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to study audit fee discounting outside the realm of initial audit engagements.
Artificial neural network in property valuation: application framework and research trend
Authors: Abidoye Rotimi Boluwatife , Chan Albert P.C.
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The predictive accuracy and reliability of artificial intelligence models, such as the artificial neural network (ANN), has led to its application in property valuation studies. However, a large percentage of such previous studies have focused on the property markets in developed economies, and at the same time, effort has not been put into documenting its research trend in the real estate domain. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the studies that adopted ANN for property valuation in order to present an application guide for researchers and practitioners, and also establish the trend in this research area.

Design/methodology/approach

Relevant articles were retrieved from online databases and search engines and were systematically analyzed. First, the background, the construction and the strengths and weaknesses of the technique were highlighted. In addition, the trend in this research area was established in terms of the country of origin of the articles, the year of publication, the affiliations of the authors, the sample size of the data, the number of the variables used to develop the models, the training and testing ratio, the model architecture and the software used to develop the models.

Findings

The analysis of the retrieved articles shows that the first study that applied ANN in property valuation was published in 1991. Thereafter, the technique received more attention from 2000. While a quarter of the articles reviewed emanated from the USA, the rest were conducted in mostly developed countries. Most of the studies were conducted by universities scholars, while very few industry practitioners participated in the research works. Also, the predictive accuracy of the ANN technique was reported in most of the papers reviewed, but a few reported otherwise.

Research limitations/implications

The articles that are not indexed in the search engines and databases searched and also not available in the public domain might not have been captured in this study.

Practical implications

The findings of this study reveal a gap between the valuation practice in developed and developing property markets and also the contributions of real estate practitioners and universities scholars to real estate research. A paradigm shift in the valuation practice in developing nations could lead to achieving a sustainable international valuation practice.

Originality/value

This paper presents the trend in this research area that could be useful to real estate researchers and practitioners in different property markets around the world. The findings of this study could also encourage collaboration between industry professionals and researchers domiciled in both developed and developing countries.
Factors influencing real estate students’ academic performance in an emerging economy
Authors: Ayodele Timothy Oluwafemi , Oladokun Timothy Tunde , Oladokun Sunday Olarinre
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which variations in gender, socioeconomic and academic background influence real estate students’ academic performance in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for the study were collected using self-administered questionnaire, served on final year real estate students in two of the three Federal universities offering real estate as a course in Southwestern Nigeria. Data collected were analyzed using mean, frequency count, percentages, independent t-test, correlation and analysis of variance.

Findings

The result of the study suggests there is no statistically significant difference in the academic performance of Nigerian real estate students based on gender and socioeconomic background.

Research limitations/implications

The study has been limited to the sensitivity of either gender to possibly constraining socioeconomic and academic factors that might have served as barriers, especially among female students, in achieving outstanding academic performance.

Originality/value

This paper presents one of the few attempts examining gender and socioeconomic perspectives to factors influencing real estate students’ academic performance, especially from the perception of an emerging African country like Nigeria.
Financing major repairs in apartment buildings through infill development
Authors: Puustinen Tuulia , Pennanen Kyösti , Falkenbach Heidi , Arvola Anne , Viitanen Kauko
Published: September 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study views of owner-occupiers concerning infill development as a mechanism for financing major repairs in apartment buildings and financial benefits they require from the infill development for accepting it near their homes (on the plot of their housing company).

Design/methodology/approach

The data used draws upon a survey of 894 respondents concerning residents’ views on infill development in Finland. The required financial benefits from the infill development were questioned in both relative proportions of the expenses related to major repairs and concrete monetary sums.

Findings

First, the findings indicate that the financial benefits owner-occupiers require in order to accept infill development are significant, covering about two-thirds of the costs of major repairs during following ten years or over 75 percent of an (imagined) upcoming pipeline repair. Second, approximately one-fifth of the respondents regard that no economic benefit is enough to make them support infill development. Third, people’s decision-making concerning infill development is complex, involving also many other factors than monetary.

Practical implications

This paper provides insight into the feasibility of infill development as a means to finance major repairs from the perspective of owner-occupiers. The paper has strong policy implications as it highlights the significance of the public authorities and their policies in enabling the infill development.

Originality/value

This is the first academic study to focus on owner-occupiers views and financial requirements for the infill development as a means to finance major repairs in apartment buildings.
Wages, Promises and Effort in an Intercultural Labour Market: Experimental Evidence from Australia
Authors: Beatton Tony , Dulleck Uwe , Fooken Jonas , Schaffner Markus
Published: September 2017

In this article, we use economic experiments to explore the role of culture in labour market interactions between Australian employers and either Australian or Asian workers. We use two variants of the gift exchange game. In one, employers make binding, in the other non‐binding, wage offers. Results show that attitudes and behaviour are similar across cultural groups, but intercultural interaction changes between the games. Non‐binding wage offers are completely disregarded in final wage decisions by employers when made to Asians. However, Asians are rewarded more for additional effort.
Welfare and Children's Well‐Being
Authors: Ribar David C.
Published: September 2017

This article discusses economic theories that arise from a household production model about the production of children's well‐being and explores how those theories inform features of income redistribution policy. Economic needs within families with children, concerns about interactions between the needs of parents and children, reasons for conditioning benefits or providing benefits directly to children, and the role of social services are each examined and discussed in the context of the Australian Family Tax Benefit program and recent proposals to reform Australian welfare programs.
A comparison of the cost–utility of ultrasound‐guided high‐intensity focused ultrasound and hysterectomy for adenomyosis: a retrospective study
Authors: Liu XF , Huang LH , Zhang C , Huang GH , Yan LM , He J
Published: September 2017

Objective

To evaluate cost‐effectiveness of ultrasound‐guided high‐intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) and open hysterectomy for adenomyosis.

Design

A retrospective analysis.

Setting

Gynaecological department in a single centre in China.

Population

Patients with symptomatic adenomyosis.

Main outcome measures

Cost difference between patients with adenomyosis treated with USgHIFU and open hysterectomy.

Methods

Three hundred and sixty‐eight patients with adenomyosis were retrospectively reviewed. Among them, 302 patients were treated with USgHIFU and 66 patients with open hysterectomy. All of them had 1‐, 3‐, 6‐ and 12‐month follow ups. The patients’ quality of life (QOL) was evaluated and the utility scores were obtained from a rating scale to conduct a cost–utility analysis (CUA).

Results

No significant differences were found at any follow‐up time point in the QOL between the two groups (P > 0.05). After treatment, the QOL scores significantly increased in both groups (P < 0.05): the quality adjusted life year (QALY) for patients treated with USgHIFU was USUS$5256.48, whereas it was USUS$7510.03 for patients treated with open hysterectomy. Both incremental cost and sensitivity analysis showed that USgHIFU was less costly than open hysterectomy.

Conclusions

The QOL of patients with adenomyosis can be significantly improved by either USgHIFU or open hysterectomy, but USgHIFU is less costly.

Tweetable abstract

USgHIFU can safely be used to treat patients with adenomyosis and significantly improved the quality of life of patients after treatment. The cost of USgHIFU is less than that of surgical treatment.
Ultrasound‐guided high‐intensity focused ultrasound ablation for treating uterine arteriovenous malformation
Authors: Yan X , Zhao C , Tian C , Wen S , He X , Zhou Y
Published: September 2017

Objective

To explore HIFU treatment for uterine arteriovenous malformation.

Design

A case report.

Setting

Gynaecological department in a university teaching hospital of China.

Population

A patient with uterine arteriovenous malformation.

Methods

The diagnosis of uterine arteriovenous malformation was made through MRI. Ultrasound‐guided high‐intensity focused ultrasound (USgHIFU) ablation was performed.

Main outcomes measures

HIFU is effective in treating uterine arteriovenous malformation.

Results

The patient had reduction of the lesion volume and obvious symptom relief, without significant adverse effects.

Conclusions

HIFU can be used as a new treatment option for uterine arteriovenous malformation.

Tweetable abstract

Ultrasound‐guided high‐intensity focused ultrasound ablation is effective in treating uterine arteriovenous malformation.
Patients Visiting Multiple Emergency Departments: Patterns, Costs, and Risk Factors
Authors: Lyons Todd W. , Olson Karen L. , Palmer Nathan P. , Horwitz Reed , Mandl Kenneth D. , Fine Andrew M.
Published: September 2017

Objectives

We sought to characterize the population of patients seeking care at multiple emergency departments (EDs) and to quantify the proportion of all ED visits and costs accounted for by these patients.

Methods

We performed a retrospective, cohort study of deidentified insurance claims for privately insured patients with one of more ED visits between 2010 and 2016. We measured the number of EDs visited by each patient and determined the overall proportion of all ED visits and ED costs accounted for by patients who visit multiple EDs. We identified factors associated with visiting multiple EDs.

Results

A total of 8,651,716 patients made 16,390,676 ED visits over the study period, accounting for $26,102,831,740 in ED costs. A significant minority (20.5%) of patients visited more than one ED over the study period. However, these patients accounted for a disproportionate amount of all ED visits (41.4%) and all ED costs (39.2%). A small proportion (0.4%) of patients visited five or more EDs but accounted for 2.8% of ED visits and costs. Among patients with two ED visits within 30 days, 32% were to different EDs. Having at least one ED visit for mental health or substance abuse–related diagnosis was associated with increased odds of visiting multiple EDs.

Conclusions

A substantial minority of patients visit multiple EDs, but account for a disproportionate burden of overall ED utilization and costs. Future work should evaluate the impact of visiting multiple EDs on care utilization and outcomes and explore systems for improving access to patient records across care centers.
Sociodemographic, clinical, and functional long‐term outcomes in adolescents and young adults with mental disorders
Authors: Asselmann E. , Wittchen H.‐U. , Lieb R. , Beesdo‐Baum K.
Published: September 2017

Objective

To examine unfavorable sociodemographic, clinical, and functional long‐term outcomes for a range of adolescent mental disorders.

Methods

A total number of 2210 adolescents and young adults (14–24 years at baseline, T0) from a representative community sample were prospectively followed up (T1–T3) over 10 years. DSM‐IV mental disorders, sociodemographic, clinical, and functional outcomes were assessed using the DIA‐X/M‐CIDI and its embedded assessment modules.

Results

In (multinomial) logistic regressions adjusted for sex, age, other baseline disorders and sociodemographics, baseline anxiety, affective, substance use, somatoform and eating disorders (lifetime) predicted various unfavorable sociodemographic, clinical, and functional outcomes at T3. Particularly, strong associations were found between baseline disorders and adverse clinical outcomes at T3 (12‐month diagnosis of the same/other disorder(s), drug use, suicide attempts, and help‐seeking due to psychological problems). While substance use disorders were primarily associated with unfavorable sociodemographic and educational outcomes, anxiety and eating disorders were associated with unfavorable interpersonal outcomes, affective disorders with pregnancy‐/childbirth‐related complications and financial issues, and somatoform disorders with unfavorable educational/occupational and interpersonal outcomes. The risk of unfavorable outcomes increased with clinical severity, especially a higher number of baseline diagnoses.

Conclusions

Our findings emphasize the importance of effective treatment of mental disorders to prevent unfavorable long‐term outcomes in various life domains.
Labour Market Dualism and Diversification in Japan
Authors: Watanabe Hiroaki Richard
Published: September 2017

The Japanese labour market has been regarded as ‘dualistic’ in terms of employment status (regular vs non‐regular). While it is true, this perspective misses recent changes in regular employment in terms of labour flexibility. The government has attempted labour market deregulation since the 1990s to increase the flexibility of not only non‐regular but also regular employment, and the labour market has become more diversified. Labour unions lack power resources to resist these neoliberal changes, however, because of their insufficient access to policy‐making, low union density and a lack of solidarity against the background of economic stagnation and competition under globalization.