bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overactive Bladder Symptoms
Authors: Seth Jai H. , Sahai Arun , Dasgupta Prokar
Published: April 2012

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a considerable health and economic burden, which causes those who suffer from it distress and poor quality of life (QOL). It has a clinical spectrum from mild minimally bothersome urgency to severe daytime and night-time frequency, urgency, and refractory urgency incontinence. Its evaluation can be sensitive, but is important, as these symptoms may be masking a more sinister pathology, which must be excluded. However, basic treatment measures that can be implemented in a primary care setting can have a significant impact on improving the QOL. If these are unsuccessful, a referral for specialist care is then appropriate as more advanced treatment options can be offered in this setting.
NASPGHAN Practice Guidelines
Authors: Mack Cara L. , Gonzalez‐Peralta Regino P. , Gupta Nitika , Leung Daniel , Narkewicz Michael R. , Roberts Eve A. , Rosenthal Philip , Schwarz Kathleen B.
Published: April 2012

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an RNA virus that affects >180 million individuals worldwide with a high propensity for chronic infection. Children with HCV infection differ from adults in several ways including some modes of transmission, rates of clearance, progression of fibrosis, and the duration of potential chronic infection when acquired at birth. Since the discovery of HCV in 1989, there have been significant advances in the understanding of the virology and natural history of chronic HCV infection in children. In addition, there are now several treatment options for children with chronic hepatitis C infection and many new therapies on the horizon. As a consequence, the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition brought together experts in pediatric hepatology to review the available data in children and provide clinicians with approaches to the diagnosis, management, and prevention of HCV infection in children and adolescents. The guideline details the epidemiology and natural history of HCV infection in children, the diagnostic workup, monitoring and treatment of disease, and provides an update on future treatment options and areas of research.
The b Gene of Pea Encodes a Defective Flavonoid 3′,5′-Hydroxylase, and Confers Pink Flower Color
Authors: Moreau Carol , Ambrose Mike J. , Turner Lynda , Hill Lionel , Ellis T.H. Noel , Hofer Julie M.I.
Published: April 2012

The inheritance of flower color in pea (Pisum sativum) has been studied for more than a century, but many of the genes corresponding to these classical loci remain unidentified. Anthocyanins are the main flower pigments in pea. These are generated via the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway, which has been studied in detail and is well conserved among higher plants. A previous proposal that the Clariroseus (B) gene of pea controls hydroxylation at the 5′ position of the B ring of flavonoid precursors of the anthocyanins suggested to us that the gene encoding flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase (F3′5′H), the enzyme that hydroxylates the 5′ position of the B ring, was a good candidate for B. In order to test this hypothesis, we examined mutants generated by fast neutron bombardment. We found allelic pink-flowered b mutant lines that carried a variety of lesions in an F3′5′H gene, including complete gene deletions. The b mutants lacked glycosylated delphinidin and petunidin, the major pigments present in the progenitor purple-flowered wild-type pea. These results, combined with the finding that the F3′5′H gene cosegregates with b in a genetic mapping population, strongly support our hypothesis that the B gene of pea corresponds to a F3′5′H gene. The molecular characterization of genes involved in pigmentation in pea provides valuable anchor markers for comparative legume genomics and will help to identify differences in anthocyanin biosynthesis that lead to variation in pigmentation among legume species.
From chalk and talk to walking the walk
Authors: Gilbert David H.
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the notion of designing and developing applied, industry‐engaged learning environments that embrace ambiguity and uncertainty in overcoming pedagogical inertia in educating young entrepreneurs and innovators. The research reported on proposes a solution to the dual expectations of producing entrepreneurship graduates who can either hit the ground running in driving innovation for employers, or create, launch and sustain their own ventures.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is longitudinal in nature, employing a mixed methods approach using both quantitative and qualitative instruments in measuring outcomes, along with development and validation of the proposed Create‐Substantiate‐Activate (CSA) scale.

Findings

Significant triangulated evidence is provided that validates the proposed dynamic, industry‐engaged learning model. The skill and capability development of the entrepreneurship students, as well as the positive impacts upon self‐confidence and self‐efficacy, support the approach adopted in moving beyond the business planning paradigm into rapid innovation prototyping.

Research limitations/implications

The paper reports on one program within an undergraduate Entrepreneurship degree at one Australian university. Therefore, the suitability for adoption of the proposed model will be subject to factors germane to particular contexts.

Practical implications

The research provides direction for designing and managing collaborative industry‐engaged learning programs for students of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Critical elements of the learning process are identified that foster contexts for producing Entrepreneurship graduates that are both highly valued by employers and capable of launching and sustaining innovative new businesses.

Originality/value

The Innovation Fastrack Program reported on in this paper is ground‐breaking in the way it engages industry, promotes rapid and deep learning contextualised by creativity, curiousity, uncertainty and volatility and in the way it fosters social interaction in dealing with real‐world problems and opportunities.
Industrial training of construction students: perceptions of training organizations in Ghana
Authors: Ayarkwa Joshua , Adinyira Emmanuel , Osei‐Asibey Dickson
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The industrial training component in a university's curricula adds tremendous value to a degree programme by enhancing the employable skills of graduates. The purpose of this paper is to assess the perception of organisations that have trained construction students from the Department of Building Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, as part of its industrial training programme.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a structured questionnaire survey of 120 organisations which have offered industrial training to construction students in the Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast metropolitan areas of Ghana, the paper assessed industry's views on issues relating to the nature and objectives of industrial training, preparation towards training, performance of students during training, effectiveness of the training and areas of improvement. Data collected through the survey were analysed using largely descriptive statistics and content analysis.

Findings

In the opinion of the training organisations, industrial training exposes students to real work environment and helps them to apply theory to practice. During industrial training, the trainees showed high level of performance achievement in their ability to carry out instructions, ability to function as team players and ability to apply knowledge gained from the university among others. However, they showed a low level of performance achievement in negotiation skills, independence, social and multi‐racial awareness and ability to make decisions. Major areas requiring improvement in the way industrial training is currently organised include: the need for learning institutions to provide guidelines for industrial training for use by host organisations and to monitor trainees during industrial training; training organisations should design training programmes which emphasise all competencies, appoint industrial supervisors and submit industrial feedback to learning institutions.

Practical implications

The findings from the study will not only make industrial training programmes in Ghana and other developing countries more effective and successful towards the improvement of skills of trainees and thereby increase their chances of employment after graduation but also provide a reliable source of highly skilled and educated workers and an expanded pool of qualified future employees.

Originality/value

The paper provides a basis for enhancing and developing effective IT practices as well as providing indicators for evaluating existing IT practices in Ghanaian and other universities in developing countries to positively influence future employees of the construction industry.
Is there fire? Executive compensation and employee attitudes
Authors: Welsh Elizabeth T. , Ganegoda Deshani B. , Arvey Richard D. , Wiley Jack W. , Budd John W.
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the relationship between CEO compensation and employee attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

Based upon equity/organizational justice theories and the CEO compensation literature, hypotheses were developed which suggest that executive compensation and employee attitudes will be related. These hypotheses were tested by linking a large‐scale survey of employee attitudes to CEO compensation data for public companies based in the USA.

Findings

Employee attitudes appear to be related to some measures of CEO compensation, although sometimes the relationship that was found was negative and sometimes it was positive, but in all cases the effect size was quite small. Specifically, change in CEO salary was negatively related to evaluation of senior management and general satisfaction. However, change in total CEO compensation was positively related to evaluation of senior management and general satisfaction, while CEO bonus level was positively related to general satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of this study include the inability to show a causal relationship, limited external validity, equations that explain only a small amount of variance and attitudinal measures that are single source. Future research which helps understand what employees know and why differences across organizations exist would be helpful.

Practical implications

From an employee attitude perspective, changing performance‐based components of CEO compensation (e.g. bonus) is better than changing CEO salary. However, if salary is going to be increased, a communication plan for employees should be developed.

Originality/value

Whether executive compensation has an impact on employees' attitudes has not been explored previously.
Intellectual capital and organizational commitment
Authors: Yi‐Ching Chen Mavis , Shui Wang Yung , Sun Vicky
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine whether personal assets or organizational investments from an intellectual capital perspective have an influence on employee commitment in the Taiwanese cultural creative industries.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used a cross‐level design to conduct a questionnaire survey. The research variables covered two levels: individual level (personal human capital and organizational commitment); and organizational level (organizational intellectual capital). The authors contacted 39 small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) in Taiwan's cultural creative industries, requesting their participation in the study, and 27 managers and 86 employees in 27 cultural creative firms provided research information. The response rate was 69 percent for managers and 44 percent for employees, respectively.

Findings

The research results indicate that both personal human capital and organizational intellectual capital were antecedents of organizational commitment. For personal human capital, employees with higher levels of education are less committed to organizations. Tenured employees were found to be more committed to organizations. However, the authors did not find a significantly positive effect of personal age on commitment. In regard to organizational intellectual capital, the stocks of human capital and social capital increased organizational commitment. Interestingly, organizational capital reduced organizational commitment for employees in cultural creative industries.

Originality/value

To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine the cross‐level antecedents of organizational commitment from an intellectual capital perspective. In addition, the authors provide some empirical evidence focusing on one emerging industry in Taiwan, i.e. cultural creative industries.
Comparison between the Spanish and Italian early work retirement models
Authors: Alcover Carlos‐María , Crego Antonio , Guglielmi Dina , Chiesa Rita
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The aim of this study is to compare the Spanish and Italian early work retirement (EWR) models in a sample comprising individuals from both countries based on the level of voluntariness involved in labour market exit, psychosocial outcomes, perceived consequences, socio‐demographic variables and motivation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used a cluster analysis approach to carry out a cross‐sectional study based on a total sample of 1,131 early retirees (605 Spaniards and 526 Italians) drawn from different industries.

Findings

In the Spanish but not in the Italian case, EWR was predominantly perceived as forced. K‐means cluster analysis identified four groups of early retirees in both countries based on perceived outcomes of EWR. Two of these clusters represent extreme positive and negative assessments of early retirement consequences, while the remaining two reflect intermediate positions.

Research limitations/implications

These results show that the involuntary Spanish EWR model is associated with a significant negative outcomes cluster, whereas voluntary early retirees in Italy are significantly grouped in the positive outcomes cluster. Variables referring to early exit motives, attitudes towards work and post‐working life and psychosocial adjustment are employed to define the clusters.

Originality/value

This study reveals the existence of significant differences in the level of voluntariness between EWR in Spain and its Italian counterpart, in line with the findings obtained by other researchers. The findings support the conclusions of studies that suggest the existence of differences in post‐employment life depending on the level of voluntariness concerned in retirement from the labour market.
E‐books: the future for publishers and libraries
Authors: Lynch Kelly
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a conference report on the issues surrounding the emergence of e‐books discussed during panels and presentations at the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair (October 12‐16).

Design/methodology/approach

This report was generated based on the author's personal observations at the Book Fair, combined with research into the topic of e‐book pricing and purchasing models.

Findings

The paper finds that publishers have not yet developed an appropriate business model for pricing and distributing e‐books, which will affect libraries. While this business model is still “up in the air,” libraries should communicate their needs to publishers. Ideally, this can help in creating a model that benefits both publishers and libraries, and therefore the public.

Originality/value

This paper provides a look at the issues publishers are facing from the perspective of one of their major markets – libraries. The unique perspective of a librarian at a publisher's trade fair is given through the hot topic of e‐books – which will continue to be a hot topic in the world of publishers and libraries, at least until a solid business model is established.
Use of blended learning to enhance the student learning experience and engagement in property education
Authors: Poon Joanna
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to report the detailed findings of a Centre for Education in the Built Environment (CEBE) funded study into good practice in the use of blended learning in property education. “Blended learning” is a combination of face‐to‐face learning experiences and online learning experiences which aim to complement each other in order to support and enhance student learning. The aim of this paper is to examine the benefits that blended learning provides to students' learning experience and engagement in property education. It also seeks to discuss lessons learnt from academics who deliver Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) accredited property‐related courses, in developing blended learning and students' interaction with the blended learning environment.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents the research findings from interviews and questionnaire surveys of RICS and CIOB accredited property‐related course providers and the students who currently study these courses. Eight course directors of property‐related courses were interviewed and through discussion with the academic interviewees a questionnaire was developed and sent to all RICS and CIOB undergraduate and postgraduate course directors in the UK. The eight interviewed course directors were requested to send out a questionnaire to their students, and 442 completed students' questionnaires were returned. Further telephone interviews with seven students were conducted. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded to identify similar themes. The frequency of the answer in the questionnaire and comments from interviewees is presented.

Findings

Both academics and students find that blended learning gives greater flexibility for student learning in terms of learning style and study pace. With the adoption of a wide range of delivery methods, blended learning can successfully improve students' experience and enhance their engagement. It is also important to ensure that blended learning is really “blended” and includes a good mix of delivery methods. “Face‐to‐face interaction” with students is important as students require reassurance and on‐going support from lecturers. Providing training for students to use specialist software in order to equip them to fully utilise blended learning is also essential. Finally, allocation of sufficient time and resources for the development and maintenance of blended learning programmes is also key to its success.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to investigate the lessons learnt from academics in developing blended learning and also students' interaction with the blended learning environment in property‐related courses in the UK. Property‐related course providers can use the results of this study to inform the design of blended learning in their programme in order to enhance students' learning experience and engagement.
Revitalising Historic Buildings through Partnership Scheme
Authors: Cheung Esther , Chan Albert P.C.
Published: April 2012

Purpose

Hong Kong has undergone a rapid transformation from a small fishing village to one of Asia's top commercial cities. With the booming economic development that it has undergone, heritage has been criticised as largely neglected. To respond to this criticism proactively, the local government introduced a “Revitalising Historic Buildings through Partnership Scheme” which is considered an innovative social public‐private partnership initiative. However, it is still early stages and the effectiveness of this scheme is yet to be evaluated. The purpose of this paper is therefore to evaluate the success of this innovative scheme by means of a case study.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study approach has been adopted to analyse the effectiveness of this scheme. The Mei Ho House is a Grade I listed building marking the history of early public housing in Hong Kong. This project was studied thoroughly by looking at the historical background, the selected service provider, project details, historical significance, social benefits and public opinion.

Findings

The findings indicate that the scheme has been implemented effectively to revitalize historical buildings such as Mei Ho House. Efforts have been made to preserve these buildings into innovative use, uplift local culture and social benefits. In addition, an effective partnership arrangement between the public and private parties has been established.

Originality/value

The analyses will help to assess whether the proposed scheme has been successfully implemented. As a result, the suitability of using this scheme for future projects in Hong Kong or even other jurisdictions will be recommended. The proposed scheme will be an innovative and alternative approach for preserving and restoring historical buildings if proved to be feasible.
The impact of expertise on the mediating role of the audit committee
Authors: Salleh Zalailah , Stewart Jenny
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine external auditors' perceptions of the impact of audit committee financial expertise and industry expertise on the mediating role played by the committee in resolving auditor‐client disagreements.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is a 2×2 between subjects experimental design, using 61 Malaysian auditors as participants. The authors manipulate audit committee financial expertise and industry expertise at high and low levels.

Findings

It is found that external auditors perceive that audit committees play a greater mediating role and use mediating techniques to a greater extent when committee members' financial and industry expertise is high compared to when expertise is lower.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to examine the importance of audit committee expertise on the mediating role of the audit committee. The major contribution of the paper is the finding that auditors believe the audit committee's role as a mediator is strengthened not only by the committee members' accounting and auditing expertise but also by their industry expertise. The paper's findings have implications for practitioners and regulators who are concerned with the role of the audit committee in enhancing the integrity of the financial reporting and audit process.
Strategic account management programs: alignment of design elements and management practices
Authors: Storbacka Kaj
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The paper aims at generating a better understanding of the design elements and related management practices of strategic account management programs, in order to assist firms wishing to design such programs.

Design/methodology/approach

The research process is based on systematic combining of literature, empirical data from interviews with nine multi‐national firms, interaction with the firms during the research, and the knowledge resource base of the Strategic Account Management Association.

Findings

A strategic account management program (SAMP) is defined as a relational capability, involving task‐dedicated actors, who allocate resources of the firm and its strategically most important customers, through management practices that aim at inter‐ and intra‐organizational alignment, in order to improve account performance (and ultimately shareholder value creation). The research identified four inter‐organizational alignment design elements: account portfolio definition, account business planning, account‐specific value proposition, account management process; and four intra‐organizational design elements: organizational integration, support capabilities, account performance management, account team profile and skills. The management practices pertinent to each element are discussed.

Practical implications

Firms need to ensure that a SAMP is configured so that there is fit between the design elements discussed. Focus should be put on identifying framing elements that set the foundation for configuring effective programs, as they determine the prerequisites for other elements.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the literature on strategic account management by summarizing extant research and developing an organizing framework, informed by an empirical study.
Affective commitment in industrial customer‐supplier relations: a psychological contract approach
Authors: Lövblad Mikael , Hyder Akmal S. , Lönnstedt Lars
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to develop the construct of affective commitment in business‐to‐business relationships between customers and suppliers, as well as to introduce the psychological contract as a central antecedent to affective commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature on psychological contracts and relationship marketing relating to affective relationship commitment was conducted to make a theoretical contribution in a buyer‐supplier relationship context.

Findings

By focusing on the individual and incorporating relevant mental processes, theories on affective commitment have been developed. A model and propositions concerning the impact of psychological contracts on affective relationship commitment are suggested, where the psychological contract plays a central role in mediating the effects of several antecedents to affective commitment.

Research limitations/implications

By focusing on the individual's role in affective relationship commitment, this paper contrasts with much of the earlier research, which has used the firm as the unit of analysis. For practitioners, using such an approach will provide a more realistic view of the dynamics in the relationship.

Originality/value

This study makes two main contributions. First, it develops conceptual clarity of the affective commitment construct by putting a clear focus on the individual. Second, it proposes a model that describes the influence of several antecedents to affective commitment, suggesting a central role of psychological contracts in explaining the presence of affective commitment in business‐to‐business relationships.
Impact of business relationship functions on relationship quality and buyer's performance
Authors: Song Yongtao , Su Qin , Liu Qiang , Wang Tieshan
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The paper aims to present how relationship value is created and how it influences the existing buyer‐supplier relationship and the buyer's performance. It seeks to introduce the construct of business relationship function to analyze why the business relationship is valuable and to investigate the links between business relationship function, relationship quality and buyer's performance. Moreover, it aims to investigate whether the availability of alternative suppliers changes the influence of business relationship function on relationship quality.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was conducted in 239 manufacturing firms in north‐west China, and the hyphotheses were tested using a structural equation model with LISREL software.

Findings

The results indicate that business relationship function has a direct as well as an indirect effect on buyer's performance through the mediating effect of relationship quality. The study also finds that business relationship function has a stronger influence on relationship quality than it does on buyer's performance. Moreover, the availability of alternative suppliers will weaken the influence of business relationship function on relationship quality.

Research limitations/implications

This study concentrates on only the direct functions of business relationships and the indirect functions are neglected. Future studies should investigate the direct function as well as the indirect function, and the dynamic nature of business relationships should be considered.

Practical implications

The study suggests that managers should develop and maintain long‐term relationships through the fulfillment of business relationship functions. The role of function fulfillment is even more important when there is competition among alternative suppliers.

Originality/value

The study provides a sound agenda for future research on supply chain management and industrial marketing, and has important implications for practising managers, especially in the Chinese context and other similar developing countries.
Coordination in innovation‐generating business networks – the case of Finnish Mobile TV development
Authors: Ritala Paavo , Hurmelinna‐Laukkanen Pia , Nätti Satu
Published: April 2012

Purpose

In this study the authors seek to discuss and empirically analyze coordination mechanisms in innovation‐generating business networks. Their aim is to explore how these coordination mechanisms, as well as the roles of actors, evolve during the development of such networks.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analyses an in‐depth single case study on the development of Finnish Mobile TV in an innovation‐generating business network comprising a heterogeneous range of actors.

Findings

The findings suggest that coordination of innovation‐generating business networks combines “management” and “orchestration”, both of which have their distinct roles throughout the development of the network. The latter is used throughout the case in question to communicate vision and build social capital, and the former to coordinate phases closer to commercialization.

Research limitations/implications

The study provides novel evidence in explicating how network coordination mechanisms of management and orchestration change as the innovation‐generating business network evolves. However, there is a need to examine the issue further from different methodological standpoints in order to improve the generalizability of the results.

Practical implications

Managers will be able to use the lessons learned in designing different coordination mechanisms to ensure that the network evolves in the desired direction, and in considering the role of their companies in this development.

Originality/value

The paper enhances understanding of how coordination mechanisms evolve in different phases of innovation‐generating business networks.
Pre‐service teachers' experience of and attitudes to teaching SPHE in Ireland
Authors: Mannix McNamara Patricia , Moynihan Sharon , Jourdan Didier , Lynch Raymond
Published: April 2012

Purpose

National policy in Ireland states that all teachers are teachers of Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE). However national evaluations identify that all teachers do not subscribe to this view. This research aimed to examine the experiences and attitudes of undergraduate students towards teaching SPHE.

Design/methodology/approach

An on‐line questionnaire including closed and open questions was distributed to all undergraduate post primary teacher education students (N=1105) in the University of Limerick which is the largest provider of teacher education in Ireland. None of the respondents had exposure to third level education in SPHE or more generally in health education.

Findings

A response rate of 44.7 per cent was achieved (N=494). Only 24.5 per cent indicated that they plan to teach SPHE on graduation. There were significant gender differences in relation to students' intention to teach SPHE on graduation. Incentives to teach were less altruistic for males (money and job security) than females (personal interest in the subject).

Research limitations/implications

The convenience sampling approach was useful in illuminating the attitudes of the undergraduate students sampled, however replication across teacher education programmes nationally is warranted. Inclusion of teacher educators' perspectives would also be valuable.

Practical implications

There is a clear need for health promotion to be placed on the pre‐service teacher education curriculum. In addition, it is necessary to take into account pre‐service teacher attitude towards SPHE and gender differences in the design of the post primary teacher education curriculum.

Originality/value

This paper offers insight into how pre‐service teachers perceive their role in SPHE. It illuminates some challenges facing teacher educators in this field.
Associations between Finnish 9th grade students' school perceptions, health behaviors, and family factors
Authors: Ilona Haapasalo , Raili Välimaa , Lasse Kannas
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The aim of this study was to examine the associations between students' perceptions of the psychosocial school environment, health‐compromising behaviours, and selected family factors. The analyses were based on data provided for the Health Behaviour in School‐aged Children Study (2006).

Design/methodology/approach

The data were obtained from 1,670 Finnish 9th graders. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the associations between school perceptions, health‐compromising behaviours, and selected family factors.

Findings

Educational aspiration was found to be the most influential factor connected to health‐compromising behaviour among both genders, favouring students who were intending to apply to upper secondary school. The results also indicated that all the measured dimensions of school perceptions were associated with health‐compromising behaviours: the more negative the perceptions, the more health‐compromising were the behaviours. The associations were somewhat different between girls and boys. In terms of engaging in health‐compromising behaviours, there was an association with school‐related social relationships among boys. By contrast, among girls, other aspects of the psychosocial school environment were more important, for example engagement with the school and school strain. The role of parental bonding and monitoring was also significant among girls.

Originality/value

The findings imply that attention should be paid to the health‐promoting factors of the school, and to gender differences, not merely in planning prevention or intervention, but in everyday school life.
Lean and agile: an epistemological reflection
Authors: Browaeys Marie‐Joëlle , Fisser Sandra
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The aim of the paper is to contribute to the discussion of treating the concepts of lean and agile in isolation or combination by presenting an alternative view from complexity thinking on these concepts, considering an epistemological approach to this topic.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts an epistemological approach, using the complexity thinking as the dominant paradigm from which to investigate the concepts and principles of lean and agile.

Findings

The epistemological approach to the topic clearly reveals the opposition between two thinking principles: the principle of simplicity and the principle of complexity. Next, the authors evaluated how the complexity thinking principles of Morin may permit the two different ways of thinking to be reconciled. They find out that, in an organization, lean and agile are not only inseparable but also interdependent.

Practical implications

The paper shows how the concepts of lean and agile can be combined, which may be of help to managers and project leaders to adopt from both practices and tools to improve their competitiveness.

Originality/value

The novelty of this paper is the presentation of an alternative approach to the concepts of lean and agile, using an epistemological point‐of‐view. The paper deepens the understanding of the lean and agile concepts by applying the complexity paradigm as proposed by Edgar Morin. Furthermore, it proposes self‐organizing teams for possible unification of both concepts.
Are agile and lean manufacturing systems employing sustainability, complexity and organizational learning?
Authors: Flumerfelt Shannon , Bella Siriban‐Manalang Anna , Kahlen Franz‐Josef
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to peruse theories and practices of agile and lean manufacturing systems to determine whether they employ sustainability, complexity and organizational learning.

Design/methodology/approach

The critical review of the comparative operational similarities and difference of the two systems was conducted while the new views and issues of emerging vital scenarios were analyzed in detail.

Findings

In spite of their differences, the two systems of agile and lean manufacturing can co‐exist in one system. The concepts of sustainability, complexity and organizational learning for agile and lean systems highlight outputs of differences in the output of operationalization but there can be substantial alignment in the input of intentions. The two excel at the three areas of consideration.

Practical implications

The organizations of today must consider the applicability of designing both agile and lean systems within one organization for the purposes of achieving fast response time, high levels of productivity and better efficiency.

Originality/value

The paper defines the relationship between agile and lean systems.
Lean vs agile in the context of complexity management in organizations
Authors: Putnik Goran D. , Putnik Zlata
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The objective of this paper is to provide a deeper insight into the relationship of the issue “lean vs agile” in order to inform managers towards more coherent decisions especially in a dynamic, unpredictable, uncertain, non‐linear environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology is an exploratory study based on secondary data analysis.

Findings

“Lean” and “agile” are two exclusive concepts “in the limit” and “agile” has a higher potential for serving as an instrument for starting “a journey” towards a new sustainable organizational paradigm.

Research limitations/implications

Further research in the context of the arguments presented is necessary, especially in the “field” and on primary data.

Practical implications

There are clearly indicated contexts of primary applications of “lean” and “agile”, and especially along with the techniques, methodologies and system‐thinking informed by chaordic system thinking (CST), which should be of help for managers.

Originality/value

The novel contribution of the paper is the presentation of the argumentation on “lean” and “agile” as exclusive concepts and their analysis through the CST lenses, as well as the presentation of suggestions for development of new manufacturing systems paradigms.
Commentary on “Human rights training: impact on attitudes and knowledge”
Authors: Kidd Jo
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to provide a commentary on the previous paper in this issue “Human rights training: impact on attitudes and knowledge”.

Design/methodology/approach

This commentary poses the question as to whether human rights training can have an effect on attitudes towards human rights and, if so, which approach is the most effective.

Findings

The paper outlines the distinction between two different types of approach to human rights training and suggests that the “activist” approach set out by Nancy Flowers would go further towards winning hearts and minds.

Originality/value

This paper focuses on co‐designed and co‐delivered approaches to training and underlines the importance of the need for people with learning disabilities to have the space to tell their own stories.
A framework for improving quality in misuse case models
Authors: El‐Attar Mohamed
Published: April 2012

Purpose

Security is a vital requirement for software systems. Misuse case models allow system designers to inject security considerations within their designs early in the development cycle rather than patching an end system with security mechanisms after it was developed. The notation and syntactical rules of misuse case models are relatively simple. However, misuse case modeling practitioners are highly vulnerable to modeling pitfalls, creating defective models that can have catastrophic effects downstream in the development cycle. This paper seeks to present a framework that unitizes antipatterns to help remedy defective misuse case models and poor modeling practices.

Design/methodology/approach

A repository of antipatterns was constructed and formatted to be machine‐readable whenever possible so that it can be utilized by the proposed framework. The feasibility of the proposed approach was then demonstrated using a real‐world misuse case model of an online bookstore system.

Findings

The results indicate that the overall quality and clarity of the bookstore misuse case model is improved by applying the proposed technique and framework.

Research limitations/implications

This research work presents a series of domain‐independent antipatterns. Users of this framework may be interested to develop domain‐dependent antipatterns to better suit their modeling and development needs.

Originality/value

The proposed approach will help misuse case modelers, especially novice ones, to improve the quality of their current models as well as future models.
How information system capability affects e‐business information technology strategy implementation
Authors: Yeh Chi‐Hung , Lee Gwo‐Guang , Pai Jung‐Chi
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study is to examine the effect that information system capability had on e‐business information technology (IT) implementation strategy; and to understand how the quality of the implementation process for IT strategy could affect e‐business performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This study performed a survey of chief information officers from 1,000 major firms in Taiwan. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test for the validity of research hypotheses.

Findings

Results showed that the capability of information systems could have a direct and significant effect on the quality of IT strategy implementation, and how the quality of this process could affect e‐business performance.

Research limitations/implications

Every organization hopes to improve corporate competitiveness and transform its enterprise through the effective implementation of IT strategy. This study examined how information systems capability could affect the implementation of enterprise IT strategy. However, since large firms in Taiwan are the primary research subjects of this study, the conclusions may not be applicable to enterprises in different countries or cultures. Future studies could examine the subject from the three aspects of technology, organization, and environment to understand the effect that each of these aspects has on e‐business information systems capability.

Practical implications

With the rapid development of information technology, the introduction of innovative strategy dealing with IT has become an important topic of research, and has become a focus in the era of e‐business. As a result, organizations feel it is important to discover the shortcomings in information system capability factors that must be improved from the individual, group, or organization levels, and develop appropriate implementation frameworks for IT strategy based on this foundation.

Originality/value

This study uses empirical analysis to examine the effect that the capability of information systems has on the quality of implementation of IT strategy. A compilation of relevant literature showed that most studies have focused on conceptual frameworks or have examined the question of IT strategy from the level of technology. Few studies have examined the effect that information system capability has on IT implementation strategy. Therefore, the results and findings of this study could provide an important reference for IT strategy implementation, in the era of e‐business.
Key performance indicators for traffic intensive web‐enabled business processes
Authors: Pun Ka I. , Whar Si Yain , Chan Pau Kin
Published: April 2012

Purpose

Intensive traffic often occurs in web‐enabled business processes hosted by travel industry and government portals. An extreme case for intensive traffic is flash crowd situations when the number of web users spike within a short time due to unexpected events caused by political unrest or extreme weather conditions. As a result, the servers hosting these business processes can no longer handle overwhelming service requests. To alleviate this problem, process engineers usually analyze audit trail data collected from the application server and reengineer their business processes to withstand unexpected surge in the visitors. However, such analysis can only reveal the performance of the application server from the internal perspective. This paper aims to investigate this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes an approach for analyzing key performance indicators of traffic intensive web‐enabled business processes from audit trail data, web server logs, and stress testing logs.

Findings

The key performance indicators identified in the study's approach can be used to understand the behavior of traffic intensive web‐enabled business processes and the underlying factors that affect the stability of the web server.

Originality/value

The proposed analysis also provides an internal as well as an external view of the performance. Moreover, the calculated key performance indicators can be used by the process engineers for locating potential bottlenecks, reengineering business processes, and implementing contingency measures for traffic intensive situations.
Maturity models in business process management
Authors: Röglinger Maximilian , Pöppelbuß Jens , Becker Jörg
Published: April 2012

Purpose

Maturity models are a prospering approach to improving a company's processes and business process management (BPM) capabilities. In fact, the number of corresponding maturity models is so high that practitioners and scholars run the risk of losing track. This paper therefore aims to provide a systematic in‐depth review of BPM maturity models.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper follows the accepted research process for literature reviews. It analyzes a sample of ten BPM maturity models according to a framework of general design principles. The framework particularly focuses on the applicability and usefulness of maturity models.

Findings

The analyzed maturity models sufficiently address basic design principles as well as principles for a descriptive purpose of use. The design principles for a prescriptive use, however, are hardly met. Thus, BPM maturity models provide limited guidance for identifying desirable maturity levels and for implementing improvement measures.

Research limitations/implications

The authors are confident that this review covers the majority of publicly available BPM maturity models. As the number of corresponding maturity models seems to be constantly growing, exhaustiveness can hardly be guaranteed. The study's results stimulate future research. Inter alia, adopters from industry require more elaborate support by means of ready‐to‐use and adaptable instruments for maturity assessment and improvement. The paper also reaffirms the need for maturity model consolidation in the field of BPM.

Originality/value

As existing literature reviews focus on process improvement or BPM in general, the paper's findings extend current knowledge. They also increase transparency. Its results provide guidance for scholars and practitioners involved in the design, enhancement, or application of BPM maturity models.