bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An autonomous restaurant service robot with high positioning accuracy
Authors: Yu Qingxiao , Yuan Can , Fu Z. , Zhao Yanzheng
Published: April 2012

Purpose

Recently, service robots have been widely used in various fields. The purpose of this paper is to design a restaurant service robot which could be applicable to provide basic service, such as ordering, fetching and sending food, settlement and so on, for the customers in the robot restaurant.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on characteristics of wheeled mobile robots, the service robot with two manipulators is designed. Constrained by the DOF, the final positioning accuracy within ±3 cm must be guaranteed to successfully grasp the plate. Segmented positioning method is applied considering the positioning costs and accuracy requirement in the different stages, and the shape‐based matching tracking method is adopted to navigate the robot to the object.

Findings

Experiments indicate that the service robot could successfully grasp the plate, from wherever is its initial position; and the proposed algorithms could estimate the robot pose well and accurately evaluate the localization performance.

Research limitations/implications

At present, the service robot could only work in an indoor environment where there is steady illumination.

Practical implications

The service robot is applicable to provide basic service for the customers in the robot restaurant.

Originality/value

The paper gives us a concept of a restaurant service robot and its localization and navigation algorithms. The service robot could provide its real‐time coordinates and arrive at the object with ±2 cm positioning precision, from wherever is its initial position.
The effect of business and economics education programs on students' entrepreneurial intention
Authors: De Jorge‐Moreno Justo , Laborda Castillo Leopoldo , Sanz Triguero María
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate the effect of participation in business and economics education programs on the student's entrepreneurial intention in terms of perceptions of the desirability and personal feasibility of starting a business.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology used to measure the student's entrepreneurial intention is the data envelopment analysis (DEA). This approach involves mathematical programming and as a new tool in this field has permitted enrichment of the results achieved.

Findings

Results reveal that the explanatory factors for both types of students are different. This could be explained because the students choose one career or another according to their expectations of employment. In this sense, the student's entrepreneurial intention decreases in the business students when they progress in their studies and they are closer in contact with the business reality. However, the student's entrepreneurial intention increases in the case of business students when they choose a future work option different to work in public administration.

Research limitations/implications

Although the work reaches conclusive findings, further research is required in a longitudinal way.

Practical implications

The article provides new methodology and results in the field of entrepreneurship and employability in higher education in Spain.

Originality/value

In the context of the theory of planned behavior, the article is innovative on a methodological level in arguing for “connected” perceptions of the desirability and personal feasibility of starting a business with an approach toward employability and enterprise development for students. The authors think that the understanding of the sources of “entrepreneurial intention” at the students' level is crucial for policymakers to develop appropriate educational polices to improve entrepreneurship performances.
Application of Six Sigma methodology to a diagnostic imaging process
Authors: Tolga Taner Mehmet , Sezen Bulent , Atwat Kamal M.
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to apply the Six Sigma methodology to improve workflow by eliminating the causes of failure in the medical imaging department of a private Turkish hospital.

Design/methodology/approach

Implementation of the design, measure, analyse, improve and control (DMAIC) improvement cycle, workflow chart, fishbone diagrams and Pareto charts were employed, together with rigorous data collection in the department. The identification of root causes of repeat sessions and delays was followed by failure, mode and effect analysis, hazard analysis and decision tree analysis.

Findings

The most frequent causes of failure were malfunction of the RIS/PACS system and improper positioning of patients. Subsequent to extensive training of professionals, the sigma level was increased from 3.5 to 4.2.

Research limitations/implications

The data were collected over only four months.

Practical implications

Six Sigma's data measurement and process improvement methodology is the impetus for health care organisations to rethink their workflow and reduce malpractice. It involves measuring, recording and reporting data on a regular basis. This enables the administration to monitor workflow continuously.

Social implications

The improvements in the workflow under study, made by determining the failures and potential risks associated with radiologic care, will have a positive impact on society in terms of patient safety. Having eliminated repeat examinations, the risk of being exposed to more radiation was also minimised.

Originality/value

This paper supports the need to apply Six Sigma and present an evaluation of the process in an imaging department.
RFID in healthcare: a Six Sigma DMAIC and simulation case study
Authors: Southard Peter B. , Chandra Charu , Kumar Sameer
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a business model to generate quantitative evidence of the benefits of implementing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, limiting the scope to outpatient surgical processes in hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach

The study primarily uses the define‐measure‐analyze‐improve‐control (DMAIC) approach, and draws on various analytical tools such as work flow diagrams, value stream mapping, and discrete event simulation to examine the effect of implementing RFID technology on improving effectiveness (quality and timeliness) and efficiency (cost reduction) of outpatient surgical processes.

Findings

The analysis showed significant estimated annual cost and time savings in carrying out patients' surgical procedures with RFID technology implementation for the outpatient surgery processes in a hospital. This is largely due to the elimination of both non‐value added activities of locating supplies and equipment and also the elimination of the “return” loop created by preventable post operative infections. Several poka‐yokes developed using RFID technology were identified to eliminate those two issues.

Practical implications

Several poka‐yokes developed using RFID technology were identified for improving the safety of the patient and cost effectiveness of the operation to ensure the success of the outpatient surgical process.

Originality/value

Many stakeholders in the hospital environment will be impacted including patients, physicians, nurses, technicians, administrators and other hospital personnel. Different levels of training of hospital personnel will be required, based on the degree of interaction with the RFID system. Computations of costs and savings will help decision makers understand the benefits and implications of the technology in the hospital environment.
Development of interorganizational trust in virtual organizations
Authors: Mukherjee Debmalya , Renn Robert W. , Kedia Ben L. , Mukherjee Deepraj
Published: April 2012

Purpose

A virtual organization (VO) is a set of geographically dispersed and functionally diverse organizational entities interconnected by electronic forms of communication that cooperate with one another for a common valued outcome. The objective of this article is to propose a research framework that illustrates the development of trust between VOs.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides an overview of literature on VOs, identifies antecedents of trustworthiness in virtual environment, explores the role of boundary spanners' interpersonal trust, and relates them to inter‐VO trust formation. A research analysis is developed that depicts the proposed relationships.

Findings

The propositions shed light on the overall interorganizational trust building process in VOs. In doing so, the framework also acknowledges the role of individual boundary spanners of a trustor organization in the trust development process.

Originality/value

Systematic scholarly research relating to VOs has been somewhat limited. With the emergence of VOs as important organizational forms, there is an increasing need to comprehend how interorganizational trust is developed and maintained in VOs. This study attempts to fill this gap in the extant literature by exploring how social exchange factors in a virtual context relate to factors of organizational trustworthiness of the trustee organization. In addition, this paper also investigates the key role played by the boundary spanners of both organizations in the trust formation process.
Using stochastic frontier regression to estimate the construction cost inefficiency of prevailing wage laws
Authors: Duncan Kevin , Philips Peter , Prus Mark
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to use stochastic frontier regression to measure the effect of the introduction and expansion of prevailing wage requirements on the cost efficiency of public school construction in British Columbia. The results provide evidence from a specific sector and location that contributes to the accumulated evidence on the topic.

Design/methodology/approach

Stochastic frontier regression is used to measure the effect of the introduction and expansion of prevailing wage requirements on the cost efficiency of public school construction in British Columbia. The results of a likelihood ratio test indicate that stochastic frontier regression is preferred to OLS cost estimation because of the presence of statistically different cost inefficiencies across a sample of covered and uncovered projects.

Findings

Specifically, projects covered by the introductory stage of the wage requirements are significantly less cost efficient compared to other public school projects. However, by the time of the expansion of the wage policy 17 months later, covered projects were no more cost inefficient than other projects. The results indicate that if prevailing wage laws are associated with changes in the cost efficiency of construction, stochastic frontier regression is the preferred estimation technique.

Research limitations/implications

This is the first study of its kind with results specific to school construction in British Columbia. Further research based on data from other projects may/may not confirm the existence of differences in construction cost inefficiencies for projects covered by construction wage policies.

Social implications

By implication, the results suggest that if the cost inefficiency of prevailing wage laws is short‐lived, the impact on the total cost of construction may similarly be ephemeral. The results imply that prevailing wage regulations do not contribute to long‐run construction cost inefficiency.

Originality/value

This is the first study to use stochastic frontier regression to examine the cost inefficiencies associated with prevailing wage laws. Previous studies that examine the effect of the wage policy on construction costs are based on OLS estimation.
Tax compliance of small business owners
Authors: Kamleitner Bernadette , Korunka Christian , Kirchler Erich
Published: April 2012

Purpose

Small business owners play an important role in the tax system. This paper seeks to establish a framework to highlight the particular tax situation of small business owners and the resulting implications, from a psychological perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

A framework identifying the key characteristics of small business owners' actual and perceived tax situation is established. Literature investigating these characteristics is reviewed in line with the proposed framework.

Findings

Three key aspects seem to distinguish small business owners' perceptions of their tax situation: small business owners are likely to perceive more opportunities not to comply than employed taxpayers; they are more likely to experience a lack of meaningful taxation knowledge; and they are more likely to face decision frames that render taxes as painful losses.

Research limitations/implications

The suggested link between the subjective experience of the tax situation and compliance calls for a focus on strategies that aim to influence taxpayers' perceptions of their own evasion opportunities, their level of legislative and procedural knowledge, and their sense of ownership of tax money. Such a strategy is suggested to be particularly likely to be effective in the phase of nascent entrepreneurship and in a climate of mutual trust between taxpayers and tax authorities.

Originality/value

This paper comprehensively identifies and reviews the perceptual correlates of factors unique to small business owners' tax behaviour.
The corporate communication process between listed companies and financial analysts
Authors: Arvidsson Susanne
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to analyse the views of management teams regarding different aspects related to the corporate communication process with financial analysts. The focus is the following aspects: incentive for communication; sources of information; and frequency and initiator of communication.

Design/methodology/approach

The data is based on a comprehensive questionnaire survey addressed to investor‐relation managers (IRMs) at the largest companies listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.

Findings

The study confirms an increasing frequency of corporate communication, a short‐term orientation, more demand for direct contacts, and embracing of new communication tools. The findings reveal that quite a few challenges lie ahead in shaping the efficient corporate communication process of tomorrow. The most critical relate to the risk of opportunity costs due to lost management opportunities caused by increased demand from stock‐market actors for communication time with management teams and to perceived risks with, for example, increased accessibility, information leakage and misinterpretations due to the introduction of new electronic communication tools.

Practical implications

Given the delicate nature of the above challenges, they need to be taken on promptly by management teams, policy makers and financial market regulators if the corporate communication process is to function efficiently and facilitate decreased information asymmetry and uphold an efficient allocation of resources on the stock market.

Originality/value

The study is motivated by the changed conditions for corporate communication (e.g. increased globalisation, new electronic ways to communicate, importance of non‐financial drivers), paired with a lack of recent studies. Furthermore, herein not only one aspect is being analysed but several, and from a management‐team perspective, which is a perspective often neglected for the sophisticated‐user perspective.
The management's reaction to new mandatory risk disclosure
Authors: Greco Giulio
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to study the effect of new regulatory requirements on disclosure through a longitudinal study. The empirical setting is offered by the risk reporting in the management commentaries of Italian listed companies. In this setting there is an evolution from a voluntary disclosure environment toward a regulated one, with the gradual introduction of new reporting requirements.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the content analysis method to investigate the narrative risk disclosure. Non‐parametric statistics are used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

It is found that even when new mandatory disclosure is introduced, managers exploit discretion and do not change their disclosure policy, continuing to withhold relevant information to external users. Before and after the introduction of new regulation, managers' behaviour appears in line with self‐interest to protect themselves from litigation and competitive costs, as well as from possible decreases in the firm's value.

Originality/value

The study provides a longitudinal study, covering changes from a voluntary disclosure environment to a regulated one. The paper provides evidence that the management incentives do not change in the presence of new disclosure regulation.
Positive dissimilarity attitudes in multicultural organizations
Authors: Lauring Jakob , Selmer Jan
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the field of diversity studies with novel insights on how language diversity and communication frequency influence dissimilarity attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examine language diversity and communication frequency as group‐level antecedents for positive dissimilarity attitudes by use of questionnaire responses from 489 members of academic culturally diverse departments.

Findings

The results showed that communication frequency has strong positive relationships with three variables depicting positive dissimilarity attitudes, namely openness to linguistic, visible and informational diversity. Contradicting our predictions, language diversity had positive associations with all variables portraying positive dissimilarity attitudes. The implications of these findings are discussed in detail.

Originality/value

Few prior studies have dealt with the relations between language, communication and dissimilarity attitudes.
Supplier relationship management as a macro business process
Authors: Lambert Douglas M. , Schwieterman Matthew A.
Published: April 2012

Purpose

Increasingly, supplier relationship management (SRM) is being viewed as strategic, process‐oriented, cross‐functional, and value‐creating for buyer and seller, and a means of achieving superior financial performance. This paper seeks to describe a macro level cross‐functional view of SRM and to provide a structure for managing business‐to‐business relationships to co‐create value and increase shareholder value.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to identify the sub‐processes of SRM at the strategic and operational levels as well as the activities that comprise each sub‐process, focus group sessions were conducted with executives from a range of industries. The focus groups were supplemented with visits to companies identified in the focus groups as having the most advanced SRM practices.

Findings

The research resulted in a framework that managers can use to implement a cross‐functional, cross‐firm, SRM process in business‐to‐business relationships.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based on focus groups with executives in 15 companies representing nine industries and multiple positions in the supply chain, including retailers, distributors, manufacturers and suppliers. While all companies had global operations, only one was based outside of the USA. Nevertheless, the framework has been presented in executive seminars in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia with very positive feedback.

Practical implications

The framework can be used by managers and has been successfully implemented in large corporations. The view of SRM presented involves all business functions, which extends the current thinking.

Originality/value

The framework includes all business functions and was developed with input from executives representing major corporations with global operations.
Evaluation of psychological provision into an acute inpatient unit
Authors: Kerfoot Gemma , Bamford Zandra , Amelia Jones Sarah
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to highlight the challenges in evaluating psychological input into acute wards using more traditional methods; and also to provide an example of how it is possible to evaluate such services capturing outcomes at multiple levels.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered from multiple levels including staff, patients and the wider organisation mainly using self report questionnaires. The paper looks at the impact on satisfaction, service utilisation, development of recovery principles, quality of therapeutic environment and alliance with treatment teams following the introduction of a dedicated psychology team.

Findings

The results show positive trends in patient experiences of the ward environment, alliance with treating teams and staff recovery principles, along with reduced readmission rates and length of stay in hospital. Qualitative data demonstrate the value of the service to both staff and patients.

Research limitations/implications

Much of the data do not meet the criteria for more sophisticated statistical analysis.

Originality/value

The paper provides an example of evaluation of a contemporary model of service delivery for which there is currently a limited evidence base and looks to stimulate current thinking on the practice of mental health service delivery.
Exploring gender differences in quality of life
Authors: Bonsaksen Tore
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine gender differences with regard to physical activity, psychiatric symptoms, and quality of life in patients with severe mental illness. In addition, associations between the variables are to be explored.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross‐sectional design was employed. Eighteen patients, 12 men and six women, were assessed at admission to hospital with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the WHO Quality of Life‐Bref. Mann‐Whitney U‐tests, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and partial correlation were used in the statistical analyses.

Findings

Women had lower levels of quality of life and trended towards being more depressed than men, whereas men had more global psychiatric symptoms. When controlling for depression in the participants, the bivariate relationships between male gender and higher quality of life were weakened. The findings indicate that the initial association between gender and quality of life may be mediated by depression levels.

Practical implications

Women with severe mental illness tend to have more depression and lower quality of life than their male counterparts, and combating depression appears to be important for increasing quality of life in women with severe mental illness.

Originality/value

This is the first explorative study of gender differences in hospitalized patients with severe mental illness.
An evaluation of the use of competencies in human resource development – a historical and contemporary recontextualisation
Authors: Stokes Peter , Oiry Ewan
Published: April 2012

Purpose

Competencies have come to play a central role in a wide range of settings in UK public and private sector contexts. This phenomenon is usually analysed but rarely recontextualised. The purpose of this paper is to identify the epistemological and ontological paradigms on which these approaches are couched in a British historical socio‐cultural context.

Design/methodology/approach

To put into light what this alternative perspective on competencies could add to reflection and practice, this paper realizes an in‐depth two‐year ethnographic study (employing participant‐observer methods) of a consultancy delivered training programme for customer service competency based vocational qualification in a water utilities company based in the north of England.

Findings

Based on a wide literature review on competencies, the first main result of this paper is to show that many of competencies approaches are underpinned by an empirical, pragmatic and ultimately modernistic, positivistic predilection. In an attempt to reappraise this rigid and highly structured representation of competencies, the paper draws on the resources of critical management approaches and notions of “lived experience”. The main empirical result is that competencies are richer than competencies (especially NVQs) usually suppose it and that critical perspectives are valuable in seeking to address these lacunae.

Originality/value

The paper offers an innovative insight to alternative dimensions of the experience of working with competency frameworks. Overall, a further value of this paper is to provide an assessment and a critique of the experience of competencies and vocational training in the UK. This recontextualisation underlines that competencies are weak at capturing and portraying the rich panoply of multifarious emotions and social interactions that take place in the workplace and everyday job life.
An extension of TAM model with IDT and security/privacy risk in the adoption of internet banking services in Greece
Authors: Giovanis Apostolos N. , Binioris Spyridon , Polychronopoulos George
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This paper presents an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) with concepts from the innovation diffusion theory (IDT) and customers’ perceived risk, aiming to examine the factors affecting Greek customers’ intentions to adopt internet banking services. Furthermore, several individual differences are examined, with respect to their impact on the formation of customers’ attitude about the pros and cons of the new technology.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on an empirical study including off‐line banking customers that are familiar with the internet, the authors validate a causal model linking the constructs of the proposed service's compatibility, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived security and privacy risk, customers’ demographics and IT competences, with customers’ intentions to adopt internet banking services in the future. Partial least squares procedure was used to analyze 212 cases collected from residential customers via personal interviews using a properly designed questionnaire.

Findings

The results indicated that service compatibility is the key factor, which mostly shapes customers’ behavioural intentions toward internet banking adoption, followed by TAM constructs and perceived risk elements. Moreover, TAM and perceived security and privacy risk constructs partially mediate the relationships between compatibility and customers’ behavioural intentions, while perceived usefulness partially mediates the relationship between perceived ease of use and customers’ intentions. Finally, in terms of the impact of individual differences on customers’ beliefs about internet banking compatibility, value and risk elements, younger, mostly male customers, with adequate previous IT experience who find themselves to be compatible with the new service, are a more promising target group to use internet banking, as an alternative channel to perform their financial transactions in the future.

Originality/value

This study explores the influence of an extended TAM model factors on internet banking adaptation behaviour of Greek customers. The proposed model has never been used in the internet banking context and could be utilised to provide a solid theoretical foundation of the internet banking acceptance case.
The value of LibraryThing tags for academic libraries
Authors: Voorbij Henk
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the percentage of recently published books provided with tags drawn from LibraryThing for Libraries, the nature of these tags, the relation of the tags with keywords in the record and the percentage of records actually enhanced by tags.

Design/methodology/approach

A random sample of 600 records from a catalog of a large academic library was examined to determine whether or not they carry tags. A random sample of 160 records was taken to assess their nature and added value for retrieval purposes.

Findings

It was found that: about one third of the records are provided with tags; 80 percent of the tags are subject terms; 50 percent of the subject tags are covered by a keyword in the record; 25 percent are broader than a keyword and another 25 percent are related, narrower or new. Almost 40 percent of the records with tags can be considered as enriched.

Research limitations/implications

In some cases the determination of the added value required a subjective judgement. It was not examined whether the tags properly reflect the content of the book.

Originality/value

Unlike earlier studies, this study is based on a large and random sample. Tags are compared not only with subject headings, but also with other keywords and differences between disciplines are examined.
The effects of WebTrust assurance on consumers' web purchase decisions
Authors: Chang Ruey‐Dang , Fang Chun‐Ju , Tseng Yee‐Chy
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of WebTrust assurance, issued by Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firms, on web purchase behaviour and to examine such effects provided by different‐sized CPA firms.

Design/methodology/approach

In an experiment, several scenarios were manipulated to simulate a number of web purchase environments in which participants make decisions online.

Findings

The results indicate that the WebTrust assurance seal has a significant effect on consumers' web purchase willingness. An “ordering effect” was also found, in that, removing the seal has more impact than obtaining the seal, and an assurance seal issued by big firms has greater impact than one issued by smaller firms.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature by focusing on an important yet rarely addressed issue of brand assurance services. The paper helps to understand this phenomenon in a global sense. Compared to the student participants used in the previous literature, this experiment provides a practical addition to the prevalent framework of trust in e‐commerce studies. Finally the research went a further step to test whether the web assurance provided by different‐sized auditors affects web consumers' purchase decisions.
Subject librarians' perceptions of institutional repositories as an information resource
Authors: Dorner Daniel G. , Revell James
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on a research project aimed at gaining an understanding of subject librarians' perceptions and promotion of institutional repositories as an information resource for their clients.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers used the five attributes of innovations and the change agent concept, both drawn from Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory, as the basis of semi‐structured interviews with nine librarians, spread equally across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences at three universities.

Findings

The researchers found that subject librarians have varying levels of knowledge about institutional repositories as an information resource and hold both positive and negative perceptions. The librarians perceived institutional repositories to be still underdeveloped, with greatest value for humanities clients and least value for science clients, offering little value to undergraduates, but a good resource for accessing theses.

Research limitations/implications

Due to their current perceptions of the value of institutional repositories, subject librarians are not yet promoting them as an information resource. If institutional repositories are to be successful, library managers must not only ensure that content is being input into the repositories, but also that they are being promoted to library clients as valuable information resources, so that the content is being accessed and used.

Originality/value

While there has been much research in recent years about institutional repositories, the focus has been predominantly on issues related to motivating individuals to input content into them. This research shows that institutional repositories are not yet being perceived or promoted as a valuable information resource by academic subject librarians, who view them as having varying value to their clients.
Analysis of the Ulrich's Serials Analysis System from the perspective of journal coverage by academic databases
Authors: Jacsó Péter
Published: April 2012

Purpose

Ulrich's Serials Analysis System (USAS) is based on Ulrich's Periodical Directory which has been an essential resource about periodical publications for 80 years, first in print, then later in CD‐ROM and online versions. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the content and software features of USAS, based on tests made between July 2011 and January 2012.

Design/methodology/approach

In addition to depicting the overall profile of USAS, special emphasis was given to marketing‐focused and marketing‐related journals, and their coverage in academic multidisciplinary and business databases.

Findings

In light of the apparently everlasting library budget crises, the incessant increases in the subscription costs of journals and database licensing, and – on the positive side – the impressive growth of full text digital availability of journals through various sources, it was found that USAS can be a great asset in discovering alternatives, negotiating prices, and making educated decisions in collection development, as well as in reference services.

Originality/value

The paper presents an analysis of the Ulrich's Serials Analysis System from the perspective of journal coverage by academic databases.
The Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour: fresh start or false dawn?
Authors: Goldson Barry
Published: April 2012

Purpose

In 2010, “The Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour” published a major report. This paper critically assesses the report by placing it within a context of juvenile/youth justice policy reform extending over the last 50 years.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based upon national and international policy analysis and comparative research.

Findings

In recent years the persistent politicisation of youth crime and an obsession with “tough” responses to child offenders in England and Wales have produced one of the most problematic youth justice regimes in the Western world. Against this backdrop the report of the Independent Commission on Youth Crime and Antisocial Behaviour is designed to influence policy reform. By drawing on an international evidence base, this paper assesses the merits of the Commission's proposals and the extent to which they signify a “fresh start” or a “false dawn”.

Originality/value

The paper argues that international evidence, alongside the provisions of both global and pan‐European human rights standards, provides a compelling case for raising the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales, for developing youth justice policy and practice in accordance with the principle of minimum necessary intervention and for abolishing prison service and private sector penal custody for children and young people.
The age of criminal responsibility: developmental science and human rights perspectives
Authors: Farmer Elly
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) was set at ten years old in 1963. Since then a deeper appreciation of children's rights and understanding of their unique capabilities and experiences has been gained. This paper seeks to examine the implications of these developments for our understanding of this MACR.

Design/methodology/approach

Research is reviewed that illuminates questions about children's culpability, their competence to participate in the criminal justice system (CJS) and the consequences of criminalising them at a young age. Recent understandings of how children's rights apply to the MACR are also summarised.

Findings

Developmental science and human rights perspectives are inconsistent with a MACR no younger than 12 years.

Originality/value

The paper is one of the first to extensively apply developmental science research to the MACR. The author finds that although a just and rehabilitative CJS may be achievable in the case of most adolescent defendants, this is an unrealistic goal for younger children who instead require a welfare‐based system that addresses underlying causes of antisocial behaviour, facilitates accountability and ensures child protection.
Conceptualising care for childhood obesity: a three‐world view
Authors: Pratt Keeley J. , Lamson Angela L. , Lazorick Suzanne , Parker White Carmel , Collier David N. , White Mark B. , Swanson Melvin S.
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This review paper seeks to conceptualise childhood obesity through clinical, operational, and financial procedures. It informs multiple disciplines about: the trajectory of paediatric obesity and current recommendations; the trends in the clinical, administrative/policy and financial worlds of paediatric obesity; and discusses commonly misunderstood collaborative terms.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on analysis of national and international policy documents and research papers in the field.

Findings

Paediatric obesity treatment teams, programmes, and providers could all benefit from a document that bridges the disciplines of medicine, other professions, and financial management. A family centred, multidisciplinary approach is necessary at all stages of obesity treatment care and the three‐world model discussed is helpful in achieving this. The clinical, operational, and financial aspects of the service need to be integrated in a way that reduces the barriers to accessing services.

Originality/value

The paper combines perspectives from different service sectors: clinical, operational, and financial. To facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation, it offers common definitions of terms that often have different meanings for those involved.
Devolution and change since the Children Act 1989: new directions in Wales
Authors: Pithouse Andrew
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to critically examine the idea that devolution in Wales, compared with England, brings a decisive shift in the delivery of children's services and, by extension, challenges our assumption that the Children Act 1989 remains as a primary unifying force in child welfare legislation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper primarily addresses those matters pertaining to public law under parts III‐V of the Act that give force to core functions within the personal social services in Wales and England. It looks at the Act from the viewpoint of devolution in Wales.

Findings

The evolution of services, new policy frameworks and changes to the UK political architecture since the implementation of the Act have transformed the delivery of children's services. The 1989 Act remains prominent but such changes have brought a very different shape and purpose to the occupational world in which the Act was first launched in Wales and England.

Originality/value

The paper shows that it is much less clear if the 1989 Act can be “read off” today – as perhaps it could when it was first enacted – as an inclusive encoding of what local authorities and their partners should and must do for children.
Designing effective interventions for working parents: a web‐based survey of parents in the UK workforce
Authors: Sanders Matthew R. , Haslam Divna M. , Calam Rachel , Southwell Clare , Stallman Helen M.
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine working parents' experiences and attitudes and to determine if these differ according to gender. Three areas were investigated: level of reported difficulties in parenting and balancing work and family; parental perceptions about the workplace as a context for the delivery of parenting support; and employee preferences for intervention features.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 721 employed parents in the UK were recruited via their organisation and completed a web‐based survey.

Findings

A total of 41 percent of parents reported their children had significant behaviour problems and 85 percent stated that worksite parenting interventions should be made available. A clear preference was found for evidence‐based interventions delivered by trained practitioners. The vast majority of men (86 percent) and women (90 percent) reported they would attend a workplace parenting intervention if one were available.

Originality/value

The need to tailor programmes to the needs of parents is increasingly accepted. This paper analyses the potential for tailoring an evidence‐based programme for parents in the workplace. It suggests that the provision of workplace parenting programmes may benefit the organisation and the individual and increase parental access to services.
Support from the Start: effective programmes from birth to two years
Authors: Sutton Carole , Murray Lynne , Glover Vivette
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to update the chapter by Sutton and Murray in Support from the Start by providing an overview of: research linking the development and experiences of infants and toddlers with the risks of later antisocial behaviour; and evidence on effective interventions for children aged 0‐2 and their families.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors give a narrative review on the effects on mothers and their babies of postnatal depression.

Findings

The review examines the effects on mothers and their babies of postnatal depression, impaired bonding, insecure attachment as well as the impact of maltreatment in childhood. It considers a number of evidence‐based preventive interventions implemented in the UK to help children aged 0‐2 and their parents.

Originality/value

The paper provides an overview of recent evidence for the factors contributing to difficulties for parents of young children and identifies interventions demonstrated in high‐quality studies to prevent or address these problems.
Economic evaluation of early childhood education in a policy context
Authors: Lee Stephanie , Drake Elizabeth , Pennucci Annie , Bjornstad Gretchen , Edovald Triin
Published: April 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to describe a cost‐benefit analysis of early childhood education programmes.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis utilises the best evidence available for early education programmes, combined with data from Washington State and economic literature to determine the monetary implications of these programmes.

Findings

The results indicate that early childhood education can yield benefits that substantially outweigh the costs of the programmes. In addition, these benefits were found to apply in many different public sector areas.

Originality/value

The paper offers an analytic model to determine the long‐term benefits of early intervention programmes.
Early interveners: “Leave your comfort zone!”
Authors: Allen Graham
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The prominence of late intervention in service delivery culture contrasts with the depth of scientific evidence that demonstrates the advantage of intervening early to prevent the development of social dysfunction and problems. The paper seeks to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on the author's experience as a leading UK politician advocating the greater use of evidence‐based early intervention approaches, including in two independent reviews to Government.

Findings

Early intervention programmes not only deliver better outcomes for children and families, but also yield substantial service savings and provide significant returns on investment. An Early Intervention Foundation, independent of government oversight, will respond to localised demand for evidence‐based interventions, and disseminate the body of science in a digestible and practical form.

Originality/value

The paper argues that the Early Intervention Foundation will lead a cultural shift towards localised, evidenced‐based services funded by evolving and innovative finance methods.
(Ir)responsible mothers? Cape Verdeans and Portuguese social care
Authors: Challinor Elizabeth P.
Published: April 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to examine encounters between Cape Verdean student mothers and Portuguese professionals in the social care sector, and look at what kinds of care relations were established and whether culture is a significant factor.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach was participant observation in appointments, the dynamics of which were examined within a broader analysis of the workings of “authoritative knowledge” and how this interlocks with “cultural authority”.

Findings

The workings of “authoritative knowledge” obscured the influences of the professionals' own culture upon the care provided. The women were thus treated as “problems” in need of “solutions”, in order to conform to normative models of responsible citizens and mothers. By treating issues of birth control and good parenting in isolation from the women's cultural contexts, professionals' attempts to regulate and correct women's behaviour was potentially alienating.

Research limitations/implications

Future research should focus in more detail on how strategies that aim to raise awareness of and accommodate cultural differences can be institutionalized in such a way that they are not dismissed as yet another demand upon overburdened professionals. One of the main limitations of the research was that health professionals were not interviewed.

Originality/value

The article provides original ethnographic data which help to further the debate on intercultural competency for care providers.
Social control of immigrant sex workers: transforming a group recognized as “at risk” into a group viewed as “a risk”
Authors: Oliveira Alexandra
Published: April 2012

Purpose

In this paper, the aim is to present an historical analysis to account for the association between prostitution, disease, and victimization. It also seeks to examine how stigmatization and rejection are currently focused on the immigrant sex worker.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on historical data about regulations in Portugal, in a recent ethnography carried out with street prostitutes and in a current study on immigrant sex workers and health care.

Findings

Sex workers have been recognized as a group “at risk” both because they are associated with sexually transmitted diseases and because they are acknowledged as victims of traffic and sexual exploitation. This label “group at risk” justifies some state policies often expressed in sanitary and social control measures, as regulations. Because migrant sex workers are simultaneously immigrants and sex workers they are perceived as a threat to social order and a sign of moral disorder and, so, they experience processes of rejection and stigmatization more significantly than local sex workers.

Originality/value

The knowledge of the negative consequences experienced by migrant sex workers implies an effort to produce changes in the policies and practices towards them. All those involved in research or intervention with migrant sex workers have the responsibility to be aware of the discrimination, violence, and control they are subjected to and must be committed enough to challenge them. This paper can be a contribution to that.