bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Constructing accountability in inter-organisational collaboration
Authors: Andersson Johanna , Wikström Ewa
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse how accounts of collaboration practice were made and used to construct accountability in the empirical context of coordination associations, a Swedish form of collaboration between four authorities in health and social care. They feature pooled budgets, joint leadership and joint reporting systems, intended to facilitate both collaboration and (shared) accountability.

Design/methodology/approach

– Empirical data were collected in field observations in local, regional and national settings. In addition, the study is based on analysis of local association documents such as evaluations and annual reports, and analysis of national agency reports.

Findings

– Accountability is constructed hierarchically with a narrow focus on performance, and horizontal (shared) accountability as well as outcomes are de-emphasised. Through this narrow construction of accountability the coordination associations are re-created as hierarchical and accountability is delegated rather than shared.

Research limitations/implications

– Features such as pooled budgets, joint leadership and joint reporting systems can support collaboration but do not necessarily translate into shared accountability if accountability is interpreted and constructed hierarchically.

Practical implications

– When practice conforms to what is counted and accounted for, using the hierarchical and narrow construction of accountability, the result may be that the associations become an additional authority. That would increase rather than decrease fragmentation in the field.

Originality/value

– This research derives from first-hand observations of actor-to-actor episodes complemented with the analysis of documents and reports. It provides critical analysis of the construction and evaluation of accounts and accountability related to practice and performance in collaboration. The main contribution is the finding that despite the conditions intended to facilitate inter-organisational collaboration and horizontal accountability, the hierarchical accountability persisted.
Economic and demographic challenges for social care
Authors: Thomas Will , Hollinrake Sue
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of reforms designed to address economic and demographic challenges in England with reference to the authors’ own empirical work providing a critique of their impact and suggesting a way to improve the quality of social care for older people.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research was a qualitative study conducted in a participatory manner in which older people were positioned as co-creators of the research study. This involved setting the scope of the study and identifying and refining the themes used in the analysis of an inquiry board and interviews.

Findings

– The research findings highlight the threat of recent moves that emphasise “independence” and “self-management” particularly as they risk marginalising some groups of older people and reducing the quality of care. An alternative approach drawn from the ethics of care is suggested.

Research limitations/implications

– The research study focused on a narrow selection of older people and future work will wish to explore concepts of “care” and “independence” in additional contexts and of reforms in other geographies.

Practical implications

– The researchers argue that the current reform agenda threatens the quality of care services and suggest improvements to the way in which services might be organised and presented.

Social implications

– It is intended that the research will contribute to social policy debates and particularly those that focus on social care. The study also looks to contribute to current work in the fields of critical gerontology, feminist ethics and the management of public services more generally.

Originality/value

– The paper presents a novel and critical viewpoint of current social care policy in England and will therefore be of interest to policy-makers and to professionals.
Integrated care partnerships in Northern Ireland: added value or added bureaucracy?
Authors: Birrell Derek , Heenan Deirdre
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore and assess the configuration, role and likely contribution of the new integrated care partnerships (ICPs) established in Northern Ireland.

Design/methodology/approach

– The approach is based on the assessment of policy background, strategy papers, implementation plans and initial activities of ICPs.

Findings

– ICPs have been created with limited powers and an unclear relationship with the existing system of structurally integrated health and social care. The initial priorities and activities of ICPs suggest a focus on integrating health which may impede the further integration of health and social care.

Research limitations/implications

– Paper concludes there is a need for robust evaluation including monitoring of progress, performance and outcomes.

Originality/value

– First published paper on implementation of ICPs in Northern Ireland. Contributing to comparative studies of structures of health and social care, with particular relevance to integration.
Romance of leadership and motivation to lead
Authors: Felfe Jörg , Schyns Birgit
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– There is a growing interest in understanding the motivational processes explaining the emergence of leadership. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Romance of Leadership (RoL), that is the over-attribution of responsibility for performance to leaders, and motivation to lead (MtL) as well as moderation effects of self-efficacy and personal initiative.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected using a questionnaire design. The sample consisted of n=1,348 participants at different career stages (students and employees). Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses.

Findings

– Individuals high in RoL tend to be more motivated to lead. The results also support the assumed moderating effects. This relationship is stronger for individuals high in self-efficacy and high in personal initiative. This was particularly true for the student sample.

Research limitations/implications

– Due to the cross sectional design causal inferences are limited. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the socio-cognitive processes that influence MtL at different career stages and shed new light on the outcomes of RoL.

Practical implications

–The research can help career counselors, coaches, and HR managers to better understand socio-cognitive processes underlying MtL of different groups and therefore improve the quality of advice to their clients.

Social implications

– Career planning is an important issue when the pool of talented leaders needs to be increased. The study contributes to knowledge on antecedences of MtL. This may help to clarify newcomers’ and other applicants’ career ambitions.

Originality/value

– This is, to the authors knowledge, the first study to investigate the effect of RoL on MtL.
Signaling the importance of training
Authors: Towler Annette , Watson Aaron , A. Surface Eric
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– In this study of 815 military personnel, the purpose of this paper is to examine how perceived leader behaviors are related to trainee perceptions of leader training priorities and to trainee priority for training, and whether trainee motivation to transfer of training moderated the relationship between trainee perceptions and trainee priority for training.

Design/methodology/approach

– Participants who were experienced job incumbents responded to a survey related to foreign language usage, training, and policy.

Findings

– When leaders showed support for training through their actions, trainees were more likely to perceive their leaders as placing a higher priority on training. Leader behaviors predicted trainee priority to train, because trainees believed their leaders set a higher priority for training. The leader behaviors that were important for trainees’ priority to train were discretionary behaviors, not those leader behaviors mandated by the organization. Trainee perceptions of leader priority were more positively predictive of trainees’ priority to train for trainees with less motivation to transfer of training.

Originality/value

– Supervisor support is an important predictor of training outcomes. The authors expand this literature by focussing on the signals that leaders send to their subordinates regarding training priority. Leaders who exhibited discretionary behaviors in support of training appeared to create an environment in which trainees placed greater importance on training. Organizations need to be aware that mandating training activities might not be as important as encouraging leaders to place value on discretionary activities.
The Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002 effects sweeping changes to the US federal securities laws
Authors: Hein Michael H. , Neimeth Clifford E. , Rosner Ira N. , Watts Fern S.
Published: November 2014

Signed into law by President Bush on July 30, 2002, the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002 (the Act) presents what may be among the most sweeping set of changes to U.S. federal securities laws since the New Deal. Designed to address widespread outrage and waning investor confidence resulting from a series of financial meltdowns, earnings restatements, and other corporate and accounting abuses, the Act is in many ways unprecedented. For example, in addition to regulating disclosure and securities trading, the traditional jurisdiction of U.S. federal securities laws, the Act also addresses matters of substantive corporate governance and executive fiduciary responsibility, such as loans to officers and directors, management oversight, director due diligence, and executive compensation, as well as professional responsibilities of external auditors and attorneys, areas traditionally left to the states and self regulatory organizations (SROs) such as the NYSE, AMEX, and NASDAQ. The Act is complex, with over 70 sections, and will present numerous challenges to corporate executives, financial officers, and professional service providers. What’s more, given the pace with which the Act was pushed through the conference committee process and adopted by Congress, various inconsistencies and ambiguities already have emerged and will continue to do so. The Act certainly will receive the prompt attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as it promulgates the many regulations required to implement the Act’s broad‐based mandate. This article presents a number of key aspects of the Act that we believe are of most immediate concern to corporate executives and directors of corporations and financial institutions.
Disclosure obligations of brokers‐dealers that market 529 college savings plans
Authors: Lanza Ernesto A.
Published: November 2014

College savings plans established and maintained by states as “qualified tuition programs” under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, are increasingly popular vehicles for accumulating savings on a tax‐advantaged basis to pay college expenses. All states and the District of Columbia currently offer, or soon will offer, these so‐called 529 college savings plans. Although structurally quite similar to registered mutual funds or “funds of funds” subject to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), 529 college savings plans raise unique securities law issues as a result of their being state investment programs. This article outlines the general framework of the federal securities law treatment of investments in 529 college savings plans and then explores in greater depth the basic disclosure issues that broker‐dealers face when marketing 529 college savings plans to customers.
One step or two? (Delaware’s going‐private dichotomy)
Authors: Neimeth Clifford E.
Published: November 2014

After a series of recent Delaware Chancery Court and Delaware Supreme Court decisions and the standard of judicial review applied in challenges to “going‐private” transactions, controlling stockholders seeking to privatize their subsidiaries may be induced to do so by means of a two‐step acquisition (i.e., unilateral tender or exchange offer, followed by a short‐form merger) instead of a negotiated, single‐step merger. That said, there are a range of practical considerations for public M&A advisors in the wake of these decisions that may not necessarily make the two‐step method the “be all and end all” approach. In any case, there is an incongruity in Delaware’s common law, which is policy‐driven and, to some degree, formalistic, and which may no longer be as defensible today as it once may have been. Accordingly, a critical review of the applicable Delaware precedents and, ultimately, the reversal or modification thereof, seems appropriate at this time.
Inconsistent application of the SEC’s “all holders‐best price” rule continues to chill tender offers
Authors: Neimeth Clifford E.
Published: November 2014

This article addresses, in the third‐party acquisition context, how a series of U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and District Court decisions have chilled the use of tender offers as an expedient, and often the optimum, method of business combination or sale of control. These decisions have disparately construed the applicability of the SEC’s “all holders‐best price” rule (contained in the federal tender offer regulations) to an increasing variety of compensatory and other management payment arrangements which, while often incidental and certainly related to the tender offer, may not necessarily have been intended as deal consideration paid to the recipients. Until there is resolution by the U.S. Supreme Court or definitive guidance from the SEC on the ambit of Rule 14d‐10, expedient and less costly tender offer structures are yielding to single‐step mergers. This is not always the best result for stockholders.
New ways to make ’em talk: real‐time inforcement, Sarbanes‐Oxley, and the corporate order
Authors: Frumento Aegis J.
Published: November 2014

“Real‐time” enforcement has been the hallmark of Harvey Pitt’s tenure as Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” or “Commission”). However, real‐time enforcement cannot succeed without real‐time knowledge of securities law violations. To foster early disclosure of possible wrongdoing, the SEC has emphasized the desirability of corporate cooperation through early self‐detection, self‐correction, and self‐reporting. Now, key provisions of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002 will make such cooperation more likely, by changing some of the basic ways that corporate directors, officers, employees, accountants, and attorneys deal with each other.
SEC adopts and proposes new rules under Sarbanes‐Oxley
Authors: Lander Guy P.
Published: November 2014

Since the implementation of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002, the SEC has adopted new rules for certifications and proposed many other new rules. The proposals cover financial experts, codes of ethics, internal controls, improper influence of audits, off‐balance‐sheet transactions, non‐GAAP financial information, and trades during pension blackout periods. Among the specific requirements of the new rules are that: (1) an issuer’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer certify the contents of the issuer’s quarterly and annual reports; (2) financial experts on audit committees be disclosed; (3) codes of ethics be disclosed; (4) internal control reports be included in annual reports; (5) officers and directors be prohibited from fraudulently influencing the auditor of financial statements; (6) a separately captioned subsection of the MD&A explain an issuer’s off‐balance‐sheet arrangements; (7) Non‐GAAP financial measures be clearly explained; and (8) officers and directors be prohibited from buying or selling equity securities acquired in connection with employment when other employees are “blocked out” from trading in their individual pension accounts.
Sarbanes‐Oxley: investment company compliance
Authors: Pershkow Barry I.
Published: November 2014

In Spring 2002, Jeff Skilling (the former CEO of Enron Corporation) incredulously testified before lawmakers that he thought Enron was in great shape the day he left and that he knew next to nothing about the off‐balance‐sheet transactions that ultimately brought down his company. As we watched the train derail that day, it became clear that lawmakers convened the hearing not only to assure the public that Congress too was angry, but also to look for a solution to the problem that a CEO didn’t know some pretty important things about his company, its operations and performance, and that the company’s independent auditors appeared compromised and may have acted accordingly.
Faith and entrepreneurship among the British African‐Caribbean
Authors: Nwankwo Sonny , Gbadamosi Ayantunji
Published: November 2014

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how African‐Caribbean Pentecostals use the platform of their faith to reconstruct their entrepreneurial values and identities, improve entrepreneurial learning and exploit the cultural resources of faith‐based networks to promote and sustain their entrepreneurialism.

Design/methodology/approach

Methodological appropriateness rather than orthodoxy guided the design of this study. Rooted in the context of discovery rather than verification, focus groups were assembled and used for data collection. Ideas generated by the groups were further explored in narrative face‐to‐face interviews.

Findings

Findings indicate clear connections between motivation for entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial learning and religious orientation among African‐Caribbean entrepreneurs. Religious orientation was evident as a context moderator within which relations of trust and ethnico‐religious compatibility generate social capital which, in turn, helps members to cope with the challenges of entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

This paper offers refreshing insights into the transcendental logic of black entrepreneurship, illuminating the interconnections between religion and enterprise. Such insights afford tremendous opportunities to construct new sites of meaning or frame new explanations of entrepreneurship among the population group – using religion as an important environmental munificence.
Reexamining the place of servicescape in marketing: a service-dominant logic perspective
Authors: Nilsson Elin , Ballantyne David
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to extend understanding of the sense of place captured by the servicescape concept, as a means by which customers clarify their service expectations and their satisfaction with service experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

– The design is conceptual. This article critically examines and extends the servicescape concept in the light of insights from the service-dominant (S-D) logic.

Findings

– First, we explain how servicescape adds meaning to a service provider’s value proposition, part of a pattern of customer expectations which are later confirmed or disconfirmed as value-in-use. Second, the servicescape is a more socially imbued context than has previously been recognized, because the service experience is co-created by customer and service provider. Third, the context for service is not restricted to the traditional physical servicescape, as other more fluid and web-based settings are now common.

Practical implications

– Extending the understanding of place as a context for value determination in new ways.

Originality/value

– The literature on servicescape is extensive, but it is anchored to the physicality of the service environment. Given the rise of the Internet and, more recently, digital social media as a virtual “place” of business, the relevance of servicescape is due for critical review. Our critical examination adds to the experience value of service and also extends the S-D logic understanding of value-in-use.
Strategy map for Chinese science parks with KPIs of BSC
Authors: Wang Guixia , Wan Jinbo , Zhao Lanxiang
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a structural evaluation methodology to link key performance indicators (KPIs) into the strategy map of the balance scorecard (BSC) for Chinese science parks (CSPs). We establish the visualized strategy map with the logical links to improve the science parks’ (SPs’) performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– Corresponding to the four BSC perspectives (finance, customer, internal process and employee learning and growth), KPIs for CSPs are synthesized and screened in the relevant literature. The application for Zhongguancun Science Park (ZSP) is provided as an example.

Findings

– The research results show that the presented approach is an objective and feasible way to construct a more justifiable strategy map. The proposed framework can be applied to non-profit organizations, such as SPs.

Originality/value

– This work provides a systematic method to establish strategy maps for SPs (non-profit organizations), based on the consideration of the intricate causal relationships among KPIs, and the analysis of the important strategic improvement paths and proposes the model of assessment of emphasizing the processes rather than outcomes.
The specificities and practical applications of Chinese eco-cities
Authors: Bao Sen , Toivonen Marja
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to analyze conceptual specificities and practical applications of Chinese eco-cities. The eco-cities, promoted by the government, reflect the combined pressure of urbanization and environmental protection in China.

Design/methodology/approach

– In addition to literature and documentary material, the study is based on the experience of a Western architectural company which has participated in eco-city projects in China. This experience has been mapped via interviews in the company and among its partners and governmental stakeholders.

Findings

– This study examines in detail the contents and practical applications of the Chinese eco-city concept. It illustrates and categorizes eco-city projects and analyzes the specificities of the urbanization in China as a driver for the development of eco-cities. Similarities and differences with the corresponding concepts, like smart cities, are discussed.

Originality/value

– The eco-city concept is an important expression of sustainability concerns in China. New insights about its practical applications help to understand the specificities of environmental issues in developing economies, and comparison with the corresponding Western discussions helps to foster international collaboration in the sustainability context.
Global data repository status and analysis: based on Korea, China and Japan
Authors: Kim Suntae , Lee Wongoo
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to collect the global status data of digital repositories automatically and analyzed it by building a database. For analysis criteria the following were utilized: first, China, Japan and Republic of Korea (CJK) repository operational status; second, language of the repository content; third, repository type, fourth, repository of CJK by subject area; fifth, the amount of repository content; and sixth, repository software.

Design/methodology/approach

– OpenDOAR and ROAR services were used as the sources to obtain the information on the digital repository. Those sources are representative services that provide the digital repository registration services and are used as sources in a variety of studies. A six kinds of data analysis criteria: first, CJK repository operational status; second, language of the repository content; third, repository type; fourth, repository of CJK by subject area; fifth, the amount of repository content; and sixth, repository software were utilized.

Findings

– First, CJK is operating 288 repositories (8 percent compared to the world, 42.2 percent compared to Asia). Second, the repositories that provide Japanese, Chinese and Korean contents are 5.57 percent, 4.14 percent and 0.72 percent, respectively. Third, the repository operated by the government is inadequate in Asia. Fourth, in Korea and Japan, the repositories in the field of humanities and social sciences appeared all in the top 10. Fifth, Korea provides 1,342,845 cases of contents (0.81 percent compared to the global). Sixth, the “DSpace” software is most widely utilized as a repository system and it is the same in CJK.

Originality/value

– This results of this study can be used to identify the repository status in Korea compared to global and to CJK, and can be utilized as a basis to determine the direction of the repository promotion and policy in Korea and also to administer the national R&D budget.
Pre-venture managerial experience and new venture innovation
Authors: BarNir Anat
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore direct and indirect effects of pre-venture managerial experience (PVME) on new venture innovation. Using opportunity-costs framework, the following questions are explored: does the entrepreneur's PVME directly affect the extent of innovation in the new venture? What is the role of expectation for high returns in the relationship between PVME and innovation? What is the role of expectation for high returns in the relationship between PVME and innovation? Is there a relationship between abilities and expectancies and does it affect innovation?

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were obtained from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II, which is a national database of individuals in various stages of starting a business. Overall sample consisted of 982 nascent entrepreneurs. Statistical methods explored a multiple serial mediation model using OLS regressions supplemented by analyses based on bootstrapping for assessment of indirect effects.

Findings

– PVME effect on innovation is associated with abilities and financial motives, supporting a partial serial multiple mediation model in which PVME affects innovation indirectly through abilities and where abilities affect innovation directly as well as indirectly through expectations. Results also suggest a suppression effect and a possible negative effect of PVME.

Originality/value

– Abilities facilitate innovation, which has implications for policy makers who aim to enhance innovations, for investors in assessing potential of innovations, and for entrepreneurs who aim at improving innovation. Shedding light on the mechanism by which prior experience affects innovation, including the role of financial expectations and how abilities possibly negate negative effects associated with experience improve the understanding of and ability to enhance innovation and improve new venture competitive stand.
Prosumer engagement in innovation strategies
Authors: Seran (Potra) Sabina , Izvercian Monica
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a new enriched approach regarding the prosumer concept and a framework for efficient managerial decision, making use of prosumer innovative potential.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on relevant literature sources, this paper takes the prosumer concept one step further from usual interpretations suggesting its innovative potential for companies which adequately address this issue. Depending on their own objectives, the domain limitations and the creativity they are allowing regarding specific activities or campaigns, companies can open up and develop prosumer co-creation strategies.

Findings

– The authors develop a new prosumer understanding of value co-creation and design prosumer-oriented marketing strategies as a starting point for important decision making and complex marketing campaign creation in an always changing environment.

Originality/value

– The research contributes to the existing knowledge on prosumerism, being at the same time valuable for managers, especially in the marketing domain. Marketing corporate specialists do not have guidelines on how to understand, relate and engage these new consumers in corporate activities and therefore loose a potential creative external partner and a significant competitive advantage.
Effects of livelihood strategies on mangrove-forest resource
Authors: Nasif Ahsan Md.
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The cumulative effects of climate change exacerbate interruption of social-ecological system. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the consumption smoothing along with other socioeconomic parameters of households affects the common pool resource base of a forest in an economic depression resulted from climate change triggered disasters.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper is a field level study of Koyra sub-district in the Southwestern coastal region of Bangladesh. Several parameters namely climatic trends and events, damage pattern suffered by households, change in land ownership and occupation pattern and consumption dependency pattern were considered. Methods used for data collection were household questionnaire survey and focus group discussions in the study area.

Findings

– Both the intensity and frequency of climate change led catastrophes are found higher in the study area resulting damage of assets and capital goods of households. The average annual disaster damage borne by per household is found US$177. Over the last two decades 8.21 per cent households become landless. During same time span more than 25 per cent households switched from cropping to other non-agricultural occupations and more than 26 per cent households depend on forest resource for their consumption smoothing.

Originality/value

– The paper provides insights how climate change led disasters induce the households to depend on the resource from the mangrove forest Sundarbans for their livelihood earning as well as consumption smoothing.
Doing good with or without being known? Media coverage of corporate social performance and its impact on corporate financial performance
Authors: Chih Hsiang-Hsuan , Chih Hsiang-Lin
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the media coverage of corporate social performance (CSP), as well as the ultimate impact that such coverage has on the financial performance of corporate entities.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on a sample of financial holding companies (FHC) listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, the authors select the two most popular newspapers in Taiwan, to construct the unique media coverage of CSP activity database.

Findings

– First, the quantity of news articles about social activities of FHCs is positively correlated with financial performance. Second, the authors find that news articles about FHCs’ positive social activities for shareholders will trigger a positive evaluation by shareholders; however, news articles about FHCs’ positive (negative) social activities for employees will trigger a negative (positive) evaluation by shareholders. But if the news articles about FHCs’ positive social activities for employees are initiated by the media, rather than by the company itself, they will trigger a positive evaluation by shareholders.

Originality/value

– The average shareholders may praise management for one particular CSP activity of a positive nature, whereas they may criticize another CSP activity, despite it being generally regarded outside of the firm as also being positive in nature. It therefore becomes clear that when setting out to investigate whether “doing good” actually does translate into “doing well,” the authors should not attempt to total different kinds of information on CSP; In this paper, the authors emphasize that they need to be analyzed separately.
Mental health recovery is social
Authors: Holttum Sue
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to summarise two 2014 research papers that highlight the role of social interactions and the social world in recovery in the context of mental distress.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author summarise two papers: one is about two theories from social psychology that help us understand social identity – our sense of who we are. The other brings together and looks at the similarities and differences between ten different therapies that can be called resource-oriented – that is, they focus on people's strengths and resources rather than what is wrong with them.

Findings

– The paper on social identity gives a convincing case for incorporating teaching about social identity – and the social groups to which people belong – into the training of mental health professionals. The paper on resource-oriented therapies suggests that social relationships are a main component of all ten therapies examined. This second paper suggested a need for more research and theory relating to resource-oriented therapies. Social identity theory could help address this issue. Mental health services may be able to help people more by focusing on their established and desired social identities and group-belonging, and their strengths, than is usual.

Originality/value

– These two papers seem timely given the growing recognition of the role of social factors in the development and maintenance of mental distress. More attention to social factors in recovery could help make it more self-sustaining.
A day in the life of a Peer Support Worker: training day
Authors: Watson Emma
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe the experience of being a peer support worker: a day providing training for new peer support workers.

Design/methodology/approach

– A reflective personal account of a day in the authors work sent as a trainer on a peer support worker training course.

Findings

– The critical value of co-production. Training is not about an “expert” imparting their wisdom – the answers are in the room. To provide training is to continue to learn.

Research limitations/implications

– One person's account of their experience of providing peer support worker training.

Practical implications

– Modelling that which is valued rather than simply telling people. A recovery focus must extend to colleagues as well as the people we serve.

Originality/value

– While there is a great deal written about the theory of peer support work, little is published about peer support workers experience. This paper provides important insights into the nature of peer support work.
Refining case management for dementia using insights from operations management
Authors: Meijboom Bert , Van den Bosch Laurens , Schalk René
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– Providers of healthcare services face increasing performance demands in terms of cost-efficiency as well as client centeredness. Dementia care is an illustrative example in this respect. Due to the aging society, the number of dementia clients is expected to grow significantly, which implies increasing costs. At the same time, demands in terms of coherent and high-quality care for dementia clients are increasing, putting a stronger emphasis on demand driven, responsive care and service processes. Literature shows that case management in dementia care is beneficial for persons with dementia and caregivers, but costly. Using insights from operations management (OM), the purpose of this paper is to develop a new model for case management in dementia care.

Design/methodology/approach

– To address both cost containment and customer orientation, insights from OM, in particular front/back office (FO/BO) configuration and modularity theory, are used to develop an innovative conceptual model for case management in dementia care.

Findings

– This framework offers a new way of conceptualizing care provision throughout the different phases of a chronic disease process. Linking FO/BO configurations and modular organizing with case management makes it possible to create a cost-effective and client-centered system of healthcare management.

Originality/value

– A new model is developed to address both cost containment and customer orientation based on insights from OM, in particular FO/BO configuration and modularity theory.
Age, social support and health among older Kuwaitis
Authors: Y. Al-Kandari Yagoub , E. Crews Douglas
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report data on social support elements and health status differences across three age groups of Kuwaiti elderly.

Design/methodology/approach

– Examined for this study were 1,427 adults. Social support elements considered include total social support scale, frequency of contact (FOC) with relatives and friends, strength of these contacts, religiosity, number of children and number of children living with the elderly. This study evaluates health status in terms of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glucose levels and self-reported somatic symptoms, satisfaction with current health and health over the last year.

Findings

– The data show that there are important social support elements in all of the age groups. Social support, FOC, strength of relationships, number of children living with the elderly and religiosity are shown to influence the health and well-being of elders. Social support elements are shown to be higher in the oldest age group.

Originality/value

– Elderly studies in Kuwait are rare. This is one of first studies done in Kuwait which show that there are differences in social support, FOC and strength of relation among all of the age groups.
Informative content of insider purchases: evidence from the financial crisis
Authors: Ozkan Aydin , Trzeciakiewicz Agnieszka
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of insider trading on subsequent stock returns in the UK, with a specific focus on the impact of the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 on the relation between CEO and CFO stock purchases and returns.

Design/methodology/approach

– The empirical analysis uses 10,230 purchases executed in 679 UK firms by 1,477 directors during the period from 2000 to 2010. Subsequent market-adjusted stock returns are regressed on a set of firm-specific accounting, market and corporate governance variables as well as the characteristics of CEOs and CFOs. Additionally, the analysis distinguishes between the opportunistic and routine trades.

Findings

– The findings reveal that the position of the trading director and the nature of their trades are important in determining the impact on returns of insider trades. In particular, CEO purchases are on the whole more informative than CFO purchases and opportunistic purchases. The trades in the post-crisis period have a greater impact on subsequent stock returns.

Research limitations/implications

– The empirical analysis is limited to the trades made by two executives. Future research should consider inside trades by all directors and distinguish between executive and non-executive directors. Also, a behavioral measure should be developed to test if the financial crisis affected the trading behavior of directors and whether directors use insider trading strategically to signal information to the market.

Practical implications

– The impact of directors’ dealings on stock returns is not homogeneous. Financial analysts and investors should pay more attention to different types of trades and the identity of trading director.

Originality/value

– This paper, to the authors’ knowledge, provides the first attempt that combines in the same framework the identity and personal attributes of trading executive directors, firm-level corporate governance features, the nature of purchase transactions and the trading period characteristics. Furthermore the empirical analysis is carried out during a period that also covers the recent global financial crisis period and its immediate aftermath.
Tensile strength of functionally graded and wafer layered structures produced by direct metal deposition
Authors: Soodi Mehdi , H. Masood Syed , Brandt Milan
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the changes in tensile properties of novel functionally graded materials (FGMs) and wafer structures created by direct metal deposition (DMD) additive manufacturing (AM) technology.

Design/methodology/approach

– Laser-assisted DMD was used to create two innovative sets of metallic structures – the functionally graded and wafer-layered structures – using pairs of six different engineering alloys in different combinations. These alloys were selected due to their high popularity within a diverse range of industries and engineering applications. The laser-assisted DMD was selected as a suitable technique to create these complex structures because of its capability to deposit more than one alloy powder at a time. After creation of these structures, their tensile strength was tested in a series of tensile tests and the results were compared with those of single alloy samples.

Findings

– It was observed that the mechanical properties of FGMs and wafer structure samples were clearly different from those of the single alloy samples, a fact which creates a whole pool of opportunities for development of new materials or structures with desired mechanical properties that cannot be achieved in single alloy parts.

Originality/value

– The study demonstrates the application of the DMD process to produce unique structures and materials, which would be high in demand in engineering applications, where metallic parts are exposed to high loads and where excessive tensile stresses may adversely affect the performance of such parts.
Inhibition of phase transformation from β- to α-tricalcium phosphate with addition of poly (L-lactic acid) in selective laser sintering
Authors: Shuai Cijun , Zhuang Jingyu , Peng Shuping , Wen Xuejun
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The paper aims to fabricate an α-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) scaffold with an interconnected porous structure via selective laser sintering (SLS). To inhibit the phase transformation from β- to α-TCP in fabrication process of porous scaffolds, a small amount (1 weight per cent) of poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) is added into β-TCP powder to introduce the transient liquid phase.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper opted for the transient liquid phase of melting PLLA to decrease the sintering temperature in SLS. Meanwhile, the densification of β-TCP is enhanced with a combined effect of the capillary force caused by melting PLLA and the surface energy of β-TCP particles. Moreover, the PLLA will gradually decompose and completely disappear with laser irradiation.

Findings

– The testing results show the addition of PLLA enables the scaffolds to achieve a higher β-TCP content of 77 ± 1.49 weight per cent compared with the scaffold sintered from β-TCP powder (60 ± 1.65 weight per cent), when the laser energy density is 0.4 J/mm2. The paper provides the mechanism of PLLA inhibition on the phase transformation from β- to α-TCP. And the optimum sintering parameters are obtained based on experimental results, which are used to prepare a TCP scaffold with an interconnected porous structure via SLS.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper shows that the laser energy density is an important sintering parameter that can provide the means to control the micro-porous structure of the scaffold. If the laser energy density is too low, the densification is not enough. On the other hand, if the laser energy density is too high, the microcracks are observed which are attributed to the volume expansion during the phase transformation from β- to α-TCP. Therefore, the laser energy density must be optimized.

Originality/value

– The paper provides a feasible method for fabricating TCP artificial bone scaffold with good biological and mechanical properties.
Investigating the stress relaxation of photopolymer O-ring seal models
Authors: Kundera Czesław , Bochnia Jerzy
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the suitability of additive manufacturing to produce O-ring seals.

Design/methodology/approach

– The O-rings were made by the PolyJet-Matrix technology using four different digital materials and then tested for relaxation properties under static and dynamic (sliding) conditions. The approximation of the relaxation curves involved modelling with a Prony series.

Findings

– The PolyJet-Matrix technology offers new opportunities to model elastomeric elements, with examples being the O-rings produced and tested for their relaxation properties. Describing the behaviour of the particular materials fabricated with this technology by using relaxation functions will extend the knowledge base on digital materials.

Research limitations/implications

– The four types of photopolymers used in the experiment differed in viscoelastic properties. The analysis of the stress relaxation of the O-ring models was performed at four different step displacements of the loading element.

Practical implications

– The test results may be useful for the design of O-ring seals made of new elastomeric materials. The relaxation properties of the O-rings made of such materials can be applied to analyse the dynamics of seals, for instance, face seals.

Originality/value

– The originality of the work lies in the use of digital materials to design and produce elastomeric elements with different relaxation properties, which was confirmed by the test results. This paper presents results of a relaxation analysis for a ring model and the material that the ring is made of. It also discusses how 3D printing and digital materials can be applied in practice.
Application of Fuzzy VIKOR for selection of rapid prototyping technologies in an agile environment
Authors: Vinodh S. , Nagaraj Sakthi , Girubha Jeya
Published: November 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this article is to report a research in which the applicability of Fuzzy VIKOR in selecting the appropriate rapid prototyping (RP) technologies in an agile environment was examined.

Design/methodology/approach

– Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tool can be the best approach for selecting the RP technology because it can handle multiple criteria associated with the selection process. In the research reported in this paper, compromise-based MCDM ranking methodology, namely, Fuzzy VIKOR was used in an agile environment. The best RP technology to produce prototypes of pump impellers was found and the prototype was developed.

Findings

– In the case study reported in this paper, it was found that fused deposition modelling (FDM) is the best technique for manufacturing the prototypes of pump impeller. Thus, the application of Fuzzy VIKOR generated the solution, which was acceptable to the decision makers.

Research limitations/implications

– In certain situations, Fuzzy VIKOR methodology ends up with one or more solutions. Based on the acceptable advantage and acceptable stability conditions, the compromise solution needs to be derived. The solution derived from the study needs to be checked for practical feasibility by the decision makers.

Practical implications

– This case study was conducted in a pump impeller manufacturing unit. Therefore, appropriate RP technology will be selected by the organizations to produce the prototype of pump components. Thus, it implies that the results obtained from this study were validated in a manufacturing environment.

Originality/value

– Application of Fuzzy VIKOR for RP technology selection in the context of agile environment is the original contribution of this study.