bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Innovation beyond technology: perspectives from Latin America
Authors: Zawislak Paulo Antônio , Tello-Gamarra Jorge , Fracasso Edi Madalena , Castellanos Oscar
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present eight papers selected from ALTEC 2015 that provide an overview of innovation in Latin America.

Design/methodology/approach

This editorial seeks to define innovation by examining its conceptual foundations. It considers innovation beyond firms and technology to address other forms, such as social and institutional innovations. Thereafter, it discusses innovation in the context of Latin America and suggests means by which to stimulate it in the region. Finally, the authors present the eight papers included in this “special edition.”

Findings

The major findings of the paper are that it considers non-technological innovation within firms, innovation beyond the firm and innovation beyond technology. Moreover, it helps to better understand a core issue of innovation in Latin America, which is the focus on macroeconomic policy instead of microeconomic stimuli.

Originality/value

A broader understanding of the concept of innovation is of notable importance. Innovation implies the recognition of issues related to the market (firm), but also to the community (society) and to humanly devised constraints (institutions). Technology is only one part of it. For this special issue, the selected articles highlight the efforts made by different authors to contribute to innovation studies in the editors’ region.
Improving energy performance of Dutch homes: coping with general investment behaviours
Authors: Nieboer Nico
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Recent findings from a monitor containing around 1.5 million homes in the Dutch non-profit rental sector show that the improvement of the energy performance of the respective homes is mostly carried out in small steps: single measures per dwelling dominate and deep energy renovations are rare. From the way in which housing providers conceive and implement their portfolio and asset management strategies, the purpose of this paper is to explain for the dominance of the small interventions and investigate the argument for a more concentrated allocation of budget resources.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 12 housing providers with different energy investment policies were selected and interviewed.

Findings

Results show that energy investments, as most other investments, must fit in regular investment schemes and have to follow general decision criteria such as the lifespan of the respective building element and the market position of the respective dwelling. As these schemes are limited in budget and time, the room for a more concentrated allocation of budget resources is small.

Research limitations/implications

The number of organisations interviewed is obviously not statistically representative, but gives a good indication of the investment planning practice in the Dutch non-profit housing sector.

Originality/value

Much has been written about the (slow) progress of the energy performance in the housing sector, but not about the more structural organisational forces behind this progress.
Assessing the quality of retrofits in solid wall dwellings
Authors: Glew David , Smith Melanie B. , Miles-Shenton Dominic , Gorse Christopher
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed appraisal of the quality of domestic retrofits.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents the results of technical surveys on 51 retrofits undertaken before, during and after the retrofits.

Findings

Failures are observed to be endemic and characterised into five themes: 72 per cent showed moisture issues pre-retrofit, 68 per cent had moisture risks post-retrofit, 62 per cent did not adopt a whole house approach, 16 per cent showed inadequate quality assurance protocols and 64 per cent showed evidence of insufficient design detailing. Each theme is further subcategorised with a view to identifying implications for future policy.

Research limitations/implications

The findings suggest the 10 per cent Ofgem retrofit failure rates predictions are an underestimate and so there may be a need for additional investigations to understand the trend across the UK.

Practical implications

Recommendations to reduce the failure rates may include making changes to the current inspection regime, widening understanding among installers; providing standard repeatable designs for repeated features; and empowering occupants to trigger inspections.

Social implications

The sample is representative of a substantial proportion of the homes in the UK suggesting that retrofit quality may in many instances be below the required standards.

Originality/value

Risks of moisture issues and underperformance in domestic retrofit are a concern for government industry and households. This research shows that many installation failures are the result of not implementing existing guidelines and a change to the enforcement of standards may be needed to enact a fundamental change in installer practice and process control.
Influence of corporate social responsibility in job pursuit intention among prospective employees in Malaysia
Authors: Moorthy Krishna , Ai Na Seow , Wei Yee Chan , Yi Xian Chia , Tian Jin Ong , Sook Mun Teoh , Shu Shan Won
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether different corporate social responsibility (CSR) dimensions, namely, workplace economic responsibility, legal responsibility, ethical responsibility, philanthropic responsibility and environmental responsibility, have different influence on job pursuit intention among undergraduate students in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The target respondents are undergraduate business students from five leading private universities in Malaysia. Primary data were collected through survey questionnaires via face-to-face method. Five-point Likert scale was used to assess the variables and to measure the items. Collected data were tested through SAS software and analysed with descriptive and inferential analyses.

Findings

Four out of the five CSR dimensions significantly influence job pursuit intention with ethical responsibility being the exception.

Practical implications

This study proved that the adoption of CSR in an organisation will become a competitive advantage to attract new talents. Also, this is an improved research model by adopting multi-dimensional perspectives of CSR.

Originality/value

This proposed framework with a combination of five CSR dimensions (workplace economic responsibility, legal responsibility, ethical responsibility, philanthropic responsibility and environmental responsibility) is useful to future researchers as it enables them to have a broader view on CSR and its effect on job pursuit intention.
The effects of financial and non-financial performances towards the managerial performances with interpersonal trust as a mediation variable
Authors: Bone Hamid
Published: October 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the influence of the importance of measures in the performance measurement systems (non-financial and financial) on managerial performance, with interpersonal trust acting as a mediating variable.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was conducted at the University of Mulawarman by using a questionnaire among students who were the object of the research. Partial least squares were conducted along with Sobel’s test as the mediation test.

Findings

Interpersonal trust is the mediation effect between financial performance on managerial performance. The positive-marked coefficient indicates that higher financial performance will result in higher managerial performance if it is mediated by interpersonal trust that is also higher. Thus, interpersonal trust acts as a mediation variable of the relationship between financial performance and managerial performance.

Practical implications

The government should consider formulating a policy that will improve trust among managers, stakeholders and the public.

Social implications

The implications for managers include: an increase in interpersonal trust by improving the competence, integrity, reliability, openness and honesty and satisfaction in work.

Originality/value

Location of this study is University of Mulawarman, Samarinda, with student being the object of the study. This is the original of location of study means there has been no previous study research in the same location and of the same model. Originality is also shown in the investigation of interpersonal trust as the mediation variable in relationship between financial performance and non-financial performance on managerial performance.
A revisit to how linkages fuel dependent economic policy initiatives
Authors: Singh Amanjot , Singh Manjit
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The authors aim to report empirical linkages between the US and Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) financial stress indices catalyzing catalyzing dependent economic policy initiatives (an extended version of Singh and Singh, 2017a).

Design/methodology/approach

Initially, the study develops financial stress indices for the respective BRIC financial markets. Later, it captures linkages among the said US-BRIC indices by using Johansen cointegration, vector autoregression/vector error correction models (VECM), generalized impulse response functions, Toda–Yamamoto Granger causality, variance decomposition analyses and bivariate generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) model under constant conditional correlation framework, in general. Markov regime switching and efficient causality tests proposed by Hill (2007) are also used.

Findings

Overall, there are both short-run and long-run dynamic interactions observed between the US and Indian financial stress indices. For rest of the markets, only short-run interactions are found to be in existence. The time-varying co-movement coefficients report financial contagion impact of the US financial crisis on Russian and Indian financial systems only. Contrary to this, Brazilian and Chinese financial systems are largely exhibiting interdependence with the US financial system. Efficient causality tests report indirect impact of the Russian financial system on Brazilian via auxiliary Indian financial system.

Originality/value

The present study is the first of its kind capturing linkages among the US-BRIC financial stress indices by using diverse econometric models. The results support different market participants and policymakers in understanding effectiveness and implementation of economic policies while considering their cross-market interactions as well.
Stewardship theory: is board accountability necessary?
Authors: Keay Andrew
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate that notwithstanding the fact that stewardship theory embraces things like trust of directors, their professionalism, loyalty and willingness to be concerned for the interests of others, as well as rejecting the foundations of classic agency problems that are asserted by agency theory, board accountability is as relevant to stewardship theory as it is to agency theory.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper applies the theory underlying board accountability in corporate governance, which is so often applied both in the corporate governance literature and in practice with agency theory in mind, to stewardship theory.

Findings

While the idea of accountability of boards is generally associated with an explanation and conceptualisation of the role and behaviour of directors as agents within classic agency theory, the paper demonstrates that board accountability is a necessary part of board life even if the role of directors is explained and conceptualised in terms of stewardship theory.

Practical implications

The paper suggests some accountability mechanisms that might be employed in a stewardship approach.

Originality/value

While many authors have talked in general terms about board accountability and its importance, this is the first paper that has engaged in a substantial study that links board accountability directly with stewardship theory, and to establish that accountability is necessary.
Sustainable development policies as indicators and pre-conditions for sustainability efforts at universities
Authors: Leal Filho Walter , Brandli Luciana Londero , Becker Deisi , Skanavis Constantina , Kounani Aristea , Sardi Chrysoula , Papaioannidou Dimitra , Paço Arminda , Azeiteiro Ulisses , de Sousa Luiza Olim , Raath Schalk , Pretorius Rudi Wessel , Shiel Christine , Vargas Valeria , Trencher Gregory , Marans Robert W.
Published: October 2017

Purpose

There is a widely held belief that sustainable development (SD) policies are essential for universities to successfully engage in matters related to sustainability, and are an indicator of the extent to which they are active in this field. This paper aims to examine the evidence which currently exists to support this assumption. It surveys a sample of universities in Brazil, Germany, Greece, Portugal, South Africa and the UK and the USA to ascertain the extent to which universities that are active in the field of sustainable development have formal policies on sustainable development, and whether such policies are a pre-condition for successful sustainability efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involved 35 universities in seven countries (five universities respectively). A mixed-methods approach has been used, ranging from document analysis, website analysis, questionnaires and interviewing.

Findings

Although only 60 per cent of the sampled universities had a policy that specifically addressed SD, this cannot be regarded as an indicator that the remaining 40 per cent are not engaged with substantial actions that address SD. Indeed, all of the universities in the sample, regardless of the existence of a SD formal policy, demonstrated engagement with environmental sustainability policies or procedures in some form or another. This research has been limited by the availability and ability to procure information from the sampled universities. Despite this, it is one of the largest research efforts of this kind ever performed.

Research limitations/implications

This research has been limited by the availability and ability to procure information from the sampled universities.

Practical implications

The findings provide some valuable insights into the connections between SD policies on the one hand and the practice of sustainable development in higher education institutions on the other.

Social implications

Universities with SD policies can contribute to models of economic growth consistent with sustainable development.

Originality/value

The study is the one of the largest research efforts of this kind ever performed.
Educating academic staff to reorient curricula in ESD
Authors: Biasutti Michele , Makrakis Vassilios , Concina Eleonora , Frate Sara
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a professional development experience for higher education academic staff within the framework of an international Tempus project focused on reorienting university curricula to address sustainability. The project included revising curricula to phase sustainable development principles into university courses.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach was used to examine perceived professional development. Focus groups have been conducted with the academic staff who participated in the project.

Findings

The results provided evidence that revising their curricula offered the participants an opportunity to discuss different principles, teaching methods, didactic processes and practices in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Several strategies emerged during curricula revision such as a positive attitude towards meta-cognitive strategies and a goal-oriented approach to curriculum planning. Moreover, the project induced the academic staff to reconsider their teaching methods.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation is the restricted generalisability of the findings, because of the small number of participants. Further research is needed to confirm the theoretical model that emerged. Implications of the results for professional development and the induction of change in academic staff are also discussed.

Originality/value

There is little information about training experiences for enhancing professional development in academic staff using ESD principles, and this study provides a starting point. According to the results, the project had an impact on the participants’ attitudes, teaching principles and methods, course design skills and assessment approaches.
What do we know about manufacturing reshoring?
Authors: Barbieri Paolo , Ciabuschi Francesco , Fratocchi Luciano , Vignoli Matteo
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to analyze and classify research that has been conducted on manufacturing reshoring, i.e. the decision to bring back to the home country production activities earlier offshored, independently of the governance mode (insourcing vs outsourcing). Consequently, the paper also aims at providing avenues for future research and to highlight the distinct value of studying manufacturing reshoring either per se or in combination with other constructs of the international business tradition.

Design/methodology/approach

A set of 57 carefully selected articles on manufacturing reshoring published in international journals or books indexed on Scopus in the past 10 years was systematically analyzed based on the “5Ws and 1H” (who-what-where-when-why and how) set of questions.

Findings

The authors’ work shows a certain convergence among authors regarding what reshoring is and what its key features and motivations are. In contrast, other related aspects, such as the decision-making and implementation processes, are comparatively less understood.

Research limitations/implications

As manufacturing reshoring is a “recent” topic, for some of its aspects, only exploratory research is available to date, limiting the authors’ possibility to either characterize it in a more exhaustive way or highlight well-established patterns.

Practical implications

The paper demonstrates that studying reshoring will indeed contribute to expanding our understanding of internationalization processes and strategies in general and of production internationalization specifically. While past studies have argued that the learning derived from international experience would permit firms to overcome their unfamiliarity with new business environments, reshoring might show that this outcome is not necessarily certain. Rather, firms might not be able to overcome obstacles because of internationalization or they might realize that attempting to do so is not desirable, e.g. because of excessive risk or changes in the firm’s strategic priorities.

Social implications

From a societal point of view, the present research underlines that reshoring can be part of that re-industrialization policy that many Western countries include in their economic agenda – yet, its impact on employment should not be overestimated, as often relocation is only in regard to some product lines. At the same time, there might be an intimate relationship between reshoring and the various forms of technological innovations applied to manufacturing – which has become popularly labeled as “Industry 4.0”.

Originality/value

Literature reviews proposed until now usually paid almost exclusive attention to motivations driving this phenomenon. This paper offers a broader and more comprehensive examination of the extant knowledge of manufacturing reshoring and identifies the main unresolved issues and knowledge gaps, which future research should investigate.
Value supply chains at the base of the pyramid: studies of past and present textile networks
Authors: Prasad Sameer , Jaffe James , Bhattacharyya Kuntal , Tata Jasmine , Marshall Donna
Published: October 2017

Purpose

Billions of entrepreneurs at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP) operate as small-scale producers within multi-tiered supply chain networks. Unfortunately, a majority of these entrepreneurs are simply unable to derive sufficient value from the network and are vulnerable to disasters and poverty. The purpose of this paper is to develop a typology that examines dynamic and triadic power relationships in order to create value chains for BoP producers.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper builds upon the available literature and a relevant historical case study to develop a typology. The validity of the typology is ascertained by examining and comparing two current BoP silk weaver communities in India.

Findings

The typology captures essential environmental variables and relates them to mediated and non-mediated forms of power which, in turn, shape the value derived from the supply chain network.

Practical implications

The typology provides specific recommendations for BoP producers, such as the formation of cooperatives, engaging in political unionization and ensuring that their social networks expand beyond local communities.

Originality/value

The typology brings together structuration theory and power and provides a framework for understanding supply value. This typology is generalizable to dynamic multi-tiered supply chain networks.
Exploring audit assistants’ decision to leave the audit profession
Authors: Gertsson Nellie , Sylvander Johanna , Broberg Pernilla , Friberg Josefine
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore why audit assistants leave the audit profession. By including both the perceptions held by audit assistants that left the audit profession and the perceptions of audit assistants still working in the audit profession, this study aims to explore how determinants of job satisfaction are associated with decisions to leave the audit profession.

Design/methodology/approach

To explore the association between determinants of job satisfaction and decisions to leave, a survey was developed based on a literature review of determinants of job satisfaction. The survey was sent to both current and former Swedish audit assistants. The subsequent analysis was based on 231 complete surveys, of which 78 were from former audit assistants.

Findings

The main finding of this study is that there is a negative association between the choice to leave the profession and audit assistants’ perceptions of the profession and between the choice to leave and work-life balance. Another finding was that met expectations and Big 4 were found to be positively associated with career change.

Originality/value

By approaching both current and former audit assistants, this study contributes to the literature on audit employee turnover by exploring determinants of actual career change, rather than turnover intentions. It also contributes by identifying and testing a variable not previously used as a determinant of job satisfaction, namely, perceptions of the audit profession.
The halo effect: violent crime and foreign direct investment
Authors: Ramos Miguel A. , Ashby Nathan J.
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test theory regarding a geographic halo effect, whereby foreign investors draw overly broad impressions about a country based on high levels of violent crime in specific locations impacting foreign direct investment (FDI) across the country.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyze the impact of homicides on FDI by source country into Mexican states from 2001 to 2015. They estimate fixed effect and dynamic panel models controlling for several determinants of FDI at the state level and the potential geographic spillover of such violence from adjacent states.

Findings

The authors find robust support for the existence of a geographic halo effect caused by violent crime. The results show that the highest number of state homicides is associated with lower FDI across states.

Research limitations/implications

The research provides some evidence of the potential role of cognitive biases on FDI decisions. In addition, its focus on Latin America brings attention to an understudied region in international business research.

Practical implications

For practitioners engaged in FDI decisions, the results imply the need to be more aware of potential cognitive biases that may influence them.

Originality/value

Few papers have explored the influence of cognitive biases on FDI.
Strategic motives, institutional environments, and firm’s FDI ownership
Authors: Pan Yigang
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The study conceptualizes how firms’ strategic motives interact with the heterogeneity of host country institutional environments in determining the subsidiary ownership. The author hypothesizes and tests two interaction effects. The study found that firms with market-seeking motives are more affected by the heterogeneity of host country institutional environments, while firms with resource-seeking motives are less affected by the heterogeneity. The empirical findings are based on a sample of overseas subsidiaries reported in the annual reports of listed firms in China.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, an empirical investigation was conducted using a sample of subsidiaries of listed firms in China. The data were compiled from 2012 annual reports of listed firms in China. The sample consists of 2,270 subsidiaries of these firms.

Findings

The study conceptualizes that firms with market-seeking motives and resource-seeking motives are influenced differently by the heterogeneity of host country institutional environments in determining their subsidiary ownership. We hypothesize two interaction effects. Firms with market-seeking motives are more subject to the heterogeneity of host country institutional environments in determining their FDI ownership level. In contrast, firms with resource-seeking motives are less subject to this heterogeneity. The findings largely supported the study’s hypotheses.

Originality/value

This study fills an important gap in the literature by incorporating the interaction between strategic motives and host country environments in the analysis of subsidiary ownership. The findings of the study suggest that firms with a market-seeking motive are more particular about the host country institutional environments. They will acquire a high level of ownership in host countries with attractive institutional environments. In contrast, firms with resource-seeking motive are less concerned with the host country institutional environments. Their decision on subsidiary ownership is less affected by the variance in host country institutional environments. This study adds to the stream of studies that have examined outward investments of firms from emerging economies, particularly the outward expansion of Chinese firms with different strategic motives.
A highly sensitive and quantitative detection method for bisphenol A (BPA) by competitive immunoassay based on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Lei Zhang , Chen Yingshan , Liu Zhiwen , Ji Wenjin , Zhao Suqing
Published: October 2017

Purpose

In this study, a highly sensitive and quantitative analysis method using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-labeled immunoassay is adopted for bisphenol A bisphenol A (BPA) detection in water samples.

Design/methodology/approach

Primarily, an excellent SERS immuno-nanoprobe is prepared, which relays on Au/Ag core-shell nanoparticles tagged 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4MBA) and labeled with specific antibody against BPA. Second, the coating antigen of 4,4-Bis(4-hydroxyphenol) valeric acid (BVA) coupling poly-L-lysine (PLL) conjugate (BVA-PLL) is fastened on the substrate. Based on competitive immunoassay, the antibody labeled on SERS immuno-nanoprobe will bind with the free BPA and BVA-PLL competitively.

Findings

A calibration curve was obtained by plotting the intensity of SERS signal of 4MBA at 1007 cm−1 versus the concentration of BPA. The results indicated that the limit of detection (LOD) for BPA is 1 ng/mL and present a great capacity for higher sensitivity. Furthermore, the method was able to quantitatively detect BPA in water samples, which was validated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Originality/value

The method was developed based on competitive immunoassay, and the conjugate (BVA-PLL) was chosen as the coating antigen. Au/Ag core-shell nanoparticles played as the SERS active substrate and were labeled with Raman reporter. The value of this paper is supplying a wide potential for analysis of target analytes in the environmental monitoring and food safety.
Reinforcing high-density polyethylene by polyacrylonitrile fibers
Authors: Zhu Lien , Wu Di , Wang Baolong , Zhao Jing , Jin Zheng , Zhao Kai
Published: October 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find a new method to reinforce high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with polyacrylonitrile fibers (PAN). Furthermore, the crystallinity, viscoelasticity and thermal properties of HDPE composites have also been investigated and compared.

Design/methodology/approach

For effective reinforcing, samples with different content fillers were prepared. HDPE composites were prepared by melt blending with double-screw extruder prior to cutting into particles and the samples for testing were made using an injection molding machine.

Findings

With the addition of 9 Wt.% PAN fibers, it was found that the tensile strength and flexural modulus got the maximum value in all HDPE composites and increased by 1.2 times than pure HDPE. The shore hardness, storage modulus and vicat softening point of the composites improved continuously with the increase in the proportion of the fibers. The thermal stability and processability of composites did not change rapidly with the addition of PAN fibers. The degree of crystallinity increased with the addition of PAN fibers. In general, the composites achieve the best comprehensive mechanical properties with the fiber content of 9 Wt.%.

Practical implications

The fibers improve the strength of the polyethylene and enhance its ability to resist deformation.

Originality/value

The modified HDPE by PAN fibers in this study have high tensile strength and resistance to deformation and can be used as an efficient material in engineering, packaging and automotive applications.
Triple-shape memory effect in poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film
Authors: Wu Xue Lian , Yang Chuan Peng , Guo Yu Qin , Wang Hong Yu
Published: October 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on achieving triple-shape memory effect (triple-SME) of a commercial poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film with the thickness of 100 µm.

Design/methodology/approach

The thermal characteristics and microstructure of PET film were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and wide-angle X-ray diffraction analysis. The dual-shape memory effect (dual-SME) of the PET film was then systematically investigated, and based on that, triple-SME in thin PET film was achieved.

Findings

Investigation of the dual-SME in PET film revealed the difference between recovery temperature and programming temperature reduced with increasing programming temperature. An obvious intermediate shape shifting between the original and final programmed shape was observed during shape recovery in triple-shape memory behaviors.

Research limitations/implications

Compared with dual-SME in polymer, relatively less work has been done on multi-SME in polymer, especially in thin polymer film. In this study, triple-SME in a PET film was investigated based on the results of dual-SME of the film. The main implication of the study is on how to achieve a watermark between the final programmed pattern and the original pattern, for the application of shape memory polymer in anti-counterfeiting label.

Originality/value

Dual- and triple-SMEs were achieved in a PET film that is only 100 µm in thickness, and the underlying mechanism for the difference between programming temperature and recovery temperature was discussed. For the novel application of triple-SME in anti-counterfeit label, the watermark during shape recovery in triple-SME can effectively prevent duplication.
Multi‐scale and antagonist selection on life‐history traits in parasitoids: A community ecology perspective
Authors: Outreman Yannick , Andrade Thiago Oliveira , Louâpre Philippe , Krespi Liliane , Violle Cyrille , van Baaren Joan
Published: October 2017

Life‐history traits within ecological communities can be influenced by regional environmental conditions (external filters) and community‐wide density‐dependent processes (internal filters). While traits in a regional context may converge to a narrow range of values because of environmental filtering, species belonging to a guild may present contrasting traits as a means of niche differentiation, allowing coexistence whilst exploiting the same resources.

To disentangle the role of external and internal filters on phenotypic diversity within ecological communities, we examined the patterns of life‐history trait variation within a guild of insect parasitoids during two successive years across three contrasted regions in relation to several ecological factors.

By combining a mean‐field approach and an analysis of phenotypic variance across organizational levels (from individual to guild), we showed that the patterns of life‐history trait variation across regions are consistent with local adaptation or adaptive phenotypic plasticity while the patterns of phenotypic variation within regions suggested how coexistence modulates life‐history traits expression through niche differentiation.

Within a given region, phenotypic pattern of parasitoid life‐history traits may also arise from bottom‐up effects of trophic webs: insect host species could also control parasitoid life‐history traits in nature. Our results also showed that parasitoid life‐history traits presented contrasting variation patterns according to the sampling year, suggesting temporal variations in evolutionary and ecological dynamics of parasitoid species.

The application of such trait‐based studies to insect parasitoids has the potential to provide further insight on how agricultural environments contribute to differential diversification among natural enemies guilds, highlighting the main role of agricultural landscape management for organisms'responses.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Gravity and magnetic field characteristics and hydrocarbon prospects of the Tobago Basin
Authors: Yuan Bingqiang , Song Lijun , Han Li , An Shaole , Zhang Chunguan
Published: October 2017

The Tobago Basin, which is located offshore northern Venezuela with a southern margin close to Trinidad and Tobago, has an area of approximately 59,600 km2. The Tobago Basin has relatively favourable hydrocarbon prospects, and to date, exploration work has mainly concentrated on small areas of the southwestern portion of the basin. To conduct a comprehensive study of the structural framework of the basin and the characteristics of the basement in order to identify prospective zones for hydrocarbon exploration, shipborne‐measured and satellite‐measured gravity data, shipborne‐measured magnetic data, and aeromagnetic survey data were analysed. A regularisation filtering method was used to separate and obtain regional and residual gravity and magnetic anomalies. Directional gradients of gravity and magnetic anomalies and the total horizontal gradient and vertical second derivative of gravity anomalies were employed to extract information about fault structures. Regression analysis methods were used to determine the basement depth. The geological significance of the gravity and magnetic fields was examined, the structural framework of the basin was assessed, the basement depth was estimated, and favourable hydrocarbon exploration prospects within the basin were identified. The results show that the Tobago Basin contains complex structures consisting mainly of two groups of faults trending in northeasterly and northwesterly directions and that the major northeasterly trending faults control the main structural configuration and depositional system within the basin. The basement of the Tobago Basin has deep rises and falls. It can be divided into the following four secondary tectonic units: the western sub‐basin, the central uplift area, the southern sub‐basin, and the northeastern sub‐basin. The central uplift area and northeastern sub‐basin are most likely to have developed hydrocarbon accumulations and should be targeted for further exploration.
World Productivity Growth: A Model Averaging Approach
Authors: Duygun Meryem , Hao Jiaqi , Isaksson Anders , Sickles Robin C.
Published: October 2017

Policy makers and the economic researchers who provide them estimates of economic activity need to have an informative and scientifically‐based method to develop a consensus estimate for the most basic of the productivity measures, total factor productivity (TFP) growth. We discuss methods to combine the various estimates based on different empirical specifications that model and estimate productivity growth. We also discuss the various econometric approaches used in the profession to estimate productivity growth. Our focus is on world TFP growth.
Urban Fortunes and Skeleton Cityscapes: Real Estate and Late Urbanization in Kigali and Addis Ababa
Authors: Goodfellow Tom
Published: October 2017

In many parts of Africa, societies that remain primarily rural are experiencing accelerated urban growth and highly visible booms in property development. In the absence of significant industrialization, investment is pouring directly into what Lefebvre and Harvey characterized as the ‘secondary circuit’ of capital. Debates about the drivers of investment in real estate are longstanding in relation to the global North, but have given little consideration to low‐income and late‐urbanizing countries in Africa. Yet such contexts offer important opportunities to reflect on existing theory. Focusing on Kigali and Addis Ababa (both transformed virtually beyond recognition over the past two decades), this article explores the drivers and consequences of investment in urban real estate in countries striving to structurally transform their economies. It argues that a range of formal and informal incentives and constraints have led to high‐end real estate being viewed as the ‘safest bet’ for those with resources to invest, even where demand is limited and governments are promoting other kinds of investment. While some people are reaping urban fortunes in largely untaxed rents, much of the construction is purely speculative, creating landscapes of unused and underused high‐end properties in contexts where investment is desperately needed elsewhere.
Historicizing Urban Sustainability: The Shifting Ideals Behind Forus Industrial Park, Norway
Authors: Haarstad Håvard , Oseland Stina Ellevseth
Published: October 2017

Urban sustainability interventions must always contend with the built environment––the historically accumulated materialization of previous rounds of city building. In this article we argue for a historicized perspective on urban sustainability that allows us to consider how ideals of the past, materialized in the urban built environment, constrain current sustainability interventions. Drawing on the policy mobility literature, science and technology studies, and assemblage thinking, we examine the recursive relationship between mobile ideas on the one hand and urban materiality on the other. Empirically we analyse the historical development of Forus Industrial Park in Stavanger, Norway, and current attempts to transform this into a compact, ‘post‐fossil’ space. We focus on two phases: the late 1960s, following the discovery of oil, when Forus started developing into the core oil cluster in Norway, drawing on ideals from Houston and Milton Keynes; and the current preoccupation with sustainable mobility and density, drawing on ideals from compact European cities like Copenhagen. We show how the inertia of the built environment exercises a form of distributed agency constraining interventions towards sustainable urbanism. Therefore, we argue, truly powerful interventions in urban sustainability are those that effectively reconfigure and retrofit, and reassemble existing materialities into new formations.
Getting Comfortable on Audits: Understanding Firms’ Usage of Forensic Specialists
Authors: Jenkins J. Gregory , Negangard Eric M. , Oler Mitchell J.
Published: October 2017

Increasing financial statement complexity along with an intense focus on audit quality has created challenges for today's auditors. As a result, audit firms are increasingly relying on various specialists to help them perform their audits. To better understand why and how audit firms are using forensic specialists on their audits, we conduct an exploratory survey of experienced audit and forensic professionals. Our results suggest auditors are largely relying on forensic specialists to provide them with additional comfort beyond that obtained from traditional audit procedures. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that the usage of forensic specialists occurs primarily on riskier engagements, such as those involving restatements, initial public offerings, and investigations by regulators or law enforcement agencies. Although their involvement varies, forensic specialists assist audit teams by providing both guidance and direct assistance across the audit in areas including fraud brainstorming, design of procedures to test for fraud, and review of results of fraud‐related testing. In addition, our findings indicate forensic specialist involvement may lead to greater comfort as evidenced by the perceived identification by forensic specialists of additional audit findings related to material misstatements, financial reporting fraud, misappropriation of assets, and internal control deficiencies. Our results also reveal the majority of auditor and forensic specialist participants believe the value of forensic involvement on audits outweighs the associated costs, even in the absence of such additional audit findings. We conclude our paper by offering a theoretical discussion of our findings based on the audit comfort framework and suggestions for future research. In summary, our findings suggest that the discomfort some auditors feel in the contemporary auditing environment is leading to changes in the rituals that underlie traditional audits such that they seek comfort afforded them through forensic specialist involvement.
Industry Effects in Firm and Segment Profitability Forecasting
Authors: Schröder David , Yim Andrew
Published: October 2017

Academics and practitioners have long recognized the importance of a firm's industry membership in explaining its financial performance. Yet, contrary to conventional wisdom, recent research shows that industry‐specific profitability forecasting models are not better than economy‐wide models. The objective of this paper is to further explore this result and to provide insights into when and why industry‐specific profitability forecasting models are useful. We show that industry‐specific forecasts are significantly more accurate in predicting profitability for single‐segment firms and, to some extent, for business segments. For multiple‐segment firms, the aggregation of segment‐level data for external reporting of firm‐level financials obliterates the industry effects of their segments.
An a posteriori species clustering for quantifying the effects of species interactions on ecosystem functioning
Authors: Jaillard Benoît , Richon Camille , Deleporte Philippe , Loreau Michel , Violle Cyrille
Published: October 2017

Quantifying the effects of species interactions is key to understanding the relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning but remains elusive due to combinatorics issues. Functional groups have been commonly used to capture the diversity of forms and functions and thus simplify the reality. However, the explicit incorporation of species interactions is still lacking in functional group‐based approaches. Here, we propose a new approach based on an a posteriori clustering of species to quantify the effects of species interactions on ecosystem functioning.

We first decompose the observed ecosystem function using null models, in which species diversity does not affect ecosystem function, to separate the effects of species interactions and species composition. This allows the identification of a posteriori functional groups that have contrasting diversity effects on ecosystem functioning. We then develop a formal combinatorial model of species interactions in which an ecosystem is described as a combination of co‐occurring functional groups, which we call an assembly motif. Each assembly motif corresponds to a particular biotic environment. We demonstrate the relevance of our approach using datasets from a microbial experiment and the long‐term Cedar Creek Biodiversity II experiment.

We show that our a posteriori approach is more accurate, more efficient and more parsimonious than a priori approaches. The discrepancy between a priori and a posteriori approaches results from the way each clustering is set up: a priori approaches are based on ecosystem or species properties, such as ecosystem size (number of species or functional groups) or species’ functional traits, whereas our a posteriori approach is based only on the observed interaction and composition effects on ecosystem functioning.

Our findings demonstrate that an a posteriori approach is highly explanatory: it identifies who interacts with whom, and quantifies the effects of species interactions on ecosystem functioning. They also highlight that a combinatorial modelling of ecosystem functioning can predict the functioning of an ecosystem without any hypothesis about the biotic or environmental determinants or any information on species functional traits. It only requires the species composition of the ecosystem and the observed functioning of others that share the same assembly motif.
The Impact of CEO Narcissism on Earnings Management
Authors: Capalbo Francesco , Frino Alex , Lim Ming Ying , Mollica Vito , Palumbo Riccardo
Published: October 2017

We provide the first empirical test of the relation between CEO narcissism and earnings manipulation. We test the hypothesis that narcissistic leaders over‐identify themselves with the organizations they lead and expend considerable effort to achieve their goals, including by engaging in unethical behaviour. Earnings announcements are highly anticipated information releases by organizations. They are a key performance indicator used to evaluate the performance of CEOs. This study examines the use of first person singular pronouns by CEOs in response to questions at analyst conferences to measure narcissism. We provide evidence that firms with narcissistic CEOs engage in accruals management to manage earnings positively, highlighting the important effect of CEO personality on accounting choices.