bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Conflicting values in reflection on professional practice
Authors: Siebert Sabina , Costley Carol
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of reflection as a tool of enquiry within the context of higher education work-based learning. The aim of the study is to investigate how reflection on professional practice brings about a review of the values underpinning that practice.

Design/methodology/approach

– The data were collected from a group of undergraduate students undertaking their studies by work-based learning in the area of management in a Scottish University. An open-ended questionnaire was designed to learn about the participants’ views on their perceived freedom to reflect on their workplace practice in the university, their ability to challenge the organizational values and established practices in the workplace, and on their relationship with the workplace mentor.

Findings

– Students on work-based learning programmes are subjected to demands from at least three directions: first, their own expectations, in terms of both what they want to achieve by way of their own development, second, the needs of their organization; and third, expectations of the university in ensuring that the work produced meets the standard for an academic award. These interests can sometimes coincide, but they can also conflict, and such a conflict can reveal tensions that run deeper into the culture of the organization.

Research limitations/implications

– This study is based on a relatively small sample of learners in one university, hence the findings are of preliminary nature. Despite the small sample size, the conclusions are indicative of a potential problem in the design of work-based learning, and a larger cross-institutional study would allow the validity of these results to be verified.

Practical implications

– The findings emerging from this study have implications for the facilitators of work-based learning in higher education. Although university work-based learning programmes differ significantly from corporate learning and development efforts, this paper suggests that work-based learning providers should co-operate more closely with the learners’ employing organizations towards creating an environment for learning at work. More co-operation between the university and the employer might be more beneficial for all stakeholders.

Originality/value

– The literature on work-based learning focuses in the main on the use of reflection as a tool of enquiry into workplace practice. Drawing on the study of contemporary work organizations, this paper explores the tensions arising from reflection on the learners’ practice, and possible conflict of values that reflection exposes.
The impact of ethics programmes and ethical culture on misconduct in public service organizations
Authors: Park Heungsik , Blenkinsopp John
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine the relationship between ethics programmes and ethical culture, and their impact on misconduct.

Design/methodology/approach

– A theoretical model which posits ethical culture to be a mediating variable in the relationship between ethics programmes and misconduct was tested using data from a national ethics survey of Korean public service organizations.

Findings

– The data indicates the relationship between ethics programmes and misconduct is fully mediated by ethical culture. Only two of the six elements of an ethics programme had a significant effect on misconduct before ethical culture was controlled for, and when ethical culture was controlled for, none of the elements had a significant impact on misconduct. The ethics programme did however appear to strengthen ethical culture, suggesting such programmes make an important contribution to reducing unethical behaviour in organizations.

Research limitations/implications

– Future research should examine the interaction of ethics programmes and ethical culture using longitudinal research designs, to obtain a better understanding of how programmes serve to strengthen ethical culture.

Practical implications

– The findings provide insights into the role of ethics programmes in improving ethical behaviour, suggesting resources should be deployed to those aspects of these programmes which serve to strengthen ethical culture.

Originality/value

– The paper provides clarification of the relationship between ethics programmes, ethical culture and misconduct, an important finding given the significant resources deployed by public service organizations to initiatives aimed at improving ethical behaviour.
Assembling the Dubai Government Excellence Program
Authors: Ahrens Thomas
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper seeks to outline the various elements of a public sector excellence awards programme, the Dubai Government Excellence Programme (DGEP), a unit reporting directly to the cabinet of the Dubai Government. It identifies how the programme seeks to overcome latent contradictions.

Design/methodology/approach

– The approach relied on interviewing within DGEP, document analysis, conversations with public sector managers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and more general observations of the nature of government in the UAE and especially Dubai. The notion of hybrids in governance is used to unpack the various components of the DGEP and their roles in its overall functioning paying particular attention to the monarchical context of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates.

Findings

– The study found that the monarchical context of public sector management in Dubai acts as a strong influence to counteract the frequently observed inertia of public administration with regards to quality management initiatives. It traces how changing political priorities have been reflected in a changing portfolio of excellence award categories.

Originality/value

– The paper describes an unusual case of an integrated excellence management approach to a whole government. It identifies monarchical context as an aid to pursuing a modern management approach, speculating that this might be a special case of a more general condition that might aid innovation in public sector contexts. The paper also suggests the usefulness of the notion of hybrids for the public sector governance literature.
Outsourcing and concession models as door opener for public-private partnerships in the European health sector?
Authors: Dieter Gerstlberger Wolfgang , Schneider Karsten
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to reduce the research gap in private sector participation in the Danish and German health systems, where empirical evidence is still very scarce compared with the impressive accumulation of similar literature in Anglo-Saxon countries.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on the findings of two case studies – one Danish and the other, a German hospital – the paper assesses the future potential of different private sector participation strategies in health care.

Findings

– The assessment is that low-level private sector participation approaches such as outsourcing and concession models remain limited and specialised financing instruments for health care in Denmark and Germany due to legal restrictions and lesser importance being placed on operational financial savings and improved management than on achieving strategic goals. Furthermore, existing approaches do not necessarily prepare the ground for public-private partnerships.

Research limitations/implications

– To date, longitudinal studies of private sector participation in health care are almost non-existent for continental Europe, yet critical for the assessment of the outcomes of long-term projects of ten to 40 years' duration. In addition, there is still a need for more international comparisons, especially for studies comparing more than two countries.

Originality/value

– Case studies about private sector participation in health care with transnational European or international comparisons are very scarce. The paper, which compares two cases of a Danish and a German hospital, is therefore a contribution to reducing a relevant research gap. To date, private sector participation in the German health system, in particular, has rarely been discussed in international journal publications.
The relationship between transformational leadership and cultural intelligence
Authors: K. Keung Emerson , J. Rockinson-Szapkiw Amanda
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to examine if there is a relationship between the factors of cultural intelligence and transformational leadership in international school leaders.

Design/methodology/approach

– This correlational research study examined 193 international school leaders, who participated in a survey that included the Cultural Intelligence Scale and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire 5X. A standard multiple regression analysis was used to determine if the factors of cultural intelligence predict transformational leadership. The individual contribution of each factor to the model was examined.

Findings

– The results indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between cultural intelligence and transformational leadership in international school leaders. Leaders who have a higher level of cultural intelligence exhibit a higher level of transformational leadership style, which suggests that individuals with high-cultural intelligence are able to lead and to manage more effectively in multicultural environments. Behavioral cultural intelligence and cognitive cultural intelligence were found to be the best predictors of transformational leadership.

Practical implication

– The results provide insight into the selection, training, and professional development of international school leaders. Practical implications are provided for integrating cultural intelligence into higher education curriculum.

Originality/value

– This paper makes a unique contribution to the nomological network of cultural intelligence by identifying which factors of cultural intelligence best predict transformational leadership in international school leaders, a population to which this model had not been previously applied.
In the name of honor: Swedish school leaders’ experiences of honor-related dilemmas
Authors: Norberg Katarina , Törnsén Monika
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine honor-related dilemmas that principals encounter in daily practice. Such dilemmas illustrate how special demands from parents can collide with the school's democratic mission.

Design/methodology/approach

–In total, 53 principals who participated in an in-service program, which aimed to enhance consciousness and knowledge concerning honor-related issues, were asked to describe their experiences of honor-related dilemmas. The paper uses the understanding of the honor culture as an analytic probe in studying and understanding the dilemmas and how these collide with the school's inner work in accordance with democratic values.

Findings

– The major findings illustrate that the participating principals have to deal with honor-related issues in their daily practice. The dilemmas include parents’ demands for restrictions affecting girls, young women, boys, and young men from preschool up to adult education. These restrictions limit their right to participate in all school subjects and activities and to live a life free of oppression.

Practical implications

– The paper reveals the importance of enhanced consciousness and knowledge concerning honor-related issues. Principals must have the ability to identify and recognize at-risk students and organize the necessary support for those students without stigma and exclusion. How the school's structure and culture support intercultural practice and inclusion is important to avoid a contribution to marginalization and a rejection of the school's value base.

Originality/value

– A number of research studies have been done regarding culture clashes in the multicultural school context. This paper identifies dilemmas that can be related to the honor culture and how these are expressed in the principal's office.
Perspectives of school leaders on the administrative internship
Authors: A. Thessin Rebecca , Clayton Jennifer
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this study was to identify how current K-12 district and school leaders who are alumni of an educational administration program describe how they acquired the essential skills and experiences needed to be effective in the leadership positions.

Design/methodology/approach

– For this qualitative study, the authors interviewed program alumni of one university leadership preparation program regarding the experiences and training they identified as having prepared them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes to be successful in their positions, as well as which components of their administrative internship experiences, if any, they identified as having most prepared them for their positions.

Findings

– School and district administrators indicated they acquired the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become successful leaders through specific preparation experiences and opportunities. Key experiences cited by alumni included gaining some leadership responsibilities while they were teachers and further opportunities to lead in the administrative internship; engaging in practical, hands-on assignments in their graduate degree program courses; learning from other administrators with unique areas of work responsibilities, as well as from other schools and districts; and receiving guidance from a dedicated mentor.

Originality/value

– The findings from this study contribute to research in the area of administrator preparation by guiding preparation programs in prioritizing the types of training and practicum experiences that aspiring K-12 educational leaders receive as a component of their preparation programs.
Exploring the link between the humanitarian logistician and training needs
Authors: Marie Allen Ann , Kovács Gyöngyi , Masini Andrea , Vaillancourt Alain , Van Wassenhove Luk
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to evaluate job profiles in humanitarian logistics, and assess current task priorities in light of further training and educational needs.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper presents findings from a survey among humanitarian logistics practitioners and compares these to other studies in this area. It uses econometric models to evaluate the impact of managerial responsibilities in training needs, usage of time and previous training.

Findings

– The results show that the skills required in humanitarian logistics seem to follow the T-shaped skills model from Mangan and Christopher when looking at training wanted and time usage.

Research limitations/implications

– Survey respondents being members of the Humanitarian Logistics Association (HLA) may be more interested in developing the humanitarian logistics profession than other populations.

Originality/value

– This paper offers an insight in the specific skill requirements of humanitarian logisticians from members of the HLA and allows to understand which type of skills are linked to managerial responsibilities. The paper also establishes a link between logistics skill models and career progressions overall.
A comparison between select open source and proprietary integrated library systems
Authors: Pruett Joseph , Choi Namjoo
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– As libraries face budget cuts, open source integrated library systems are an attractive alternative to proprietary choices. Even though open source software is free to acquire, administrators must consider factors other than initial purchase price. This study aims to provide direction and context for libraries considering migration to an open source integrated library system.

Design/methodology/approach

– The comparison is qualitative and uses case studies, license agreements and copyright law, and user manuals and brochures. These comparisons divide into four areas: functions, adoption and technical support, usability, and economics.

Findings

– Major functions that libraries need in an integrated library system are available for open source software. There are no significant differences in usability between open source and proprietary integrated library systems. Internal IT provides a significant role in open source adoption. The relatively new type of open source software licensing may cause confusion for libraries and software developers.

Originality/value

– This study considers initial migrations to open source integrated library systems as a key component in overall software adoption. The study qualitatively examines the migration process comparing extant case studies. In addition, the examination of licensing agreements and copyright as well as a comparative review of essential functions are provided.
Library mobile applications in university libraries
Authors: Chang Chiao-Chen
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This research aims to integrate the unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology (UTAUT) with task technology fit to explain users' behavioral intention of using library mobile applications in university libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

– By integrating the unified theory of acceptance and usage of technology (UTAUT) and the moderator of task-technology fit, this research proposes a library mobile applications usage intention model. The study data come from a convenience sample of 363 undergraduate and graduate students. A structural equation modelling (SEM) technique was conducted to identify causal relationships.

Findings

– Results showed that the UTAUT model fits the data well. The empirical data reveal that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions determine users' behavioral intention of using library mobile applications. As a determinant in the UTAUT model, the moderating effect of task-technology fit is also significant. Moreover, individuals with different levels of task-technology fit will strengthen or weaken the relationships of determinants in the intention to use library mobile applications in university libraries.

Research limitations/implications

– This study addresses self-reported behavioral intentions as part of the survey; as a result, the data may have introduced inaccuracies. The implications of the proposed library mobile applications success model are discussed.

Practical implications

– University librarians should reinforce the efficiency of library mobile applications to influence users' willingness to use such applications.

Originality/value

– This study combines both the constructs of the UTAUT model and task-technology fit to consider intentions to use library mobile applications in university libraries.
Factors affecting the performance of mobile office outsourcing
Authors: Lee Jongtae , Park Myeong-Cheol , Moon Junghoon
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– A mobile office can be defined as software and hardware that support business work and that are accessible via smartphones. Organizations are adopting or trying to adopt the mobile office as their communication and business tool, in order to support or to change their current work environments. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the impact of outsourcing strategy on mobile office performance based on the FORT model and the MoBiS-Q to measure the performance of the outsourced mobile office.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study focuses on the impact of outsourcing strategy on mobile office performance based on the FORT model and the MoBiS-Q to measure the performance of the outsourced mobile office.

Findings

– In the results, the perceived usability and the perceived impact of the mobile office on the productivity can be higher with the Alliance outsourcing relationship type. The outsourcing of the mobile office would follow the similar process of other IT outsourcing strategies. But the device fittingness was far from the expectation.

Research limitations/implications

– Firms/organizations should consider a more concrete step-by-step approach to strategic outsourcing relationships with the high-skilled expert groups and that the device fittingness may not be a proper factor to measure the performance of the outsourced mobile office.

Practical implications

– IT managers who plan or now try to adopt the mobile office into their organizations should focus on developing proper applications and software; however, they do not need to care about device or H/W issues, including employees ' skills at using the devices or the device fittingness for the planned mobile office.

Originality/value

– This study is one of the first academic studies to analyze the impact of outsourcing strategy of the mobile office on organization performance.
Upper echelon compensation, performance, and the rhythm of firm internationalization
Authors: Lin Wen-Ting , Cheng Kuei-Yang
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the compensation level and the gap between the chief executive officer (CEO) and the top management team (TMT) with respect to the rhythm of firm internationalization.

Design/methodology/approach

– The approach takes the form of an empirical analysis. The authors use longitudinal data (1997-2006) of a sample of 345 publicly-listed firms in Taiwan.

Findings

– The results show that higher CEO compensation will lead to regular foreign expansion. The CEO–TMT compensation gap has a curvilinear effect on the rhythm of firm internationalization.

Research limitations/implications

– These findings highlight that the compensation structure has a significant influence on a firm
'
s internationalization strategy. This research contributes to the literature linking strategic human resource management and corporate strategy in terms of firm internationalization.

Practical implications

– When firms consider regular foreign expansion, the compensation committee should design a high total compensation level and appropriate the compensation gap between the CEO and TMT members.

Originality/value

– This study sheds light on how the compensation of the upper echelons determines whether the internationalization rhythm is regular or irregular. Moreover, the study examines how internal contingencies, such as performance, moderate the relationship between the upper echelons’ compensation and the internationalization rhythm.
Revisiting business strategy under discontinuity
Authors: Ghezzi Antonio
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Business strategy and its quest for sustainable competitive advantage and success is challenged by external and internal change, which increasingly takes the form of radical discontinuity. However, emergent strategy models are rising as concepts and constructs, possibly impacting on the advancement of strategic management theory and practices: these tools are the business model (BM), the value network (VN) and resource management (RM). The purpose of this paper is to propose a revisited role for BM design, VN configuration and RM, with specific reference to strategy execution and monitoring under discontinuity.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study builds its contribution on a theoretical framework (constituted by a literature review on discontinuity, BM, VN and RM), supplemented by two longitudinal case studies on companies which went through several discontinuities affecting their business strategy.

Findings

– BM, VN and RM are the strategic tools through which a company executes its planned strategy. In addition, radical variations in: BM parameters performance; VN configuration and firms relationships; RM consistency with resources core status, resulting from an external or internal discontinuity, constitute a signalling “vector” of inputs to identify the discontinuity and activate a new strategic re-planning process.

Originality/value

– By revisiting the role of BM, VN and RM, the study revives the theoretical debate on business strategy under discontinuity, and provides managers with a comprehensive model to concretely employ these three tools for strategy analysis.
Networking behaviours and managers' career success in the Malaysian public service
Authors: Mohd Rasdi Roziah , N. Garavan Thomas , Ismail Maimunah
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine the relationships between networking behaviours objective and subjective career success, and the moderating role of gender on these relationships among Malaysian public sector managers.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study utilised a cross-sectional design and surveyed 288 randomly selected public sector managers who were employed full-time.

Findings

– Increasing internal visibility was the only form of networking that related to both monthly gross incomes and subjective career success. Gender did not moderate the relationships between networking behaviours and the career success measures.

Research limitations/implications

– The public sector and cultural contexts of the study may limit the generalisability of the findings. However, the paper did find that the measures used were appropriate and valid.

Practical implications

– The study highlights the importance of internal networking and the value of training managers in networking skills.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to the emerging literature on the career success of managers in non-Western countries.
Beyond the playing field: the role of athletic participation in early career success
Authors: Sauer Stephen , Desmond Scott , Heintzelman Martin
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine how participation in varsity athletics during college affects career success in the first decade after graduation. The paper predicted that student-athletes would develop greater mentoring skills and emotional intelligence, leading to higher starting salaries as they enter the professional workforce and faster rates of salary growth as their careers progress.

Design/methodology/approach

– Cross-sectional nationwide survey study.

Findings

– The paper finds that former collegiate athletes score higher on measures of mentoring and emotional intelligence and have higher salaries through the first ten years of their careers than their non-athlete counterparts. The paper also finds that there are significant interaction effects for gender, such that male athletes score higher than male non-athletes on measures of mentoring and emotional intelligence, while female athletes score the same as non-athletes on these measures. Gender also impacted salary differences, such that at the start of their careers, female student-athletes enjoyed a significant salary boost relative to male athletes and both male and female non-athletes, but saw this advantage decrease within five years and disappear altogether by the time they had worked ten years.

Originality/value

– This study highlights the ways in which participation in collegiate sports affects student-athletes, and how these effects differ for men and women. These findings are worthy of continued investigation and should encourage scholars to question how activities beyond the classroom might affect students' preparation for life and careers after college.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Authors: Kendall John
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– -- The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography including a brief history but with the focus on its electronic format.

Design/methodology/approach

-- A historical account of the forerunner publication is provided, followed by consideration of the content of the new electronic version in contrast to that provided in the earlier print editions. There is also consideration of the structure of the work, with a look at the “added value” features provided. Illustrative examples are used throughout.

Findings

-- The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography continues to provide comprehensive coverage of notable British figures and is easy to navigate and use in its electronic version. Most significantly, it remains an essential resource for libraries, especially in the UK.

Originality/value

-- There have been many reviews of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, but this is one of the few to have been published in recent years providing an overview with a focus on the advantages of the electronic version. For information professionals it offers a useful summary of the main features of this resource and a reminder of its continuing value as a biographical information tool.
Impact of audit quality and ownership structure on the bias and accuracy of earnings forecasts issued in IPO prospectuses
Authors: Waresul Karim A.K.M. , Ahmed Kamran , Hasan Tanweer
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of audit quality and ownership structure on the degrees of accuracy and bias in earnings forecasts issued in initial public offering (IPO) prospectuses in a frontier market, Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper uses both univariate and multivariate tests on the sample of 75 IPOs. The paper employs the tests to see the association between the degree of forecast bias and three corporate governance variables.

Findings

– The results reveal that the magnitude of earnings forecast bias is significantly explained by issuer, auditor reputation, proportions of capital raised from domestic as well as foreign investors, and whether the IPO firm is a start-up venture. Underwriter prestige, length of the issuing firms' operating history, leverage, whether the firm went public during a stock market boom, and forecast horizon do not appear to be statistically significant in explaining the degree of forecast bias.

Originality/value

– Although auditor reputation and the proportion of equity retained by pre-IPO owners have been investigated in several studies on IPO forecast accuracy and/or bias, no study has attributed them to corporate governance as a whole by combining auditor reputation, and ownership categories held by small private investors and foreign portfolio investors.
Development of a slide agglutination assay for detection of blastomycosis
Authors: Hatch Wayne O. , Scalarone Gene M.
Published: September 2013

Blastomycosis, caused by the thermally dimorphic fungus Blastomyces dermatitides, which is endemic to eastern regions of the USA, is commonly misdiagnosed as a viral or bacterial infection and therefore treated improperly. Over the years, many immunodiagnostic assays to aid in the diagnosis of blastomycosis have been developed; however, a reliable assay for use in local clinics still remains elusive. Procedures for a slide agglutination assay for detection of antibody in serum from rabbits immunized with B. dermatitidis were evaluated with antigenic preparations from B. dermatitidis adsorbed to polystyrene microparticles. Yeast‐phase lysates from five isolates of B. dermatitides: namely ER‐593 (Eagle River, WI, USA), ER‐598 (Eagle River, WI, USA), 48938 (India), B5896 (Mt. Iron, MN, USA), and T‐58 (TN, USA) were evaluated for their sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivities of the lysates ranged from 29% to 83% whereas specificities ranged from 13% to 100%. Lysate ER‐593 provided the most promising results with a sensitivity of 82% and specificity of 100%. This study provides suggests that a simple rapid slide agglutination assay for detecting blastomycosis may be used for screening patients with suspected B. dermatitidis infection.
National patterns of functional diversity and redundancy in predatory ground beetles and bees associated with key UK arable crops
Authors: Woodcock Ben A. , Harrower Collin , Redhead John , Edwards Mike , Vanbergen Adam J. , Heard Matthew S. , Roy David B. , Pywell Richard F.
Published: September 2013

Invertebrates supporting natural pest control and pollination ecosystem services are crucial to world‐wide crop production. Understanding national patterns in the spatial structure of natural pest control and pollination can be used to promote effective crop management and contribute to long‐term food security.

We mapped the species richness and functional diversity of ground beetles and bees to provide surrogate measures of natural pest control and pollination for Great Britain. Functional diversity represents the value and range of morphological and behavioural traits that support ecosystem services. We modelled the rate at which functional diversity collapsed in response to species extinctions to provide an index of functional redundancy.

Deficits in functional diversity for both pest control and pollination were found in areas of high arable crop production. Ground beetle functional redundancy was positively correlated with the landscape cover of semi‐natural habitats where extinctions were ordered by body size and dispersal ability. For bees, functional redundancy showed a weak positive correlation with semi‐natural habitat cover where species extinctions were ordered by feeding specialization.

Synthesis and applications. Increasingly, evidence suggests that functionally diverse assemblages of ground beetles and bees may be a key element to strategies that aim to support pollination and natural pest control in crops. If deficits in both functional diversity and redundancy in areas of high crop production are to be reversed, then targeted implementation of agri‐environment schemes that establish semi‐natural habitat may provide a policy mechanism for supporting these ecosystem services.
The concept and measurement of importance: a comment on Reeset al. 2012
Authors: Brooker Rob , Kikvidze Zaal , Kunstler Georges , Liancourt Pierre , Seifan Merav
Published: September 2013

The importance of competition has been defined as the impact or role of competition relative to the total impact of the environment, and the intensity of competition is its absolute impact. Understanding the distinction has been proposed as key in reconciling long‐running ecological debates.

An index of competition importance,Cimp, has been used in a number of recent studies. Rees, Childs & Freckleton (2012) present a strong attack on the competition indexCimp(and the associated interaction indexIimp) and question the underlying rationale for the concept of competition importance. We assess their critique and challenge it in a number of areas.

Reeset al. conflate criticism of the indexCimpwith criticism of the concept of competition importance. Their approach to assessing the properties ofCimp(andIimp), including the use of target plant success in the absence of neighbours (PNC) as a measure of environmental severity, is biased towards demonstrating a simple linear relationship between severity andCimp, and supporting the argument that there is no need for separate measurements of importance.

We consider the proposal by Reeset al. for the use of variance partitioning to assess importance. Although providing a measure of the relative role of competition, it is unable to assess the shape of the importance‐severity relationship, something central to testing important ecological theories such as those of Grime (1979) or Bertness & Callaway (1994). We discuss alternative approaches which might address this question.

Synthesis. Responding to Reeset al. has been beneficial in clarifying points of difference between our approaches, and the need to visualize the shape of the importance–severity relationship. From this response we draw three broad conclusions. We need: (i) metrics of environmental severity that are independent of the success of target species; (ii) analytical approaches that avoid the statistical problems associated with ratios whilst enabling us to assess the shape of the severity–importance relationship; (iii) new data to assess the generality of proposed relationships. Studies incorporating these elements will take forward our understanding of the role of competition in plant communities.
Site‐directed mutagenesis of the P225, N230 and H272 residues of succinate dehydrogenase subunit B from Botrytis cinerea highlights different roles in enzyme activity and inhibitor binding
Authors: Lalève Anaïs , Gamet Stéphanie , Walker Anne‐Sophie , Debieu Danièle , Toquin Valérie , Fillinger Sabine
Published: September 2013

Carboxamide fungicides target succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). Recent field monitoring studies have identified Botrytis cinerea isolates resistant to one or several SDH inhibitors (SDHIs) with amino acid substitutions in the SDH B subunit. We confirmed, by site‐directed mutagenesis of the sdhB gene, that each of the mutations identified in field strains conferred resistance to boscalid in B. cinerea, and in some cases cross‐resistance to other SDHIs (fluopyram, carboxin). Enzyme inhibition studies showed that the studied modifications (SdhB_P225T/L/F, N230I, H272Y/R/L) affected the inhibition of SDH activity by SDHIs, directly contributing to resistance. Our results confirm the importance of H272, P225 and N230 for carboxamide binding. Modifications of P225 and N230 conferred resistance to the four carboxamides tested (boscalid, fluopyram, carboxin, bixafen). Modifications of H272 had differential effects on the susceptibility of SDH to SDHIs. SdhBH272L, affected susceptibility to all SDHIs, SdhBH272R conferred resistance to all SDHIs tested except fluopyram, and SdhBH272Y conferred fluopyram hypersensitivity. Affinity‐binding studies with radiolabelled fluopyram revealed strong correlations among the affinity of SDHIs for SDH, SDH inhibition and in vivo growth inhibition in the wild type. The sdhBH272Y mutation did not affect SDH and respiration activities, whereas all the other mutations affected respiration by decreasing SDH activity.
‘What's a fixed‐term exclusion, Miss?’ Students' perspectives on a disciplinary inclusion room in England
Authors: Gilmore Gwen
Published: September 2013

Marginalised students in education are often formally excluded and further disadvantaged by school disciplinary approaches. This leads to school behaviour codes not being followed by students. This result is often linked to individualised student disciplinary responses. Further, formal student exclusion from schools remains a controversial international practice driven by eclectic government policy. Yet there is limited research on student perspectives within debates on the value of interventions designed to reduce fixed‐term exclusion and promote children's participation in education. This study, by Gwen Gilmore of the College of Education at Victoria University, Melbourne, presents the perspectives of five Year 8 and 9 students who participated in a disciplinary inclusion room designed to reduce fixed‐term exclusion in a secondary school located in England. The research methodology is framed by a cultural historical activity theory approach, and mixed methods reported include document analysis and student interviews. Students stated that the disciplinary inclusion room enabled them to continue their learning and that this discipline model complemented the processes of education. These students' perspectives challenge recent narratives on disciplinary provision and provide possibilities for schools to consider how discipline can be organised towards practices that are more inclusionary and potentially educative.
Autism and multidisciplinary teamwork through the SCERTS Model
Authors: Molteni Paola , Guldberg Karen , Logan Nick
Published: September 2013

This research investigates multidisciplinary teamwork in an English special school located in the West Midlands region of the UK. The research was carried out by Paola Molteni, a PhD student at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Karen Guldberg of the Autism Centre for Education and Research Director at the University of Birmingham School of Education, and Nick Logan, head of the Psychology and Therapists Department at Sunfield Children's Home, Clent. The school uses the innovative SCERTS (Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, Transactional Support) model. The methodology was a collaborative and participatory case study focused on the point of view of professionals and on understanding the teamwork process through analysis of three teams working together to implement SCERTS. Methods included focus groups, semi‐structured interviews, direct observations and questionnaires; the data were analysed using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method. The research provides an example of good practice and enables practitioners to reflect on the issues involved in implementing a multidisciplinary process using the SCERTS approach. The findings show that the SCERTS Model can support the educational team in promoting and exchanging good daily practice and planning educational work together. The article draws out implications for further studies that aim to analyse teamwork in other settings and over a longer period.
Questions to assess learning as a communicative routine for inclusion
Authors: Ní Bhroin Órla
Published: September 2013

In the context of rapid policy transformation from segregation to inclusion in the education of children with special educational needs in Ireland, a study was conducted to investigate the interplay between policy and principles of inclusion, resource teachers' and class teachers' interpretations of this and the manner in which policy and principle is enacted in their practice. Based on nine resource teachers and nine class teachers each paired in a particular school, interviews to elicit teachers' interpretations combined with observations to document the detail of practice generated data from which nine case studies were crafted. Findings revealed that teachers' interpretations and constructions of inclusive practice are grounded in the central tenets of communicative routines, attunement and coherence‐fragmentation. As such, the pedagogical practices central to facilitating inclusion are as follows: teachers' use of questions to assess learning and mediated talk; transactional teaching–learning interactions contributing to transformational teaching‐learning episodes; and optimal interfacing of resource teachers and class teachers. This article, by Órla Ní Bhroin of St Patrick's College, Dublin City University, focuses on teachers' use of questioning to assess learning as a communicative routine for inclusion.
Conceptualizing Political Consumerism: How Citizenship Norms Differentiate Boycotting from Buycotting
Authors: Copeland Lauren
Published: September 2013

Most of the literature treats boycotting and buycotting — which collectively comprise political consumerism — as homogeneous acts, reflecting a single mode of behavior. However, several key differences between boycotts and buycotts suggest that the predictors of boycotting should be somewhat different from those of buycotting. In this article, I theorize that boycotting is more strongly associated with dutiful citizenship norms because it is punishment oriented and has several key features in common with electoral, interest-based politics. Buycotting, conversely, is more strongly associated with engaged citizenship norms because it is reward oriented and has more features in common with civic engagement. To test these theoretical expectations, I use original, nationally representative US survey data. The findings confirm my theoretical expectations, and they point to the role of changing citizenship norms rather than more traditional factors such as resources and psychological engagement as important in understanding contemporary political participation.
From Sovereignty in Australia to Australian Sovereignty
Authors: Prokhovnik Raia
Published: September 2013

The article argues that sovereignty in Australia is as yet incomplete, but that full sovereignty could be achieved through engagement with the indigenous Aboriginal ‘first nations’. First, the inter-constitution of the concepts of sovereignty and politics is outlined. Then the unfinished character of sovereignty since white settlement is examined, indicating the default nature of the sovereignty settlement. The challenge arising from complex indigenous claims to sovereignty is then explored through two elements of a differend, or power differential, which has excluded indigenous peoples from meaningful recognition as political actors. The meaning of sovereignty in the broad field of indigenous claims is then analysed. Finally, a proposal for constitutional amendment is outlined, building both upon Aboriginal self-understandings as belonging to specific nations and groups and upon the logic of the history of white settlement. Constitutional revision which takes account of these histories provides an opportunity to extend the scope of the parties who are federated. Such a process could stimulate debate that generates a meaningful Australian sovereignty settlement identity for both indigenous and non-indigenous communities.
Failing International Climate Politics and the Fairness of Going First
Authors: Maltais Aaron
Published: September 2013

There appear to be few ways available to improve the prospects for international cooperation to address the threat of global warming within the very short time frame for action. I argue that the most effective and plausible way to break the ongoing pattern of delay in the international climate regime is for economically powerful states to take the lead domestically and demonstrate that economic welfare is compatible with rapidly decreasing GHG emissions. However, the costs and risks of acting first can be very large. This raises the question of whether it is fair to expect some states to go far ahead of others in an effort to improve the conditions for cooperation. I argue that a costly obligation to act unilaterally and to accept weak initial reciprocity can be justified and does not violate standards of fair burden sharing. Rather, the costs of creating the underlying conditions within which we can hope to achieve meaningful international cooperation are non-ideal burdens for which we can appropriately assign fair shares.
The Mesmerising Message: The Diffusion of Populism in Public Debates in Western European Media
Authors: Rooduijn Matthijs
Published: September 2013

Electorally, Western European populist political parties have been rather successful in the last two decades. But how pervasive is their actual populist message? Although some scholars have looked at the diffusion of this message, they have only focused on the arena of party politics. Research on how widespread populism is beyond the party political sphere is still in its infancy. This study looks at populism in public debates in the media. Based on a content analysis of opinion articles in newspapers in five Western European countries, I demonstrate that these debates have become more populist over the years, and that the degree of populism is strongly related to the success of populist parties. This indicates that populism is more widespread than previously assumed. I also show that letters are more populist than other opinion articles and that debates in tabloid media are not more populist than debates in elite media.
Leadership without Leaders? Starters and Followers in Online Collective Action
Authors: Margetts Helen Z. , John Peter , Hale Scott A. , Reissfelder Stéphane
Published: September 2013

The internet has been ascribed a prominent role in collective action, particularly with widespread use of social media. But most mobilisations fail. We investigate the characteristics of those few mobilisations that succeed and hypothesise that the presence of ‘starters’ with low thresholds for joining will determine whether a mobilisation achieves success, as suggested by threshold models. We use experimental data from public good games to identify personality types associated with willingness to start in collective action. We find a significant association between both extraversion and internal locus of control, and willingness to start, while agreeableness is associated with a tendency to follow. Rounds without at least a minimum level of extraversion among the participants are unlikely to be funded, providing some support for the hypothesis.