bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi‐robot team formation control in the GUARDIANS project
Authors: Saez‐Pons Joan , Alboul Lyuba , Penders Jacques , Nomdedeu Leo
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The Group of Unmanned Assistant Robots Deployed in Aggregative Navigation by Scent (GUARDIANS) multi‐robot team is to be deployed in a large warehouse in smoke. The team is to assist firefighters search the warehouse in the event or danger of a fire. The large dimensions of the environment together with development of smoke which drastically reduces visibility, represent major challenges for search and rescue operations. The GUARDIANS robots act alongside a firefighter and guide and accompany the firefighters on the site while indicating possible obstacles and the locations of danger and maintain communications links. The purpose of this paper is to focus on basic navigation behaviours of multi‐robot or human‐robot teams, which have to be achieved without central and on‐line control in both categories of GUARDIANS robots' tasks.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to fulfill the aforementioned tasks, the robots need to be able to perform certain behaviours. Among the basic behaviours are capabilities to stay together as a group, that is, generate a formation and navigate while keeping this formation. The control model used to generate these behaviours is based on the so‐called social potential field framework, which the authors adapt to the specific tasks required for the GUARDIANS scenario. All tasks can be achieved without central control, and some of the behaviours can be performed without explicit communication between the robots.

Findings

The GUARDIANS environment requires flexible formations of the robot team: the formation has to adapt itself to the circumstances. Thus, the application has forced the concept of a formation to be re‐defined. Using the graph‐theoretic terminology, it can be said that a formation may be stretched out as a path or be compact as a star or wheel. The developed behaviours have been implemented in simulation environments as well as on real ERA‐MOBI robots commonly referred to as Erratics. Advantages and shortcomings of the model, based on the simulations as well as on the implementation with a team of Erratics are discussed.

Originality/value

This paper discusses the concept of a robot formation in the context of a real world application of a robot team (Swarm).
Social networks, age cohorts and employment
Authors: Gayen Kaberi , McQuaid Ronald , Raeside Robert
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association of social networks with being in work, contrasting those under age 50 with those over 50 years.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study is undertaken of a local labour market in Scotland. Data were collected by interview using a semi‐structured questionnaire from 194 people divided into four groups. Data include information on individuals' socio‐economic characteristics and on their networks. A four‐way comparison is made by age and employment status.

Findings

Those in work have denser social networks populated with members with higher social and human capital. For those over 50 years, the more contacts one has with higher prestige employment positions (a proxy for social capital), and the stronger the ties with these contacts, the more likely that one is to be in employment. For those under 50 years, their own qualifications and the number of contacts are important.

Research limitations/implications

This work adds to both research on employability and social networks.

Social implications

The over 50s tend to be the age group that is most likely to be not in employment and as populations age there is a need to ensure that barriers to employment against those over 50 are reduced. Finding routes to reduce unemployment will also help combat social exclusion.

Originality/value

This is in the combination of a social network approach with age cohort analysis to give insight into how social capital is associated with being in employment.
China's new rural pension scheme: can it be improved?
Authors: Shen Ce , Williamson John B.
Published: June 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to describe China's need for old‐age pension coverage in its rural areas, to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the new rural pension system currently being implemented, and to suggest some needed reforms.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper's analysis is based largely on evidence from Chinese government documents, newspaper reports, and research reports including those discussing related programs in rural areas of other developing countries. This evidence is supplemented with a small number of interviews with government officials, Chinese academics, and farmers living in rural China.

Findings

China has recently started a major effort to bring old‐age pension coverage to rural China. While it is too early to know how successful this effort will be, there are some structural issues that should be addressed. The paper's major conclusion is that the current funded accounts component needs to be supplemented with a modest social pension scheme.

Originality/value

To date next to nothing has been published for an academic audience about this major new and first ever countrywide old‐age pension program for rural China. If successful, this program has the potential to stimulate efforts in many other developing nations around the world to provide pension coverage in rural areas. The paper analyzes the program, uncovers some serious limitations, and proposes changes to deal with those limitations.
Race, human capital, and wage discrimination in STEM professions in the United States
Authors: Broyles Philip , Fenner Weston
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how human capital affects the racial wage gap of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals, controlling for labor market characteristics and argue that human capital of minority STEM professionals is valued less than their White counterparts, even when minorities have similar levels of human capital.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this study were obtained from the American Chemical Society (ACS) 2005 census of its membership and consisted of 13,855 male chemists working full‐time in industry – there were too few minority women to make comparisons. The racial wage gap was decomposed by modeling earnings as an exponential function of race, education, marital status, children, experience, employment disruption, work specialty, work function, industry, size of employer, and region of work.

Findings

This research shows that there is racial discrimination in STEM professions. Although there is variation among racial groups, minority chemists receive lower wages than White chemists. For Asian and Black chemists, the wage differential is largely due to discrimination. The case may be different for Hispanic chemists. Most of the difference in wages between Hispanics and Whites was explained by the lower educational attainment and experience of Hispanic chemists.

Practical implications

Because the racial wage gap is largely due to racial differences in the return on human capital, public and private efforts to increase human capital of potential minority scientists have a limited impact on the racial wage gap. Eliminating the differential returns to human capital would drastically reduce the racial wage gap – except for Hispanics. Achieving racial pay equity is one important step towards eliminating racial discrimination in the STEM workforce.

Originality/value

This paper shows the role of human capital in explaining the racial wage gap in STEM professions.
The recontextualization of commercialization: the shifting discourse of an R&D unit
Authors: Asimakou Theodora , Oswick Cliff
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the impact of the introduction of a commerical discourse within a scientific context (i.e. a research and development (R&D) setting). It explores the reconstitution of professional identities, becoming customer focused and changing time orientations.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing upon the concept of recontextualization as a discursive framework for analysis, extensive fieldwork was undertaken in a multinational oil company involving informal conversations, formal interviews with R&D staff (n = 41), secondary data analysis and non‐participant observation.

Findings

The major finding is that the commercialization of R&D operations was resented, but not resisted, by established R&D scientists. The reasons for the absence of resistance are discussed.

Originality/value

This work contributes to the understanding of the recontextualization of discourse in professional settings. It also offers insights into the colonizing and commodifying effects of the commercialization discourse.
Usage of parental leave by fathers in Norway
Authors: Naz Ghazala
Published: June 2010

Purpose

Fathers' participation in childcare is not only important in promoting gender equality but can be also important for the child's better upbringing. To promote fathers' involvement and participation in childcare, in the 1990s Norway and other Scandinavian countries have evolved their parental leave schemes such that employed fathers may have equal access to paid parental leave as mothers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that determine use of parental leave in Norway.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper's dependent variable is ordinal. An individual has three options: do not take leave, use leave up to the paternity quota or use leave in excess of the paternity quota. For modelling the choice between these three categories, an ordered logit model is used.

Findings

Fathers' workplace type has no effect on their use of paternity quota, but they opt to take gender‐neutral leave if they are working in female‐dominated professions. In addition the effects of mothers' relative income, education, working time and number of pre‐school children are more important for the use of gender‐neutral leave by fathers as compared with leave up to the paternity quota.

Originality/value

Several studies in Scandinavia have investigated the determinants of use of paternal leave but this paper differs from the existing literature in the following respects. First, it differentiates the determinants of taking paternity quota and gender‐neutral leave and it focuses sharply on the difference between husbands' and wives' characteristics. In addition, it uses a large dataset that includes information from several public registers, merged by Statistics Norway. In contrast, the previous studies in Norway were based on relatively small samples and self‐reported data.
Dialogued‐based activation – a new “dispositif”?
Authors: Born Asmund W. , Jensen Per H.
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The so‐called individual action plan (IAP) has become a major policy instrument in providing active welfare for social benefit claimants, and as such it has attracted quite a research interest. The purpose of this paper is to maintain that research hitherto has been founded in a too narrow notion of the IAP, arguing instead that IAP represents a new societal rationality, in relation to which the scope of research questions should be broadened.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explores the basic dynamics and internal features of the IAP dialogue theoretically and ideal typically. It is furthermore argued that IAP‐like arrangements have extended far beyond the domain of social policy; IAP‐like dialogues are practiced in all corners of society in the form of HRM conversations, supervision, coaching etc. Relating to Foucault it is therefore argued that IAP represents a new dispositif.

Findings

The paper states that the emerging dispositif demands that the individual constitutes herself as a creative and self‐expressive subject in dynamic dialogue. Accordingly the microphysics of the interaction change for the clientele as well as for the case worker. Purpose and procedures turn singular, which undermines collective endeavours and general criteria for success in social policy.

Originality/value

The paper employs a theoretical and sociological perspective on the IAP as a new technology in the organisation of social policy, and its contribution lies in its displacement of the perspective on IAP and its consequences on research questions.
Improving training impact through effective follow‐up: techniques and their application
Authors: Martin Harry J.
Published: June 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to describe a variety of cost‐effective methods that employers can use to support training activities and promote the transfer of skills and knowledge to the workplace. These techniques work to positively impact the workplace environment through peer and supervisory support.

Design/methodology/approach

The application of action plans, performance assessment, peer meetings, supervisory consultations, and technical support is illustrated in two case examples.

Findings

Follow‐up activities resulted in improved transfer and had positive quantitative and qualitative effects on operations and firm performance.

Practical implications

Billions of dollars are spent annually by organisations on employee training and management development. It is important that managers implement procedures that encourage transfer of learning in order to achieve greater training impact. The techniques discussed have wide application and significant effects on trainee motivation and workplace environment that are critical to success.

Originality/value

The paper provides an in‐depth discussion of how to create peer support mechanisms that encourage training transfer. It also provides details on how organisations can engage managers in follow‐up efforts.
Customized executive learning: a business model for the twenty‐first century
Authors: Anderson Jamie , van Wijk Gert‐Jan
Published: June 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to elaborate on the drivers underpinning the rise of the Platform Model in customized executive learning and to explain the guiding philosophy underpinning this model.

Design/methodology/approach

The study followed directives for case‐based research, and was based on multiple sources of evidence: extant literature, archival data, industry publications, interviews and direct observation. Common issues were identified and used to build theory and make the concepts generic enough to be communicated to executive education professionals. Findings were shared and validated with professionals, and with managers within the human resource and organizational development departments of corporate firms.

Findings

The emergence of the Platform Model for executive education has been driven by four key developments –an explosion in the number of intellectual free agents who work outside or beyond the permeable organizational boundaries of academic institutions; the increasing recognition of open collaboration as an engine of customization and innovation; the pervasive spread of information and communication technologies that are enabling virtual teams to deliver integrated educational offerings; and the demand of clients that educational offerings should deliver outcomes by matching intellectual resources with their needs, and not vice versa.

Originality/value

The paper describes a recent trend in the ongoing evolution of approaches towards the design and delivery of executive learning. The Platform Model for executive learning is based on the existence of what has become a two‐sided network, entailing a triangular set of market relationships. On one side of this network are the individuals and firms that possess specialist skills and expertise, and on the other side are organizational clients seeking learning solutions. The need for these two groups – the network's “sides” – to interact with each other efficiently has created the opportunity for the emergence of Platform Intermediaries.
Critical thinking and business process improvement
Authors: Ayad Amine
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamics of critical thinking (CT) in contrast with Six Sigma and the “5 Whys” approach that is used by many managers to conduct “Root cause analysis” in business process improvements.

Design/methodology/approach

The research integrates principles of traditional literature review with a reflective inquiry of a practitioner.

Findings

Six Sigma and its “5 Whys” methodology is insufficient in root cause analysis unless coupled with CT. The paper demonstrates that some extraordinary business successes were achieved by CT, while catastrophic failures were often the result of selective biases, rigid thinking, and/or tendencies to deal with steps of processes, isolated processes, and/or independent situations. Consequently, the paper identifies a new domain that can be added to training in Six Sigma and 5 Whys.

Research limitations/implications

The study does not address specific ways to integrate CT into Six Sigma, 5 Whys, and/or root cause analysis in business process improvement initiatives. Future research is needed in this area.

Originality/value

The paper explores a new perspective to convalescing Six Sigma and 5 Whys methods. It provides a specific example and suggestions to help practitioners avoid faulty conclusions, while conducting investigations to improve business processes. It also opens the door for encompassing aspects of CT in Six Sigma training. As such, it benefits both practitioners and academics.
University academics' psychological contracts and their fulfilment
Authors: Shen Jie
Published: June 2010

Purpose

This study seeks to examine the contents and the nature of the academic psychological contract. It aims to explore to what extent the contract has been fulfilled and the impact of demographic variables on the contract and its fulfilment.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for the study were collected through a survey of 280 academic staff of a middle‐ranked Australian university. To identify the contents of the academic psychological contract, three focus groups, each comprising eight academic staff, were conducted in three schools. The ordered probit model was employed to explore the impacts of various demographic variables.

Findings

The elements of the academic psychological contract to a certain extent differ from that of the contracts of other professions. Also, the academic psychological contract is more transactional than relational in character. Overall, the academic psychological contract has been fulfilled at the low level.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes to the debate on the different interpretation of employer obligations and their fulfilment between research‐oriented and teaching‐oriented academics. Exploring the psychological contract from both employee and employer perspectives will assist in the understanding of mutual expectations. Further research should involve a wide range of universities and make comparisons across national boundaries.

Practical implications

Some items, such as ensuring a safe workplace, the provision of adequate resources to do work, the provision of equal and competitive pay, fair promotion, consultation and recognition of skills and talents, ranked considerably higher than others and should, therefore, be given priority over others. More support should be provided to young, research‐oriented academics who are enthusiastic about research, but mobile and marketable in order to develop university sustainability.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the literature by arguing that the contents and the perceived significance of the academic psychological contract are to a certain extent different from those of the contracts in other sectors.
Attracting and managing volunteers in local government
Authors: Choudhury Enamul
Published: June 2010

Purpose

This study seeks to understand the relation between public volunteerism and the role of local government agencies to attract and manage volunteers.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on purposive sampling, comprising 37 cities within a 50‐mile radius around Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Administrators in these cities responded to an e‐mail survey. The study also uses a content analysis of homepages of the sample cities.

Findings

While volunteerism is found to be widely valued, most agencies also seem to underutilize their capacities in attracting volunteers and valuing their contributions. This is particularly reflected in their homepage design. There also seems to be an underutilization of volunteers in emergency management and homeland security‐related programs.

Practical implications

The paper offers an analytical frame to apply professional management tools that can be replicated in other contexts of volunteer management. The study also makes an empirical case for integrating volunteer management in agency activities and in their web sites. This requires giving systematic organizational attention and support to improve volunteer management.

Originality/value

The study makes a small contribution to volunteer management literature by adopting a replicable framework of professional management and offering an empirical snapshot of the status of volunteer management in local government agencies.
How to create attractive and unique customer experiences
Authors: Högström Claes , Rosner Marina , Gustafsson Anders
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to understand the differences across various quality dimensions and how these contribute to experienced quality and satisfaction among users.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applies the Kano model of attractive quality to a destination (in this case a snowpark). The fact that the Kano model was used means that a quantitative approach was applied. In total 270 respondents responded to the survey instrument, which in turn was based on qualitative interviews.

Findings

The research shows the great importance of a destination that offers conditions that support specific goals or desired activities in order to achieve customer satisfaction. It also finds that the physical service environment has a major influence on customer satisfaction. Finally, the physical conditions seem to affect the destination's image to a greater degree than the interactions.

Practical implications

In order to create the most attractive offering, managers should focus primarily on the physical service environment.

Originality/value

The Kano model is widely discussed and well known. There are, however, very few applications for which the Kano model has been used, especially with regard to hedonistic services, the motivation for this study. The theoretical contribution of this paper is an extension of Brady and Cronin's model of what creates service quality. In this model, the location or place is added as an important construct for explaining the experience.
Measuring customer value in online collaborative trip planning processes
Authors: Sigala Marianna
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The paper first aims to analyse the role and functionality of geocollaborative portals in assisting collaborative trip planning processes and then it seeks to develop and test a model for measuring the multi‐dimensionality of customer value perceived by system users.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary data are collected from students assigned to use Yahoo! Trip Planner for collaboratively designing an hypothetical trip. A two step approach of an exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis was used for testing the model measuring the types of customer value derived from the system use.

Findings

Findings provide evidence of the existence of both “give” (risk, time and effort to use the system) and “get” (functional, social and emotional) customer values.

Research limitations/implications

Findings are limited to the demographics of the students' sample, while future research should also try to replicate the study in other contexts (e.g. cultures, type of trips and destinations).

Practical implications

The findings provide useful information about the value dimensions that can affect customer behaviour in using and preferring a particular geocollaborative portal, which in turn give useful guidance on how to design and develop the functionality and services of such systems.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the fields related to the role of geocollaborative portals in supporting collaborative decision processes and the types of customer value deriving from and motivating technology use. The paper also contributes to the field related to user toolkits developed to assist customers in designing and customising products/services.
Wooing zoomers: marketing to the mature traveler
Authors: Hudson Simon
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight consumer trends relating to the baby boomer generation and identify the relevant marketing communications required to connect with these travelers.

Design/methodology/approach

This study involved a thorough review of recently published marketing research and new reports dedicated to the baby boomer generation and the travel industry.

Findings

Traveling boomers are looking for a memorable experience rather than a holiday, seeking authenticity, spiritual and mental enlightenment, nostalgia, convenience and spontaneity, all packaged in a safe, customized, healthy, green wrapping and delivered with great customer service. To connect with these boomers, marketers should emphasize youth, use nostalgia, show how to improve boomers' lives, provide detailed information, promote the experience, and use a variety of media.

Research limitations/implications

The literature on marketing to baby boomers is fragmented and sometimes contradictory. This could be because the boomer market is not homogenous. Further research is needed to understand the different segments of the boomer market. Recognizing the differences among these segments and understanding their motivations and desires, can help tourism marketers craft products, strategies and messages that will resonate with this generation.

Practical implications

The key to securing and retaining this growing lucrative segment is better understanding of how they behave, their buying motivations and their needs as they get older. This paper has moved one step forward in this understanding by identifying the key psychographic nuances of the traveling boomer and suggesting how to connect with them.

Originality/value

This is an original contribution in that it is one of the first academic papers to address the traveling baby boomer. It will be of significant value to those marketing tourism services in the twenty‐first century.
Brand image assessment: international visitors' perceptions of Cape Town
Authors: Prayag Girish
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the brand image of Cape Town as a tourist destination using a progressive method of unstructured and structured techniques such as word association and free association.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed method study was designed incorporating two phases. Phase one involved in‐depth interviews with a convenience sample of 85 international visitors to Cape Town. Phase two consisted of a survey, which resulted in 585 useable questionnaires that incorporated both open and closed‐ended questions.

Findings

The results indicate the strengths and weaknesses of each technique used. For example, word association is effective at eliciting positive images and holistic impressions but weak at identifying affective images. The free‐choice technique offers a more balanced perception of positive, negative, cognitive and affective images of a brand.

Research limitations/implications

It is possible through the use of unstructured and structured techniques together to identify commonality in image perceptions but also differences in such perceptions on the basis of visitors' demographic and travelling characteristics.

Practical implications

The findings highlight the strengths and weaknesses of techniques such as word association and free association. The results indicate that some image attributes may not always adequately differentiate the brand from its competitors.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to understand the relationship between three components of brand knowledge namely, image, differentiating attributes and choice factors in the context of an African city brand.
The importance of destination image analysis to UK rural tourism
Authors: Greaves Nicola , Skinner Heather
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The Forest of Dean attracts relatively low numbers of staying visitors and low visitor spend. The paper aims to explore the image of this destination and identify the potential to visit along with any underlying factors that may deter visitors.

Design/methodology/approach

A mix of qualitative and quantitative methods were used to gather and analyse responses to an online survey. Respondents offered a range of words and pictures from which they were asked to select those they felt best represented the destination, and also then asked to explain their selection. Quantitative data were also analysed for frequency of occurrence. A content analysis of qualitative data was conducted to generate destination image clusters of the Forest of Dean.

Findings

The findings show there is a very positive and unique image associated with the Forest of Dean among previous visitors, with many expressing an intention to visiting the area again.

Research limitations/implications

Although response rates are relatively low, and results are heavily concentrated on actual visitors, the research provides very broad ranging and meaningful data that have offered a deeper and richer insight into the image of the Forest of Dean.

Practical implications

The paper has provided important data from which new competitive brand image strategies can be developed for the destination. The paper also provides a first step towards a comprehensive image analysis for the Forest of Dean, from which future promotional strategies can be developed.

Originality/value

Many visitor guides promote UK rural destinations on their superb scenery, relaxation, outdoor leisure activities, quality accommodation, locally‐sourced food, a range of attractions and a full calendar of events and festivals. To date there has been very little research carried out on UK rural destination brands and no academic research carried out on the image or branding of the Forest of Dean as a unique rural destination.
Development of a scale measuring destination image
Authors: Byon Kevin K. , Zhang James J.
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop the scale of destination image (SDI) to assess destination image affecting the consumption associated with tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

The scale was developed through four steps: review of literature, formulation of a preliminary scale, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and examination of predictive validity by a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. The preliminary scale consisted of 32 items. Employing a systematic sampling method, a total of 199 research participants responded to a mail survey.

Findings

In the CFA with maximum likelihood estimation, four factors with 18 pertinent items are retained. This four‐factor model displays good fit to the data, preliminary construct validity, and high reliability. The SEM analysis reveals that the SDI is found to be positively predictive of tourism behavioral intentions.

Originality/value

This paper develops an original multi‐dimensional 18‐item scale measuring destination image from the perspective of tourists, which can provide academicians and practitioners with a reliable and valid analytical tool to assess destination image.
The economy of free and open source software in the preservation of digital artefacts
Authors: Morrissey Sheila
Published: June 2010

Purpose

Free and open source software (FOSS) brings many benefits to digital preservation; however it is not “free”. If the context in which free and open source software tools are created and employed is examined, it becomes clear that: the sustainability of any software (FOSS, custom or commercial) to ensure the preservation of the digital heritage will depend on careful assessment of, and provision for, the costs (implicit and explicit) entailed in the production and continued employment of these tools. The purpose of this paper is to focus on FOSS and archiving of the digital heritage.

Design/methodology/approach

Portico, a not‐for‐profit digital preservation service, explores the costs of FOSS based on its experiences as a working archive with an extremely long time horizon.

Findings

There are considerable benefits to FOSS, including its openness and the broad‐based testing of it in real‐world situations. FOSS tools can provide considerable cost savings over proprietary tools. However, FOSS is neither free to use, nor to create, nor to maintain. Digital preservation organizations must inventory not only the FOSS tools in the preservation arsenal, but the network of sustaining tools (FOSS and otherwise), documentation, and “tribal knowledge” that make these tools effectively usable. The risks to sustainability of this network of resources must be assessed, and determine what it will cost to keep them viable. Strategies will have to be considered and implemented for providing the means to sustain these resources. An engaged community of use is the best guarantor of the vitality of any FOSS tool. As that community wanes, it becomes even more essential to capture the significant properties and domain knowledge about that tool. Creators of new software in the digital preservation space have a particular obligation to provide and maintain information about the significant properties of that software.

Originality/value

The paper shows how Portico brings its practical experiences integrating multiple FOSS tools to bear on an analysis of the costs to creating and maintaining these tools over the long‐term.
Keeping it simple: the Alabama Digital Preservation Network (ADPNet)
Authors: Trehub Aaron , Wilson Thomas C.
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a brief overview of the current state of distributed digital preservation (DDP) networks in North America and to provide a detailed technical, administrative, and financial description of a working, self‐supporting DDP network: the Alabama Digital Preservation Network (ADPNet).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews current regional and national initiatives in the field of digital preservation using a variety of sources and considers ADPNet in the context of generally accepted requirements for a robust DDP network. The authors view ADPNet in a comparative perspective with other Private LOCKSS Networks (PLNs) and argue that the Alabama model represents a promising approach to DDP for other states and consortia.

Findings

The paper finds that cultural memory organizations in a number of countries have identified digital preservation as a critical issue and are crafting strategies to address it, with DDP‐based solutions gaining in popularity in North America. It also identifies an array of technical, administrative, and financial challenges that DDP networks must resolve in order to be viable in the long term.

Practical implications

The paper describes a working model for building a low‐cost but robust DDP network.

Originality/value

The paper is one of the first comprehensive descriptions of a working, self‐sustaining DDP network.
“Land of the lost”: a discussion of what can be preserved through digital preservation
Authors: del Pozo Nick , Stawowczyk Long Andrew , Pearson David
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to assist both the National Library of Australia and other institutions to think about digital objects in ways that will help to identify which preservation actions are most appropriate for a particular circumstance. It seeks to examine the basic nature of digital objects and how users interact with those objects.

Design/methodology/approach

This article brings together and clarifies a number of key digital preservation theories. It proposes the concept of preservation intent: a clear articulation of a commitment to preserve an object, the specific elements of the object the should be preserved, and a clear time line for the duration of preservation. It investigates these concepts through simple and practical examples.

Findings

The paper presents what the authors believe are some of the essential ideas and thinking about digital preservation.

Practical implications

The paper will prove useful in clarifying some of the terminology and concepts to those who are in or are yet to be initiated into the “order”.

Originality/value

The paper brings together and clarifies some of the core ideas and theories in digital preservation, in order to better facilitate the minimisation of change in the digital objects stored by the National Library of Australia.
Ostensive versus performative approaches for theorising accounting‐strategy research
Authors: Boedker Christina
Published: June 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to inquire into the theoretical assumptions that underpin much accounting‐strategy research and to develop an alternative way to approach such study.

Design/methodology/approach

Two theoretical lenses are discussed and contrasted. These are the ostensive and performative lenses.

Findings

Hitherto, most accounting‐strategy research has drawn on an ostensive lens, whilst only a few approach research from a performative perspective. Whilst the ostensive approach is beneficial and reduces the complexity and messiness of research sites, it also assumes that stability, orderliness and predictability characterise social life (e.g. strategy is “ready made” and remains constant during implementation). Furthermore, in this approach, accounting assumes a subordinate role and its main aim is to ensure “correct” implementation of predefined intents. This limits accounting to being an output of strategy, as opposed to, for example, an input and transformer. Greater diversity of definitions and new investigative approaches are needed. To this end, and as a key contribution, the paper develops an alternative approach drawing on Latour's performative theory. This proposes that strategy and accounting are somewhat fragile, even unstable, objects, which change depending on the hands through which they travel and the network within which they are located. Furthermore, accounting is not merely designed to follow or implement predefined intents. It is also a catalyst of expansion, transformation, even surprise.

Research limitations/implications

The paper does not offer primary data.

Originality/value

The paper offers to scholars the possibility of studying accounting‐strategy as “relations” rather than “objects”, illustrates how this may be done, and proposes research questions to this end. It identifies a space of inquiry that needs further attention and that can provide new insights into the accounting‐strategy relationship.
Value, profit and risk: accounting and the resource‐based view of the firm
Authors: Toms Steven
Published: June 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to argue that the principal components of the Resource‐Based View (RBV) as a theory of sustained competitive advantage are not a sufficient basis for a complete and consistent theory of firm behaviour. Two missing elements are value theory and accountability mechanisms.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper proposes a link between value theory and accountability using a Resource Value‐Resource Risk perspective as an alternative to the Capital Asset Pricing Model. The link operates first from the labour process, where value is created but is imperfectly observable by intra‐firm mechanisms of organizational control and outside governance arrangements without incurring monitoring costs. Second, it operates through contractual arrangements which impose fixed cost structures on activities with variable revenues.

Findings

The paper thereby explains how value originates in risky and difficult to monitor productive processes and is transmitted as rents to organizational and capital market constituents. It then reviews recent contributions to the RBV, arguing that the proposed new approach overcomes gaps inherent in the alternatives, and thus offers a more complete and integrated view of firm behaviour.

Originality/value

The RBV can become a coherent theory of firm behaviour, if it adopts and can integrate the labour theory of value, associated measures of risk arising from the labour process and mechanisms of accountability.
Congestion charging: a tale of two cities
Authors: Lapsley Irvine , Giordano Filippo
Published: June 2010

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to add to understanding of how cities function. Specifically, through the lens of power relationships in political organisations, it seeks to study the manner in which accounting and politics are involved in the development of city transport strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses a comparative case study approach in which documents and media coverage are key elements of the visualising of the city.

Findings

The findings are on a number of levels. First, the study explains the efficacy of congestion charging systems. Second, in the politicised organisation of the city, the context in which policy makers sit is crucial in the elaboration of strategies. Third, the adoption of calculative practices such as congestion charging may reflect political rationality rather than actual need.

Originality/value

The focus of the study has been cities – a neglected field, but one with considerable research potential. Second, the mobilisation of concepts of power, as articulated by Clegg, Flyvbjerg and Clegg, represent a novel contribution to the accounting literature.
Extreme events, organizations and the politics of strategic decision making
Authors: Wilson David C. , Branicki Layla , Sullivan‐Taylor Bridgette , Wilson Alexander D.
Published: June 2010

Purpose

Threats of extreme events, such as terrorist attacks or infrastructure breakdown, are potentially highly disruptive events for all types of organizations. This paper seeks to take a political perspective to power in strategic decision making and how this influences planning for extreme events.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 160 informants drawn from 135 organizations, which are part of the critical national infrastructure in the UK, forms the empirical basis of the paper. Most of these organizations had publicly placed business continuity and preparedness as a strategic priority. The paper adopts a qualitative approach, coding data from focus groups.

Findings

In nearly all cases there is a pre‐existing dominant coalition which keeps business continuity decisions off the strategic agenda. The only exceptions to this are a handful of organizations which provide continuous production, such as some utilities, where disruption to business as usual can be readily quantified. The data reveal structural and decisional elements of the exercise of power. Structurally, the dominant coalition centralizes control by ensuring that only a few functional interests participate in decision making.

Research limitations/implications

Decisional elements of power emphasize the dominance of calculative rationality where decisions are primarily made on information and arguments which can be quantified. Finally, the paper notes the recursive aspect of power relations whereby agency and structure are mutually constitutive over time. Organizational structures of control are maintained, despite the involvement of managers charged with organizational preparedness and resilience, who remain outside the dominant coalition.

Originality/value

The paper constitutes a first attempt to show how planning for emergencies fits within the strategy‐making process and how politically controlled this process is.
Retailers' strategic responses to economic downturn: insights from down under
Authors: Sands Sean , Ferraro Carla
Published: June 2010

Purpose

Periods of economic downturn can severely affect the performance of firms in general, and retailers in particular. However, all retailers are not equally affected by recessionary periods, with some viewing this time as an opportunity to invest and establish competitive advantage and others cutting back and waiting for the recession to pass. In the light of the current economic downturn, the purpose of this paper is to investigate retailers' strategic response to the downturn, and assess how these responses differ across different organisations in terms of size, geographic location, and sector of operation.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 50 (25 Australian, 25 New Zealand) managers associated with the retail sector (ranging from chief executive officers to store owners) were invited to participate in face‐to‐face interviews, resulting in 28 in‐depth interviews (15 Australian, 13 New Zealand) across a wide range of retail categories. These exploratory data were combined with a review of the literature to explore retailer responses to the current economic downturn.

Findings

This paper suggests that there are growth opportunities for retailers during times of economic downturn. Specifically, this paper suggests that large retailers see this as an opportunity to invest in green and sustainable business practices as a means to aid in the recovery of the recession in terms of reducing costs and beyond in terms of developing competitive advantage. Other strategies include: personalised offerings, differentiation via service, realignment of offer to changing consumer value(s), and reduced costs and investment.

Research limitations/implications

The focus of this paper is medium to large sized organisations and, as such, its generalisability to small retailers may be somewhat limited.

Originality/value

Past research reveals that not all the retailers are equally affected by recessionary periods. Given this, the value of this paper lies in providing insight into strategic response to an economic downturn, and providing a foundation for examining these strategies and their link to retail performance via quantitative research.
Building retail tenant trust: neighbourhood versus regional shopping centres
Authors: Roberts Jane , Merrilees Bill , Herington Carmel , Miller Dale
Published: June 2010

Purpose

Trust is the basis of business relationships. The purpose of this paper is to explore the antecedents of trust in the context of the relationship between shopping centre management and retail tenants, primarily from the retailer perspective, as a first test of trust in such business‐to‐business relationships. A contrast is made between neighbourhood and regional centres to determine if centre size affects trust development.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative research methods are used. The focus is a sample of 201 retail tenants in Australian shopping centres. Psychometric properties were assessed for all multi‐item scales used to capture variables of interest. Multiple regression analysis is used to explain trust in terms of five key influences: power of the centre manager (as a negative relationship), empowerment of the retailer, flexibility, responsiveness and the shopping centre brand.

Findings

Empowerment, restraint of power and responsiveness are the main determinants of trust. Power is especially critical in regional shopping centres. The shopping centre brand and flexibility play important support roles in neighbourhood centres.

Research limitations/implications

The lack of comparable studies limits the generalizability of the results to other countries.

Practical implications

Centre managers, in larger planned shopping centres, who want greater retail tenant trust, should not demonstrate their power overtly in, say, rent negotiations. They could also learn from small centres about being flexible and projecting a more unified centre brand.

Originality/value

This empirical study probes the antecedents of trust in Australian shopping centres, a previously neglected area in the shopping centre literature. The paper is unique because it contrasts neighbourhood and regional shopping centres.