bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and validation of a new finite element human head model
Authors: Fernandes Fábio A.O. , Tchepel Dmitri , Alves de Sousa Ricardo J. , Ptak Mariusz
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Currently, there are some finite element head models developed by research groups all around the world. Nevertheless, the majority are not geometrically accurate. One of the problems is the brain geometry, which usually resembles a sphere. This may raise problems when reconstructing any event that involves brain kinematics, such as accidents, affecting the correct evaluation of resulting injuries. Thus, the purpose of this study is to develop a new finite element head model more accurate than the existing ones.

Design/methodology/approach

In this work, a new and geometrically detailed finite element brain model is proposed. Special attention was given to sulci and gyri modelling, making this model more geometrically accurate than currently available ones. In addition, these brain features are important to predict specific injuries such as brain contusions, which usually involve the crowns of gyri.

Findings

The model was validated against experimental data from impact tests on cadavers, comparing the intracranial pressure at frontal, parietal, occipital and posterior fossa regions.

Originality/value

As this model is validated, it can be now used in accident reconstruction and injury evaluation and even as a design tool for protective head gear.
Bending and vibration analyses of plate and shell using an element decomposition method
Authors: Li She , Cui Xiangyang , Wang Gang
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply the element decomposition method (EDM) in the study of the bending and vibration properties of plate and shell.

Design/methodology/approach

In the present method, each quadrilateral element is first divided into four sub-triangular cells, and the local strains are obtained in those sub-triangles based on linear interpolation. The whole strain filed is formulated through a weighted averaging operation of local strains, implying that only one integration point is adopted to construct the stiffness matrix. To reduce the instability of one-point integration and increase the accuracy of the present method, a stabilization item of the stiffness matrix is formulated by variance of the local strains. A mixed interpolated tensorial components (MITC) method is used in eliminating the shear locking phenomenon.

Findings

The novel EDM based on linear interpolation is effective in bending and vibration analyses of plate and shell, and the present method used in practical problems is reliable for static and free vibration analysis.

Originality/value

This method eliminated the instability of one-point integration and increased the accuracy by a stabilization item and performed stably in engineering analysis including large-scale problems of vehicle components.
A new criterion for loading time determination with minimum dynamic effects in quasi-static contact modeling
Authors: Shi Xi , Zou Yunwu
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The explicit finite element method (FEM) is one of the most popular approaches in quasi-static contact analysis which involves highly nonlinear friction and large deformation. Usually, a high loading rate is expected to improve computation efficiency in FEM. However, a higher loading rate often results in significant dynamic effects in the simulations. This study aims to propose a new criterion to achieve a good balance between a high loading rate and minimal dynamic effects.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed criterion is based on the fluctuation of total strain energy as well as the smoothness of its first derivative to determine the proper loading time with an acceptable level of dynamic effect.

Findings

Asperities’ sliding contact and Hertz contact problems have been solved with the proposed criterion to verify its validity. The simulations show that the computation efficiency with the proposed criterion can be improved by up to 80 per cent compared to the regular energy ratio criterion.

Originality/value

This criterion will provide a valuable tool in determining the proper loading time to improve the computation efficiency for quasi-static analysis of asperities’ contacts.
Entrepreneurial intentions of private university students in the kingdom of Bahrain
Authors: Al-Shammari Minwir , Waleed Rana
Published: January 2018

Purpose

This study aims to explore the level of entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) among students in three private universities in Bahrain. The examined factors that are expected to shape EI are personal attraction toward becoming an entrepreneur, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms and social valuation of entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

A close-ended questionnaire was used to collect data of the study. The total number of questionnaires distributed was 1,530 questionnaires, while the total number of the valid questionnaires retrieved was 550, which makes the total response rate to be 36 per cent.

Findings

Regression analysis results indicated that students’ personal attraction toward entrepreneurship and perceived behavioral control had a significant strong positive relationship with their EI. In addition, there was a significant moderate positive relationship between students’ perceived subjective norms and social valuation of entrepreneurship with their EI.

Originality/value

The findings showed that entrepreneurial education is needed to improve students’ skills and knowledge and enhance their EI and perceived behavioral control. In addition, it is important to expose students to entrepreneurial role models and their businesses and to promote entrepreneurial careers as desirable and feasible options that may bring more advantages than working in the government or private sector.
Strategic entrepreneurship based model of latecomer university
Authors: Kozlov Mikhail
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of the paper was to help resolve the problem if only the universities possessing strategic entrepreneurship manage to advance significantly in their global ranking positions, while most of their competitors fail.

Design/methodology/approach

Conceptual part of the study introduces a new strategic entrepreneurial latecomer university framework, based on the combination of the resource-based view, dynamic capabilities, strategic innovation, strategic entrepreneurship and latecomer organization concepts. For verification of the proposed conceptual framework, case study of the Lausanne Federal Polytechnic Institute is considered by structuring the materials of its well-documented success story of its advancing in global rankings in terms of the construct dimensions.

Findings

The case study findings were identification of entrepreneurial mindset, managing human resources strategically and strategic innovativeness. It confirms conceptual findings that the presence of strategic entrepreneurship construct dimensions in latecomer university is instrumental in sensing business opportunities at most lucrative market segments of scientific research, carrying out its strategic innovation responsible for university difference in strategic transformational development and exploiting the opportunities ahead of its competitors so as to become more competitive and overtake them.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations of this study are that only one case of university transition to catch-up development is explored and not all strategic entrepreneurship construct distinctive dimensions are considered. The research will be further elaborated to incorporate all strategic entrepreneurship construct dimensions.

Practical implications

The approach introduced here has shown that to advance in global rankings, university should carry out its strategic innovation ahead of its competitors.

Originality/value

The study is supposed to be the first where university at the stage of its transition to catch-up development is considered using new framework based on strategic entrepreneurship construct dimensions.
Linking workplace burnout theories to the project management discipline
Authors: Jugdev Kam , Mathur Gita , Cook Christian
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Given the demanding and stressful nature of project work, with a view to explore established concepts of burnout within the project management context, the purpose of this paper is to examine two instruments: the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS). Since there is a paucity of literature in project management anchored within the MBI and the Areas of Worklife Survey (AWS), this paper proposes a high-level model on burnout in project management, drawing on the literature underlying these two instruments.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a conceptual approach, the paper reviews the social psychology literature on burnout and then the narrow stream of literature on burnout in project management. The paper develops and proposes a conceptual model as a foundation to explore the links between the determinants of project manager burnout/engagement and turnover/retention.

Findings

This paper contributes to an improved understanding of the determinants of project manager burnout, engagement, turnover, and retention.

Practical implications

The driver for this research is to contribute to the emerging literature on burnout in project management and strategies to help improve engagement and retention of project managers in the discipline – specifically, their tenure in organizations and/or the profession.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the topic of burnout in the project management context. An improved understanding of the stressors in project management contexts, and the mechanisms to mitigate the stress, can add to our understanding of project manager well-being, engagement and retention, improved project success, and healthier work environments.
A methodology based on benchmarking to learn across megaprojects
Authors: Invernizzi Diletta Colette , Locatelli Giorgio , Brookes Naomi J.
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The literature lacks a single and universally accepted definition of major and megaprojects: usually, these projects are described as projects with a budget above $1 billion and a high level of innovation, complexity, and uniqueness both in terms of physical infrastructure and stakeholder network. Moreover, they often provide fewer benefits than what were originally expected and are affected by delays and cost overruns. Despite this techno-economic magnitude, it is still extremely hard to gather lessons learned from these projects in a systematic way. The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative methodology based on benchmarking to investigate good and bad practices and learn from a portfolio of unique megaprojects.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology combines quantitative and qualitative cross-comparison of case studies and statistical analysis into an iterative process.

Findings

Indeed, benchmarking offers significant potential to identify good and bad practices and improve the performance of project selection, planning, and delivery.

Research limitations/implications

The methodology is exemplified in this paper using the case of Nuclear Decommissioning Projects and Programmes (NDPs).

Originality/value

Indeed, due to their characteristics, NDPs can be addressed as megaprojects, and are a relevant example for the application of the methodology presented here that collects and investigates the characteristics that mostly impact the performance of (mega)projects, through a continuous learning process.
Success of TPM concept in a manufacturing unit – a case study
Authors: Singh Jagdeep , Singh Harwinder , Sharma Vinayak
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to implement new concept of mobile maintenance in manufacturing industry of Northern India. This study tries to introduce the new concept of total productive maintenance program in the case company.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is to study the role of mobile maintenance in the context of Indian industry through significant improvement in overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Findings

This industry adopted the mobile maintenance strategy and improved their productivity by decreasing breakdown time. This mobile maintenance strategy can reduce major breakdowns, setup and adjustment losses and improve productivity, product quality and OEE of equipment. Results indicate an average increase in production of 15.63 percent, average reduction in breakdown time of 23.14 percent, average reduction in rejection rate of 17.94 percent and average increase in OEE of 17.08 percent. Moreover, the results of improvements in parameters are validated by using multi-criteria decision-making approaches.

Research limitations/implications

Maintenance is of great importance in modern era of manufacturing systems for those organizations who consider maintenance as a profit-generating factor. In the dynamic and highly challenging environment, reliable manufacturing equipment is regarded as the major contributor to the performance and profitability of manufacturing systems. Moreover, the selection of manufacturing industry is done on the basis of convenience sampling technique.

Originality/value

Industry can improve machine availability and OEE by implementing this mobile maintenance concept especially in the Indian context and is very beneficially for the case company under study.
Performance management implementation challenges in Ghana’s local government system
Authors: Ahenkan Albert , Tenakwah Emmanuel Senior , Bawole Justice Nyigmah
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current performance management system of the Sefwi Wiawso Municipal Assembly as well as the challenges faced by the Assembly in implementing its performance management system.

Design/methodology/approach

The specific design that was adopted is the case study approach. The primary data were gathered through in-depth interviews. In total, 20 heads of departments and employees were purposively sampled. The data gathered from the interviews were analysed using Miles and Huberman’s (1994) approach to qualitative data analysis.

Findings

The paper reveals that the performance management system of the Assembly has not been effective. The study also reveals poor communication, poor integration, low commitment by the top officials, absence of training, inadequate capacity for setting clear targets and objectives, and measuring and evaluation criteria for performance assessment, cultural issues, absence of rewards for good performance, financial constraints, weak and highly bureaucratic management systems as challenges facing performance management system of the assembly.

Practical implications

This study indicates that the training of supervisors and the linking of performance management systems with reward and recognition are key to ensuring an effective implementation of the performance management system of the Assembly.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to literature by examining the performance management system of the Sefwi Wiawso Municipal Assembly in the Western Region of Ghana by describing and drawing lessons from local government experiences in the implementation of performance management systems in developing countries.
The impact of customer orientation on new product development performance
Authors: Yang Fan , Zhang Huiying
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the underlying impacts of customer orientation on new product development (NPD) performance. Further, this study investigates the moderating effect of top management support (TMS) on the customer orientation-performance relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

This study as a unique approach has classified customer orientation into three sub-dimensions: customer focus, customer involvement and communication with customers. And the NPD performance is explored both from financial and nonfinancial aspects.

Findings

Based on a sample of 366 high performance manufacturing firms across ten countries, the obtained results of hierarchical moderated regression analyses reveal that customer focus, customer involvement and communication with customers have significantly positive effects on both financial and nonfinancial performance of NPD; TMS positively moderates the relationship between multiple dimensions of customer orientation and NPD performance.

Practical implications

The research extends the customer orientation literature by describing three dimensions of customer orientation and empirically testing their effects on NPD performance. This study also contributes to a deep understanding of the influence factors of NPD performance, both from the financial and nonfinancial aspects. The proposed framework provides a fine-grained analysis to help us understand in what way the customer orientation is linked to performance outcomes.

Originality/value

This study is innovative because it seeks to make a contribution to existing literature from a theoretical perspective by investigating the sub-dimensions of customer orientation and moderating role of TMS.
Identification and modeling of employee barriers while implementing lean manufacturing in small- and medium-scale enterprises
Authors: Ramadas T. , Satish K.P.
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the factors associated with the employee barriers while implementing lean manufacturing within the small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach

The structural equation modelling approach is employed to develop the initial model drawing a sample survey of 133 small and medium enterprises. The result of the study shows that the lack of well-trained and experienced staff, lack of knowledge about existing specialist, cultural resistance to change are acting as the employee barriers while implementing lean manufacturing in SMEs. Then, a further study has been conducted to develop the employee barrier model with these three factors and its contributing variables using specification search representing the sample of 117 small and medium enterprises using the following fit function criteria: Chi-square (C), Chi-square-df (C-df), Akaike information criteria, Browne-Cudeck criterion, Bayes information criterion, Chi-square divided by the degrees of freedom (C/df) and significance level (p).

Findings

The lack of well-trained and experienced staff, lack of knowledge about existing specialist, and cultural resistance to change with 19 associated elements were considered in the questionnaire. Specification search was carried out to build up the model on the collected data from 117 SMEs. The results of the specification search identified that these three factors with 15 key variables are significant to employee barrier while implementing lean manufacturing in SMEs.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of the study was that the sample size of the study was relatively small for further research, large sample size more than 117 are to be expected.

Practical implications

The present study has explored an unfocused area of lean implementation in small and medium enterprises. The results obtained from the study are expected to help researchers, academics, and professionals for the further studies in the domain of lean manufacturing.

Social implications

To implement and understand the lean manufacturing system, government of the many countries around the world are helping and encouraging by providing financial assistance for training professionals and establishing professional associations. However, many industries are not successful in lean implementation. This research work provides to develop a strategy to tackle employee barriers for successful lean implementation.

Originality/value

Very little research has been carried out exploring employee barriers while implementing lean manufacturing in SMEs. This paper will provide value to academics, researchers and practitioners of lean by way of providing insight into significant employee barriers for lean implementation, especially in Indian industries.
Corporatization and internationalization of state-owned enterprises
Authors: Landoni Matteo
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework for the intermediation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Governments may apply different form of support with the aim of increasing corporatization and internationalization of SOEs. The paper suggests a strategy based on institutional intermediation as the more efficient to drive corporatization and internationalization.

Design/methodology/approach

The research selected cases concerning SOEs in different industries in Europe in search of recurrences from a novel theoretical perspective. Among them, a case study concerning the Italian Space Agency explores the development of an institutional intermediary.

Findings

Government supports to SOEs appear in different forms and contribute to different results. A typology of the most recurrent forms shows three different types of actions governments have taken to support internationalization of firms. Intermediation seems the most suitable to trigger corporatization and internationalization.

Research limitations/implications

The study explores institutional intermediaries as a novel supporting strategy for governments. It proposes a novel concept based upon a single case study. Further research needs to test and verify the institutional intermediaries’ impact drawing on a larger sample and different contexts.

Originality/value

So far, few attempts have linked corporatization to globalization. The paper tries to fill this gap between corporatization and internationalization of SOEs. Its value is the provision of a novel view that includes institutional intermediaries as instrumental to governments’ strategy that aims to bridge the two components.
Correlation between sustainability education and engineering students’ attitudes towards sustainability
Authors: Tang Kuok Ho Daniel
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of a sustainable development course on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of a cohort of engineering students in a university in Miri, Malaysia, towards sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaire survey was conducted among the cohort of students encompassing the three facets mentioned.

Findings

The respondents expressed low to medium agreement towards all the survey items related to beliefs, attitudes and intentions. A sense of moral obligation towards sustainability is linked to higher sustainability awareness, willingness to safeguard sustainability and a sense of responsibility towards sustainable development. The respondents were generally perceived to have fundamental knowledge of sustainable development.

Research limitations/implications

This study shows that a sustainable development course called Engineering Sustainable Development offered in a university in Miri, produced positive impacts on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of the engineering students towards sustainable development. Sustainable development courses are generally instrumental to impart the value and practices of sustainability among university students.

Originality/value

As limited correlational studies on whether sustainable development courses effectively shape the beliefs and attitudes of students have been previously conducted, this study provides insight into the effectiveness of one of such courses and how the course can be further improved to enhance its effectiveness.
The problems and causes of match-fixing: are legal sports betting regimes to blame?
Authors: Tak Minhyeok , Sam Michael P. , Jackson Steven J.
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Sport match-fixing has emerged as a complex global problem. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it critically reviews how match-fixing is typified as a policy problem. Second, it advances an analysis of the legal framework and regulatory system for sports betting as a causal source for “routinized” match-fixing.

Design/methodology/approach

This study extracts and synthesises (cross-national) materials from policies, media releases and scholarly works on the subject of match-fixing and sports betting. The analysis is framed by the contrasts between rational choice and sociological institutionalist approaches.

Findings

Match-fixing is typically attributed to: criminal organisations and illegal sports betting; vulnerable individuals; and failure of governance on the part of sports organisations. Each cause holds assumptions of utility-maximising actors and it is argued that due consideration be given to the fundamental risks inherent in legal sports betting regimes.

Research limitations/implications

Match-fixing in sport is a recurrent social problem, transcending national boundaries and involving a wide range of actors and, sporting disciplines and levels of competition. Within such an environment, it may matter little how strong the incentive structures and education programmes are, when betting on human beings is both normatively and cognitively advanced as a value and institutionally permitted as a practice.

Originality/value

This paper argues that legal betting regimes paradoxically contribute to routinised match-fixing because: for betting customers there is no qualitative, ethical difference between legal and illegal operators; and legalisation serves to normalise and legitimate the view of athletes as objects for betting (like cards or dice).
Social enterprises and organizational learning in South Africa
Authors: Urban Boris , Gaffurini Elena
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between different dimensions of organizational learning capabilities (OLC) and levels of social innovation in social enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical strategy adopted is a cross-sectional study based on primary survey data. Following a survey of social enterprises in South Africa, statistically analysis is conducted using regression analyses to test the study hypotheses.

Findings

The findings show that the OLC dimensions of knowledge conversion, risk management, organizational dialogue and participative decision-making all have a significant and positive relationship with social innovation.

Research limitations/implications

In many emerging economies, the notion of organizational learning appears to have considerable potential relevance, particularly as African countries are moving toward knowledge-based economies. By focusing on OLC, it is anticipated that social enterprises can configure and leverage the different factors in ways that enable them to overcome the constraints of the complex and unpredictable environments and increase their levels of social innovation.

Originality/value

The paper provides a pioneering empirical investigation into the impact that OLC has on levels of social innovation, in an under-researched emerging market context.
G-RAM framework for software risk assessment and mitigation strategies in organisations
Authors: Biswas Baidyanath , Mukhopadhyay Arunabha
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Malicious attackers frequently breach information systems by exploiting disclosed software vulnerabilities. Knowledge of these vulnerabilities over time is essential to decide the use of software products by organisations. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel G-RAM framework for business organisations to assess and mitigate risks arising out of software vulnerabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The G-RAM risk assessment module uses GARCH to model vulnerability growth. Using 16-year data across 1999-2016 from the National Vulnerability Database, the authors estimate the model parameters and validate the prediction accuracy. Next, the G-RAM risk mitigation module designs optimal software portfolio using Markowitz’s mean-variance optimisation for a given IT budget and preference.

Findings

Based on an empirical analysis, this study establishes that vulnerability follows a non-linear, time-dependent, heteroskedastic growth pattern. Further, efficient software combinations are proposed that optimise correlated risk. The study also reports the empirical evidence of a shift in efficient frontier of software configurations with time.

Research limitations/implications

Existing assumption of independent and identically distributed residuals after vulnerability function fitting is incorrect. This study applies GARCH technique to measure volatility clustering and mean reversal. The risk (or volatility) represented by the instantaneous variance is dependent on the immediately previous one, as well as on the unconditional variance of the entire vulnerability growth process.

Practical implications

The volatility-based estimation of vulnerability growth is a risk assessment mechanism. Next, the portfolio analysis acts as a risk mitigation activity. Results from this study can decide patch management cycle needed for each software – individual or group patching. G-RAM also ranks them into a 2×2 risk-return matrix to ensure that the correlated risk is diversified. Finally the paper helps the business firms to decide what to purchase and what to avoid.

Originality/value

Contrary to the existing techniques which either analyse with statistical distributions or linear econometric methods, this study establishes that vulnerability growth follows a non-linear, time-dependent, heteroskedastic pattern. The paper also links software risk assessment to IT governance and strategic business objectives. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study in IT security to examine and forecast volatility, and further design risk-optimal software portfolios.
Linking place attachment and social interaction: towards meaningful public places
Authors: Ujang Norsidah , Kozlowski Marek , Maulan Suhardi
Published: January 2018

Purpose

A public space is a place of significance when it fulfils the human need for social interaction and attachment. However, the scarcity of public spaces poses a challenge to support socialisation for people within a defined social and cultural group. The purpose of this paper is to explore the association between place attachment and social interaction within public spaces in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

Face-to-face interviews with urban users were conducted to examine the users’ engagement in three main public spaces in the city and the significance of these spaces to everyday social interaction. Field observations were carried out to examine patterns of users’ activities and interactions.

Findings

The authors uncover a lack of multi-functional spaces to support diverse forms of interactions in the city. A street has an important function to generate activities. However, spaces for people to sit and stay remain scarce, and are in most cases consumed by extended commercial use and thus considered private. Opportunities for social interaction are very limited. The significance of the places relates strongly to commercial and tourism functions, and hence place attachment evolves around those activities. Participants associated their familiarity and engagement with interaction between familiar people, close ethnic relationships and business acquaintances.

Practical implications

The authors argue that more robust and socially responsive public spaces should be reclaimed for the culturally diverse users.

Social implications

Development of attachment through meaningful spaces for people to stay and interact could enhance the role of public spaces in the city.

Originality/value

By understanding the social meanings of places, particularly in a multi-cultural setting, a stronger basis for designing and managing urban places towards resiliency and social sustainability can be provided.
How do university workers eat at the workplace?
Authors: Lima João , Costa Sofia , Rocha Ada
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Food consumed at work can be brought from home or taken in private or university restaurants. Knowing the contribution of food consumption in the workplace allows for the identification of bad practices to modulate food availability in the work environment and raise consumer awareness for a more balanced food intake. This paper aims to characterize food consumption and to determine the contribution of food consumption at the workplace to daily food intake of employees of the University of Porto (UP).

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional observational study was conducted. The project was approved by Ethical Commission of the UP. The principles of Helsínquia Declaration were respected and the workers under examine accept to participate in the study, through an inform consent. Data were obtained through the application of a self-administrated questionnaire and through the application of a questionnaire including a 24 h recall. There were assessed 513 individuals randomly selected, and the majority of them were women.

Findings

In total, 92.8 per cent of them preferred to have meals at the workplace that contributed to about 39.6 per cent of the daily energy intake. Reported food consumption at the workplace contributed about 42.6 per cent of carbohydrates, 39.4 per cent of total fat and 36.8 per cent of proteins for daily intake. A low intake of water (39.2 per cent of whole ingestion) and a huge amount and contribution of the workplace (48.4 per cent) to daily sugar intake was observed. Higher nutritional intake was observed for women (p < 0.05). The energy contribution of meals at the workplace is in accordance with recommendations, except for breakfast, that is below.

Originality/value

This work allows to characterize food habits of university employees at the workplace and the identification of the contribution of meals eaten at the workplace for daily energy and nutritional intake. These data allow to modulate food availability in the work environment and raise consumer awareness for a more balanced food intake.
Prediction of adulteration of game meat using FTIR and chemometrics
Authors: Moreira Maria Joao Pinho , Silva Ana , Saraiva Cristina , Marques Martins de Almeida José Manuel
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Consumption of game meat is growing when compared to other meats. It is susceptible to adulteration because of its cost and availability. Spectroscopy may lead to rapid methodologies for detecting adulteration. The purpose of this study is to detect the adulteration of wild fallow deer (Dama dama) meat with domestic goat (G) (Capra aegagrus hircus) meat, for samples stored for different periods of time using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy coupled with chemometric.

Design/methodology/approach

Meat was cut and mixed in different percentages, transformed into mini-burgers and stored at 3°C from 12 to 432 h and periodically examined for FTIR, pH and microbial analysis. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were applied to detect adulteration.

Findings

The PCA model, applied to the spectral region from 1,138 to 1,180, 1,314 to 1,477, 1,535 to 1,556 and from 1,728 to 1,759 cm−1, describes the adulteration using four principal components which explained 95 per cent of variance. For the levels of Adulteration A1 (pure meat), A2 (25 and 50 %w/wG) and A3 (75 and 100 %w/wG) for an external set of samples, the correlation coefficients for prediction were 0.979, 0.941 and 0.971, and the room mean square error were 8.58, 12.46 and 9.47 per cent, respectively.

Originality/value

The PLS-DA model predicted the adulteration for an external set of samples with high accuracy. The proposed method has the advantage of allowing rapid results, despite the storage time of the adulterated meat. It was shown that FTIR combined with chemometrics can be used to establish a methodology for the identification of adulteration of game meat, not only for fresh meat but also for meat stored for different periods of time.
Distance bias of socially responsible investment
Authors: Chen En Te , Nainggolan Yunieta Anny
Published: January 2018

Purpose

Despite the benefits of international diversification, the home equity bias phenomenon is well documented in the portfolio choice literature. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the same investment behavior applies to domestic socially responsible investments (SRIs) where ethical screenings should be the selection criteria.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors apply the model by Coval and Moskowitz (1999), Grinblatt and Keloharju (2001) and Agarwal and Hauswald (2010) to uncover the effect of distance relative to screenings on SRI domestic portfolio choice. For the first time, the authors test the robustness of distance effect by using time bias, which is the travel time between the fund manager and the company’s headquarter.

Findings

The authors find that SRIs exhibit a strong preference for locally headquartered firms. After controlling for screening activity and other fund characteristics, the authors still find a strong distance bias in SRI fund portfolio decision-making. The authors find that this bias is mostly observed in SRI fund with social screening and that fund holding characteristics determine the propensity of fund managers to invest locally. The results suggest that the local bias puzzle exists in SRI.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides avenue for future research to examine whether the same local bias is found in SRI investment in other countries where they have different characteristics and behavior. Also, the evidence that local bias exists in SRI investment may need further analysis as to whether this is conflicting with the objectives of SRI, which focus more on ethical beliefs.

Practical implications

The results suggest that many local firms in the same city currently held by an SRI fund will not be held by this fund if it is in another city. The implications of the findings are that geographic proximity, along with ethical screenings, is an important dimension to how SRI fund invests.

Originality/value

This study is the first that examines local bias in SRI funds by using portfolio holding data.
The importance of CSR practices carried out by sport teams and its influence on brand love: the Real Madrid Foundation
Authors: Baena Verónica
Published: January 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to to provide a better understanding of the effect that the corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices might have on brand love. It also analyzes the importance of making supporters be aware and involved in such initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

This study focuses on the Real Madrid Foundation, which is the most followed charitable sport institution worldwide. Data have been collected through a survey that was available online from January through April 2016. Participation has been solicited among the supporters of Real Madrid on fan sites. This produced a total of 402 completed questionnaires. In addition, the Managing Director of the Real Madrid Foundation has been interviewed.

Findings

The CSR activities carried out by the team positively influence fan commitment toward the club. Keeping the supporters updated about such initiatives through social networks also helps to increase the bonds between the club and its followers. Moreover, the fans’ use of the club’s website and their involvement in the club’s CSR activities may have a positive impact on the love the supporters profess toward the team’s brand. This claim, however, must be treated with some caution because it has not been proved to be statistically significant.

Originality/value

This study suggests that developing a website is not enough to get brand love from supporters. Experiential marketing does not seem to have statistical impact on brand love either. Conversely, the CSR actions and the use of social networks to keep followers updated about the social initiatives carried out by the team do provide new opportunities to achieve an emotional attachment toward the club and therefore, positively affect brand love.
Waiting too long: bottlenecks and improvements – a case study of a surgery department
Authors: Baldassarre Fabrizio Flavio , Ricciardi Francesca , Campo Raffaele
Published: January 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to promote a business process approach for developing and improving the efficiency of hospital service quality in order to reduce clinical risks and increase patients satisfaction. The problems healthcare facilities face are how to reduce waste and risk and improve quality. The adoption of a process-focused organization could reduce organizational errors which have a negative influence on performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on a case study methodology, analyzing a specific real-life case. It is shown a practical example in the surgery department of an Italian hospital, identifying, analyzing and managing critical situations, in terms of improvement. To this end, national and international contributions, public documents, institutional websites, conference papers, books, workshops and hospital websites have been analyzed. Moreover, other data were collected through questionnaires.

Findings

Results show how a comprehensive view of the processes may lead to improvement in operations by identifying different risks and bottlenecks, suggesting the rapid implementation of corrective policies and improvements, in terms of overall efficiency.

Practical implications

By implementing innovative organizational processes to identify and reduce bottleneck a healthcare system could achieve a competitive advantage.

Originality/value

Within the Italian healthcare system, limited attention has been paid to the design of healthcare facilities. Flexible solutions are necessary for lean management. The originality of this work lies in the analysis applied to a complex organization, through which hidden critical situations have been identified, and solutions to improve and provide better healthcare management have been suggested.
Novel cardiovascular magnetic resonance oxygenation approaches in understanding pathophysiology of cardiac diseases
Authors: Sree Raman Karthigesh , Nucifora Gaetano , Selvanayagam Joseph B
Published: January 2018

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) permits accurate phenotyping of many cardiac diseases. CMR’s inherent advantages are its non‐invasive nature, lack of ionizing radiation and high accuracy and reproducibility. Furthermore, it is able to assess many aspects of cardiac anatomy, structure and function. Specifically, it can characterize myocardial tissue, myocardial function, myocardial mass, myocardial blood flow/perfusion, irreversible and reversible injury, all with a high degree of accuracy and reproducibility. Hence, CMR is a powerful tool in clinical and pre‐clinical research. In recent years there have been novel advances in CMR myocardial tissue characterization. Oxygenation‐sensitive CMR (OS‐CMR) is a novel non‐invasive, contrast independent technique that permits direct quantification of myocardial tissue oxygenation, both at rest and during stress. In this review, we will address the principles of the OS‐CMR technique, its recent advances and summarize the studies in the effects of oxygenation on cardiac diseases.
Does the Use of Diagnostic Technology Reduce Fetal Mortality?
Authors: Grytten Jostein , Skau Irene , Sørensen Rune , Eskild Anne
Published: January 2018

Objective

To examine the effect that the introduction of new diagnostic technology in obstetric care has had on fetal death.

Data Source

The Medical Birth Registry of Norway provided detailed medical information for approximately 1.2 million deliveries from 1967 to 1995. Information about diagnostic technology was collected directly from the maternity units, using a questionnaire.

Study Design

The data were analyzed using a hospital fixed‐effects regression with fetal mortality as the outcome measure. The key independent variables were the introduction of ultrasound and electronic fetal monitoring at each maternity ward. Hospital‐specific trends and risk factors of the mother were included as control variables. The richness of the data allowed us to perform several robustness tests.

Principal Finding

The introduction of ultrasound caused a significant drop in fetal mortality rate, while the introduction of electronic fetal monitoring had no effect on the rate. In the population as a whole, ultrasound contributed to a reduction in fetal deaths of nearly 20 percent. For post‐term deliveries, the reduction was well over 50 percent.

Conclusion

The introduction of ultrasound made a major contribution to the decline in fetal mortality at the end of the last century.
Quality Characteristics of a Low‐Fat Beef Patty Enriched by Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Vitamin D3
Authors: Gómez Inmaculada , Sarriés María Victoria , Ibañez Francisco C. , Beriain María José
Published: January 2018

Olive and linseed oils have high contents of oleic acid and n‐3 fatty acids (FA), respectively. Vitamin D3, an essential nutrient, is in low contents in meat. This study investigated the potential application of olive and linseed oils’ mixture as a backfat replacer, and vitamin D3 as a supplement, in order to develop a product enriched by polyunsaturated FAs and vitamin D3. Two treatments were manufactured: conventional (C: 0% emulsion, 0 μg vitamin D3/100 g product) and modified (M: 10.9% emulsion/, 8.3 μg vitamin D3/100 g product). The quality characteristics and cooking effects on the FA and vitamin D3 contents were assessed. The sensory properties of cooked patties were not affected by olive and linseed oils’ mixture (P > 0.05). The instrumental textural parameters were lower in cooked M patties (P < 0.01), except springiness (P = 0.766) that was not affected by formulation. The contents of α‐linoleic acid in M patty were 19‐fold higher than those from C patty. The contents of n‐3 and n‐6 were higher in M patty (P < 0.05) than in C patty. Although cooking decreased the content of vitamin D3 in M patty (6.7 compared with 5.2 μg/100 g product), considerable increments were achieved compared to C patty.

Practical Application

There is an increasing demand of consumers for healthier meat products; therefore, the improvement of their nutritional profile without negatively affecting quality characteristics is key factor for meat sector. This study emphasizes the feasibility of using the combination of olive and linseed oils’ mixture and vitamin D3 to yield new meat products with high contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin D3. The effectiveness of combination of oils mixture and vitamin D3 tested in this study is proven and the high contribution of vitamin D3 and some fatty acids of nutritional interest identified.