bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the use of EAS solid‐shell formulations in the numerical simulation of incremental forming processes
Authors: Sena J.I.V. , Alves de Sousa R.J. , Valente R.A.F.
Published: March 2011

Purpose

Incremental sheet forming represents a promising process in the manufacturing of metallic components, particularly its variant known as single point incremental forming (SPIF). The purpose of this paper is to test and validate the results coming from numerical simulation of SPIF processes using the reduced enhanced solid‐shell formulation, when compared to the solid finite elements available in ABAQUS software. The use of SPIF techniques in the production of small batch components has a potential wide application in fields such as rapid prototyping and biomechanical devices.

Design/methodology/approach

Incremental forming processes differ from conventional stamping by not using a press and by requiring a lower number of tools, since no dedicated punches and dies are necessary, which lowers the overall production costs. In addition, it shows relative simplicity and flexible setup for complex parts, when compared with conventional technologies. However, the low speed of production and low‐dimensional accuracy levels are still the main obstacles for a wider application of this technique in the context of large production batches.

Findings

In this sense, the use of numerical simulation tools based on the finite element method (FEM) can provide a better understanding of the process' peculiarities. However, there are differences on using distinct finite element formulations, regarding accuracy as well as CPU times during simulations, which can be prohibitive in some cases.

Originality/value

Aiming to provide sounding improvements in these two fields (robustness and cost effectiveness of FEM solutions), the present work encloses a preliminary study about some relevant parameters in the FEM simulation of SPIF. Special focus is given to the use of solid‐shell and solid finite elements, for the sake of generality in modelling, as well as implicit solution schemes for the sake of accuracy. Finally, results coming from both experimental data and commercial FEM packages are compared to those obtained by a reliable and cost‐effective solid‐shell finite element formulation developed and implemented by the authors.
The extended finite element method (XFEM) for discontinuous rock masses
Authors: Yu T.T.
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to achieve numerical simulation of discontinuous rock masses.

Design/methodology/approach

The extended finite element method (XFEM) was used. Discontinuities (such as joints, faults, and material interfaces) are contained in the elements, thus the mesh can be generated without taking into account the existence of discontinuities. When one element contains no discontinuity, the displacement function is degenerated into that of the conventional finite element. For the element containing discontinuities, the standard displacement‐based approximation is enriched by incorporating level‐set‐based enrichment functions that model the discontinuities, and an element subdivision procedure is used to integrate the domain of the element.

Findings

Mesh generation can be simplified considerably and high‐quality meshes can be obtained. A solution with good precision can also be achieved. It is concluded that the XFEM technique is especially suitable in simulating discontinuous rock masses problems.

Research limitations/implications

Crack initiation and propagation should be considered in further studies.

Practical implications

The paper presents a very useful numerical method for a geotechnical engineering problem that has the ability to simulate the failure process of discontinuous rock masses. The method is expected to be used widely in the deformation and stability analysis of complicated rock masses.

Originality/value

The paper provides a new numerical method for discontinuous rock masses that is very convenient for pre‐processing.
Synergetic effects in working teams
Authors: Hertel Guido
Published: March 2011

Purpose

Whereas motivation and coordination losses in teams have been investigated for quite some time, systematic research on performance gains in teams (often called “synergetic effects”) only emerged recently. The purpose of the present paper is to clarify the concept of process gains (or synergy) in teams, and to introduce recent findings from basic psychology that can be very valuable for the management of high performing teams.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the definition of synergy as process gain during teamwork compared with a clear baseline (team potential), this review develops specific requirements for the empirical demonstration of synergetic effects in teams. Moreover, a brief history of research on process gains in teams is provided, followed by an outlook on current and future trends in this field.

Findings

Although this research is still in its pioneering days, various triggers of process gains in teams have been already derived theoretically and/or demonstrated empirically, among them social support from fellow team members, perceived indispensability for the team outcome, the development and/or selection of experts for task and team processes, use of multiple perspectives and information, team learning, and social identification processes.

Practical implications

Understanding the preconditions and underlying mechanisms of process gains in teams enables managers to trigger performance levels of teams that exceed what can be expected based on the individual team members' capabilities alone. Moreover, the estimation of a team's potential provides a helpful standard for the assessment of the ongoing team performance.

Originality/value

Process gains in teams and related laboratory research have been largely neglected in the managerial literature so far. This paper and the current special issue are among the first to introduce a clear definition of process gains in teams, and to suggest concrete trigger factors of synergetic effects in teams based on systematic research.
Many cheers make light the work: how social support triggers process gains in teams
Authors: Hüffmeier Joachim , Hertel Guido
Published: March 2011

Purpose

Social support from fellow team members has been neglected as a unique source of process gains in teams. This paper seeks to introduce the Model of Social Support within Teams (MSST) that explicates testable hypotheses on effects of team partners' affective and task‐related support on team performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical model is proposed that specifies the psychological mechanisms by which affective and task‐related support from fellow team members evoke process gains in teams compared with individual work. Moreover, moderators and potential limits of these beneficial effects are described. The model integrates results from experimental research on behaviour in small groups with findings from field studies on organisational citizenship behaviour, team cognition, and efficacy beliefs at the individual and team level.

Findings

It is predicted that affective support predominantly increases individual members' motivation, while task‐related support predominantly improves coordination within teams. Moreover, various moderators (team members' dispositions, task design, team characteristics) are considered.

Practical implications

According to this analysis, social support can be an effective measure to trigger process gains in teams, and thus to increase team performance and organisational success. Concrete interventions to foster social support in teams are derived from the model, among them task design, consideration of social attitudes in selection and staffing, and team training.

Originality/value

This paper introduces a theoretical model explicating a previously neglected source of process gains in teams. In contrast with other sources of process gains, social support relates to the interaction among team members and integrates both motivation and coordination gains.
“… with a little help from my friends”: friendship, effort norms, and group motivation gain
Authors: Kerr Norbert L. , Seok Dong‐Heon
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on new research that explores the effect of co‐worker friendship and performance norms on the Köhler motivation gain effect.

Design/methodology/approach

Females worked at a motor persistence task with either a more capable coactor or with a more capable team‐mate (where the group's task had conjunctive task demands; i.e. the performance of the weaker team‐mate defined the group's score). The co‐workers (coactors or team‐mates) were either friends or strangers. Participants were also led to believe that their co‐workers and peers endorsed social norms prescribing either high or low level of effort at the task.

Findings

Compared to comparable individual control workers, the inferior‐ability coactors showed a significant motivation gain (attributable to social‐comparison processes); this gain was not moderated by either friendship or performance norms. Inferior‐ability members of the collaborative teams worked significantly harder than the coactors (attributable to the indispensability of their efforts under these work conditions), but only when their partners were friends or the performance norms prescribed high effort.

Research limitations/implications

The research focuses on short‐term laboratory groups of females working together for a very brief period. The applicability of the findings to more typical work teams will require further research.

Practical implications

The research suggests that the task motivation of particular team members (namely, those with the least ability) can be increased by strengthening social ties between team‐mates and promoting high effort social norms.

Originality/value

The research adds to a growing literature that identifies when and why members of work groups will work harder than comparable individual workers.
The role of star performers in software design teams
Authors: Volmer Judith , Sonnentag Sabine
Published: March 2011

Purpose

This study seeks to extend previous research on experts with mainlyad‐hocgroups from laboratory research to a field setting. Specifically, this study aims to investigate experts' relative importance in team performance. Expertise is differentiated into two categories (task functions and team functions) and the paper aims to investigate whether experts in task and team functions predict team performance over and above the team's average expertise level.

Design/methodology/approach

Longitudinal, multi‐source data from 96 professional software design engineers were used by means of hierarchical regression analyses.

Findings

The results show that both expert members in task functions (i.e. behavior that aids directly in the completion of work‐related activities) and the experts in team functions (i.e. facilitation of interpersonal interaction necessary to work together as a team) positively predicted team performance 12 months later over and above the team's average expertise level.

Research limitations/implications

Samples from other industry types are needed to examine the generalizability of the study findings to other occupational groups.

Practical implications

For staffing, the findings suggest that experts are particularly important for the prediction of team performance. Organizations should invest effort into finding “star performers” in task and team functions in order to create effective teams.

Originality/value

This paper focuses on the relationship between experts (in task functions and team functions) and team performance. It extends prior research on team composition and complements expertise research: similar to cognitive ability and personality, it is important to take into account member expertise when examining how to manage the people mix within teams. Benefits of expertise are not restricted to laboratory research but are broadened to real‐world team settings.
Team identification: a determining factor of performance
Authors: Solansky Stephanie T.
Published: March 2011

Purpose

This study seeks to explore why some teams realize performance gains and others do not. Team identification is proposed as an explanatory mechanism of performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from two longitudinal studies with 42 teams (270 individuals) are examined using regression analysis. Study 1 relies on student teams, while Study 2 is based on two field samples of actual working teams. In both studies, team identification was captured prior to the objective performance measures.

Findings

This study empirically provides evidence that team identification is linked to team performance across three settings.

Research limitations/implications

Although the sample size is relatively small within each study, the implications are that team process variables such as identification matter when gauging performance across all three settings.

Practical implications

It is critical that team‐oriented processes, such as identification, are promoted if managers hope to see performance gains within work teams. Just because a team is created, this does not guarantee that the members will operate as a collective entity to accomplish tasks. If the members of the team identify with one another, they are more likely to outperform individual‐oriented teams.

Originality/value

There is little agreement regarding performance gains and teamwork. This study demonstrates that teams with identification are better performers across three settings, in which two are based on applied settings of actual intact work teams. This study is also valuable because it provides longitudinal data, given that identification is measured prior to performance.
Determinants of board and audit committee meeting frequency
Authors: Greco Giulio
Published: March 2011

Purpose

This purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of board and audit committee meeting frequency.

Design/methodology/approach

The determinants studied are related to the ownership structure and to the board characteristics. The study is conducted in an agency setting featured by high ownership concentration and large insider shareholders. Hypotheses are developed based on agency theory. The empirical evidence is provided by a sample of Italian listed companies. Negative binomial regression is used in the multivariate analysis to test the relationships. Robustness checks provide further empirical support.

Findings

The paper finds that insider ownership negatively impacts – either on the board or on the audit committee meeting frequency – whilst the proportion of independent directors in the board has a positive impact. This evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that insider ownership and board independent monitoring are substitute control mechanisms. The findings also show that audit committees are more active in larger firms.

Originality/value

The paper provides an agency theory‐based explanation of the board and the audit committee meeting frequency, in a setting featured by large controlling shareholders.
Further evidence on knowledge spillover and the joint determination of audit and non‐audit fees
Authors: Krishnan Gopal V. , Yu Wei
Published: March 2011

Purpose

For more than 25 years auditing research has examined whether knowledge spillovers or synergies exist from the joint provision of audit and non‐audit services as well as whether the audit client benefits from knowledge spillovers. However, empirical evidence on knowledge spillover remains mixed and elusive. This article seeks to contribute to this debate, using a large sample covering both the pre‐ and the post‐Sarbanes‐Oxley Act (SOX) era. A post‐SOX focus can be potentially informative because SOX has fundamentally changed the mix of audit and non‐audit services that can be offered to audit clients.

Design/methodology/approach

A two‐stage least squares regression model is used to control for simultaneous bias due to the joint determination of audit and non‐audit fees. A panel dataset is also used.

Findings

A strong and significant negative relationship is found between audit fees and non‐audit fees. The results suggest that knowledge spillover flows from non‐audit to the audit side, as well as from the audit side to the non‐audit side. For the overall sample, a 1 percent increase in non‐audit fees is associated with a 0.59 percent decrease in audit fees. Similarly, a 1 percent increase in audit fees is associated with a 0.49 percent decrease in non‐audit fees.

Research limitations/implications

Though a comprehensive set of determinants of audit and non‐audit fees is used, it is possible that the model may not include some other unknown determinants of fees paid to auditors.

Practical implications

The study contributes to the debate on whether regulators should ban all non‐audit services. It is found that when the same audit firm performs both audit and non‐audit services, there are synergies, i.e. insight learned from performing one function helps the other.

Social implications

At the economy level, the findings suggest that cost savings, due to knowledge spillover, are partly passed on to the clients, particularly by Big 4 auditors.

Originality/value

The findings on the existence of knowledge spillover in the post‐SOX era are potentially informative to regulators, auditors, audit clients, and audit committee members.
Numeric‐to‐verbal translation of probability expressions in SFAS 5
Authors: Du Ning , Stevens Kevin
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how accountants interpret verbal uncertainty expressions with a focus on numeric‐to‐verbal translation.

Design/methodology/approach

Accounting for loss contingencies (SFAS 5) were chosen as a setting to study this research question. The approach used was a behavioral experiment where participants choose probability phrases for 11 numeric probabilities for two default conditions.

Findings

The results indicate a clear pattern, where thresholds for accrual and disclosure decisions can be easily identified in the numeric‐to‐verbal translation. Also, the base rate appears to affect the assessment of the uncertainty related to potential default, but does not affect mapping of numeric values to verbal terms.

Research limitations/implications

The use of 11 probabilities does not cover all regions of the [0, 1] probability line and may leave regions of the probability interval not mapping to any SFAS 5 phrase. Also, this study uses upper‐level undergraduate accounting students, whose judgments are similar to novice auditors but may differ from experienced auditors.

Practical implications

The evidence suggests that unlike verbal‐to‐numeric translation, which is unstable and context dependent, numeric‐to‐verbal translation is quite consistent among individuals, and is unlikely to be affected by the contextual information. The results complement prior findings in auditors' judgment, and suggest that interpreting uncertainty expressions can be improved if auditors are encouraged to use numeric‐to‐verbal translation when they apply accounting and auditing standards in forming an opinion on the financial report.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to examine the mapping of numeric probabilities to verbal probability terms.
The functional‐institutional and consequential‐conflictual sociological approaches to accounting ethics education
Authors: Sisaye Seleshi
Published: March 2011

Purpose

There is limited research that utilizes the consequential‐conflictual (CC) approaches, which utilized radical orientation of double loop, second order and reorientation of organizational learning strategies. Both the functional‐institutional (FI) and CC approaches are integrated with the sustainability and ecological resources management literature. The aim of this paper is to fill this research gap.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper applies FI and CC sociological approaches.

Findings

This paper's contribution to the managerial auditing education literature is based on the proposition that ethics education can improve the moral and ethical reasoning of auditors, when the educational processes incorporate both the FI and CC sociological organizational learning strategies. The paper suggests that ethics education in auditing could benefit from experiential teaching methods utilized in allied applied disciplines of medicine, engineering, and educational psychology.

Research limitations/implications

Sociological approaches have been commonly applied in behavioral managerial accounting and control systems research. This paper extends the FI and CC framework to ethics education in managerial auditing research.

Practical implications

The subject of accounting ethics education is important to auditors. When accounting ethics education utilizes both the FI and CC teaching approaches, the managerial auditing education processes become interactive and cooperative by bringing experiential organizational experiences to the classroom.

Originality/value

Accounting ethics education is shaped by ecological and environmental sustainability concerns. Recently, business school interest and growth in sustainability management has contributed to the integration of ethics education in managerial auditing and accounting contexts, overcoming the shortcomings accounting programs experienced from stand‐alone ethics courses.
Poverty: social control over our labor force
Authors: Yanagisawa Anton
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to raise concern and discussion about poverty. This paper explores the difficulties of defining poverty and its origins.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper utilizes research from psychological and sociological literature to analyze differing schools of thought regarding poverty. A macro‐level perspective of poverty is defined and compared to a micro‐level perspective of poverty. The lack of conformity concerning these opposing schools of thought often impedes the development of solutions for poverty.

Findings

What society believes to be true about poverty will influence how society treats poverty. Some solutions to poverty may only perpetuate the problems of the impoverished depending on how poverty is operationally defined and its origins understood. Literary research is used to support a hypothesis that poverty exists in function to society to insure a readily available, low wage, labor force.

Social implications

The provided information regarding the impact of poverty on society and the individual could aid in the development of government and corporate solutions. Solutions for poverty could be enhanced and employed more accurately by examining the viewpoint of this author.

Originality/value

This paper is of importance for mental health practitioners, corporations, and government branches interested in treating the social effects of poverty.
Natural religion and “moral capitalism”
Authors: Leathers Charles G. , Patrick Raines J.
Published: March 2011

Purpose

At the 2009 Devos economic forum on the global financial crisis, David Cameron, then leader of the British Conservative Party and now Britain's Prime Minister, called for embracing a “moral capitalism.” The purpose of this paper is to consider the insights into a moral framework for the modern economic order that might be drawn from natural religions perceived by Adam Smith and Thorstein Veblen.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the two perceptions of natural religions provide the basis for assessing their compatibilities with the type of competitive market economy that Smith observed in the eighteenth century, and with a modern market economy of large corporate enterprises and global financial markets. Particular attention is given to reforms that curb the practices that led to the global financial crisis.

Findings

Smith's “pure and rational” natural religion has been interpreted as being compatible with the type of competitive market economy that he analyzed in Wealth of Nations. Veblen's natural religion of “Christian morals” had a natural rights analogue in the ethics of a competitive market economy in which market relationships were heavily influenced by production resting heavily on personal skills of craftsmen and trade relying on the honesty of small merchants.

Research limitations/implications

The primary focus is on reforms in those aspects of the financial sector of the modern market system that have been associated with the current global financial crisis. What the two natural religions might suggest in the nature of broader socio‐economic reforms, e.g. corporate governance issues, would require a much larger study.

Social implications

While debates over a “moral capitalism” will be influenced doctrinal stances of institutional religions, sectarian differences may be bridged by considering natural religions that are rational and rest on the principle of fair play and mutual service.

Originality/value

Because of the attention that has been given to Smith's and Veblen's critical commentaries on institutional religions, the paper shows that their perceptions of natural religions and how those religions might relate to the economic order are easily overlooked.
Disabled people's living standards: filling a policy vacuum
Authors: Doessel D.P. , Williams Ruth F.G.
Published: March 2011

Purpose

Government policy can alleviate inequities in living standards. Disabled people often qualify for government assistance which is one way that their living standard can improve, although arbitrary systems for distributing assistance are not likely to serve equity objectives. The purpose of this paper is to indicate the key variables to which government should direct attention, in order to alleviate both horizontal and vertical inequity in grants to disabled people.

Design/methodology/approach

There is no literature, either theoretical or empirical, that specifically addresses this problem. This paper invokes important economic concepts associated with the nineteenth century English philosopher/economist, John Stuart Mill, as well as the 1998 Nobel Laureate in Economics, Amartya Sen. Mill's general conception of how government should behave in treating citizens was elaborated subsequently in the public finance literature on principles of taxation. These notions are about “the equal treatment of equals” and “the unequal treatment of unequals”. Sen's recent discussion of the “conversion handicap” from his general framework of capabilities is highly relevant to the question addressed here.

Findings

These concepts, applied with some analytical tools of algebra and geometry, show that Mill's principles can combine with Sen's into a relevant conceptual framework. The central principles and concepts for policy formation on the standard of living for disabled people are not random; they can be specified with clarity.

Originality/value

This paper contributes the relevant conceptual “yardsticks” by which policy for distributing assistance to disabled people can be evaluated. Steps, towards devising better approaches to the distribution of assistance to disabled people can now be taken.
Stalinism versus Hitlerism: the basic intentions and results
Authors: Raiklin Ernest
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the soundness of equating Stalinism and Nazism (Hitlerism), expressed in a resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on July 1, 2009.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper compares the two movements from three different angles: first, in their basic intentions; second, in their basic accomplishments; third, in the correlation between their basic intentions and their basic results.

Findings

The paper finds that: in theirproclaimedshort‐ and long‐term goals, Stalinism and Hitlerism have nothing in common; in theiractualshort‐term (there was no long‐term) results, they were similar in content but different in form; it was theirvery naturethat doomed their efforts to translate their basic intentions into basic results.

Originality/value

The paper shows that a similarity or dissimilarity of the two movements can be ascertained not in their total but in their parts such as, for instance, the goals they achieved and the methods they employed.
Affordability of private tertiary education: a Malaysian study
Authors: Jebaraj Benjamin Samuel , Srikamaladevi Marathamuthu M. , Muthaiyah Saravanan , Raman Murali
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the affordability of private tertiary education for households in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The relevant literature is reviewed to provide an overview of the affordability of private tertiary education. Data are obtained randomly from a private university in Malaysia and the results are analyzed using the one‐sample t‐test and one‐way ANOVA.

Findings

The proxy of affordability, which is the average household income, reveals the per capita average is more than three times the national average, which points out the non‐affordability of students from low and average earning households to afford private tertiary education in Malaysia. Financial assistance of students at the tertiary level is insufficient and may warrant further policy and administrative improvements to reach deserving students. There is also difference in income and hence affordability between urban‐rural households, a perspective that demands changes in the current income distribution policies. In order to address the issues highlighted in this study, salient suggestions have been proposed.

Originality/value

This paper reinforces the need to address the issue of affordability of tertiary education and its significant importance, especially to developing countries.
The differential information content of loss components under a conservative accounting regime
Authors: Hevas Dimosthenis , Siougle Georgia
Published: March 2011

Purpose

This study aims to test empirically the validity of the accounting valuation model that is based on earnings and book values for loss‐reporting firms under a conservative accounting regime.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical tests are performed by employing returns models on data derived from non‐financial firms listed on the Athens Stock Exchange for the period 1992‐2000.

Findings

The empirical results suggest that there is no unique concept of income, which is applicable, for valuation purposes, in all circumstances. Total income may be the appropriate income concept to use for the valuation of profit reporting firms but not for loss‐reporting ones; for loss‐reporting firms, ordinary income appears to be a more useful concept for valuation purposes. Extraordinary income was also found to be value relevant. Further, different versions of the accounting valuation model appear to be more relevant for different groups of firms (groups defined in terms of various firm characteristics, such as: size, growth opportunities and riskiness.

Practical implications

The study examines the informational content of the various earnings and loss items in the income statement and provides conclusions that are useful for standard setters, accounting policy makers and market participants.

Originality/value

It provides further evidence on the value relevance of losses, as opposed to that of earnings. It coincides with the development of a new project initiated by the International Accounting Standards Board, i.e. “Reporting Comprehensive Income”, concerning the content of the income statement. The analysis is carried in an accounting environment that adopts only historic cost accounting for the recording and measurement of assets and liabilities, revenues and expenses.
The effects of International Financial Reporting Standards on the notes of auditors
Authors: Vrentzou Eleni
Published: March 2011

Purpose

This paper attempts to combine the developments in the accounting area with those in the auditing area. More specifically, it presents the effects of International Accounting Standards (IAS) on the auditor findings and report.

Design/methodology/approach

International Standards on Auditing (ISA) are revised in order to be accepted by the European Union as the common and formal auditing standards of the member states. The introduction of IAS has been one of the most significant developments in the history of the financial statements preparation and presentation. The effects of the application of these standards are present both on the valuation of the firm and on the presentation of its “true and fair view”. An extended analysis of the financial statements and the auditor reports is conducted.

Findings

The effects of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on the auditor reports and notes, for the first two years of their formal application, are analyzed. It is realized that the auditor notes and the equity adjustments they propose are positively related to the notes that accompany financial statements before the application of IFRS, whereas they are negatively related to the explanatory notes imposed by IFRS. The different role of the company's notes before and after the application of IFRS and the relevant change of the auditor notes are further examined.

Originality/value

Most of the research focuses on the accounting effects of IFRS. In this study, it is attempted to combine the developments in the accounting area with the developments in the auditing area. ISA are revised in order to be accepted by the European Union as the common and formal auditing standards of the member states. Much research is being developed in this area, although the data available are yet very limited. Most of the research focus is on the accounting effects of IFRS.
Individual stock market risk and price valuation: the case of Titan S.A.
Authors: Maniatis Paraschos
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this study is twofold: to test the hypothesis that the closing prices of Titan S.A. stock can be approximated by a random walk; and to valuate the risk associated to this stock. The first question is equivalent to the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) and, therefore, to the predictability of stock's closing price. The second question follows the first in a natural way, since stock's predictability and risk are in an inverse relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper investigates the existence of unit roots in the stock and in all stock index, in the lines of Dicky‐Fuller modeling. It then investigates the stock's risk focusing the interest in the behavior of the time series volatility under the hypothesis that they can be described by an autoregressive scheme. Finally, it looks at the relationship between stock returns and market returns in the lines of the market model.

Findings

The study concludes that although the predictability of the stock returns is impossible, the risk associated with the stock can to some extent be statistically rationalised.

Originality/value

The paper's value lies in looking into the probability that if the EMH is even approximately true, accepting above‐average risks is the only way to obtain better‐than‐average returns.
Seasoned equity offerings: stock market liquidity and duration of the completion cycle
Authors: Palkar Darshana D. , Tripathy Niranjan
Published: March 2011

Purpose

Short‐term cash need plays a critical role in equity issuance decisions. Consequently, the ease with which a seasoned equity offer (SEO) is completed can have a direct effect on the cost of raising equity. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether liquidity is likely to affect the ease with which an offer is completed, as proxied by the length of the offer.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses multiple regression analysis to establish the link between liquidity and the duration of the SEO completion cycle. To provide support to the findings, event study methodology is employed to study the abnormal volume turnover during the pre‐SEO announcement period for firms with shorter and longer registration periods.

Findings

The paper finds that firms with greater liquidity come to market sooner. The results indicate a small yet significant effect of liquidity on the duration of the SEO completion cycle. There is also evidence that lower pre‐announcement period volume turnover is associated with a longer registration period – which has some implications for issuance costs. The results are robust to the inclusion of industry or firm effects, use of different regression specifications, and application of alternative liquidity measures.

Originality/value

This paper belongs to the growing literature that examines the link between liquidity and the firm's equity issuance costs. It adds to the literature by: examining the determinants of the time it takes to complete an offering; providing the evidence that liquidity may affect the ease with which investment bankers place new shares; and presenting the evidence using newer measures of liquidity based on low‐frequency data.
Overhead scanners: reports from the field
Authors: DeRidder Jody L.
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to gather information about user experiences with overhead scanners, in order to better inform purchasing decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

The method of obtaining information was a survey, publicized via several listservs frequented by higher education digitization personnel, and available for four months in 2010. Participants were asked to identify their scanner, rate the extent to which they would recommend it, and describe usage patterns, speed, problems they encountered with hardware and software, and also what they like about their scanner.

Findings

In total, 52 respondents described 71 scanners covering 19 different brands (30 models, two unspecified). The number of complaint entries for hardware and software were even, with 39 responses for each (55 per cent). When asked to what extent the respondent would recommend the product, 30 per cent (21 respondents) would highly recommend their scanner (“Yes, it's great!”), 39 per cent (28 respondents) said “Yes, it's pretty good”, 25 per cent (18 respondents) would only possibly recommend it, with caveats, and 6 per cent of respondents (four) would not recommend their scanner at all.

Research limitations/implications

Only 52 respondents participated in the study, reporting on a wide variety of models and brands. Five brands accounted for 69 per cent of the responses, so the quantity of responses per brand or model was far from equivalent, which is a severe weakness in terms of generalization of findings. The survey was heavily designed for open‐ended responses, which are not easily quantifiable. Follow‐up surveys should be designed to capture more easily quantifiable results, and, if possible, a larger and roughly equivalent number of responses for each model included.

Practical implications

Results of the survey will provide potential purchasers of overhead scanners with information that will assist them in making informed decisions and avoid expensive mistakes.

Social implications

This paper gathers reports about the performance of a wide variety of overhead scanners in the field, which will help inform purchasing decisions in the immediate future.

Originality/value

This paper gathers reports about the performance of a wide variety of overhead scanners in the field, which will help inform purchasing decisions in the immediate future.
Technology on demand
Authors: Hahn Jim , Mestre Lori , Ward David , Avery Susan
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the implementation process one academic library used to create a loanable technology program to address student needs for multiple technologies that support and facilitate assignments and other projects, including an increasing number that are multimodal.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a case study utilizing focus groups and management data to detail best practices for implementing and maintaining a loanable technology program.

Findings

Preliminary results indicate that this program provides value to students and coursework, as well as justifying creating a budget line to support further program development. Implementing a loanable technology program requires additional strategies for policies and procedures related to acquisition, budget allocation, processing, cataloging, check‐out, replacement, and security of the equipment, as well as marketing the service. Findability and equitable student access to loanable technology are also discussed.

Research limitations/implications

An extensive programmatic evaluation method has yet to be put into place to assess the impact of this program. Suggestions for improvements in the program are included.

Practical implications

The process and strategies described in this paper can be replicated by other institutions that are interested in creating a loanable technology program.

Originality/value

Although many institutions provide some loanable technology, there is little written that documents decisions made that lead to a successful, robust, and sustainable program.
The University of Michigan Library Espresso Book Machine experience
Authors: Geitgey Terri
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe one university library's use of the Espresso Book Machine® (EBM), an innovative publishing technology that provides new options for matching content delivery to user needs. The paper aims to provide insight into the University of Michigan Library's experience with version 1.5 of this patented, integrated machine that automates the printing, binding, and trimming of softcover books from digital files.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes the machine's technology, the Library's impetus for purchase, services currently offered and plans for future uses, as well as advantages and challenges of owning a machine.

Findings

Although relatively new and still undergoing refinement, the Espresso Book Machine® technology can add value to library services by providing high quality, cost‐effective print options not otherwise available to the campus community and beyond. Specific advantages include speed, flexibility, access to networked content, and low‐cost output. Improvements by On Demand Books to the search and display capabilities of the EspressNet catalog will be needed in order to maximize the catalog's usefulness.

Research limitations/implications

Apart from a brief discussion of a paper published about the University of Utah's Marriott Library experience, this paper does not include a survey or report of other EBM‐owning institutions and ways in which the machines are being used at those locations. Experiences may vary among EBM owners based on a number of factors.

Originality/value

Other academic institutions considering the purchase of an EBM may benefit from an in‐depth report of the University of Michigan's experience.
The Espresso Book Machine: a change agent for libraries
Authors: Arlitsch Kenning
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the disruptive implications of the Espresso Book Machine on library user services, collection development, and special collections.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach takes into account various published articles and online statements to help articulate and support the arguments.

Findings

Library users can derive immediate benefit from a machine that prints books for them in only a few minutes. The EBM's impact on collection development in libraries may change a decades‐old model of speculative buying to one of buying on demand. The EBM can also help libraries bring high‐quality facsimiles of their unique special collections books to the public, and perhaps even generate a revenue stream that might offset costs.

Originality/value

This is an original article that draws on other published and unpublished research and opinion articles.
Hardware in libraries: making informed choices
Authors: Nicholson Shawn W. , Peiffer Richard , Shaw John D.
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on the selection process for the new scanner and issues with its installation. Production scanning acts as a frame to explain why the new scanner is interesting and how it is being used.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper employs the descriptive case study method. The case is the selection of a planetary digital scanner for a unit within an academic Library in the USA.

Findings

The choice of a capture device is the most important decision a library or archive makes because it determines the maximum quality that can be achieved regardless of the other components of the system. Possessing expertise to parse technical details is a rarefied space.

Practical implications

This paper seeks to help inform the choices of those deciding to purchase new hardware.

Originality/value

This paper provides librarians with a basis on which to assess potential adoption decisions for a large‐format scanner and to learn from the experiences of others.
Library classroom renovated as an active learning classroom
Authors: Soderdahl Paul A.
Published: March 2011

Purpose

Several books and articles about learning space design have recently been published, giving much needed attention to new types of informal learning spaces such as the library commons. This paper aims to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes the redesign of a formal learning space: the general assignment classroom. In 2010, one of the University of Iowa's Main Library classrooms was converted to an “active learning” space. The library location was selected as home for this prototype TILE classroom – Transform, Interact, Learn, Engage. The university's goal is to create similar spaces in a variety of sizes and configurations across campus.

Findings

The classroom is technologically rich, but was designed first and foremost for its pedagogical potential in fostering engaged learning. Ease of use was a primary focus, allowing the technology to fade into the background. Early adopters participated in a faculty institute on active learning and were provided with institutional support for reworking their classes to make them more learning‐centric. The configuration of the room and the focus on active learning enabled support for larger class sizes, while retaining the intimacy and active participation of a small discussion group.

Originality/value

The TILE classroom is one strategy in the institution's overall goal of improving student learning, increasing undergraduate retention, and psychologically shrinking the size of the university.
E‐readers in an academic library setting
Authors: Zimerman Martin
Published: March 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how e‐book readers are used in an academic library setting.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach takes the form of a literature review and e‐mail survey to academic library administrators.

Findings

Although the survey sample responding was not large, it was felt that it represented a microcosm of intelligent academic library administrators that might be involved in the eventual decision‐making process to acquire these devices for their libraries.

Research limitations/implications

It would have been better if the sampling were larger. It would also have been beneficial to get a sample involving students and faculty.

Practical implications

This is an interesting technology that has great potential for the future of book publishing and has great academic library possibilities.

Social implications

This is a possible paradigm shifting event.

Originality/value

This paper shows only the tip of the iceberg. There are much more data shortly yet to come about the novel uses this technology will present to academia.