bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of e‐commerce on agro‐food marketing
Authors: Baourakis G. , Kourgiantakis M. , Migdalas A.
Published: September 2002

This paper is concerned with the impact of e‐commerce on agro‐food marketing. First, a theoretical framework is specified for the Internet as a marketing tool with emphasis on the agro‐food and organic food sections. Subsequently we present the results of a survey that was conducted in order to investigate how Cretan agricultural cooperatives use or tend to use the business methodology of e‐commerce. Consumers and managers of cooperatives in Crete reveal their expectations from the new technology. From this survey valuable information is gained about the practical relations between e‐commerce and the agro‐food market on the island, and divergence from the theoretical framework is noticed.
Organic milk: attitudes and consumption patterns
Authors: Hill Helene , Lynchehaun Fidelma
Published: September 2002

This article considers consumer attitudes and motivation towards organic food, and milk specifically. This is then linked to the resulting purchase behaviour. Based on a combination of secondary and primary research, the results indicate the dynamics between these concepts. The resulting discussion highlights the importance of the associated internal and external factors within this area, and their impact for marketing managers.
The market information system and state support for the market of agricultural products in Croatia
Authors: Renko Natasa , Nikolasevic Sandra , Pavicic Jurica
Published: September 2002

Most of transitional (former socialist) countries still suffer from underdeveloped market mechanisms. In order to provide support for development of modern market mechanisms for the market of agricultural products, government experts within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry designed institutional information support – Market Information System in Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia – TISUP. This system is organised in order to prevent one of the most important market failures – insufficient and delayed dissemination of information that is crucial for the normal functioning of the market. The paper explores the functioning of the whole system and provides a general conceptional framework for understanding both market information systems and markets of agricultural products in Croatia and some other relevant countries/regions.
Food consumption and market development under the transition in Armenia
Authors: Sardaryan Gagik
Published: September 2002

The major uncertainties about the eventual success of macroeconomic stabilization measures, the eventual ownership and control of privatized enterprises, the viability of certain enterprises and sectors can have significant influence on the market economy of Armenia during the transition period. In the face of these uncertainties, inadequate transport and access to markets remain major obstacles to economic development and employment. After liberalization in 1991, consumer subsidies were eliminated and consequently food prices rose. Local price increases combined with the decline in real income and out migration led to a fall in domestic demand for food products as well as significant changes in food consumption patterns. Possibly the chief obstacle to increasing farm income and the most difficult problem for food processing companies to overcome are the marketing constraints. There is no appropriate scale marketing and transport infrastructure for small farmers. The lack of market information system is another problem, resulting in many farmers producing the same crops which were previously profitable, causing a glut. The break‐up of collective agriculture in Armenia resulted in over 300,000 small diversified farms which grow five or more crops and have two or more animal species. With limited export markets, the country lacks adequate markets for much of its agricultural production, as well as the economies of scale for the investments in agri‐processing and manufacturing industry which are necessary to stimulate employment and farm income. Armenia is in a prime position to take advantage of the organic market opportunities. If the developed world is going to subsidize organic food production, Armenia may have competitive advantage with low cost production and very little use of fertilizers, pesticides and other restricted materials for the last ten years.
Delphi expands diesel injector output using automated assembly
Authors: Mortimer John
Published: September 2002

A manufacturing plant for the manufacture of diesel fuel injection equipment at Stonehouse, Gloucester, UK is being expanded at a cost of $60 million to cater for a new production using lean manufacture and without expanding the manufacturing area.
A new wave of synchronous robots
Authors: Kochan Anna
Published: September 2002

Reports from the Euro Assemblage Exhibition, in Paris, highlights the development of synchronous robots, identifies new approaches to robot control and programming, outlines the application of six‐axis robots to parts feeding.
US National Manufacturing Week
Authors: Bloss Dick
Published: September 2002

A report from the 2002 National Manufacturing Week Exhibition, combining executive interviews on the outlook for the current market for assembly in North America plus new product and services introductions from Schunk, Festo, Thomson, PHD, GE Fanuc, NB, Rexroth Bosch, Bimba, THK, Bayside and Techno.
Trends in the robotic simulation industry
Authors: Ahrens Greg , Pageau Gord
Published: September 2002

The need for increased efficiency and productivity has led many companies towards computer simulation and offline programming to accelerate the design phase of projects and to minimize the amount of time that cells are taken out of production. The robotic simulation industry has responded to this need by producing products that are more customizable, compatible, accurate and automated. These underlying trends can be seen in the new and innovative functionality that has been incorporated throughout the industry within the different software packages. Describes robotic simulation software being used in design for assembly as well as some industry trends.
Robots great and small at Hanover
Authors: Kochan Anna
Published: September 2002

Reports from the Hanover Fair on new developments in automated assembly technology, particularly robotic assembly, outlines the latest robot hardware and software innovations to be launched on the market, describes new applications being taken up by industry.
Assembly‐initiated production – a strategy for mass‐customisation utilising modular, hybrid automatic production systems
Authors: Karlsson Anders
Published: September 2002

The assembly‐initiated production (AIP) project aims at developing a strategy for mass‐customisation with short lead times through the production. The presented results are the outcome of cooperative work between KTH and 19 companies of different sizes, active in Sweden. AIP is formed around the idea to assemble products from product modules on customer orders. The total delivery time would be time to process order + assembly time + shipping‐time. This gives a total delivery time considerably shorter than when manufacturing the entire product to order. There are many factors to consider. Challenges like modularising the products to fit the strategy, finding ways to automate assembly and manufacturing operations, and at the same time, accomplish a flexible production solution. There are also many other factors to consider being successful in mass customisation, like materials supply and material handling issues, information system design and creating a suitable organisation form. Of utmost importance is the way the factors affect each other and the production as a whole when changes are made.
Shortening the design for assembly process time for torque converter development
Authors: Lin Y.J. , Uhler Adam
Published: September 2002

By leveraging various designs for assembly and designs for manufacturing methods, manufacturing industry can apply solid modeling, or 3D design, to increase profit margins and decrease the time to market of its product. Specific to torque converter development, an engineer can utilize a CAD package and gain all of the advantages of designing in 3D without the drawback of increased design time. In this paper we propose a behavioral modeling technique to capture design intent and utilize the intent maps for obtaining 3D solid models in a similar amount of time as on a 2D CAD system, but with the advantage of a life‐like final design. This results in fewer modifications and less inaccuracies associated with 2D design. A 3D model so generated also assists in drawing interpretation. In general, using the proposed techniques will streamline the torque converter design cycle and move readily towards desired assembly automation. Torque converter design for assembly is implemented as an illustrated example.
Geometric variation prediction in automotive assembling
Authors: Xiong C. , Rong Y. , Koganti R.P. , Zaluzec M.J. , Wang N.
Published: September 2002

This paper develops the statistical error analysis model for assembling, to derive measures of controlling the geometric variations in assembly with multiple assembly stations, and to provide a statistical tolerance prediction/distribution toolkit integrated with CAD system for responding quickly to market opportunities with reduced manufacturing costs and improved quality. First the homogeneous transformation is used to describe the location and orientation of assembly features, parts and other related surfaces. The desired location and orientation, and the related fixturing configuration (including locator position and orientation) are automatically extracted from CAD models. The location and orientation errors are represented with differential transformations. The statistical error prediction model is formulated and the related algorithms integrated with the CAD system so that the complex geometric information can be directly accessed. In the prediction model, the manufacturing process (joining) error, induced by heat deformation in welding, is taken into account.
Dimensional variations during Airbus wing assembly
Authors: Saadat M. , Cretin C.
Published: September 2002

The introduction of automation for the assembly of aircraft wing box structures will require individual components to conform closely to the CAD design specification with regard to shape geometry and dimensional tolerances. Often, due to a variety of previous manufacturing processes, the 3D shape of these large components lose the accuracy of their designed dimensional specifications. Under these circumstances part‐to‐part assembly becomes tedious and it would be impossible to rely on robots to achieve precise assembly in an automated system. For this reason, variations need to be accurately quantified in order to provide a reliable prediction model in aid of any future automated assembly. This paper describes the measurement method used to record the possible variations occurring during the assembly process. The measurements were made using a laser tracker where the results are expected to offer some explanations as to the causes of the variation. The suitability of a laser tracker in a large assembly jig environment is then assessed. This study is based on the work that was carried out at BAE Systems UK, where the Airbus commercial aircraft wings are manufactured.
A practical error estimator in elastoplastic problems with large strains. Part I: theoretical development
Authors: Hernández A. , Pinto Ch. , Albizuri J. , Altuzarra O.
Published: September 2002

This paper focuses on the study of finite element (FE) analysis reliability of non‐linear planar structural problems (large strains and plasticity). In this first part, some error estimators of the flux projection type have been developed over the strain power density concept. Spatial, temporal and global error estimators are proposed. From this point, the authors analyse the behaviour of different discretization error components as a function of parameters such as load step or the number of degrees of freedom of the FE model. In the second part of this work, several properties of these estimators are checked with the application to some numerical examples.
A practical error estimator in elastoplastic problems with large strains. Part II: analysis of numerical results
Authors: Pinto Ch. , Avilés R. , Albizuri J. , Hernández A.
Published: September 2002

In this second part of the paper, some properties of the discretization error estimators are presented, although their theoretical background was already developed in the first part. Two numerical examples have been selected and will be used to check some properties of these error estimators. In addition to this, some practical conclusions will be addressed from the results and graphical output of the implemented procedure.
Viscoplastic D/BEM analysis of metallic structures with dependence on thermomechanical history
Authors: Providakis C.P. , Kourtakis S.G.
Published: September 2002

The feasibility of advanced viscoplastic models for non‐linear boundary element analysis of metallic structural components with dependence on thermomechanical history is investigated. Several numerical examples are presented using the boundary element implementation of two different internal state variable viscoplastic models to the solution of time‐dependent inelastic problems arising in creeping metallic structural components under the combined action of high temperature loading gradients and quasi‐static mechanical loading conditions. To demonstrate the efficiency of the implemented viscoplastic models, the results obtained using the direct boundary element methodology are compared with those obtained by both analytical and finite element solution as well as, for different numerical results of plane strain thermoviscoplastic deformation problems under general thermomechanical loading.
A new point creation scheme for uniform Delaunay triangulation
Authors: Muylle J. , Iványi P. , Topping B.H.V.
Published: September 2002

A new point creation scheme is presented for generating unstructured uniform size two‐dimensional triangular meshes using the Delaunay triangulation method. The scheme is shown to be suitable for generating meshes with strict limits on element size, such as that used in acoustic and electromagnetic simulations. In this approach for generating meshes of an exact element size a grid made of regular triangles is used to cover most of the mesh domain. An advanced boundary refinement and alignment procedure is presented for optimal connection of the regular grid with the boundary. A new refinement scheme treats the reconnection triangles, between the regular grid and boundary elements, until all are judged satisfactory. Element quality statistics and edge length distribution graphs compare the new scheme with other triangular mesh generation algorithms.
Developing relationship‐led cultures – a case study in retail banking
Authors: Bennett Hadyn , Durkin Mark G.
Published: September 2002

While the concept of relationship marketing has attracted increasing academic and practitioner attention in recent years, issues relating to the practical and context specific implementation of relationship marketing cultures have been less well developed. Indeed, recent literature points up the many difficulties associated with the implementation of relationship marketing. This paper addresses a number of key issues associated with the implementation of a relationship culture in the context of a leading and long established retail banking institution. Specifically, the form which such a culture should take is discussed, together with a critical review of how successful the case bank has been in its establishment. In light of this analysis a conceptual model is proposed for the development of relationship cultures within the banking industry.
An analysis of choice criteria in the home loans market
Authors: Devlin James Francis
Published: September 2002

This paper presents an analysis of customer choice criteria in the home loans market in the UK. In particular, the study investigates the relative importance of choice criteria according to consumers and also analyses differences in the importance of choice criteria with respect to a number of demographic and related factors. A quantitative study drawing data from 4,200 participants is employed. The study shows that choosing a home loan institution on the basis of professional advice is the most frequently cited choice criterion, closely followed by interest rates. Differences in the importance of choice criteria with respect to gender, class, household income, educational attainment, ethnicity and financial maturity are apparent.
The problem of time in financial services business markets: a conceptual approach
Authors: Stanley Edmund , Tyler Katherine
Published: September 2002

This paper presents a conceptual analysis of time within a business‐to‐business financial services context. No study has attempted to do this in the financial services sector. We discuss the methodological debate, literature on temporality and multi‐disciplinary conceptualisations of time. Time as it operates in business relationships is also considered. We analyse effect and problems of the present, past and future in business relationships, and evaluate how these critical temporal junctures affect exchange, relationship development, and the internal and external effectiveness of companies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the resolution of the conflicts which arise out of different temporal perceptions and needs, an examination of those conflicts, and managerial applications for effective management of the alignment of time between interacting organisations.
Applied product quality knowledge and performance
Authors: Claycomb Cindy , Dröge Cornelia , Germain Richard
Published: September 2002

This research challenges the idea of an unconditional and positive influence of knowledge on performance without regard to environmental uncertainty. We focus on applied product quality knowledge spanning the supply chain (i.e. supplier, internal, and customer quality sources are considered). A survey of 208 manufacturing firms examined the moderating influence of product churning (uncertainty) and demand unpredictability on the association between applied product quality knowledge and firm performance. We also controlled for firm size and production technology. Firms that can determine a fit between their product quality knowledge application and the types of environmental uncertainty they face will perform better in terms of market and financial performance indicators.
The performance of contractors in Japan, the UK and the USA
Authors: Xiao Hong , Proverbs David
Published: September 2002

International comparisons of contractor performance allow contractors in different countries to benchmark their own strengths and weaknesses and improve their competitiveness accordingly. Based on a survey of contractors in Japan, the UK and the USA, contractor quality performance is evaluated and compared. It is found that Japanese contractors complete their construction projects with fewer defects, provide longer defects liability periods and are called upon fewer times during the defects liability period than their UK and US counterparts. UK and US contractors do seek more regular feedback from their clients than Japanese contractors and generally similar levels of client satisfaction are achieved in the three countries (based on quality performance). The somewhat superior performance of Japanese contractors may be attributed to their deep‐rooted quality consciousness, closer working relationships with their subcontractors, and more advanced total quality management systems and quality assurance procedures.
Development of an EMS planning framework for environmental management practices
Authors: Pun Kit‐Fai , Hui Ip‐Kee , Lau Henry C.W. , Law Hang‐Wai , Lewis Winston G.
Published: September 2002

The increasing consciousness of sustainable development and reconciling production with ecosystem conservation have fostered the adoption and implementation of environmental management systems (EMS). This paper investigates the critical processes and factors that may affect EMS planning. Empirical findings of a recent study in Hong Kong are presented, and a five‐stage EMS planning framework starting from strategy formulation to system implementation and evaluation is proposed. The framework integrates various perspectives of environmental management and strategy formulation. The paper provides organisations with a procedural guide for implementing environmental management practices. Flexible adaptation of the framework can help organisations derive potential benefits from the EMS implementation leading to sustainable competitive advantage. The framework can be modified to cater for varied business nature and operations in industry.
A grounded multi‐model framework for TQM dynamics
Authors: Leonard Denis , Reid Renee , McAdam Rodney
Published: September 2002

It is often claimed that existing quality models can represent the development of total quality management (TQM) within organisations. However, the more recent emergence of critical perspective literature in this area has shown that these models lack both a strategic formulation influence and a dynamic influence for TQM in organisations. Seeks to combine these influences and to evaluate the role of the strategic dynamics of TQM within organisations. Thus, primarily aims to evaluate the strategic dynamics of TQM within case study organisations using an appropriate evaluative framework. A secondary aim is to perform a meta‐evaluation of this framework. The evaluative framework used for the study is Leonard’s grounded theory framework for TQM strategic dynamics. The model was applied to 57 case studies where a cross case analysis was used to guide the analysis. The findings show that the dynamics of TQM are much more complex and recursive than those shown by current models. Furthermore, the main influence of TQM in the cases was found to be at a tactical level and operational level. Those organisations, which applied TQM at a strategic level, were found to have robust TQM programmes with greater longevity, by using frequent regenerative approaches.
Adoption of information quality management practices in US healthcare organizations
Authors: Lorence Daniel P. , Jameson Robert
Published: September 2002

The growing acceptance of evidence‐based decision support systems in healthcare organizations has resulted in recognition of data quality improvement as a key area of both strategic and operational management. Information managers are faced with their emerging role in establishing quality management standards for information collection and application in the day‐to‐day delivery of health care. In the USA, rigid data‐based practice and performance standards and regulations related to information management have met with some resistance from providers. In the emerging information‐intensive healthcare environment, managers are beginning to understand the importance of formal, continuous data quality assessment in health services delivery and quality management. Variation in data quality management practice poses quality problems in such an environment, since it precludes comparative assessments across larger markets or areas, a critical component of evidence‐based quality assessments. In this study a national survey of health information managers was employed to provide a benchmark of the degree of such variation, examining how quality management practices vary across area indicators. Findings here suggest that managers continue to employ paper‐based quality assessment audits, despite nationwide mandates to adopt system‐based measures using aggregate data analysis and automated quality intervention. The level of adoption of automated quality management methods in this study varied significantly across practice characteristics and areas, suggesting the existence of data quality barriers to cross‐market comparative assessment. Implications for healthcare service delivery in an evidence‐based environment are further examined and discussed.
Benchmarking and quality improvement
Authors: Chen Hsiu‐Li
Published: September 2002

As part of total quality management (TQM), benchmarking management has become a competitive technology taken by many successful companies. A benchmark is the value of some parameters used as a reference point to compare the effectiveness of the various benchmarking processes within one corporation with another and the information obtained is used to improve the processes. In this paper, we propose a quantitative model which links performance indicators with benchmarking process to help the company establish competitive benchmarking. In recent years, industry practices have evolved their strategic and operational decisions taking customer orientation into consideration. Therefore, this study attempts to build the benchmarking from the “voice” of the customer. The comprehensive methodology we propose here is called the quality benchmarking deployment (QBD) technique. In this empirical study, we examined the CKS International Airport and found that the “convenience of transport facilities connecting to the outside”, the “interior design and layout”, and the “information service of the airport” should be priorities to be improved in performing benchmarking activities. Airport benchmarking could provide the CKS International Airport authority with a long‐term vision and a valuable strategic planning tool in airport service.
ISO 9000 registration’s impact on sales and profitability
Authors: Heras Iñaki , Dick Gavin P.M. , Casadesús Martí
Published: September 2002

Although there is a plethora of research articles that study ISO 9000 quality management systems and their association with business success, there is little empirical research that can attribute causality to certification. Contributes to the question of causality, through a comparison against a control group of the actual sales and profitability of 400 certified companies pre and post registration. Using a longitudinal methodology finds that, although the performance of certified companies is superior to that of 400 non‐certified firms, there is no evidence of improved performance after registration in the 400 certified firms studied. Concludes, from these findings, that the superior performance of certified firms is due to firms with superior performance having a greater propensity to pursue ISO 9000 registration. Illustrates the potential dangers in inferring that ISO 9000 certification leads to superior business performance. Additionally the findings should give pause for thought for decision‐makers. Certification is a major investment yet the findings show that inflated expectations of performance improvement after ISO 9000 accreditation may be unfounded.
Evaluation of reliability of complex systems by means of a discretizing approach
Authors: Roy Dilip , Dasgupta Tanmoy
Published: September 2002

This paper examines the suitability of the discretizing approach of Roy and Dasgupta, based on the discrete concentration method of Roy, for determination of reliability of complex systems under Weibull set‐up. A system is said to be complex if its distribution is intractable and analytical evaluation of probability is not available. Numerical analyses on a hollow cylinder, solid shaft, hollow rectangular tube, and the power dissipated by a resistor have been worked out to examine the closeness between the discretized reliability estimators and the simulated values based on Monte Carlo method. Also, it may be observed that the proposed approach has superior performance in comparison to the discretizing approach of English et al., based on the moment equalization method of Taguchi. The mean absolute deviation under the discrete concentration approach is much less than the same under the moment equalization approach for the Weibull set‐up.
Experiences of economic transition in complex contexts
Authors: Rosser Marina V.
Published: September 2002

This paper focuses on nonlinear properties of economic transformation and provides illustrations from nearly a decade of economic transition experience of the formerly planned economies. A particular argument is that policies that move a system along “the edge of chaos” may have the best chance of succeeding. This paper also highlights various difficulties and possible complexities that have not been pointed out by earlier analysts. It suggests that policy makers should keep a watchful eye on smaller incremental changes in the economic and institutional environments critical for their general effectiveness, as some may have enormous impacts at certain points in a dynamically complex environment.
Employers and employees with disabilities in the UK
Authors: Dibben Pauline , James Phil , Cunningham Ian , Smythe David
Published: September 2002

This paper examines the importance of the “business case” in relation to disability practice. In order to investigate this issue, it draws on an analysis of over 400 top company annual reports. Findings cast doubt on the notion that organisations are influenced by an explicitly economic rationale, and also indicate the apparent limited influence of notions of social justice. Instead, they point toward the prominence of corporate social responsibility, suggesting that employers might be using the employment of people with disabilities as a subtle way to promote their corporate image.
Formation of desired values: the role of parents
Authors: Abdullah Yusof Selamah , Mohd Amin Ruzita , Aslam Mohamed Haneef Mohamed , Hazizan
Published: September 2002

This study investigates the values of teenagers and their parents, and the influence parents have on the values of their children. Values are categorized into terminal and instrumental values. Different from previous works on values, the measurement of both these values is based on al‐Ghazali’s works in line with Islamic ethics. In addition, this study also determines the “oughtness” of both categories of values. The results reveal that overall, both teenagers and parents had good instrumental and terminal values. However, there were differences in the terminal values of teenagers and parents across ethnic groups. The analysis also shows that teenagers shared similar terminal and instrumental values as their parents, implying that parents had a significant influence on the development of their children’s values. Thus parents play an important role in transmitting good values to their children in resisting negative influences.
Worsening income gaps and a sustainable future
Authors: Ward Richard J.
Published: September 2002

To resolve the wide and growing disparity of incomes within the USA and between highly and poorly developed countries, self‐empowerment of the poor – while devoutly to be encouraged and wished for – will not suffice without continued and enhanced global commitments of assistance from private, public domestic and international governments and institutions in the tasks of educating and training of the poor for better jobs, improved health practices and viable democracies. The effort will require the transfer of billions of dollars to development from the estimated $1.5 trillion currently spent on military arms worldwide and more equitable land distribution without political and social upheaval. Human nature must be pressed to eschew selfish materialism, indifference and political opportunism, for the common good of current and future generations.
John Locke, Thomas Hobbes and the development of political economy
Authors: Vinnicombe Thea , Staveley Richard
Published: September 2002

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke are typically linked with the foundations of political economy, while at the same time, Locke’s teaching is regarded as differing substantively from that of Hobbes. Locke, in fact, differs from Hobbes on only one substantive issue, that of the political regime most compatible with a commercial republic. Recognising Hobbes’ preference for monarchy as a deficiency in his natural law teaching, Locke was able to establish that teaching on firmer ground than had been possible for Hobbes. Moreover, Locke’s more prudent presentation of this new teaching, which decisively rejected the previous tradition of Western thought, significantly advanced its acceptance. In the most important aspect of Hobbes’ thought, that of his application of the method of the new mathematical sciences to the study of human nature, Locke is in complete agreement with his predecessor.
Gender inequality in India: evidence from a survey in rural West Bengal
Authors: Tisdell Clem
Published: September 2002

Notes the unfavourable female‐male ratio in India and its declining trend. In addition, the convergence of this ratio for the scheduled castes towards that of the general castes is noted as well as the slight decline in this ratio for scheduled tribals. A reason for this trend is suggested. Gender inequality is explored by summarising the results of survey of wives in the Midnapore area of West Bengal. Wives in four villages were interviewed so as to include tribals (Santals), and non‐tribals, all of whom were Hindus. The socio‐economic characteristics of those interviewed are first summarised and general information provided about the survey. The results are then used to consider several aspects of inequality in relation to sons and daughters, to gauge the influence of wives on the welfare of their children and to compare the socio‐economic status of wives in comparison to husbands. Comparisons are made between Santal and non‐Santal gender preferences and socio‐economic behaviour.
Factors influencing physician participation in Medicaid in the USA
Authors: Tucker Jessie L.
Published: September 2002

Physician participation in Medicaid is an important factor in the determination of access to health care for low‐income individuals. This study seeks to provide insight into the factors that affect physicians’ decisions to participate in the Medicaid program. As Medicaid is administered under broad federal guidelines, there is some degree of commonality between the different programs in each state and many physician and market unique factors traverse state lines. On this basis, several propositions are presented. Physician participation in Medicaid is posited to be positively associated with Medicaid reimbursement rates, the percentage of the available patient base in the Medicaid program, physician perceived autonomy and whether the physician is a foreign medical graduate. Alternately, participation decisions are proposed to be negatively associated with practice costs, competition for paying patients, the difference between the marginal revenue derived from paying patients and revenue from Medicaid patients, and board certification. This study seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the effects of changes to the Medicaid program, and suggests their likelihood of success in providing care to vulnerable populations.
The role of human resource management in today’s organizations: the case of Cyprus in comparison with the European Union
Authors: Stavrou‐Costea Eleni
Published: September 2002

The present study identified and addressed some important issues related to human resource management and its role within organizations. These issues involve human resource planning, training, management and career development, and work flexibility. Cyprus was used as a case study and practices among Cypriot organizations were compared with their counterparts in the EU.
HRM in the knowledge‐based economy: is there an afterlife?
Authors: Raich Mario
Published: September 2002

There is a clear shift in human resource management from a “service provider” to a “business partner”; however, the new requirements and needs can also be met by the line management or external parties. For this reason, the new development is at the same time an immense opportunity and a threat for the HR managers. We are convinced that the HR function in the future will be very different from that in the past. The companies that do not see this and do not act accordingly will have a serious problem with the core assets of the “new economy”: the knowledge workers and the knowledge professionals.
Standardised leadership tools in MNEs – critical reflections on the conditions for successful implementations
Authors: Lunnan Randi , Petter Amdam Rolv , Hennestad Bjørn , Erland Lervik Jon , Nilsen Sølvi
Published: September 2002

The article is inspired by a paradox: why do MNEs like standardised leadership tools when everybody argues that the world is becoming more complex? Based on this paradox the article raises the question: under what conditions will standardisation of a leadership tool be most useful to an MNE? Previous literature suggests that standardisation of a leadership tool may have control and learning benefits, and the article explores these effects looking at external and internal contexts of MNE subsidiaries. The paper is conceptual, but draws also on examples from a case study within a Norwegian MNE. The article argues that external complexity diminishes the usefulness of standardisation to an MNE. Internal fit of the tool with other tools will increase benefits of standardisation, the article argues, whereas managerial autonomy is associated with higher subsidiary learning effects, but lower synergy and control effects.
Innovation and learning in agriculture
Authors: Nieuwenhuis Loek F.M.
Published: September 2002

Innovation is a complex process, based on interactive network learning and processes of trial and error on the shop floor. Small companies, such as in agriculture, are depending on external knowledge infrastructures for effective innovation. Within small companies, the entrepreneur has a pivotal role in the innovative process: the entrepreneur is the professional learner. Learning and innovation as major parts of entrepreneurship are central to this contribution. How do farmers learn and innovate within a market‐led, high‐tech agricultural sector and what should governmental policy look like to support and facilitate innovation, avoiding the pitfall of protectionism? Two case studies are presented: one on linear innovation policy and one on learning processes of farmers. Innovative learning is balancing between the chaos of uncertainty and the old grooves of experience. Knowing how to escape this paradox forms the core competence of innovative entrepreneurship.
The effect of neurolinguistic programming on organisational and individual performance: a case study
Authors: Thompson John E. , Courtney Lisa , Dickson D.
Published: September 2002

Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) is a set of techniques designed to make you better at what you do. NLP helps you to understand yourself and others and teaches you how to communicate effectively with others in order to build better relationships with them. Reports on a longitudinal study of the effect of a two to three day NLP course on managers and staff in the hospitality industry. The evaluation is unique as it is the only known longitudinal research into the effects of NLP. Measurements were taken on four psychometric measures at four time periods. The four constructs measured are all positively linked to performance. Three show increases over the start of course measure. Self‐efficacy does not. The verdict on the efficacy of NLP is unclear. Draws some conclusions on the extension of the research.
Total quality management continuous improvement: is the philosophy a reality?
Authors: Walsh Aidan , Hughes Helen , Maddox Daniel P.
Published: September 2002

This paper examines the practice of total quality management (TQM) philosophy within companies operating in Ireland. The main objective of this study is to establish whether, or not, TQM philosophy is suitable for adoption by organisations in Ireland. The study is quantitative in nature and is based on the findings of two research questionnaires. Data from the research indicate that TQM activities are practised throughout Irish industry. Many organisations have adopted a TQM approach in a comprehensive manner and are committed to TQM activities for the long term. The majority of respondents indicated that their TQM programmes were successful. This bodes well for the continuance of TQM activities within these organisations. It is concluded that TQM philosophy is suitable for adoption by organisations operating in Ireland and that a TQM approach offers these organisations a platform for developing strategies that guarantee competitiveness and success.
Scaling observation with complex‐valued coefficients: some remarks and prospects
Authors: Jumarie Guy
Published: September 2002

Three kinds of observations are usually used in the modelling of general systems: Gallilean observation, observation with informational invariance and scaling observation. All these models presuppose the invariance of the dimension of the system under consideration. The purpose of the present paper is to examine what happens when the observation process increases this dimension. A 1‐D co‐ordinate switches to a 2‐D co‐ordinate. Complex‐valued random variables are used to describe this approach. Prospects of applications are outlined.
Approximation of several variables functions by products or sums of one variable functions
Authors: Benabidallah A. , Cherruault Y. , Tourbier Y.
Published: September 2002

Decomposition of several variables functions by means of functions of one variable was a fundamental problem, studied by mathematicians, and the specially by KOLMOGOROV school. This question is closely connected with optimization and optimal control and with multiple integrals calculus. These problems have been investigated by Professor Y. Cherruault and colleagues, using the ALIENOR method, which is based on α‐dense curves. The decomposition method of Adomian can be coupled with global optimization for solving optimal control problems. Aim is to calculate multiple integrals by a special decomposition of the function using an orthonormal basis of functions. Presents also new methods for approximating a n‐variables function by means of the sum of product of n functions only depending on a single variable. Applications to multi‐variables optimization problems and optimal control system are described.
Dynamic modelling and optimal time‐energy off‐line programming of mobile robots
Authors: Khoukhi Amar
Published: September 2002

In this paper the problem of the dynamic optimal time‐energy Off‐Line programming of an autonomous mobile robot in a crowded environment is considered. First, kinematic model and planning are presented. Then a dynamic model based on Euler‐Lagrange formalism is developed and a mobility estimation function of the robot is considered. This dynamic estimation of the robot mobility takes into account of the velocity and the orientation of the robot. Then the scene structuration and a path finder algorithm are developed. After, the optimal dynamic off‐line programming is formulated as a nonlinear programming problem under nonlinear equality and inequality constraints. The Discrete Augmented Lagrangian (DAL) is used to obtain the optimal trajectograhy. We develop an extended DAL to DALAP, DALAdaptive Penalty. RoboSim 1.0 simulator is developed to perform kinematic and DALAP based algorithms on a large class of mobile robots optimal time‐energy off‐line programming. A comparative study with kinematic planning is considered. It is shown that the performance of the dynamic optimal time‐energy control and off‐line programming is much better than kinematic and heuristic based schemes. This strategy of trajectory planning was implemented on the case study of the SARA mobile robot model.
On the solution of the non‐linear Korteweg–de Vries equation by the decomposition method
Authors: Cherruault Y. , Inc M. , Abbaoui K.
Published: September 2002

The Adomian decomposition method is used to implement the non‐linear Korteweg–de Vries equations. The analytic solution of the equation is calculated in the form of a convergent power series with easily computable components. The non‐homogeneous problem is quickly solved by observing the self‐cancelling “noise” terms whose sum vanishes in the limit. Comparing this methodology with some known techniques shows that the present approach is highly accurate.
Productions and rules in artificial intelligence
Authors: Stefanuk V.L. , Zhozhikashvili A.V.
Published: September 2002

An analysis of the productions and rules in the way they are used in artificial intelligence systems is presented. The proposed new definition for productions refers to a large number of types of productions which may be found in the literature on AI systems. This definition emphasizes in the most general way those production components which are important both for theory and for practice and which for some reasons remained unnoticed by many researchers. These components are implemented in a theoretical formalism which concludes the paper.
Multiagent communication combining genetic programming and pheromone communication
Authors: Mackin Kenneth J. , Tazaki Eiichiro
Published: September 2002

Multiagent systems, in which independent software agents interact with each other to achieve common goals, complete concurrent distributed tasks under autonomous control. Agent Communication has been shown to be an important factor in coordinating efficient group behavior in agents. Most researches on training or evolving group behavior in multiagent systems used predefined agent communication protocols. Designing agent communication becomes a complex problem in dynamic and large‐scale systems. In order to solve this problem, in this paper we propose a new application of existing training methods. By applying Genetic Programming techniques, namely Automatically Defined Function Genetic Programming (ADF‐GP), in combination with pheromone communication features, we allowed the agent system to autonomously learn effective agent communication messaging for coordinated group behavior. A software simulation of a multiagent transaction system aiming at e‐commerce usage will be used to observe the effectiveness of the proposed method in the targeted environment. Using the proposed method, automatic training of a compact and efficient agent communication protocol for the multiagent system was observed.
The decomposition method for solving first order partial differential equations
Authors: Khelifa S. , Cherruault Y.
Published: September 2002

In this paper our objective is to show how to approach the solution of any first order partial differential equation (p.d.e.), using Adomian decompositon method and α‐dense curves. Indicates that this method is perfectly adapted to the solution of such equations and especially in the nonlinear case. The results are of particular importance in biomedicine and biocybernetics.
Line‐oriented two‐dimensional parallel computer languages
Authors: Lee Edward T.
Published: September 2002

Line‐oriented two‐dimensional grammars (LOTDGs), region‐oriented two‐dimensional grammars (ROTDGs) and parallel productions are introduced. The relationships between LOTDGs and ROTDGs are stated. Examples of LOTDGS for generating all possible 45° right‐angled triangles, all possible squares, all possible 45° isosceles trapezoids, and all possible 45° parallelograms using parallel productions are presented. A new concise representation of a derivation chain is also introduced and illustrated by examples. LOTDGs and ROTDGs are compared. Generally speaking, LOTDGs require less terminal variables and non‐terminal variables, require less storage space, and require less derivation steps. Seven challenging problems for future research are also included. In addition, parallel production is an effective tool to model parallel computers as well as parallel processing. The results have useful applications in robot vision interpretation, robot pictorial communication, artificial intelligence, visual languages, software engineering, medical expert systems, and fuzzy logic functions.
Improvement of convergence of Adomian’s method using Padé approximants
Authors: Chrysos M. , Sanchez F. , Cherruault Y.
Published: September 2002

We show that Padé approximants considerably improve convergence of Adomian's decomposition. The power of the method proposed is demonstrated through two illustrative examples from the field of nonlinear optics.