bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Harnessing the hidden enterprise culture of advanced economies
Authors: Williams Colin C. , Windebank Jan
Published: September 2006

Purpose

In the majority (third) world, informal employment has been long viewed as an asset to be harnessed rather than a hindrance to development. The purpose of this paper is to show how a similar perspective is starting to be embraced in advanced economies and investigates the implications for public policy of this re‐reading.

Design/methodology/approach

Documents the shifts in how informal employment in western economies is conceptualised in both the academic literature and public policy.

Findings

This paper reveals that the representation of informal employment as an exploitative, low‐paid sweatshop realm is being replaced with a depiction of such work as a hidden enterprise culture that needs to be harnessed. Evaluating how this might be achieved, the need for a shift in public policy away from a deterrence approach and towards an approach that combines deterrents with enabling initiatives to pull this hidden enterprise culture into the formal economy is identified. Specific enabling measures to achieve this in the context of advanced economies are then discussed.

Practical implications

This paper displays how western governments can harness the hidden enterprise culture by setting out specific initiatives to enable its transfer into the formal economy.

Originality/value

This paper provides one of the first attempts to re‐read informal employment as a hidden enterprise culture and to evaluate its implications for public policy.
Tackling informal employment: the case of southern Italy
Authors: Bàculo Liliana
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper os to reveal the complex characteristics of informal employment and the difficulties of implementing policies to counteract this phenomenon.

Design/methodology/approach

Sections 1 and 2 review different theories on the causes and effects of informal employment, drawn from the international literature on the subject. Sections 3 and 4 present the results of field research conducted in Southern Italy with the intent of exploring the nature of informal employment. Section 5 illustrates and analyzes some cases of regularization processes drawn from further field research conducted in Southern Italy.

Findings

This paper reveals that the key factor to facilitate successful regularization is not only the willingness of entrepreneurs and/or workers to abide by the law but also other important variables such as entrepreneurial skills, the presence of welfare programmes and the business environment within which business activities take place. The main conclusion of this paper is that informal employment is often the result of a complex interaction of economic, psychological and social factors.

Practical implications

The practical implications of this conclusion are that, in order to successfully tackle informal employment, regularization policies have to be “tailored” to the specific context of their implementation.

Originality/value

This paper evaluates the wider applicability of the regularization policies used in Italy to harness informal employment.
Collaborative relationships in facility services
Authors: Lehtonen Tero
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The aim of this study is to identify success factors of collaborative relationships and the attributes that distinguish collaborative relationships from arm's‐length relationships in facility services. Additionally, in order to understand why companies are moving towards the more collaborative approach in managing relations with their facility service providers, the underlying problems in earlier practices are analyzed.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is qualitative, based on semi‐structured and focus group interviews. Representatives from both client and service provider companies were interviewed.

Findings

Collaborative relationships in the facility services context are by nature similar to those in other areas of supply chain management. The prerequisite for the successful establishment of a collaborative relationship is that both parties have a particular readiness for it. This includes both capability for co‐operation and a collaborative mindset. Instead of self‐seeking behavior and short‐term contracts, mutual trust, commitment, openness, the involvement of different organizational levels, continuous development, and the promise of mutual benefits are needed. In the long run, relationship success is guaranteed by co‐operation, two‐way information sharing and goal congruence. In addition to the business perspective, relationship success includes the end‐user perspective. Earlier practices have suffered from poor communication, shortcomings in service management and lack of development activity.

Originality/value

As well as contributing to the current body of knowledge on inter‐organizational relationships, this study offers potential benefits to both facility service providers and buyers in terms of describing how to formulate successful relationships and to improve the performance and efficiency of collaborative relations.
How do you quickly load cases and trays with tough to handle product?
Authors: Bloss Richard
Published: September 2006

Purpose

To report on the design and development of a robotic product carton packing system that handles both soft plastic pouches or bags and small individual serving boxes and places into shipping cartons.

Design/methodology/approach

A food processing equipment OEM teamed with a control and servo drives supplier to create a high speed, flexible packing robot‐based system. Together they selected the drives and controller needed and developed special software for the application.

Findings

Even tough to handle packages such as soft plastic bags or pouches, small boxes or even bottles can be efficiently packed into shipping cartons or crates with careful engineering of grippers and robotic handling.

Practical implications

Teaming with a full product line automation controls supplier can speed an OEM's development of complex robotic equipment and help insure that the system meets project goals.

Originality/value

Knowing what others have accomplished can provide not only a project plan but can also bring fresh ideas to other projects. Helps designers think outside the box for new ideas.
Industrial robots in the Japanese automobile industry – Robot equipment trends in a time of steady growth
Authors: Yagi Takashi
Published: September 2006

Purpose

Reports on trends in the design and application of robots in the Japanese automotive industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Surveys the business practices of Japanese automotive manufacturers and their plants in Japan and overseas

Findings

Since, the 1990s, Japanese auto‐manufactures have expanded their main business activity in the overseas countries where they had to construct new factories with robot equipment. It was difficult because many new problems were experienced. But the production engineers devised the approach of improving efficiency in domestic factories and then quickly constructing overseas factories based on their experience and connections formed in the 80s. Incremental improvements in practices and the application of off‐line programming characterise recent developments.

Originality/value

Highlights the technical and strategic developments by major robot users.
Automatic construction of 2D and 3D models during robot inspection
Authors: Gramegna Tommaso , Cicirelli Grazia , Attolico Giovanni , Distante Arcangelo
Published: September 2006

Purpose

Aims to make a mobile robot able to build accurate 2D and 3D models of its environment while navigating autonomously.

Design/methodology/approach

2D map building is performed using a laser range scanner. The map is used by the robot to both localize itself and recognize places already explored. This is the well‐known simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) problem. 3D model reconstruction, instead, uses computer vision techniques based on feature extraction and matching.

Findings

The experimental results illustrate the validity and accuracy of the reconstructed maps of the environment and enable the robot to navigate autonomously in indoor environments, such as museums, hospitals, airports, offices and so on. Such a robot can play a major role in different tasks such as surveillance, image‐based rendering, remote fruition of hardly accessible sites, monitoring and maintenance applications, reverse engineering in construction. In these areas accurate 3D models in addition to 2D maps can convey a lot of very useful information.

Originality/value

The main contribution of the paper is an interesting integration of different algorithms in an experimental platform that performs 2D map building using a laser range scanner, autonomous navigation and 3D reconstruction of the areas of particular interest.
Unpacking performativity: a case study of patriarchy and the elderly in China
Authors: Powell Jason , Cook Ian G.
Published: September 2006

Purpose

To analyse the relationship between China, patriachy, ageing, and social theory grounded in Judith Butler's notion of performativity.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a novel theoretical framework to examine instances of patriachal identities by using China as a case study.

Findings

Performativity, we suggest, offers productive insights into the processes of subjection and the nature of power relations that may be usefully incorporated into studies of the elderly in China.

Research limitations/implications

This is a theoretical paper.

Practical implications

It raises questions to relationship of patriachy to understanding Chinese culture.

Originality/value

It is an original paper in that an application of Butler's conceptual tools have bot been applied elsewhere to examining China and ageing.
The contribution of networks to immigrant insertion into the informal economy
Authors: Trinci Simone
Published: September 2006

Purpose

This article seeks to explain the role of networks in facilitating immigrant insertion into the labour market.

Design/methodology/approach

Participant observation and semi‐structured interviews were conducted in Tuscany in Italy with immigrants working in the agricultural, building and family care sectors.

Findings

Networks have been discovered to play some role in providing information on vacancies but a less important role in providing guarantees to employers. Unlike much previous research, therefore, this study does not find that co‐ethnic networks enable new immigrants to find jobs in the informal economy.

Originality/value

This is one of the few contemporary empirical studies on immigrants in the informal economy in Italy and the role that networks play in gaining entry.
Managing a hotel's perishable inventory using bid prices
Authors: Harewood Stephen I.
Published: September 2006

Purpose

To determine conditions under which a hotel in Barbados can benefit from the use of revenue management.

Design/methodology/approach

Monte Carlo simulation is used to compare a first‐come first‐served approach for accepting booking requests to a bid price approach. Comparisons are made using different assumptions about upgrading, downgrading and overbooking.

Findings

When demand intensity is high, the bid price method yields higher revenue than the first‐come first‐served method. If demand intensity is low, but some necessary resources are scarce and the hotel practises upgrading and downgrading, then the bid price approach can also lead to improved revenue. No evidence was found to suggest that overbooking or downgrading costs affect the relative performances of the two approaches if these costs are taken into consideration.

Research limitations/implications

This research was conducted for one type of hotel using a particular sample period and the conclusions will not necessarily be true for other sample periods and other types of hotels.

Practical implications

The results show that hotels, which practise upgrading, downgrading and overbooking, should consider adopting a revenue management approach, when allocating their scarce resources among competing market segments.

Originality/value

Existing linear programming models of the revenue management problem are extended here to allow for upgrading and downgrading, when one resource is substituted for another in a package, and to allow for overbooking, when the hotel cannot honour a booking because of the unavailability of some resource. This formulation emphasizes the efficient allocation of all of the hotel's scarce resources.
The effects of ISO 9001 on firms' productive efficiency
Authors: Tzelepis Dimitris , Tsekouras Kostas , Skuras Dimitris , Dimara Efthalia
Published: September 2006

Purpose

This work sets out to explore the effects of ISO 9001 on productive efficiency of firms.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 1,572 firms from three Greek manufacturing industries is used for empirical work. The firms are from the food and beverages industries, the machineries industries as well as from the electrical and electronics appliances manufacturing industries and include both adopters and non‐adopters of ISO 9001. A stochastic frontier methodological approach is adopted and the effects of ISO 9001 can be modeled in four ways: as a managerial input alongside the conventional inputs of capital and labor, as a factor affecting technical inefficiency, as an input and a factor affecting technical inefficiency and as having no effect at all.

Findings

ISO 9001 operates as a factor affecting technical inefficiency with non‐neutral effects on capital and labor. The combined effect of ISO 9001 with capital increases the level of technical inefficiency reflecting adjustment costs incurred when ISO 9001 is adopted. The combined effect of ISO 9001 with labor decreases the level of technical inefficiency reflecting the positive result of ISO 9001 on reducing x‐inefficiency.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis isolates the effects of ISO 9001 on capital and labor but specific case studies are necessary in order to reveal managerial best practices that confront negative and support positive effects of ISO 9001 adoption within firms.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates that ISO 9001 is a managerial factor reducing productive inefficiency.
Sequences of improvement in supply networks: case studies from the pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Danese Pamela , Romano Pietro , Vinelli Andrea
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The aim of the current study is to develop an understanding of the decisional process that leads a company, at a given point in time, to choose the subsequent supply chain management (SCM) initiative to be implemented.

Design/methodology/approach

This research adopts the descriptive case study research design, as defined by Yin and McCutcheon and Meredith. Four supply networks, whose central firms are leading pharmaceutical companies, have been investigated.

Findings

At a given time when deciding the SCM initiative(s) to be implemented, external fit and the state of supply network configuration and integration are both important, but for different reasons. In particular, lack of external fit triggers the implementation of SCM initiatives. Sequences of SCM initiatives are the result of a series of successive decisional situations, where the external fit and state of supply network configuration and integration vary each time a new SCM initiative is implemented.

Research limitations/implications

The research is descriptive. Further research is required to develop a theory on the sequences of SCM improvement initiatives.

Practical implications

Managers contemplating the implementation of SCM interventions should consider the current performance conditions for competitiveness and compare them with the measured supply network performances, decide what SCM initiatives should be implemented after considering the current state of the supply network configuration and integration and performance dimensions to be improved, and measure the impact (positive and negative) of the implemented initiatives on supply network performance to evaluate whether or not to implement further initiatives. Moreover, if managers are able to forecast the potential performance trade‐off associated with the implementation of the selected SCM interventions, long‐term improvement programmes encompassing further SCM initiatives over time can be planned to counteract the trade‐off penalty.

Originality/value

This study refines current literature on the sequences of improvement in supply networks, by demonstrating that the state of supply network configuration and integration is not enough to explain the decisional process that leads a company to follow a well‐defined sequence. The paper also explores how the external fit affects the adoption of the following SCM initiatives, thus proving that SCM sequences cannot be considered context‐free.
ERP implementation efforts at three firms
Authors: Bozarth Cecil
Published: September 2006

Purpose

To compare actual company ERP implementation practices with the prescriptions found in the strategic information systems planning (SISP) and IT‐enabled change management literature.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study method is used to study ERP specification, selection, and implementation efforts at three companies. The main sources of data were structured face‐to‐face interviews with key personnel, and supporting internal documents provided by the study companies.

Findings

All three companies did an adequate job linking the ERP decision to higher‐level IS and supply chain strategies, although mid‐level managers dominated the strategic debate. However, two of the companies fell far short in the specification and selection processes, particularly with regard to achieving broad participation and managing stakeholder commitment. As such, these two companies missed an opportunity to think independently about their long‐term information requirements and capabilities, proactively manage the debate with the vendors, and obtain early buy‐in from key users.

Research limitations/implications

The case study method limits the sample size, but allows more depth than would be possible using survey instruments or secondary sources. In time, follow‐up research will examine the ultimate success of the companies' efforts.

Practical implications

An important insight is the importance of involving key users in the specification and selection process, especially when the new system promised radical change to current work methods.

Originality/value

This research provides a concise comparison of the ERP efforts across three companies, and pulls together the OM‐based ERP research, SISP, and IT‐enabled change literatures. It is suitable for practitioners and students, as well as researchers.
Approaches of the Austrian School to the Soziale Frage before World War I – Wieser and Böhm‐Bawerk
Authors: Chaloupek Günther
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The paper aims to provide an overview of the Austrian School's approaches to the social question before World War I.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of a comparative study.

Findings

In his contributions Friedrich von Wieser supported co‐operative associations as an organizational form of big enterprise to be used as instruments to ameliorate the social condition of workers; and who dealt with issues such as private ownership of the means of production and economic inequality, impact of collective bargaining on wage formation, and public economy, where he discussed the contribution of public sector production to social value. Further reports on Böhm‐Bawerk's essay on disadvantageous consequences of free competition where he came to the conclusion that free competition in reality does not maximize national economic welfare, without, however, drawing concrete policy consequences from his findings. As Austria's finance minister he introduced a modestly progressive income tax early in the twentieth century. Later, in his essay “Control or economic law” he took a more reserved position with respect to the possibilities of correcting ore modifying outcomes of the market process.

Practical implications

The paper illustrates that redistribution can enhance economic welfare.

Originality/value

Calls back to memory that opinions of the first generation of the Austrian School (Wieser, Böhm‐Bawerk) were different from Ludwig Mises' positions expressed in Die Gemeinwirtschaft that all measures of social policy are aimed at the destruction of the free market economy, which later came to be considered as the dominant position of the Austrian School towards the social question.
Another look at the social question
Authors: Ramos Silva Joaquim
Published: September 2006

Purpose

Focussing on the historical experience, the purpose of this paper is to argue the need for change in the design and implementation of social policies in order to overcome the stalemate of the last two or three decades.

Design/methodology/approach

Starting with the social measures taken by Bismarck in the late nineteenth century, the paper shows that modern social policy has ever since been diversely developed in the world, and compares the experiences of the USA and Europe. Under this framework, the paper raises less handled social issues that are decisive for a true reform, and that must be taken into account either theoretically or for practical purposes.

Findings

In a competitive environment and in a rapidly changing world economy, it is demonstrated that the paper's topic has a strong theoretical and empirical basis. Owing to its great complexity, however, the search for sound economic foundations of social policies must be continued.

Practical implications

In dealing with the dilemmas faced by social policies more emphasis should be put on the development of new insights, particularly on a global scale and in a more friendly approach to technological modernisation.

Originality/value

The paper explores the deepening of the policy mix between public measures and civil society initiatives as a possible solution to the present difficulties. Furthermore, it stresses the relevance of marginalised issues like the full integration of technological modernisation, and of an international dimension into the social policies, so far basically domestic.
An analytical approach on defense expenditure and economic growth
Authors: Kalyoncu Huseyin , Yucel Fatih
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between defense expenditure and economic growth for Turkey and Greece in the period of 1956‐2003 using yearly data.

Design/methodology/approach

The Engle‐Granger cointegration methodology and Granger causality test are used.

Findings

It is found that these two variables are cointegrated for both countries studied. Unidirectional causality running from economic growth to defense expenditure is only found for Turkey.

Originality/value

The paper ınvestigates the long‐run relationship between defense expenditure and economic growth by conducting cointegration and causality tests in the context of Turkey and Greece over the period 1956‐2003.
The role of leadership theory in raising the profile of women in management
Authors: Jogulu Uma D. , Wood Glenice J.
Published: September 2006

Purpose

To consider how leadership theories have helped or hindered raising the profile of women in management and leadership roles.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper traces the earlier leadership theories through to the contemporary research on transactional and transformational leadership styles and offers a viewpoint on how each theory has contributed, or otherwise, to an awareness and acceptance of women in management and leadership roles.

Findings

In 1990, research began to report gender differences in leadership styles with female managers being seen in positive terms as participative, democratic leaders. More recent work reports that women are believed to exhibit more transformational leadership style than their male colleagues, and this is equated with effective leadership.

Research limitations/implications

All of the earlier theories on leadership excluded women and this exacerbated the problem of women not being seen as an appropriate fit in a management or leadership role. Recent findings clearly describe that the transformational qualities of leadership that women exhibit are required by the flatter organisational structures of today. Therefore, a more positive outcome for women advancing to senior roles of management or leadership may be observed in the future.

Originality/value

The paper reviews the major leadership theories, and links these to a timeframe to illustrate how women were not visible in a management context until relatively recently. Such an omission may have contributed to the continuing low numbers of women who advance to senior management and leadership roles.
New build or conversion?
Authors: Rhodes Lee , Wilkinson Sara
Published: September 2006

Purpose

This research aims to analyse the preferences within key groups for the conversion of existing buildings or the construction of new buildings for private residential purposes in Sheffield city centre.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review analysed the factors which have increased in importance and influenced the choice between city centre private residential conversion and new build. Interviews with professionals including developers, planners and property agents, the key stakeholders and in this case, practitioners within Sheffield, examined the sustainability, technical and financial issues in the residential property development.

Findings

The results revealed that developers preferred new build for city centre private residential development. Though the urban planners of Sheffield had no preferences, they encouraged the reuse of buildings, but due to a scarcity of suitable redundant buildings for conversion it is inevitable that the city will see new build on the cityscape in future.

Practical implications

As the housing market loses the impetus of recent years the predictions made in this paper will provide useful advice to property developers in avoiding costly investment mistakes.

Originality/value

This study provides a case study upon which to base similar studies of residential urban regeneration projects in other locations.
Occupancy costs: a method for their estimation
Authors: Stoy Christian , Kytzia Susanne
Published: September 2006

Purpose

Today the costs of real estate are the second or third largest cost factor in most companies. The planning of so‐called occupancy costs, therefore, plays a particularly important role. Cost models that permit a forecast of these costs serve to assist in such planning. The objective of this study is to support occupancy cost planning and benchmarking.

Design/methodology/approach

Two regression models are presented. They permit a forecast of total occupancy costs as well as the subset of these costs that is recognized in the profit and loss account. Both models are based on 70 Swiss owner‐operated office buildings.

Findings

The forecast accuracy with mean absolute percentage errors (MAPEs) of 10 and 11 percent can be classified as good. The quality of the cost models is further tested on the basis of ten additional properties that were not used for building the models. The forecast accuracies again prove to be comparatively high (absolute percentage errors from 2 to 18 percent and from 0.2 to 25 percent).

Research limitations/implications

In order to be able to improve the quality of forecasting occupancy costs, future studies should focus especially on the strategic dimension of real estate management (e.g. maintenance and outsourcing strategies).

Originality/value

The proposed concept and the cost model forms the starting point for further studies.
Export marketing information‐gathering and processing in small and medium‐sized enterprises
Authors: Williams Jasmine E.M.
Published: September 2006

Purpose

To draw together the diverse and diffuse elements of previous research into the determinants of success in export marketing by SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

Groups of export marketing activities derived from the literature and preliminary qualitative fieldwork were incorporated in a questionnaire‐based survey of a purposive sample of small exporters in one region of the UK, measuring the frequency of their use against levels of export commitment, involvement, and experience.

Findings

Results contradict the traditional view that the longer a company has been exporting, the more likely it is to do well. The study provides evidence to encourage ambitious exporting SMEs to develop active and on‐going marketing and information‐gathering activities, and to dedicate specific financial and human resources to exporting.

Research limitations/implications

The highly focused approach to measuring the relationships between export marketing activities and company characteristics should ideally be further extended, in the context of a wide range of studies relating other organizational, managerial and environmental variables to export success.

Practical implications

The findings and conclusions alert marketing intelligence‐gatherers to the dangers of conventional assumptions about marketing practice, provide practical guidelines for planners of export marketing strategy, and could form the basis of an easily administered diagnostic tool, all in the SME context.

Originality/value

Focusing on behaviour rather than attitudes, the research provides a practical set of criteria against which SME activities can be measured.
Communication processes in critical systems: dialogues concerning communications
Authors: Holm Olof
Published: September 2006

Purpose

To identify factors of decisive importance relating to communicative processes within companies and organisations, where communication across levels is essential not only for efficiency and effectiveness, but also because conditions are particularly challenging.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review leads to an ethnographic study of internal communication in a “critical system” in which decisions are crucial and the margin of error very small: a naval vessel.

Findings

Common educational and empirical backgrounds, coded language, and mutual understanding of context and goals are necessary prerequisites for the attainment of organisational goals and the avoidance of mistakes with potentially serious consequences. At the professional management level, they achieve fully functioning communications, but the concomitant uniformity and homogeneity can create difficulties in communication with other systems, organisations and individuals. There were few problems with horizontal communication at the strategic management level, but vertical flows between strategy and operational levels were prone to distortion and malfunction.

Research limitations/implications

This study may initiate further research concerning communication theory and its relation to marketing leadership and management.

Practical implications

The findings and research procedure can be adapted to analysis of the developmental needs of organisations operating in complex, dynamic and uncertain marketing environments.

Originality/value

Reports a study in an environment well beyond the normal setting of marketing research, in which the complexities and challenges faced by all participants in the system exceed those normally faced by marketing organisations. Thereby allows lessons to be learnt about effective communication under difficult operating conditions, such as those faced by marketers in a turbulent and uncertain future.
Advertising planning, ad‐agency use of advertising models, and the academic practitioner divide
Authors: Gabriel Helen , Kottasz Rita , Bennett Roger
Published: September 2006

Purpose

To examine the extent to which “account planners” in advertising agencies use formal academic models of “how advertising works” and to identify the factors that discourage non‐users from applying academic advertising theory.

Design/methodology/approach

Account executives in 152 full‐service and 72 creative advertising agencies in the UK completed a questionnaire concerning the use of formal models, preferences for developing those in‐house versus adopting pre‐existing “textbook” prescriptions, and factors that might discouraged application of academic advertising theory in any form. The data collected were interpreted by means of factor analysis, structural equation modelling and correspondence analysis, and conclusions drawn with respect to theory and practice.

Findings

There was considerable ignorance of formal models of advertising effect. Agencies using them typically favoured the hierarchy‐of‐effects variants. Although more than a third of the sample eschewed models, there was little evidence of animosity towards advertising theory of itself. Non‐adoption was significantly explained by constructs drawn from the academic literature of knowledge dissemination.

Research limitations/implications

It was not possible in this study to establish precise details of agencies' in‐house proprietary models, so the degree to which those reflected either current practice or textbook prescriptions could not be determined.

Practical implications

The study emphasises the pressing need to harmonise formal models of “how advertising works” with conceptual frameworks used by advertising agencies in practice (if any), for the improvement of campaign planning and evaluation.

Originality/value

This is the first empirical study to investigate the extent to which advertising theory is actually used by account planners in advertising agencies.
Social capital and sustainable behavior of the firm
Authors: Danchev Alexi
Published: September 2006

Purpose

To formulate a vision of the mechanism of generating social capital at a firm level and its influence on sustainable behavior, testing the assumption of social capital as a feedback to support the firm's sustainable behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

The collection of primary data is based on a structured questionnaire. The information is collected by means of interviewing Bulgarian citizens and businessmen. The questions are divided according to: interrelations within the team, attitude to social problems and sustainable behavior of the firm, and socio‐economic profile. Non‐parametric methods are used to study the relationships among the basic indicators.

Findings

It is necessary to present the attitudes of the respondents to problems related to the basic hypothesis formulated in the paper, provide additional proofs of the feedback assumption of social capital, formulate the preconditions for generating social capital and its contribution in realizing sustainable behavior of the firm.

Research limitations/implications

Further extension is warranted to cover more sectors and countries of the region.

Practical implications

It gives an idea to distinguish between the formal and informal structures of the firm, enhance endeavors to increase attention to social factors in the decision‐making process at top level, formulate the concept of feedback role of social capital, and how it can be used to reach sustainability in a firm's behavior.

Originality/value

This study provides additional proofs of the role of social capital as a feedback to support sustainable behavior of the firms and extend the vision of firms’ management in distinguishing between formal and informal structures.
The impact of rail transit investment on the residential property values in developing countries
Authors: Murat Celik H. , Yankaya Ugur
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test whether the rail transit investment in Izmir, Turkey has had positive valuation impacts on the surrounding residential properties, and to estimate the value of travel time using relevant parameters.

Design/methodology/approach

The necessary data were collected via a survey including all real‐estate agents in the area. To test the research question, the Hedonic Price Model (HPM) is used as the research technique. The obtained parameters are also used to estimate the value of travel time.

Findings

The findings of the models has indicated that the proximity to rail stations was valued at $250‐300 per meters, and the value of travel per hour was $1.47‐1.83 on average.

Research limitations/implications

These findings should be checked with more consistent database using transaction process, and the mortgage loan rate which was not legislated at the time of study.

Practical implications

Until a mortgage loan rate is registered in turkey, the estimated parameters can be used in the cost‐benefit analysis of rail transit investments in Turkey.

Originality/value

The theoretical premise that “any improvement in accessibility will be capitalized into the land values” is tested one more time in a developing country case whose urban environment is substantially different from those of the developed world, especially the North American cities. Furthermore, a new methodology using the HPM parameters is also suggested to estimate the value of travel time.
Local housing prices and mortgage refinancing in US cities
Authors: Lee Ming‐Long , Kelley Pace R.
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide additional evidence that housing prices significantly impact aggregate refinancing and thus directly influence mortgage termination.

Design/methodology/approach

Regression analysis is applied to examine refinancing activity in US cities.

Findings

The evidence shows that positive appreciation in housing prices provides the borrower with positive incentives to refinance in response to the associated increased borrowing capacity when mortgage rates have declined. On the other hand, depreciation in housing prices may depress refinancing.

Research limitations/implications

Housing price movements, not only collateral constraints on refinancing but also the disincentive to engage in cash‐out refinancing caused by depreciation as well as the incentive for cash‐out refinancing brought by appreciation, should be included in modeling total termination risks of mortgage‐backed securities.

Originality/value

In contrast to previous studies, this paper provides empirical support for both the incentive and the disincentive to engage in cash‐out refinancing produced by housing price changes, in addition to support for the traditional collateral constraint effect of housing prices on refinancing.
The European Library – pushing the boundaries of usability
Authors: Cousins Jill
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to present an overview of The European Library as a portal and discuss the issues of usability this gives in delivery of multicultural, multilingual access to the cultural heritage in Europe's National Libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is a description of the service its business model, management structure and technical base with an emphasis on how this does or does not work for the user.

Findings

Portals are not great user experiences. This is further complicated in the case of The European Library by the language barrier for search and retrieval across national boundaries. However, the existence of The European Library is at least of accessing material that would otherwise remain only accessible within the library itself. It is also a big step towards the creation of a European Digital Library.

Originality/value

The paper discusses more of the effects of such a portal on the user than has elsewhere been published. The value is in its description of collaborative working, its example of a management and organisational structure, its working business model and the technical solution that sits behind it. As an example of creating cross country and cultural access to digitised information it has been successful to date.
Addressing the digital divide in teaching information retrieval
Authors: Fourie Ina , Bothma Theo
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to help students to move from ICT access to knowledge sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

An overview of the literature on information literacy skills and the digital divide, an analysis of information seeking research, as well as experience in teaching a course in advanced information retrieval at the Department of Information Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa, inspired a theoretical model for addressing different layers of the digital divide.

Findings

The digital divide concerns more than just ICT access and information skills. Individual commitment, group work, and intellectual and academic support from the institution might contribute to bringing people to higher levels of knowledge generation and communication.

Research limitations/implications

At this stage it is a theoretical model that needs to be tested in practice.

Practical implications

The model should hold possibilities for information literacy programs, programs in information retrieval, collaborative learning, and the developments of communities of practice.

Originality/value

The proposed model allows for higher levels of knowledge sharing and should help society to bridge the digital divide.
The web impact factor: a critical review
Authors: Noruzi Alireza
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to analyze the link‐based web site impact measure known as the web impact factor (WIF). It is a quantitative tool for evaluating and ranking web sites, top‐level domains and sub‐domains. The paper also aims to discuss the WIF's advantages and disadvantages, data collection problems, and validity and reliability of WIF results.

Design/methodology/approach

A key to webometric studies has been the use of large‐scale search engines, such as Yahoo! and AltaVista that allow measurements to be made of the total number of pages in a web site and the total number of back‐links to the web site. These search engines provide similar possibilities for the investigation of links between web sites/pages to those provided by the academic journals citation databases from the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI). But the content of the web is not of the same nature and quality as the databases maintained by the ISI.

Findings

This paper reviews how the WIF has been developed and applied. It has been suggested that web impact factors can be calculated as a way of comparing the attractiveness of web sites or domains on the web. It is concluded that, while the WIF is arguably useful for quantitative intra‐country comparison, application beyond this (i.e. to inter‐country assessment) has little value.

Originality/value

The paper offers a critical review of literature on the WIF and associated indicators.
GSM usage at the University of Ibadan
Authors: Wole Olatokun Michael , Oluseyi Bodunwa Ibilola
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of global system for mobile communications (GMS) at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, emphasizing the nature and characteristics of the activities for which it is used, the factors that promote or beset its use, its benefits and the quality of services provided by the operators.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a descriptive survey design. A two‐stage stratified sampling technique was adopted for selecting a sample of 456 staff and students of the University of Ibadan that form the target population. The questionnaire was the main data collection instrument while frequency and percentage distributions were the analytical tools adopted.

Findings

Findings show a significant use of the GSM for social activities (getting in touch with friends and relations) while its use in research and academic activities was less significant. Also a number of inhibitors of effective GSM use in the University of Ibadan such as limited network coverage, unstable network and difficulty in making calls, etc. were identified.

Originality/value

This study, apart from throwing light on the patterns of the use of GSM in the University of Ibadan, serves as a guide to policy makers to review the policy on telecommunications so as to allow for more and more competitors to engage in the telephony service. The study recommends that the government need to promote a competitive mobile phone market for more players to come into the sector and an upgrade in the communication standard for better GSM services in Nigeria.
A new efficient approach for data clustering in electronic library using ant colony clustering algorithm
Authors: Chen An‐Pin , Chen Chia‐Chen
Published: September 2006

Purpose – Traditional library catalogs have become inefficient and inconvenient in assisting library users. Readers may spend much time in searching library materials via printed catalogs. Readers need an intelligent and innovative solution to overcome this problem. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how data mining technology is a good approach to fulfill readers' requirements. Design/methodology/approach – Data mining is considered to be the nontrivial extraction of implicit, previously unknown, and potentially useful information from data. This paper analyzes the readers' borrowing records by using the following techniques: data analysis, building data warehouse and data mining. Findings – The mining results show that all readers can be categorized into five clusters, and each cluster has its own characteristics. It was also found that the frequency for graduates and associate researchers to borrow multimedia data is much higher. This phenomenon shows that these readers have a higher preference for accepting digitized publication. Besides, we notice that more readers borrow multimedia data rise in years. This up trend indicates that readers are gradually shifting their preference in reading digital publications. Originality/value – The paper proposes a technique to discover clusters by using ant colony methods.
The impact of e‐resources on document supply in a corporate pharmaceutical library: the experience of Novo Nordisk
Authors: Vibeke Kasarab Helle
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The paper seeks to describe the information provision issues facing an international pharmaceutical company, in particular in relation to document supply.

Design/methodology/approach

The document supply service of a major international pharmaceutical company is described, together with recent service enhancements.

Findings

Document supply has not declined as much as demand for copies for the company's collections. Automation has played a significant role in reducing costs and improving speed, and a number of other improvements are identified.

Originality/value

A useful insight into the document supply issues facing a commercial information provision service, especially in the field of copyright.
Analysis of Interlibrary Loan at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Library: lessons learned
Authors: Liu Rosa , Wynne Briget
Published: September 2006

Purpose

The paper seeks to study whether process and cost‐effective improvements could be made to the Interlibrary Loan and Internal Document Request services at NIST.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyze the usage data from the automated management system over a two‐year period.

Findings

Heavy users, types of materials and journal titles were identified as well as process improvements. Anticipating rising costs remains elusive.

Originality/value

The paper gives valuable insights into the workings of document supply in a major research institution in the USA, particularly in relation to costs.