bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Re-conceptualising “Building Back Better” to improve post-disaster recovery
Authors: Mannakkara Sandeeka , Wilkinson Suzanne
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand and define the concept of Building Back Better (BBB) and represent it using a comprehensive framework.

Design/methodology/approach

– Literature related to the concept of BBB were studied to understand the key concepts which constitute BBB. These concepts were analysed and categorised to form the basis of the proposed BBB framework.

Findings

– Post-disaster recovery in-line with BBB concepts can be achieved by having a holistic view of four key categories: risk reduction entails improving the resilience of the built environment through improvement of structural designs and land-use planning; community recovery includes addressing and supporting psycho-social recovery of communities and supporting economic rejuvenation; implementation addresses ways in which risk reduction and community recovery practices can be put in place in an efficient and effective way; monitoring and evaluation stretches across the first three categories, and calls for putting in place mechanisms to monitor and evaluate recovery activities to ensure compliance with BBB-based concepts and obtain lessons to improve future disaster management practices.

Research limitations/implications

– The BBB Framework generated in this study can be used as a foundation to determine best-practice recommendations to implement recovery activities under each of the BBB categories.

Practical implications

– The BBB Framework forms a guideline to holistically plan and implement recovery programmes in order to BBB.

Originality/value

– A comprehensive guideline or framework which clarified what BBB really means is currently inexistent. This paper addressed this research gap by amalgamating existing information to create a singular framework to simply and comprehensively represent BBB.
Value chain approaches to development
Authors: D. Ricketts Katie , G. Turvey Calum , I. Gómez Miguel
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to look at the ever-popular, “value-chain approach” for linking smallholder farmers to high value export markets. Conventional wisdom says that value chains undertaken for development purposes redistribute risk and provide benefits and services to participants that are otherwise difficult or impossible to obtain. The authors take a farmer-centric approach and ask farmers participating in these higher value chains if they perceive greater, or different risks and compare results to their conventional counterparts. The authors also ask what benefits they associate with participation and if they believe they believe those benefits are exclusive to value chain participation.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors collect data from growers in three different cocoa value chains in Ashanti, Ghana. These chains include one focussed on certified production practices (Rainforest Alliance), one that focussed on high-value product characteristics (Fine Flavor) and a conventional chain, which serves as counterfactual.

Findings

– The paper finds differences in perceptions of participation risks and benefits – particularly among price risks – that appear to filter based on value chain membership. However, for many risks, value chain participation seems to do little to redistribute potential production shocks. With some exceptions, growers report that many of the benefits they enjoy as a result of participation could feasibly be accessed by other sources.

Research limitations/implications

– The limitations of this paper are related to sample size. This was managed from a statistical perspective.

Social implications

– The authors explore how these results might impact the sustainability of the value chain approach and encourage donors and development agencies to be thoughtful and critical about measuring how farmers perceive new market opportunities.

Originality/value

– The authors believe that this is the first paper prepared to critically investigate the perceived benefits of value chains.
Risks of financial abuse of older people with dementia: findings from a survey of UK voluntary sector dementia community services staff
Authors: Samsi Kritika , Manthorpe Jill , Chandaria Karishma
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– Financial abuse of people with dementia is of rising concern to family carers, the voluntary sector and professionals. Little is known about preventative and early response practice among community services staff. The purpose of this paper is to investigate voluntary sector staff's views of the risks of managing money when a person has a dementia and explore ways that individuals may be protected from the risks of financial abuse.

Design/methodology/approach

– An online survey of staff of local Alzheimer's Society groups across England was conducted in 2011 and was completed by 86 respondents. Open-ended responses supplemented survey questions. Statistical analysis and content analysis identified emergent findings.

Findings

– Most respondents said their people with dementia experienced problems with money management, with almost half the respondents reporting encountering cases of financial abuse over the past year. Most were alert to warning signs and vulnerabilities and offered suggestions relevant to practice and policy about prevention and risk minimization.

Research limitations/implications

– Adult safeguarding practitioners are likely to encounter money management uncertainties and concerns about exploitation of people with dementia. They may be contacted by community-based support staff from the voluntary sector about individual queries but could ensure that such practitioners are engaged in local training and networking activities to promote their skills and confidence.

Practical implications

– As with other forms of elder abuse, professionals need to be aware of risks of financial abuse and be able to suggest effective yet acceptable preventive measures and ways to reduce risks of harm and loss. Further publicity about adult safeguarding services may be needed among local community support services.

Originality/value

– There have been few studies investigating the views of people working with people with dementia in the community about adult safeguarding.
The impact of entrepreneurial ideas and cognitive style on students entrepreneurial intention
Authors: Molaei Roya , Reza Zali Mohammad , Hasan Mobaraki Mohhammad , Yadollahi Farsi Jahngir
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of entrepreneurial idea dimensions (the value, content, number and novelty of idea) along with intuitive cognitive style versus an analytical style on students' entrepreneurial intention.

Design/methodology/approach

– To evaluate these relationships, the data are obtained from an extensive survey of 376 undergraduate students of campuses of Behavioral Sciences and Engineering at University of Teheran. The data are analyzed by the methodology of structural equation modeling (SEM) with using LISREL software and SPSS.

Findings

– According to the SEM results, for students with intuitive cognitive style, among the four dimensions of entrepreneurial idea (i.e. idea's content, volume, value, and novelty), the greatest direct effect belongs to the idea volume and idea content. Further, for the students with analytical cognitive style, the idea volume and the idea value have the maximum direct impacts on their entrepreneurial intention meanwhile the least direct effect belongs to the idea novelty. In general, entrepreneurial intention of the students, in both groups of intuitive and analytical cognitive styles, is highly influenced by the volume of their entrepreneurial ideas. Therefore, the ideas volume is the most important factor to start up a new business in future by potential entrepreneurs all with analytical or intuitive cognitive styles.

Practical implications

– It is recommended that entrepreneurship and business students who are attending entrepreneurship and business skills training courses should be categorized into two distinct groups of intuitive and analytical. For the group of students with intuitive cognitive style, an entrepreneurship training with systematic views and a method of establishing and reinforcing positive and stable emotions should be offered. For those with analytical cognitive style, trainings for “designing and writing Business Model and Plan”, “Opportunity recognition and feasibility study” and its related soft wares should be presented. Accordingly, in order to create and increase the entrepreneurial ideas number among all students, it is suggested that a course entitled “Entrepreneurial Idea Generation” be offered in Entrepreneurship Education Programs at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Originality/value

– The paper is one of the first papers to clarify and empirically assess the effects of entrepreneurial ideas dimensions on entrepreneurial intention considering the subjects' cognitive style as a mediating variable.
Building your self: a sensemaking approach to expatriates’ adjustment to ethical challenges
Authors: Guimarães-Costa Nuno , Pina e Cunha Miguel , Rego Arménio
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand the behaviours described by expatriates (“what expatriates say they do”) when they are pressed for adjustment and, at the same time, they feel ethically challenged.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors interviewed 52 expatriates from the European Union working in Sub-Saharan Africa who were immersed in what was considered by them to be an ethically challenging context or situation while they were in the process of adjusting to their international assignment. The authors conducted a reflexive qualitative analysis between the data and existing literature.

Findings

– The authors found that the feeling of moral discomfort that causes the perception of an ethical challenge is triggered by an event that contrasts with the expatriates’ notion of morals. After feeling ethically challenged, expatriates engage in a sensemaking process that is hinged in an “intended future identity”.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors contribute to the literature by stressing the ethical dimension of adjustment. The authors complement the normative approaches to ethical decision making in international contexts. The research identifies a set of events that are considered as ethical challenges by business expatriates.

Practical implications

– The research opens the possibility to anticipate and manage potential conflicts, thus minimizing the probability of expatriation failure. Early knowledge about an expatriate's intended future identity can provide relevant information concerning the probable type of adjustment problems s/he will face.

Originality/value

– The research combines two hitherto separate streams of literature – expatriate adjustment and ethical decision making in international contexts – to open the possibility of ethical adjustment. This is supported by a sensemaking process that is also grounded in future intentions, and not only in past experiences and present signals.
Proposing processes of global performance management: an analysis of the literature
Authors: D. Engle Allen , Festing Marion , J. Dowling Peter
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– Global performance management (GPM) systems are a central element of measuring the efficacy of an increasingly complex array of global mobility activities – an element that has developed rapidly in the last ten years or so. This conceptual review of GPM consists of four major sections. First, three approaches to international human resource management are presented. Second, the paper discusses three models of performance management, one some 24 years old and grounded in a long tradition of formalized, explicit universalistic US-based performance management theory and two more recent conceptual reviews particular to global issues of performance management. Third, the paper presents a four-stage process model of GPM. Each of the four stages will be discussed in turn, and the various perspectives of recent empirical and conceptual publications on GPM will be mapped onto the four stage model. The purpose of this paper is to conclude with a discussion of recommendations for how this process model can speed the development of research in this new topic domain. The paper also suggests that practitioners may use a modified version of this four step process model to initiate a more systematic global audit of the nature and effectiveness of their array of global assignments.

Design/methodology/approach

– This conceptual review paper consists of a proposed framework for understanding how issues of global standardization and local customization may be understood while examples of issues applied to the framework are presented from a review of articles from 2002 until 2013. The concentrated review going back some ten years was an effort to find a sample large and relevant enough to capture a rapidly developing field, while being small enough to allow a meaningful analysis of results.

Findings

– Whereas there are a number of articles in the recent literature reviewing local applications of extant GPM systems, there is very little empirical research on how these systems are designed or how they are evaluated and the results applied on a micro (individual expatriate or local employee) level or on a macro (firm) level.

Originality/value

– The paper concludes with a series of observations on the results of the analysis and suggestions for future research, so that the academic and professional communities may move forward in this topic domain in a more efficient, complete and coordinated fashion.
Boundaryless career drivers – exploring macro-contextual factors in location decisions
Authors: Dickmann Michael , Cerdin Jean-Luc
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore what attracts individuals to live in a South East Asian city. It uses a boundaryless career approach that is interested in how people cross-traditional career boundaries, including those related to country and location barriers. Going beyond an individual and organizational view, a more extensive model of location decisions is developed that incorporates broad macro-factor career drivers.

Design/methodology/approach

– A large-scale qualitative study explored individual, organizational, political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, ecological, legal, natural and general drivers to live in the city. The authors interviewed 43 individuals who had moved to the city from abroad, were born in the city and still lived there or who were born in the city but had moved to another foreign city.

Findings

– Many macro-contextual factors – i.e. day-to-day regulatory stability and transparency, economic growth, friendliness and meritocracy, safety and a good, clean environment – were seen as attractive by all three groups. People who had left the city raised some specific criticism regarding the vibrancy, freedom and creativity of thought.

Research limitations/implications

– The study focused on highly skilled individuals who most often had experience in living in different cities to get more reflective views. However, this restricted the generalizability. The findings nuance the understanding of boundaryless careers.

Practical implications

– The research expands the normally used attraction factors and develops a broader framework of city attractiveness drivers. The emerging picture can be used by the city administration to manage its global attractiveness while increasing non-regulatory “stickiness” to retain talent.

Social implications

– The research has social implications with respect to cross-border boundaryless careers and talent acquisition, management and retention strategies.

Originality/value

– The research expands the macro-contextual discussion and goes beyond the dominant focus on individuals and organizations when investigating boundaryless careers. The study uses an innovative method as it does not only interview foreign expatriates but also two further, more neglected groups: local citizens and individuals who had left the city. It develops an extended model of boundaryless location drivers and develops some exemplary propositions.
Effects of positive vs negative forces on the burnout-commitment-turnover relationship
Authors: Chen Ching-Fu , Yu Ting
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine relationships among job demands, job resources, burnout, organizational commitment, and staff turnover intentions in a volunteer workforce setting.

Design/methodology/approach

– To test empirically the positive and negative forces on the burnout – commitment – turnover relationship, this study uses 190 questionnaires collected from museum volunteers who also hold paid service jobs. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling.

Findings

– Consistent with previous studies, both job demands and job resources have significant impacts on burnout. Job resources have positive significant impact on organizational commitment. Both burnout and organizational commitment have significant impacts on volunteers’ turnover intentions.

Research limitations/implications

– An integrated understanding would require different theoretical approaches to volunteering in various settings to determine cross-influences. Moderator analyses might clarify the predictability of job demands and resources. A multilevel research design would provide further insights.

Practical implications

– To retain their volunteer workforce, firms should grant volunteers sufficient autonomy and allow them to determine their work processes, which not only reduces burnout but also satisfies psychological control needs. Constructive feedback from colleagues offers better organizational support to volunteers.

Originality/value

– This study identifies and empirically tests key indicators of job demands and job resources for volunteers who also hold paid jobs. It helps explain inconsistent reports of the burnout – organizational commitment link by raising the possibility that it is context specific rather than generic.
The voice-to-technology (V2T) encounter and the call centre servicescape
Authors: P.W. Ellway Benjamin
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– Because the voice-to-technology (V2T) encounter remains under-theorised, the purpose of this paper is to overcome this gap by investigating customers use of the interactive voice response (IVR) system and “the customer journey” through the call centre service system.

Design/methodology/approach

– From an interpretive study of a UK call centre, the metaphorical aspects of language used to represent the service process are analysed, accompanied by an examination of how the servicescape dimensions of spatial layout and signs are constituted in the call centre service process, and the resulting implications for virtual-aural navigation.

Findings

– Despite no physical movement, customers represent their experience of navigating “through” the service process in spatial terms. Therefore, understanding precisely how servicescape dimensions are reconfigured within the virtual-aural setting of the call centre is necessary to appreciate customer experience of V2T but also voice-to-voice (V2V) encounters. The call centre servicescape lacks a spatial representation of layout and signs that would conventionally support navigation and purposeful movement.

Research limitations/implications

– Despite observing live calls, direct interaction with customers was not possible. The paper was based upon a single case study, and the hermeneutic focus on understanding and meaning meant that the study did not emphasise the quantification of phenomenon. Therefore, further research on virtual navigation is required.

Practical implications

– Problematic V2T encounters compromise the quality and efficiency of service provision. A visual representation of the IVR system may possibly support V2T encounters, while encouraging customer service advisors to act as “guides” during V2V encounters may reduce problems emerging from V2T encounters.

Originality/value

– First, an original theorisation of the customer experience of the V2T encounter is provided through the theoretical notion of spatialisation metaphors. Second, a preliminary conceptualisation of the call centre servicescape is developed, which shows how spatial layout and signs are reconfigured and represented in this virtual-aural setting.
Show you care: initiating co-creation in service recovery
Authors: Xu Yingzi , Marshall Roger , Edvardsson Bo , Tronvoll Bård
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the underlying mechanism of customer co-creation in service recovery (co-recovery), and investigates the impact of initiation on customer post-recovery evaluations and behavioural intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

– Researchers used a 3 (no co-recovery vs employee-initiated co-recovery vs customer-initiated co-recovery)×2 (male vs female)×2 (western vs eastern customers) between-subject experiential study in a hotel setting.

Findings

– When a service employee initiates a co-recovery, customers perceive higher justice, greater satisfaction and a higher tendency to repurchase in the future. But if the customer initiates such a co-recovery, little improvement on these outcomes is found compared to a recovery entirely managed by the company. The effect was moderated by culture: western customers were more sensitive to initiation in the co-recovery process than eastern customers.

Research limitations/implications

– Written scenarios using a hotel setting and a technical error were used, and may reduce the applicability of the findings to real life or other service categories or types of error. Subjects used may not be representative of other population groups. Further studies using real life situations, human error and a more diverse population group are recommended.

Practical implications

– A positive co-recovery can be achieved by service employees taking initiatives when a problem occurs.

Originality/value

– This study extends previous research on co-recovery by investigating the effect of initiation by service employees on customers’ perception of co-creation. Service companies can improve customers’ post-recovery evaluations by inviting them to co-create a feasible solution, and potentially reduce the company's compensation costs.
A new method for Arabic/Farsi numeral data set size reduction via modified frequency diagram matching
Authors: Amin Shayegan Mohammad , Aghabozorgi Saeed
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– Pattern recognition systems often have to handle problem of large volume of training data sets including duplicate and similar training samples. This problem leads to large memory requirement for saving and processing data, and the time complexity for training algorithms. The purpose of the paper is to reduce the volume of training part of a data set – in order to increase the system speed, without any significant decrease in system accuracy.

Design/methodology/approach

– A new technique for data set size reduction – using a version of modified frequency diagram approach – is presented. In order to reduce processing time, the proposed method compares the samples of a class to other samples in the same class, instead of comparing samples from different classes. It only removes patterns that are similar to the generated class template in each class. To achieve this aim, no feature extraction operation was carried out, in order to produce more precise assessment on the proposed data size reduction technique.

Findings

– The results from the experiments, and according to one of the biggest handwritten numeral standard optical character recognition (OCR) data sets, Hoda, show a 14.88 percent decrease in data set volume without significant decrease in performance.

Practical implications

– The proposed technique is effective for size reduction for all pictorial databases such as OCR data sets.

Originality/value

– State-of-the-art algorithms currently used for data set size reduction usually remove samples near to class's centers, or support vector (SV) samples between different classes. However, the samples near to a class center have valuable information about class characteristics, and they are necessary to build a system model. Also, SV s are important samples to evaluate the system efficiency. The proposed technique, unlike the other available methods, keeps both outlier samples, as well as the samples close to the class centers.
A GM(1,N)-based economic cybernetics model for the high-tech industries in China
Authors: Wang Zheng-Xin
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose an economic cybernetics model based on the grey differential equation GM(1,N) for China's high-tech industries and provide the necessary support to assist high-tech industries management departments with their policy making.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on the principle of grey differential equation GM(1,N), the grey differential equations of five high-tech industries in China are established using the net fixed assets, labor quantity and patent application quantity as cybernetics variables. After the discretization and first-order subtraction reduction to the simultaneous equation of the five grey models, a linear cybernetics model is resulted in. The structure parameters in the cybernetics system show explicit economic significance and can be identified through least square principle. At last, the actual data in 2004-2010 are introduced to empirically analyze the high-tech industrial system in China.

Findings

– The cybernetics system for China's high-tech industries are stable, observable, and controllable. On the whole, China's high-tech industries show higher output coefficients of the patent application quantity than those of net fixed assets and labor quantity. This suggests that China's industry development mainly depends on technological innovation rather than capital or labor inputs. It is expected that the total output value of China's high-tech industries will grow at an average annual rate of 15 percent in 2011-2015, with contributions of pharmaceuticals, aircraft and spacecraft, electronic and telecommunication equipments, computers and office equipments, medical equipments and meters by 21, 16, 13, 10, and 28 percent, respectively. In addition, pharmaceuticals, as well as medical equipments and meters, present upward proportions in the gross of Chinese high-tech industries significantly. Electronic and telecommunication equipments, plus computers and office equipments exhibit an obvious decreasing proportion. The proportion of the output value of aircraft and spacecraft is basically stable.

Practical implications

– Empirical analysis results are helpful for related management departments to formulate reasonable industrial policies to keep the sustained and stable development of the high-tech industries in China.

Originality/value

– Based on the grey differential equation GM(1,N), this research puts forward an economic cybernetics model for the high-tech industries in China. This model is applicable to the economic system with small sample data set.
A new information security risk analysis method based on membership degree
Authors: Chen Jiqiang , Pedrycz Witold , Ma Litao , Wang Chao
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– In a risk analysis system, different underlying indices often play different roles in identifying the risk scale of the total target in a system, so a concept of discriminatory weight is introduced first. With the help of discriminatory weight and membership functions, a new method for information security risk analysis is proposed. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the above issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– First, a concept of discriminatory weight is introduced. Second, with the help of fuzzy sets, risk scales are captured in terms of fuzzy sets (namely their membership functions). Third, a new risk analysis method involving discriminatory weights is proposed to realize a transformation from the membership degrees of the underlying indices to the membership degrees of the total target. At last, an example of information security risk analysis shows the effectiveness and feasibleness of the new method.

Findings

– The new method generalizes the weighted-average method. The comparative analysis done with respect to other two methods show that the proposed method exhibits higher classification accuracy. Therefore, the proposed method can be applied to other risk analysis system with a hierarchial.

Originality/value

– This paper proposes a new method for information security risk analysis with the help of membership functions and the concept of discriminatory weight. The new method generalizes the weighted-average method. Comparative analysis done with respect to other two methods show that the proposed method exhibits higher classification accuracy in E-government information security system. What is more, the proposed method can be applied to other risk analysis system with a hierarchial.
Cascade defense in urban road network by inserting modular topologies
Authors: Zou Zhiyun , Wu Jinlong , Gao Jianzhi , Xu Xuecai
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– By aiming at defending cascade failures effectively, the purpose of this paper is to present a strategy of inserting modular topologies into urban road network through reducing the burdens of critical components with too much traffic flow.

Design/methodology/approach

– Each module is considered as a small-world random network, which is inserted into the initial Barabási-Albert scale-free network. Based on the user-equilibrium assignment, the strategy searches for remote nodes with low betweeness and flow in the network, and sets these nodes to be connected with the modular topologies. In this sense, the inserted modules are supposed to attach to the nodes with lower intensity of shorter path, and avoid bringing more impact to the nodes with higher betweeness and traffic flow. By using efficiency as the measurement of cascading failures, the performance of the networks generated through the strategy is tested.

Findings

– The results show that the performance of the strategy is sensitive to the average degree of the inserted modular, and the modular size with a better effect on reducing the size of cascading failures or delaying the time of breakdown, while the other factors (e.g. the rewired probability) present few differences among various values. Meanwhile, it is found that the importance-based attachment mechanism has a better effect on preventing the cascading failures, especially delaying the step time of the larger reduction.

Practical implications

– The strategy aims at alleviating the burdens in critical components to prevent the cascading failures of the network, and provides practical guidance on the decision of the urban road network evolving process.

Originality/value

– An effective strategy for cascade defense in urban road network is proposed in this paper.
Integrating care: the experience of a US healthcare organization
Authors: Coniglio Ray , M. Caputo Lisa , D. Sanddal Nels , Salottolo Kristin , Sabin Margaret , W. Bourg Pamela , W. Mains Charles
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe an American healthcare organization's experience creating the first multi-facility trauma system managed by a private, nonprofit organization.

Design/methodology/approach

– A leadership structure was established to initiate the first steps of system development, followed by needs assessments that identified key components essential to creating the interconnected system. The key components were applied as a result of evidence-based system development. After system implementation, early benefits were explored.

Findings

– Data collection and research, prehospital support, system-wide quality improvement, rural outreach, communication, and system evaluation were identified as key components essential to creating an interconnected trauma system. The system currently connects 12 trauma centers throughout the state of Colorado while working within the parameters of an established statewide system. Early benefits included improved designation review results, the utilization of system-wide best practice protocols, a rich trauma registry, and closer relations with rural, out-of-network facilities.

Practical implications

– This study describes the process undertaken to implement a unique medical system that provides regionalized care and complements an existing statewide trauma system. The authors hope their experience may serve as a roadmap for healthcare professionals wishing to develop an integrated, patient-centered model of care.

Originality/value

– The development of this multi-facility trauma system within a private, not-for-profit healthcare organization is the first of its kind.
Land take in the Italian Alps
Authors: Salata Stefano
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– Land use change in the Alpine Regions is dominated by two main factors: a process of re-naturalization and a process of expansion for settlements with the relevant occupation of low-valley areas. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of land take measures in the Lombardy Alpine context and the recent proposals of spatial planning instruments for land resource management. New solutions to limit soil sealing have to be confronted with qualitative proposals at local scale.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper collects different research outputs regarding land take in the Italian Alpine context and carried out by GIS software and tries to show the new methodologies available for limiting and mitigating soil sealing, in accordance with DIAMONT aims.

Findings

– The paper argues that the data are now available to analyze the problem and new operative methods have to be settled in the recent context of European Union (Soil Sealing Guidelines) to support decision making in planning, suggesting land use allocation and possible ecological compensation.

Research limitations/implications

– The new qualitative decision models have to be assessed for a better ecological integration in supporting land use decisions.

Practical implications

– An evaluation of land take at local scale caused by land use changes is a good support in the decision-making process of planning.

Originality/value

– In this paper a method based on a local scale is reported, which can be used for the specific assessment of land take in order to support land-use decisions.
Creating a culture of employability in mental health
Authors: Boycott Naomi , Schneider Justine , Osborne Michael
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to draw out the lessons learned from the implementation of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach to supported employment in two contrasting adult mental health teams; one “standard” CMHT, and one early intervention in psychosis (EIP) team.

Design/methodology/approach

– These inferences are based on the evidence from a four-year study of IPS in one mental health care provider in the UK, which began by setting up a new service, and went on to run a RCT looking at the impact of psychological input as an adjunct to IPS alone.

Findings

– In attempting to introduce IPS to mental health teams in Nottingham the authors came across numerous barriers, including service reorganisation, funding cuts and the wider context of recession. Differences were observed between mental health teams in the willingness to embrace IPS. The authors argue that this variability is due to differences in caseload size, recovery priorities and client profiles. The authors have learnt that perseverance, strenuous efforts to engage clinical staff and the use of IPS fidelity reviews can make a positive difference to the implementation process.

Practical implications

– The experience suggests that setting up an IPS service is possible even in the most challenging of times, and that EIP services may be a particularly fertile ground for this approach. The authors also discuss potential barriers to implementing new services in mental health teams.

Originality/value

– This paper will be of value to service development and the science of implementation in mental health.
The tunnelling and electron injection reliabilities for FG transistors
Authors: C. Mabuza Bongani , Sinha Saurabh
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to present the results of the three types of FG transistors that were investigated. The reliability issues of oxide thickness due to programming, fabrication defects and process variation may cause leakage currents and thus charge retention failure in the floating gate (FG).

Design/methodology/approach

– The tunnelling and electron injection methods were applied to program FG devices of different lengths (180 and 350 nm) and coupling capacitor sizes. The drain current and threshold voltage changes were determined for both gate and drain voltage sweep. The devices were fabricated using IBM 130 nm process technology.

Findings

– Current leakages are increasing with device scaling and reducing the charge retention time. During programming, charge traps may occur in the oxide and prevent further programming. Thus, the dominant factors are the reliability of oxide thickness to avoid charge traps and prevent current/charge leakages in the FG devices. The capacitive coupling (between the tunnelling and electron injection capacitors) may contribute to other reliability issues if not properly considered.

Originality/value

– Although the results have raised further research questions, as revealed by certain reliability issues, they have shown that the use of FGs with nanoscale technology is promising and may be suitable for memory and switching applications.
The effect of microwave radiation on polyvinyl chloride-graphite thick film resistors
Authors: Venkatasubrahmanayam Kandagaddla , Ram Babu Busi , Poornaiah Billa , Srinivasa Rao Yarravarapu
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study the microwave interactions in polymer thick film resistors, namely, polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-graphite thick film resistors, and its applications in trimming of these resistors.

Design/methodology/approach

– We applied microwave radiation in the form of pulses of various pulse durations and with different powers to polymer thick film resistors and observed the variation of resistance of these resistors with microwave radiation.

Findings

– The paper finds that microwave radiation can be used for trimming of polymer thick film resistors.

Research limitations/implications

– The research implication of this paper is that polymer thick film resistors can be trimmed practically using this method.

Practical implications

– The practical implication of this paper is that we can trim the polymer thick film resistors, namely, PVC-graphite thick film resistor, by using this method.

Originality/value

– The value of the paper is in showing that microwave radiation can be used to trim downwards in the case of high-value resistors and trim upwards in the case of low-value resistors.
RF characteristics of 0.13-μm NMOS transistors for millimeter-wave application
Authors: Maisurah Mohd Hassan Siti , M. Yusof Yusman , Marzuki Arjuna , Emran Farid Nazif , Amalina Enche Ab Rahim Siti , Hafis M. Ali Mohd
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present the high-frequency performance of 0.13-μm n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistors with various multi-finger configurations for implementation in millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequency.

Design/methodology/approach

– A folded-like double-gate transistor layout is designed to enable the transistor to work in the mm-wave region. Different sizes of transistors with variation in finger width (WF
) and number of fingers (NF
) were fabricated to determine the optimum size of the transistor. The extrinsic parasitic elements of selected transistors were extracted and investigated. The radio frequency (RF) performance of these samples were then analyzed and compared.

Findings

– The proposed layout performed well with the highest maximum oscillation frequency (fmax
) achieved at 122 GHz. Based on the comparison done, the optimum WF
obtained for the layout is at 2.0 μm. It is found that the extrinsic parasitic capacitance is more dominant than the parasitic resistance in affecting the fmax
. In s-parameter analysis, it is observed that the transistor with the least NF
has smaller variance in small-signal gain throughout the measurement frequency. The maximum stable gain for the samples is also found to be roughly similar and independent of NF
.

Originality/value

– A new layout structure for an NMOS transistor that works in mm-wave frequency is proposed. Experimental analyses presented here cover for both NF
and WF
, unlike others which focus on either NF
or WF
only.
Fabrication and characterization of a single-bridge nanorod between microgap electrodes
Authors: Humayun Qazi , Kashif Muhammad , Hashim Uda
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of a single-bridge ZnO nanorod as a photodetector.

Design/methodology/approach

– The fabrication of the design sensor with ∼6-μm gap Schottky contacts and bridging of the ZnO nanorod were based on conventional photolithography and wet-etching technique. Prior to bridging, the ZnO nanorods were grown by the hydrothermal process. The 0.35 M seed solution was prepared by dissolving zinc acetate dihydrate in 2-methoxyethanol, and monoethanolamine, which acts as a stabilizer, was added drop-wise. Before starting the solution deposition, and oxide, titanium (Ti) and gold (Au) layer deposition, p-type (100) silicon substrate was cleaned with Radio Corporation of America (RCA1) and RCA2, followed by dipping in diluted hydrofluoric acid. The aged solution was dropped onto the surface of the Au microgap structure, using a spin coater at a spinning speed of 3,000 rpm for 45 seconds, and then dried at 300°C for 15 minutes, followed by annealing at 400°C for 1 hour. The hydrothermal growth was carried out in an aqueous solution of zinc nitrate hexahydrate (0.025 M) and hexamethyltetramine (0.025 M).

Findings

– In this study, ZnO nanorods were grown on a SiO2 substrate by the hydrothermal method. Microgap electrodes with ∼6-μm spacing were achieved by using the wet-etching process. After the growth process, an area-selective mask was utilized to reduce the number of rods between the nearby gap areas. The obtained single ZnO nanorod was tested for the UV-sensing application. The single ZnO nanorod photodetector exhibited a UV photoresponse, thereby indicating potential as a cost-effective UV detector. The response and recovery times of the fabricated device were 65 and 95 seconds, respectively. Structural analysis was captured using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), whereas surface morphology was determined using scanning electron microscopy.

Originality/value

– This paper demonstrates the effect of UV photon on a single-bridge ZnO nanorod between microgap electrodes.
Analysis of misalignment-induced deformation in three-dimensional semiconductor chip stacks
Authors: W. Johnson Richard , Shen Yu-Lin
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to numerically assess the misalignment-induced deformation and its implications, in the through-silicon via (TSV), silicon chip, solder micro-bump, and bonding layer.

Design/methodology/approach

– The 3D finite element model features a TSV/micro-bump bonding structure connecting two adjacent silicon (Si) chips, with and without an underfill layer between. A case that the entire solder layer has transformed into an intermetallic layer is also considered.

Findings

– The existence of an underfill layer enhances the overall resistance to shear deformation, although with a higher buildup of local stresses. High shear and tensile stresses can develop in the intermetallic and nearby regions of copper and Si if the solder alloy is replaced by an intermetallic layer. The carrier mobility change in Si may be extensively affected by the mechanical action, even in regions far away from the TSV.

Originality/value

– This work parametrically explores the trend of stress and deformation fields due to mechanical shear and its influences on the electrical performance of devices. Potential for damage initiation in the TSV/micro-bump is also examined.
Self-determination among frail older persons – a desirable goal older persons’ conceptions of self-determination
Authors: Ekelund Christina , Mårtensson Lena , Eklund Kajsa
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– Self-determination is governed by ethical and legal rights in western society. In spite of that, older people are still restricted by others in their decision-making processes. The purpose of this paper is to explore older persons’ different conceptions of self-determination.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative phenomenographic interview study on frail older persons (n=15).

Findings

– Three categories emerged, showing the variations of conception of self-determination as experienced by frail older people: first, self-determination changes throughout life; second, self-determination is being an agent in one's own life; and third, self-determination is conditional. In summary, while self-determination is changeable throughout life, and older persons want to be their own agents, and struggle to be that, certain conditions must be met to make it possible for them to be able to exercise self-determination.

Practical implications

– Suggestions for supporting and strengthening frail older persons’ self-determination, and indirectly their well-being and health: to have a person-centered approach, treat them with dignity and respect and give them opportunities to influence and to feel involved; to improve their health literacy by, for example, supporting them with enough knowledge to be able to exercise self-determination; to make them feel safe and secure in relationships, such as with family and caregivers.

Originality/value

– This study explores frail older persons’ own conceptions of self-determination to be able to gain knowledge of how professionals can support them so that they may experience self-determination in life.
Financial indicators in healthcare quality management systems
Authors: Sedevich-Fons Leonardo
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to highlight the usefulness of financial information as a complementary tool for quality programs implemented in healthcare institutions and, subsequently, to introduce an approach to its systematic management.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper begins with a description of the current status of quality management in healthcare services, continues with a theoretical explanation of the importance of financial indicators for making decisions, and finishes with a practical example showing how to integrate financial data into healthcare quality programs.

Findings

– Financial indicators play a key role in healthcare quality management systems (QMSs). These indicators can be managed jointly with traditional non-financial measures, through introducing minor adjustments to the ISO 9000 model.

Research limitations/implications

– The approach presented in the second part of this paper was built based on theoretical arguments and on its use in industries other than healthcare. Hence, further research is needed to provide evidence of its practical application.

Originality/value

– First, this work integrates disciplines which are usually managed separately, such as quality and accounting. Furthermore, it focusses on an industry such as healthcare, where QMSs are not highly developed.