bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improved microwave synthesis of unsymmetrical N,N'-diaryl-1,2-aminoethane and imidazolidinium salts as precursors of N-heterocyclic carbenes
Authors: Ibrahim Yehia A. , Al-Awadi Nouria A. , Al-Azemi Talal F. , John Elizabeth
Published: August 2014

Microwave facilitates the difficult to accomplish lithium aluminium hydride reduction of bis-unsymmetric-diaryloxamides 3 especially for the sterically hindered mesityl derivatives.
Co3O4/porous electrospun carbon nanofibers as anodes for high performance Li-ion batteries
Authors: Abouali Sara , Akbari Garakani Mohammad , Zhang Biao , Luo Hui , Xu Zheng-Long , Huang Jian-Qiu , Huang Jiaqiang , Kim Jang-Kyo
Published: August 2014

This paper reports a facile route to synthesize porous carbon nanofibers containing cobalt and cobalt oxide nanoparticles (CoOx/PCNF) as anodes for Li-ion batteries.
Surfactants assisted synthesis of nano-LiFePO4/C composite as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Li Qingyu , Zheng Fenghua , Huang Youguo , Zhang Xiaohui , Wu Qiang , Fu Dongju , Zhang Jingji , Yin Jinchao , Wang Hongqiang
Published: August 2014

The solid state reaction method was applied to prepare a series of LiFePO4/C materials by adding various surfactants. The as-prepared LiFePO4/C particles using various surfactants show different electrochemical performances.
Double D–π–A branched organic dye isomers for dye-sensitized solar cells
Authors: Jiang Shenghui , Fan Suhua , Lu Xuefeng , Zhou Gang , Wang Zhong-Sheng
Published: August 2014

Three double D–π–A branched organic dye isomers with octyloxy bridge linked at different positions have been constructed for DSSCs.
Metal–organic frameworks: a new promising class of materials for a high performance supercapacitor electrode
Authors: Yang Jie , Xiong Peixun , Zheng Cheng , Qiu Heyuan , Wei Mingdeng
Published: August 2014

A layered structure Ni-based MOF was firstly used as the electrode material for a supercapacitor and exhibited a large specific capacitance of 1127 F g−1at 0.5 A g−1.
Generation of uniform polymer eccentric and core-centered hollow microcapsules for ultrasound-regulated drug release
Authors: Huang Jingxian , Li Wanbo , Li Yan , Luo Chongdai , Zeng Yecheng , Xu Yuehong , Zhou Jianhua
Published: August 2014

Uniform polydimethylsiloxane microcapsules with eccentric and core-centered internal hollow structures show controlled-release behaviour for site-specific drug delivery under ultrasound regulation.
The physical chemistry of the amyloid phenomenon: thermodynamics and kinetics of filamentous protein aggregation
Authors: Buell Alexander K. , Dobson Christopher M. , Knowles Tuomas P.J.
Published: August 2014

In this chapter, we present an overview of the kinetics and thermodynamics of protein aggregation into amyloid fibrils. The perspective we adopt is largely experimental, but we also discuss recent developments in data analysis and we show that only a combination of well-designed experiments with appropriate theoretical modelling is able to provide detailed mechanistic insight into the complex pathways of amyloid formation. In the first part of the chapter, we describe measurements of the thermodynamic stability of the amyloid state with respect to the soluble state of proteins, as well as the magnitude and origin of this stability. In the second part, we discuss in detail the kinetics of the individual molecular steps in the overall mechanism of the conversion of soluble protein into amyloid fibrils. Finally, we highlight the effects of external factors, such as salt type and concentration, chemical denaturants and molecular chaperones on the kinetics of aggregation.
Protein folding, misfolding and quality control: the role of molecular chaperones
Authors: Papsdorf Katharina , Richter Klaus
Published: August 2014

Cells have to cope with stressful conditions and adapt to changing environments. Heat stress, heavy metal ions or UV stress induce damage to cellular proteins and disturb the balanced status of the proteome. The adjusted balance between folded and folding proteins, called protein homoeostasis, is required for every aspect of cellular functionality. Protective proteins called chaperones are expressed under extreme conditions in order to prevent aggregation of cellular proteins and safeguard protein quality. These chaperones co-operate during de novo folding, refolding and disaggregation of damaged proteins and in many cases refold them to their functional state. Even under physiological conditions these machines support protein homoeostasis and maintain the balance between de novo folding and degradation. Mutations generating unstable proteins, which are observed in numerous human diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and cystic fibrosis, also challenge the protein quality control system. A better knowledge of how the protein homoeostasis system is regulated will lead to an improved understanding of these diseases and provide potential targets for therapy.
Prion disease and the ‘protein-only hypothesis’
Authors: Ma Jiyan , Wang Fei
Published: August 2014

Prion disease is the only naturally occurring infectious protein misfolding disorder. The chemical nature of the infectious agent has been debated for more than half a century. Early studies on scrapie suggested that the unusual infectious agent might propagate in the absence of nucleic acid. The ‘protein-only hypothesis’ provides a theoretical model to explain how a protein self-replicates without nucleic acid, which predicts that a prion, the proteinaceous infectious agent, propagates by converting its normal counterpart into the likeness of itself. Decades of studies have provided overwhelming evidence to support this hypothesis. The latest advances in generating infectious prions with bacterially expressed recombinant prion protein in the presence of cofactors not only provide convincing evidence supporting the ‘protein-only hypothesis’, but also indicate a role of cofactors in forming prion infectivity and encoding prion strains. In the present chapter, we review the literature regarding the chemical nature of the infectious agent, describe recent achievements in proving the ‘protein-only hypothesis’, and discuss the remaining questions in this research area.
Subspace‐based auto‐paired range and DOA estimation of dual‐channel FMCW radar without joint diagonalisation
Authors: Oh D.G. , Ju Y.H. , Lee J.H.
Published: August 2014

A subspace‐based auto‐paired range and direction‐of‐arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm without joint diagonalisation for multi‐target detection of dual‐channel frequency modulated continuous‐wave (FMCW) radar are proposed. The proposed method, which is based on signal subspace, exploits the shift invariant structure of the stacked Hankel matrix for the paired range and DOA estimation of multiple targets. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, the dual‐channel FMCW radar is implemented and its effectiveness verified in an anechoic chamber environment.
Distributed Bragg reflector fibre laser‐based sensor array for multi‐parameter detection
Authors: Yu Kuanglu , Wu Chongqing , Mao Yaya , Wang Zhi , Lu Chao , Tam Hwa‐Yaw , Zhao Yao
Published: August 2014

A sensor array employing the distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) fibre laser is presented. This array could be utilised as a multi‐channel multi‐functional detector for bending radius, transverse load and axial strain by simultaneously monitoring the lasing wavelength and the output beat note frequency. The measurement theory of the DBR fibre laser is explained, and it is then experimentally verified with a three‐probe array. The system's detection sensitivities for curvature, transverse load and axial strain are found to be 600 MHz/cm−2, 1.3 MHz/g and 1.263 pm/με, respectively.
Self‐optimising intelligent distributed antenna system for geographic load balancing
Authors: Hejazi Seyed Amin , Stapleton Shawn P.
Published: August 2014

Increase in number of mobile users, generates unbalanced load traffic in wireless network. In this study, a load‐balancing solution is investigated in order to optimise quality of service. An intelligent distributed antenna system (IDAS) fed by a base transceiver station (BTS) has the ability to distribute the cellular capacity over a given geographic area depending on the time‐varying traffic. A virtual cell network is an IDAS with capacity routing capability. To enable load balancing among distributed antenna modules, the authors dynamically allocate the remote antenna modules to the BTS sectors. A self‐organised network of virtual cells is formulated as an optimisation problem, which attempts to balance traffic load and minimises the hand‐offs as two important cost factors in the network. Two evolutionary algorithms are proposed for optimisation: genetic algorithm and estimation distribution algorithm. Computational results of different traffic scenarios after performing the algorithms, demonstrate that the two algorithms attain excellent key performance indicators for small‐scale networks.
Hydrothermal synthesis of tobermorite nanowires from porcelain stone
Authors: Li Zhenke , Wang Guanghui , Yan Cheng , Zhang Aiqing
Published: August 2014

A facile and efficient hydrothermal process was explored to obtain tobermorite nanowires using porcelain stone and CaO powders as raw materials. The as‐synthesised nanowires have a diameter of 50–100 nm and a length of tens of micrometres under conditions of a porcelain stone/CaO weight ratio of 3, a water/solid weight ratio of 22, a reaction temperature of 240°C and a reaction time of 24 h. The results indicate that the weight ratio of porcelain stone/CaO and hydrothermal temperature play important roles regarding the morphology and structure of tobermorite. Furthermore, a possible growth mechanism of the tobermorite nanowires is proposed. This approach might open up a simple and economic route to prepare tobermorite nanowires using inexpensive porcelain stone as the silicon source.
Magnetic Studies of Metal Ion Coordination Clusters Encapsulated with Thiacalixarene
Authors: Fuller Rebecca O. , Livesey Karen L. , Woodward Robert C. , McKinley Allan J. , Skelton Brian W. , Koutsantonis George A.
Published: August 2014

Three thiacalix[4]arene polynuclear complexes have been prepared by literature methods for detailed magnetic investigation. The [Fe3O(L)2] (LH4 = thiacalix[4]arene) complex is found to exhibit interesting anti-ferromagnetic exchange coupling. Jahn–Teller distortion in [Cu4(L)2] complex leads to strong anti-ferromagnetic coupling at low temperatures. The temperature-dependent susceptibility of the [(μ-H2O)Eu2(LH)2(DMF)4] complex is well described by a ground state involving the thermal population of the lowest three excited states.
Effects of intercropping grasses on soil organic carbon and microbial community functional diversity under Chinese hickory (Carya cathayensis Sarg.) stands
Authors: Wu Jiasen , Lin Haiping , Meng Cifu , Jiang Penkun , Fu Weijun
Published: August 2014

Chinese hickory (Carya cathayensis Sarg.) is a woody nut and oil tree from China. Intensive management including heavy application of chemical fertiliser and long-term application of herbicides has resulted in serious soil loss and degradation. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that intercropping in the soil under Chinese hickory stands may improve soil fertility and microbial community functional diversity. A field experiment consisting of four treatments (clean tillage; intercropping rape (Brassica rapa L.), ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) or Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.) was conducted to study the effects of intercropping on soil organic carbon (SOC) structure and microbial community functional diversity under C. cathayensis stand, by means of 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and EcoPlates incubated at 25°C.
After 4 years of treatment, intercropping increased available nitrogen (N), phosphorus and potassium in the soil by 25.1–54.2, 4.2–6.0 and 0–22.5 mg kg–1, respectively, relative to the clean tillage treatment; intercropping rape, ryegrass and Chinese milk vetch increased SOC, microbial biomass C (MBC), and water-soluble organic C (WOC) by 23.1–24.7, 138.6–159.7 and 56.2–69.5% (P < 0.05), respectively. The structure of SOC was also greatly changed by intercropping treatments. Intercropping increased carbonyl C by 29.9–36.9% (P < 0.05) and decreased alkyl C, O-alkyl C and aromatic C by 10.0–16.4, 18.9–20.9 and 10.5–16.6% (P < 0.05), respectively. Intercropping markedly improved microbial community functional diversity, which is characterised by increases in average well-colour development (AWCD), Shannon index and evenness index. Correlation analysis showed significant positive correlations among microbial biomass N, water-soluble organic N, SOC, WOC, MBC and AWCD (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The results demonstrate that sod cultivation is an effective soil management practice that improves soil quality and eliminates detrimental effects of clean tillage in Chinese hickory production.
A comparison of three approaches for simulating fine-scale surface winds in support of wildland fire management. Part II. An exploratory study of the effect of simulated winds on fire growth simulations
Authors: Forthofer Jason M. , Butler Bret W. , McHugh Charles W. , Finney Mark A. , Bradshaw Larry S. , Stratton Richard D. , Shannon Kyle S. , Wagenbrenner Natalie S.
Published: August 2014

The effect of fine-resolution wind simulations on fire growth simulations is explored. The wind models are (1) a wind field consisting of constant speed and direction applied everywhere over the area of interest; (2) a tool based on the solution of the conservation of mass only (termed mass-conserving model) and (3) a tool based on a solution of conservation of mass and momentum (termed momentum-conserving model). Fire simulations use the FARSITE fire simulation system to simulate fire growth for one hypothetical fire and two actual wildfires. The momentum-conserving model produced fire perimeters that most closely matched the observed fire spread, followed by the mass-conserving model and then the uniform winds. The results suggest that momentum-conserving and mass-conserving models can reduce the sensitivity of fire growth simulations to input wind direction, which is advantageous to fire growth modellers. The mass-conserving and momentum-conserving wind models may be useful for operational use as decision support tools in wildland fire management, prescribed fire planning, smoke dispersion modelling, and firefighter and public safety.
Razi on Reason and Political Authority: A Study in Medieval Persian Political Thought
Authors: Shomali Alireza
Published: August 2014

The Philosopher of Rey, Mohammad-e Zakariya-ye Razi and his Ismaili adversaries, Abu Hatam-e Razi and Naser-e Khosrow, share a political understanding of religion according to which religion is a theologico-political system of domination. However, they are at odds over the political philosophy appraisal of religion qua a system of authority. The paper explicates the latter disagreement in part based on Razi's and his opponents' conflicting ideas about the nature of the faculty of Reason and its distribution among men. Consequently, the paper underlines a democratic implication of Razi's thesis on the makeup of the human intellect.
Enzymes for ecdysteroid biosynthesis: their biological functions in insects and beyond
Authors: Niwa Ryusuke , Niwa Yuko S
Published: August 2014

Steroid hormones are responsible for the coordinated regulation of many aspects of biological processes in multicellular organisms. Since the last century, many studies have identified and characterized steroidogenic enzymes in vertebrates, including mammals. However, much less is known about invertebrate steroidogenic enzymes. In the last 15 years, a number of steroidogenic enzymes and their functions have been characterized in ecdysozoan animals, especially in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. In this review, we summarize the latest knowledge of enzymes crucial for synthesizing ecdysteroids, the principal insect steroid hormones. We also discuss the functional conservation and diversity of ecdysteroidogenic enzymes in other insects and even non-insect species, such as nematodes, vertebrates, and lower eukaryotes.
HARM type MEMS-based reed switch innovations address medical, automotive and other micro switching applications not previously possible
Authors: Bloss Richard
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to review the advancements in development of high aspect ratio microfabrication (HARM) type of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) reed switch sensors for much improved performance in a much more compact package.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper presents an in-depth review of a number of applications of HARM built MEMS reed switches and consultation with a manufacturer.

Findings

– One manufacturer has introduced a totally new way to fabricate reed switches which brings numerous benefits such as reliability, higher voltage capability, lower contact resistance and other features in a new tiny package.

Practical implications

– Manufacturers of devices needing the benefits of the reed switch concept but who need a much smaller and compact switch now have a new option to explore.

Originality/value

– An expert insight into how to solve reed switching problems where space is at a premium.
Theoretical perspectives on corporate disclosure: a critical evaluation and literature survey
Authors: A. Omran Mohamed , M. El-Galfy Ahmed
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide an extensive and critical overview of the theoretical perspectives used in the accounting disclosure literature including economic theories, political and social theories.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper reviews and discusses in details the positive accounting theory (PAT), agency theory, signalling theory, political economy theory (PET), stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and contingency theory to identify the situations suit each of these perspectives.

Findings

– The main finding shows that there is no universal theory applicable for all situations or societies. For example, PAT is probably used when a corporation believes that its primary responsibility is to use its resources and engage in activities designed to maximise its profits. On the other hand, the PET seems to better explain why some corporations appear to respond to government or public pressure for information about their social impact. The agency theory provides the required framework to evaluate accounting choices and disclosure decisions in market-based studies. While the legitimacy theory seems to be more suitable for multinational corporations working in developed/democratic countries, the stakeholder theory seems to be most suitable for multinational corporations working in developing/dictator countries; whereas a corporation can manage its stakeholders. The contingency theory supports our main finding that different theories are required for different situations, as it clearly indicates that management's preferences of reporting practices are related to the nature of environmental and organisational constraints rather than their relative income effects.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to the limited body of literature concerning the accounting disclosure theories and to identify the main theoretical perspective that can be used in the accounting disclosure research.
Managerial communication practices and employees’ attitudes and behaviours
Authors: A. Dasgupta Shilpee , Suar Damodar , Singh Seema
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– This study is a part of two sequential studies (quantitative and qualitative) carried out to study the impact of managerial communication on employees’ attitudes and behaviours. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using the critical incident technique, this study explores the effects of managerial communication practices on employees’ happiness, job performance, commitment, absenteeism, and turnover intentions. Totally, 101 employees in three manufacturing organisations in eastern India narrated critical incidents related to happiness and superior performance, unhappiness and inferior performance, absenteeism, and the desire to stay or quit. The incidents were further content-analysed.

Findings

– Results revealed that collaborative approach, respect and recognition, flexible working arrangements, trust, clear direction, autonomous and challenging tasks are important indicators to make employees happy and drive them towards superior performance. Contrarily, the dominant nature of the superior and more bossism than required, humiliation, biased approach, and lack of flexible working arrangements are detrimental to employees’ performance. Collaborative approach, respect/recognition, person-job match, autonomous and challenging tasks, flexible working arrangements, brand image, and location near hometown are the propellers for continuing service in organisations. Contrarily, hierarchical/dominant approach, humiliation, lack of respect and recognition, biased approach – different rules for different people, monotonous and boring assignments, and uncompetitive pay are the propellers for not continuing service in organisations. Humiliation, lack of flexible arrangements, and overwork are the causes for employees’ absenteeism.

Research limitations/implications

– This study is not without limitations. First, there were some critical incidents with apparent overlapping content areas. To overcome this situation, the authors decided to give preference to the primary theme emerging out of an incident. Second, the observations made in this study were limited to descriptions of what happened in only three organisations. This limits the ability to generalise the results.

Practical implications

– Organisations can train supervisors to develop people-centric communication practices, communicate with respect and recognition, implement flexible working arrangements, improve job design, involve employees in important decisions, offer them with autonomous and challenging tasks, so that employees realise their full potential and become happy contributors to their organisations.

Originality/value

– The study attempted to capture employees’ lived experiences and provided them with narrations of situations that are commonly and uniquely experienced.
Examination of the interpersonal predictors of mentoring relational quality
Authors: M. Lyons Laci , L. Perrewé Pamela
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– A continued focus in organizational research has been on career development, and mentoring has been identified as a key determinant of career success. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the interpersonal dynamics which contribute to variations in the effectiveness of mentoring support behaviors. Specifically, the effects of mentoring relational quality (MRQ) (i.e. affective perceptions held by mentors and protégés) on mentoring behaviors (i.e. vocational and psychosocial) as well as professional identification are considered. Interpersonal skills (e.g. behavioral integrity and political skill) of mentors and protégés are examined for their impact on MRQ.

Design/methodology/approach

– Utilizing matched dyadic survey data from 100 mentor-protégé pairs in academe (i.e. dissertation chairs and doctoral candidates or recent doctoral alumni), partial least squares was used to test the research model.

Findings

– Results support MRQ as an integral component in mentoring dynamics. MRQ for mentors and protégés was significantly linked with mentor support behaviors provided and received, respectively. Mentors’ perceptions of MRQ were predicted by protégés’ behavioral integrity and mentors’ political skill. Similarly, protégés’ political skill and mentors’ behavioral integrity significantly predicted protégés’ perceptions of MRQ. Further, mentors and protégés reported higher levels of professional identification when MRQ was high.

Originality/value

– This study links affective and behavioral perspectives of mentoring, revealing the importance of interpersonal skill in career development. The interpersonal dynamics characteristic of mentor-protégé interactions determine the extent to which mentoring support behaviors may actually be provided by mentors and received by protégés.
Are individual investors affected by attention?
Authors: Feng Xunan , Hu Na
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– Based on the theory of limited attention, the purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the investor behavior is influenced by attention, using the sample from earning announcement in China.

Design/methodology/approach

– Empirical research using the earning announcement data in China. Specifically, the authors use the sample from 2005 to 2010 in listed A-share firms with earning announcements in Shanghai and Shenzhen stock market. Panel data regressions are used with Newey and West (1987) to correct for the potential heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation. The empirical results strongly support the hypothesis that limited attention impact investor behavior in China.

Findings

– The authors find that the immediate price and volume reaction to earning surprise is much weaker and post-announcement drift is much stronger when a greater number of firms make earning announcements on the same day. The authors explain these findings mainly from behavioral bias. When investors process multiple information signals immediately or perform multiple objects simultaneously, their attention will be allocated selectively due to cognitive constraints. Such limited attention causes severe underreaction to immediate earnings announcement, therefore leads to mispricing abnormal related to public accounting information. In the long-run, the market adjusted and there is post-announcement drift.

Research limitations/implications

– Consistent with Hirshleifer et al. (2009), the findings in this study indicate that individual investors’ behaviors are influenced by their limited attention in China. The results are different from Yu and Wang (2010) conclusions that same-day concentrated announcement help investors and facilitate information dissemination in China. The findings are explained by the investor distraction hypothesis proposed by Hirshleifer et al. (2009) that investor distraction causes market underreaction.

Practical implications

– The arrival of simultaneously extraneous earning information cause market prices and trading volume to react slowly to the relevant news about a firm because competing information signals distract investor from a given firm, causing market price to underreact to relevant news. These finding help us understand investor behavior and the impact of limited attention on security market.

Social implications

– Investor limited attention not only affects their stock-buying behavior, but also has an important impact on the efficiency of security market. Specifically, limited attention drive immediate underreaction to earning announcement and the post-earning announcement drift, especially when a greater number of same-day earning announcements are made by other firms.

Originality/value

– Limited attention affects security market in China.
Residential properties, resources of basic education and willingness price of buyers
Authors: Zhang Hao , Li Zhong-fei
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– China's resource allocation mechanism in education has become an important factor in determining residential access to educational resources. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impacts made by the individual natures of buyers, the external environment, as well as the characteristics of residential properties on the willingness price of buyers. The study's aim is to lay theoretical foundations for the determination of problems related with the matters under consideration.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using the panel data of 54 districts and counties in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the study unifies macro factors and micro factors in a model for empirical analysis.

Findings

– Basic education resources can affect housing prices via the “capitalization of education.” The degree of those educational resources’ influence on willingness price changes according to personal income levels, standards of living, housing price fluctuations, the convenience of the residential area and the degrees of urbanization in a district. The greater the buyer's income and standard of living is, the higher is their willingness price. Buyers in urbanized areas prefer increases in educational resources. Increased educational resources increase the values of residential downtown areas. In developed areas with private educational facilities, the role of educational resources in influencing property prices is relatively small.

Originality/value

– This paper uses data concerning the consumption and investment of residential properties to build a theoretical model for the willingness price of buyers. It unifies macro factors and micro factors in a single model and presents new results about basic education resources and the willingness price of buyers under different conditions.
International market expansion and diversification opportunities for KBB Resources Berhad Malaysia
Authors: Ameer Rashid , Ayomi Marveys Willfred
Published: August 2014

Subject area

International business.

Study level/applicability

Bachelor level.

Case overview

This case study simulates a real life management decision. It explores the planning, organizing and controlling challenges associated with developing an internationalization strategy. Top managers planning to expand “internationally” contemplate about potential international markets should understand the risks and opportunities they present and how best to deal with them. Often organizational design is neglected prior to embarking on internationalization strategy. The case provides contrasting perspectives and entry options, to highlight the importance of an in-depth evaluation of alternatives.

Expected learning outcomes

Analyze and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of business prior to exploiting international opportunities. Discuss key success factors, each of which has a different degree of importance in formulating a domestic and multinational business strategy. Understand economic, social, cultural, and political risks, and how a company can use of market research to identify and manage such risks. Formulate an internationalization strategy based on the evaluation of the costs and control provided by different international entry options.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or emailsupport@emeraldinsight.comto request teaching notes.
Shopping centre Europa – when threats become opportunities
Authors: Kvedaravičienė Ieva , Vilkanciene Lilija
Published: August 2014

Subject area

Real estate economics, strategic management.

Study level/applicability

BA, undergraduate year 3, 4

Case overview

The case aims to raise an issue of the effects of the economic crisis on Europa shopping centre in Vilnius, Lithuania, and its owner, Baltic Property Trust (BPT) Secura. For the first time since its opening in Vilnius, the company faced rapidly decreasing flows and turnover. Falling revenues meant that most stores within the shopping mall had been struggling to maintain their cash flow and profitability. The major idea of the case is to show that shopping centre management is a complex process covering interrelated relationship among owners, tenants, customers and society in general.

Expected learning outcomes

Learners will be able: to apply knowledge of retail segment functioning specifics; to apply knowledge of retail property management (in various economic and market cycles); and to apply strategic management principles in property management.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
Fuala: a success story of an entrepreneur
Authors: Al Hosani Mohamed , Ahmad Syed Zamberi
Published: August 2014

Subject area

This case can be used in entrepreneurship, small business management, project management, strategic planning, and strategic management courses.

Study level/applicability

The case is suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate business students (bachelor and master levels).

Case overview

People's relationship to chocolate starts in childhood. Parents often motivate their kids simply by promising them a piece of chocolate. The making of candy is more of an art than a business, and managing a chocolate business requires more than just management skills. This case study highlights the success story of an entrepreneur called “Radwan Al Hosani”, who managed to transform his dream into practice through insistence and hard work. His chocolate shop “Fuala” was the first in this field to be made in the UAE, and he managed to enlarge his business from small shop in 2002 to 16 branches locally and internationally within ten years. The story in this case study serves as a source for imitation for those willing to start a new business as it illustrates real-world challenges that beginners may face.

Expected learning outcomes

This case study will expose students to a strategically successful example of expansion and critical thinking beyond the daily operation of a business. The students will be able to apply five forces business models.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
Practo Technologies: the online way of life!
Authors: Chauhan Roma , Kumar Amit
Published: August 2014

Subject area

Innovation, information technology, e-marketing and sales, strategy and entrepreneurship.

Study level/applicability

The case is intended for use in advanced graduate and executive education level management and technical programs of study. The case is high inter-disciplinary appropriate for all courses dealing in use of innovation, information technology, entrepreneurship, marketing and sales and strategy.

Case overview

Practo Technologies Pvt Ltd is a company established in 2008 by entrepreneurs Shashank, N.D. along with Abhinav Lal. At Practo Technologies engineers practice to create technology that supports healthcare industry. In India, there is not enough assistance given to the patients in terms of searching for appropriate doctors and fixing an appointment with them easily. The patient's data lie scattered in reports and the patient's medical history goes unrecorded. Practo provides a robust platform for doctors and patients to collaborate together under one umbrella. It provides patients with open basket of doctor profiles and special search based on doctor's specialty. The case showcases the journey of transformation healthcare sector in India has gone through. The change was resisted, it never came that easy! The case explores issues in implementing information technology for clinics and hospitals in India. This case illustrates interesting facts Indian healthcare and the preparation they need to equip with to manage global technology tide.

Expected learning outcomes

The case can be used for teaching service innovation. Managing innovative practices and low-cost online business models is illustrated. In particular, it deals with how the early start up employs innovation to set up new working ideas. The case is designed to stimulate discussions of broad array of issues regarding deployment of IT services specifically in the hospitals and clinics across India. Evaluate the advantages and liabilities of expanding globally at a very early start up stage. The case focuses on Practo early development with only concept in hand and transforming it into a profit generating business. Evaluate the advantages and challenges of innovation, technology development, deployment and training of manpower to use it. The case offers students opportunity to understand and take view of strategically building early start up and management of concerns with no prior experience. To identify business opportunities and explore various possibilities of expansion into IT healthcare business. The students are given base to explore sales and marketing strategies for online model. The students get overview of cutting edge business offerings and surviving the dynamic competition in the era of globalization.

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
The damned dam
Authors: Dastidar Surajit Ghosh , Menon Sindhuja , Dutta Arundhati
Published: August 2014

Subject area

Power and politics.

Study level/applicability

This case is suitable for all levels of students, undergraduate MBA to Executive MBA classes and practitioners. Assignment questions are designed from the perspective of teaching this case to a business student audience.

Case overview

A raging dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam was in the national spotlight after mild tremors shook nearby areas. The Mullaperiyar Dam was located in Idukki district of Kerala in India. The dam was filled to its maximum permissible level of 136 ft. Tamil Nadu wanted the storage capacity to be increased by raising the dam height from 136 ft (41.5 m) to 142 ft (43 m) as per a 2006 Supreme Court directive to meet the growing irrigation needs of the state. The dam was vital for people living in the drought-prone districts of Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram of Tamil Nadu. It irrigated about 220,000 acres and supplied drinking water to Madurai city and several towns. Kerala on the other hand wants a new dam as it feared that a strong earthquake might damage the existing dam. Chief Minister of Kerala, Oommen Chandy said: “I strongly believe that only a new dam can provide safety to the people of Kerala. We are only concerned about the safety of the people. But, unfortunately, there is a feeling in Tamil Nadu that the situation of panic here is a created one. That is not at all correct”. However, Tamil Nadu Government said the dam was safe as it had undergone periodic repairs during 1980-1994 with Kerala Government's approval. With the Kerala Government screaming loud over the danger that could be caused by the alleged obsolete 116 year old Mullaperiyar Dam on safety grounds of people who live downstream, why is Tamil Nadu defiant on any debate that cites the decommission of the controversial dam? Is the Tamil Nadu Government overlooking the issue for its personal benefits by putting the lives of 3 million people at stake?

Expected learning outcomes

The case would fit in a course for power and politics. It would also be appropriate for a modular course on regional development planning.

Supplementary materials

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Cognitive style and innovation in organizations
Authors: E. Ettlie John , S. Groves Kevin , M. Vance Charles , L. Hess George
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to validate cognitive style (i.e. linear, nonlinear, and balanced thinking) with innovation intentions and behaviors. It was hypothesized that a balanced linear/nonlinear thinking style and the inclination toward more innovative intentions are strongly related.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey questionnaire of business students in the USA and France was employed. Formally validated measures of thinking style and innovation were replicated in this project.

Findings

– The results of an analysis of 186 respondents found a significant, direct relationship between balanced thinking style and innovative intention and behavior measures.

Research limitations/implications

– The results demonstrate that cognitive style and innovation are related, but the direct validation of actual innovative behaviors, in situ, needs to be included in the next step of this research stream. Further, the composition of groups can also be evaluated using these measures.

Practical implications

– This is the first successful attempt to validate cognitive style measures with innovation outcome measures. These measures are now available for organizational testing, field research, and assessing team composition.

Originality/value

– This is one of the first criterion-validity assessments of a cognitive measure related to linear and nonlinear thinking style. There are two important implications of these results. First, the authors now have a better understanding of one the links between cognition and innovation. Second, the authors have established a solid base for future research on this subject, including the importance of this effect in practice.
Word-of-mouth marketing
Authors: Groeger Lars , Buttle Francis
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The paper aims to provide a theoretically informed critique of current measurement practices for word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) campaigns.

Design/methodology/approach

– An exploratory field study is conducted on a real-life WOMM campaign. Data are collected from two generations of campaign participants using a custom-built Facebook app and subjected to social network analysis (SNA). We compare our theoretically informed measure of campaign reach with industry standard practice.

Findings

– Standard metrics for WOMM campaigns assume campaign reach equates to the number of campaign-related conversations. These metrics fail to allow for the possibility that some participants may be exposed multiple times to campaign-related messaging. In this exploratory field study, standard metrics overestimate campaign reach by 57.5 per cent. The campaign is also significantly less efficient in terms of cost-per-conversation. SNA shows that multiple exposures are associated with transitivity and tie strength. Multiple exposures mean that the total number of campaign-related conversations cannot be regarded as equivalent to the number of individuals reached.

Research limitations/implications

– SNA provides a sound theoretical foundation for the critique of current WOMM measurement practices. Two social-structural network attributes – transitivity and tie strength – inform our critique. A single WOMM campaign provides the field study context.

Practical implications

– The findings have significant implications for the development and deployment of WOMM effectiveness and efficiency metrics and are relevant to WOMM agencies, agency clients and the Word-of-Mouth Marketing Association.

Originality/value

– This is the largest field study of its kind having collected data on >5,000 WOMM campaign-related conversations. Participants specified precisely whom they spoke to about the campaign and the strength of that social tie. This is the first SNA-informed critique of standard WOMM campaign measurement practices and first quantification of offline multiple exposures to a WOMM campaign. We demonstrate how standard campaign metrics are based on the false assumption that word-of-mouth flows exclusively along intransitive ties.
Regulatory congruence effects in two-sided advertising
Authors: Cornelis Erlinde , Cauberghe Veroline , De Pelesmacker Patrick
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this study is to contribute to previous research by investigating the principle of regulatory congruence in two-sided advertising messages. Additionally, it addresses the underlying mechanisms of the congruence effect.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study encompasses two experiments: a two-level between-subjects design, manipulating the message’s frame (prevention vs promotion), while measuring respondents’ chronic self-regulatory focus (prevention vs promotion), and a 2 × 2 between-subjects design, manipulating processing depth (central vs peripheral) and message frame (prevention- vs promotion-oriented), while measuring individuals’ chronic self-regulatory focus (prevention vs promotion).

Findings

– Study 1 shows that in two-sided messages, the effect of regulatory congruence on attitudes toward the message depends on individuals’ self-regulatory focus: a congruence effect was only found in promotion-focused individuals. This congruence effect was driven by processing fluency. The second study builds on the first one by exploring the absence of a congruence effect found in prevention-focused individuals. Its results show that in prevention-focused individuals, processing depth influences regulatory congruence effects in two-sided messages. Under peripheral processing, prevention-focused individuals have more positive attitudes toward the issue when two-sided messages are congruent with their self-regulatory focus. Under central processing, on the other hand, a regulatory incongruence effect on attitudes occurs.

Originality/value

– This study complements prior research by examining the validity of the regulatory congruence principle in the context of two-sided messages. Moreover, it addresses the underlying mechanisms driving regulatory (in)congruence effects. As such, our study contributes both to the existing research on two-sided messages and that on regulatory focus.
National versus local brands
Authors: Jean Jeon Hyo-Jin , P. Dant Rajiv , M. Gleiberman Aaron
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this research is to investigate differences in customer perceptions of quality between credence and experience industries. The paper expands on the implications of national versus local firms and does so within a franchise context.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on a sample of 349 consumers, three core SERVQUAL dimensions (reliability, security and tangibility) were analyzed to determine customer perceptions of quality. A mixed-factorial designed was used to evaluate different scenarios of purchasing intentions, measuring the main and interactive effects of service type and criticality among franchised and local brands.

Findings

– Significant differences were found in customer perceptions of quality between experience- and credence-based services. A significant moderating effect of the level of criticality was shown to play an important role in customers’ perceptions.

Research limitations/implications

– This experimental laboratory study highlights the importance for managers to understand the differences in perceptions of customers when dealing between service types and acting under conditions of varying criticality. This holds true for both franchised and non-franchised businesses.

Originality/value

– This study offers one of the first investigations of customer perceptions of quality in specific industry types (i.e. credence and experience) within a franchise system. Depending on the industry type, customers have different expectations of quality. The authors offer several specific ways in which managers can use this knowledge to their advantage.