bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consumer acceptance of Islamic home financing
Authors: Amin Hanudin , Rahim Abdul Rahman Abdul , Abdul Razak Dzuljastri
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– This study aims to examine the factors influencing the consumer acceptance on Islamic home financing products amongst clients of Islamic banks. For the purpose, the study extends the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in explaining the Islamic home financing adoption along. Further, the study also intends to analyze the effects of “Islamicity of product” and seven demographic factors on the consumer acceptance of Islamic home financing products.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using the TPB model as a baseline theory, data are collected from bank customers in East Malaysia involving two cities, namely, Kota Kinabalu and Labuan, using self-administered questionnaires. A total of 300 questionnaires are distributed; however, only 278 are found usable. We use ordered probit model to analyze the effects of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, Islamicity of product and demographic factors.

Findings

– Using the ordered probit model, this study finds that attitude, subjective norm, perceived control and Islamicity of product are instrumental in determining the consumer acceptance of Islamic home financing products. Concerned with demographic items, the study finds that marital status, ethnic, occupation and religion are influential. It is also discovered, however, that gender, academic qualification and monthly income have little effects on the consumer acceptance.

Research limitations/implications

– Three limitations are available for future studies. First, the current work does not include the experienced users who patronize Islamic home financing products. Second, the contribution of the present study is confined to the analyzed explanatory variables. Third, this study also has geographical constraint in which it is conducted in East Malaysia whilst samples from West-Malaysia are overlooked. These limitations, however, provide directions for further future research.

Practical implications

– Essentially, this study is a pioneering effort in applying the TPB model to the new context of Islamic home financing products in Malaysia. The study integrates the effects of Islamicity of product and demographic factors on the consumer acceptance on Islamic home financing products. The TPB model is proven valid and is reliable in predicting the consumer acceptance on Islamic home financing products.

Originality/value

– This study introduces Islamicity of product and demographic factors in explaining the consumer acceptance on Islamic home financing products. Most fundamentally, this study proposes a modified theoretical framework that is of paramount importance to predict the demand of Islamic home financing products in the future.
Learning the ropes: muddling through with Tim Wilson
Authors: Burström Thommie
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– It is common that junior researchers struggle in finding their own way of doing research. The purpose of this paper is therefore to use the theory of “Muddling through” in order to theorize about the junior vs senior researcher collaboration process.

Design/methodology/approach

– The theory of “Muddling through” is used in order to reflect on the qualities of shared collaboration between a junior and senior research colleague.

Findings

– The research process share the characteristics of policy making where goals many times are fuzzy, and the relationship between means to end is far from self-evident. The research process therefore demands from the senior colleague to act firm, fair and friendly in order to support and inspire junior research colleagues.

Research limitations/implications

– It is a personalized single case study; still it provides advice for both junior and senior research colleagues that are in the process of research collaboration.

Practical implications

– Junior colleagues need to have the courage of actively suggesting research topics to senior colleagues; they also need to actively reflect on the quality of their shared research collaboration process.

Originality/value

– The study provides the research community with a sensemaking example of coaching, inspiration and mentoring in the research collaboration process.
A tribute to Timothy L. Wilson: the professor, the mentor, the person and his accomplishments
Authors: A. Lundin Rolf
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe a useful mentorship experience from the perspective of the current author. It is a one case study at the same time as it opens up for reflections on mentorship in a variety of contexts with implications for academia.

Design/methodology/approach

– Storytelling and reflections for the sake of reviving the notions of mentorship in academia by paying tribute to a trusted mentor.

Findings

– The story is about how the mentorship evolved as part of a friendship relation, but the story has also implications for how mentoring can be developed as a personal strategy.

Originality/value

– Mentoring can either be planned as a deliberate process or it can just happen, growing out of experiences from working with another person.
When do megaprojects start and finish? Redefining project lead time for megaproject success
Authors: Eduardo Yamasaki Sato Carlos , de Freitas Chagas Jr Milton
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose to redefine the concept of project lead time (PLT) to encompass the time between the project initial idea and the moment in which success is being assessed, which can be beyond the project close-out, using whatever criteria is appropriate for the stakeholder at that moment in time. The conventional project life cycle does not count for the long-term effects of the megaproject, which can have a significant impact on its perception of success. Thus the megaproject life cycle should include a significant part of the operational life cycle of the end product or result, and the criteria of success should include the long-term benefits of the project (measured along various years after the delivery of the end product or result).

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper uses three illustrative cases of megaprojects: Airbus A380, London Heathrow Terminal 5 and London Olympic Games 2012. These megaprojects, despite their problems in achieving objectives of time, cost and quality (the triple constraint), can be viewed as success or failure depending on the performance and benefits of the resulting product/infrastructure analysed over a long period of time after its delivery.

Findings

– In order to reconcile the usual distinction between project and product life cycle, and the various definitions of success in different moments of the project/product life cycle, the authors propose to redefine the concept of PLT to encompass the time between the project initial idea and the moment in which success is being assessed, beyond the project close-out, using any criteria which is appropriate for the stakeholder at that moment in time.

Originality/value

– When assessing the success of the megaproject it is important to define the PLT under which success is being assessed. As pointed out earlier, in findings, the authors propose to redefine the concept of PLT to encompass the time between the project initial idea and the moment in which success is being assessed, beyond the project close-out, using any criteria which is appropriate for the stakeholder at that moment in time.
Understanding project success through analysis of project management approach
Authors: Rolstadås Asbjørn , Tommelein Iris , Morten Schiefloe Per , Ballard Glenn
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to show that project success is dependent on the project management approach selected, relative to the challenges posed by the project, and to develop an analytical model for analyzing the performance of the project organization.

Design/methodology/approach

– The research is based on literature review, model development, interviews, and case studies.

Findings

– The findings define two different approaches in project management: The prescriptive approach focusses on the formal qualities of the project organization, including governing documentation and procedures. The adaptive approach focusses on the process of developing and improving a project organization, project culture and team commitment. The two approaches have been identified through studies of three different case projects. An analytical model, referred to as the Pentagon model, has been applied for analyzing the performance of the project organization and explaining the project management approach. The model focusses on five different organizational aspects: structure, technologies, culture, social relations and networks, and interaction.

Research limitations/implications

– The research is limited to megaprojects and to project management success.

Practical implications

– It is suggested that project teams consider and select their project management approach at project initiation, and accordingly decide on relevant success factors to focus on. The adapted Pentagon model can be applied to develop the project management organization and assess its performance in the course of project delivery.

Originality/value

– The contribution of the research is the application of the analytical model, and the identification as well as illustration of the prescriptive, vs adaptive management approach.
Does structural economic vulnerability matter for public indebtedness in developing countries?
Authors: Kimm Gnangnon Sèna
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of structural economic vulnerability of developing countries on their public indebtedness.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors perform the analysis by the use of fixed effects technique where the standard errors are corrected by the Driscoll-Kraay (1998) method. The panel covers 96 developing countries over the period 1980-2008.

Findings

– The results suggest evidence of a “U-shaped” relationship between the structural vulnerability and the total public debt in developing countries. More particularly in low-income countries (LICs), the structural vulnerability appears to be a strong determinant of the build-up of the total public debt.

Research limitations/implications

– It would be interesting to extend the research to small Island developing states. Indeed, the authors do not include this group of countries because of lack of data, especially on the variable “quality of governance” for almost all countries of this group. Accordingly, the research should be extended to such countries as well as these data are available.

Practical implications

– The implications of the study is that international institutions, including those of the Bretton Woods should take into account the structural vulnerability of developing countries when designing development policies, especially the ones related to debt sustainability in developing countries and particularly LICs.

Social implications

– The fact of the international institutions to take into account the structural vulnerability in the design of international development policy, especially those related to debt issues will have major implications on the macroeconomic policy design by these developing countries as well as on poverty reduction.

Originality/value

– The added value of this paper is to use recent data on structural vulnerability to analyse the effect of the latter on public indebtdeness of developing countries.
Which firms export? An empirical analysis for the manufacturing sector in the MENA region
Authors: Fakih Ali , L. Ghazalian Pascal
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the export behaviour of manufacturing firms located in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region using data from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys Database.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper examines the factors influencing the export behaviour of manufacturing firms located in the MENA region through a probit model for export decision and through a fractional logit model for export intensity.

Findings

– The empirical results show significant positive effects of private foreign ownership, information and communication technology, and firm size on the probability of exporting and on export intensity of MENA manufacturing firms. Government ownership tends to exert negative effects on firms’ propensity to export. The results underscore enhancing effects of national economic development levels on firms’ export performance. Also, they indicate that firms’ propensity to export decreases with larger domestic market size. The empirical analysis reveals considerable heterogeneity in the implications of firm characteristics for firms’ export behaviour through firm size categories and across MENA countries.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the literature by conducting overall and comparative cross-country empirical analyses of the factors influencing the export behaviour of manufacturing firms located in the MENA region. It also explores the specificities of small and large firms’ responses to the factors influencing firms’ export behaviour. The results have implications for policies intended to enhance industrial growth and international competitiveness of the manufacturing sector in the MENA region.
Time-inconsistency problem: less common than we think
Authors: Cesar Albuquerque Bastos Julio , Ferreira de Mendonça Helder , Montes Gabriel
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to make an empirical analysis concerning time-inconsistency problem (TIP) based on a sample of 12 countries for the period from 1993 to 2011.

Design/methodology/approach

– The existence of TIP only makes sense if there is a trade-off between inflation and unemployment and when there is a causal relationship indicating that with more inflation, unemployment is reduced (as suggested by the Phillips curve). Hence, TIP is observed by testing the existence of cointegration between inflation rate and unemployment rate series and analyzing the sign of the estimated coefficient of the cointegration vector.

Findings

– The findings indicate that the large majority of countries in the sample have policies that are consistent with long-term goals. Furthermore, it is possible to conjecture that the traditional argument that developing countries have weak institutions and thus present a fertile ground for TIP or that the adoption of inflation targeting (IT) can avoid TIP is not necessarily true.

Originality/value

– This study sheds light on four important issues. First, has the change in the mindset of the monetary policy management from the 1990s eliminated TIP? Second, is TIP a sickness only for developing countries? Third, is IT associated with TIP? Fourth, has the TIP increased around the world due to the subprime crisis? In short, this paper is an advance on the empirical literature on TIP and it is a very important overview for observing the present day conduct of the monetary policy through the international experience.
Recent trends in factor income shares: a global perspective
Authors: Izyumov Alexei , Vahaly John
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide estimates of factor income shares for 79 developed, developing and transition economies representing close to 90 percent of the world output and to test for income share convergence.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper uses data from the United Nations National Accounts and World Bank World Development Indicator databases and the factor-income-share estimation methodology developed in Bernanke and Gurkaynak (2001) and Gollin (2002).

Findings

– The authors estimate indicated that the average levels of capital income (profit) shares in developing and transition countries are 1.4-1.5 times higher than in developed economies. During the period studied, profit shares in all groups of countries trended upwards. As a result, the “global” profit share increased thus extending the “labor share squeeze” of the 1980s and 1990s.

Practical implications

– The finding of persistent and significant differences in factor shares in countries of different development levels calls into question the assumption of uniform factor shares’ often made in studies of economic growth. The detection of a broadly based upward trend in profit shares has implications for studies of income distribution and inequality.

Originality/value

– The paper's contribution is in providing updated estimates of factor income shares for the broad sample of countries, including in particular transition economies, not covered in previous studies; confirming the positive link between profit share and country's income level; countering claims of factor income convergence and establishing the upward trend in “global” profit share.
An investigation on policy direction and drivers for sustainable facilities management practice in Nigeria
Authors: I. Ikediashi Dubem , O. Ogunlana Stephen , O. Ujene Anthony
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the state of sustainable facilities management (FM) practice in Nigeria particularly, as it relates to the sustainability policy and key drivers for sustainable FM practice among corporate organisations in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper relied on data derived from a survey of 58 respondents (facilities managers and other top managers who have FM portfolios) representing 58 corporate organisations registered with Nigeria’s corporate affairs commission and interview sections in a case-study setting with three interviewees representing three corporate establishments in Nigeria.

Findings

– Findings identified health and safety, waste management and flexible working environment as the three main sustainability policy directions, in that order, while sustainability policy on biodiversity, urbanisation and forestation were the three least rated. Furthermore, the key drivers for sustainable FM practice are corporate image, job creation and waste reduction. Others are enhancing relation with stakeholders and reduction in energy consumption.

Originality/value

– This paper provides empirical evidence on the state of sustainable FM practice in Nigeria as a way of contributing to the much needed body of knowledge on sustainability in general and sustainable FM practice in particular.
Impact of foreign workforce on productivity in foreign-funded infrastructure projects
Authors: De Silva Nayanthara , Darmicka R. , Fernando Elmo
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this study is to explore the impact of using foreign workers on construction productivity in project situations. Generally, foreign-funded projects use both native and foreign workers. Foreign workforce entering into the construction industry may affect the productivity positively or negatively, depending on the migrants’ attributes, institutional arrangements and native workers’ responses, thereby impacting the cost of the project. In Sri Lanka, large construction sites have become multicultural and depend on foreign workers brought in by foreign contractors for infrastructure projects.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey-based approach was used to collect data. Structured interviews were conducted to explore the characteristics of the foreign workforce and their impact on productivity. Further, potential strategies were analyzed to establish industry motivators (IM) to enhance productivity.

Findings

– The study on the foreign workforce identified ten employee characteristics that may impact project’s productivity either positively or negatively. Further, 16 significant strategies were compiled to establish six IM to enhance productivity.

Originality/value

– These proposed motivators will be useful for construction practitioners in mitigating negative impacts and proactively managing the foreign workforce in a way to enhance construction productivity.
Motives and competitive assets of Pakistani international construction contracting firms
Authors: Maqsoom Ahsen , Charoenngam Chotchai
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to study the impact of a firm’s size and international experience on its internationalization because it remains an under-researched area. Using an integrated theoretical approach, this study examines the motives and (firm-specific and home country-specific) competitive assets, that enable the internationalization of Pakistan-based construction contracting firms (CCFs) having varied sizes and international experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected through a postal questionnaire survey. A comparative analysis of these data was undertaken for firms of varied sizes and international experiences.

Findings

– Findings show that firms of varied sizes did not concur over several firm-specific and home country-specific competitive assets, whereas firms of varied international experiences were in disagreement over fewer motives and home country-specific competitive assets. Small CCFs need to overcome weakness in their firm-specific competitive assets, especially international reputation and internationally experienced management. Government and home country support are needed to promote internationalization of emerging economies’ CCFs, especially younger and smaller ones that are more vulnerable due to an unstable business environment and lack of opportunities in domestic markets.

Research limitations/implications

– The firms included in this study represent only one service sector, i.e. the emerging economy scenario of Pakistan’s construction industry. Future research may be conducted with a deeper analysis of the differences between emerging and developed economies’ CCFs as well as other service sectors.

Originality/value

– The study will be helpful to those CCFs from emerging economies which are considering whether or not to internationalize and, to the regulatory bodies helping create a level playing field to nurture the internationalization process for their CCFs.
Modelling supply chain agility enablers using ISM
Authors: Kumar Sharma Satyendra , Bhat Anil
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to effective supply chain management by understanding the dynamics between various enablers of agile supply chain. Today’s business environment is characterized as a highly competitive, dynamic and volatile market. Agile supply chain is seen as the winning strategy to be adopted by manufacturers bracing themselves for dramatic performance enhancements to become national and international leaders.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using interpretive structural modeling the research presents a hierarchy-based model and the mutual relationships among the enablers of agile supply chain.

Findings

– The research shows that there exists a group of enablers having a high driving power and low dependence requiring maximum attention and of strategic importance, whereas another group consists of those variables which have high dependence and are the resultant actions.

Practical implications

– This classification provides a useful tool to supply chain managers to differentiate between independent and dependent variables and their mutual relationships which would help them to focus on those key variables that are most important for building cost-effective and agile supply chains.

Originality/value

– Presentation of enablers in a hierarchy and the classification into driver and dependent categories is unique effort in the area of agile supply chain management.
Knowledge management adoption in supply chain
Authors: K. Patil Sachin , Kant Ravi
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this article is to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) of knowledge management (KM) adoption in the supply chain (SC) using the fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method through an empirical case study.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper examines the influencing factors of KM adoption in SC which have been identified through the literature survey and expert opinion. The fuzzy DEMATEL method has been used to evaluate identified influencing factors. Considering the interdependence among factors, the fuzzy DEMATEL method forms a structural model and then visualizes the causal relationships among factors through a cause–effect relationship diagram. On the basis of the cause–effect relationship diagram, CSFs that are extraordinarily essential for KM adoption in SC are identified. Empirical case study of an Indian automobile organization presented to illustrate the fuzzy DEMATEL method and demonstrates its usefulness.

Findings

– The results gathered from the implementation of the fuzzy DEMATEL method to identify CSFs of KM adoption in SC to the chosen case illustrate that factors such as top management support, employee training and education, integration of knowledge and information flow, communication among the SC members and trustworthy teamwork to exchange knowledge within SC need to be highlighted as critical factors for successful adoption of KM in SC.

Practical implications

– The finding not only offers a meaningful base to deepen the understanding with regard to KM adoption in SC, but also provides a clue to develop an effective adoption of KM in SC in a stepwise manner.

Originality/value

– The empirical case study contributes to the literature on KM adoption in SC, suggesting how an organization can identify CSFs of KM adoption in SC and implement them progressively to greatly improve the efficiency of the whole SC performance.
Consumer behavior in the online context
Authors: Cummins Shannon , W. Peltier James , A. Schibrowsky John , Nill Alexander
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this article is to review the consumer behavior and social network theory literature related to the online and e-commerce context.

Design/methodology/approach

– To conduct the review, the authors draw on a sample of 942 articles published from 1993 to 2012 addressing consumer behavior or social network issues in the online or social media context. The sample is analyzed by both era (incubation, expansion and explosion) and primary topic.

Findings

– Eight categories of online consumer behavior research are described. In the order from largest to smallest, these are: cognitive issues, user-generated content, Internet demographics and segmentation, online usage, cross cultural, online communities and networks, strategic use and outcomes and consumer Internet search.

Originality/value

– The literature has been summarized in each category and research opportunities have been offered for consumer behavior and social network scholars interested in exploring the online context.
Problems of scholar-created, synonymous subject terms in Buddhism
Authors: Norio Masuchika Glenn
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to show that scholars who choose not to use a well-established or acknowledged transliterated subject term, and instead decide for themselves to use synonyms, further complicate the process of doing comprehensive searches and greatly limit the ability to retrieve many pertinent works. In the research into world religions, there are transliterated words of a religious concept that can be used as subject terms. However, scholars in world religions have often not chosen the transliterated word, and instead have adopted words they believe are adequate synonyms of the transliterated word and use them to categorize their professional work. This paper shows how this practice severely lessens the ability to retrieve all pertinent work and causes problems for both world religion scholars wishing to perform comprehensive searches and librarian cataloger deciding on the proper subject terms to include in the construction of citations.

Design/methodology/approach

– The Buddhist transliterated term into English “sunyata” and the scholarly created, synonymous English subject terms “emptiness”, “nothingness”, “voidness” and “openness” were searched in an international database of religious and theological works. The lists of retrieved Buddhist works were then compared to see if the results of each independent search were identical.

Findings

– There is a very low rate of overlapping retrieval of Buddhist works when the term “sunyata” and each of the scholarly created synonyms are searched independently of each other. The use of scholar-created, synonymous subject terms instead of the transliterated term has greatly diminished comprehensive retrievals.

Originality/value

– There is a paucity of articles concerning the negative effects of scholarly created, synonymous search terms in general, and in world religions in particular. These results present the dangers of this practice.
Knowledge-based strategies for managers in the service sector
Authors: Mary Tzortzaki Alexia
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a new multidisciplinary knowledge management (KM) model for the service sector and to explore its applicability through pilot test research.

Design/methodology/approach

– Construction and testing of a knowledge-based strategic model for the service industry (maturity level of knowledge usage in service organizations model – MAKUSO model). A questionnaire addressed to senior managers was developed using variables grouped into four KM constructs relating to: human and market capital, processes that facilitate KM and antecedents that contribute toward creating a total and unique service experience.

Findings

– The Spearman rank order correlations results confirmed the positive effects of leveraged knowledge assets, such as human and market capital, on company performance. The outcome of a principal component analysis indicated that KM needs to be considered at a strategic level to develop processes that encourage a knowledge-based strategy approach; thus the MAKUSO model was found to be a useful framework in support of this approach.

Research limitations/implications

– The research was limited by its exploratory nature. Use of random sampling right across the board was restrictive as was the small sample size.

Practical implications

– Effective use of knowledge assets creates the supportive context that enables service managers to develop unique capabilities. This context becomes conducive to service experience authenticity and thus increases customer satisfaction. The findings imply that social networking is a key driver for the effective leveraging of knowledge assets. What appears to be more important is the generation and sharing of new knowledge and less the identification, measurement and warehousing of knowledge already owned by the company. Effective KM is facilitated by “lessons learned”, especially when these are taken into account in planning.

Originality/value

– The model presented in this study addresses theoretical and empirical gaps in the area of services KM. Its novelty lies in its multidisciplinary and organic approach. The survey findings of the model’s application across a range of service companies provides useful insights on KM implications and raises valuable research questions for a future research agenda in services management.
The evolution of Chinese business ethics
Authors: Berger Ron , Herstein Ram
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– This article aims to present a historical overview of the evolution of business ethics in China and highlights the ways in which its ethical structure lags behind its rapid economic expansion. Understanding Guanxi, the Chinese social network of reciprocal business relations common in Confucian cultures, has long been recognized as one of the major success factors when doing business in China (Hwanget al., 2009). Recognizing the significant impact of Guanxi and its influence on everyday dealings in China is, thus, crucial for Western firms. Whereas considerable research has dealt with the growth of Chinese industries in recent years, the key relationship between changes in its economy and shifts in Chinese business ethics has been neglected although it impacts the ways Westerners, in particular, both clinch deals and judge Chinese firms. The implications of this disparity for global business are discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

– The discussion draws on the academic literature and the researchers’ experience in how business and business ethics are conducted between Western and Chinese firms. This paper presents a content analysis of theoretical articles and compares them to conceptual and empirical approaches, with an emphasis on a pragmatic approach to fostering a better understanding of the evolution of Chinese business ethics and its implications on business practices.

Findings

– Maps the evolution of business ethics in China and need to adapt to an ever changing business environment.

Originality/value

– This study offers a new insight to the evolution of Chinese business ethics and highlights its importance in business interactions. It illustrates the co-evolution of business ethics in parallel with the advancement of the Chinese economy. This paper is the first paper that addresses the issue of the evolution and formation of Chinese business ethics and links it to economic progress and opening up to the West.
The determinants of indebtedness of unlisted manufacturing firms in India
Authors: Majumdar Raju
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the financing practices of unlisted manufacturing firms in India. In particular, the authors seek to explore how unlisted firms finance their growth and the extent to which they rely on external source of finance. Additionally, they explore whether the determinants of indebtedness that explain the borrowing behavior of listed Indian manufacturing firms are capable of explaining the financing decisions of unlisted firms as well.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper uses panel data technique to determine the factors determining indebtedness of unlisted private manufacturing firms in India.

Findings

– Unlisted Indian manufacturing firms are largely dependent on bank borrowing for their growth, and access to finance is largely dependent on collateral capacity. The authors results show that the dominant firm factors affecting indebtedness of unlisted firms in India are asset tangibility, firm growth, size, profitability and firm age. Institutional and macroeconomic factors are also observed to be significant influencers of indebtedness.

Research limitations/implications

– Unavailability of financial information for the required number of years has resulted in certain firms and sectors of the economy not being included in the sample, and has, hence, affected sample size and representation. Similar problems have limited the period of the study to only four years. The study does not include unlisted services sector firms in the sample, and, hence, its findings cannot be generalized in the context of unlisted firms in India.

Practical implications

– There appears to be a strong case for both the policy-maker and financial economist to have a re-look at the financial constraints that unlisted firms face and redefine the role of the banks and financial institutions from being a passive provider of capital to that of a partner in ushering growth. Development of the financial intermediary sector in terms of its reach is expected to favorably influence growth of this sector.

Originality/value

– This paper provides empirical evidence on the alternative sources of raising outside capital and the factors determining the capital structure of unlisted manufacturing firms in India.
A theoretical framework to identify authentic online reviews
Authors: Banerjee Snehasish , Y.K. Chua Alton
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which textual characteristics of online reviews help identify authentic entries from manipulative ones across positive and negative comments.

Design/methodology/approach

– A theoretical framework is proposed to identify authentic online reviews from manipulative ones based on three textual characteristics, namely, comprehensibility, informativeness, and writing style. The framework is tested using two publicly available data sets, one comprising positive reviews to hype own offerings, and the other including negative reviews to slander competing offerings. Logistic regression is used for analysis.

Findings

– The three textual characteristics offered useful insights to identify authentic online reviews from manipulative ones. In particular, the differences between authentic and manipulative reviews in terms of comprehensibility and informativeness were more conspicuous for negative entries. On the other hand, the differences between authentic and manipulative reviews in terms of writing style were more conspicuous for positive entries.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings of this paper are somewhat constrained by the scope of the data sets used for analysis.

Originality/value

– The paper represents one of the earliest attempts to develop a theoretical framework to identify authentic online reviews. Prior research has shed light on ways to classify reviews as authentic or manipulative. However, literature on specific differences between the two in terms of textual characteristics is relatively limited. Moreover, by suggesting differences between authentic and manipulative reviews across positive and negative comments, the findings offer nuanced insights into a research area that is growing in importance.
Quality of online information about sexually transmitted diseases
Authors: Fong Pedro , Hoi-Yee Tong Henry , Cheong Hio-Lam , Choi Ka-Hou , Ieong Ka-Kei , Lam Lo-Ka , Wong Chi-Man , Wong Sin-Wa
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the quality of online information about sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and determine which web sites are suitable for patients to read.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study evaluated the integrity, accessibility, readability, reliability, and completeness of 75 web sites providing information on one of five different types of STD. The Google AdWords Keywords Tool was used to determine the five most frequently searched STD terms: HIV, herpes, chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhoea. These five terms were then subjected to a Google search, and the first 15 web sites found for each term were evaluated. The web sites were assessed for integrity on the basis of a defined integrity score, accessibility on the basis of three levels of conformance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, readability on the basis of the Flesch Reading Ease score and the Flesch-Kincaid grade level, reliability on the basis of the LIDA instrument, and completeness on the basis of the quality appraisal instruments developed by the authors.

Findings

– The results suggested that the quality of information available on different web sites is inconsistent, and the information maintained by government web sites is most appropriate for general public users in terms of integrity, accessibility, readability, reliability, and completeness.

Originality/value

– There are currently no studies analysing the quality of online information about STDs.
Online knowledge sharing experience with Creative Commons
Authors: Liu Chen-Chung , Lin Chia-Ching , Deng Kuei-Yuan , Wu Ying-Tien , Tsai Chin-Chung
Published: August 2014

Purpose

– Many studies have integrated the mechanism of Creative Commons (CC) or similar mechanisms into web 2.0 platforms for supporting learning. The CC mechanism may create new types of knowledge sharing environments. The purpose of this paper is to explore students’ trust, knowledge sharing self-efficacy, and outcome expectations in the context of a knowledge sharing platform using the CC mechanism.

Design/methodology/approach

– The participants were 86 sixth-grade Taiwanese students. Within the context of online drawing and storytelling activities, a quantitatively self-reported instrument was adopted to assess the sharing experience with the CC mechanism.

Findings

– The results found complex interrelationships among trust, sharing self-efficacy, and outcome expectations identified in the literature. The results further reveal that students who showed high community-related outcome expectations would adopt the non-CC approach (read-only, i.e. the shared works can not be used and modified) as they possessed lower identification-based trust. In contrast, those who adopted CC approach (i.e. the shared works are able to be used and modified) placed higher level of economy-based trust and showed a lower level of community-related outcome expectations. The results reflect that students who have low performance expectancy and sharing self-efficacy are more willing to share their work using the CC approach.

Originality/value

– The results of this paper show that in such a mechanism there exists close interplay between trust, sharing self-efficacy, and outcome expectations. It is therefore, suggested that researchers and educators should note the influence of the sharing mechanism on the sharing activity when knowledge sharing is involved in pedagogical design. The implications derived from the findings for educational practice were also discussed.
Metabolite profiling and peptidoglycan analysis of transient cell wall‐deficient bacteria in a new Escherichia coli model system
Authors: Cambré Alexander , Zimmermann Michael , Sauer Uwe , Vivijs Bram , Cenens William , Michiels Chris W. , Aertsen Abram , Loessner Martin J. , Noben Jean‐Paul , Ayala Juan A. , Lavigne Rob , Briers Yves
Published: August 2014

Many bacteria are able to assume a transient cell wall‐deficient (or L‐form) state under favourable osmotic conditions. Cell wall stress such as exposure to β‐lactam antibiotics can enforce the transition to and maintenance of this state. L‐forms actively proliferate and can return to the walled state upon removal of the inducing agent. We have adopted Escherichia coli as a model system for the controlled transition to and reversion from the L‐form state, and have studied these dynamics with genetics, cell biology and ‘omics’ technologies. As such, a transposon mutagenesis screen underscored the requirement for the Rcs phosphorelay and colanic acid synthesis, while proteomics show only little differences between rods and L‐forms. In contrast, metabolome comparison reveals the high abundance of lysophospholipids and phospholipids with unsaturated or cyclopropanized fatty acids in E. coli L‐forms. This increase of membrane lipids associated with increased membrane fluidity may facilitate proliferation through bud formation. Visualization of the residual peptidoglycan with a fluorescently labelled peptidoglycan binding protein indicates de novo cell wall synthesis and a role for septal peptidoglycan synthesis during bud constriction. The DD‐carboxypeptidases PBP5 and PBP6 are threefold and fourfold upregulated in L‐forms, indicating a specific role for regulation of crosslinking during L‐form proliferation.
Genome and physiology of the ascomycete filamentous fungus Xeromyces bisporus, the most xerophilic organism isolated to date
Authors: Leong Su‐lin L. , Lantz Henrik , Pettersson Olga V. , Frisvad Jens C. , Thrane Ulf , Heipieper Hermann J. , Dijksterhuis Jan , Grabherr Manfred , Pettersson Mats , Tellgren‐Roth Christian , Schnürer Johan
Published: August 2014

Xeromyces bisporus can grow on sugary substrates down to 0.61, an extremely low water activity. Its genome size is approximately 22 Mb. Gene clusters encoding for secondary metabolites were conspicuously absent; secondary metabolites were not detected experimentally. Thus, in its ‘dry’ but nutrient‐rich environment, X. bisporus appears to have relinquished abilities for combative interactions. Elements to sense/signal osmotic stress, e.g. HogA pathway, were present in X. bisporus. However, transcriptomes at optimal (∼ 0.89) versus low aw (0.68) revealed differential expression of only a few stress‐related genes; among these, certain (not all) steps for glycerol synthesis were upregulated. Xeromyces bisporus increased glycerol production during hypo‐ and hyper‐osmotic stress, and much of its wet weight comprised water and rinsable solutes; leaked solutes may form a protective slime. Xeromyces bisporus and other food‐borne moulds increased membrane fatty acid saturation as water activity decreased. Such modifications did not appear to be transcriptionally regulated in X. bisporus; however, genes modulating sterols, phospholipids and the cell wall were differentially expressed. Xeromyces bisporus was previously proposed to be a ‘chaophile’, preferring solutes that disorder biomolecular structures. Both X. bisporus and the closely related xerophile, Xerochrysium xerophilum, with low membrane unsaturation indices, could represent a phylogenetic cluster of ‘chaophiles’.
Forever competent: deep‐sea bivalves are colonized by their chemosynthetic symbionts throughout their lifetime
Authors: Wentrup Cecilia , Wendeberg Annelie , Schimak Mario , Borowski Christian , Dubilier Nicole
Published: August 2014

Symbiotic bivalves at hydrothermal vents and cold seeps host chemosynthetic bacteria intracellularly in gill cells. In bivalves, the gills grow continuously throughout their lifetime by forming new filaments. We examined how newly developed gill tissues are colonized in bivalves with horizontal and vertical symbiont transmission (Bathymodiolus mussels versus a vesicoymid clam) using fluorescence in situ hybridization and transmission electron microscopy. Symbiont colonization was similar in mussels and clams and was independent of the transmission modes. Symbionts were absent in the growth zones of the gills, indicating that symbionts colonize newly formed gill filaments de novo after they are formed and that gill colonization is a continuous process throughout the host's lifetime. Symbiont abundance and distribution suggested that colonization is shaped by the developmental stage of host cells. Self‐infection, in which new gill cells are colonized by symbionts from ontogenetically older gill tissues, may also play a role. In mussels, symbiont infection led to changes in gill cell structure similar to those described from other epithelial cells infected by intracellular pathogens, such as the loss of microvilli. A better understanding of the factors that affect symbiont colonization of bivalve gills could provide new insights into interactions between intracellular bacteria and epithelial tissues.
Modelling the emergent dynamics and major metabolites of the human colonic microbiota
Authors: Kettle Helen , Louis Petra , Holtrop Grietje , Duncan Sylvia H. , Flint Harry J.
Published: August 2014

We present here a first attempt at modelling microbial dynamics in the human colon incorporating both uncertainty and adaptation. This is based on the development of a Monod‐equation based, differential equation model, which produces computer simulations of the population dynamics and major metabolites of microbial communities from the human colon. To reduce the complexity of the system, we divide the bacterial community into 10 bacterial functional groups (BFGs) each distinguished by its substrate preferences, metabolic pathways and its preferred pH range. The model simulates the growth of a large number of bacterial strains and incorporates variation in microbiota composition between people, while also allowing succession and enabling adaptation to environmental changes. The model is shown to reproduce many of the observed changes in major phylogenetic groups and key metabolites such as butyrate, acetate and propionate in response to a one unit pH shift in experimental continuous flow fermentors inoculated with human faecal microbiota. Nevertheless, it should be regarded as a learning tool to be updated as our knowledge of bacterial groups and their interactions expands. Given the difficulty of accessing the colon, modelling can play an extremely important role in interpreting experimental data and predicting the consequences of dietary modulation.