bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structure and assembly of the diiron cofactor in the heme-oxygenase-like domain of theN-nitrosourea-producing enzyme SznF
Authors: McBride Molly J. , Pope Sarah R. , Hu Kai , Slater Jeffrey W. , Okafor C. Denise , Balskus Emily P. , Bollinger J. Martin , Boal Amie K.
Published: July 2020

In biosynthesis of the pancreatic cancer drug streptozotocin, the tri-domain nonheme-iron oxygenase, SznF, hydroxylatesNδandNω’ ofNω-methyl-L-arginine before oxidatively rearranging the triply modified guanidine to theN-methyl-N-nitrosourea pharmacophore. A previously published structure visualized the mono-iron cofactor in the enzyme’s C-terminal cupin domain, which effects the final rearrangement, but exhibited disorder and minimal metal occupancy in the site of the proposed diiron cofactor in theN-hydroxylating heme-oxygenase-like (HO-like) central domain. Here we leverage our recent report of an intensely absorbingµ-peroxodiiron(III/III) intermediate formed from the Fe2(II/II) complex and O2to understand assembly of the diiron cofactor in the HO-like domain and to obtain structures with both SznF iron cofactors bound. Tight binding at one diiron subsite is associated with a conformational change, which is followed by weak binding at the second subsite and rapid capture of O2by the Fe2(II/II) complex. Differences between iron-deficient and iron-replete structures reveal both the conformational change required to form the O2-reactive Fe2(II/II) complex and the structural basis for cofactor instability, showing that a ligand-harboring core helix dynamically refolds during metal acquisition and release. The cofactor also coordinates an unanticipated Glu ligand contributed by an auxiliary helix implicated in substrate binding by docking and molecular dynamics simulation. The additional ligand is conserved in another experimentally validated HO-likeN-oxygenase but not in two known HO-like diiron desaturases. Among ∼9600 sequences identified bioinformatically as belonging to the emerging HO-like diiron protein (HDO) superfamily, ∼25% have this carboxylate residue and are thus tentatively assigned asN-oxygenases.

Significance statement

The enzyme SznF assembles theN-nitrosourea pharmacophore of the drug streptozotocin. Its centralN-oxygenase domain resembles heme-oxygenase (HO) and belongs to an emerging superfamily of HO-like diiron enzymes (HDOs) with unstable metallocofactors that have resisted structural characterization. We investigated assembly of the O2-reactive diiron complex from metal-free SznF and Fe(II) and leveraged this insight to obtain the first structure of a functionally assigned HDO with intact cofactor. Conformational changes accompanying cofactor acquisition explain its instability, and the observation of an unanticipated glutamate ligand that is conserved in only a subset of the HDO sequences provides a potential basis for top-level assignment of enzymatic function. Our results thus provide a roadmap for structural and functional characterization of novel HDOs.
DRAXIN regulates interhemispheric fissure remodelling to influence the extent of corpus callosum formation
Authors: Morcom Laura , Edwards Timothy J , Rider Eric , Jones-Davis Dorothy , Lim Jonathan WC , Chen Kok-Siong , Dean Ryan , Bunt Jens , Ye Yunan , Gobius llan , Suárez Rodrigo , Mandelstam Simone , Sherr Elliott H , Richards Linda J
Published: July 2020

Corpus callosum dysgenesis (CCD) is a congenital disorder that incorporates either partial or complete absence of the largest cerebral commissure. Remodelling of the interhemispheric fissure (IHF) provides a substrate for callosal axons to cross between hemispheres, and its failure is the main cause of complete CCD. However, it is unclear whether defects in this process could give rise to the heterogeneity of expressivity and phenotypes seen in human cases of CCD. We identify incomplete IHF remodelling as the key structural correlate for the range of callosal abnormalities in inbred and outcrossed BTBR mouse strains, as well as in humans with partial CCD. We identify an eight base pair deletion inDraxinand misregulated astroglial and leptomeningeal proliferation as genetic and cellular factors for variable IHF remodelling and CCD in BTBR acallosal strains. These findings support a model where genetic events determine corpus callosum structure by influencing leptomeningeal-astroglial interactions at the IHF.
Hard X-ray wavefront correction via refractive phase plates made by additive and subtractive fabrication techniques
Authors: Seiboth Frank , Brückner Dennis , Kahnt Maik , Lyubomirskiy Mikhail , Wittwer Felix , Dzhigaev Dmitry , Ullsperger Tobias , Nolte Stefan , Koch Frieder , David Christian , Garrevoet Jan , Falkenberg Gerald , Schroer Christian G.
Published: July 2020

Modern subtractive and additive manufacturing techniques present new avenues for X-ray optics with complex shapes and patterns. Refractive phase plates acting as glasses for X-ray optics have been fabricated, and spherical aberration in refractive X-ray lenses made from beryllium has been successfully corrected. A diamond phase plate made by femtosecond laser ablation was found to improve the Strehl ratio of a lens stack with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.88 × 10−3 at 8.2 keV from 0.1 to 0.7. A polymer phase plate made by additive printing achieved an increase in the Strehl ratio of a lens stack at 35 keV with NA of 0.18 × 10−3 from 0.15 to 0.89, demonstrating diffraction-limited nanofocusing at high X-ray energies.
Concomitant polymorphic forms of 3-cyclopropyl-5-(2-hydrazinylpyridin-3-yl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole
Authors: Shishkina Svitlana V. , Konovalova Irina S. , Karpina Veronika R. , Kovalenko Svitlana S. , Kovalenko Sergiy M. , Bunyatyan Natalya D.
Published: July 2020

The dipharmacophore compound 3-cyclopropyl-5-(2-hydrazinylpyridin-3-yl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole, C10H11N5O, was studied on the assumption of its potential biological activity. Two concomitant polymorphs were obtained on crystallization from isopropanol solution and these were thoroughly studied. Identical conformations of the molecules are found in both structures despite the low difference in energy between the four possible conformers. The two polymorphs differ crucially with respect to their crystal structures. A centrosymmetric dimer formed due to both stacking interactions of the `head-to-tail' type and N—H...N(π) hydrogen bonds is the building unit in the triclinic structure. The dimeric building units form an isotropic packing. In the orthorhombic polymorphic structure, the molecules form stacking interactions of the `head-to-head' type, which results in their organization in a column as the primary basic structural motif. The formation of N—H...N(lone pair) hydrogen bonds between two neighbouring columns allows the formation of a double column as the main structural motif. The correct packing motifs in the two polymorphs could not be identified without calculations of the pairwise interaction energies. The triclinic structure has a higher density and a lower (by 0.60 kcal mol−1) lattice energy according to periodic calculations compared to the orthorhombic structure. This allows us to presume that the triclinic form of 3-cyclopropyl-5-(2-hydrazinylpyridin-3-yl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole is the more stable.
Social capital, power and information sharing – evidence from the Dutch meat processing industry
Authors: Gelderman Cees J. , Semeijn Janjaap , Ter Avest Ferdi , Peeters Ellen
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Buying companies in the food industry increasingly recognize the need to cultivate relationships with their suppliers. Social capital and power are important to understand buyer–supplier relationships. Maintaining these relationships appears highly dependent on the degree of information sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

The study investigates how power and social capital dimensions are related to information sharing. A survey of first-tier suppliers in the Dutch meat processing industry was carried out. The data from 82 suppliers was analyzed using partial least squares.

Findings

It appears that expert power contributes to the cognitive and structural social capital. In contrast, coercive power showed no influence at all. Cognitive and structural social capital dimensions have a direct link to relational social capital, which significantly improves buyer–supplier information sharing in the food industry.

Practical implications

Buying companies can encourage supplier information sharing by building up their own expertise and cultivating social relationships. They should refrain from strong-handed practices.

Originality/value

Companies in the food and food processing industry are dependent on effective information exchange for their very survival. This study investigates the role of power and social capital in making such exchange possible and sustainable.
Exploring the explicitness, salience of ethics and transparency of messages in social reports: a cross-national longitudinal content analysis from an institutional perspective
Authors: Lee Tae Ho
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This study analyzed the explicitness, the salience of ethics and the transparency of messages in firms' social reports based on their significance to strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on institutional theory, this content analysis investigated 750 social reports from 125 firms for a ten-year period in liberal market economies (LMEs: US, UK), coordinated market economies (CMEs: Germany, Japan) and state-led market economies (SLMEs: France, South Korea).

Findings

First, firms in CMEs showed the highest level of transparency, and in all market economies, an overall trend of increase in the level of transparency was found. Second, firms in SLMEs communicated their CSR activities least explicitly. Third, firms in CMEs showed the lowest salience of ethics.

Originality/value

Useful theoretical as well as practical implications are provided in relation to the institutional perspective to CSR, and cross-national CSR communication.
State ownership, firm innovation and the moderating role of private-sector competition: the case of China
Authors: Yang Hongyan , Steensma H. Kevin , Ren Ting
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to study how state ownership influences the innovation process in terms of allocating resources toward searching for new solutions and converting these efforts into economic value. On one hand, deep pockets of the state provide slack resources that may facilitate risk taking and innovation. On the other hand, soft budgets can create incentive problems and dampen the efficient use of resources. The authors suggest how accounting for competitive context can disentangle these countervailing forces.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a panel of over 240,000 Chinese firms over the years 2004–2008. The broad sample and period afforded substantial variability in terms of state ownership within and across firms. The authors use a two-stage model and a within-firm (i.e. fixed-effects) design, controlling for all time-invariant firm characteristics and the problematic unobserved heterogeneity that can often lead to erroneous inferences. Furthermore, the relatively short window limits the likelihood of time-varying unobserved firm characteristics biasing the empirical results.

Findings

The authors found that private-sector competition has the opposite effect on the relationship between state ownership and the second step of the innovation process. In industries where there is robust private-sector competition, state ownership diminishes the firm’s ability to convert R&D efforts into economic value. Private-sector competition competes away any advantages state-owned firms may have in terms of developing or accessing the complementary resources needed for commercialization. Ultimately, the inefficiencies of state ownership in terms of relatively undisciplined selection and monitoring of R&D activities outweigh any potential resource advantages derived from state ownership.

Originality/value

The state remains a prominent player in many economies throughout the world. The authors explored how state ownership of firms influences the resources they expend in searching out new solutions, and their success in converting such resources into economically valuable new products and services. State ownership has potentially countervailing effects on innovation. The authors disentangle these countervailing effects through consideration of how accounting for competitive context could determine whether the beneficial effects of state ownership dominate its detrimental effects for both searching for new solutions and converting these efforts into economically valuable new products. With a focus of market competition as an external force that drives the difference in innovation between SOEs and the private-sector, this study serves as a parallel effort to Jiaet al.(2019) who investigate the joint effect of public and corporate governance on SOEs’ innovation performance, and Zhouet al.(2017) who concern the balance of the institution and efficiency logics on the comparative advantage of SOEs over privately owned enterprises in innovation performance.
A new tail-switching superharmonic multiphase LC-VCO
Authors: Ebrahimi Emad
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Multiphase and quadrature voltage-controlled oscillators (QVCOs) play key roles in modern communication systems and their phase noise performance affects the performance of the overall system. Different studies are devoted to efficient quadrature signals generation. This paper aims to present a new low-phase noise superharmonic injection-locked QVCO.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed QVCO is comprised of two identical inductor-capacitor circuit (LC)-voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) in which second harmonics, with 180° phase shift, are injected from one core VCO to the gate of tail current source of the other VCO via a coupling capacitor. Using second harmonics with high amplitude will switch the tail from the inversion to the accumulation, and therefore, flicker noise is reduced. Also, because of the use of lossless and noiseless coupling elements, that is, coupling capacitors, and also because of the existence of an inherent high-pass filter, the proposed LC-QVCO has a good phase noise performance.

Findings

The introduced technique is designed and simulated in a commercial 0.18 µm radio frequency complementary metal oxide semiconductor (RF-CMOS) technology and 10 dB improvement of close-in phase noise is achieved (compared to the conventional method). Simulation results show that the phase noise of the proposed QVCO is −130.3 dBc/Hz at 3 MHz offset from 5.76 GHz center frequency, while the total direct current (DC) current drawn from a 0.9-V power supply is 4.25 mA (figure of merit = −190.2 dBc). Monte Carlo simulation results show that the figure of merit of the circuit has a Gaussian distribution with mean value and standard deviation of −189.97 dBc and 0.183, respectively.

Originality/value

This technique provides a new simple but efficient superharmonic coupling and noise shaping method that reduces close-in phase noise of superharmonic multiphase VCOs by switching of tail transistors with 2 ω0 (second harmonic of oscillation frequency). No extra devices such as area-consuming transformer or additional power-hungry oscillator are used for coupling.
Assessing formative artscape to predict opera attendees’ loyalty
Authors: Tubillejas-Andrés Berta , Cervera-Taulet Amparo , Calderon Garcia Haydee
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to posit servicescape from a multi-dimensional formative approach beyond mere conceptualizations limited to its physical dimensions. An analysis is carried out to predict loyalty behaviours in a cultural service.

Design/methodology/approach

Partial least square was conducted for testing a third-order aggregate formative construct of servicescape on a sample of 867 opera goers. In addition, the authors carried out a predictive performance assessment of our model.

Findings

The proposed research model was largely supported by the evidence. Results show that the physical (exterior and interior) and social dimensions (employees’ and attendees’ characteristics and interactions) must be considered together in the artscape, servicescape named in the performing arts services, conceptualization and measurement. An appropriate servicescape can be of vital importance in the perception and subsequent consumer evaluation of the service in terms of loyalty.

Research limitations implications

Further research is required to extend the analysis of the holistic servicescape.

Practical implications

Cultural managers are provided in terms of highlighting the importance of managing the artscape in all its dimensions “not only physical but also social – showing its relevance as an antecedent of opera goers” loyalty.

Social implications

Besides the cultural product itself, designing appropriate artscapes can enhance the experience and post-use behaviour of performing arts attendees.

Originality/value

The authors make a relevant contribution in the configuration of high-order formative constructs, showing that marketing literature should appraise servicescape from a comprehensive perspective to predict post-consumption behaviour.
Partitioned artificial immune system for detection and identification of autonomous flight vehicle abnormal conditions
Authors: McLaughlin Ryan Gerald , Perhinschi Mario G.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

An artificial immune system (AIS) for the detection and identification of abnormal operational conditions affecting an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) is developed using the partition of the universe approach. The performance of the proposed methodology is assessed through simulation within the West Virginia University (WVU) unmanned aerial system (UAS) simulation environment.

Design/methodology/approach

An AIS is designed and generated for a fixed wing UAV using data from the WVU UAS simulator. A novel partition of the universe approach augmented with the hierarchical multiself strategy is used to define the self, within the AIS paradigm. Several 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional commanded trajectories are simulated under normal and abnormal conditions affecting actuators and sensors. Data recorded are used to build the AIS and develop an abnormal condition detection and identification scheme for the two categories of subsystems. The performance of the methodology is evaluated in terms of detection and identification rates, false alarms and decision times.

Findings

The proposed methodology for UAV abnormal condition detection and identification has the potential to support a comprehensive and integrated solution to the problem of aircraft subsystem health management. The novel partition of the universe approach has been proven to be a promising alternative to the previously investigated clustering methods by providing similar or better performance for the cases investigated.

Research limitations/implications

The promising results obtained within this research effort motivate further investigation and extension of the proposed methodology toward a complete system health management process, including abnormal condition evaluation and accommodation.

Practical implications

The use of the partition of the universe approach for AIS generation may potentially represent a valuable alternative to current clustering methods within the AIS paradigm. It can facilitate a simpler and faster implementation of abnormal condition detection and identification schemes.

Originality/value

In this paper, a novel method for AIS generation, the partition of the universe approach, is formulated and applied for the first time for the development of abnormal condition detection and identification schemes for UAVs. This approach is computationally less expensive and mitigates some of the issues related to the typical clustering approaches. The implementation of the proposed approach can potentially enhance the robustness of UAS for safety purposes.
Applying conventional agency theory to prediction of employee self-reporting performance behaviour
Authors: Nsor-Ambala Randolph
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to test various hypotheses regarding if managers' voluntarily prefer honesty in self-reported managerial performance (HPR).

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses an experimental approach with a data set of 300 Ghanaian employees.

Findings

The results confirm that the current trend where employee contracts are underpinned by the classical agency theory (CAT) is problematic, ineffective and costly because it does not appropriately explain the observed behaviour of honesty and partial honesty in self-reported performance or the dishonesty in reporting performance when there is no financial reward to be gained by employees. Therefore MNCs may benefit from a consideration of wider and alternative perspectives. Additionally, stakeholders must consider a strategy of delaying performance-related bonuses (pay-offs) to improve HPR and avoid capping performance-related pay off with an arbitrary threshold. This is because the setting of arbitrary thresholds reduces the established relationship between effort and reward and introduces gaming into the managerial performance reporting process.

Originality/value

Unlike other prior studies that rely on students as surrogates for employees, this study uses actual employees to test the experimental constructs. Aside from the comparatively large data set, this study is the first exploration of the differential effects of national characteristics on HPR in Ghana.
Effect of appeal orientation in sponsored ad forwarding on a microblog platform
Authors: Gu Chenyan , Xu Yunjie Calvin , Yao Minghui
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This study identifies a new type of advertising, sponsored ad forwarding, in microblog contexts. It tests the effectiveness of designs of a message with an ad with regard to receivers who are purely online friends or offline friends.

Design/methodology/approach

In the main experiment, a three-by-two experimental design was employed. By random assignment, message senders forwarded an ad with either an other-oriented or a self-oriented message to a group of offline friends or purely online friends. In the control group, there was no message accompanying the ad. The data of 218 effective sender-receiver dyads were collected and compared.

Findings

The results show that a message with an other-oriented appeal is more effective than one with a self-oriented appeal for dyads with an offline relationship, and a message with a self-oriented appeal is more effective than one with an other-oriented appeal for dyads with a purely online relationship. Overall, the use of appeals significantly boosts ad effectiveness.

Originality/value

This study identifies a new type of marketing practice in social media, namely sponsored ad forwarding. It also proposes appeal orientation as a novel type of message content design. It shows how to apply the right appeal orientation to the right receiver groups, that is, offline or purely online friends.
Available to meet: advances in professional communications
Authors: Swanson E. Burton
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This viewpoint paper calls in to question the current design approach to personal artificial intelligence (AI) assistance in support of everyday professional communications, where a bot emulates a human in this role. It aims to stimulate fresh thought among designers and users of this technology. It also calls upon scholars to more widely share incidental insights that arise in their own encounters with such new AI.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs a case of an email exchange gone wrong to demonstrate the current failings of personal AI assistance in support of professional communications and to yield broader insights into bot design and use. The viewpoint is intended to provoke discussion.

Findings

From the case, it is indicated that industrial-strength personal AI assistance is not here yet. Designing a personal AI assistant to emulate a human is found to be deeply problematic, in particular. The case illuminates what might be called the problem of blinded agency, in performative contexts where human, robotic and organizational identities are at least partially masked and actions, inactions and intentions can too easily disappear in a thick fog of digital exchange. The problem arises where parties must act in contexts not known to each other, and where who is responsible for what in a mundane exchange is obscured (intentionally or not) by design or by actions (or inactions) of the parties. An insight is that while humans act with a sense of agency to affect outcomes that naturally invoke a corresponding sense of responsibility for what transpires, bots in social interaction simply act and feign responsibility as they have no sense of it beyond their code and data. A personal AI assistant is probably best designed to communicate its artificiality clearly. Missing today are distinctive social conventions for identifying machine agency in everyday interactions as well as an accepted etiquette for AI deployment in these settings.

Originality/value

As a viewpoint contribution, the paper's value is as a stimulant to discussion of alternate approaches to design and use of personal AI assistance in professional communications and where we should be going with this. The presented case of an email exchange gone wrong is simple on the face of it but reveals in its examination a number of complexities and broader insights.
Farmer cooperatives, gender and side-selling behavior in Burundi's coffee sector
Authors: Gerard Andrew , Lopez Maria Claudia , Clay Daniel C. , Ortega David L.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This study aims to improve our understanding of side selling in farmer cooperatives. Cooperative member side selling, in which farmers divert produce from cooperatives to competitors, threatens coffee cooperatives. This is a problem in Burundi, where many households earn income from coffee and cooperatives serve a collective action function.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from a survey of Burundian coffee farmers, we assess the determinants of two types of cooperative member side-selling behavior: selling to both cooperative and non-cooperative buyers and selling solely to non-cooperative buyers.

Findings

Farmers who sell to both cooperative and non-cooperative buyers are more likely to be male household heads, be more invested in coffee and have larger farms than non-side sellers, among other characteristics. Farmers who only sell to non-cooperative buyers are poorer and less invested in coffee than non-side sellers.

Research limitations/implications

Additional research is needed to better understand why side-selling behavior differs between groups and to better understand how household head gender influences side selling. In addition, this study lacks qualitative data supporting quantitative findings. Future research should include qualitative methods to better understand motivations for side-selling behavior.

Originality/value

The study provides important information on what influences cooperative member side selling and focuses on specific types of side-selling behavior that have been largely overlooked. The study focuses on the role of household head gender in side selling, which is important, given the centrality of women to African agriculture.
Performance analysis of electricity distribution sector post the implementation of electricity act 2003: empirical evidence from India
Authors: Khetrapal Pavan
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The objective of the present study is to evaluate and analyse the performance of Indian electricity distribution utilities post the implementation of landmark Electricity Act 2003.

Design/methodology/approach

Stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) that incorporates exogenous influences on operational efficiency is adopted in the present study. Specifically, a stochastic frontier production function model with a technical inefficiency effects model (Battese and Coelli, 1995) is chosen as a preferred model. In this model, the function that explains the inefficiency scores is estimated in a single stage with the production technology. This avoids the problem of inconsistency which is possible in the two-stage approach.

Findings

The sample involved 52 Indian electricity distribution utilities for seven-year period from 2006 to 2013. Major findings of SFA show that Indian electricity distribution utilities post the implementation of Electricity Act (2003) had, on average, experienced efficiency improvement during the observed period. The overall mean technical effciency score is estimated as 78.5% which indicates that there exist wide scope for effciency improvement in the sector. Further, the empirical findings also indicate that publicly owned distribution utilities obtain average technical efficiencies of 71.3%, which is lower than privately owned distribution utilities, which achieve average technical efficiencies of 85.7%.

Research limitations/implications

Power supply quality indicators such as SAIFI, SAIDI, CAIFI, etc. and unobserved heterogeneity also influence the efficiency analysis of electricity distribution utilities. Hence, these parameters as explanatory variables can be incorporated in the future work.

Practical implications

The results obtained from this empirical study would likely be helpful for utility managers and policymakers to know how well they are performing, and how a better corporate strategy a particular utility can formulate to improve its operational efficiency and also its position in the marketplace.

Originality/value

This paper is amongst the first significant attempts that implement SFA approach to the panel dataset over a longer period of time – 2006 to 2013, so, as to evaluate and analyse the operational efficiency of Indian electricity distribution utilities in a single framework after the enactment of Electricity Act (2003). Unlike previous studies, this study investigates the degree to which various exogenous (or environmental) factors influence efficiency levels in these utilities.
Contrasting first and final year undergraduate students' plagiarism perceptions to investigate anti-plagiarism measures
Authors: Javaid Syeda Tuba , Sultan Sameera , Ehrich John Fitzgerald
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of undergraduate students toward plagiarism and its change (if any) during their four-year study at a Pakistani university.

Design/methodology/approach

The students who participated were majoring in electrical engineering; there were 106 first-year students and 127 final-year students. The students were asked to complete a plagiarism attitude scale (Harris, 2011) survey and reveal their attitudes toward plagiarism.

Findings

Rasch analysis was conducted on the scale to optimize its measurement qualities. Analysis indicated no significant changes in the attitude of the students, which remained very lenient and soft toward plagiarism despite the strict policy of the higher education commission of Pakistan and the university. These results indicate that the students lacked an understanding of what constitutes as plagiarism. Therefore, more awareness toward the ethical aspects of plagiarism is needed to reduce academic misconduct.

Originality/value

Plagiarism is an academic offense yet very few studies have been conducted to understand the perceptions of the students in order to minimize it.
The inter-temporal relationship between workers' remittances and consumption expenditure in Sri Lanka
Authors: Aslam Ahamed Lebbe Mohamed , Sivarajasingham Selliah
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The objective of this study is to examine the inter-temporal relationship between workers' remittances and consumption expenditure in Sri Lanka over the period of 1975–2017 using the annual time series data.

Design/methodology/approach

To test the order of integration of the variables used in this study, the augmented Dickey–Fuller (ADF) and Phillips and Perron (PP) unit root tests were employed. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds cointegration technique was used to examine the long-run relationship between the variables. The Granger causality test was used to examine the causal relationship between the variables.

Findings

The unit root tests confirm that the variables are stationary at 1st difference I(1). Meanwhile, the ARDL test results show that workers' remittances have a positive long-run relationship with consumption expenditure in Sri Lanka. The coefficient of the error correction term indicates that 9.3% of disequilibrium error is adjusted each year and the response variable of the consumption expenditure moves towards the long-run equilibrium path. Further, the results of the Granger causality test indicate that workers' remittances Granger cause consumption expenditure in the short-run.

Practical implications

The findings have some important policy implications for the design of efficient policy related to workers' remittances and consumption expenditure pattern, the knowledge of which will help promote the macroeconomic stability and welfare of people in Sri Lanka.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature by using newly developed ARDL bounds cointegration techniques to investigate the inter-temporal relationship between workers' remittances and consumption expenditure in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, to our knowledge, this study is the first research in examining the inter-temporal relationship between workers' remittances and consumption expenditure in Sri Lanka.
Understanding the key competencies of market-ready building surveying graduates from employers’ perspectives
Authors: Zaheer Mohammad Ittshaam , Ajayi Saheed O. , Zulu Sambo Lyson , Oyegoke Adekunle , Kazemi Hadi
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the various competencies a graduate should hold to prepare them for graduate building surveying roles from employers’ perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a sequential exploratory mixed-method approach by informing a quantitative study with the finding from a qualitative study.

Findings

Based on exploratory factor analysis, the study found that 13 essential competencies are valued by the employers when recruiting building surveying graduates, as they are requisites for effective job performance. Personal management skills, technical surveying knowledge and knowledge of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyor standards are the essential competencies based on the level of variance extracted by the three components. Other competency categories include client management skills, being goal-driven and self-motivated, optimistic personality traits, strong mental resilience, building maintenance and management knowledge and time management skills, among others that are explained in the paper.

Originality/value

The essential competencies were dependent on maintaining a balance between knowledge, skills and personality-based competencies. Measures and approaches for gaining the essential competencies, as well as their level of significance, are further discussed. The study will be of significant benefits to employers of graduate building surveyors, academic institutions that are seeking to improve their graduate employability, as well as students who are preparing for the world of work.
Glocal real estate market: evidence from European Countries
Authors: Wisniewski Radoslaw , Brzezicka Justyna
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse globalisation, localisation and glocalisation on the real estate market and define the characteristic features of a glocal real estate market (GREM). The GREM involves real estate properties and real estate products, as well as linking the local and global dimensions of real estate market. Further aims of the study were to provide a methodology for developing the glocal real estate market index (GREMI), and compare selected European markets by analysing their glocalisation potential.

Design/methodology/approach

A novel method of identifying and assessing the GREM was prepared in the work. The methodology provides tools for calculating the GREMI. This is an index based on a few dozen variables from various thematic scopes, describing the glocalisation potential of a selected market, calibrated to a range <0, 1>. GREMI values were calculated for 12 countries, which accessed European Union (EU) in 2004. The sample covers period from 2004 to 2017.

Findings

The study shows that the GREMI continues to increase in all countries over time and the results are becoming synchronised. Romania is a country with the highest number of minimum GREMI values in all years (2004–2017). The highest values of the GREMI were determined in Estonia over the period of nine years (2004–2006, 2008 and 2013–2017).

Research limitations/implications

The prepared index may be applied to analyse different real estate markets, though the necessity to select an identical set of variables for analysis to allow for comparing between markets is a limitation for applying the method. The actual selection of variables is also a study limitation, which was of an opening nature to research in this scope and may be disputable.

Originality/value

This paper provides the original methodology of the GREMI index for countries joining the EU from 2004 onwards.
The threshold effect of firm size on technological innovation: examination of panel data from China
Authors: Zhou Xiaoxue , Li Yu , Zhang Yao
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the threshold effect of firm size on technological innovation using panel data from 2007 to 2012 for listed enterprises in China's manufacturing sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Considering the aim of research question is to examine the nonlinear relationship, this paper utilizes the threshold regression proposed by Hansen's (2000).

Findings

Based on a threshold regression model using panel data from 2007 to 2012 for listed enterprises in China's manufacturing sector, we find a series of new results. This nonlinear relationship is under the restrictions and impacts of various factors, such as industry characteristics and government subsidies. The results suggest that the threshold regression model well explains the complicated nonlinear relationship and transition process, and it can also shed light on management practice and policy.

Originality/value

There are categorical arguments regarding why firm size is not as effective as before in explaining the monotonic principle of industrial innovation, especially for establishing an effective industrial policy in a particular situation. One of the important reasons is that we have begun to adopt a new perspective from the nonlinear view on the relationship between firm size and industrial innovation. In this study, we have examined the threshold effect of firm size on industrial technological innovation, which is the most representative nonlinear relationship.
Implementing integrated reporting to disclose intellectual capital in health organisations: a case study
Authors: Dameri Renata Paola , Ferrando Pier Maria
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The aim of our research is to give empirical and theoretical solutions to some criticalities of the original International Integrated Reporting Framework (IIRF). Indeed, it takes as value creation only the increase of the capitals triggered by business activities, overlooking the fulfilment of the institutional mission that is the actual value creation lever.

Design/methodology/approach

The present paper introduces a case study aimed at implementing the IIRF in an Italian non-profit healthcare organisation. The research is based on theory building from cases, action research and interventionist approach. IIRF was adopted because of its claimed ability to support the communication process to stakeholders and the control of value creation. However, IIRF shows several weaknesses.

Findings

An adjusted version of IIRF is suggested, highlighting the role played by IC in the organisational business model and in the value creation process. The adjusted seems able to foster awareness of the role IC in value creation in healthcare organisations.

Research limitations/implications

In this paper no one of the singles pieces of the adjusted framework is innovative by itself, but jointly they give raise to an innovative solution, able to address the disclosing and managerial needs of the examined organisation. The single case study permits to us to test the weaknesses of the IIRF claimed in the literature, to suggest some adjustments to the original framework and to validate their effectiveness. Thanks to the single case study we then built theoretical constructs developing theory inductively; now the suggested framework can be further tested and validated in other organisations.

Originality/value

The paper introduces an innovative approach to IC reporting and disclosure in healthcare organisations. This is relevant not only for external communication but also for internal aims supporting managers in decision and actions.
Innovation-branding: should all firms be equally ambidextrous?
Authors: Paswan Audhesh K. , Guzmán Francisco , Pei Zhi
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The fundamental question asked in this study is – should all firms engage in innovation and branding activities to the same extent to achieve their goals? The purpose of this paper is to answer this question, a strategic typology that integrates branding and innovation (BI) from an organizational ambidexterity perspective is proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper builds theory by proposing a typology. Integrating the literature on BI, organizational ambidexterity and resource/knowledge-based view of firms, this study posits that to create a value proposition, a firm could choose to engage in innovation and branding activities in a variety of ways depending on their dominant strategic orientation along two dimensions of ambidexterity.

Findings

The four proposed typical branding-innovation orientations are low innovation × low branding; low innovation × high branding; high innovation × low branding; and high innovation × high branding.

Practical implications

A firm should choose its dominant strategic orientation depending on conditions such as market, consumers, needs and demand and resources.

Originality/value

By framing the innovation-branding paradox within an organizational ambidexterity framework, the proposed typology helps integrate two complementary and yet conflicting organizational functions by shifting the focus from an operational to a strategic level.
The role of blocked gratitude in non-voluntary tipping
Authors: Karabas Ismail , Joireman Jeff
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Non-voluntary tipping (e.g. automatic gratuity) has received growing attention in the service industry. Existing research suggests customers respond unfavorably to non-voluntary tipping, yet little research has examined why. The current study aims to address this question, with particular interest in response to non-voluntary tipping under high-quality service.

Design/methodology/approach

Two scenario-based experiments tested the proposed hypotheses in between-participants design using ANOVA, hierarchical regression and PROCESS.

Findings

Study 1 showed that non-voluntary tipping resulted in higher negative emotions, which led to lower return intentions. Surprisingly, the negative effect of non-voluntary tipping was as strong (or stronger) under high (vs low) quality service. To understand this counterintuitive effect, Study 2 developed and tested two competing process models (i.e. blocked vengeance vs blocked gratitude). Supporting the blocked gratitude model, results revealed that non-voluntary tipping hinders customers’ ability to reward service employees, undermining positive emotions and lowering return intentions.

Research limitations/implications

Current work was conducted in two settings using two scenario-based experiments. Hence, additional settings with non-scenario-based studies are encouraged.

Practical implications

The present work cautions managers considering a move to non-voluntary tipping to be aware of its negative effects, especially when the service quality is high. The blocked gratitude model suggests that managers should clarify methods available for customers who wish to reward good service.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to examine customer response to non-voluntary tipping under different levels of service quality and the underlying emotional mechanisms.
Using digital devices to help people lose weight: a systematic review
Authors: Besson Madeleine , Gurviez Patricia , Carins Julia
Published: July 2020

Purpose

When fighting the burden of overweight and obesity, diet remains a powerful preventive factor. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate more efficient interventions on diet change by synthesising knowledge of previous weight loss programmes based on the use of digital devices.

Design/methodology/approach

Following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses approach, a systematic literature review through five databases was undertaken focussed on the assessment of studies oriented towards diet change that incorporated digital devices including computers, tablets, mobile phones, portable and non-portable tracking devices. In total, 15 empirical studies (2004–2018) were identified and examined for efficacy and presence of theory and behaviour change techniques.

Findings

Digital devices supporting weight loss programmes have evolved rapidly over the past 15 years, from reminders using the short message system to self-quantification through mobile applications. Nine studies show a significant difference between conditions, in favour or one (or more) intervention arm. The remaining studies failed to find significance between conditions but were using a comparison with an active intervention, potentially indicating equivalent efficacy. A low level of theory use and use of behavioural techniques was evident.

Research limitations/implications

The literature review is limited to studies that have scientifically evaluated the (potential) weight loss associated with the weight loss intervention. This review could be put into perspective with other complementary research, in particular, qualitative research aimed at exploring participants’ motivations to use (or not) digital devices to lose weight.

Social implications

Given their low cost and the size of the overweight population, it appears that public health policies could integrate digital devices more strongly in their efforts to combat obesity. Social marketing can add its expertise to medical-based programmes which in return bring their need for more quantitative evaluation of the efficacy of the interventions.

Originality/value

Few previous reviews have examined the extent of the efficiency in digital diet change programmes. The review shows that, in general, digital interventions can support weight loss for adults; however, more studies are required to provide a strong evidence base for efficacy. Given their low cost and the size of the overweight population, public health policies could integrate these devices more strongly in their efforts to combat obesity. A theory-driven social marketing perspective could enhance development ensuring interventions are effective and valued by users.