bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Design and performance evaluation of mobile web services in libraries
Authors: Wang Chun‐Yi , Ke Hao‐Ren , Lu Wen‐Chen
Published: February 2012

Purpose

This research aims to use the Oriental Institute of Technology Library (the OIT Library) in Taiwan as a case to introduce some of the mobile web services which can be provided by a library, as well as to investigate and discuss the first two mobile web services offered by the OIT Library, the due‐day reminder and renewal‐request services, at length. Furthermore, the performance evaluation of the two services is conducted.

Design/methodology/approach

This research employs system logs and patron questionnaires to understand the effectiveness of, and patron satisfaction toward, the two services.

Findings

Results of system log analysis show that the usage of the two services improves the average number of overdue occurrences, average amount of overdue fines, average amount of overdue fines per transaction, and average overdue rate; furthermore, the use of the services also indirectly increases the number of items borrowed by patrons, which corresponds with the questionnaire analysis as well. Results of questionnaire analysis show that 71.3 per cent and 87.5 per cent of the respondents are strongly satisfied with the due‐day reminder and renewal‐request services, respectively.

Practical implications

As a case study, this research provides a direction on designing mobile web services for a library. In addition, it points out how to evaluate the performance and patron satisfaction of mobile web services through system log analysis and patron questionnaire.

Originality/value

This research increases the understanding of what mobile web services can be offered by a library. In addition, many previous studies only describe certain kinds of mobile web services without showing their efficacy; however, this research evaluates the efficacy of two mobile web services in the OIT Library by an unobtrusive system log analysis, which is then complemented by a patron questionnaire.
An exhibition guiding system with enhanced interactive functions
Authors: Lin Hsien‐Tang , Lan Lawrence W.
Published: February 2012

Purpose

This study aims to develop a highly interactive exhibition guiding system which enables both authors and visitors to interact with one another on an exhibition site.

Design/methodology/approach

The guiding system was designed with a “pull‐type” concept in a way that a handheld device must be close to a specific work to “pull” the information out of that work. The highly interactive functions between visitors and authors or among visitors were enabled by the Web 2.0. Verification and validation of the system's functions were tested in an art gallery with PDAs utilizing passive RFID readers and tags. A questionnaire survey was conducted to learn of the opinions from authors and visitors after they used the system.

Findings

The verification and validation test showed that all the functions have met the predefined requirements. The results of the questionnaire survey also revealed that the majority were satisfied with the interactive guiding system.

Practical implications

Not only can the system perform the guide tasks well, but it also allows the users to select interested modules so as to avoid overloading the irrelevant information. Additionally, the visitors can chat with unacquainted visitors who are onsite and have the same taste on a specific artwork, and the authors can visualize the visitors' comments, recommendations, and suggestions on their works in a real‐time manner.

Originality/value

The paper shows that the proposed system has some innovative features. It enables the authors to interact with the visitors, to understand the visitors' thoughts and opinions on their works, and to share the ideas of their creativity with the interested visitors onsite. On the other hand, it also enables the visitors to interact with the authors and other visitors. The visitors can recommend appreciated works to others, provide their comments and suggestions, visualize others' comments and suggestions, and exchange their views with those who are onsite and even recommend the same works.
OJAX++: demonstrating the next generation of virtual research environments
Authors: Jeffery David , Wusteman Judith
Published: February 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to introduce the OJAX++ virtual research environment (VRE) and illustrate how it can enable researchers to organise and collaborate on their research in one place while using their own choice of popular web‐based applications.

Design/methodology/approach

Recent state‐of‐the‐art reports have highlighted trends in best practice VRE design: the move towards lightweight, modular, Web 2.0 VRE frameworks, and the importance of interoperability and integration of third party applications in such frameworks.

Findings

OJAX++ is a practical demonstration of these trends.

Practical implications

The OJAX++ VRE is freely available under an open source licence.

Social implications

The aim of VREs is to facilitate the research process and the OJAX++ VRE illustrates an implementation of this goal.

Originality/value

The OJAX++ VRE demonstrates best practice in VRE design, as highlighted in recent state‐of‐the‐art reports.
Putting 3D interconnection technologies into perspective from chip to system
Authors: Fjelstad Joseph
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a historical perspective and framework for appreciating the evolution of 3D interconnection technologies from past to present.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature and patent search was performed to find the origins of 3D interconnections to find and credit work that was performed in the early electronics industry which presaged the development of the current generation 3D solutions.

Findings

The origins of 3D interconnections have roots that date to the beginnings of electronic interconnections if the earlier solutions are viewed in proper perspective. For example, early telegraphy and telephony interconnections strung from pole to pole across large expanses of terrain were clearly 3D interconnections on a very macro scale but those solutions scaled down are not that dissimilar to what is being done today in some advanced interconnection technologies.

Research limitations/implications

The pioneers of the electronics industry broke a trail which has been widened, paved and branched by all who have followed them. Granted that the branches have led to new high‐worth discoveries but acknowledging the past and taking instruction from it is important, even necessary, to assure that future developments do not continually “reinvent the wheel”.

Originality/value

The paper traces, in brief fashion, the history of 3D interconnections providing examples of solutions which predate some of the current generation solutions which appear, in some cases, quite similar to those developed or proposed nearly half century ago. Knowing the past is vital to understanding and shaping the future.
REIT performance and market timing ability
Authors: Buttimer Richard J. , Chen Jun , Ethan Chiang I‐Hsuan
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study performance and market timing ability of equity real estate investment trusts (REITs).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use classical regression‐based framework and their multi‐index, multifactor, and conditional extensions to jointly detect asset selectivity and market timing ability of equity REITs and their subcategories. These results are then validated by a nonparametric test.

Findings

It is found that equity REITs in aggregate have some housing market timing ability. Various equity REIT subcategories perform differently: office REITs can discover underpriced properties, while retail, industrial, and office REITs have poor timing ability. Nonparametric tests confirm that equity REITs do not have ability to predict real estate market movements.

Originality/value

Research in REIT performance evaluation is still limited to the asset selectivity aspect. This paper intends to fill this gap by providing empirical evidence of market timing ability of equity REITs using an array of parametric and nonparametric methods.
The absolute returns of hedge funds
Authors: Tudor Deniz , Cao Bolong
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the ability of hedge funds and funds of hedge funds to generate absolute returns using fund level data.

Design/methodology/approach

The absolute return profiles are identified using properties of the empirical distributions of fund returns. The authors use both Bayesian multinomial probit and frequentist multinomial logit regressions to examine the relationship between the return profiles and fund characteristics.

Findings

Some evidence is found that only some hedge funds strategies, but not all of them, demonstrate higher tendency to produce absolute returns. Also identified are some investment provisions and fund characteristics that can influence the chance of generating absolute returns. Finally, no evidence was found for performance persistence in terms of absolute returns for hedge funds but some limited evidence for funds of funds.

Practical implications

This paper is the first attempt to examine the hedge fund return profiles based on the notion of absolute return in great details. Investors and managers of funds of funds can utilize the identification method in this paper to evaluate the performance of their interested hedge funds from a new angle.

Originality/value

Using the properties of the empirical distribution of the hedge fund returns to classify them into different absolute return profiles is the unique contribution of this paper. The application of the multinomial probit and multinomial logit models in the fund performance and fund characteristics literature is also new since the dependent variable in the authors' regressions is multinomial.
Foreign institutional industrial herding in Taiwan stock market
Authors: Chen Yu‐Fen , Yang Sheng‐Yung , Lin Fu‐Lai
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to: investigate whether the foreign institutional investors in Taiwan herd towards the stocks in the same industry; identify the causes of industrial herding; analyze whether herding behavior impacts future industrial returns; and trace the changing pattern of industrial herding, especially during the 2007‐2008 financial crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies Sias' herding measure to identify foreign institutional industrial herding behavior. Moreover, to identify the causes and impacts of herding, the authors use regression models to analyze the relationship between foreign institutional demand for stocks in some particular industries and industrial returns, controlling industrial market capitalization, the number of firms in the industry and industrial speculative intensity. The above methods are applied to the full sample period, as well as two sub‐periods, respectively, to trace the time‐varying trading behavior.

Findings

First, on average, foreign institutional investors herd in the Taiwan securities market. They follow each other into and out of the same industries. Second, they were momentum traders in the tranquil period from 2002 to 2006 and contrarian traders in the period of 2007‐2008 financial crisis. Third, such herding behavior has positive impacts on future industrial returns both in the tranquil period as well as in turbulent time. The authors thus conclude that foreign institutional investors demonstrated contrarian trading strategies to stabilize future industrial returns in the financial crisis period; they buy past losers to support the prices and sell past winners to suppress the price volatility.

Originality/value

This paper investigates foreign institutional herding behavior in an emerging market, Taiwan on the micro setting of industrial base. It identifies the causes and impacts of foreign institutional industrial herding from the outlook of information‐base versus non‐information‐base trading. It also traces time‐varying herding behavior, especially during the 2007‐2008 financial crisis. This paper provides useful information to investors participating in emerging markets like Taiwan.
An analysis of global credit risk spreads during crises
Authors: Morgan Irvin W. , Murtagh James P.
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to model the components of credit risk in primary debt markets and evaluate changes in these factors in times of crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use a unique dataset consisting of nearly 163,000 new loans and bond issues in the USA and internationally during the period January 1992 through December 2005.

Findings

The authors find that credit spreads are related to market liquidity, best represented by total proceeds, ratings and the interaction between maturity and rating. The authors control for various crisis periods, including regional financial crises and find that spreads generally increased in response to the Asian Crisis with the international markets exhibiting the larger increases. There is mixed evidence of asymmetric effects of shocks. In the US loan markets, the adjustment factor reduces forecast variance (Θ1<0). In contrast, the adjustment factor is not significant for US bonds, possibly indicating a more rapid adjustment and greater efficiency in this market. The opposite effect is seen in the international loan and bond markets with Θ1>0, indicating a persistent increase in spread volatility.

Originality/value

The paper extends our understanding of the components of primary credit spreads and the interactions between primary debt markets during crisis periods.
Conflict and advertising planning: consequences of networking for advertising planning
Authors: Grant Ian , McLeod Charlotte , Shaw Eleanor
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to explore the tensions and basis for conflict within relationships that embed and connect networked companies involved in the planning of advertising, with broader relevance for professional service organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Framed within a social network perspective, this interpretive study draws on 22 in‐depth interviews to discuss the emergence and consequences of conflict within relationships shared by advertising creatives, account managers, researchers and media planners located in Scotland.

Findings

The paper identifies four dominant themes which contribute toward relational conflict: the intensity of involvement in advertising planning, the emergence of role ambiguity, cultural stereotyping, and conflicts of interest.

Originality/value

The paper provides a valuable antidote to studies reliant on dyadic client‐agency perspectives. Adopting a network perspective, it recognizes the importance of the multiple, simultaneous relationships involved in advertising planning. It offers a critical perspective on advertising relationships, considering the emergence, characteristics and consequences of tension and conflict inherent. The discussion reveals ongoing struggles for control over the process of advertising planning, and considers the implications of overt and covert actions on perceptions of network trust. The paper provides a spectrum of outcomes, ranging from collaborative tension to intra‐organisational conflict. This study is most relevant to academics and managers involved in professional services.
How does visual merchandising affect consumer affective response?
Authors: Law Derry , Wong Christina , Yip Joanne
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The aim of this article is to investigate the relationship between visual merchandising elements and consumer affective response by focusing on a function‐oriented product – intimate apparel.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, a different perspective on visual merchandising is offered through the different types of intimate apparel retailers (from fashion‐oriented, mass market‐oriented to fashion forward). This is presented in an interpretive study of Hong Kong Chinese female consumers, between the ages of 25 and 35. A qualitative approach is employed and the grounded theory method is chosen. A total of eight focus group interviews are conducted with 64 subjects.

Findings

The findings indicate that participating subjects have two points of view when evaluating visual store displays, which include utilitarian and hedonic aspects. The utilitarian aspect relates to the actual needs of consumers, such as garment deterioration, seasonal changes and occasions. The hedonic aspect finds that the perceived female image governs consumer interpretation and acceptance of visual displays. It also reveals that the need to be feminine sets the guidelines to evaluating visual stimulus in stores. Display elements, such as mannequins, colour, lighting and props that emphasize feelings of feminine sexuality, tend to trigger negative affective responses in consumers which finally affect purchase intentions.

Originality/value

The authors aim to explore consumer affective response on visual stimulus in stores by considering the aesthetic, symbolic and cultural perceptions of a function‐oriented product – intimate apparel. The literature to date tends to focus on the interaction between individual visual merchandising elements (e.g. colour, lighting) with consumers. However, the product nature and its symbolic meaning have not been seriously taken into consideration. Due to the immense market potential in the East, applying western‐developed theories may not be universally appropriate. There may be different results and patterns in consumer behaviour. Thus, this study aims to enrich existing knowledge of atmospheric management by including the interaction of Eastern values and product nature on affective responses.
Unmasking the ambushers: conceptual framework and empirical evidence
Authors: Mazodier Marc , Quester Pascale , Chandon Jean‐Louis
Published: February 2012

Purpose

Sport events organizers have recently undertaken to disclose to the general public instances where firms have conspired to ambush the official sponsors. In doing so, they have sought to sensitise audiences to sponsors' valuable contribution. However, what is the effect of such disclosure on ambush marketers' brands? This study aims to answer this question, using an experimental approach.

Design/methodology/approach

Two successive experiments were conducted. The first study used a student sample (n=120) and a fictitious brand. The second study used a before‐and‐after experiment with control groups (n=480), using four real brands and print disclosure articles. Data was collected from six French metropolitan areas and analysed using Repeated Measure ANOVA and MANOVA.

Findings

Ambush marketing disclosure is associated with lower attitudes towards the ambusher's brand. Two variables moderate this effect: involvement in the event and attitude towards sponsorship, both of which worsen the negative influence of ambush disclosure on audiences' attitudes.

Research limitations/implications

While the empirical work reflects one national context and one specific sport event, these findings are the first to empirically support the notion that disclosure of ambush practices adversely impacts ambushers' brand.

Practical implications

These results offer official sponsors and event organisers an effective alternative strategy to legal protection, with demonstrated effects on the core target audience of the event.

Originality/value

The literature has alluded to possible perverse effects of ambush marketing. This study is the first to draw an analogy with corrective advertising to test and demonstrate the impact of ambush disclosure on ambushers' brands.
The attitudinal response to alternative brand growth strategies
Authors: Meling Samuelsen Bendik , Erling Olsen Lars
Published: February 2012

Purpose

Brand managers must decide between extension and alliance strategies to grow their brands. This paper aims to describe testing of consumers' responses to two alternative brand growth strategies: an extension strategy whereby a brand moves into a new category alone, and an alliance strategy whereby the same brand moves into the new category as a branded ingredient in a brand already established in that category. How far to stretch a brand is yet another strategic choice facing the brand manager, and the current research tests, under short and long category‐stretch conditions, the attitudinal responses to extension and alliance strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper builds on the categorisation and incongruence literature. An experiment was employed to test the main hypotheses in the study.

Findings

Extensions outperform alliances, especially when the brand undertakes a long stretch, and short‐stretch strategies outperform long‐stretch strategies.

Practical implications

An extension strategy may be preferred to an alliance strategy, especially in situations in which the new growth opportunity requires a long stretch.

Originality/value

The paper compares, in the same study, the attitudinal effects of two important growth strategies widely employed by companies. Previous studies have assessed the performance of these two strategic options only separately.
Preliminary investigation of the communication effects of “taboo” themes in advertising
Authors: Sabri Ouidade
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature of taboo imagery in advertising by drawing on cognate disciplines to build a conceptual framework and identify the characteristics of taboo‐challenging advertisements and the audiences who react to them.

Design/methodology/approach

Data collected by 22 in‐depth individual qualitative interviews in Morocco and France were subjected to two‐stage formal content analysis.

Findings

This study reveals the importance of normative social influence, the properties of the taboo, contagion from the content of the ad to the brand and to customers, and ambivalent emotional reactions. The valence and the intensity of the responses to such advertising depend on personal, interpersonal and situational factors.

Research limitations/implications

The conclusions are based on findings from a relatively small number of respondents reacting to one type of taboo only, but they offer a useful theoretical framework and an empirical basis for future research on the communication effects and effectiveness of taboo in advertising.

Practical implications

The study offers advertisers a better understanding of the factors and processes likely to influence consumers' reactions to the strategy of invoking taboo themes in advertising campaigns, with positive implications in terms of audience segmentation and media selection.

Originality/value

Despite the prevalence of “taboo advertising”, little research‐based analysis has so far been available to academics or practitioners.
Word of mouth: measuring the power of individual messages
Authors: Sweeney Jillian C. , Soutar Geoffrey N. , Mazzarol Tim
Published: February 2012

Purpose

Word‐of‐mouth (WOM) marketing has become a key focus for many organisations. However, little research has sought to identify the dimensionality of WOM. The present research project aims to describe the development of a 12‐item measure that can be used to assess WOM at an individual message level for positive and negative WOM and among givers and receivers of WOM.

Design/methodology/approach

The research includes four studies, a qualitative focus group phase and quantitative phases involving surveys of over 2,000 consumers representing givers and receivers of positive and negative WOM.

Findings

Three distinct dimensions emerged. Two (cognitive content and richness of content) reflect the composition of the message, while the third, termed strength of delivery, reflects the manner of delivery. The scale has strong psychometric properties and was found to be generalisable in the four contexts – sending positive/negative messages and receiving positive/negative messages.

Research limitations/implications

The authors addressed consumers' WOM messages solely in a one‐to one‐context. The results cannot automatically be extended to a variety of other media, which requires future research. Further, the authors did not test the measure in a goods context.

Practical implications

The scale has a variety of potential applications and can serve as a framework for further empirical research in this important area.

Originality/value

While much previous research on WOM relates to the sending of positive WOM, this scale has applicability across four WOM contexts, positive and negative giving and positive and negative receiving.
A dynamic model of customer complaining behaviour from the perspective of service‐dominant logic
Authors: Tronvoll Bård
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual model of customer complaining behaviour as a dynamic process in accordance with the service‐dominant logic perspective of marketing.

Design/methodology/approach

The study reviews the common behaviour models of customer complaints and relates this to the service‐dominant logic perspective in order to develop and describe a dynamic conceptual model of customer complaining behaviour.

Findings

The proposed model posits three categories of complaining behaviour due to a customer's unfavourable service experience: no complaining response, communication complaining responses, and action complaining responses.

Research limitations/implications

Empirical validation of the proposed conceptual model is needed.

Practical implications

The proposed model can be used by managers to understand the various behaviour responses of customer complaints that the company experiences. In addition, the model assists in framing appropriate managerial responses, including service recovery and improved service design.

Originality/value

The study represents a thorough conceptual examination of the complaint process and proposes a dynamic model of customer complaining behaviour based on the service‐dominant logic perspective.
Emotional connections in higher education marketing
Authors: Durkin Mark , McKenna Seamas , Cummins Darryl
Published: February 2012

Purpose

Through examination of a case study this paper aims to describe a brand re‐positioning exercise and explore how an emotionally driven approach to branding can help create meaningful connections with potential undergraduate students and can positively influence choice.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper's approach is a case study description with quantitative analysis in support.

Findings

The use of an emotionally driven branding concept has positively impacted business development and brand likeability within a UK university.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is specific to one case study and evaluation of success remains relatively early. Initial implications relate to the potential use of emotion in higher education marketing communications and how the use of emotion acted as an enabler of more rational decision‐making processes within the case university context.

Originality/value

An exploration of issues related to the marketing of higher education services is of great importance at this time. The case study described offers value and learning for readers of the journal from both a theoretical and practical perspective.
Challenges in designing student teaching evaluations in a business program
Authors: Chulkov Dmitriy V. , Van Alstine Jason
Published: February 2012

Purpose

This article aims to present an empirical analysis of the effects of changes in the student teaching evaluation (STE) form in a business school.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors discuss a case of STE re‐design in a business school that focused on improving the STE instrument. They utilize empirical data collected from students that completed both the original and the revised STE form in several semesters of undergraduate economics courses to examine the effect of changing the evaluation scale and the fashion in which written comments are solicited.

Findings

There are three results of interest to departments considering a change to student evaluation instruments. First, the authors find that a shift from a four‐point scale to a five‐point scale leads to a decrease in evaluation scores even after making an adjustment for scaling. Second, they find that students tend to give lower scores on comparison‐type questions that ask for a comparison of the instructor or the course to the student's entire college experience. A larger share of such comparison‐type questions may depress the mean scores on composite evaluations. Third, soliciting written feedback in a specific section of the form is an effective way to increase both the number of written comments and the size of each comment.

Practical implications

Student teaching evaluations serve as an assessment instrument and are frequently used in faculty promotion decisions. A discussion of best practices in designing the STE is provided in order to caution the stakeholders of the problems that may arise and to guide academic institutions in the review of evaluation procedures.

Originality/value

The authors start with an example of STE re‐design and then analyze empirical data from several semesters. Analysis of the literature and empirical evidence leads to recommended best practices that make STE data more useful both as a summative measure for administrative decisions and as a formative measure used by faculty looking to improve their teaching skills and course design.
Web 2.0 integration into the graduate classroom
Authors: Calabrese Raymond L.
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to advance the preparation of prospective school administrator students by extending the Web 2.0 application of blogging to discover students' strengths and successful leadership experiences. During the blogging process, students reflected on and responded to appreciative inquiry (AI) blog posts that encouraged reflective responses highlighting and identifying their inherent leadership strengths and successful leadership experiences.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative case study model was used to explore the reflective blog contributions of prospective school administrators to discover patterns in the blogging data by grounding the study in an AI theoretical research perspective. A bounded case study delimited the scope of the study to participants who were: masters or doctoral students in a school administration preparation program at a large Midwestern United States research extensive university; and enrolled in four graduate administrative preparation classes taught using reflective blogging over three instructional quarters.

Findings

The Web 2.0 application of appreciative inquiry blogging: confirmed personal strengths and successful leadership experiences; bolstered a supportive learning environment; confirmed the students' history of successful leadership experiences; and increased social capital among students.

Social implications

Future research using AI in Web 2.0 applications can influence the positive preparation of school administrators by preparing them to lead schools in an evolving digital world. Researchers may examine how an AI blogging Web 2.0 application contributes to changing personal perceptions of contemporary deficit views of schooling to what is possible in light of stakeholders' strengths.

Originality/value

The importance of integrating Web 2.0 applications into educational administrator preparation programs is critical in an age where elementary and secondary school students live in a Web 2.0 world and build social networks with peers throughout the globe. Moreover, the evolving global workplace demands fluency in Web 2.0 applications.
Examining culture and performance at different middle school level structures
Authors: Omar Gomez Martin , Marcoulides George A. , Heck Ronald H.
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to propose and test a model of school culture and examine data from schools in Southern California to identify educationally important aspects of teacher‐perceived cultural variables and how these perceptions differentially impact school performance in K‐8 and middle school structures.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using a sample of 628 teachers from 59 schools (17 K‐8 schools and 42 middle schools) in five different schools districts in Southern California. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling techniques.

Findings

The proposed model was determined to fit the data well. The theoretical and practical implications of the model concerning culture and school performance within the framework of educational management and school configuration are discussed.

Originality/value

This paper identifies educationally important aspects of teacher‐perceived cultural variables and how they impact school performance, and also it discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the proposed model.
Investigation of the wetting of PCBs with SnCu (HASL) and Snimm finishes by SnZnBiIn solders
Authors: Bukat Krystyna , Sitek Janusz , Koscielski Marek , Moser Zbigniew , Gasior Wladyslaw , Pstrus Janusz
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to establish why the wetting on PCBs with SnCu (HASL) and Snimm finishes in the presence of a flux is better than the wetting of those on a copper substrate. The practical aspect of the obtained results is the main goal of these investigations.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors applied the wetting balance method for the wetting measurements at 230 and 250°C, in nitrogen atmosphere, in the presence of the ORM0 type flux. The PCBs with the SnCu (HASL) and Snimm finishes were investigated in the state “as received”. To establish the wetting properties of the SnCu (HASL) and Snimm finishes on the PCBs, wetted by the investigated SnZnBiIn alloys, the SEM and EDX analyses were performed.

Findings

The authors obtained very good wetting results of the PCBs with the SnCu and Snimm finishes, wetted by the SnZn7Bi3In4 alloys. By applying the SEM and EDX methods, it was possible to establish that the barrier layer which was created during the HASL process between the copper and the SnCu solder is efficient enough to protect the copper against the influence of the Zn atoms from the SnZn7Bi3In4 solder. This is the reason for an improvement of the wetting properties. An immersion tin finish does not create such barrier layer with the copper. It results in a worse wetting than for the SnCu finishes but a better one than that for the copper. Immersion tin dissolves in the alloys during the soldering and this process delays the reaction between the copper and the Zn atoms from the SnZn7Bi3In4 solder.

Research limitations/implications

It is suggested that further studies are necessary for the confirmation of the practical application, but they should be limited to the reliability of the solder joint performance.

Practical implications

The best wetting results of the PCBs with “tin finishes”, especially with SnCu, wetted by the SnZn7Bi3In4 alloy, at 230 and 250°C and in nitrogen atmosphere, suggest a possibility of a practical usage of the tin‐zinc‐bismuth‐indium alloys for soldering in electronics.

Originality/value

The wetting balance method combined with the SEM and EDX analyses were used as the quickest way to determine the mechanism of the better wettability properties in the case of the PCBs with the SnCu and Snimm finishes, wetted by the SnZn7Bi3In4 alloy, compared to those of the PCBs on the Cu substrate.
A new conformal coating adhesion test for electronic assemblies
Authors: Zou Ling , Hunt Chris
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a new test method (tape peel method) to evaluate conformal coating adhesion to electronic assemblies.

Design/methodology/approach

The key issue for this method is the low cohesive force of conformal coatings, and hence selection of a supporting material to peel the coating from the substrate is critical. A suitable cloth material (35 per cent cotton +75 per cent polyester with 20 per cent open area) has been selected as a peel tape, and achieved the best bonding with coatings, and the smallest affect on the coating curing process. Using the tape, the peel force of the coating from the electronic assembly, can be measured quantitatively, and hence the adhesion performance of the conformal coating assessed.

Findings

The method was validated using different coating types, substrate materials (bare laminate with and without resist, copper clad laminate, and contaminated laminate material), assemblies and components. The results demonstrated that the tape peel test is a sensitive method for measuring coating adhesion on different materials found on PCB assemblies. Coating adhesion was found not to be effected by a wide range flux residues, but components and some resists presented a far greater coating challenge, with some coatings achieving very low adhesion values.

Originality/value

This new method for evaluating conformal coating adhesion to electronic assemblies will be of benefit to coating developers and users, and help to minimise adhesion failures in service. The test has been demonstrated to be sensitive to a number of process and material variables.
A novel high speed impact testing method for evaluating the low temperature effects of eutectic and lead‐free solder joints
Authors: Liu De‐Shin , Hsu Chang‐Lin , Kuo Chia‐Yuan , Huang Ya‐Ling , Lin Kwang‐Lung , Shen Geng‐Shin
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel high speed impact testing method for evaluating the effects of low temperatures on eutectic and lead‐free solder joints. Interfacial cracking failure of Sn‐based and Pb‐free solders at subzero temperatures is of significant concern for electronic assemblies that operate in harsh environments.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a newly designed low temperature control system coupled with an Instron micro‐impact testing machine, which offers a package level test for solder bumps, and that is used at subzero temperature ranges as low as −40°C. This study examined the failure characteristics of 63Sn‐37Pb (Sn37Pb) and 96.5Sn‐3Ag‐0.5Cu (SAC305) solder joints at temperatures ranging from room temperature (R.T.) to −40°C, and at impact speeds of 1 m/s.

Findings

Three types of failure mode were identified: M1 interfacial fracture with no residual solder remaining on the pad (interfacial cracking); M2 interfacial fracture with residual solder persisting on the pad (mixed mode failure); and M3 solder ball fracture (bulk solder cracking). The experimental results indicated that the energy to peak load for both types of solders decreased significantly, by approximately 35 percent to 38 percent when the test temperature was reduced from R.T. to −40°C. In addition, the peak load of the Sn37Pb solder joint increased noticeably with a decreasing test temperature. However, the peak load of the SAC305 specimen remained virtually unchanged with a reduction in the temperature. The Sn37Pb solder joints failed in an M3 failure mode under all the considered testing temperatures. The SAC305 solder joints displayed both M1 and M2 failure modes at R.T.; however, they failed almost exclusively in M1 mode at the lowest test temperature of −40°C.

Originality/value

This paper presents a novel technique for evaluating high‐speed impact strength and energy absorbance of Sn‐based and Pb‐free solders at the chip level within a low temperature control system. To overcome the drawbacks experienced in other studies, this study focused specifically on cryo‐impact testing systems and the performed experimental steps to improve the accuracy of post‐test analysis.
A review of stencil printing for microelectronic packaging
Authors: Kay Robert , Desmulliez Marc
Published: February 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed overview of the current stencil printing process for microelectronic packaging.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper gives a thorough review of stencil printing for electronic packaging including the current state of the art.

Findings

This article explains the different stencil technologies and printing materials. It then examines the various factors that determine the outcome of a successful printing process, including printing parameters, materials, apparatus and squeegees. Relevant technical innovations in the art of stencil printing for microelectronics packaging are examined as each part of the printing process is explained.

Originality/value

Stencil printing is currently the cheapest and highest throughput technique to create the mechanical and electrically conductive connections between substrates, bare die, packaged chips and discrete components. As a result, this process is used extensively in the electronic packaging industry and therefore such a review paper should be of interest to a large selection of the electronics interconnect and assembly community.
Wage differentials in the Saudi Private Sector
Authors: Fathi Al‐Khouli Saiyed
Published: February 2012

This paper investigates the factors behind wage differentials in the largest 100 Saudi Arabian companies. In addition to these companies’ data that were published in 1999, a questionnaire was distributed to a random sample of the employees in these companies to collect supplementary personal data. Stepwise regression was then used to examine the relationship between wages (on the logarithmic scale) and several independents variables measuring various characteristics of both the companies and the workers. It was found that the worker’s education and experience and the company’s sales, capital, assets, location and legal framework were among the most important variables affecting wages.
Interest Rates Parity Between Industrial Countries and Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC)
Authors: Abdul Rahman Al‐yousef Norah
Published: February 2012

The paper’s objective is to empirically invistigate whether monetary policy in GCC counties is integrarted and/or affected by monetary policy of the industrialized countries. To this end, the study tests possible cointegration and Granger‐causality between real interest rates of two GCC countries, namely Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and two industrialized countries, USA and Japan. The econometric methodolgy is based on the Johansen (1998) cointegration technique and on Dolado and Kuthepohi (1996) who used Tode and Yamamoto (1995) Wald test for Granger non‐causality in integrated and cointegrated systems. The Wald test value is obtained by using Seemingly Unrelated Regressions. The empirical results of the paper show that the monetary system of Saudi Arabia is well integrated and influenced by economic indicators of the US, while neither the US nor the Japanese monetary systems have a great influence on the financial market of Bahrain.
An Econometric Study of Education,Labor Market and Human Development In The State of Kuwait
Authors: Nagi El‐Toni Mohamed
Published: February 2012

Kuwait’s economy has witnessed a number of up and down swings since the 1970. A remarkable economic boom arising from oil prices upsurge in 1973 and 1979 was followed by sluggish growth in 1980s and 1990s. A heavy reliance on a single exhaustible resource, distorted labor force and population structure, low share of private investment, a strong role of the government in guiding economic activity and substantial outflow of capital due to limited domestic investment opportunities are all examples of market inefficiencies and imbalances. When the labor market is inefficient, the wage rate is unable to perform its mediating role in matching the demand and supply of labor which has a negative impact on resource allocation and economic growth. The objective of this study is to shed light on the working of the labor market through a better understanding of wage determination and its links to human capital (education) in Kuwait. Unfortunately, there are not many studies of wage determination in Kuwait, partly because data availability on wages and earnings is relatively recent and limited. The study found that return to education for the Kuwaitis in the public sector is 9.4 per cent and the return to experience is only 4 per cent. However, for non‐ Kuwaitis, the return to education was 11.7 per cent and the return to experience is only 2.8 per cent. As for the levels of education, completing secondary school education was found to give the highest returns for both Kuwaitis and non Kuwaitis, about 30.4 per cent and 19.9 per cent respectively. Moreover, by gender, Kuwaiti males earn, on the average, more than their female counterpart for all levels of education and experience.
Signaling Corporate Market Value in Transition Economies: Perspectives from Egypt
Authors: Eldomiaty Tarek I.
Published: February 2012

This paper examines the dynamic determinants of signaling firm’s market value. The underlying assumption is that when a firm changes its capital structure, it actually changes the relative position and the market values of its capital suppliers’ securities holdings. As for the determinants of capital structure, the paper examines a comprehensive number of factors that have been examined or pointed out in the literature. The paper utilizes the properties of partial adjustment model where the desired (or target) level of market value is adjusted according to both of the changes in actual market values and changes in firm’s capital structure. The results indicate that firm’s market value is not affected by neither factors of tradeoff theory nor free cash flow theories of capital structure. If firm’s liquidity position is taken as a source of short‐term financing, the results indicate that factors of pecking order theory do exist. The premises of dividend irrelevancy and information asymmetry do exist with a negative estimate of the dividend payout ratio. The results also indicate that firms’ financial‐agency signaling is affected by eight factors. These factors are (1) debt financing, (2) bankruptcy risk, (3) type of industry, (4) size, (5) financial flexibility, (6) liquidity position, (7) interest rate and (8) transaction costs of borrowing or paying off debt.
Estimation of Total Energy Consumption in Jordan 1980‐1999: Evidence From Cointegration and Stock
Authors: Abdul Jabbar Saed Afaf
Published: February 2012

The purpose of this study is to estimate the long‐run elasticities of the demand (consumption) for total energy in Jordan for the 1980‐1999 period. Assuming a simple linear relationship, in order to estimates the elasticities of a simple long‐run demand equation, we then employ a procedure just recently prescribed by Stock‐Watson (1993) known as Dynamic OLS (DOLS). The DOLS procedure allows for co‐integrated variables as well as tackling the problem of simultaneity amongst the regressors. Furthermore, Stock and Watson showed that DOLS is more favorable, particularly in small size samples, compared to a number of alternative estimators of longrun parameters, including those proposed by Engle‐Granger (1987), Johansen (1988) and error correction model. The analysis provided in this paper showed that the income elasticity of final energy consumption is 1.15, which indicated that the economic growth is accompanied by proportional increase in energy consumption. The responsiveness of energy consumption to price change is ‐1.14 suggesting that taxes on their own are likely to achieve government goals for energy conservation.