bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laser‐assisted outpatient septoplasty: Results in 703 patients
Authors: Kamami Yves‐Victor , Pandraud LUC , Bougara A.
Published: May 2013

Laser‐assisted outpatient septoplasty is a new technique devised to minimize and simplify surgery under local anesthesia. It takes 5 minutes and has a specific clinical application in chronic nasal obstruction because of moderate anterior septal deviation in adults. It is less invasive than traditional septoplasty and has less morbidity, lower medical costs, and faster return to full activity. Seven hundred three patients underwent this operation from August 1995 to June 1998, with a patient evaluation performed before and after surgery. The evaluation was first performed by means of a direct interview, with a clinical examination and acoustic rhinometry, and then by means of a telephone interview, with strictly standardized questioning. Our results show a surgical success rate of 90.8% on the nasal obstruction but also an improvement on nasal discharge, sneezing, recurrent headaches, and chronic rhinosinusitis.
Health for all? Patterns and predictors of allied health service use in Australia
Authors: Foster Michele , O'Flaherty Martin , Haynes Michele , Mitchell Geoffrey , Haines Terrence P.
Published: May 2013

Objective
To examine patterns and predictors of allied health service use among the Australian population.

Methods
Data from the 2007–08 longitudinal National Health Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in Australia were used to examine differences in use of allied health services among the population. The survey is based on 15 779 adult respondents. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to model the probability of visiting an allied health service contingent on multiple factors of interest.

Results
Men, less educated people and people from non-English speaking backgrounds were low users compared with other groups. Interestingly, people with type 2 diabetes were substantially higher users compared with people with other chronic diseases, or no reported chronic disease, and ancillary health insurance had a strong positive effect on use.

Discussion
Further investigation of the social and economic circumstances surrounding allied health service use is required to determine areas of under use or unmet need. High use among people with diabetes might indicate the impact of policy incentives to enhance use. Yet, whether all those in need are able to access services is unknown. Further investigation of use among groups with different health needs and by type of financing will enhance policy.

What is known about the topic?
Inequities and variations in access to allied health services are commonplace. Effective policy initiatives to improve access, particularly among patients with chronic disease, will depend on improving the knowledge base about patterns of use of allied health services, and what determines use.

What does this paper add?
This paper reveals the high and low users of allied health services among the Australian population, those population groups who might be missing out and what might explain these patterns. This information will enable policy makers to target areas of potential unmet need.

What are the implications for practitioners?
Multidisciplinary team care is advocated in the management of chronic disease. Practitioners have a vital role in framing the benefits of allied health services to patients and in developing the evidence base about best practice in the management of chronic disease for diverse patient groups.
The impact of living with HIV: differences in experiences of stigma for heterosexual and homosexual people living with HIV in Australia
Authors: Brener Loren , Wilson Hannah , Slavin Sean , de Wit John
Published: May 2013

Background HIV in Australia has been closely aligned with the gay community and continues to disproportionately affect members of this community. Although heterosexual transmission remains low, recently there has been an increase in new HIV diagnoses attributable to heterosexual sex. This highlights the need to address the health and social consequences for heterosexual people living with HIV (PLHIV). This subanalysis of a larger study compared the experiences of stigma, health and wellbeing of a sample of gay and heterosexual PLHIV. Methods: Data were drawn from a study of experiences of stigma among PLHIV in Australia. All 49 participants who reported being heterosexual were included, as were 49 participants randomly selected from the 611 gay participants. The samples were compared on perceived HIV stigma, HIV treatment-related stigma, perceived negative reactions of others, HIV status disclosure, and health and wellbeing measures. Results: The findings illustrate that heterosexual PLHIV have more negative experiences in terms of both general HIV stigma and treatment-related stigma than gay PLHIV. The heterosexual PLHIV also perceived greater negative reactions in relation to their HIV status by different people in their social environment and were less likely to access treatment than the gay PLHIV. There were no differences between the two groups in any of the health and wellbeing measures. Conclusions: This study shows that in the Australian context, heterosexual PLHIV may feel more stigmatised than gay PLHIV. In view of lower HIV treatment uptake in heterosexual PLHIV, addressing HIV-related stigma could contribute to increasing access to HIV treatment.
Temperature Modulation of Growth and Physiology of Juvenile Guadalupe Bass
Authors: Sullivan Mario L , Zhang Yixin , Bonner Timothy H , Tomasso Joseph R
Published: May 2013

Fingerling Guadalupe Bass Micropterus treculii were cultured in 18, 21, 24, 27, or 30°C water for 6 weeks. Temperature affected the growth of the Guadalupe Bass when it was measured by increases in TL but not when measured by increase in mass. The optimal temperature for growth of Guadalupe Bass was 27–28°C. Condition factor increased linearly with temperature, indicating that the fish were plumper at warmer temperatures. The mean hematocrit was 37 and not significantly affected by temperature, although a trend of increasing hematocrit with increasing temperature was apparent. The liver index varied significantly with temperature, and the maximum index was at 24°C. The results of this study provide basic thermal information and some base line hematological values for hatchery production and management of Guadalupe Bass.
Conditional Election and Partisan Cycles in Government Support to the Agricultural Sector: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Klomp Jeroen , de Haan Jakob
Published: May 2013

We examine the effect of elections and government ideology on public funding to the agricultural sector using a panel model for more than 70 democratic countries from 1975‐2009. We find that support for agriculture increases prior to elections, and that right‐wing governments redistribute more income to the agricultural sector than left‐wing governments. Political cycles are conditional on certain factors; for example, elections have a stronger effect on support under right‐wing cabinets. Further, in industrialized countries, the election (partisan) effect is strongest under majoritarian (proportional) electoral systems. In developing countries, the election (partisan) effect is strongest under proportional (majoritarian) electoral systems.
CAPITO—a web server-based analysis and plotting tool for circular dichroism data
Authors: Wiedemann Christoph , Bellstedt Peter , Görlach Matthias
Published: May 2013

Motivation: Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy is one of the most versatile tools to study protein folding and to validate the proper fold of purified proteins. Here, we aim to provide a readily accessible, user-friendly and platform-independent tool capable of analysing multiple CD datasets of virtually any format and returning results as high-quality graphical output to the user.

Results: CAPITO (CD Anaylsis and Plotting Tool) is a novel web server-based tool for analysing and plotting CD data. It allows reliable estimation of secondary structure content utilizing different approaches. CAPITO accepts multiple CD datasets and, hence, is well suited for a wide application range such as the analysis of temperature or pH-dependent (un)folding and the comparison of mutants.

Availability:  http://capito.nmr.fli-leibniz.de.

Contact:  cwiede@fli-leibniz.de or mago@fli-leibniz.de

Supplementary information:  Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Actinobaculum schaalii causing epididymitis in an elderly patient
Authors: van Aarle S. , Arents N. L. A. , de Laet K.
Published: May 2013

Actinobaculum schaalii is a Gram-positive coccoid rod that causes various infections in humans and is easily overlooked in cultures. A. schaalii has long been thought to be of low prevalence and limited invasive potential, causing benign cystitis in elderly patients with underlying urological conditions. Here, we report the first case of epididymitis caused by this bacterium.
Extensive chromosomal reshuffling drives evolution of virulence in an asexual pathogen
Authors: de Jonge Ronnie , Bolton Melvin D. , Kombrink Anja , van den Berg Grardy C.M. , Yadeta Koste A. , Thomma Bart P.H.J.
Published: May 2013

Sexual recombination drives genetic diversity in eukaryotic genomes and fosters adaptation to novel environmental challenges. Although strictly asexual microorganisms are often considered as evolutionary dead ends, they comprise many devastating plant pathogens. Presently, it remains unknown how such asexual pathogens generate the genetic variation that is required for quick adaptation and evolution in the arms race with their hosts. Here, we show that extensive chromosomal rearrangements in the strictly asexual plant pathogenic fungusVerticillium dahliaeestablish highly dynamic lineage-specific (LS) genomic regions that act as a source for genetic variation to mediate aggressiveness. We show that such LS regions are greatly enriched for in planta-expressed effector genes encoding secreted proteins that enable host colonization. The LS regions occur at the flanks of chromosomal breakpoints and are enriched for retrotransposons and other repetitive sequence elements. Our results suggest that asexual pathogens may evolve by prompting chromosomal rearrangements, enabling rapid development of novel effector genes. Likely, chromosomal reshuffling can act as a general mechanism for adaptation in asexually propagating organisms.
Implication of dopaminergic modulation in operant reward learning and the induction of compulsive-like feeding behavior inAplysia
Authors: Bédécarrats Alexis , Cornet Charles , Simmers John , Nargeot Romuald
Published: May 2013

Feeding inAplysiaprovides an amenable model system for analyzing the neuronal substrates of motivated behavior and its adaptability by associative reward learning and neuromodulation. Among such learning processes, appetitive operant conditioning that leads to a compulsive-like expression of feeding actions is known to be associated with changes in the membrane properties and electrical coupling of essential action-initiating B63 neurons in the buccal central pattern generator (CPG). Moreover, the food-reward signal for this learning is conveyed in the esophageal nerve (En), an input nerve rich in dopamine-containing fibers. Here, to investigate whether dopamine (DA) is involved in this learning-induced plasticity, we used an in vitro analog of operant conditioning in which electrical stimulation of En substituted the contingent reinforcement of biting movements in vivo. Our data indicate that contingent En stimulation does, indeed, replicate the operant learning-induced changes in CPG output and the underlying membrane and synaptic properties of B63. Significantly, moreover, this network and cellular plasticity was blocked when the input nerve was stimulated in the presence of the DA receptor antagonist cis-flupenthixol. These results therefore suggest that En-derived dopaminergic modulation of CPG circuitry contributes to the operant reward-dependent emergence of a compulsive-like expression ofAplysia’sfeeding behavior.
Upgraded ESRF BM29 beamline for SAXS on macromolecules in solution
Authors: Pernot Petra , Round Adam , Barrett Ray , De Maria Antolinos Alejandro , Gobbo Alexandre , Gordon Elspeth , Huet Julien , Kieffer Jerôme , Lentini Mario , Mattenet Muriel , Morawe Christian , Mueller-Dieckmann Christoph , Ohlsson Staffan , Schmid Werner , Surr John , Theveneau Pascal , Zerrad Louiza , McSweeney Sean
Published: May 2013

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurements of proteins in solution are becoming increasingly popular with biochemists and structural biologists owing to the presence of dedicated high-throughput beamlines at synchrotron sources. As part of the ESRF Upgrade program a dedicated instrument for performing SAXS from biological macromolecules in solution (BioSAXS) has been installed at the renovated BM29 location. The optics hutch has been equipped with new optical components of which the two principal elements are a fixed-exit double multilayer monochromator and a 1.1 m-long toroidal mirror. These new dedicated optics give improved beam characteristics (compared with the previous set-up on ID14-3) regarding the energy tunability, flux and focusing at the detector plane leading to reduced parasitic scattering and an extendeds-range. User experiments on the beamline have been successfully carried out since June 2012. A description of the new BioSAXS beamline and the set-up characteristics are presented together with examples of obtained data.
Large-aperture refractive lenses for momentum-resolved spectroscopy with hard X-rays
Authors: Fukui Hiroshi , Simon Markus , Nazmov Vladimir , Mohr Jürgen , Evans-Lutterodt Kenneth , Stein Aaron , Baron Alfred Q. R.
Published: May 2013

One-dimensional kinoform and prism refractive lenses with large aperture and high transmittance at 22 keV have been investigated. A 12.0 µm focus size (full width at half-maximum) and an effective aperture of 0.85 mm, at a focal length of 705 mm and 21.747 keV, were achieved.
The macromolecular crystallography beamline I911-3 at the MAX IV laboratory
Authors: Ursby Thomas , Unge Johan , Appio Roberto , Logan Derek T. , Fredslund Folmer , Svensson Christer , Larsson Krister , Labrador Ana , Thunnissen Marjolein M. G. M.
Published: May 2013

The macromolecular crystallography beamline I911-3, part of the Cassiopeia/I911 suite of beamlines, is based on a superconducting wiggler at the MAX II ring of the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden. The beamline is energy-tunable within a range between 6 and 18 keV. I911-3 opened for users in 2005. In 2010–2011 the experimental station was completely rebuilt and refurbished such that it has become a state-of-the-art experimental station with better possibilities for rapid throughput, crystal screening and work with smaller samples. This paper describes the complete I911-3 beamline and how it is embedded in the Cassiopeia suite of beamlines.
The unfulfilled promise of management education (ME): the role, value and purposes of ME
Authors: Thomas Howard , Thomas Lynne , Wilson Alex
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to review the evolution of management education primarily over the last 50 years and seeks to identify the challenges and lessons learned in management education and to assess the potential for change. To gain insight into these issues the authors draw on the perspectives of around 40 key individuals from academia, professional bodies, media, business and students.

Design/methodology/approach

The content of the paper is based upon a qualitative analysis of around 40 two‐to‐three hour interviews of key global players in the management education field.

Findings

The key stakeholders in management education are identified as students, business and employers respectively. But in terms of relative stakeholder influence faculty, business and students are the top three influencers. Faculty represent the supply‐side whereas business and students represent the demand side of management education. There is evidence that higher tuition fees may increase the power of students and business relative to faculty. The individuals who have had the greatest influence on management education are academics such as Mintzberg and Drucker rather than business school deans or administrators. Institutions such as INSEAD, IMD and Harvard have had the greatest influence. The main issues and challenges identified in Management Education include information technology, globalisation, the role of faculty, competition and business model performance. Few game changing innovations in curricula have occurred in management education raising the question of how change will occur in the future.

Originality/value

There are few in‐depth, open‐ended interview studies of key participants in the field of management education. It adds insights to a range of more reflective literature studies from writers such as Khurana, Mintzberg and Pfeffer.
Towards a liberal management education
Authors: Harney Stefano , Thomas Howard
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This paper seeks to outline the element of a liberal management education that would attend to the full human development of undergraduate management students enabling them to exercise the responsibility and leadership that the profession and practice of business and management require. It places such an education in the context of the global university today, and points to the shortcomings in management education as it is currently taught, the challenges facing implementation, and finishes with the example of Singapore Management University.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a discursive discussion piece drawing on philosophical texts, contemporary debates on management education, historical perspectives on the University, and the authors’ combined experience in management education and business school leadership. It was written as an argument to be debated by future interlocutors.

Findings

The article concludes that liberal management education faces obstacles to implementation. These obstacles are recast as shortcomings in management education itself. It concludes that in part by recognising and overcoming these shortcomings liberal management education holds prospects for improving the full human development of undergraduate management students, and in so doing creating business leaders who have the maturity to take responsible and visionary decisions.

Research limitations/implications

The article points to the need to elaborate a concrete curriculum across the spectrum of courses and subjects in management education.

Practical implications

The article invites other business schools to enter into a conversation about liberal management education and share experiences of implementing reforms in management education.

Social implications

Liberal management education aims to produce citizen‐leaders who have the maturity and enlightened perspective to lead in organisations and in society. The intention of the article is to encourage debate and adoption in some form of a liberal management education philosophy and curriculum at other business schools beyond Singapore Management University, with the hope of shifting the emphasis in management education to preparing students as mature citizens as well as business leaders.

Originality/value

Many have discussed the problems of the contemporary global university, but few have considered undergraduate management education as a crucible for working out the conflicts and challenges facing today's university.
Insights into mature consumers of financial services
Authors: Milner Trenton , Rosenstreich Daniela
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate psychographic, demographic and situational characteristics of Baby Boomer generation consumers, specifically in relation to their consumption of financial services.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was pre‐tested and 776 responses (77.6 per cent response rate) were subjected to correlation and ANOVA analysis. The survey covered a wide range of variables for decision making for financial services, including situational, demographic, and psychographic.

Findings

Consumers who scored higher on scales for competitiveness and need for material resources tended to have higher incomes. Mature consumers were likely to face major life events involving their children and parents, but these events were least likely to prompt the use of a financial service adviser. However, some respondents showed a propensity for seeking financial advice in relation to many types of life events. There were also relationships between seeking financial information from certain service providers.

Research limitations/implications

The paper's findings assist in building a picture of the psychographic and behavioural tendencies of the largest age cohort.

Practical implications

The findings suggest strategies for: cross‐selling through referral networks of different financial service providers; communications to increase awareness of the likelihood of financial pressures from aging parents, potentially concurrently with adult children; and lead generation based on the likelihood of having a higher income, seeking financial advice and using financial services.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of literature on the consumption behaviour of mature consumers in relation to financial services. Financial services are a major industry in most developed economies and sound financial management is critical for the Baby Boomer cohort. This paper assists in understanding this significant market to facilitate enhanced marketing strategies.
Antidepressant advertising effects on drug knowledge and drug seeking
Authors: Callaghan Glenn M. , Laraway Sean , Snycerski Susan , McGee Shannon C.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which exposure to a television commercial for an antidepressant drug (Cymbalta®) compared to another commercial (Weight Watchers®) influenced participants' knowledge of the drug (including side effects and indications) and self‐reported likelihood of seeking an antidepressant medication.

Design/methodology/approach

A randomized‐group design with two conditions was used with a sample of an ethnically diverse group of college students (n=498). Scores assessing drug knowledge and self‐reported likelihood of drug seeking and scores from the Beck Depression Inventory‐II (BDI‐II) were analyzed.

Findings

The Cymbalta® group had higher drug‐knowledge scores than did the control group. Differences in drug‐seeking scores across conditions were not significant; however, drug‐knowledge scores and drug‐seeking scores were negatively related. Across groups, BDI‐II scores were positively related to drug seeking.

Research limitations/implications

These results suggest that direct‐to‐consumer (DTC) advertising may educate consumers regarding medications, at least in the short term. Self‐reported intention to seek an antidepressant medication was significantly higher in participants who met the BDI‐II threshold for major depressive disorder, regardless of experimental condition.

Practical implications

A decreased desire to seek antidepressants, possibly due to increased familiarity with drug side‐effects, suggests that advertising may be educating viewers about important concerns about medication and that may impact their desire to seek those drugs.

Originality/value

Direct‐to‐consumer advertising (DTCA) of pharmaceuticals remains controversial, yet few experimental studies have examined the effects of DTCA on drug knowledge and drug‐seeking behavior of potential consumers.
University students' perceived susceptibility to alcohol retail sales promotions
Authors: Sharma Bishnu , Raciti Maria , O'Hara Rebecca , Reinhard Karin , Davies Fiona
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between perceived susceptibility to alcohol retailers' sales promotion strategies and young, female university students' intention to buy alcohol and attitude towards alcohol consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from a convenience sample of three universities in three OECD countries with high alcohol consumption per capita: Australia (n=305), Germany (n=323) and Wales (n=361). A self‐administered survey approach was used to collect data from female university students between the ages of 18 and 24 years in one university in each country. The four alcohol sales promotion strategies of interest were price reductions, quantity specials whereby the more you buy the less you pay on a pro rata basis, bulk purchasing of alcohol, and purchasing from more than one store to take advantage of low prices.

Findings

The study found that except for retailer price reductions, the association between Welsh university students' intentions to buy alcohol and their susceptibility to the remaining retailers' sales promotions was greater than that of university students in Australia and Germany, respectively. Significant differences between the countries were found in terms of the salience of perceived susceptibility to retail sales promotion strategies and their correlation with students' attitude towards alcohol consumption.

Originality/value

The paper's findings provide insights particularly for upstream, legislative strategic interventions to combat the issue of alcohol drinking of young female university students.
Factors that catalyse, facilitate and motivate the decision to implement activity‐based costing in Jordanian industrial companies
Authors: Nassar Mahmoud , Aldeen Al‐Khadash Husam , Sangster Alan , Mah’d Osama
Published: May 2013

Purpose

In spite of facilitating and motivating factors in the external environment, the implementation of new management‐accounting techniques as activity‐based costing (ABC) in companies is disappointing. The aim of the study is to determine factors that catalyse, facilitate and motivate the decision to implement ABC in Jordanian industrial companies. Additional objectives include determining the problems associated with ABC implementation and assessing the degree of success of ABC implementation in Jordan.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of the Jordanian industrial companies was selected and a questionnaire survey was employed using a five‐point Likert scale to collect data from the financial managers, descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyze the collected data.

Findings

The findings indicate that the most important factor that facilitates the decision to implement ABC was the provision of adequate training and the most influential factors which motivate the process of ABC implementation include an increasing proportion of overhead costs, and an increasing number of product variants. Consequently, this study found that the interaction of three types of factors (catalysts, facilitators and motivators) create the potential for change in these companies. Barriers to change could make the change process slower, hindering, and even preventing change; and barriers to change were identified that may explain the differing implementation rates of ABC in the Jordanian industrial sector. The greatest barrier to implementing ABC was found to be its high cost of implementation, followed by the high cost of ABC consultancy and computer staff time.

Originality/value

The study adds new elements to the institutional approach, and integrates it with concepts from psychology and organizational culture, to create a better understanding of management accounting. The results of study contribute to existing knowledge in the area of understanding the factors which act as catalysts, facilitate, and motivate ABC innovation and of those factors that create barriers to ABC implementation in Jordan.
The impact of IFRS on net income and equity: evidence from Italian listed companies
Authors: Cordazzo Michela
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The mandatory conversion to IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) has represented much more than a change in accounting rules. Firms’ main concerns have been to understand the extent to which accounting differences between national GAAP and IFRS could affect their reported performance. The purpose of this paper is to address this concern by providing empirical evidence of the nature and the size of the differences between Italian accounting principles and IFRS.

Design/methodology/approach

The total and individual differences between Italian GAAP and IFRS are identified and quantified in the reconciliations of net income and equity of companies listed on Borsa Italiana. The focus is to show the major consequences of the conversion to IFRS on accounting outcomes.

Findings

The empirical results indicate a more relevant total impact of such a transition on net income than equity. The analysis of individual adjustments shows a greater discrepancy between Italian GAAP and IFRS in the accounting treatment of intangible assets, income taxes, and business combinations with reference to both net income and equity.

Originality/value

The main contribution of the paper is to investigate the impact of mandatory IFRS adoption for Italian listed companies’ financial results. Previous literature does not focus on such a specific country, but it offers a comparative approach to different effects of IFRS on European countries.
The costs and benefits of IFRS implementation in the UK and Italy
Authors: Fox Alison , Hannah Gwen , Helliar Christine , Veneziani Monica
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the opinions of national stakeholders on the costs and benefits of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) implementation and to determine whether countries with disparate social, economical and political backgrounds have different experiences when complying with IFRS.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with preparers, users and auditors of annual reports and accounting regulators in the UK (including Ireland) and Italy.

Findings

There were some differences in the experiences of IFRS implementation between stakeholders from different countries. However, there was widespread agreement that costs exceeded the benefits of reporting under the new standards. Further it is recognised that international standard‐setters have a large set of stakeholder views to manage and it is therefore important that standard‐setters are aware of the costs and benefits of their accounting requirements.

Originality/value

This analysis is useful for companies that have not already adopted IFRS. It explains the differences and similarities of the costs and benefits of IFRS implementation from an Anglo‐Saxon and an EU continental perspective.
Race to the top: Project Muse, JSTOR, and the quest for ebook supremacy
Authors: Medeiros Norm
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This article aims to describe the Project Muse and JSTOR e‐book services.

Design/methodology/approach

The article highlights some of the differences between the two competitors.

Findings

The article exposes the drawbacks related to JSTOR's single‐user model, including the prohibition of printing and the limits on downloads.

Originality/value

The article provides assistance in understanding at a high level the approach of each company to the provision of e‐books.
Organizational change models and digital library projects
Authors: Cervone H. Frank
Published: May 2013

Purpose

Project managers must deal with organizational change in order to bring their projects to completion effectively. This article aims to outline the three major change models in organizations and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Design/methodology/approach

By using a high‐level review of change models, the author explores the issues a project manager may encounter using each model.

Findings

While all three change models are necessary in organizations, the most effective change model for long‐term, consistent success is the embracing change model.

Originality/value

This article adds to the body of knowledge related to change and project management.
IaaS cloud computing services for libraries: cloud storage and virtual machines
Authors: Han Yan
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of current uses of cloud computing (CC) services in libraries, address a gap identified in integrating cloud storage in IaaS level, and show how to use EC2 tools for easy backup and resource monitoring.

Design/methodology/approach

The article begins a literature review of CC uses in libraries, organized at the SaaS, PaaS and IaaS levels. The author presents his experience of integrating cloud storage services S3 and GCS. In addition, he also shows how to use virtual machine EC2 tools for backup and monitoring resources.

Findings

The article describes a case study of integrating cloud storage using S3 and GCS. S3 can be integrated with any program whether the program runs on cloud or locally, while GCS is only good for applications running on GAE. The limitation of the current GCS approach makes it hard to use for a stand‐alone cloud storage. The author also discusses virtual machines using EC2 and its related tools for backup, increase storage, and monitoring service. These services make system administration easier as compared to the traditional approach.

Research limitations/implications

The article presents current CC uses in libraries at the SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS levels. CC services are changing quickly. For example, Google has stated that its APIs are experimental. Readers should be aware of this.

Practical implications

The author shows his experience of integrating cloud storage services. Readers can understand the similarities and differences between S3 and GCS. In addition, readers can learn the advantages and concerns associated with implementing cloud computing. Readers are encouraged to consider questions such as content, skills, costs, and security.

Originality/value

There are many uses of CC services in libraries. However, gaps are identified: in IaaS cloud storage, a few libraries used Amazon S3 and Microsoft Azure, but none explored using Google Cloud Storage (GCS); none provided implementation details, difficulties, and comparisons of S3 and GCS; and a few articles have briefly discussed implementations on Amazon EC2, but have not provided specific details about upgrade and backup. This article addresses those gaps.
Evaluating the critical success factors of supplier development: a case study
Authors: Routroy Srikanta , Pradhan Sudeep Kumar
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate the critical success factors (CSFs) responsible for supplier development (SD) in a manufacturing supply chain environment.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 13 CSFs for SD are identified (i.e. long‐term strategic goal; top management commitment; incentives; supplier's supplier condition; proximity to manufacturing base; supplier certification; innovation capability; information sharing; environmental readiness; external environment; project completion experience; supplier status and direct involvement) through extensive literature review and discussion held with managers/engineers in different Indian manufacturing companies. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is proposed and developed to evaluate the degree of impact of each CSF on SD.

Findings

The degree of impact for each CSF on SD is established for an Indian company. The results are discussed in detail with managerial implications. The long‐term strategic goal is found to be the most significant CSF for successful SD implementation.

Research limitations/implications

This study has not been statistically validated in a manufacturing supply chain environment for complete acceptability.

Practical implications

The simplicity and clarity of the proposed approach enhances its acceptability for evaluating CSFs in manufacturing supply chain environment. It also provides the direction for optimally allocating the efforts and resources for successful implementation of SD in short duration.

Originality/value

Although both CSFs and SD have been widely researched, but no study has been reported in the literature to prioritize and rank the CSFs of SD in an Indian manufacturing environment. The paper contributes to research in the supply chain management area in general and SD in particular for manufacturing environment. The proposed approach has the ability to capture the judgment of multiple experts to prioritize and rank CSFs for SD.
Designing a tool for an effective assessment of purchasing maturity in construction
Authors: Bemelmans Jeroen , Voordijk Hans , Vos Bart
Published: May 2013

Purpose

Prime contractors spend up to 90 per cent of a construction project's turnover on buying goods and services, and thus suppliers have a large impact on project performance. Therefore, the purchasing function management of the prime contractor has a large influence on the overall performance: the more developed (i.e. mature or professional) this function is, the greater its positive contribution. The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a quick scan purchasing maturity tool by applying a design science research method.

Design/methodology/approach

The maturity tool is developed by applying Hevner's framework for design science research. In this framework, foundations drawn from the available knowledge base are used to develop the new tool. Scientific justification of this new tool and approval of its approach for construction practice is obtained through testing it in the specific context of a case company.

Findings

The tool provides a company with insight into its current level of purchasing maturity and possibilities for improving performance by increasing this level.

Originality/value

The conciseness and the limited time required to use the tool are major advantages over existing alternatives for construction practice.
The links between lean manufacturing practices and concurrent engineering method of new product development
Authors: Meybodi Mohammad Z.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the relationships between lean manufacturing (LM) principles and concurrent engineering approach to new product development (CENPD).

Design/methodology/approach

A survey instrument based on a number of critical factors was used to examine if there are relationships between LM and CENPD. In addition to general organization and managerial profile items, the survey contained 44 items (22 paired) regarding similarities between LM and CENPD factors. Also, the survey instrument contained a number of questionnaire items on NPD performances for LM companies using CENPD and conventional companies.

Findings

Statistical results show high degree of similarities between LM and CENPD factors. The results also indicate that LM organizations are able to develop new products with 63 per cent better quality, 52 per cent less development time, 45 per cent less development cost, and 36 per cent less manufacturing cost than conventional companies.

Research limitations/implications

Research is not industry specific. Future research needs to focus on specific industries.

Practical implications

LM companies are able to develop new products better, faster, more often, with less development cost, and less manufacturing cost than conventional companies.

Originality/value

The benefits of LM principles go much beyond inventory reduction and frequent deliveries. These principles are also applicable to other areas such as NPD.
Role of lifestyle orientation and perceived organizational functioning in psychological empowerment of IT professionals
Authors: Singh Shalini , Deo Kodwani Amitabh , Agrawal Rakesh Kumar
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of lifestyle orientation and perceived organizational functioning in psychological empowerment perceptions of information technology (IT) professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is a cross‐sectional survey of 242 IT professionals across ten software product and services companies based in India. Established scales of the research instruments were used for data collection.

Findings

Findings indicate that professionals with aggressive, individualistic and resistive lifestyle orientation are likely to feel more psychologically empowered. Organizational functioning is also found to have a strong effect on psychological empowerment perceptions of IT professionals.

Research limitations/implications

Use of self‐reported measures for all the variables may cause desirability bias on the part of participants. Future studies may explore demographic differences and incorporate empowerment climate as well.

Practical implications

Insights from the study would help organizations facilitate employee performance using the empowerment tool and consequently gain competitive advantage by retaining skills and experience within the organization rather than outside it.

Originality/value

Studies of such nature being few in the Indian IT context, findings present both opportunities and challenges for IT human resource managers and can also be taken up for future research work.
Numerical and experimental study on buckling behaviour of multiple delaminated composite plates
Authors: Mohanty Jayaram , Sahu Shishir Kr. , Parhi Pravat Kr.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

With the widespread use of the composites over other metallic materials in different fields of engineering, studies on damages of composite structures have assumed great importance. Among various kinds of damages, delamination is of very serious concern to composite applications. It may arise as a consequence of impact loading, stress concentration near a geometrical or material discontinuity or manufacturing defects. The presence of one or more delaminations in the composite laminate may lead to a premature collapse of the structure due to buckling at a lower level of compressive loading. So the effect of delamination on stability of composite structures needs attention and thus constitutes a problem of current interest. The purpose of this paper is to deal with both numerical and experimental investigations on buckling behaviour of single and multiple, delaminated, industry driven, woven roving glass/epoxy composite plates on clamped free clamped free (CFCF) rectangular plates.

Design/methodology/approach

For numerical analysis, a finite element model was developed with an eight noded two dimensional quadratic isoparametric element having five degrees of freedom per node. The elastic stiffness matrices were derived using linear first order shear deformation theory with a shear correction factor. Green's nonlinear strain equations are used to derive the geometric stiffness matrix. The computation of buckling load based on present formulation is compared with the experimental results for the effect of different parameters on critical load of the delaminated composite panels. In the experimental study, the influences of various parameters such as delamination area, fiber orientations, number of layers, aspect ratios on the buckling behaviour of single and multiple delaminated woven roving glass/epoxy composite plates were investigated. Buckling loads were measured by INSTRON 1195 machine for the delaminated composite plates.

Findings

Comparison of numerical results with experimental results showed a good agreement. Both the results revealed that the area of delaminations, fiber orientations, number of layers and aspect ratio have paramount influence on the buckling behaviour of delaminated plate.

Originality/value

The present study is part of Jayaram Mohanty's doctoral thesis, an original research work.
Improvement of fatigue limit by shot peening for high‐tensile strength steel containing a crack in the stress concentration zone
Authors: Houjou Keiji , Takahashi Koji , Ando Kotoji
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of shot peening (SP) on the fatigue limit of high‐tensile‐strength steel containing a crack in the stress concentration zone.

Design/methodology/approach

An artificial semi‐circular slit was introduced into the bottom of notch, and SP was performed. Bending fatigue tests were then carried out.

Findings

First, the fatigue limits of specimens containing a slit of 0.2 or 0.3 mm in depth were improved up to approximately twice their original values. Second, in the case of shot‐peened specimens with a crack of 0.2 mm in depth, the fractures occurred from outside the slit. Moreover, the specimens recovered to fatigue limits up to those of non‐slit specimens. Finally, the effect of stress concentration (Kt=1.9) on the slit size could be rendered harmless by SP was not found in the fatigue test.

Originality/value

There are very few examples of evaluations of the fatigue limit of materials containing crack‐like surface defects after SP has been performed in the stress concentration zone. The study elucidated the effect of SP on the fatigue limit in such materials, compared with that of a smooth zone.
Comparison between positive and negative bias stress on N‐channel VDMOSFET transistors
Authors: Abboud N. , Habch R. , Cuminal Y. , Foucaran A. , Salame C.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to apply a negative gate bias stress in order to study instabilities of threshold voltage in N‐channel power vertical double‐diffused metal‐oxide‐semiconductor field effect transistor (VDMOSFET). Variations in gate oxide trapped charge and interface trap densities are also calculated.

Design/methodology/approach

A threshold voltage shift is detected; the oxide and interface trap densities were evaluated based on a direct measurement of the gate to source capacitance and conductance.

Findings

Results presented show that the threshold voltage is decreasing with stress time, the capacitance and conductance curves are altered by applied stress, also the oxide traps and the interface traps densities are increasing with stress time.

Originality/value

The positive bias stress seems to be more destructive in the case of the studied devices.
Shared service centres and the role of the finance function
Authors: Seal Will , Herbert Ian
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is: to explore the concept of finance shared service centres (SSCs) through an interpretive case study based on a structuration in organizational fields framework; to explore the implications for the finance function, in terms of how finance both drives change within the multi‐divisional organisation and also is affected by change; and to interpret the SSC phenomenon in the light of the Iron Cage analogy.

Design/methodology/approach

A structuration in organization fields approach is used to interpret influences and actions in a longitudinal case study of a finance SSC.

Findings

The SSC can be seen as an emergent strategic project. The paper argues that the new organisational form of the SSC, together with the finance function's reflexive and recursive position of driving change are influenced by changes in the economic and institutional influences in the organisational field but in a manner that is both evolutionary and nuanced. A further observation is that management accounting systems are both changed and made stable by the SSC.

Research limitations/implications

The field work consists of a single case study so as to give a sufficiently deep understanding of how external and internal discourse has influenced the development of a SSC over time.

Originality/value

The paper argues that the unbundling and reconfiguration of support services represents more than simply a rational response to cost reduction and efficiency savings. Indeed, the more fundamental nature of change in the finance function stemming from new structures and processes of the SSC can be understood better once the SSC model has been conceptualised in the context of overall interactions within the multi‐divisional corporation and with its organisational.