bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimal sizing of reliable hybrid renewable energy system considered various load types
Authors: Hakimi S. M. , Moghaddas-Tafreshi S. M. , HassanzadehFard H.
Published: November 2011

In this paper, a novel intelligent method is applied to the problem of sizing in a hybrid power system such that the demand of residential area is met. This study is performed for Kahnouj area in south-east Iran. It is to mention that there are many similar regions around the world with this typical situation that can be expanded. The system consist of fuel cells, some wind units, some electrolyzers, a reformer, an anaerobic reactor, and some hydrogen tanks. The system is assumed to be stand-alone and uses the biomass as an available energy resource. System costs involve investments, replacement, and operation and maintenance as well as loss of load costs. Prices are all empirical and components are commercially available. In this study, we consider load growth and different types of load profile for their system. In this village, four types of loads exist such as residential, agricultural, industrial, and official loads. Also we consider load growth for the loads. Particle swarm optimization algorithm is used for optimal sizing of system’s components.
Experimental investigation of the propagation of a planar shock wave through a two-phase gas-liquid medium
Authors: Chauvin A. , Jourdan G. , Daniel E. , Houas L. , Tosello R.
Published: November 2011

We conducted a series of shock tube experiments to study the influence of a cloud of water droplets on the propagation of a planar shock wave. In a vertically oriented shock tube, the cloud of droplets was released downwards into the air at atmospheric pressure while the shock wave propagated upwards. Two shock wave Mach numbers, 1.3 and 1.5, and three different heights of clouds, 150 mm, 400 mm, and 700 mm, were tested with an air-water volume fraction and a droplet diameter fixed at 1.2% and 500 μm, respectively. From high-speed visualization and pressure measurements, we analyzed the effect of water clouds on the propagation of the shock wave. It was shown that the pressure histories recorded in the two-phase gas-liquid mixture are different from those previously obtained in the gas-solid case. This different behavior is attributed to the process of atomization of the droplets, which is absent in the gas-solid medium. Finally, it was observed that the shock wave attenuation was dependent on the exchange surface crossed by the shock combined with the breakup criterion.
Unexpected light behaviour in periodic segmented waveguides
Authors: Aschiéri Pierre , Doya Valérie
Published: November 2011

In this article, it is shown that multimode periodic segmented waveguides (PSW) are versatile optical systems in which properties of wave chaos can be highlighted. Numerical wave analysis reveals that structures of quantum phase space of PSW are similar to Poincaré sections which display a mixed phase space where stability islands are surrounded by a chaotic sea. Then, unexpected light behavior can occur such as, input gaussian beams do not diverge during the propagation in a highly multimode waveguide.
Synaptic plasticity modulates autonomous transitions between waking and sleep states: Insights from a Morris-Lecar model
Authors: Ciszak Marzena , Bellesi Michele
Published: November 2011

The transitions between waking and sleep states are characterized by considerable changes in neuronal firing. During waking, neurons fire tonically at irregular intervals and a desynchronized activity is observed at the electroencephalogram. This activity becomes synchronized with slow wave sleep onset when neurons start to oscillate between periods of firing (up-states) and periods of silence (down-states). Recently, it has been proposed that the connections between neurons undergo potentiation during waking, whereas they weaken during slow wave sleep. Here, we propose a dynamical model to describe basic features of the autonomous transitions between such states. We consider a network of coupled neurons in which the strength of the interactions is modulated by synaptic long term potentiation and depression, according to the spike time-dependent plasticity rule (STDP). The model shows that the enhancement of synaptic strength between neurons occurring in waking increases the propensity of the network to synchronize and, conversely, desynchronization appears when the strength of the connections become weaker. Both transitions appear spontaneously, but the transition from sleep to waking required a slight modification of the STDP rule with the introduction of a mechanism which becomes active during sleep and changes the proportion between potentiation and depression in accordance with biological data. At the neuron level, transitions from desynchronization to synchronization and vice versa can be described as a bifurcation between two different states, whose dynamical regime is modulated by synaptic strengths, thus suggesting that transition from a state to an another can be determined by quantitative differences between potentiation and depression.
Structural properties of atactic polystyrene adsorbed onto solid surfaces
Authors: Tatek Yergou B. , Tsige Mesfin
Published: November 2011

In the present work, we are studying the local conformation of chains in a thin film of polystyrene adsorbed on a solid substrate by using atomistically detailed simulations. The simulations are carried out by using the readily available and massively parallel molecular dynamics code known as LAMMPS. In particular, a special emphasis is given to the density and orientation of side chains (which consist of phenyl groups and methylene units) at solid/polymer and polymer/vacuum interfaces. Three types of substrates were used in our study: α-quartz, graphite, and amorphous silica. Our investigation was restricted to atactic polystyrene. Our results show that the density and structural properties of side chains depend on the type of surface. An excess of phenyl rings is observed near the α-quartz substrate while the film adsorbed on graphite is depleted in C6H5. Moreover, the orientation of the rings and methylene units on the substrate/film interface show a strong dependence on the type of the substrate, while the rings at the film/vacuum interface show a marked tendency to point outward, away from the film. The results we obtained are in a large part in good agreement with previous experimental and simulation results.
Enhancement of photovoltaic efficiency of phosphor doped organic solar cell by energy and electron transfer from the phosphor to C60 acceptor
Authors: Yang Dongfang , Li Wenlian , Chu Bei , Su Zisheng , Wang Junbo , Zhang Guang , Zhang Feng
Published: November 2011

About 67% increase in power conversion efficiency (PCE) of copper phthalocyanine/C60 based organic solar cells was demonstrated by doping 4 wt % iridium(III)bis(3-(2-benzothiazolyl)-7-(diethylamino)-2H-1-benzopyran-2-onato-N’,C4)(acetyl acetonate) (IrC6) into C60 acceptor layer. The raised PCE was proved to result from the efficient photo absorption of IrC6 followed by the energy and electron transfer from IrC6 to C60 due to the matched energy level alignment between these two species. Besides, IrC6 could also increase the exciton dissociation efficiency at the active interface of the solar cells. The more detail improvement mechanisms were also discussed.
Magnetic actuation of hair cells
Authors: Rowland David , Roongthumskul Yuttana , Lee Jae-Hyun , Cheon Jinwoo , Bozovic Dolores
Published: November 2011

The bullfrog sacculus contains mechanically sensitive hair cells whose stereociliary bundles oscillate spontaneously when decoupled from the overlying membrane. Steady-state offsets on the resting position of a hair bundle can suppress or modulate this native motility. To probe the dynamics of spontaneous oscillation in the proximity of the critical point, we describe here a method for mechanical actuation that avoids loading the bundles or contributing to the viscous drag. Magnetite beads were attached to the tips of the stereocilia, and a magnetic probe was used to impose deflections. This technique allowed us to observe the transition from multi-mode to single-mode state in freely oscillating bundles, as well as the crossover from the oscillatory to the quiescent state.
Strong 4f electron interaction and magnetic ordering modification in Nd1−xErxMnO3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5)
Authors: Hong Fang , Cheng Zhenxiang , Wang Xiaolin
Published: November 2011

Structural and magnetic properties have been studied in perovskite Nd1-xErxMnO3 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5). Er3+ doping enhances the Jahn-Teller distortion, strongly affects the Nd3+-Mn3+ interaction, destroys the intermediate state below the antiferromagnetic transition temperature in NdMnO3, and breaks the antiparallel arrangement between Nd3+ and Mn3+ spin ordering. The decreasing ferromagnetic component in magnetic hysteresis loops at 30 K indicates that the canted angles vary with x. These results offer strong evidence for the interaction between rare earth ions and transition metal ions and competition among rare earth ions as well.
Development and validation of the Diet Quality Tool for use in cardiovascular disease prevention settings
Authors: O'Reilly S. L. , McCann L. R.
Published: November 2011

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a dietary screening tool for use in a secondary cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention setting to identify an individual’s overall dietary quality. The Diet Quality Tool (DQT) was validated against a 4-day food diary for 37 individuals with established CVD attending cardiac rehabilitation. Construct validity was demonstrated for % energy from saturated fat (P = 0.002, r = –0.500), dietary fibre (P < 0.001, r = 0.559) and omega-3 fatty acids (P = 0.048, r = 0.327). Criterion validity was established with a significant difference found between mean (95% CI) dietary intakes of fibre (28.2 g, 4.4 to 17.3) and % total energy from saturated fat (10.6%, –4.8 to –0.8) for those with better DQT scores (>60%) versus those with poorer scores (≤60%) when compared with 4-day food diary nutrient values. The usefulness of the DQT was confirmed by both patients (n = 25) and cardiac rehabilitation health professionals (n = 8). The DQT was found to be a valid and useful dietary assessment tool with potential for use in a secondary CVD prevention setting. The tool has the capacity to be used in a wider variety of settings and further refinement of the tool would enable a greater amount of nutrients to be reliably screened.
Power load characterization for type-I ELMy H-modes in JET
Authors: Thomsen H. , Eich T. , Devaux S. , Arnoux G. , Brezinsek S. , delaLuna E. , Fundamenski W. , Herrmann A. , Huber A. , Jachmich S. , Lomas P. , Nunes I. , Saibene G. , Scarabosio A. , Schweinzer J.
Published: November 2011

ELM-resolved divertor target power load studies were conducted for a wide range of discharge conditions in the JET tokamak. The magnetic configuration of these discharges was optimized for the fast divertor IR camera observing the outboard target. It is found that the ELM size estimated from the diamagnetic energy is not uniquely determining the ELM energy load at the divertor target. ELM mid-plane integral deposited power widths between 7 and 18 mm are observed, the inter-ELM widths lie in the range 2.5–6 mm. This ELM broadening is found to widen with ELM size. The temporal evolution of the ELM shape was characterized by rise and decay times. The ELM rise times are found to be in the range expected for ITER (250 µs), but the ELM decay is usually larger than assumed for the ITER design.
A measure-theoretic version of the Dragomir-Jensen inequality
Authors: Aldaz J.
Published: November 2011

We extend Dragomir’s refinement of Jensen’s inequality from the discrete to the general case, identifying the equality conditions.
Promicromonospora thailandica sp. nov., isolated from marine sediment
Authors: Thawai Chitti , Kudo Takuji
Published: November 2011

A novel actinomycete, strain S7F-02T, which produced primary branched hyphae and fragmented into V- and Y-shaped bacillary cells, was isolated from marine sediment collected in the Andaman Sea, Trang Province, Thailand. Lysine was found to be the diagnostic diamino acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The whole-cell sugars of strain S7F-02T were ribose, arabinose and glucose. The characteristic phospholipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol. The predominant menaquinone was MK-9(H4). The predominant cellular fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C15 : 0. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strain S7F-02T was 70.6 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain S7F-02T should be classified in the genus

Promicromonospora

. This strain formed a close association with

Promicromonospora citrea

DSM 43110T, with which it shared 99.2 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. DNA–DNA hybridization data together with physiological and biochemical properties showed that strain S7F-02T could be readily distinguished from its closest phylogenetic relatives. On the basis of these phenotypic and genotypic data, strain S7F-02T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus

Promicromonospora

, for which the name Promicromonospora thailandica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is S7F-02T ( = BCC 41922T = JCM 17130T).
Kerstersia similis sp. nov., isolated from human clinical samples
Authors: Vandamme Peter , De Brandt Evie , Houf Kurt , De Baere Thierry
Published: November 2011

Analysis of gyrB gene sequences, (GTG)5-primed PCR fingerprinting and biochemical characteristics determined in the Biolog GEN III microtest system were used to differentiate an unnamed

Kerstersia

species from

Kerstersia gyiorum

, the type and only named species in this genus. The inability to oxidize d-galacturonic and d-glucuronic acids and the ability to oxidize d-serine, along with gyrB gene sequence analysis and (GTG)5-PCR fingerprints, readily differentiated the unnamed taxon from the type species. Therefore, we propose to formally classify this unnamed taxon as Kerstersia similis sp. nov. with strain LMG 5890T ( = CCUG 46999T), isolated from a leg wound in the USA in 1983, as the type strain.
Great recession versus great depression: monetary, fiscal and banking policies
Authors: Alcidi Cinzia , Gros Daniel
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This paper sets out to explore three areas in which the experience of the great depression might be relevant today: monetary policy, fiscal policy, and the systemic stability of banks.

Design/methodology/approach

A critical review of the US data for the 1920s and 1930s is presented and stylised facts for monetary, fiscal and banking policies during the noughties are shown and compared with those of the great depression.

Findings

The authors confirm the consensus on monetary policy: deflation and massive bank failures must be avoided. With regard to fiscal policy it is impossible to confirm a widespread opinion according to which fiscal policy did not work because it was not tried. The paper finds that fiscal policy went to the limit of what was possible under the conditions as they existed then. Policy reaction after 1932 was no less bold than that of today if one accounts for sustainability issues. Lastly, the investigation of the US banking system shows a surprising resilience of commercial banks that remained profitable, at least on average, even during the worst years.

Originality/value

First, the paper presents a systematic comparison between the great depression and the great recession, highlighting similarities and differences. Second, it suggests a relevant policy implication. Findings on commercial bank sector resilience suggest that at present national authorities have little choice but to make up for the losses on “legacy” assets and wait for banks to earn back their capital. However, to prevent future crises, at least a partial separation of commercial and investment banking seems justified.
Once you can fake sincerity …
Authors: Marren Patrick B.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine a new and possibly serious problem facing marketers and business in general – the breakdown of the marriage of media and advertising, and the concurrent perceived imperative for companies to achieve “authenticity.”

Design/methodology/approach

Essay.

Findings

The breakdown of the advertising business model, and the rise of new, more powerful technological ways to contact customers, make it far more difficult for marketers to reach their customers without repelling them; a new way forward has not yet been found (or if it has, no one's talking).

Originality/value

Examines these issues in what is hoped to be a unique way.
Avoiding measurement dogma: a response to Rossiter
Authors: Rigdon Edward E. , Preacher Kristopher J. , Lee Nick , Howell Roy D. , Franke George R. , Borsboom Denny
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to respond to John Rossiter's call for a “Marketing measurement revolution” in the current issue ofEJM, as well as providing broader comment on Rossiter's C‐OAR‐SE framework, and measurement practice in marketing in general.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is purely theoretical, based on interpretation of measurement theory.

Findings

The authors find that much of Rossiter's diagnosis of the problems facing measurement practice in marketing and social science is highly relevant. However, the authors find themselves opposed to the revolution advocated by Rossiter.

Research limitations/implications

The paper presents a comment based on interpretation of measurement theory and observation of practices in marketing and social science. As such, the interpretation is itself open to disagreement.

Practical implications

There are implications for those outside academia who wish to use measures derived from academic work as well as to derive their own measures of key marketing and other social variables.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the few to explicitly respond to the C‐OAR‐SE framework proposed by Rossiter, and presents a number of points critical to good measurement theory and practice, which appear to remain underdeveloped in marketing and social science.
The intellectual structure of the anti‐consumption and consumer resistance field
Authors: Galvagno Marco
Published: November 2011

Purpose

Given the variety of approaches characterising the research area of anti‐consumption and consumer resistance, the purpose of this paper is to conduct a literature review to explore the structure of this interesting research domain and to better understand its origins, current state of development, and future trends.

Design/methodology/approach

An author co‐citation analysis was performed using the SSCI of the Thomson‐ISI database. A sample of 48 authors was identified, and the co‐citation frequencies were analysed.

Findings

The study reveals the former and present structure of the anti‐consumption and consumer resistance field of inquiry. Two levels of analysis, five areas of interest, and nine theoretical approaches were acknowledged. These results are useful in providing future direction, particularly in terms of the research gaps and the expected topical areas of interest.

Research limitations/implications

Although quite rigorous, co‐citation analysis is subject to some limitations that can bias the results of the research: primarily, the inability to distinguish between good citations and bad citations.

Originality/value

The study contributes to a clear‐cut representation of the field of anti‐consumption and consumer resistance. From an academic perspective, it provides clear tools for researchers to identify potential new directions as well as to locate their work within the field. It also provides a useful approach for new researchers, as they can identify the main approaches and areas of interest. From a practical point‐of‐view, it can serve as an introduction to the field for students and managers.
Vintage Radio: a Media Trust Community Voices project
Authors: Farrell Lisa , Townsend Kim
Published: November 2011

Purpose

In 2010, Vintage Radio, a community radio station in Birkenhead set up and run entirely by older people for older people, received funding from communications charity Media Trust as part of the Community Voices scheme – a nationwide campaign that aims to support disadvantaged and isolated communities to get their stories told. The purpose of this paper is to record and document the creation and development of Vintage Radio and its outcomes to date. The paper seeks to outline the importance of inspiring, engaging, and supporting older communities to get their voices heard through digital media.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered via interviews with listeners, members, and volunteers from Vintage Radio via phone and e‐mail to find out about their involvement with the station and what it means to them. Quotes were recorded and included in this paper. Information was also gathered from the Vintage Radio web site.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that Vintage Radio has made a significant difference to the local community in a number of ways. A greater number of older volunteers have learned new digital and technical skills and this has improved the quality of the station's programming. Participants have forged new friendships and enabled other older people to overcome the sense of invisibility they sometimes suffer from. The radio station has reached out to those in care homes giving isolated and lonely residents a sense of belonging.

Research limitations/implications

Owing to geographical distance, face‐to‐face interviews are not possible.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates how important it is to inspire, engage, and support older communities to get their voices heard through digital media and aims to encourage further similar activity in the UK.
Towards a knowledge‐based view of firm innovation. Theory and empirical research
Authors: Martín‐de Castro Gregorio , López‐Sáez Pedro , Delgado‐Verde Miriam
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this guest editorial is to highlight the importance of knowledge management and organizational learning in firm innovation, offering an integrative framework to understand this complex business phenomenon.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the literature review, the guest editorial shows a general review on “A Knowledge‐Based View of Firm Innovation” articulating and integrating a total number of ten theoretical and empirical contributions about this topic.

Findings

Theoretical and empirical works are organized in three main topics. The first one refers to the importance of external knowledge, networking, and relationships as key drivers of firm technological innovation, offering an “open or relational innovation framework”. The second one shows several papers on the growing importance of KIBS (Knowledge‐Intensive Business Services) in a Knowledge Economy and Society. Finally, this general review integrates papers about organizational context, and its role on knowledge management and firm innovation.

Research limitations/implications

The paper and special issue tries to offer some new relevant advances for the academic community in the growing body of knowledge management and firm innovation. Nevertheless, due to its special issue nature, the theoretical and empirical advances showed on it represent only a partial view of a “Knowledge‐Based View of Firm Innovation”.

Practical implications

Managers need to understand the precise nature and sources (internals and externals) of firm innovation. In this vein, this journal number shows empirical research developed in different countries and industries illustrating some interesting insights about this complex business phenomenon.

Originality/value

This general review shows new lines of theoretical and empirical research regarding knowledge management, organizational learning, and firm innovation in a useful integrative framework: “A Knowledge‐Based View of Firm Innovation”
Recognizing opportunities: initiating service innovation in PSFs
Authors: Fischer Alban
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to shed more light on the crucial initiation stage of service innovation in professional service firms (PSFs) by individual professionals and the implications for knowledge management.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper builds theory, based on an in‐depth review of the relevant literature. The developed theory is illustrated with a case study of PricewaterhouseCoopers AG (PwC), one of the Big Four accounting and consulting firms. Formal and informal interviews about innovation, learning in client interactions, and knowledge management were held with more than 70 employees of PwC over a three‐year period.

Findings

The paper shows that entrepreneurial opportunity recognition is a suitable framework to explain the initiation of service innovation in PSFs. Prior knowledge, alertness and search are identified as bases for the recognition of opportunities and hence the initiation of service innovation in PSFs. Therefore, the author argues that knowledge management should raise the alertness of individual professionals to engage in opportunity recognition and also provide a fruitful environment to enable active search for opportunities on the basis of relevant prior knowledge at hand.

Practical implications

The findings aim to help managers in PSFs to understand better the initiation of innovation in their companies and enable fostering of innovation through the application of dedicated knowledge management initiatives.

Originality/value

Previous research has not yet taken an in‐depth look at the initiation stage of service innovation by individual professionals in PSFs. In this paper, entrepreneurial opportunity recognition is presented and applied for the first time as a framework to explain the activity of professionals in the initiation of service innovation in PSFs. In doing this, the paper also contributes to the understanding of the under‐researched corporate entrepreneurial role of professionals in PSFs.
Linking organizational learning with technical innovation and organizational culture
Authors: Sanz‐Valle Raquel , Naranjo‐Valencia Julia C. , Jiménez‐Jiménez Daniel , Perez‐Caballero Laureano
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of organizational learning on technical innovation and the role of organizational culture as a determinant of the organizational learning processes.

Design/methodology/approach

After reviewing the literature on organizational learning and its relationship with both, technical innovation and organizational culture, this paper analyzes those relationships using a sample of 451 firms.

Findings

Findings reveal that organizational learning is positively associated with technical innovation and that organizational culture can foster both organizational learning and technical innovation but can also act as a barrier. Additionally, findings show that in order to enhance innovation neither a flexibility focus nor an external focus are enough. Both of them are necessary to characterize organizational culture.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations of this paper are the cross‐sectional design of the empirical research and the fact that data were collected from one source only.

Practical implications

Findings can guide managers' efforts in the development of an organizational culture which fosters both organizational learning and innovation since they show that adhocracy culture fosters both of them and that a hierarchy culture may act as a barrier for them.

Originality/value

The paper focuses on the little‐researched relations between organizational culture, organizational learning and innovation. Moreover, it focuses on the Spanish context, where there is a lack of studies on this issue. Finally, the paper provides empirical evidence that these relations exist. In particular, adhocracy enhances both learning and innovation the most, while hierarchy inhibits them most.
Getting closer to young people: an example of how a housing organisation has attempted to gain better insight into their behaviours and attitudes in order to improve user satisfaction and change organisational culture
Authors: Coatham Veronica , Lazarus Suzanne , Dalton Peter
Published: November 2011

Purpose

Using the example of the social housing sector, this paper seeks to evaluate the experiences of one organisation in attempting to learn more about a traditionally difficult to reach and engage group – young people – in order to develop more tailored services.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was undertaken as part of a Higher Education Funding Council for England‐funded University “Service by Design programme”, which was designed to enable the transfer of knowledge between the university and external agencies to improve service design. For this project, a focus group approach was adopted to capture the views of housing practitioners and young people. This was underpinned by reference to published literature and data held by the organisation.

Findings

The research led to an improved understanding of the attitudes and behaviours of young people, requiring service delivery staff and heads of departments to examine and change a number of organisational policies and practices. In addition, the research project contributed to evolving cultural change within the organisation and how young people were regarded.

Research limitations/implications

The research was undertaken in partnership with one organisation and hence may have limited transferability. However, the findings reflect those of other more comprehensive studies referred to in this paper.

Practical implications

The paper argues that “customer insight” should underpin excellent customer service. Without a deeper understanding of diverse customer profiles and behaviours, attempts to improve service provision and customer relationships will have limited success.

Originality/value

The paper makes a contribution to ongoing public debates about how young people are currently perceived and about public sector reforms.
The hologram effect in entrepreneurial “social commercial” enterprises
Authors: Crossan Denise , Ibbotson Pat , Bell Jim
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The paper's purpose is to present qualitative findings describing entrepreneurial differentiations between non‐profit organisations along a social economic continuum. The paper aims to focus on those non‐profit organisations classified as “social” and those more entrepreneurial behaving organisations classified as “social commercial”.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were taken from recent research examining current classification systems and performance measurement indicators applied to not‐for‐profit and for‐profit organisations in an Irish regional context. Having reviewed the extant literature on classification systems and measurement indicators for non‐profit organisations, the social economic continuum model and theoretical measurement framework were developed. In order to test the models, the study employed a pragmatist mixed methodological approach; employing quantitative surveys and in‐depth interviews.

Findings

The paper presents key entrepreneurial differentiating themes between “social” and “social commercial” organisations, and discusses the triggers that produce a “hologram” effect or style of management in the third sector.

Practical implications

The identification of entrepreneurial themes allows for the analysis of the non‐profit organisations from overly social in their activities and presentation, to overly economic in their behaviour. It allows for a greater understanding of the management processes employed by non‐profit organisations to create social value and meet their social aims and purpose.

Originality/value

The paper carries out a unique inter‐sector comparison of non‐profit organisations to determine entrepreneurial differentiations amongst non‐profit businesses employing entrepreneurial methodologies and behaviours to achieve social good.
The influence of an entrepreneur's socio‐cultural characteristics on the entrepreneurial orientation of small firms
Authors: Altinay Levent , Wang Catherine L.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the relationship between Turkish ethnic entrepreneurs' socio‐cultural characteristics (namely education, experience and religion) and the entrepreneurial orientation of their firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The study collected data through 139 face‐to‐face structured interviews with Turkish ethnic entrepreneurs in London, UK.

Findings

The study illustrates that educational attainment of an entrepreneur makes a positive impact on a firm's entrepreneurial orientation. Educational attainment equips business owners with the skills and reflective mindsets of understanding customers and responding to their needs. Previous business experience of the entrepreneur also impacts positively upon a firm's entrepreneurial orientation, while religion of the entrepreneur does not have a significant impact on the firm's entrepreneurial orientation.

Research limitations/implications

This paper reports findings based on Turkish ethnic entrepreneurs in London. Therefore, care should be taken in making generalisations from the sample.

Practical implications

This paper identifies those socio‐cultural attributes that entrepreneurs can capitalise on in order to enhance the entrepreneurial orientation of their firms.

Originality/value

The paper fills in a glaring gap by providing empirical evidence about the relationship between socio‐cultural characteristics of entrepreneurs and their small firms' entrepreneurial orientation.
The impact of product management on SME performance
Authors: Roach David C.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of product management as a set of organizational capabilities. It aims to investigate product management as a set of boundary spanning capabilities, by empirically relating these to firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A measurement instrument is developed and validated based on the extant product management literature. Using a heterogeneous sample of 63 Atlantic Canadian SMEs in the manufacturing and professional/technical services sectors, data are collected to test the survey instrument and establish preliminary construct validity.

Findings

Both firm performance and product management measures demonstrate internal consistency. Several product management sub‐constructs demonstrated reliability and in some cases validity, substantiating the product management literature. These included product pricing, sales support and forecasting.

Research limitations/implications

This research builds upon the literature and indicates that a relationship exists between product management capability and firm performance. This leads to the conclusion that product management, as a set of boundary spanning firm capabilities, warrants future research with a larger more homogeneous population. Limitations include geographic bias, treating the population as homogeneous and lack of relationship to established firm orientations.

Practical/implications

This research may have practical significance and managerial implications, based on the relationship between product management capabilities and firm performance. This could lead to an increased understanding of how to allocate scarce resources in order to improve performance.

Originality/value

The paper introduces the concept of boundary spanning, product management capabilities and their relationship to firm performance, by providing preliminarily validation of a measurement scale for product management capabilities of small to medium‐sized enterprises.
Size matters: the late payment problem
Authors: Paul Salima Y. , Boden Rebecca
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The supply of trade credit by small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) is the product of both customer demand and the possibility of strategic advantage, but is subject to risk. In the current financial climate the demand for trade credit may be heightened, leading to further increased risk. This paper seeks to evaluate current risk mitigation measures in the UK and considers how these might be improved.

Design/methodology/approach

The supply of and demand for trade credit and the inherent risks are explained by reference to the literature. Then, using both the academic and grey literature and data from a large‐scale questionnaire, the paper highlights the limitations of both regulatory and management approaches to mitigate the risks in the context of UK SMEs. Finally, the paper considers the prospects for improved management.

Findings

Trade credit may be a product of market demand or a desire to extract strategic advantage. Both regulatory measures and internal management regimes have failed to mitigate risks in the UK for SMEs extending trade credit.

Practical implications

The paper concludes that current UK regulatory regimes are unlikely to prove effective and that better management of trade credit may be imperilled by the power imbalances between SMEs and larger firms. The paper suggests areas for the improvement of trade credit management under the headings of policies, people, processes and practices within SMEs.

Originality/value

The paper demonstrates why, despite the risk, UK SMEs offer trade credit and consider how those risks might be mitigated.
Horizontal inter‐firm cooperation in Ethiopian small and medium enterprises
Authors: Tuffa Birru Worku
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of cooperative relationships among competing firms by highlighting the purpose for, and the degree of cooperation in, different areas of joint activities. It also aims to examine factors fostering or hindering cooperation between competing firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The data used in this study were collected from September 2007 to February 2008 from 100 small and medium‐sized leather shoe manufacturing firms operating in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Findings

The study result shows that most firms operate not in isolation, but in collaboration with other firms at the same stage of a value chain. They use cooperation with other firms primarily for accessing financial and tangible resources that are essential for plugging gaps in internal capabilities. While geographical proximity of firms facilitated by kinship and regional background of families foster cooperative relationship; negative perception to competition and lack of trust to partner firms are factors that hinder effective cooperative relationship among competing firms.

Practical implications

The study has important implications for governments and enterprise support organizations that seek to enhance competitiveness of small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) through horizontal inter‐firm cooperation in Ethiopia, and elsewhere in sub‐Saharan Africa.

Originality/value

There are very few Ethiopian studies that have focused on horizontal inter‐firm cooperation. This paper, therefore, contributes to the body of knowledge by looking deep into the purpose for, and degree of cooperation, as well as factors fostering or constraining the emergence and sustainable continuation of alternative forms of cooperative relationship among competing SMEs in Ethiopia.
Shadow banking: accounting for Canada's productivity gap
Authors: Watkins Peter
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The paper's purpose is to show that the reported (and growing) labour productivity gap between the G7 and OECD countries and the USA might be a factor of the rapid adoption of shadow banking structures and techniques in the USA versus the adoption of those structures in OECD and G7 economies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explains the concept and practice of shadow banking and explores the ways in which the various conventions adopted distort reported productivity figures.

Findings

The growing adoption of shadow banking over the period 1974‐2007 has had the effect of increasing the metrics for labour productivity over the same period.

Practical implications

It is clear that those who wish to understand the apparent growing gap between labour productivity of the USA and other G7/OECD nations must look beyond the simple reported figures to identify the ways in which figures are calculated and reported.

Originality/value

The paper shows that reporting of figures to established conventions can be affected by a range of factors, not apparent from looking at those conventions themselves.
Historical methodology: the perspective of a professionally trained historian turned marketer
Authors: Fullerton Ronald A.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The paper's aim is to explain historical methodology in a marketing context.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on the author's personal experience, being trained in the history method and using the historical method.

Findings

An awareness of time contexts and complex change is essential, so too is an appreciation of primary sources (as defined by historians). Reading the present into the past (anachronism) is to be avoided, and the interpretation and explanation of events are essential to good history.

Originality/value

The paper represents the author's own personal experience.
Biographic and bibliographic recollections re: collections and contributions
Authors: Pollay Richard W.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the role played by collecting in a productive academic career.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology is autobiographic and bibliographic recollections about the collecting of advertising books, notes, advertisements, documents and ephemera.

Findings

Collecting facilitated diverse forms of activities and academic contributions: many scholarly papers, archives, illustrated presentations, museum displays, documentary films, art gallery shows, theatrical productions, governmental reports, CDs, DVDs, web sites, and much involvement in litigation and regulatory hearings.

Research limitations

The scale and variety of results may be limited to domains with a clear public interest and contemporary regulatory activity.

Originality/value

The paper offers a unique demonstration of the potential for antiquarian interests and hobbies to be of academic value and public interest.
The evolutionary adoption framework: explaining the budgeting paradox
Authors: de Waal André , Hermkens‐Janssen Miriam , van de Ven Arco
Published: November 2011

Purpose

Traditional budgets are seen by practitioners as being incapable of meeting the demands of the competitive environment and are criticized for impeding efficient resource allocation and encouraging dysfunctional behaviour such as myopic decision making and budget games. However, budgeting is still regarded as an organizational imperative and there is little empirical evidence that organizations alter their existing budgeting practices. To understand this paradox, a deeper understanding is needed of the process by which organizations decide on altering and renewing budgeting practices. The purpose of this paper is to present a framework which identifies the factors that play a role in the acceptance of changes to the budgeting process.

Design/methodology/approach

The third author developed a model called the evolutionary adoption framework (EAF), which looks at four aspects that play a role in the process of accepting a management control practice by organisational members, in the sense that they are going to use the adjusted practice: activities in the adoption process, motives of the persons involved, constraints that may influence the activities, and order and interaction of activities. The EAF was applied on four Dutch organizations – two of which were contemplating or already changing the budgeting process and two who were not – to identify which factors are most important when making the decision to accept the changed process. By selecting two organizations that were considering or actually making a change to their budgeting process and two organizations that were not considering or undergoing such a change, it was possible to obtain valuable information about the factors from the mutual comparison.

Findings

The research results confirm there is a paradox of a high degree of criticism on traditional budgeting and a low number of organizations that adopt adjusted practices. It seems that there needs to be a certain level of dissatisfaction within an organization before it starts to examine its current situation and search for alternatives. As such, it seems that some momentum for change needs to exist before changes are considered, rather than that organizations are continuously looking for the best possible alternative to their budgeting process. A lack of a need for change – because the process is considered satisfactorily efficient – is the most important factor why organizations are not considering changes to their budgeting process, followed by cognitive and preconscious constraints.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the accounting literature as it provides evidence on the factors that could influence the acceptance of changes in the budgeting process. Knowing these factors will increase the chance that managers can successfully introduce and implement an adjusted budgeting process.
Routines in management accounting research: further exploration
Authors: Quinn Martin
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to enhance the eminent work of Burns and Scapens (B&S) by introducing broader conceptualisations on organisational routines and rules into management accounting.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper sets out with the B&S framework. The paper is primarily conceptual in nature and with the addition of some more recent literature on organisational routines serves to bolster the underpinnings of the B&S framework. Drawing especially on the work of Feldman and Pentland, the nature of management accounting routines in particular is explored in some detail. By association, rules are also explored.

Findings

This paper proposes that an ostensive‐performative distinction of routines augments our conceptualisation of how management accounting routines can represent both a source of stability and of change (simultaneously). Also, by showing how routines can represent both structure and action simultaneously, some light is shed on the ongoing interrelationship between routines and rules as highlighted in the B&S framework and some concerns in recent literature addressed. In particular, a refined view of both routines and rules not only bolsters the work of B&S, but potentially increases its applicability as a theoretical lens to empirical studies in less formal organisations.

Practical implications

The proposed refinements to the B&S framework, which aim to clarify the nature of rules and routines in a management accounting context, may be particularly useful for researchers studying less formalised (or, less rules‐based) organisations. The findings emphasise the potentially more important role of the less formal concept of routines in most organisations.

Originality/value

The paper supports and complements the B&S framework by integrating more recent conceptual developments on organisational routines and offering some potential definitional clarity on rules and routines in management accounting.