bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A preliminary study of wh-questions in German and Spanish child language
Authors: Lleó Conxita
Published: March 2016

This article presents a preliminary study of L1 acquisition of wh-questions in German and Spanish. According to traditional descriptions, neutral informationseeking wh-questions show similar contours in both languages, although there are cross-linguistic differences in scaling and alignment as well as different pitch accents, formalized in the Autosegmental-Metrical model of intonation. Whquestions uttered by two 3-year-old German-Spanish bilinguals are compared to those produced by monolingual children, and adults. Analyses show that most aspects of such utterances seem to already be acquired at the age of 3;0. However, bilinguals exhibit much variation, which reveals cross-linguistic interaction. Moreover, 3-year-olds produce many rising contours in German, only a few of which can be characterized as non-neutral.
Assessment of Spanish prosody in clinical populations
Authors: Martínez-Castilla Pastora , Peppé Sue
Published: March 2016

We begin by reviewing ways of assessing prosody in Spanish-speaking individuals with disorders of different aetiologies. In Spanish, only one test has been specifically designed for prosody assessment in clinical populations: The Iberian Spanish version of the Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication (PEPS-C) test. Building on our previous work, we describe the test and summarize results found with typically developing Spanish and Englishspeaking individuals. The use of the Spanish PEPS-C test in clinical populations is exemplified with the case of Williams syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder. By discussing the relevance of the results found both in Williams syndrome and typical development we highlight developmental patterns and cross-linguistic differences that should be taken into account when assessing Spanish prosody in clinical settings.
Intonation and grammar in the visual-gestural modality
Authors: Quer Josep
Published: March 2016

Although certain facial nonmanual articulations in sign languages have been analyzed as overt markers of a syntactic domain or semantic scope, an alternative view defends that they genuinely signal prosodic domains. Moreover, they have been claimed to convey discrete general meanings. I address the open question of the proper characterization of nonmanual domain markers by studying brow raise in Catalan Sign Language (LSC). It marks conditional antecedents and other dependent clauses in the left periphery. This study aims to determine whether LSC conditionals offer new evidence in favor of one of the two types of competing analyses, and concludes that brow raise is a portmanteau marker of syntactic integration of the dependent clause into the matrix, potentially layered with other nonmanuals.
Quantification with pejoratives
Authors: Gutzmann Daniel , McCready Eric
Published: March 2016

Following the influential work of Potts (2005), pejoratives have often been understood as expressive items that contribute content to a different dimension of meaning. In this paper, we will show that the standard formal tools as offered by Potts’s work and our subsequent extensions of his system (Gutzmann 2011; McCready 2010), cannot deal with certain kinds of data regarding quantification with what we call verbal pejoratives (like German beglotzen ‘to google at’ or Japanese anti-honorifics like chimau), which have not been studied in much detail. The problem is that there is no way in those systems to quantify across two meaning dimensions at once. To overcome this, we propose a reformulation of the framework that is based on the idea of compositional multidimensionality: instead of having just some expressions having multidimensional content, every expression receives a full multidimensional treatment. This solves the two problems of cross-dimensional quantification, since a simple multidimensional rule for multidimensional functional application together with a hybridization type shift rule allows a quantifier to apply to both dimensions of a verbal pejorative argument.
Slurring as insulting
Authors: Meibauer Jörg
Published: March 2016

This paper contributes to the ongoing debate about the meaning of slurs by developing a speech-act approach to slurring. Slurs are conceived of as illocutionary force indicating devices that may signal – in certain contexts – that an act of slurring has been carried out. Slurring is a subtype of insulting and insulting is a subtype of the class of expressive speech acts. The speech-act view of slurring explains what is missing in a number of sophisticated analyses like the truth-conditional approach by Hom and May (2013), the conventional-implicature approach by Whiting (2008, 2013), the stereotype approach by Croom (2011, 2013), the perspective approach by Camp (2013), as well as the prohibition approach by Anderson and Lepore (2013a, b), namely that slurs are used for insulting their targets. The latter approach is contrasted with the multi-act approach of Tenchini and Frigerio (this volume) that assumes two illocutionary forces associated with slurs.
Bla, bla, bla in German. A pejorative construction?
Authors: Finkbeiner Rita
Published: March 2016

The paper provides a pragmatic analysis of utterances containing the syllable triple bla, bla, bla in German. In uttering bla, bla, bla, speakers may convey a derogatory stance towards someone else’s utterance. The question is addressed how this pejorative meaning aspect should be modeled in terms of the semantics/pragmatics divide: Is it contextually induced (inferential), or is it conventional (encoded)? Two main usage types are distinguished: sequentially non-restricted usages, and turn-initial reply usages. On the basis of a close analysis of the characteristic features of bla, bla, bla, it is claimed that the pejorative meaning aspect is to be described differently for the two main usages: While in sequentially non-restricted usages, the pejoration is a contextually induced implicature, in the turn-initial reply usage, it is a conventional aspect of this specific construction.
The persuasive (and manipulative) power of metaphor in ‘austerity’ discourse
Authors: Soares da Silva Augusto
Published: March 2016

This chapter analyses the persuasive power of metaphors used in the Portuguese press to justify the implementation of harsh austerity policies. The analysis relies on a corpus of news and opinion articles published in June-July 2011, after the entry of the Troika, and May 2013, when protests against the austerity policies intensified. The study adopts a socio-cognitive view of language following the promising convergence between Cognitive Linguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis, and the corpus-based and critical discourse-based approach to conceptual metaphor. Using the target-domain method for corpus-based metaphor identification, 1,151 austerity-related metaphorical expressions associated with eight target lexemes were gathered, which include great chain of being, image schemas, and event/action metaphors. The analysis reveals the persuasive and manipulative force of certain specific metaphors, such as obesity/diet, indebted family, good student, and sacrifice. These socially-embodied metaphors are grounding in moral cultural models and serve ideological, emotional and moral purposes.
Multimodal metaphor, narrativity and creativity in TV cosmetics ads
Authors: Hidalgo-Downing Laura , Martínez Maria-Ángeles , Kraljevic Mujic Blanca
Published: March 2016

The present article explores the interaction between multimodality and narrativity as a discourse strategy which promotes creativity as a socio-cognitive process in British TV cosmetics ads. Multimodal TV ads narratives are structured visually and aurally by means of the extended metaphors light is good and harmonious music is good, as well as other multisemiotic features. Two narrative patterns are examined: in the first type, story ending coincides with narrative ending; this is illustrated by two ads with specific metaphors which set out the problem to which the product provides a solution. In the second type, illustrated by two hair products ads, story ending coincides with narrative beginning, and displays multimodal metaphors which enhance the positive attributes of the product.
Multimodal discourses of collective memory
Authors: Fabiszak Malgorzata
Published: March 2016

The aim of this paper is to analyze the interaction of the visual and the verbal layers of the memorials in the former extermination sites in Poland (cf. Young 1993). Two of the selected memorials were designed and erected in the 1960s (Chełmno nad Nerem and Majdanek) while the other two (Bełżec and Radegast) in the 2000s. The four case studies use the analytic categories of image schemata and metaphoric and metonymic extension in the analysis of the memorial landscape and critical discourse analysis in the analysis of the verbal layer. Memorials are memory carriers which have been constructed to facilitate rituals of commemoration designed to strengthen the in-group ties and collective identity. They thus become the potential vehicle of ideology of the period in which they were created. The analysis of the verbal and visual elements of the representation show how the change in the dominant discourse affected the design of the memorials, as well as how the traumatic landscape, in which these memorials are erected, motivated their imagery.
Exploring specific differences
Authors: Roldan Riejos Ana Maria
Published: March 2016

This chapter provides a cross-linguistic and multimodal study of some civil engineering zoomorphic metaphors in English and Spanish within a socio-cognitive and multimodal approach. This study thus aims to examine the interaction of multimodal (linguistic and visual) metaphoric and metonymic mappings (Forceville 2009, 2010) in some civil engineering zoomorphic examples. Principles from discourse analysis are applied (Semino 2008; Deignan 2005) by using contextualized and corpora-driven data. The results reveal lop-sided layers of metaphoricity merged with interacting metonymic patterns. In the cross-­linguistic analysis, significant variations appear between English and Spanish which may respond to lexical aspects of meaning construction patterns as well as sociocultural differences (Kövecses 2008).
The use of metaphor and evaluation as discourse strategies in pre-electoral debates
Authors: Díez Prados Mercedes
Published: March 2016

The present chapter analyzes metaphor use in a Spanish pre-electoral debate and its interplay with evaluation. The metaphorical expressions found are cross-­culturally contrasted with those from a previous study for English (Neagu 2013) to verify to what extent they are equivalent in English and Spanish and whether similarities are influenced by ideological factors. Furthermore, the evaluative overload of metaphors in the Spanish debate is explored by confronting them with the evaluative devices encountered in the same text after the application of Hunston’s (2000) evaluation model and Martin and White’s (2005) Appraisal Theory. Results show that, although cross-cultural expression of metaphors differs at times, all politicians use them to win election, rather than due to ideological reasons. Moreover, metaphor and evaluation are often realized by the same linguistic expressions.
A text-world account of temporal world-building strategies in Spanish and English
Authors: Lugea Jane
Published: March 2016

Text World Theory (Werth 1999; Gavins 2007) is a cognitive stylistic model that aims to describe how discourse participants create a mental representation of language in use. First designed for the analysis of individual texts, this chapter demonstrates how it can also be used in the cross-linguistic analysis of narrative strategies. This chapter is based on a wider research project which applied Text World Theory to a comparable corpus of ‘frog story’ narratives revealing differences between the ways in which Spanish and English speakers construct the ‘same’ narrative text-world. The focus here is on the narrators’ temporal world-­building strategies only, as choices in tense were fundamental in laying the foundations for other world-building strategies. The results reveal interesting cross-­linguistic and dialectal differences in temporal world-building strategies and point to uses of tenses for non-temporal means.
Chapter 3. Language development during the preschool years
Authors: Scott Kathleen A. , Roberts Jenny A.
Published: March 2016

This chapter focuses on the speech and language development of the first years post-adoption, of children adopted internationally as infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The attrition or loss of their birth language, the pattern of acquisition of the new home language, and the rate of learning the new language are discussed in terms of their theoretical and clinical interest. The chapter focuses on what is known about the language acquisition of the children across the components of language; pragmatics, phonology, semantics, and morpho-syntax. A table provides a summary of existing studies and the specific measures used within each study as a function of the components of language.
Chapter 4. Language, cognitive, and academic abilities of school-age internationally-adopted children
Authors: Delcenserie Audrey
Published: March 2016

Although internationally-adopted (IA) children generally display signs of successful adaptation and developmental resilience at older ages, other studies have found that a larger than expected subgroup of IA children experience some weaknesses in language during the school years (Scott, Roberts, & Glennen, 2011). Studies that have compared the abilities of school-aged IA children to those of non-adopted monolingual children matched on important variables have found that the IA children experience long-term language weaknesses (Delcenserie, Genesee & Gauthier, 2013).The main goal of the present chapter is to offer a review of school-age IA children’s language development; however, additional aspects of their development are considered, including memory, executive functions, and academic achievement. These areas are related to language development and make it possible to provide a broader picture of adoptees’ overall development.
Chapter 5. Long-term language development in international adoptees
Authors: Norrman Gunnar , Hyltenstam Kenneth , Bylund Emanuel
Published: March 2016

The linguistic development of internationally adopted children has been studied extensively for several decades. Whereas this research has mainly concerned toddlers and pre-school children during their first years after adoption, school-age children, and adolescents, there is currently scarce empirical evidence on the long-term linguistic development in adults with adoption background. While studies of infants and pre-school children generally show fast and positive short-term progress in linguistic development, medium-term studies (4–10 years after adoption) describe adoptees as still “lagging behind” their non-adopted peers. This chapter reviews the studies to date on long-term outcomes in the linguistic development of adoptees. What happens after more than ten years of exposure and into adulthood? From the review, we conclude that slight differences between adopted and non-adopted L1 speakers of a language often remain into adulthood. In addition, the limited evidence that exists to date suggests that adults who at a young age emigrated with their families to the L2 environment, and therefore continued to develop their L1, exhibit similar levels of L2 proficiency as internationally adopted adults. However, more research is required to further substantiate and generalize the conclusions that are made on the basis of our review.
Chapter 6. Speech and language clinical issues in internationally-adopted children
Authors: Glennen Sharon
Published: March 2016

Most IA children catch-up and rapidly learn their new language but others lag behind and need additional support to improve their speech or language abilities. During the first few years after adoption, professionals need to adapt their assessment procedures in order to determine which children are developing language or speech more slowly than their IA peers. This chapter reviewed procedures for assessing IA children at different ages during the language transition period. Once the language transition ends, IA children can be evaluated using procedures similar to other children. This chapter also reviewed some of the language strengths and weaknesses that are observed in IA children during speech and language testing and issues regarding which lens or other normed criteria to use when evaluating test results. Most IA children are adopted into high SES homes and attend schools where ‘average’ is often above average. Although IA children may struggle academically in these schools, most do not have a speech or language disorder significant enough to qualify them for therapy services. Alternative ways to provide support to struggling learners in the classroom were reviewed.
Chapter 7. Language loss or retention in internationally-adopted children
Authors: Pierce Lara J. , Genesee Fred , Klein Denise
Published: March 2016

It is well known that the most active period for brain development and acquisition of native language phonology occurs within the first year of life. For children who continue to speak their native language, early phonological representations may create the framework for the acquisition of more complex language abilities. However, internationally-adopted (IA) children discontinue their birth language when they begin to acquire their adopted language and, thus, exposure to and use of the language that gave rise to these native language representations is not maintained. In this chapter, we discuss neuro-cognitive evidence for the loss of elements of adoptees’ birth language. The implications of the fate of the birth language are considered in the context of typical developmental processes that occur during the earliest stages of language acquisition. In particular, we consider the impact of early experiences with the birth language on second language development and processing in adoptees and in language learners in general.
The position of lysosomes within the cell determines their luminal pH
Authors: Johnson Danielle E. , Ostrowski Philip , Jaumouillé Valentin , Grinstein Sergio
Published: March 2016

We examined the luminal pH of individual lysosomes using quantitative ratiometric fluorescence microscopy and report an unappreciated heterogeneity: peripheral lysosomes are less acidic than juxtanuclear ones despite their comparable buffering capacity. An increased passive (leak) permeability to protons, together with reduced vacuolar H+–adenosine triphosphatase (V-ATPase) activity, accounts for the reduced acidifying ability of peripheral lysosomes. The altered composition of peripheral lysosomes is due, at least in part, to more limited access to material exported by the biosynthetic pathway. The balance between Rab7 and Arl8b determines the subcellular localization of lysosomes; more peripheral lysosomes have reduced Rab7 density. This in turn results in decreased recruitment of Rab-interacting lysosomal protein (RILP), an effector that regulates the recruitment and stability of the V1G1 component of the lysosomal V-ATPase. Deliberate margination of lysosomes is associated with reduced acidification and impaired proteolytic activity. The heterogeneity in lysosomal pH may be an indication of a broader functional versatility.
Lysosomes relax in the cellular suburbs
Authors: Gowrishankar Swetha , Ferguson Shawn M.
Published: March 2016

Lysosomes support cellular homeostasis by degrading macromolecules and recycling nutrients. In this issue, Johnson et al. (2016. J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201507112) reveal a heterogeneity in lysosomal pH and degradative ability that correlates with lysosome subcellular localization, raising questions about the functional implications and mechanisms underlying these observations.
Report of the Executive Committee for 2014
Authors: Dacombe M.
Published: March 2016

The report of the Executive Committee for 2014 is presented.
Antecedents and consequences of upward and downward social comparisons
Authors: Foley Sharon , Ngo Hang-yue , Loi Raymond
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to extend and test a theory of uncertainty and directional social comparisons. Prior studies have posited that uncertainty leads to increased upward and downward social comparisons. The authors ' view is that uncertainty affects upward and downward comparisons differentially. They test their theory in the Chinese workplace, and focus specifically on employees’ comparisons of career progress. Workplace consequences of social comparisons are also investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors achieve their objectives by collecting data from respondents in China that measure uncertainty, directional social comparisons, organizational commitment and job satisfaction. They use a longitudinal design to assess causality.

Findings

– This paper found that perceived organizational support, an antecedent that lowers uncertainty in the workplace, is related to upward social comparison, whereas psychological entitlement, an uncertainty-raising antecedent, is related to downward social comparison. Upward social comparison positively affected organizational commitment, whereas downward social comparison positively impacted job satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

– The data collection relied on self-reports and hence the findings may be adversely affected by common method bias. Another limitation involves the generalizability of results, given that the respondents were drawn from three large firms in China.

Originality/value

– This paper indicates that directional social comparison processes serve as an important mechanism for understanding how employees’ work attitudes are developed. It also demonstrates the applicability of social comparison theory to the study of organizational behavior in China.
The effect of transformational leadership on the profitability of Finnish firms
Authors: Brandt Tiina , Laitinen Erkki K , Laitinen Teija
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to find the effect of transformational leadership in profitability in different contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data are gathered of 200 Finnish firms. Profitability is measured by profitability ratios one to two years after the survey to take account of lagged effects. The sample is split into sub-samples with respect to four context variables indicated by prior research to be important for transformational leadership: size, competition, perceived environmental uncertainty (PEU) and research and development (R & D) effort. The effect of leadership dimensions on lagged profitability was assessed by partial least squares analysis.

Findings

– Factor analysis gave a five-factor solution for transformational leadership variables indicating dimensions as: challenging, enabling, visioning, rewarding and contesting. Results did show that transformational leadership has a weak general effect on profitability. Results also offer some support for hypotheses for the strong effects of transformational leadership in different contexts. Enabling has an effect in low competition context; rewarding has an effect in low PEU, low competition and high R & D contexts; and contesting has an effect in large companies and in high PEU context.

Research limitations/implications

– The commonly used Bass’ measurement of transformational leadership was not used here; instead, Kouzes and Posners’ modified version was in use. Factor analysis of this version resulted to the three factors only in a few loadings, even if high.

Practical implications

– The importance of rewarding behavior of leaders is even stronger than previously thought. Thus, managers should concentrate more on the positive feedback of followers.

Originality/value

– This paper fulfills a gap of research on leadership and profitability and also stresses the importance of situational variables which may affect the usefulness of different leadership styles.
Organizational caring and organizational justice
Authors: Faldetta Guglielmo
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– This article aims to analyze, from a theoretical point of view, if organizational caring and organizational justice are compatible and complementary. It proposes a link between justice and care, expanding the common notions of organizational justice, to find a relational concept of organizational justice that can lead to organizational caring.

Design/methodology/approach

– The article reviews the literature on the common notions of organizational justice. To find a relational concept of justice, it refers to Lévinas’ thoughts. Therefore, it develops two complementary approaches to organizational caring and analyzes their practical implications.

Findings

– The article shows that the relational approach based on the logic of gift and on a Lévinasian concept of organizational justice can constitute the ethical basis, which will most likely lead to the creation of a caring organization.

Research limitations/implications

– The article is a starting point of a conceptual path that should be directed toward the theoretical and practical use of an approach about organizational caring based on the logic of gift. It is necessary to support the theoretical considerations with future empirical investigation showing the possibility of practical applications of the concept analyzed.

Practical implications

– The main implication for organization theory is the possibility to propose organizational caring through the logic of gift and Lévinasian ethics as a new approach in managing relationships in the organizational context.

Originality/value

– In the past, organizational justice has been analyzed as a way to an end and not as an end in itself. This concept of justice can make it difficult to find a link with organizational caring, unless it is based on organizational rules and norms. In this paper, the author proposes another concept of organizational justice rooted on philosophical basis, which can lead to a more effective approach to organizational caring.
Factors potentially affecting the successful promotion of electric vehicles
Authors: Bennett Roger , Kottasz Rita , Shaw Stephen
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to identify whether the promotional materials used by government bodies and private producers to stimulate the mass market for electric vehicles (EVs) embodied themes deemed attractive by a sample of motorists in Greater London.

Design/methodology/approach

– The EV websites and advertisements of EV manufacturers and the EV websites of relevant public bodies were subjected to semantic network and categorical content analyses. Outcomes were inputted to a conjoint analysis, the results of which were clustered into customer segments using the NORMCLUS generalized market segmentation procedure.

Findings

– Substantial disparities between, on one hand, the EV characteristics emphasized in manufacturers’ and public bodies’ EV promotional materials and, on the other, potential EV buyers’ views regarding the key qualities of EVs became evident.

Research limitations/implications

– The sample size of motorists was limited and the research was completed in a single country.

Practical implications

– Social marketing campaigns initiated by government and private bodies concerning EVs need to incorporate specific themes reflecting the preferences of various segments of motorists.

Social implications

– A “one-size-fits-all” approach is unlikely to be appropriate for the mass marketing of EVs.

Originality/value

– This was the first study to explore the appeal to potential EV purchasers of the value of the contents of EV marketing messages used by government bodies and vehicle manufacturers.
Gamblers’ aces in the hole: the effect of erroneous cognitions on dysfunctional gambling
Authors: Vergura Donata Tania
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether gambler’s cognitive errors affect gambling involvement and addiction. As the popularity of gambling has grown, questions are being raised about its excessive use and factors related to addictive behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

– An online survey on 508 gamblers was conducted. Structural equation modelling was used to investigate the relationships among gambling beliefs, gambling involvement and problem gambling.

Findings

– Among the three sets of erroneous beliefs investigated, luck and superstition were significant predictors of both gambling involvement and the severity of gambling problems (according to the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI)), while the illusion of control showed a negative relationship with the PGSI. Moreover, gambling involvement positively affected the potential risk of disease and mediates the relationship between luck and superstition and PGSI.

Research limitations/implications

– Because not all cognitive dimensions apparently influence gambling behaviour, future research should extend the analysis to include other variables that may moderate or mediate the causal relationship.

Practical implications

– The results are useful to marketers in developing social marketing campaigns wishing to discourage gambling. Moreover, factors that influence gambling involvement and addiction may be used as diagnostic tools to correct gamblers behaviour.

Originality/value

– The paper proposes a deeper exploration of the relationships among beliefs, gambling involvement and dysfunctional gambling and an appropriate scale to capture the entire spectrum of gambler’s beliefs in relation to every form of gambling activity.
The social marketing theory-based (SMT) approach for designing interventions
Authors: Manikam Shamini , Russell-Bennett Rebekah
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– Despite the importance of theory as a driving framework, many social marketers either fail to explicitly use theory as the basis of designing social marketing interventions or default to familiar theories which may not accurately reflect the nature of the behavioural issue. The purpose of this paper is therefore to propose and demonstrate the social marketing theory (SMT)-based approach for designing social marketing interventions, campaigns or tools.

Design/methodology/approach

– This conceptual paper proposes a four-step process and illustrates this process by applying the SMT-based approach to the digital component of a social marketing intervention for preventing domestic violence.

Findings

– For effective social marketing interventions, the underpinning theory must reflect consumer insights and key behavioural drivers and be used explicitly in the design process.

Practical implications

– Social marketing practitioners do not always understand how to use theory in the design of interventions, campaigns or tools, and scholars do not always understand how to translate theories into practice. This paper outlines a process and illustrates how theory can be selected and applied.

Originality/value

– This paper proposes a process for theory selection and use in a social marketing context.
Antecedents of FDI options by Thai public firms
Authors: Rittippant Nattharika , Rasheed Abdul
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– This paper aims to develop and test a real-options model investigating the antecedents predicting the types of options exercise (i.e. growth, delay and exit options) by multinational enterprises (MNEs) after their initial foreign direct investment (FDI) announcements. Firm-, industry- and country-specific factors that influence the real options’ processes and different subsequent options to exercise were examined.

Design/methodology/approach

– Binomial and multinomial logistic regressions were performed on the data collected from 281 pairs of initial FDI (mostly within Asia) announcements and subsequent announcements regarding further investment decisions by 41 Thai MNEs listed in the Securities Exchange of Thailand for 1995-2005.

Findings

– The empirical evidence shows that host country factors (i.e. economic growth rate and economic freedom), industry competition and ownership concentration have significant effects on the MNEs’ further decisions on whether to grow, delay or exit out of their initial FDI.

Originality/value

– The findings of this study suggest that the options’ lens is an appropriate approach to study managerial decisions and actions in the face of uncertainty. While the majority of prior empirical literature has dealt with situations that involve option creation, this study goes a step further by examining decisions subsequent to option creation. Option creation is not an end in itself, and only by studying subsequent exercise of options, one can fully appreciate the value of the real options’ approach. The empirical evidence from this study showed that the host country’s factors (i.e. economic growth rate and economic freedom), industry competition and ownership concentration have significant effects on the MNEs’ further decisions on whether to grow, delay or exit out of their initial FDI.
National identifications as determinants of the reception of country-of-origin sensitive advertising
Authors: Gerpott Torsten J. , Bicak Ilknur
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– This paper aims to empirically analyze the extent to which advertising reception among consumers with a migration background (German-Turks) is influenced by a person’s strength of national identifications with his/her country-of-origin (COO) and with his/her country-of-residence (COR). The focus is on Turkey-sensitive advertisements (ads) of telecommunication service suppliers in Germany because such communication measures are quite common and about three million German-Turks constitute an economically important group.

Design/methodology/approach

– Measures of COO and COR identification as well as of three ad reception criteria were obtained in a survey of 291 German-Turks and analyzed via moderated regression models.

Findings

– Strength of COO identification was a significantly positive predictor of the frequency with which participants remembered Turkey-sensitive ads for telecommunication services. Additionally, COO identification related significantly to two criteria that capture facets of attitudes toward such ads. By contrast, COR identification acted partly as a moderator which attenuated links between respondents’ COO identification and two ad reception measures. Nevertheless, German-Turks with a strong COR identification (i.e. “accultured” consumers) were still receptive to Turkey-sensitive telecommunication services ads even if their self-image was simultaneously strongly dependent on their COO. “Alienated” German-Turks who identify neither with their COO nor with their COR were least responsive to ethnic ads.

Practical implications

– The research indicates that marketing practitioners should not use uniform communication measures to address migrant consumers with a specific COO but segment this target group further by simultaneously considering their members’ COO and COR identifications.

Originality/value

– The contribution of this paper results from the simultaneous inclusion of both COO and COR identifications as factors explaining differences in reactions to communication measures among migrant consumers which share the same COO. Furthermore, the scarcity of empirical work on reactions of German-Turks to ethnomarketing is reduced.
Determinants of dividend policy of public listed companies in Malaysia
Authors: Yusof Yusniliyana , Ismail Suhaiza
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– This study aims to investigate the determinants of the dividend policy of public listed companies in Malaysia. The factors examined in this study include earnings, cash flows, free cash flows, debt level, growth, investment, size, largest shareholders, risk and lagged dividend.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were obtained from the relevant databases and annual reports of the sampled companies. The study examines a total of 147 listed companies. In analyzing the data, the study used fixed and random effects, pooled least squares model, robust standard errors on fixed effects and random-effects models.

Findings

– The results revealed the five factors that are earnings, debt, size, investment and largest shareholder have a significant influence on dividend policy, with earnings, firm size and investment revealed to have a positive significant effect, while debt and large shareholders have a negative significant effect.

Practical implications

– The findings from this study are useful to the board of directors and management team of companies in deciding an appropriate dividend policy for the company. The results are also useful to shareholders in making investment decisions.

Originality/value

– The study extends empirical evidence on dividend policy determinants which are currently reported to be inconclusive. In addition, the study fills the lacuna in the existing literature by focusing on the issue of dividend policy determinants in the context of an emerging economy, namely, Malaysia.
The effect of corporate governance mechanisms on earnings management
Authors: Al-Thuneibat Ali Abedalqader , Al-Angari Hussam Abdulmohsen , Al-Saad Saleh Abdulrahman
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the compliance of Saudi shareholding companies with the requirements of corporate governance issued by the Board of Capital Market Authority in the Kingdom and their impact on earnings management.

Design/methodology/approach

– A questionnaire was used to collect data about the compliance of the Saudi shareholding companies with corporate governance requirements and discretionary accruals (DAs) were calculated from the financial statements of these companies using the modified Jones model, then multiple regression was used to test the relationship between the variables.

Findings

– The results of the study revealed that there was no statistically significant linear dependence of the mean of DAs on corporate governance. Additionally, no statistically significant effect for internal audit, audit committee and board of directors on earnings management was detected. However, the results revealed that there was a slight negative effect for internal audit scope of work and independence and audit committee independence on DAs.

Research limitations implications

– This research paper is applied on Saudi Arabia, a Middle East country with specific characteristics, that is, a specific context, and, therefore, the results must be interpreted within this context

Practical implications

– Regulators of Saudi corporations may need to reassess the effectiveness of corporate governance requirements issued by the Capital Market Authority and the actual implementation of these requirements. Researchers also may need further investigation of this phenomenon within its context.

Social implications

– The results of the study are very important to the Saudi society because they put a big question mark on the relevance of corporate governance of the Saudi shareholding companies

Originality/value

– The paper provides new evidence about the effect of corporate governance mechanisms on earnings management in a Middle East environment, which may suggest that there is a need to expand this study using other methodologies to delve into the depths and understand this phenomenon within its context.
Efficiency of Gulf Cooperation Council Banks
Authors: Aghimien Peter A , Kamarudin Fakarudin , Hamid Mohamad , Noordin Bany
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate the efficiency level of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) banks on technical efficiency (TE), pure technical efficiency (PTE) and scale efficiency (SE). Both PTE and SE represent the potential factors that influence the efficiency of the GCC banks. In total, 43 GCC banks were observed in this study over the period from 2007 until 2011.

Design/methodology/approach

– The Data Envelopment Analysis, a non-parametric method using variable returns to scale under Banker, Charnes and Cooper model, was used with assets and deposit (as input) and loan and income (as output).

Findings

– On average, the results show that many GCC banks are operating within an optimal scale of efficiency. Nevertheless, the results also show managerial inefficiency in the use of resources. Furthermore, the results indicate that, while the larger banks (the 22 largest) tend to operate at constant returns to scale (CRS) or decreasing returns to scale, the smaller banks (the 21 smallest) are susceptible to operate at either CRS or increasing returns to scale.

Research limitations/implications

– Because of the chosen research method, the results may lack generalisation. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the propositions further. An additional implication of the results is that it was able to identify some banks that may become potential targets for outside acquisition.

Practical implications

– The findings should be useful to banks in the GCC in increasing their efficiencies and recognizing those with a potential for outside acquisition.

Originality/value

– The findings are valuable because they will facilitate the maintenance of efficient banks in the GCC. This is necessary to enable the countries to maintain a healthy and sustainable economy.
Records management practices in the administration of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
Authors: Ajiboye Bosede Adebimpe , Alegbeleye Olubunmi Gabriel , Okonedo Sarah , Oyedipe Wuraola Janet , Emmanuel Sunday Oluwafemi , Alawiye Mariam Kehinde
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to examine records management practices as factors influencing the administration of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion).

Design/methodology/approach

– The study adopted the causal-comparative research design of theex post factotype. The multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the sample for the study. A four-point Likert scale questionnaire that ranged from strongly disagree, disagree, agree and strongly agree was used to collect data. Three research questions were raised and answered. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Findings

– The outcome shows the various records management practices that the Church engaged in which include the creation, maintenance, ease of access to, use, preservation and final disposal of the records. Other findings of the study also revealed the joint influence (positive relationship) of records management practices (records creation, use, maintenance and retention or disposal) on the administration of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) to be significant which follows that there is a significant positive relationship between records management practices and administration of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion). Also, it is only record use (β= 0.27;t= 5.53;p< 0.05) that has a significant relative influence on the Church of Nigeria’s (Anglican Communion) administration. Others like record creation or received (β= 0.02;t= 0.28;p> 0.05), records maintenance (β= −0.06;t= −0.93;p> 0.05) and records retention or disposal (β= 0.11;t= 1.76;p> 0.05) have no significant influence on the church administration. Therefore, it is only records use that can predict or influence the administration of Anglican Church positively.

Originality/value

– The study is the original findings of the authors.
Email as cultural heritage resource: appraisal solutions from an art museum context
Authors: Cocciolo Anthony
Published: March 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to evaluate strategies to appraise email correspondence to select significant email for permanent preservation without capturing trivial or personal emails. The strategies were tested on the actual email accounts of selected individuals occupying important roles within an important cultural institution in the Northeastern USA.

Design/methodology/approach

– Treating this art museum as a case study site, email messages are manually appraised for retention using a rubric. Following the appraisal, strategies for expediting this appraisal process, using what is learned from the manual appraisal process, are explored.

Findings

– A major finding of this study is that sent mail is almost always significant, although preserving only sent mail, or preserving sent mail in combination with inbox items that have been acted upon (replied to or forwarded), are not sufficient to capture significant correspondence. Rather, a social network approach holds the most promise to accelerate the process of email appraisal.

Originality/value

– This study provides empirically grounded strategies for appraising email for permanent retention.
The wound/burn guidelines – 1: Wounds in general
Authors: Inoue Yuji , Hasegawa Minoru , Maekawa Takeo , Le Pavoux Andres , Asano Yoshihide , Abe Masatoshi , Ishii Takayuki , Ito Takaaki , Isei Taiki , Imafuku Shinichi , Irisawa Ryokichi , Ohtsuka Masaki , Ohtsuka Mikio , Ogawa Fumihide , Kadono Takafumi , Kodera Masanari , Kawakami Tamihiro , Kawaguchi Masakazu , Kukino Ryuichi , Kono Takeshi , Sakai Keisuke , Takahara Masakazu , Tanioka Miki , Nakanishi Takeshi , Nakamura Yasuhiro , Hashimoto Akira , Hayashi Masahiro , Fujimoto Manabu , Fujiwara Hiroshi , Matsuo Koma , Madokoro Naoki , Yamasaki Osamu , Yoshino Yuichiro , Tachibana Takao , Ihn Hironobu ,   The Wound/Burn Guidelines Committee
Published: March 2016

The Japanese Dermatological Association determined to prepare the Wound/Burn Guidelines focusing on treatments, catering to needs for the clinical practice of dermatology. Among these guidelines, “Wounds in General” was intended to explain knowledge necessary “to heal wounds” without specifying particular disorders.
Psoriasis, vitamin D and the importance of the cutaneous barrier's integrity: An update
Authors: Mattozzi Carlo , Paolino Giovanni , Richetta Antonio Giovanni , Calvieri Stefano
Published: March 2016

Psoriasis is a common, inflammatory, chronic, relapsing skin disease. Despite several hypotheses having been postulated to explain the pathogenesis of this disorder, nowadays it is considered as a T‐cell‐mediated disease; in this context an important role is played by vitamin D. The role of this micronutrient is important for many reasons: it is able to modulate the immune system; it is implicated in keratinocyte turnover; and it is involved in the integrity of the cutaneous barrier. In psoriasis, this molecule plays an important role due to its ability in the modulation of innate and adaptive immunity and by its antiproliferative and pro‐differentiative effects on keratinocytes. Alteration of the metabolism of vitamin D may alter the cutaneous barrier integrity and favor an infective and inflammatory condition. The importance of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of psoriasis is not a mere mental exercise but may open further perspectives in the treatment of this disorder just preventing alterations of immune homeostasis, modulating the proliferation of keratinocyte, regulating the microbial flora and the response of the host to infective diseases.