bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the ambiguous interpretation of the Turc‐Budyko nondimensional graph
Authors: Andréassian Vazken , Perrin Charles
Published: September 2012

This technical note discusses the Turc‐Budyko nondimensional graph, a widely used nondimensional representation relating long‐term actual evaporation to precipitation and potential evaporation. Since long‐term actual evaporation cannot be directly measured, it is usually derived from catchment‐scale hydrological water balance. We show that for this reason, the common interpretation of the nondimensional graph is ambiguous, and we suggest giving up this classic representation and adopting instead one where actual evaporation is replaced by streamflow.
Global climate policy impacts on livestock, land use, livelihoods, and food security
Authors: Golub Alla A. , Henderson Benjamin B. , Hertel Thomas W. , Gerber Pierre J. , Rose Steven K. , Sohngen Brent
Published: September 2012

Recent research has shed light on the cost-effective contribution that agriculture can make to global greenhouse gas abatement; however, the resulting impacts on agricultural production, producer livelihoods, and food security remain largely unexplored. This paper provides an integrated assessment of the linkages between land-based climate policies, development, and food security, with a particular emphasis on abatement opportunities and impacts in the livestock sector. Targeting Annex I countries and exempting non-Annex I countries from land-based carbon policies on equity or food security grounds may result in significant leakage rates for livestock production and agriculture as a whole. We find that such leakage can be eliminated by supplying forest carbon sequestration incentives to non-Annex I countries. Furthermore, substantial additional global agricultural abatement can be attained by extending a greenhouse gas emissions tax to non-Annex I agricultural producers, while compensating them for their additional tax expenses. Because of their relatively large emissions intensities and limited abatement possibilities, ruminant meat producers face the greatest market adjustments to land-based climate policies. We also evaluate the impacts of climate policies on livelihoods and food consumption in developing countries. In the absence of non-Annex I abatement policies, these impacts are modest. However, strong income and food consumption impacts surface because of higher food costs after forest carbon sequestration is promoted at a global scale. Food consumption among unskilled labor households falls but rises for the representative farm households, because global agricultural supplies are restricted and farm prices rise sharply in the face of inelastic food demands.
XAX1 from glycosyltransferase family 61 mediates xylosyltransfer to rice xylan
Authors: Chiniquy Dawn , Sharma Vaishali , Schultink Alex , Baidoo Edward E. , Rautengarten Carsten , Cheng Kun , Carroll Andrew , Ulvskov Peter , Harholt Jesper , Keasling Jay D. , Pauly Markus , Scheller Henrik V. , Ronald Pamela C.
Published: October 2012

Xylan is the second most abundant polysaccharide on Earth and represents an immense quantity of stored energy for biofuel production. Despite its importance, most of the enzymes that synthesize xylan have yet to be identified. Xylans have a backbone of β-1,4–linked xylose residues with substitutions that include α-(1→2)–linked glucuronosyl, 4-O-methyl glucuronosyl, and α-1,2- and α-1,3-arabinofuranosyl residues. The substitutions are structurally diverse and vary by taxonomy, with grass xylan representing a unique composition distinct from dicots and other monocots. To date, no enzyme has yet been identified that is specific to grass xylan synthesis. We identified a xylose-deficient loss-of-function rice mutant in Os02g22380, a putative glycosyltransferase in a grass-specific subfamily of family GT61. We designate the mutantxax1forxylosylarabinosyl substitution ofxylan 1. Enzymatic fingerprinting of xylan showed the specific absence in the mutant of a peak, which was isolated and determined by1H-NMR to be (β-1,4-Xyl)4with a β-Xylp-(1→2)-α-Araf-(1→3). Ricexax1mutant plants are deficient in ferulic and coumaric acid, aromatic compounds known to be attached to arabinosyl residues in xylan substituted with xylosyl residues. Thexax1mutant plants exhibit an increased extractability of xylan and increased saccharification, probably reflecting a lower degree of diferulic cross-links. Activity assays with microsomes isolated from tobacco plants transiently expressing XAX1 demonstrated xylosyltransferase activity onto endogenous acceptors. Our results provide insight into grass xylan synthesis and how substitutions may be modified for increased saccharification for biofuel generation.
Tetrameric assembly of KvLm
K
+
channels with defined numbers of voltage sensors
Authors: Syeda Ruhma , Santos Jose S. , Montal Mauricio , Bayley Hagan
Published: September 2012

Voltage-gated
K
+
(Kv) channels are tetrameric assemblies in which each modular subunit consists of a voltage sensor and a pore domain. KvLm, the voltage-gated
K
+
channel from
Listeria monocytogenes
, differs from other Kv channels in that its voltage sensor contains only three out of the eight charged residues previously implicated in voltage gating. Here, we ask how many sensors are required to produce a functional Kv channel by investigating heterotetramers comprising combinations of full-length KvLm (FL) and its sensorless pore module. KvLm heterotetramers were produced by cell-free expression, purified by electrophoresis, and shown to yield functional channels after reconstitution in droplet interface bilayers. We studied the properties of KvLm channels with zero, one, two, three, and four voltage sensors. Three sensors suffice to promote channel opening with FL
4
-like voltage dependence at depolarizing potentials, but all four sensors are required to keep the channel closed during membrane hyperpolarization.
Epidermal growth factor receptor is a preferred target for treating Amyloid-β–induced memory loss
Authors: Wang Lei , Chiang Hsueh-Cheng , Wu Wenjuan , Liang Bin , Xie Zuolei , Yao Xinsheng , Ma Weiwei , Du Shuwen , Zhong Yi
Published: September 2012

Current understanding of amyloid-β (Aβ) metabolism and toxicity provides an extensive list of potential targets for developing drugs for treating Alzheimer’s disease. We took two independent approaches, including synaptic-plasticity–based analysis and behavioral screening of synthetic compounds, for identifying single compounds that are capable of rescuing the Aβ-induced memory loss in both transgenic fruit fly and transgenic mouse models. Two clinically available drugs and three synthetic compounds not only showed positive effects in behavioral tests but also antagonized the Aβ oligomers-induced activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Such surprising converging outcomes from two parallel approaches lead us to conclude that EGFR is a preferred target for treating Aβ-induced memory loss.
Phages as therapeutic delivery vehicles.
Authors: Clark J. , Abedon S. T. , Hyman P.
Published: September 2012

This chapter reviews available literature about the role of bacteriophages as vaccine delivery vehicles and gene therapy vectors. Other therapies associated with phage-mediated delivery are described.
Phage detection as an indication of faecal contamination.
Authors: Goodridge L. D. , Steiner T.
Published: September 2012

This chapter reviews the scientific literature on the use of coliphages and phages that infect other bacterial species as indicators of water quality. An overview of the concept of the use of indicator organisms in general for the assessment of water quality, is presented.
Role of phages in the control of bacterial pathogens in food.
Authors: Niu Y. D. , Stanford K. , McAllister T. A. , Callaway T. R.
Published: September 2012

This chapter reviews published scientific literature on: (i) the nature of bacterial contamination of the food supply; (ii) the isolation of zoonotic bacteria-specific bacteriophages; and (iii) the use of bacteriophages against foodborne bacterial pathogens, with emphasis on treatment of farm animals (such as poultry, pigs, sheep and cattle), in food processing plants, and in ready-to-eat foods.
Multidimensional performance characteristics in selected and deselected talented soccer players
Authors: Huijgen Barbara C. H. , Elferink‐Gemser Marije T. , Lemmink Koen A. P. M. , Visscher Chris
Published: September 2012

The present study examined whether performance characteristics discriminated between selected and deselected players in talent development programmes. This examination was carried out in talented soccer players, aged 16–18 years using objective measurement instruments. Four domains of multidimensional performance characteristics (physiological, technical, tactical and psychological) were assessed by using a test battery consisting of soccer‐specific field tests and questionnaires. Multivariate analyses of covariance revealed that the physiological characteristics peak and repeated shuttle sprint, the technical characteristics of peak and repeated shuttle dribble and the tactical characteristic of ‘positioning and deciding’, significantly differed between the selected (n=76) and deselected players (n=37), with selected players performing better (P<0.05). Discriminant function analysis showed that the combination of the technical characteristic ‘peak dribbling’, the tactical characteristic ‘positioning and deciding’ and the physiological characteristic of ‘peak sprinting’ classified 69% of talented players correctly. In conclusion, the decisions made by the investigated clubs to either select or deselect players in their talent development programme, whom were aged 16–18 years, were mostly discriminated by aspects of the players' technical, tactical and physiological skill performances. Sports research can play an essential role in investigating the club's perception of important performance characteristics in talented players.
Mechanical milling assisted synthesis of Ba–Mn co-substituted BiFeO3 ceramics and their properties
Authors: Saravana Kumar K , Venkateswaran C , Kannan D , Tiwari Brajesh , Ramachandra Rao M S
Published: September 2012

Samples of composition Bi1−x
Ba
x
Fe1−x
Mn
x
O3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2) were synthesized by initial mixing of precursors by high-energy ball milling and subsequent sintering of the milled powders. The co-substitution of Ba–Mn controls the formation of impurity phases, as evident from x-ray diffraction analysis. Evidence of Fe in mixed oxidation states of +3 and +2 and Mn in +3 state is found from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Electron microscopy exhibits a decrease in grain size due to inhibition in grain growth by Ba–Mn co-substitution. The magnetization value at 20 kOe increases as the percentage of substitution increases. The x = 0.2 sample exhibits a comparable and stable resistivity curve in the experimental temperature range and has a higher value of remanent polarization (P
r) when compared with the x = 0 sample.
Organization and Information: Firms’ Governance Choices in Rational-Expectations Equilibrium*
Authors: Gibbons Robert , Holden Richard , Powell Michael
Published: October 2012

We analyze a rational-expectations model of price formation in an intermediate-good market under uncertainty. There is a continuum of firms, each consisting of a party who can reduce production cost and a party who can discover information about demand. Both parties can make specific investments at private cost, and there is a machine that either party can control. As in incomplete-contracting models, different governance structures (i.e., different allocations of control of the machine) create different incentives for the parties’ investments. As in rational-expectations models, some parties may invest in acquiring information, which is then incorporated into the market-clearing price of the intermediate good by these parties’ production decisions. The informativeness of the price mechanism affects the returns to specific investments and hence the optimal governance structure for individual firms; meanwhile, the governance choices by individual firms affect the informativeness of the price mechanism. In equilibrium, the informativeness of the price mechanism can induce ex ante homogeneous firms to choose heterogeneous governance structures.
Improving browsability of archive catalogues using Web 2.0
Authors: Gresham Emily , Higgins Sarah
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects Web 2.0 has on users' ability to browse online archive catalogues effectively.

Design/methodology/approach

Methods used included a review of the relevant scholarly literature, content analysis and semi‐structured interviews with purposive samples of online catalogues and archive staff, respectively.

Findings

The Web 2.0 technologies likely to improve browsability were identified. Web 2.0 use was expected to be low, the results confirmed this. Results from the interviews showed that although Web 2.0 may improve browsability for certain user groups, more fundamental improvements such as improved catalogue data were expected to be more effective. Interviewees did not see any clear benefits to Web 2.0 implementation and had struggled to collect data on usage of some of the Web 2.0 tools they used.

Research limitations/implications

The results provided confirmation of many points made in existing research. Data need to be collected from users if Web 2.0 use and its effects on browsability are to be understood. At present the effects of Web 2.0 on the browsability of online catalogues remains unclear.

Originality/value

This paper provides a starting point for further investigation into the effect of Web 2.0 on the browsability of online catalogues. Web 2.0 tools which could potentially improve browsability have been identified and a snapshot has been taken of their use across the sample catalogues.
Towards a model for understanding the influence of the factors that stimulate university students' engagement and performance in knowledge sharing
Authors: Zaqout Fahed , Abbas Merza
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that stimulated the sharing of tacit and explicit knowledge and their effects on performance among research‐mode graduate students. The findings of this study provided a better understanding of the knowledge‐sharing activities among graduate students who were engaged in project‐based or individual learning activities.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey method was employed to gather data and the resulting data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. A total of 245 valid responses were collected from students enrolled in various graduate programmes at the main and branch campuses of Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Findings

The students reported a positive and constructive approach toward knowledge sharing with the exogenous variables, namely, trust, social networks, and information and communications technology (ICT) reporting significant positive direct effects on the mediating variables, namely, tacit and explicit knowledge. Only tacit knowledge had a significant direct effect on performance, the endogenous variable. In addition, the knowledge‐sharing activities were localized to the respective campuses.

Research limitations/implications

The investigation involved samples from one university. A large sample size that involves other universities is needed in order to generalize the findings.

Practical implications

The paper offers a snapshot of the intensity and pattern of knowledge‐sharing behaviours that can be used to improve learning and performance among students engaged in individual learning.

Originality/value

To the authors' knowledge, no previous studies have investigated knowledge‐sharing activities among research‐mode students at the Master and Doctoral levels.
Observations on the development of non‐print legal deposit in the UK
Authors: Gibby Richard , Brazier Caroline
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The process of developing and implementing UK legislation for the legal deposit of electronic and other non‐print publications has been lengthy and remains incomplete, although the Government has consulted on draft regulations for implementation in 2013. The purpose of this paper is to provide a short account of progress and review the experience, analysing several factors that have influenced the legislative process and helped shape the proposed regulations. It summarises the regulatory and non‐regulatory steps taken by the UK legal deposit libraries to address the legitimate concerns of publishers and describes some of the practical implications of implementing legal deposit for non‐print publications.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws upon the personal experiences of the authors, who have been directly involved in the legislative process and negotiations with publishers and other stakeholders.

Findings

The paper provides new information and a summary of key issues and outcomes, with explanations and some insights into the factors that have influenced them.

Originality/value

This paper provides new information about the development of legal deposit in the UK and a review of the issues that have affected its progress.
Evaluating the use of a mobile annotation system for geography education
Authors: Hoe‐Lian Goh Dion , Razikin Khasfariyati , Sian Lee Chei , Peng Lim Ee , Chatterjea Kalyani , Hung Chang Chew
Published: September 2012

Purpose

Mobile devices used in educational settings are usually employed within a collaborative learning activity in which learning takes place in the form of social interactions between team members while performing a shared task. The authors aim to introduce MobiTOP (Mobile Tagging of Objects and People), a mobile annotation system that allows users to contribute and share geospatial multimedia annotations via mobile devices.

Design/methodology/approach

Field observations and interviews were conducted. A group of trainee teachers involved in a geography field study were instructed to identify rock formations by collaborating with each other using the MobiTOP system. The trainee teachers who were in the field were guided by their lab counterparts on the tasks required to identify the rock formations.

Findings

Participants were able to appreciate the fieldwork task as it augmented their classroom lessons. The system allowed them to communicate with one another in order to meet the objectives of the study. However, there were some technical difficulties in relation to the affordance of the mobile and web applications that affected the usefulness of the applications.

Originality/value

This study reports the design and implementation of a mobile annotation system that was evaluated in an actual classroom setting. The results of this work have implications for both mobile applications design and mobile learning.
IT self‐efficacy and computer competence of LIS students
Authors: Malliari Afrodite , Korobili Stella , Togia Aspasia
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of the present study was to expand the knowledge of student computer competencies and IT self‐efficacy in two LIS departments in Greece.

Design/methodology/approach

The participants in the study were students in the two LIS departments of the Technological Educational Institutes (TEI) situated in Thessaloniki and Athens, Greece. The survey was addressed to sophomores, juniors and seniors, because IT courses are taught after the first year of study. The instrument of the survey was a structured questionnaire comprising three parts, measuring a total of 48 variables.

Findings

The levels of students' IT self‐efficacy is rather high, while the mean score of computer competence indicates a rather low level of perceived ability in using computers. Students were more competent in using e‐mail and Facebook, as well as using the internet for personal purposes. IT self‐efficacy and perceived computer competence were positively related to the frequency of use of certain electronic activities and previous PC/internet experience. In addition, the frequency of IT use was a strong predictor of IT self‐efficacy, and both frequency of use and experience were predictors of computer competence. The findings also suggested that increased levels of self‐efficacy and computer competence were associated with higher grades.

Originality/value

By being aware of the factors that predict self‐efficacy and perceived ability, educators in both LIS departments can design instruction or other interventions in a way that will boost self‐efficacy beliefs. Such an approach is likely to increase the acceptance and use of IT and help LIS students meet the learning objectives of IT courses.
Cultural data and semantic technologies
Authors: Lazarinis Fotis
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to present a problem‐based learning case on the use of XML technologies for semantically describing cultural data. Students of three higher and continuing education institutes were divided into groups and were encouraged to solve specific problems and eventually to understand the concepts and the deployment of semantic technologies through their practical involvement. The aims of the teaching approach are for students to become familiar with XML technologies, to annotate historical data and to understand the importance of annotating cultural information for enabling further processing and exploitation of the identified data relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Initially the aims of the teaching case were set and specific problems associated with them were designed. A start‐up lecture on the basic concepts of XML was presented and then students were challenged with ill‐defined problems as the problem‐based learning method advises. Students then presented and discussed their solutions and approaches. At the end of each problem‐based section the knowledge of the students was assessed. On the completion of the teaching case, the students' opinions were surveyed and the results towards the approach were very positive.

Findings

The students provided solutions to the problems presented, and their opinions at the end of the teaching approach indicated that students preferred the problem‐based approach to the lecture‐based method. Students argued that, although learning on their own and with little help from the instructors is more demanding, it has specific advantages. They mentioned that they can work at their own pace and better understand the concepts involved. The skills and the knowledge acquired are transferrable to other situations.

Originality/value

Although the problem‐based learning approach has been applied to medical and gifted education, minimal research has been conducted outside these fields. Therefore, this article focuses on the cultural heritage domain and presents a case of teaching a technical topic to non‐computer science students.
Semantic annotation and retrieval of documentary media objects
Authors: Kanellopoulos Dimitris
Published: September 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a system for the semantic annotation of audio‐visual media objects, which are provided in the documentary domain. It presents the system's architecture, a manual annotation tool, an authoring tool and a search engine for the documentary experts. The paper discusses the merits of a proposed approach of evolving semantic network as the basis for the audio‐visual content description.

Design/methodology/approach

The author demonstrates how documentary media can be semantically annotated, and how this information can be used for the retrieval of the documentary media objects. Furthermore, the paper outlines the underlying XML schema‐based content description structures of the proposed system.

Findings

Currently, a flexible organization of documentary media content description and the related media data is required. Such an organization requires the adaptable construction in the form of a semantic network. The proposed approach provides semantic structures with the capability to change and grow, allowing an ongoing task‐specific process of inspection and interpretation of source material. The approach also provides technical memory structures (i.e. information nodes), which represent the size, duration, and technical format of the physical audio‐visual material of any media type, such as audio, video and 3D animation.

Originality/value

The proposed approach (architecture) is generic and facilitates the dynamic use of audio‐visual material using links, enabling the connection from multi‐layered information nodes to data on a temporal, spatial and spatial‐temporal level. It enables the semantic connection between information nodes using typed relations, thus structuring the information space on a semantic as well as syntactic level. Since the description of media content holds constant for the associated time interval, the proposed system can handle multiple content descriptions for the same media unit and also handle gaps. The results of this research will be valuable not only for documentary experts but for anyone with a need to manage dynamically audiovisual content in an intelligent way.
A dialogic communications interrogation of the online brand dispositions of banks operating in Ghana
Authors: Hinson Robert E. , Madichie Nnamdi O. , Ibrahim Masud
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the dialogic communications potential of bank web sites in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors undertook a qualitative content analysis of bank web sites in Ghana, drawing upon Kent and Taylor's dialogic communications framework.

Findings

Banks in Ghana have been fairly successful in creating web sites with high dialogic value, with over half the banks sampled scoring on more than half of all the dialogic principles (dialogic loop, ease of use, usefulness and conservation of visitors). Most banks, however, scored rather poorly on the principle of return visit.

Practical implications

The revelation that the communication content of banks’ web sites in Ghana does not encourage visitors to return poses a serious challenge for banks in their bid to leverage favourable brand dispositions associated with strong customer relationships.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the scarce literature on dialogic communications potential of bank web sites in an emerging market context.
Salesperson resistance to change: an empirical investigation of antecedents and outcomes
Authors: Jaramillo Fernando , Mulki Jay Prakash , Onyemah Vincent , Rivera Pesquera Martha
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate why salespeople resist change and the impact of resistance to change on customer responsiveness and performance outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey responses derived from 233 salespeople from three large financial institutions in Mexico are used to test relationships involving salespersons’ resistance to change.

Findings

Salespeople are more likely to resist change if they believe that change increases their workload. They are less likely to resist change when they have higher levels of job autonomy and self‐efficacy. Resistance to change has a negative impact on customer responsiveness and salesperson's performance.

Research limitations/implications

This study makes an important contribution to the literature by identifying factors that explain salesperson's resistance to change. Study findings rely on salesperson survey responses collected in one country and industry. Future research is needed to assess the generalizability of findings and causality of the proposed relationships.

Practical implications

Resistance to change affects the salespersons’ capacity to respond to customer demands and ultimately undermines performance. Managers can help reduce resistance to change by providing salespeople with greater job autonomy and by explaining how change affects their workload.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper linking salesperson resistance to change to job performance.
Do client firms manage the perception of auditor independence?
Authors: Zerni Mikko
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is examine whether agency conflicts between controlling and minority shareholders affect firms' decisions to purchase non‐audit services (NAS). The author examines whether client firms engage separate firms for audit and non‐audit functions, especially if the expected agency costs are high.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample consists of 772 firm‐year observations from Sweden where the ownership patterns are highly concentrated. The hypotheses are tested using multivariate regression analyses.

Findings

Empirical findings reveal that higher levels of agency cost proxies are significantly negatively related to both absolute and relative non‐audit fees but, at the same time, are significantly positively related to the level of outside consulting services purchased from non‐incumbent auditors. Together, these findings support the view that client firms are protecting the appearance of their auditor's independence.

Research limitations/implications

One cannot rule out the possibility that there are some unspecified factors unrelated to auditor independence issues that affect both client firms' purchases of NAS and the level of outside consulting services purchased from non‐incumbent auditors.

Practical implications

The research findings have implications for the functioning of the audit and NAS markets. The increasing pressure on companies to improve the perception of their auditor independence by engaging separate auditors and consultants further limits the auditor choice decision.

Originality/value

This is the first paper that investigates whether agency conflicts between majority and minority shareholders affect firms' decisions to purchase NAS. This is also the first paper to examine determinants of purchases of NAS from non‐incumbent audit firms.
Regulation, awareness, compliance and SME performance in Cameroon's manufacturing and retail sectors
Authors: Akinboade Oludele A. , Kinfack Emilie
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the regulation, awareness, compliance and performance of small and medium‐size enterprises (SMEs) in Cameroon's Central and Littoral regions, focusing on the manufacturing and retail sectors.

Design/methodology/approach

The full survey was conducted on 700 randomly selected SMEs which have identifiable business locations. From this, only 575 enterprises were retained for analysis after performing the coherence test.

Findings

Businesses registered for tax and those in the manufacturing sector see tax regulation as a burden. Those having opinions that regulation is rigid, inconsistent and that there is corruption also opine that regulation is negatively impacting on business. High compliance with customs and municipal regulations significantly negatively affect business development. On the other hand, high compliance with health and safety as well as trade regulations is good for SME development. Businesses registered with the Ministry of Trade tend to be more compliant, while those registered with the Municipality are not.

Practical implications

Overall, it is important that government should create an enabling environment for the development of the SMEs in Cameroon.

Originality/value

The number of studies focusing on the relationship between regulation and business performance in Africa is limited. Hence, the contribution of this paper is to enrich our understanding of this important field.
Determinants of food security in rural areas of Pakistan
Authors: Ejaz Ali Khan Rana , Azid Toseef , Usama Toseef Mohammad
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to estimate those variables which have significant impact on the food security in a developing country such as Pakistan. The matter of food security in rural areas is of immense nature and needs to be probed. A number of factors are responsible for the situation. The current paper examines the determinants of three aspects of food security in rural areas of Pakistan, i.e. food availability, accessibility and absorption.

Design/methodology/approach

To estimate the determinants of each component, a series of models is created, in which each component of food security is a function of socio‐economic variables. Ordinary least square regression is used to estimate the coefficients.

Findings

It has been observed from the results that the production of wheat, rice, maize, pulses, oilseeds, poultry meat and fish at the district level is found to affect food availability positively. All the district, except Sindh, is more probable to be food insecure in availability. In the food accessibility, electrification and adult literacy emerged as the factors having negative effect. Child immunization, safe drinking water and number of hospitals have shown positive effect on food absorption.

Research limitations/implications

This is a first study which measures the determinants of three aspects of food security in rural areas of a developing country such as Pakistan, i.e. food availability, accessibility and absorption. This study provides a new road map for the next studies.

Practical implications

The paper guides the policy makers and experts, showing how they are able to minimize the disparity among the different regions of a developing country such as Pakistan.

Social implications

The paper will help to minimize the social disparity among the different segments of a developing country, especially in the rural areas, which is the most neglected part in most of the developing countries.

Originality/value

The paper presents the first study of its nature which has been conducted in Pakistan.
Labour market conditions and crime in Greece
Authors: Kollias Christos , Paleologou Suzanna‐Maria
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of unemployment on various types of crime in Greece.

Design/methodology/approach

A battery of econometric tests, including Granger causality tests, a variance decomposition analysis, and an impulse response analysis are used to explore the nexus between unemployment and 14 different types of crime.

Findings

Out of the 14 different types of criminal activity, only in the case of three – vehicle thefts, robberies and contraband & smuggling – was a nexus with unemployment established.

Practical implications

Given that such criminal activity is primarily motivated and driven by economic gain, a policy implication is that crime thwarting policies need to be complemented by corresponding labour market interventions, especially in periods of recession, when unemployment emerges as a major problem for disadvantaged social groups.

Originality/value

The issue between labour market conditions and crime has not been addressed before in the case of Greece, a country that has experienced a generally growing crime rate.
Piracy and social norm of anti‐piracy
Authors: Tsui Hsiao‐Chien , Wang Tzung‐Ming
Published: September 2012

Purpose

If a society does not identify with purchase of illegal goods, consumers will undertake more psychological burden when buying the goods. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of social norm of anti‐piracy on social welfare.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a theoretical model to consider that although consumers will select piracy goods for the concerns of net utility, due to pressure from social norms, consumers are not wiling to purchase piracy goods.

Findings

The results show that enhancement of social norm of anti‐piracy will improve overall social welfare; however, the social norm of anti‐piracy must be limited to certain scope. Extreme social norm of anti‐piracy, in comparison to the situation without social norm of anti‐piracy, will lower overall social welfare.

Originality/value

If complete laws and strict enforcement cannot curb piracy, we can boldly assume that mature and high degree of “rule of low” is the force to restrain purchase of piracy goods. The paper examines the relations between social norm of anti‐piracy and social welfare.
The Parramatta Māori Seminary and the education of indigenous peoples in early colonial New South Wales
Authors: Standfield Rachel
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the theme of centre and periphery in education through a study of the views and actions of the Reverend Samuel Marsden, New South Wales colonial chaplain, in relation to the education of Aboriginal people and Māori.

Design/methodology/approach

Taking a broad view of education, the author explores the contrasting models of education applied to Māori and Aboriginal youths, which exposed indigenous peoples to aspects of European life and emphasised a particular place in a developing racial hierarchy in the region.

Findings

The paper argues that Marsden was key to a process whereby Māori were brought into British imperial activity while Aboriginal people were relegated to the periphery of colonial interests in indigenous peoples.

Originality/value

By considering these educational “experiments” applied to indigenous peoples in the region together, this paper explores the role of imperial and colonial contexts, and developing discourses of race, on indigenous education.
“Disaffection in the library”: shaping a living centre of learning
Authors: Carroll Mary , Reynolds Sue
Published: September 2012

Purpose

To most minds libraries exist at the periphery of debates over education and educational reform. However, the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how, in 1910, the Melbourne Public Library (now the State Library of Victoria) was central, rather than peripheral, to a conflict which focussed on the role of the library in education and how the library and its collection could best be organised to meet this purpose. It will be argued that libraries and the way they are organised act as indices of the dominant views about education and can be seen as social and educational artefacts. As artefacts they encapsulate community beliefs about how learning could best occur at a given time and what knowledge was esteemed, made available and to whom.

Design/methodology/approach

To illustrate this point of view and illuminate the broader issues, this paper will use a particular set of events and a particular group of protagonists in Australian history as a case study.

Findings

This case study illuminates conflicting ideas about the place of libraries and the organisation of their collections in early twentieth‐century society and demonstrates how these ideas continued to have an impact on the place of libraries in educational reform agendas in Australia in the following decades.

Social implications

The argument reported as “the disaffection in the library” was both philosophical and practical and illuminated ongoing debates surrounding the place of the library in education. The outcome influenced the shape and place of libraries in Australia and demonstrates broader concerns at work in Federation Australia.

Originality/value

The paper casts a new light on the relationship between libraries and education and the place of libraries in the educational process. The network of influence in Federation Australia and the impact of this on the development of institutions and professions in Australia is also examined.
The centre is dead, long live the centre! Reflections on centre and periphery in Australian senior history curricula
Authors: Kuehnel Reinhard
Published: September 2012

Purpose

By deconstructing centres and peripheries in Australian history curricula, the purpose of this paper is to establish in what ways these documents blended local, state‐specific concepts of major civilisations with trans‐local, and even global cultural assumptions about centre and periphery in world history.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper identifies a specific idea of centres in the 2009 Shape of the Australian Curriculum published by the National Curriculum Board. It demanded that “[s]tudents should have an appreciation of the major civilisations of Europe, Asia, Africa, America and Australia”. The idea of five groups of “major civilisations” is used to frame an analysis of history curricula from Western Australia and New South Wales. Syllabi from these States are used as examples because they demonstrate oppositional positions, geographically and in their approach to history teaching. Only senior secondary syllabi exhibit a continuous development of the subject history in most Australian states and territories. Hence, the paper deconstructs history syllabi for Years 11 and 12 and discusses in what ways a discourse between centre and periphery can be identified.

Findings

The author proposes a concept of a global centre in history curricula, which is found in multifaceted expressions at the peripheries.

Originality/value

Fully acknowledging that syllabi emerge from a web of local influences, which include state‐specific social, political, economic, and administrative factors, the paper adds a global perspective to the understanding of Australian history curricula which draws on the idea of cultural power.
Exploring internal mechanisms forming customer servicescape experiences
Authors: Pareigis Jörg , Echeverri Per , Edvardsson Bo
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore customer interactions with servicescapes and to explain in more depth the internal mechanisms that form the customer service experience.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on an empirical study of customers using Swedish public transport systems. Data collection is based on a microethnographic approach, using think‐aloud protocols and video documentation.

Findings

The results from the empirical study contribute with a framework of three constellations of activities and interactions: namely, identifying, sense‐making, and using, which, depending on the empirical context, form two main customer process practices – navigating and ticketing. These constructs are theoretical and have implications for service research in the sense that they explain how customer experiences are formed.

Research limitations/implications

While the conceptual framework is arguably applicable also to other servicescape processes and thus has the capacity to explain how a wide range of customer experiences are formed, the study is based on one industry. Consequently, it would be worthwhile to verify this framework in different service settings.

Practical implications

Managers should focus on making the servicescape design intuitive, meaningful and easy to use for their customers and, depending on the empirical context, support the customer processes of finding one's way and ticketing.

Originality/value

The study is novel by applying a microethnographic research approach in order to provide a systematic empirical analysis of how constellations of activities and interactions in servicescape processes create customer responses and thus form the customer's service experience.
Shaping, organizing, and rethinking service innovation: a multidimensional framework
Authors: Rubalcaba Luis , Michel Stefan , Sundbo Jon , Brown Stephen W. , Reynoso Javier
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review key research contributions that may be useful for rethinking service innovation. Service innovation is not a monolithic construct; therefore, the opportunities for further research are multidimensional and interdisciplinary.

Design/methodology/approach

A summary analysis of extant literature identifies valuable contributions and fundamental methodological issues from various perspectives. The proposed directions for future research entail where to innovate, how to innovate, and what to innovate in services.

Findings

The analysis and discussion lead to a multidimensional framework of service innovation, with a particular emphasis on organizational and customer cocreation perspectives.

Practical implications

This article contains guidelines and real‐world examples to help practitioners and policy makers develop service innovation strategies through the consideration of different levels, organizations, and perspectives.

Originality/value

This article offers a relevant source of ideas and guidance for anyone interested in research and practice related to rethinking service innovation.
A profile of accounting research in South African accounting journals
Authors: Coetsee Daniël , Stegmann Nerine
Published: September 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the profile of accounting research in the two academic accounting research journals in South Africa (Meditari Accountancy Research and SA Journal of Accounting Research) during the ten‐year period from 2000 to 2009.

Design/methodology/approach

The archival research method is applied, which analyses existing data (in this case the articles published in the South African (SA) accounting research journals) to come to research conclusions. The research method used to analyse the related articles in the SA accounting research journals is based on various international studies. The following dimensions are assessed: authorship; research field; the nature of the research; and research methods. Authorship is classified by institution, and the top seven authors by relative contribution are also identified. Both empirical and theoretical work are classified separately in different research methods.

Findings

These different dimensions provide a broad‐based review of the current profile of accounting research in South Africa.

Research limitations/implications

Other refereed academic articles in the field of accounting have been published in non‐accounting specific SAPSE‐approved journals. These articles are also excluded from the scope of this research since the journals in which they are published have not been established by accounting academics specifically.

Practical implications

The motivation for doing this research is to identify the current profile of accounting research in South Africa that could be used as a basis for future research‐related development.

Originality/value

Knowledge of the profile of accounting research in South Africa could provide opportunities for scholars to expand identified research areas and explore methods that are currently under‐developed in the South African accountancy research field. The paper also acknowledges the contributions by the most prolific authors in the identified journals.
Almost invisible – providing subtle support in community settings
Authors: Bates Peter , Hardwick Kathy , Sanderson Katie , Sanghera Raschel , Clough Jeannie
Published: September 2012

Purpose

This article aims to investigate some of the pitfalls and potential of supporting people on a one‐to‐one basis in their community in order to stimulate improvements in practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The article discusses a range of situations via several vignettes and draws advice out of these for support workers and their managers. Staff are encouraged to reflect on their approach to providing support in community settings in the context of person‐centred planning and Wolfensberger's theories.

Findings

Staff are encouraged to plan carefully so that they can hold back from doing too much for the person, engage as full participants rather than passive bystanders, and seek opportunities for the person to develop informal connections in the community. Managers are encouraged to develop risk management systems that promote contact with ordinary citizens and a culture of community participation through training and mentoring support staff.

Originality/value

Whilst most support staff willingly recount stories that illustrate the complexity of providing 1:1 support in the community, they have minimal access to publications, training or supervision on this topic. The article will stimulate further reflection by managers and front line staff so that people are supported more effectively in the community of their choice.