bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dendrimers as Vectors for Small Interfering RNA Transfection in the Nervous System
Authors: Pérez‐Martínez F. C. , Ocaña A.V. , Pavan G.M. , Danani A. , Ceña V.
Published: May 2013

A broad description for gene therapy might include both the replacement of absent or defective genes using plasmid DNA and the selective interference with signaling pathways involved in the genesis of various diseases by knocking down mRNA expression using RNA interference (RNAi) technology. The use of RNAi has a great potential for drug development, but since this molecule is cell‐impermeant, first it must overcome the different barriers that preclude its arrival to the target cells. To achieve this goal, the genetic material must be transported by a carrier, generally a nanoparticle. In this chapter, we have discussed the barriers that a nanoparticle must cross to deliver its cargo to the central nervous system and how dendrimers can overcome most of these barriers. In addition, several examples of successful delivery to neuronal cells both in vivo and in vitro are presented. The use of molecular modeling to predict the interaction of dendrimers with genetic material which facilitates the design of chemical synthesis strategies is also presented.
Functional evolution of scorpion venom peptides with an inhibitor cystine knot fold
Authors: Gao Bin , Harvey Peta J. , Craik David J. , Ronjat Michel , De Waard Michel , Zhu Shunyi
Published: May 2013

The ICK (inhibitor cystine knot) defines a large superfamily of polypeptides with high structural stability and functional diversity. Here, we describe a new scorpion venom-derived K+ channel toxin (named λ-MeuKTx-1) with an ICK fold through gene cloning, chemical synthesis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Ca2+ release measurements and electrophysiological recordings. λ-MeuKTx-1 was found to adopt an ICK fold that contains a three-strand anti-parallel β-sheet and a 310-helix. Functionally, this peptide selectively inhibits the Drosophila Shaker K+ channel but is not capable of activating skeletal-type Ca2+ release channels/ryanodine receptors, which is remarkably different from the previously known scorpion venom ICK peptides. The removal of two C-terminal residues of λ-MeuKTx-1 led to the loss of the inhibitory activity on the channel, whereas the C-terminal amidation resulted in the emergence of activity on four mammalian K+ channels accompanied by the loss of activity on the Shaker channel. A combination of structural and pharmacological data allows the recognition of three putative functional sites involved in channel blockade of λ-MeuKTx-1. The presence of a functional dyad in λ-MeuKTx-1 supports functional convergence among scorpion venom peptides with different folds. Furthermore, similarities in precursor organization, exon–intron structure, 3D-fold and function suggest that scorpion venom ICK-type K+ channel inhibitors and Ca2+ release channel activators share a common ancestor and their divergence occurs after speciation between buthidae and non-buthids. The structural and functional characterizations of the first scorpion venom ICK toxin with K+ channel-blocking activity sheds light on functionally divergent and convergent evolution of this conserved scaffold of ancient origin.
Network topology for the formation of solvated electrons in binary CaO–Al
2
O
3
composition glasses
Authors: Akola Jaakko , Kohara Shinji , Ohara Koji , Fujiwara Akihiko , Watanabe Yasuhiro , Masuno Atsunobu , Usuki Takeshi , Kubo Takashi , Nakahira Atsushi , Nitta Kiyofumi , Uruga Tomoya , Weber J. K. Richard , Benmore Chris J.
Published: May 2013

Glass formation in the CaO–Al
2
O
3
system represents an important phenomenon because it does not contain typical network-forming cations. We have produced structural models of CaO–Al
2
O
3
glasses using combined density functional theory–reverse Monte Carlo simulations and obtained structures that reproduce experiments (X-ray and neutron diffraction, extended X-ray absorption fine structure) and result in cohesive energies close to the crystalline ground states. The O–Ca and O–Al coordination numbers are similar in the eutectic 64 mol % CaO (64CaO) glass [comparable to 12CaO·7Al
2
O
3
(C12A7)], and the glass structure comprises a topologically disordered cage network with large-sized rings. This topologically disordered network is the signature of the high glass-forming ability of 64CaO glass and high viscosity in the melt. Analysis of the electronic structure reveals that the atomic charges for Al are comparable to those for Ca, and the bond strength of Al–O is stronger than that of Ca–O, indicating that oxygen is more weakly bound by cations in CaO-rich glass. The analysis shows that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals occurs in cavity sites, suggesting that the C12A7 electride glass [Kim SW, Shimoyama T, Hosono H (2011)
Science
333(6038):71–74] synthesized from a strongly reduced high-temperature melt can host solvated electrons and bipolarons. Calculations of 64CaO glass structures with few subtracted oxygen atoms (additional electrons) confirm this observation. The comparable atomic charges and coordination of the cations promote more efficient elemental mixing, and this is the origin of the extended cage structure and hosted solvated (trapped) electrons in the C12A7 glass.
Asset Pricing Theories, Models, and Tests
Authors: Gospodinov Nikolay , Robotti Cesare
Published: May 2013

An important but still partially unanswered question in the investment field is why different assets earn substantially different returns on average. Financial economists have typically addressed this question in the context of theoretically or empirically motivated asset pricing models. Since many of the proposed “risk” theories are plausible, a common practice in the literature is to take the models to the data and perform “horse races” among competing asset pricing specifications. A “good” asset pricing model should produce small pricing (expected return) errors on a set of test assets and should deliver reasonable estimates of the underlying market and economic risk premia. This chapter provides an up-to-date review of the statistical methods that are typically used to estimate, evaluate, and compare competing asset pricing models. The analysis also highlights several pitfalls in the current econometric practice and offers suggestions for improving empirical tests. Examples of topics include stochastic discount factor, two-pass cross-sectional regressions, misspecified models, and useless factors.
Evaluating Portfolio Performance
Authors: CavÉ Arnaud , HÜbner Georges , Lejeune Thomas
Published: May 2013

This chapter presents the major approaches for assessing portfolio performance in the presence of asset selection and market timing skills. Given the difficulty of reconciling these two performance drivers, several ways to get a synthetic measure are proposed, but they do not fully reflect the joint qualities displayed by the portfolio manager. In a recently suggested option replication approach, linear and quadratic coefficients of the Treynor and Mazuy regression are combined to assess performance in the presence of market timing. This new correction has the potential to overcome the “artificial timing” bias and delivers encouraging results on a sample of 1,413 US mutual funds selected for an empirical analysis. Unlike alternative approaches proposed in the literature, most positive market timers seem to be rewarded for the convexity they add to their portfolio, while negative market timers are penalized, and a correlation between abnormal performance and the convexity parameter is found.
Venture Capital
Authors: Gantenbein Pascal , Forrer Reto , Herold Nils
Published: May 2013

The venture capital industry has seen tremendous growth over the past two decades. However, research provides mixed results for investment outcomes and reveals several methodological challenges and constraints arising from the lack of a comprehensive historical dataset. Strong evidence suggests that a small number of funds perform extremely well, while the majority of venture capital funds underperform public stock markets. Furthermore, academic research points out several distinct determinants of investment outcomes. Various studies, for instance, indicate that performance drivers such as the experience and skills of both the general partners and the limited partners have a strong affect on performance. Additionally, evidence of performance persistence exists as well as of a strong impact of macroeconomic conditions. The venture capital industry exhibits a cyclical pattern or cyclicality characterized by repeated periods of dramatic growth followed by slumps. Yet, whether booms are caused by fundamental factors or whether they constitute an overreaction to perceived investment opportunities is unclear.
Evolution and Peace
Authors: Barash David P.
Published: May 2013

This chapter begins with a discussion of the convergences and divergences between evolution and peace. It analyzes concept of Evolutionarily Stable Strategies, which can usefully be seen through the lens of natural selection, and the Prisoner's Dilemma. It addresses the question of whether we are doomed by our evolutionary past—more precisely, by its imprint upon the present—to a future of unending and eternal war. The answer, clearly, is no. When it comes to violence, whether organized or individual, Homo sapiens are subject to genetic influences, not determinism. But neither can we can take comfort in being innately peace-loving and pacifist. Insofar as we are subject to genetic influences, not determinism, it is equally certain that just as these influences do not mandate violence, neither do they mandate nonviolence. We have within us the biologically generated, Janus-like capacity to face in either direction (or, more confusingly, in both at the same time!), combined with a biologically mandated obligation to neither one.
From the Peaceful to the Warlike
Authors: Kelly Robert L.
Published: May 2013

Many foraging societies experience violence that is sometimes lethal. This should surprise no one since lethal violence in small, egalitarian communities can arise from the denial of anger that comes with the politics of nonconfrontation that typify egalitarian societies—one can only keep a lid on animosities for so long. Foraging societies have mechanisms to resolve disputes, and one of these is to vocalize an ethos of non-violence. Indeed, a few foraging societies known to ethnography experience very little violence. But for many others, the mechanisms to resolve disputes sometimes fail, and opponents may come to blows. This chapter does not to ask if foragers are violent or not, but rather what conditions variation in the levels of violence. It looks at this from both ethnographic and archaeological perspectives. It shows that war and homicide are linked to issues of resource imbalance, and that demonstrations of the frequency of war among foragers or of its antiquity should not lead to the assumption that humans have a stronger proclivity for violence than they do for peace.
Aggression and Conflict Resolution Among the Nomadic Hadza of Tanzania as Compared with Their Pastoralist Neighbors
Authors: Butovskaya Marina L.
Published: May 2013

This chapter examines cultural norms related to aggression and conflict management in the Hadza, who are nomadic hunter-gatherers, and recent transformations resulting from ethno-tourism and contacts with neighboring groups such as interethnic marriages and socialization in the multiethnic environment of boarding schools. Aggression and conflict management among the Hadza are compared to that observed in a neighboring society, the Datoga, who are semi-nomadic pastoralists. The data on the Hadza and the Datoga confirm the idea that aggression is a flexible adaptation, not an obligate behavior. Traditional Hadza may be classified as egalitarian, tolerant, and autonomous people. They tend to cope with conflicts by avoidance and tolerance, as members of most nomadic forager societies do. In conflict situations, the Hadza prefer to retire, and most men and women have never killed anybody. The Datoga are more aggressive than the Hadza. They view ridicule and joking as overt aggression. Individual violence among the Datoga has been restricted by the system of fines and ultimately by ostracizing the habitual aggressors. Violence among Datoga spouses is highly asymmetrical and is virtually always directed against women.
The Biocultural Evolution of Conflict Resolution Between Groups
Authors: Boehm Christopher
Published: May 2013

This chapter focuses on how conflicts are managed between different groups for a sample of forty-nine nomadic forager societies. It links conflict and conflict management within groups to the same pair of behaviors when they take place between groups. The analysis requires dealing with a large evolutionary picture, which at the level of phylogenetics involves behavioral preadaptations, and at the level of culture and psychology involves people making generalizations that allow predictable, highly routinized peacemaking within groups to serve as a generalizable model for the less predictable conflict management that takes place between groups. The chapter begins by focusing on human hunter-gatherers and on chimpanzees and bonobos—the two African great apes with whom we share the greatest amount of DNA—to see what these three species are capable of in matters related to intergroup conflict and its management, and social control. After isolating some relevant social-sanctioning behaviors that were likely in our shared ancestor, a larger question is asked: how could becoming moral have changed us, in our species' potential for both external conflict and external peacemaking?
The 99 Percent—Development and Socialization Within an Evolutionary Context
Authors: Narvaez Darcia
Published: May 2013

This chapter discusses the substantial mismatch between our contemporary society and the conditions under which the genus Homo has evolved. It argues that compared to our pre-agriculture foraging cousins we are far from virtuous and might even be considered to have lost our minds, if not our humanity. In fact, we are quite immoral, wicked, and stupid if we use anthropological reports of those who live like our presumed nomadic foraging, gatherer-hunter ancestors as a baseline. How did this come to be? The chapter compares the ancestral social environment, as known from extant small-band gatherer-hunter cultures from around the world, with the contemporary Western social environment (focused mostly on the United States, which continues to export its views and lifestyle to the rest of the world).
Progressive-Era Sexuality and the Nature of the Beast in Henry James
Authors: Lundblad Michael
Published: May 2013

In Epistemology of the Closet, Eve Sedgwick argues that the discourse of sexuality shifted at the end of the nineteenth century from an emphasis on sexual acts to sexual identities. Sedgwick builds upon Foucault's famous declaration that the “species” of the homosexual was born at that moment. But Sedgwick and others working on histories of sexuality in the United States have elided the discourse of the jungle: Darwinist-Freudian constructions of “the human” and “the animal” that redefine various behaviors in relation to animal instincts. This helps to explain why the discourse of sexuality shifted at the turn of the century, once heterosexuality was naturalized in the name of reproduction. Questions about human sexuality were soon framed within an evolutionary epistemology that was fundamentally new, but still in transition. After tracing the genealogy of the jungle through Darwin, Kipling, and Freud, this chapter focuses on alternative constructions of the relationship between animality and sexuality that are revealed in Progressive-Era texts.
Black Savage, White Animal
Authors: Lundblad Michael
Published: May 2013

Readings of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s Tarzan of the Apes (1914) tend to conflate Tarzan’s “others,” suggesting that there is little difference between the apes and the savages he encounters or that the primary distinction to make is between Tarzan and everyone else. We are often told that Tarzan evolves from ape to savage to the epitome of a racist, sexist, imperialist, American man, who is defined by the restraint of his animal/savage instincts. The implication would appear to be that “the savage” (and therefore the African American) is “higher” in evolutionary terms than the animal, and that white Americans should be seen as closer to savages than animals. The argument in this chapter is that this evolutionary logic is disrupted by the novel, suggesting that animality can first be distinguished from savagery and second elevated above savagery in a disavowal of the evolutionary link between (black) savagery and (white) humanity. Distinguishing between various forms of primate violence in the novel allows us to see a more complicated construction of U.S. race relations and to view the novel as more than a straightforward allegory of white masculinity defined against other, darker “races.”
Galaxy pairs in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey – VI. The orbital extent of enhanced star formation in interacting galaxies
Authors: Patton David R. , Torrey Paul , Ellison Sara L. , Mendel J. Trevor , Scudder Jillian M.
Published: May 2013

We use pair and environmental classifications of ∼211 000 star-forming galaxies from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, along with a suite of merger simulations, to investigate the enhancement of star formation as a function of separation in galaxy pairs. Using a new technique for distinguishing between the influence of nearby neighbours and larger scale environment, we find a clear enhancement in star formation out to projected separations of ∼150 kpc, beyond which there is no net enhancement. We find the strongest enhancements at the smallest separations (especially <20 kpc), consistent with earlier work. Similar trends are seen in the simulations, which indicate that the strongest enhancements are produced in highly disturbed systems approaching final coalescence, whereas the more modest enhancements seen at wider separations are the result of starburst activity triggered at first pericentre passage, which persists as the galaxies move to larger separations. The absence of any net enhancement beyond 150 kpc provides reassurance that the detected enhancements are due to galaxy–galaxy interactions, rather than larger scale environmental effects or potential pair selection biases. A rough census indicates that 66 per cent of the enhanced star formation in our pair sample occurs at separations >30 kpc. We conclude that significant interaction-induced star formation is not restricted to merger remnants or galaxies with close companions; instead, a larger population of wider separation pairs exhibit enhanced star formation due to recent close encounters.
Increase of pneumococcal serotype 19A in Italy is due to expansion of the piliated clone ST416/CC199
Authors: Del Grosso Maria , Camilli Romina , D’Ambrosio Fabio , Petrucci Giulia , Melchiorre Sara , Moschioni Monica , Gherardi Giovanni , Pantosti Annalisa
Published: May 2013

The emergence of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 19A, following use of the heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7), has been favoured by multiple antibiotic resistance of this serotype and by other unknown factors. The aim of this study was to examine 19A isolates from invasive pneumococcal diseases (IPD) obtained before and after PCV7 implementation to ascertain which characteristics, including the presence of pili, might have favoured the emergence of this serotype in Italy. All S. pneumoniae isolates from IPD collected at the Italian National Institute of Health in the years 2001–2003 and 2006–2009 were serotyped. The 19A isolates were submitted to antimicrobial susceptibility testing by Etest and were genotyped by a combination of pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and Multi Locus Sequence Typing (MLST). The presence of the pilus islets PI-1 and PI-2 was detected by PCR assays targeting a marker gene in each islet. The proportion of 19A isolates from IPD significantly increased from 4 % in 2001–2003 to 12 % in 2006–2009. This was largely due to the expansion of a clone characterized by sequence type (ST) 416, clonal complex (CC) 199, already present in Italy before PCV7 implementation. This clone included isolates susceptible to penicillin and containing PI-1 genes. Other CCs contributed to the emergence of serotype 19A: CC63 and CC193, already present in 2001–2003, and new-emerging CCs or clones such as CC230, CC320 and ST5204, that include drug-resistant and/or pilus-positive isolates. The expansion of serotype 19A in Italy might have been favoured not only by antibiotic resistance, but also by other bacterial factors such as the presence of pili.
linc-HOXA1 is a noncoding RNA that represses Hoxa1 transcription in cis
Authors: Maamar Hédia , Cabili Moran N. , Rinn John , Raj Arjun
Published: May 2013

Recently, researchers have uncovered the presence of many long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in embryonic stem cells and believe they are important regulators of the differentiation process. However, there are only a few examples explicitly linking lncRNA activity to transcriptional regulation. Here, we used transcript counting and spatial localization to characterize a lncRNA (dubbed linc-HOXA1) located ∼50 kb from the Hoxa gene cluster in mouse embryonic stem cells. Single-cell transcript counting revealed that linc-HOXA1 and Hoxa1 RNA are highly variable at the single-cell level and that whenever linc-HOXA1 RNA abundance was high, Hoxa1 mRNA abundance was low and vice versa. Knockdown analysis revealed that depletion of linc-HOXA1 RNA at its site of transcription increased transcription of the Hoxa1 gene cis to the chromosome and that exposure of cells to retinoic acid can disrupt this interaction. We further showed that linc-HOXA1 RNA represses Hoxa1 by recruiting the protein PURB as a transcriptional cofactor. Our results highlight the power of transcript visualization to characterize lncRNA function and also suggest that PURB can facilitate lncRNA-mediated transcriptional regulation.
Management of and access to print collections in national and repository libraries in Europe
Authors: Saarti Jarmo , Vattulainen Pentti
Published: May 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to examine current European policies concerning the preservation of printed documents. Both legal deposits and repositories are discussed. The results are based on an e‐survey that was conducted at the beginning of 2012. In addition, the use and knowledge organization of these depositories and repositories are discussed. The results of the survey are analyzed in the paper with the proposals on ways to develop both national and international policies based on these findings.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of a survey.

Findings

There are many different ways in which printed resources are preserved in Europe. The main motivation has been the desire to preserve the national cultural heritage. There clearly is a need to encourage more co‐operation and planning at the international level.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is based on the European experience and perspective.

Practical implications

The authors propose a model to promote European co‐operation in encouraging the use of less widely used printed documents, more efficient work processes and more economical storage of these documents.

Originality/value

The paper describes a model promoting international cooperation between institutions involved in the storage and dissemination of the printed documents.
Central managing of serials collection in Wrocław University of Technology as a factor of effectiveness in delivering resources to the users
Authors: Wolańska Agnieszka
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a useful overview of the process of central coordinating in a matter of serials in various stages.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study presents management solutions in an academic library.

Findings

Central management and control has significant influence on economic policy in the whole library information system. Gathering the data about serials collection on the one hand allows the Main Library to efficiently manage the finances allocated to the library system units, and on the other, to control the real use of the serials collection.

Research limitations/implications

The data are given on the basis of official yearly reports and practice.

Originality/value

Nowadays, WUT Library is the only library in Poland organized in a centralized manner to such an extent. This kind of workflow can be a good example for other academic libraries with similar internal structures.
The future of cooperative collections and repositories
Authors: Reilly Bernard F.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The history of the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) during the last decade is one of adaptation and innovation, driven by the need to keep pace with a rapidly changing world. CRL is a cooperative collection development enterprise, created in the age of print. Today we are confronting entirely new paradigms of information exchange and access brought about by digital media and the internet. The purpose of this paper is to discuss how the past decade has been a time of re‐engineering CRL services, re‐orienting operations, and forming partnerships to put vital new capabilities at the disposal of academic and independent research libraries in the CRL community. In short, it is a narrative of how one organization recast its role from a centralized repository to a collection development and preservation community.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of a study of the changing roles of collection‐building consortia based on the ten‐year recent history of CRL.

Findings

To ensure the survival of primary source collections, consortia must pursue a strategy that seems counter‐intuitive in today's “just in time” world: a strategy not based solely on current interest and demand. Collection‐building efforts like CRL must act on behalf of future generations of researchers and stakeholders, or abdicate their responsibility as stewards of knowledge.

Originality/value

The paper gives a perspective on the appropriate roles of library consortia and repositories in the current research libraries sector, vis‐à‐vis preservation, collection development.
Transforming library research services: towards a collaborative partnership
Authors: Mamtora Jayshree
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The paper aims to explore the new and changing role of the research librarian with specific reference to Charles Darwin University (CDU), Australia. In response to the changing research landscape in Australia, Charles Darwin University Library in the Northern Territory has developed a series of services and resources to meet the special needs of its growing research community.

Design/methodology/approach

The impact of the support being provided to researchers by CDU Library has been measured through two survey questionnaires followed by focus group discussions. Feedback is also obtained regularly from workshop participants through an evaluation form. In order to meet researchers' needs, Library staff have successfully used both formal and informal methods of professional development on an ongoing basis in order to bridge any gaps that are identified through the evaluation exercises.

Findings

In the face of the changing research landscape in Australia, the research librarian needs to ensure that in turn, his or her skills and qualifications will need to be continually updated to ensure that researchers' needs are being met. Librarians have to become involved in new roles, roles that are not traditionally associated with librarians, such as data management and curation.

Practical implications

The practical implications will include: Continuing Professional Development for the research librarian; possible reorganisation of the functional units of the Library; and the relationship between the librarian and the researcher in a changing environment.

Social implications

This paper asks questions of LIS providers in relation to opportunities for upgrading the skills and status of librarians engaged with the research community.

Originality/value

This paper provides a discussion on recent literature on research librarianship and it deals with an issue that is currently of interest to a number of academic libraries. The strategies adopted by CDU will be of interest to smaller, isolated and less well resourced university libraries in similar situations.
Marketing green buildings – well‐structured process or forgotten minor detail? Evidence from Finland
Authors: Eerikäinen Henna , Sarasoja Anna‐Liisa
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The aim of this article is to examine the current marketing situation of sustainable buildings from a Finnish real estate developer’s perspective and deepen the market’s understanding on this subject.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical part of the paper is conducted through a literature study, and for the empirical part three different green building development projects were examined.

Findings

Results indicate that the environmentally efficient characteristics of the buildings are not considered to be their major selling arguments but simply something that is expected in today’s market and thus the green marketing actions of the real estate development company were subtle and quite ineffective.

Practical implications

It seems that at the moment, the marketing of sustainable buildings lacks green ambition and not all are equally convinced about their differentiation potential. However, by increasingly concentrating on the different benefits of sustainable buildings and effectively communicating those to the customers, greenness can be made into a truly competitive marketing argument.

Originality/value

The technology needed to build environmentally efficient buildings and the knowledge about their benefits is available. However, the ways of marketing these benefits to the public and customers and, as a result, increasing the amount of green buildings have not been the subject of much research.
The values of built heritage
Authors: Armitage Lynne , Irons Janine
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider some of the approaches which have been developed to bring forward awareness of the role of heritage and its significance in reducing the use of carbon incurred by the creation of new structures.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach adopted is to look at the emergence and dissemination of these issues through published literature including professional standards and guidelines for the management and valuation of historic property and also to consider the practice of heritage management and assessment in Western Australia.

Findings

The paper finds that Australia has a well‐developed system of heritage management but has been slow to adapt to its responsibilities under international treaties in the area of sustainable practices in the property field but that there is evidence of progress to improve the situation. Whilst the overall picture of the impact of heritage listing on property value remains clouded, and arguments for both positive and negative impacts are evident from the many perspectives researchers have considered, the sustainable use of resources is one which is currently receiving more attention in professional and academic circles.

Research limitations/implications

The predominant focus of this paper is from an Australian perspective but with reference to the UK context.

Originality/value

The contribution of this paper is that, by drawing attention to the value of built heritage as an expression of cultural worth, the demand for new structures can be constrained to some extent by reuse of existing buildings, resulting in more sustainable practices. This environmental view of heritage property may result in its being more favoured as an investment asset in the future due to its smaller carbon footprint than more recent, or potential replacement, structures.
Conceptual understanding of sustainability in the Australian property sector
Authors: Wilkinson Sara J.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The built environment is responsible for around half of total greenhouse gas emissions and the majority of emissions are produced during building lifecycles. As such the property sector has considerable potential to reduce lifecycle emissions and can contribute in mitigating global warming. However our existing conceptual understanding of sustainability is variable to the point of being disjointed and ambiguous and this could imply our efforts to realise reductions may not reach their potential. This paper seeks to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting a qualitative paradigm, this study used published information on property company websites regarding sustainability in a content analysis to address the questions: What is the conceptual understanding of sustainability within the ten leading Australian property firms? and What is the implication of this level of conceptual understanding with regards to delivering sustainability?

Findings

There are distinct differences between the conceptual understanding of sustainability within the firms, indicating a different worldview exists across these firms. It is probable that this information is published without a conscious decision to represent a technocentric or ecocentric worldview, and as such it reflects the lack of breadth and depth of understanding in the current discourse regarding sustainable development in some property firms. Some elements of the sustainability discourse are omitted from their conceptual understanding. Academics have a responsibility and an opportunity to widen the discourse so that current and future generations are able to make informed decisions in respect of the degree of sustainability it is necessary to adopt.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of a content analysis approach is that there is no opportunity to explore the underlying reasons for what is found. Thus the researcher is unable to ascertain whether omissions regarding the discourse of sustainability issues are conscious or sub‐conscious.

Originality/value

There is now a growing body of work around property and sustainability. Most of this work is focused on ways in which to implement sustainability or how sustainability is being integrated in the built environment. Little work is centred on the fundamentals of sustainability and understanding of the principles and how this impacts on the degree of sustainability practiced by those firms. The underlying hypothesis is that a weak conceptual understanding will only ever deliver weak sustainability at best. Weak sustainability is insufficient to avert the project climate change outcomes forecast by the United Nations.
Profitable customer management: reducing costs by influencing customer behaviour
Authors: Persson Andreas
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how firms attempt to increase the profitability of specific groups of extant customers by achieving adjustments in customer behaviour that consequently lead to reduced costs associated with serving these customers.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of multiple case studies in the retail banking sector. Three specific initiatives launched by European retail banks for the stated (partial) purpose of modifying customer behaviour in order to reduce customer‐related costs are evaluated.

Findings

The findings from the three case studies show that strategies that aim to modify customer behaviour in a positive way can successfully decrease the costs of interacting with customers while at the same time maintaining and even increasing customer retention and customer‐related revenues.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited to an assessment of three initiatives carried out by three European banks. The findings bring the issue of costs into customer relationship management in a constructive manner, abandoning the view of cost reductions as a necessary evil or drastic measure to handle problematic customers.

Practical implications

Marketing and customer relationship managers who consider strategies to change customer behaviour in a cost‐reducing way as a complement to traditional revenue and loyalty enhancement strategies will expand their opportunities to achieve increases in customer lifetime value (CLV) and customer equity (CE).

Originality/value

The paper reclaims the management of costs as a key customer management activity, thereby answering calls for more attention to cost issues in marketing.
The influence of ethnic attributes on ethnic consumer choice of service outlet
Authors: Huang Yan , Oppewal Harmen , Mavondo Felix
Published: May 2013

Purpose

Marketers are increasingly aware of ethnic subgroups as segments to target with customized offers. This paper aims to investigate the role of ethnic‐related outlet attributes in determining the attractiveness of mainstream and ethnic service outlets to ethnic consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on institutional theory and self‐congruity theory, the paper proposes that two sets of outlet attributes, ethnic‐related and performative attributes, influence the attractiveness of an outlet. These effects are mediated by a business's pragmatic legitimacy, its social legitimacy (in terms of perceived sensitivity to ethnic culture), and the congruity between the consumer's self‐image and the business. A model is proposed and hypotheses derived. They are tested on data from an online survey among 483 Chinese Australian consumers about their use of travel agents. The hypotheses are tested using structural equation modelling.

Findings

The study reveals that ethnic‐related attributes play a specific and significant role in determining outlet attractiveness for Chinese consumers in Australia. Although they have a smaller effect than service and price, ethnic‐related attributes contribute positively to perceived attractiveness. Of the performative attributes, customer service has the largest effect; offering competitive prices has the second largest effect. Outlet accessibility has no significant effect while store atmosphere has an unexpected negative effect. Store atmosphere acts as both a performative and an ethnic‐related attribute. The results confirm the hypothesized mediation effects of pragmatic legitimacy, social legitimacy and congruity.

Originality/value

This study contributes to a better understanding of ethnic consumer behaviour and the role of ethnic retail and service outlets in the market place. It provides new insights by drawing from different theoretical frameworks (institutional theory and self‐congruity theory) and conducting an empirical study that uses validated scales in a unique setting among real consumers reporting about their use of a service provider. The results not only demonstrate the role and potential of ethnic attributes, but also how customer service and store atmosphere play a more intricate role than initially expected.
A hierarchical model of the internal relationship marketing approach to nurse satisfaction and loyalty
Authors: Peltier James W. , Schibrowsky John A. , Nill Alexander
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to empirically test a hierarchical model of the antecedents of nurse job satisfaction and loyalty based on the internal marketing literature. Specifically, the study aims to investigate the degree to which structural, social, and financial bonding activities influence nurses' job satisfaction and retention.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a review of the literature, the model was tested via a survey of 200 nurses from three US health care institutions.

Findings

The study resulted in key findings pertaining to the hierarchical nature of structural, social, and financial bonding activities and their impact on job satisfaction and loyalty.

Practical implications

Service industries that depend on front‐line employees to deliver high quality services are provided with innovative suggestions to improve job satisfaction and loyalty of their employees by employing an internal marketing approach. The study provides organizations with empirical evidence regarding the synergistic effects of bonding activities.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first time a hierarchical/sequential model of the impact that relationship bonds have on satisfaction and retention of health care staff has been empirically tested. The findings that structural bonds have both a direct and indirect impact on job satisfaction and loyalty are of value for interested academics working in this area and are relevant for companies trying to improve job satisfaction and loyalty of their employees.
Alliance competence
Authors: Gammoh Bashar S. , Voss Kevin E.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate alliance formation competence and attitudes toward brand alliances as antecedents of the firm's propensity to brand ally. It aims to test the hypothesis that the relationship between alliance experience and alliance competence is moderated by the relative quality of the experience, which the authors call valence of alliance experience.

Design/methodology/approach

Research hypotheses were empirically tested with a national sample of senior marketing executives and brand managers.

Findings

The firm's propensity to engage in brand alliances is a function of well‐developed strategic alliance capabilities and positive managerial attitudes toward brand alliances. Importantly, when the firm's prior experience in alliances is relatively more positive the relationship between alliance experience and alliance competence is strengthened.

Originality/value

Not all alliance experience is the same. This study, one of the first studies to examine the relative quality of alliance experience, confirms that the relationship between alliance experience and alliance competence is significantly stronger when that experience has been relatively more positive. This study also contributes to the strategic alliance literature by providing empirical evidence for the importance of managers' attitudes toward brand alliances in driving the firm's propensity to brand ally. By choosing brand alliances as the context for the study the paper contributes to the brand alliance literature by investigating the brand alliance phenomenon from the firm's perspective.
CSR reporting among Zimbabwe's hotel groups: a content analysis
Authors: Kennedy Nyahunzvi Dzingai
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the nature and adequacy of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting among Zimbabwe's hotel groups.

Design/methodology/approach

Content analysis was used to examine websites, annual reports and mission statements of Zimbabwe's hotel groups.

Findings

Zimbabwe's hotel groups gave primacy to financial performance rather than social and environmental themes in their CSR reporting. In comparative terms, the hotel groups lag behind some of their developed world's counterparts in CSR reporting.

Research limitations/implications

Future studies may examine the actual CSR practices adopted by Zimbabwe's tourism and hospitality sector. Research efforts should also be directed towards producing a framework to guide the effective design of CSR dedicated pages on corporate websites.

Practical implications

The research findings suggest that CSR initiatives and reporting are still a peripheral issue among Zimbabwe's hotel groups. A need for legal compulsion and third party verification to enhance the hotel groups' CSR reporting was identified. Further, the crafting of CSR policies and their institutionalization are complementary moves that should be adopted by the hotel groups.

Originality/value

This is perhaps one of the first papers exploring CSR reporting in the Zimbabwean hospitality context in particular, and the developing world in general. It is hoped that this paper stimulates further research involving the CSR practices and reporting of the entire tourism and hospitality supply chain in the developing world context.
Promoting business excellence at local level: the case of Guangdong Province, China
Authors: Barbieri Elisa , Sarcina Angela , Bazzucchi Lucia , Di Tommaso Marco R.
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between medium‐large firms' industrial performance, territorial factors and local development policies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an empirical econometric investigation based on a panel dataset of county‐level data, carried out in the Guangdong Province for the period 2000‐2008.

Findings

Results suggest a positive and significant relationship between policies at the local level and business performance. The most important determinants of industrial performance appear to be development zones and specialized towns – on the policy side – as well as the presence of urban areas, investment in innovation and FDI. Given the complexity of the relationships, further research is called for in order to build more evidence for this and other Chinese provinces.

Research limitations/implications

The analysis confirms the initial hypothesis that business excellence can be influenced by the specific characteristics of the territories where firms are located, among which there might be government policies aiming at local development and encouraging a better business environment.

Social implications

Relevant to the policy‐making process, results suggest that business excellence should not be viewed as only a matter of business strategies. It can be a result of territorial excellence and effective local development policies.

Originality/value

In the international debate there are very few papers testing the relationship between policies and industrial performances in China. Even fewer explore this relationship at the local level. This paper offers a unique county‐level perspective and in‐depth view on local industrial policies.
Made‐in‐China: high‐tech national champions of business excellence
Authors: Barbieri Elisa , Huang Manli , Di Tommaso Marco R. , Lan Hailin
Published: May 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the development strategies of two Chinese global players in the high‐tech sectors.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a case‐study approach on Huawei Technology Co. Ltd (Huawei) and Jing‐Hua Optical and Electronics Co. Ltd (JOC).

Findings

While Huawei's first strategic decision was that of becoming a leader on the domestic market, the key choice for JOC was that of acquiring a European firm. However common features emerge: persistent investment in R&D, strategic collaboration with universities and presence of government supporting policies, even though the case studies suggest the existence of thresholds for firms to access the benefits of government policy.

Research limitations/implications

The results pave the way for more general discussions on the emergence of champions of excellence in China. They reinforce the idea that Chinese industrial development is built on non‐conventional catching‐up processes at the country, local and firm level. They confirm that in order to fully catch the success of national Chinese champions the role of government policies should be better investigated.

Social implications

Results highlight the importance of R&D investment and technology transfer also for SMEs in high‐tech sectors. As for policy makers, the practice of official institutional recognition – a well experimented form of rewarding used in China – might be an effective way to stimulate virtuous imitative processes.

Originality/value

The comparison of these two global players is itself original. Moreover there is a valuable attempt to understand from a national champion's perspective the importance of supra‐firms factors such as collaboration with other institutions and government policies.