bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perspectives and practice: the satisfaction construct
Authors: Henderson Amanda
Published: March 2012

Patient satisfaction is measured at all levels of the Australian health system. However, these activities are not guided by formal national policy, nor is there a uniform approach to measuring patient satisfaction. While the reasons for exploring patient satisfaction are widely supported and can be easily documented, the construct of patient satisfaction itself remains ambiguous. Although health practitioners frequently refer to patient satisfaction when evaluating health care services; it is not clear if practitioners share a clear perspective or understanding about the meaning of the construct. Exploring the practitioner’s own understanding of what is meant by patient satisfaction is a critical first step before any comparative analysis between the practitioners’ understanding, the dimensionality of measurement tools, and the beliefs of the consumer can be conducted. This paper explores Australian health practitioners’ understanding of patient satisfaction.
A convenience sample of 29 staff representing 17 hospitals from across Australian States and Territories consented to participate in a series of focus groups. Systematic ethnographic summary and content analysis revealed 15 themes which health practitioners considered important in making a patient’s hospital stay satisfactory. However, health practitioners, even those involved with measuring patient satisfaction, struggled to either define patient satisfaction or clarify what the phenomenon meant empirically. While hospitals commonly report the outcomes of evaluating patient satisfaction, this research suggests that the value of such reports in everyday practice may be limited by confusion and ambiguity.
Poto He Anga: Collaboration and Consultation in Pasifika Research
Authors: Fletcher Jo , Parkhill Faye , Fa’afoi Amosa , Morton Missy
Published: March 2012

Research into the literacy of Pasifika (Pacific Island) children has predominantly focused on what the children cannot do. We present a layered account as we report on the issues, strategies and learnings from a project that set out to focus on success. With the guidance of matai (chiefs) we drew on the traditional Pasifika approach of Talanoa to allow important stories to be told. Talanoa both supports and challenges traditional and alternative Palagi (a Polynesian word for European) approaches to qualitative research. Three critical issues for researchers are identified: group ownership and control of the process and outcomes, the importance of collaboratively sharing research outcomes with the researched and the wider Pasifika community, and the value of opportunities for Pasifika and Palagi to undertake Pasifika research together.
The art and craft of rigorous analysis and authentic (re)presentation
Authors: Mutch Carol
Published: March 2012

Qualitative data analysis requires methodological knowledge and intellectual competence. Analysis is not about adhering to any one correct approach or set of right techniques; it is imaginative, artful, flexible, and reflexive. It should also be methodical, scholarly, and intellectually rigorous. (Coffey and Atkinson, 1996, p.1.
The familiarization study in qualitative research: from theory to practice
Authors: Whiteley Alma M. , Whiteley Jervis
Published: March 2012

This paper seeks to bridge a perceived gap in the literature on the methodology of qualitative research. The audience in mind is business and management students who are required to carry out field research as a part of their masters or doctoral degrees. After submitting a research proposal or candidacy, which sets out the research strategy in broad terms, students are characteristically faced with field work involving the collection of data from participants or respondents. Whatever thought and planning has been given to interviewing and questionnaires in theory, it is a necessity in qualitative research to adapt to the situation on the ground which is unique for every research.
The art of wellbeing and ageing: a goal‐oriented creative arts based approach
Authors: Bruder Freeman Pamela
Published: March 2012

At the 2003 AQR Conference, like many others present, I was inspired by Stuart Hill’s presentation that candidly described his approach to research and as he termed it, ‘extending boundaries’ through his evolution as a social ecologist. I refer particularly to his ‘status quo accommodating’ comment, his challenge not to ‘monitor our extinction’, and his appraisal of the real value of funded research (Hill, 2003). These remarks have remained with me and in no small amount they have influenced the development of the idea that inspired my research and the presentation today.
The effectiveness of government expenditure on education and health care in the Caribbean
Authors: Craigwell Roland , Bynoe Danielle , Lowe Shane
Published: March 2012

Purpose

Investment in human development is considered a means of improving the quality of life and sustaining economic growth in the Caribbean. The purpose of this paper is to assess the efficacy of public spending on health care and education by evaluating the life expectancy and school enrolment rates of these countries.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a data set containing 19 Caribbean countries over the period 1995 to 2007 for health care and 1980 to 2009 for education, a Panel Ordinary Least Squares model was employed.

Findings

The results revealed that health expenditure has a significant positive effect on health status, while spending on education has no appreciable influence on either primary or secondary school enrolment.

Originality/value

Unlike previous Caribbean research, the paper explores a variable for quality in the education system, that is, the pupil‐teacher ratio. It also seeks to update the existing Caribbean literature by employing data from 1980 to 2009.
The role of human and social capital on the development of wooden furniture clusters in Sri Lanka
Authors: Nihal Padmasiri H.M.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how human and social capital assist in the development of clustered and non‐clustered firms in the wooden furniture industry in Sri Lanka. The study resulted in three major findings: the most experienced and educated entrepreneurs played an important role to secure their market introducing brand name for the product; human capital acquired through formal education and experience is highly significant for the performance of clustered firms than that of non‐clustered firms; and irrespective of clustered or non‐clustered, performance of the firms in the wooden furniture industry in Sri Lanka is significantly relying on social capital.

Design/methodology/approach

Both cross‐sectional and time series data of 96 active firms related to the wooden furniture industry in Sri Lanka are used in this study. The data were collected through questionnaires which were distributed by visiting wooden furniture firms in Sri Lanka in the year 2010. To test the hypotheses, two dependent variables, namely, brand name dummy and the size of the firm (in value added revenue) were used.

Findings

The number of years of schooling of the managers and their operational experience within their own business have a positive and highly significant effect on the introduction of a brand name for the products in both type of wooden furniture firms (clustered and non‐clustered). Formal education and prior work experience as managers are more significant in the case of clustered wooden furniture firms than non‐clustered firms.

Originality/value

The author visited these firms personally and interviewed the managers. From this, the author tried to see how both human and social capital contribute to the firms' performance. According to the author's knowledge, this type of study has never been done before in Sri Lanka.
ISO/IEC 15504 measurement applied to COBIT process maturity
Authors: Walker Alastair , McBride Tom , Basson Gerhard , Oakley Robert
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The assessment of COBIT process maturity levels is fraught with a number of problems regarding the objectivity of the assessment results. Unlike ISO/IEC 15504, COBIT does not define an assessment model. The purpose of this paper is to align the behavioural aspects of the six COBIT process attributes with achievement results defined for the nine process attributes associated with the ISO/IEC 15504‐2 measurement scale. The authors believe that this alignment permits a translation of the ISO/IEC 15504 assessment data into an objective COBIT process maturity rating.

Design/methodology/approach

The tables presented in the paper identify the COBIT process attributes, the applicable ISO/IEC 15504 process attribute achievement results and the aggregated rating that pertains to the selected achievement results. A final table lists the derived COBIT process maturity level in terms of the ratings for the ISO/IEC 15504 process attribute achievement results for an assessed process.

Findings

The objectivity of the aggregated result (COBIT process maturity level) appeals strongly to end‐users of this measurement result, particularly where contractual obligations must be satisfied.

Practical implications

The method is useful where measurement rigour must be demonstrated in the computation of the COBIT process maturity levels.

Originality/value

This assessment and computational method was developed and trialled in the second half of 2010 in the context of the assessment of 13 information technology (IT) service management processes at two different customer sites. The material is of special value to service managers in companies that have outsourced IT service management processes to external IT service providers.
Benchmarking of Indian mobile telecom operators using DEA with sensitivity analysis
Authors: Nigam Vineeta , Thakur Tripta , Sethi V.K. , Singh R.P.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to benchmark the Indian mobile telecommunication service providers for relative efficiencies. In this paper, a method for benchmarking performance of mobile telecom utilities based on data envelopment analysis (DEA) is presented. The paper discusses some concepts between quality performance and benchmarking and the results include performance efficiency and sensitivity‐based classification of utilities. Also, peer‐to‐peer comparison of inefficient with efficient utilities is provided. Based on these results, inefficient utilities can develop strategic plans to improve performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use DEA to measure comparative efficiencies of mobile telecom companies and two different DEA models, CCR and BCC, were applied to evaluate the relative efficiency of mobile telecom operators in India. Sensitivity‐based classification of utilities is carried out by removing one or more inputs or outputs from the base model to construct a new DEA model. Comparisons of DEA efficiencies from the base model with the structurally perturbed models show the impact on efficiency. Data include annual and quarterly reports showing various quality parameters.

Findings

DEA is used to derive the benchmarks based on the comparison of the 126 utilities which include public sector undertaking (PSU) operators (MTNL and BSNL) and private operators of the Indian mobile telecommunication sector. The result includes performance efficiency and peer‐to‐peer comparison of inefficient utilities with efficient utilities. Based on these results, inefficient utilities can develop strategic plans to improve their performance. Sensitivity analysis, based on removal of one or more variables from the base model to determine changes in DEA efficiencies is done for selecting the strength of parameters of utilities for performance improvement.

Practical implications

Benchmarking of service utilities in the telecom sector is virtually non‐existent at the national level in India. This research identifies the different variables and then a model is prepared for benchmarking of the service providers in India. Based on the efficiency analysis, benchmarks can be set, and utility efficiency scores can be obtained based on the set benchmarks. These scores can help develop a strategic plan for mitigating the factors that contribute to the system inefficiencies.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the few published studies that benchmark the performance of mobile telecom services in India. This research promises to be amongst the first of the works carried out taking specific parameters of mobile telecom utilities of India.
Investigating “The Way” for Toyota suppliers
Authors: Marksberry Phillip
Published: March 2012

Purpose

Toyota's management system, more formally known as the Toyota production system (TPS) is one of the most benchmarked business improvement strategies in modern industry. While many companies try to emulate Toyota's success using a variety of different approaches, most practitioners are not aware how Toyota replicates TPS at suppliers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the in‐house capabilities that are transferred from Toyota to suppliers as a way to more deeply understand how TPS can evolve.

Design/methodology/approach

This work studies Toyota's supplier development practices by evaluating organizational documents using latent semantic analysis (LSA). LSA is a theory and method for extracting and representing the contextual‐usage and meaning of words and phrases by statistical computation applied to text. LSA is based on singular value decomposition (SVD), which is a mathematical matrix decomposition technique using factor analysis.

Findings

This work shows that Toyota targets processes, rather than whole systems, in assisting suppliers to be more effective at abnormality management. Findings also show that Toyota's approval process doesn't necessarily support major kaizen at suppliers yet does encourage minor day‐to‐day kaizen. Finally, this work reports that the Toyota Way for suppliers does not have to be adopted by suppliers, but does represent “A Way” to interact with suppliers to drive both culture and productivity simultaneously.

Originality/value

The paper uses a new method for analyzing Toyota's supplier development practices by mathematically representing and analyzing Toyota's organizational documents. This new method allows various components and features of Toyota's supplier development process to be represented and described in a way that offers many unique insights.
The importance of industrial ecology in engineering education for sustainable development
Authors: Biswas Wahidul K.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how industrial ecology can facilitate the achievement of sustainable development through its incorporation into an engineering curriculum.

Design/methodology/approach

A model has been developed for assessing sustainability learning outcomes due to the incorporation of the concept of industrial ecology into undergraduate and postgraduate engineering programs. This model assesses how the Engineering Faculty at Curtin University has included a core engineering unit (Engineering for Sustainable Development) and four postgraduate units (Cleaner Production Tools, Eco‐efficiency, Industrial Ecology and Sustainable Technology) in its undergraduate and postgraduate engineering program, to enable modern engineering education to reflect the benefits of industrial ecology in the implementation of sustainable engineering solutions and decision‐making processes. Using this model, this paper demonstrates how the syllabus, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary assignment tasks, lectures and tutorials have been developed since 2006 in order to develop the concept of industrial ecology in undergraduate and postgraduate engineering education. The paper has also analysed the different teaching methods that have been applied since 2006 to generate increased student satisfaction in these new and challenging subjects.

Findings

The university environment can temper the potential outcomes from increasing the sustainability content in engineering education, given the general lack of student maturity in understanding the value of sustainability objectives together with course limitations on sustainability content and the arduous and lengthy processes involved in changing course curricula.

Research limitations/implications

Since the Engineering for Sustainable Development unit has been introduced only recently, it was beyond the scope of the research to interview graduate engineers who completed this unit to investigate how they have applied the concept of industrial ecology to achieve sustainability outcomes in their workplaces.

Originality/value

This research is distinct in that it investigated the implications of the incorporation of industrial ecology into the engineering curriculum.
Eco‐campus: applying the ecocity model to develop green university and college campuses
Authors: Finlay Jessica , Massey Jennifer
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue that Richard Register's ecocity model offers a strategic framework to help guide sustainability initiatives in North American higher education (HE) institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper examines the theory of the ecocity and investigates the implications for its proposed building strategies for university and colleges, as institutions seek to create more sustainable campuses. The paper examines previous efforts to achieve sustainability and how the concept of the eco‐campus can be practically and productively applied.

Findings

There is no single campus that has fully embraced every facet of sustainability, but numerous HE institutions are strong leaders in diverse areas. The eco‐campus model provides concrete principles that proactively address HE institutions' ecological footprints and develops sustainable community practices.

Social implications

Sustainability is a pressing social issue. As world leaders in research, innovation, and education, universities and colleges are key places to address this global issue and foster progressive action within current and future generations. The eco‐campus approach represents an opportunity to initiate a cultural paradigm shift, whereby university and colleges become global leaders in sustainability.

Originality/value

While sustainability is now a cornerstone of research and teaching, North American HE institutions are faced with the challenge of realigning institutional practices, processes and resources to fully institute sustainability on campus. The eco‐campus model provides an innovative guide around which to hinge the development of sustainable institutional practices, structure progressive action, and foster meaningful change.
Factors contributing to institutions achieving environmental sustainability
Authors: James Matthew , Card Karen
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine what factors contributed to three universities achieving environmental sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study methodology was used to determine how each factor contributed to the institutions' sustainability. Site visits, fieldwork, document reviews, and interviews with administration, faculty, staff, and students from the participating institutions were employed as primary data collection strategies.

Findings

The six factors identified in the literature as contributing to environmental sustainability were present at all three institutions: green campus operation measures; campus administration, organization, and leadership; teaching, research, and service; campus‐wide actions and activities; institutional assessment of campus sustainability measures; and established methods for overcoming barriers.

Research limitations/implications

This study was delimited to the six factors that were identified in the literature and the three institutions that participated in this study. The research will add to the literature on creating sustainable campuses and will also provide a foundation for further study on the progress and impact of campus sustainability efforts.

Originality/value

A number of individual case studies have described what certain institutions have done. A smaller number of case studies have identified what factors have contributed to certain institutions' achieved environmental sustainability.
Impact Planning and Assessment of public libraries: a country level perspective
Authors: Streatfield David
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This is the first of a cluster of papers which seek to describe the work of impact planning and assessment (IPA) specialists at country level within the Global Libraries Initiative (GL) of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes the evolution of the approach to IPA developed by country specialists and outlines the main elements of the GL IPA Roadmap, which encapsulates this general approach. The Roadmap is a four‐stage process designed to ensure that IPA specialists know how to go about the needs assessment, baseline study and surveys involved in IPA at country level.

Findings

The paper underlines the need to collect required and recommended metrics for comparison and advocacy purposes and to take on the challenge of showing the impact of the country programmes in changing people's lives.

Originality/value

This paper shares the IPA learning at country level with people in other countries who may be contemplating public library evaluation at national, regional or local level or who are interested in impact evaluation.
Latvia
Authors: Paberza Kristine
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe developments and results of the Global Libraries Initiative project in Latvia, known as the “Father's Third Son” project, which started in 2006.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an analysis of the results of the assessment of the impact of the “Father's Third Son” project so far among the public libraries of Latvia.

Findings

Public libraries in Latvia play an important role in reducing the digital divide. No one is left behind and the public library offers opportunities for everyone, with a library always in reach within 20 minutes. Survey data shows a high potential for public libraries to reduce social exclusion, especially in rural areas. The project team believes that after the full implementation of activities, every public library in Latvia will have competence, confidence, capacity and growing number of strong library supporters to advocate for sustainability.

Originality/value

The paper provides a wide range of improvement examples that can be easily transferred to other countries.
What makes tourism an attractive industry for new minority entrepreneurs: results from an exploratory qualitative study
Authors: Pechlaner Harald , Dal Bò Giulia , Volgger Michael
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the factors that make tourism a particularly attractive industry for new minority entrepreneurs. Moreover, the paper aims to consider the interrelationships of this occupational strategy with the establishment of relations of new minorities with the rest of society.

Design/methodology/approach

A theory building qualitative approach was followed. Data were gathered by conducting five semi‐structured interviews in the Alpine tourism regions of Tyrol, South Tyrol and Trentino. A GABEK analysis was performed.

Findings

The findings suggest that the tourism sector is suitable for new minority entrepreneurship because of the relatively low entry barriers and because it values the competitive strengths of new minority members (international ties and trans‐cultural skills).

Originality/value

The value of this paper lies in its contribution to understanding better the reasons for new minority members to become entrepreneurs in tourism, considering also the socio‐cultural implications of this professional development. Particularly, the paper adds to the existing literature by showing that tourism is not only attractive because of a relatively easy entry but also because its key success factors suit the human capital of new minorities well.
The Chinese diaspora in Budapest: a new potential for tourism
Authors: Irimiás Anna
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how the architectural features of Chinese restaurants and shops influence the urban tourism destination image of Budapest.

Design/methodology/approach

Place marketers' strategies highly influence the “brand image” of a city. Based on the current definition of brand image and on a historical overview of the features of Chinatowns, a comparative model was elaborated to understand how the spaces created by Chinese immigrants can influence the tourism and hospitality industry and contribute to competitiveness.

Findings

The findings show that London, Milan and Budapest have elaborated different approaches to integrate Chinese immigrants and these strategies contribute to the economic performance of cities. London enhances the city's cultural and creative diversity also through its Chinatown. The local authority in Milan neglects the benefits of Chinese settlements and aims to create a new hub of Chinese trade and services out of the city center. In Budapest, since the 1990s, the ethnic and economic landscape have been changed as a consequence of the influx of a large number of Chinese immigrants.

Research limitations/implications

Although common attributes and different approaches related to Chinese services were highlighted in the three cities, the time series analysis should be deepened.

Practical implications

The research offers a new approach to consider Chinese tourism‐related services as a resource having a key role in regeneration of derelict areas in Budapest.

Originality/value

This study is an initial attempt to analyze the brand image of a city through Chinese tourism‐related services in a wider European context.
Multicultural festivals: a niche tourism product in South Korea
Authors: Sunny Lee Insun , Arcodia Charles , Jeonglyeol Lee Timothy
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine why people visit multicultural festivals, with the overall aim being to better understand the apparent popularity of multicultural festivals. The paper aims to provide key stakeholders with a platform upon which to better manage and improve multicultural festivals as tourism attractions.

Design/methodology/approach

An on‐site questionnaire survey was administered at one of the multicultural festivals in South Korea in 2010. The reasons for visit were measured using a scale based on existing benefit scales, and literature related to multiculturalism. In total, 17 items were analyzed as visitor reasons for their visit. Demographic questions included age, nationality, the reason for living in South Korea if not a Korean, and gender. Out of 203 collected questionnaires, 183 were considered usable.

Findings

In total, five factors were identified as the reasons for attending a multicultural festival – family togetherness, escape, cultural exploration, socialization, and curiosity. The cultural exploration proved to be the most common reason for attending a multicultural festival for visitors.

Practical implications

The findings of this study will help all key stakeholders to more fully understand what visitors want, and guide festival management to organize sustainable festivals as a niche tourism attraction. Due to the desire for cultural exploration, festivals should offer multicultural themed activities. Sport competitions can be good for socialization between migrants and South Koreans, or migrants themselves.

Originality/value

Although multicultural festivals are held in many countries, there appears to be little research into the multicultural festivals in a country like South Korea, in transit from being ethnically homogeneous to becoming a multicultural society. This paper is a pioneer study in that particular discipline.
A first look at the properties of India's volatility index
Authors: Kumar S.S.S.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the statistical properties of the volatility index of India, India Vix (Ivix), its relationship with the Indian stock market and its predictive power for forecasting future variance. Further, the paper examines the volatility transmission between India and developed markets.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses quantile regression and VAR techniques to examine the empirical issues.

Findings

The results of the study show that Ivix returns are negatively related to stock market returns and the leverage effect is only significant around the middle of the joint distribution. The asymmetric response of Ivix is also not observed in the left tail and is significant again around the centre of the distribution. Monthly volatility forecasts obtained from Ivix contain important information about future market volatility. Finally, overnight volatility movements from the US market have significant effect on the Indian market's volatility and transmission in opposite direction was not observed.

Practical implications

If Ivix is included in a stock portfolio when the market moves up, Ivix may not fall significantly, consequently, the portfolio returns are not negatively effected. But, when market declines sharply, i.e. for large losses, Ivix may not move up significantly in the opposite direction, thereby not providing the much‐needed insurance to the portfolio returns. But for normal/average market declines, volatility derivatives on Ivix may be useful as portfolio insurance tools.

Originality/value

The paper is novel in employing quantile regression methodology to examine the empirical relationships of a volatility index. Volatility spillovers between emerging and developed markets are studied using volatility indices that are ex ante.
Interest rate, unemployment rate and China's exchange rate regime
Authors: Fu Tze‐Wei , Lin Monli
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the change in China's exchange rate regime during the 2001‐2009 period, when both the pegged and floating exchange rates were adopted in the country, offering a rare opportunity to address the issue. The effects of China's interest rate differential (IRD) and unemployment rate on the exchange rate are also discussed in this paper.

Design/methodology/approach

Given the economic variables are non‐stationary, this paper adopts cointegration analysis to evaluate the long‐term equilibrium in China's economy, with the unit root test, cointegrating test and a vector error correction model also used to scrutinize China' exchange rate regime for different time periods.

Findings

The time series data – including the exchange rate, IRD and unemployment rate – are used in the unit root test and Johansen test to verify the long‐term equilibrium between real exchange rate and unemployment rate in specific periods of time. Since the findings indicate no correlation between the exchange rate and IRD, it is possible to predict the value of Chinese yuan based on China's unemployment rate, but not IRD. China's government slows down the appreciation of its currency when the lagged unemployment rate is high.

Originality/value

The paper provides a fresh perspective on the long‐term equilibrium among China's exchange rate, IRD and unemployment by dividing the sample period into several parts, according to the exchange rate policy. The findings indicate that the unemployment rate plays an important role in China's exchange rate regime.
Facebook usage patterns and school attitudes
Authors: Koles Bernadett , Nagy Peter
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore teenagers' and young adults' use of social networking sites (SNS), in light of certain personal, social and educational outcomes and attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered on the basis of surveys, and were analyzed through a series of multivariate models.

Findings

It was found that participants' reasons and motivations for online presence varied as a function of gender and age. Different degrees of Facebook usage were linked with different school‐related attitudes. More specifically, more extensive usage was associated with more negative school and peer attitudes; more so for females and for college students. Furthermore, greater reliance on online interactions for social and emotional support was found disadvantageous for college students, while neutral or in some cases beneficial for high school students.

Research limitations/implications

Gender and educational level appear to be important factors explaining some of the variation in school‐related attitudes, and thus should be explored separately.

Practical implications

The differential impact of online presence on school attitudes for college and high school students highlights the need for teachers and student advisors to be sensitive to such transitional groups.

Social implications

The authors found that more popular students, those often viewed as “opinion leaders”, tended to show more negative school outcomes than less popular students in general; a relevant point for organizations.

Originality/value

Facebook usage and school‐related attitudes were observed simultaneously in high school and college populations studying in Budapest, Hungary.
Students' orientation towards interpersonal communication in online social networking sites
Authors: Kazeem Kayode Bakare , Zamzami Ikhlas F. , Olowolayemo Akeem
Published: March 2012

Purpose

As computer‐mediated communication has diffused, successive technological variations raise new questions about interpersonal impressions and several standardized instruments have been advanced in literature to asses various aspect of interpersonal attraction phenomena. The purpose of this paper is to examine the claims for reliability and validity of the attraction scales by using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in the light of research since 1974 which has employed the scales, and then improve the measures if needed.

Design/methodology/approach

Random sampling procedure was carried out in two kulliyahs (Faculty) at International Islamic university Malaysia (IIUM), in which 340 students were selected from a population of 2,000 undergraduate students. A total of 26 items were tested from an instrument that has been used in previous studies; each item is expected to measure one of the three orientations' dimensions.

Findings

The analysis result confirms that the orientation of students towards interpersonal communication in online social network sites (SNS) is a multi‐dimensional construct consisting of social attraction, physical attraction and task attraction. In addition, since substantial numbers of research studies have been reported to have employed one or more of these measures, this research was examined to evaluate their reliability and validity.

Research limitations/implications

Since the reliabilities found in literatures have been highly varied, it was determined that improved measures should be used in the future. Thus, a revised and improved version of these measures, using CFA, are reported and recommended in this paper for future research.

Originality/value

The paper has produced a second‐generation measure with substantially improved internal reliability and validity. The paper's most important and obvious conclusion is that interpersonal attraction does appear to be a multidimensional construct.
Collaborative international education: reaching across borders
Authors: Hilgers Michael G. , Flachsbart Barry B. , Elrod Cassandra C.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

As international boundaries fade and financial pressures increase, universities are redefining the norm in educational models. The move from a synchronous classroom to a blended classroom or a completely asynchronous environment has forced faculty to be creative in delivery while overcoming complexities in the associated infrastructure. Furthermore, geographic boundaries have diminished, leaving universities seeking ways to reach out to growing student markets, such as South‐east Asia. However, this rapid international growth and nearly constant revision of delivery has raised serious questions regarding the maintenance of the quality and reputation of the institution. This is particularly challenging for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs requiring laboratory facilities, commercial software, and detailed, highly interactive theoretical analysis. The purpose of this paper is to describe the evolution, in the aforementioned environment, of a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)‐centric university.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper will examine an example of using a local provider in an international setting to deliver content originating from three universities collaborating to deliver a single STEM degree.

Findings

The question of quality of education is found to overshadow this entire process, particularly given the strict constraints placed by accrediting organizations.

Originality/value

The example under consideration has addressed these issues in a variety of means, that is examined through the course of this paper as a case analysis.
Technology/infrastructure diffusion of natural gas vehicles: the case of Shanghai
Authors: Chi Chunjie , Ma Tieju , Ning Fujin
Published: March 2012

Purpose

Diffusion of a new technology and its required infrastructure is a complex process involving various adaptive decision makers interacting with each other, and this is extremely true in diffusion of alternative fuel vehicles. The purpose of this paper is to explore the dynamics of alternative fuel vehicles/infrastructure diffusion through a case study about the diffusion of NGVs (natural gas vehicles) in Shanghai, China.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper first provides a case study of the adoption of NGVs in Shanghai; then the major infrastructure and economic indicators, obstacles in the market penetration process are analyzed. Finally, an agent‐based model is established to simulate the diffusion of NGVs in Shanghai.

Findings

The findings show that several factors limited the adoption of NGV in Shanghai. The initial distribution of refueling stations can be critical to determining whether the technology/infrastructure system survives to become mature and successful. Therefore, the strong support offered to consumers and equipment suppliers from government is important for the market penetration. These findings are also applicable to other alternative fuel vehicles such as hydrogen.

Originality/value

Little real‐world observations have been carried out on the dynamics of alternative fuel vehicles/infrastructure. The paper can enrich people's understanding about the dynamics of diffusion of alternative fuel vehicles/infrastructure and gives policy implications for initializing and keeping a successful demonstration project.
Design of power purchase under transmission congestion
Authors: Gurgur Cigdem Z. , Newes Emily K.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The non‐storable nature of electricity and the increasing complexity of financial instruments as a tool for hedging against risk make the area of research very useful in the real world. Many power portfolio optimization problems have been developed to combat the issue of risk tolerance, but very few (if any) have included transmission constraints. The purpose of this paper is to consider optimization of portfolios of real and contractual assets, including derivative instruments, in a multi‐period setting where transmission constraints also exist.

Design/methodology/approach

Rather than using a flowgate constraint as a representation of transmission congestion, the authors use fixed transmission rights. A model is introduced that involves a three‐node unidirectional network in order to evaluate the significance of transmission constraints. Data from the PJM, which is located in the eastern USA, were used for model implementation.

Findings

The stochastic nonlinear mixed‐integer model presented shows that transmission constraints and fixed transmission rights can have a significant effect on the choices a utility will make when dealing with power procurement. It is demonstrated that the inclusions drastically decrease the value of the objective function.

Research limitations/implications

Conditional value at risk (CVaR) was chosen over VaR as a risk measurement for two different reasons. First, it is important to have a good representation of the trade‐off between the best expected profit and the volatility experienced when obtaining that profit. Second, it provides protection against very undesirable scenarios that may occur with low probability. In order to simplify the fixed transmission rights contracts, a three‐node network is used with unidirectional flow.

Practical implications

When markets were regulated, transmission lines were owned and operated by local utilities, and all power sent over the lines was either owned by the operating utility or wheeled for another utility based on existing agreements. With the advent of deregulation, utilities were forced to wheel other companies' power, which introduced more risk in terms of transmission constraints.

Originality/value

The contribution of this research is to help companies not only hedge the risk of unknown power prices but also unknown transmission congestion. One distinctive feature of the authors' research is to expand upon existing “power portfolio optimization with risk” literature by introducing a transmission constraint into the model. Historically, transmission congestion has been modeled in different ways, including flowgates, transmission rents and fixed transmission rights.
Knowledge is power
Authors: Kristjánsdóttir Helga
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to seek a clearer understanding of how firms involved in power intensive industries participate in foreign direct investment. The paper asks the following questions: how skilled are the employees available for hire? What kind of pollution restrictions will be applied to the plant? Is the infrastructure in place to enable free transport of the necessary materials? All of these are factors that can be analyzed on a national level, and are major factors in government policy.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is designated to explain how macro policy can be directed towards firms in the power intensive industry, to impact the competitiveness within the industry. Skilled labor differences is reflecting governmental policy in its willingness to contribute to education. Infrastructure can be viewed as an indicator for long‐term policy planning by the government. The pollution variable reflects on macro policy emphasis by governments, by presenting their emission targets. Investment cost variable gives indication of government policy concerning the ease with which foreign investors can enter into and invest in a particular country. The case country is Iceland, an isolated island that is unable to export its abundance directly and therefore must do so through foreign direct investment.

Findings

The findings indicate that source countries are attracted by the level of skill in Iceland at the beginning stage of operations when faced with fixed threshold cost. Once the plants have overcome fixed costs, there are positive impacts on marginal investment, the more skilled the source country is compared to the host. Other factors that proved to be important in this case study are distance, infrastructure, government stability, pollution quotas, and the fishing resource.

Originality/value

The relative friendliness a country's policies display towards an industry can make a huge difference when it comes to how successful a business can be, so studying these national‐level policies can help an individual determine what kind of direction to take on the day‐to‐day operational decisions.
John Florio and the introduction of management into the English vocabulary
Authors: Muldoon Jeffrey , Marin Daniel B.
Published: March 2012

Purpose

This paper proposes to explore the circumstances of the word management's entry into English usage, to deepen understanding of this neglected chapter in management history, and to urge further historical research into seminal management terms and concepts. It also aims to offer a brief explanation of John Florio's role in the introduction of management into English and of that of the Italian Renaissance's influence in England.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper's guiding theoretical premise is historian Daniel Rodgers' observation that concepts in government and business often pass from one country to another through “cross fertilization,” effected by the movements and offices of highly connected, cosmopolitan individuals. The sources for this exploration include Florio's World of Words, histories of Florio's circumstances and of the Italian Renaissance, and Evans' edition of La pratica della mercatura (ca 1340) by Francesco Balducci Pegolotti of the fourteenth century Florentine banking firm of Bardi.

Findings

The exploration's findings reinforce Rodgers's account of the spread of government and business concepts and rediscovers a vital link between business practice and humanistic studies.

Research limitations/implications

Modern business education, e.g. in its frequent omission of a foreign language requirement in business college curricula, tends to obscure this linkage, now critical in our global economy. The implication is that this linkage should be revived.

Originality/value

Deeper knowledge of the Italian Renaissance roots of management and of the business practices it denoted brings new light to the interplay between humanistic studies associated with the Italian Renaissance and Renaissance business practices in an international context. Accordingly, the authors believe that this exploration turns a page, albeit the first page, of a neglected chapter in the history of management thought and practice.
Antecedents and implications of uncertainty in management
Authors: Chawla Chetan , Mangaliso Mzamo , Knipes Bradford , Gauthier Jeff
Published: March 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain the antecedents of environmental uncertainty in management using a historical framework. The goal of developing passion and compassion in management practice and research cannot be achieved unless a better understanding is developed of the main challenge facing researchers and practitioners – uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

The antecedents of uncertainty in management are explored using a historical framework. This enables the generation of insights into the nature and use of uncertainty over the decades.

Findings

The importance of environmental uncertainty is escalating. The paper's historical, philosophical and critical view helps scholars explain and interpret uncertainty within their own research and formulate new research questions.

Originality/value

Understanding the epistemological assumptions underlying paradigms will better enable researchers and practitioners to face a future filled with uncertainty and equivocality.