bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
E‐learning and the University of Huelva: a study of WebCT and the technological acceptance model
Authors: Arteaga Sánchez R. , Duarte Hueros A. , García Ordaz M.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that determine the acceptance of the WebCT learning system among students of the faculties of Business and Education Sciences at the University of Huelva, and to verify the direct and indirect effects of these factors.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 226 students at the University of Huelva completed a survey questionnaire measuring their responses to six constructs which explain the system usage in the context of e‐learning: technical support (TS); computer self‐efficacy (CSE); perceived ease of use (PEOU); perceived usefulness (PU); attitude (A); and system usage (SU). Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed for modelling and data analysis.

Findings

The most significant results point to the need to rethink the original structural model in terms of the relations of certain variables, although the authors also establish the importance of the direct effect of technical support on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness among the students. The authors also confirm that WebCT usage and acceptance is directly influenced by perceived usefulness and indirectly by perceived ease of use.

Originality/value

The findings in this study have implications for the virtual learning systems managers at the University of Huelva, and for other universities that use online tuition systems. This paper reflects a lack of technical support which students need to use WebCT more efficiently and shows that training courses and technical assistance for students must be extended.
Perceived benefits, perceived risk, and trust
Authors: Tingchi Liu Matthew , Brock James L. , Cheng Shi Gui , Chu Rongwei , Tseng Ting‐Hsiang
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how perceived benefits, perceived risk, and trust influence Chinese consumers' online group buying organized by institutional initiators.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 578 valid samples were collected via an online survey. Multiple regressions were used to test the research model.

Findings

The results show that three perceived benefits (price benefit, convenience benefit, and recreational benefit) and three factors that together represent trust of the initiator (perceived reputation, structural assurance, and website trustworthiness) significantly positively influence consumers' attitudes toward online group buying.

Originality/value

This study is the first one to specifically focus on how perceived benefits and perceived risks influence consumers' attitudes toward online group buying.
Brand‐extension feedback effects: an Asian branding perspective
Authors: Dwivedi Abhishek , Merrilees Bill
Published: March 2013

Purpose

Most of the literature on feedback effects emanates from the West, and is thus relevant to Western brands. The purpose of this paper is to model the impact of brand‐extensions on parent brand‐equity within the Asian (specifically Indian) context. Additionally, parent brand trust is examined as a new antecedent of brand‐extension feedback.

Design/methodology/approach

Scenario of an Indian product brand hypothetically entering the service sector is chosen as stimulus in the study. A cross‐sectional survey of 327 Generation‐Y respondents is conducted. Structural equation modeling is used for testing the conceptual model.

Findings

The model of brand‐extension feedback fits the data adequately, and five of the six hypotheses are supported. Brand‐extension attitude significantly impacts change in brand‐equity, which is consistent with the extant Western literature. Parent brand trust has a strong impact on change in brand‐equity of a parent brand.

Practical implications

The role and impact of parent brand trust is particularly important in the Asian context. Thus, prior to embarking on a brand‐extension decision, an audit of parent brand trust is recommended. Further, this research opens up newer brand‐extension possibilities for brand managers contemplating brand‐extensions.

Originality/value

This research is a first‐of‐its‐kind from the Asian region (specifically, India) to measure brand‐extension feedback effects on change in brand‐equity of a parent brand. Parent brand trust is introduced as a new antecedent of brand‐extension feedback.
An evaluation of night confinement in a high secure hospital
Authors: Braham Louise G. , Heasley Jonathan F. , Akiens Sam
Published: March 2013

Purpose

Night confinement (NC) has been proposed as an appropriate and safe way to make cost improvements in a high secure NHS hospital. Given potential controversy, evaluating the impact of this change is vital. This paper aims to focus on the issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a mixed methods design to assess the impact of a three month night confinement pilot on four high secure admission wards. In total, 158 staff and 42 patients were approached to complete questionnaires and interview prior to and following the pilot. Questionnaires were analysed using T tests, ANOVA and Mann Whitney‐U to asses perceived changes in ward climate, working environment and quality of life. Thematic and saliency analysis was used to explore themes arising from semi structured interviews. Hospital data were collected to identify behavioural changes.

Findings

The study found that NC had no adverse effects and incidents of self harm, other incidents and seclusion hours dropped by a third during this period. This was contrary to staff expectations.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations include: a large number of researchers involved; average response rate and a disproportionate number of patients on Tilt restrictions on the pilot wards. Further evaluation is necessary if NC is to be adopted more widely.

Practical implications

This evaluation suggests that NC can contribute to providing an efficient and effective secure mental health service.

Originality/value

This study provides a unique opportunity to assess the impact of NC on patients and is of value to other secure units seeking effective cost improvements.
Mindfulness groups for people experiencing distressing psychosis: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Dennick Laura , Fox Andrew P. , Walter‐Brice Alison
Published: March 2013

Purpose

There is an increasingly active area of research indicating that interventions incorporating mindfulness can be beneficial for individuals distressed by experiences of psychosis. However, there is little qualitative information regarding clients' experiences of mindfulness groups. This paper aims to fill this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

To explore the subjective experience of mindfulness groups for people experiencing distressing psychosis. Three participants, who had attended a mindfulness for psychosis group, were interviewed and data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Findings

Four main themes were identified: “experiencing distress”, “group as beneficial”, “mindfulness as beneficial”, and “mindfulness groups as part of the process of recovery”.

Originality/value

The mindfulness groups appeared to support participants' journeys of recovery through: promoting choice and control in relating differently to distress; providing space to socially construct shared meanings; and enhancing a sense of agency in “moving on”.
Winning the intergenerational wars? Intergenerational fairness, welfare reform and families
Authors: Burke Stephen
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to examine public spending cuts and welfare reforms to assess winners and losers amongst older people, children, young people and families. It proposes ways in which intergenerational fairness could be achieved through taxing wealthier older people.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews and analyses spending and policy plans from 2010 onwards, and draws conclusions.

Findings

The paper concludes that children, young people and families are the relative losers of government spending cuts and reforms; older people have been relatively protected; the focus should be on taxing wealthier older people; intergenerational fairness needs to be addressed.

Originality/value

Research tends to focus on one age group, so there have not been many studies which contrast the impact of public policy on different age groups. The concept of intergenerational fairness is only beginning to be discussed.
Unleash the power of mobile word‐of‐mouth
Authors: Shen Xiao‐Liang , Wang Nan , Sun Yongqiang , Xiang Li
Published: March 2013

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effects of system and information characteristics in developing users' perceptions towards ubiquitous decision support systems (UDSS).

Design/methodology/approach

The research model is empirically examined with survey data from 218 mobile users who have adopted a UDSS, i.e. mobile Dianping.com. A structural equation modelling approach is employed to assess the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that system characteristics of wireless networks, mobile devices and mobile applications significantly predicted system quality, which in turn determined system usefulness. Localisation, immediacy and customisation of mobile word‐of‐mouth were the major predictors of information quality, which in turn determined information usefulness.

Originality/value

This study contributes to our current understanding of ubiquitous commerce, especially mobile word‐of‐mouth, by presenting an integrated research framework, identifying system and information characteristics that are specific to the ubiquitous era, extending system quality and system usefulness from a single system to a combination of systems, and empirically examining the crossover effects between system and information factors.
The impact of ubiquitous decision support systems on decision quality through individual absorptive capacity and perceived usefulness
Authors: Wook Seo Young , Chang Lee Kun , Sung Lee Dae
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine a mobile delivery system as a working ubiquitous decision support system (UDSS) and determine whether it would improve decision quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Ubiquitous mobility and context awareness are the two core functions of the UDSS. Hence the authors examined how they might influence individual absorptive capacity and perceived usefulness. Moreover the authors investigated how individual absorptive capacity and perceived usefulness might be related to decision quality. A total of 174 completed questionnaires were collected from delivery workers, and a financial incentive was provided to participants. To test the hypotheses the research model was analysed with the partial least square method.

Findings

The results reveal that all paths are statistically valid. Individual absorptive capacity and perceived usefulness were positively influenced by ubiquitous mobility and context awareness. In addition individual absorptive capacity and perceived usefulness have positive effects on decision quality.

Research limitations/implications

This research model did not consider all the capabilities enabled by the UDSS. Future study should pay attention to nomadicity, proactiveness, invisibility, and portability as relevant antecedents within the model.

Originality/value

In the field of IS studies the impact of the UDSS on users' decision quality has remained unclear to date. The authors adopted a mobile delivery system as a working UDSS and applied it in their study. Thereby the authors found the mediating effects of perceived usefulness and absorptive capacity under a ubiquitous environment.
Improvement of surface properties of AISI 316L SS by oxygen and helium ion implantation
Authors: Muthukumaran V. , Senthil kumar M. , Selladurai V.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to study effect of the implantation of oxygen and helium ions on the corrosion performance of the AISI3l6L stainless steel. It presents useful new results which allows one to draw conclusions as to the suitability of the helium and oxygen ion implanted AISI 316L stainless steel for biomedical use in the body.

Design/methodology/approach

The implantation of oxygen and helium ions was done on AISI 316L SS at an energy level of 100 keV at a dose of 1×1017 ions/cm2, at room temperature. In order to simulate the natural tissue environment, an electrochemical test using cyclic polarization was done in a 0.9 percent sodium chloride solution at a pH value of 6.3 at 37°C. This was carried out on both the virgin and implanted AISI 316L stainless steel for the purpose of comparing performance. In addition to this, the hardness of the virgin and implanted samples was also studied using Vickers microhardness tester with varying loads. Besides, the surface morphologies of the implanted samples and the corroded samples were studied with XRD and SEM.

Findings

From the study the following findings are made. First, the XRD and SEM results were found to be in accordance with the corrosion test results. Second, the general corrosion behavior showed a significant improvement in the case of both helium implanted (icorr=0.0689 mA/cm2) and oxygen implanted (icorr=1.104 mA/cm2), when compared to the virgin AISI 316L SS (icorr=1.2187 mA/cm2). The pitting corrosion showed a significant improvement for helium implanted (Epit=230 mV) when compared to virgin material (Epit=92 mV). The oxygen implanted has not shown any improvement (Epit=92 mV). The surface hardness is found to be 1202 HV for helium implanted and 1020 HV for oxygen implanted, while it is found to be 195 HV for the virgin material. The hardness of the helium and oxygen implanted samples is found to be increased by about 600 percent and 500 percent, respectively, when compared to the virgin samples. Helium implanted samples show better performance in terms of corrosion resistance and hardness when compared to those of the oxygen implanted samples.

Originality/value

Although a number of authors have conducted many research on AISI 316L stainless steel, this work has original experimental results in terms of the oxygen and helium ion implantation parameters used and the specific tests: microhardness, electrochemical corrosion test, SEM and XRD that were used. It thus presents useful new results which allows one to draw conclusions as to the suitability of the Helium and Oxygen ion implanted AISI 316L stainless steel for biomedical use.
Durability and flexibility characteristics of latex modified ferrocement in structural development applications
Authors: Zailan Suleiman Mohd , Talib Roslan , Ramli Mahyuddin
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the durability and flexibility characteristics of latex modified ferrocement in comparison with conventional ferrocement particularly when exposed to severe environmental conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

The research programme encompasses the laboratory investigation on the structural, the deformation behaviour and characteristic of latex modified ferrocement elements cured in air and salt‐water environments. The tests include determination of load and deflection characteristics, moments, crack widths, crack spacing, and the number of cracks when subjected to static flexure.

Findings

Test result indicates a significant improvement in reducing and bridging micro cracks, especially in the pre‐peak load region. Fracture toughness and deformability increased significantly. However, the post peak behaviour was quite similar to conventional ferrocement.

Originality/value

The results show that latex modification has improved the mechanical properties of cement mortars, particularly their flexural strength.
Redefining customer value in lean product development design projects
Authors: Gudem Martin , Steinert Martin , Welo Torgeir , Leifer Larry
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to suggest a redefinition of the functional product value calculation in lean product development (LPD). The proposed method integrates emotional customer value into the traditional model, which is based on minimizing operating costs and reducing time‐to‐market.

Design/methodology/approach

Perceptions of customer value among employees at a Norwegian boat manufacturer, customers, and competitors are investigated through a case study. Results are compared with principles for promoting value and minimizing waste in LPD.

Findings

Findings from the case study suggest that a less‐than‐perfect match between customer needs and product offerings sometimes improves customer satisfaction. Furthermore, how customers perceive product value depends on experience that may be at variance with current needs. It is also suggested that deep understanding of customer‐defined value does not imply an ability to satisfy that value.

Research limitations/implications

Understanding the position of meaning‐driven and technology‐driven innovation in different types of industries represents a challenge for further research, as does the issue of whether these two are the only dimensions driving a sustainable innovation strategy. Actionable knowledge on how emotional value can be maximized is also needed.

Originality/value

Maximizing customer value is a core principle in LPD, but the value definitions used tend to be based on logical reasoning rather than real‐life observations. This article presents empirical insights concerning different stakeholders' perceptions of customer value, and the resulting implications for the present lean framework.
Medical waste management: a case study in a small size hospital of central Italy
Authors: Giacchetta Giancarlo , Marchetti Barbara
Published: March 2013

Purpose

A measurement campaign was carried out for assessing the waste flow in a pilot hospital of a region in central Italy, with the purpose of having a complete overview of the waste stream and of the personnel behavior in managing and handling waste flow both internally and in outsourcing. The main aim of the work was to provide instruction for decreasing waste quantities, improving segregation and decreasing costs and environmental risks. Moreover an analysis of the effectiveness of outsourcing the waste management service in terms of cost reduction and efficiency improvements and of the limits has been performed.

Design/methodology/approach

A self‐assessment model was proposed for evaluating waste generation patterns, quantities and sources and identifying anomalies. The research team comprised the hospital administrator, the head physician and charge nurse of each hospital ward, the administrative in charge of the waste management documents, the head of the hospital pharmacy, the responsible for the external outsourcing company in charge of waste collection and disposal, and the research team of Università Politecnica delle Marche. The data were obtained through the questionnaires elaborated by the group and submitted to a selected sample of personnel; they were asked to provide information on waste management practices (generation, collection, segregation, cleaning, storage) and quantities.

Findings

Anomalous behaviors were identified in the high amount of solid waste going into the medical waste stream; corrective actions have been proposed and their effectiveness has been monitored after implementation. The measures allowed a reduction of medical waste from 13 to 15 percent in two analyzed wards with a significant reduction of waste management costs.

Originality/value

This work has been requested and supported by the management of the healthcare structure analyzed, and represents a first step in the implementation of a policy that considers waste management as one of the fundamental processes for the proper functioning of the hospital.
Workplace stress interventions using participatory action research designs
Authors: McVicar Andrew , Munn‐Giddings Carol , Seebohm Patience
Published: March 2013

Purpose

Complex collaborative interventions are increasingly applied for stress management but outcomes are inconsistent. “Collaboration” is most highly developed in participatory action research (PAR). Future research might be guided by understanding features integral to successful PAR designs. The purpose of this paper is to present a review of PAR studies which had predominantly positive outcomes, in order to identify features of their designs.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 48 collaborative intervention studies (1982‐2010) were identified, and filtered according to positive outcomes (improved working environment, job performance, absenteeism, and stress levels), and PAR criteria for stakeholder engagement: 11 studies from six countries were selected for scoping review.

Findings

Organization size and sector was not important for PAR, but the extent of uptake of an intervention/change is and a “unit” of up to 100 employees was engaged in most of the studies reviewed. Study aims should not be over‐ambitious. Long‐term involvement of “change agents” or “action groups” in close communication with a steering group appears most effective in engaging employees over a long period of time, ideally 12+ months. Self‐report scales dominated evaluations (21 different scales; range 1‐7 per study) but this strategy is challenged by impacts of organizational change and staff turnover on response rates. Comparison with a non‐intervention group appears to strengthen the evaluation, but PAR also provides an opportunity to implement an innovative strategy sensitive to the workplace situation. PAR provides scope to engage managers as participants. The participatory process was least effective where this was unsuccessful.

Research limitations/implications

PAR has high potential for the engagement of management, and identification of a rigorous evaluation strategy, that would facilitate the efficacy of collaborative designs.

Originality/value

Insights are provided into characteristics of highly collaborative, and demonstrably effective, PAR designs.
Older age and ill‐health: links to work and worklessness
Authors: Carmichael Fiona , Hulme Claire , Porcellato Lorna
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on the relationship between health and employment in older age.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative methods are used with some additional quantitative analysis to explore emergent themes. The qualitative analysis is based on interviews with 56 men and women between the ages of 50 and 68. This part of the study uses the respondents’ own words to explain how physical and mental ill‐health has impacted on labour market participation and vice versa. The quantitative analysis uses data from the British Household Panel Study and multivariate techniques.

Findings

The research highlights the complexity, individuality and two‐way causality underlying the relationships between health, work and worklessness in older age. The analysis also suggests that type of job and workplace conditions matter. The negative impact of the onset of ill‐health on employment participation only appears to be accentuated by age for women.

Research limitations/implications

The two data sets are not directly comparable.

Social implications

Planned rises in the age at which state pensions are payable need to be accompanied by policies that improve the health of older people and changes in workplace practices that facilitate longer working lives.

Originality/value

The paper has a specific focus on the relationship between ill‐health and employment in older age; uses qualitative methods to draw out the main issues and quantitative analysis to draw additional insights and make some comparisons with younger cohorts.
Genetic and evolutionary biometrics
Authors: Alford Aniesha , Adams Joshua , Shelton Joseph , Dozier Gerry , Bryant Kelvin , Kelly John
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to explore the value preference space associated with the optimization and generalization performance of GEFeWSML.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors modified the evaluation function utilized by GEFeWSML such that the weights assigned to each objective (i.e. error reduction and feature reduction) were varied. For each set of weights, GEFeWSML was used to evolve FMs for the face, periocular, and face + periocular templates. The best performing FMs on the training set (FMtss) and the best performing FMs on the validation set (FM*s) were then applied to the test set in order to evaluate how well they generalized to the unseen subjects.

Findings

By varying the weights assigned to each of the objectives, the authors were able to suggest values that would result in the best optimization and generalization performances for facial, periocular, and face + periocular recognition. GEFeWSML using these suggested values outperformed the previously reported GEFeWSML results, using significantly fewer features while achieving the same recognition accuracies statistically.

Originality/value

In this paper, the authors investigate the relative weighting of each objective using a value preference structure and suggest the best weights to be used for each biometric modality tested.
Fully fuzzy linear systems of triangular fuzzy numbers (a,b,c)
Authors: Kumar Amit , Bansal Abhinav , Babbar Neetu
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study a nascent theory and an emerging concept of solving a fully fuzzy linear system (FFLS) with no non negative restrictions on the triangular fuzzy numbers chosen as parameters. Two new simplified computational methods are proposed to solve a FFLS without any sign restrictions. The first method eliminates the non‐negativity constraint from the coefficient matrix while the second method eliminates the constraint of non‐negativity on the solution vector. The methods are introduced with an objective to broaden the domain of fuzzy linear systems to encompass a wide range of problems occurring in reality.

Design/methodology/approach

The design of numerical methods is motivated by decomposing the fuzzy based linear system into its equivalent crisp linear form which can be further solved by variety of classical methods to solve a crisp linear system. Further the paper investigates Schur complement technique to solve the crisp equivalent of the FFLS.

Findings

The results that are obtained reveal interesting properties of a FFLS. By using the proposed methods, the authors are able to check the consistency of the fuzzy linear system as well as obtain the nature of obtained solutions, i.e. trivial, unique or infinite. Further it is also seen that an n×n FFLS may yield finitely many solutions which may not be entirely feasible (strong). Also the methods successfully remove the non‐negativity restriction on the coefficient matrix and the solution vector, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

Evolving methods with better computational complexity and that which remove the non‐negativity restriction jointly on all the parameters are left as an open problem.

Originality/value

The proposed methods are new and conceptually simple to understand and apply in several scientific areas where fuzziness persists. The methods successfully remove several constraints that have been employed exhaustively by researchers and thus eventually tend to widen the breadth of applicability and usability of fuzzy linear models in real life situations. Heretofore, the usability of FFLS is largely dormant.
Nonlinear system modeling and identification of small helicopter based on genetic algorithm
Authors: Yang Fan , Chen Zongji , Wei Chen
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to build nonlinear model of a small rotorcraft‐based unmanned aerial vehicles (RUAV), using nonlinear system identification method to estimate the parameters of the model. The nonlinear model will be used in robust control system design and aerodynamic analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The nonlinear model is built based on mechanism theory, aerodynamics and mechanics, which can reflect most dynamics in large flight envelop. Genetic algorithm (GA) and time domain flight data is adopted to estimate unknown parameters of the model. The flight data were collected from a series of fight tests. The identification results were also analyzed and validated.

Findings

The nonlinear model of RUAV has better accuracy, the parameters are physical quantities, and having distinctly recognizable values. The GA is suitable for nonlinear system identification. And the results proved the identified model can reflect the dynamic characteristics in extensive area of flight envelop.

Research limitations/implications

The GA requires much more computing power, to identify 12 unknown parameters with 30 iterations, will takes more than 18 hours of a four cores desktop computer. Because of this is an off‐line identification process, and has more accuracy, extra time is acceptable.

Originality/value

GA method has significantly increased the accuracy of the model. The previous work of system identification used a ten states linear model, and using PEM identified 23 coefficients. By carefully building the nonlinear model, it has only 21 unknown parameters, but if the model is linearized, it will get a linear model more than 35 states, which shows nonlinear model contain more dynamics than linear model.
Swarm controlled emergence for ant clustering
Authors: Scheidler Alexander , Merkle Daniel , Middendorf Martin
Published: March 2013

Purpose

Swarm controlled emergence is proposed as an approach to control emergent effects in (artificial) swarms. The method involves the introduction of specific control agents into the swarm systems. Control agents behave similar to the normal agents and do not directly influence the behavior of the normal agents. The specific design of the control agents depends on the particular swarm system considered. The aim of this paper is to apply the method to ant clustering. Ant clustering, as an emergent effect, can be observed in nature and has inspired the design of several technical systems, e.g. moving robots, and clustering algorithms.

Design/methodology/approach

Different types of control agents for that ant clustering model are designed by introducing slight changes to the behavioural rules of the normal agents. The clustering behaviour of the resulting swarms is investigated by extensive simulation studies.

Findings

It is shown that complex behavior can emerge in systems with two types of agents (normal agents and control agents). For a particular behavior of the control agents, an interesting swarm size dependent effect was found. The behaviour prevents clustering when the number of control agents is large, but leads to stronger clustering when the number of control agents is relatively small.

Research limitations/implications

Although swarm controlled emergence is a general approach, in the experiments of this paper the authors concentrate mainly on ant clustering. It remains for future research to investigate the application of the method in other swarm systems. Swarm controlled emergence might be applied to control emergent effects in computing systems that consist of many autonomous components which make decentralized decisions based on local information.

Practical implications

The particular finding, that certain behaviours of control agents can lead to stronger clustering, can help to design improved clustering algorithms by using heterogeneous swarms of agents.

Originality/value

In general, the control of (unwanted) emergent effects in artificial systems is an important problem. However, to date not much research has been done on this topic. This paper proposes a new approach and opens a different research direction towards future control principles for self‐organized systems that consist of a large number of autonomous components.
Image segmentation based on differential immune clone clustering algorithm
Authors: Ma Wenping , Ti Feifei , Li Congling , Jiao Licheng
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a Differential Immune Clone Clustering Algorithm (DICCA) to solve image segmentation.

Design/methodology/approach

DICCA combines immune clone selection and differential evolution, and two populations are used in the evolutionary process. Clone reproduction and selection, differential mutation, crossover and selection are adopted to evolve two populations, which can increase population diversity and avoid local optimum. After extracting the texture features of an image and encoding them with real numbers, DICCA is used to partition these features, and the final segmentation result is obtained.

Findings

This approach is applied to segment all sorts of images into homogeneous regions, including artificial synthetic texture images, natural images and remote sensing images, and the experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Originality/value

The method presented in this paper represents a new approach to solving clustering problems. The novel method applies the idea two populations are used in the evolutionary process. The proposed clustering algorithm is shown to be effective in solving image segmentation.
Entrepreneurship within social and health care
Authors: Kovalainen Anne , Österberg‐Högstedt Johanna
Published: March 2013

Purpose

This article aims to look first at how entrepreneurial identity fits into the picture we currently have of social and health care professionals who most often work in paid employment in the public sector, and second, how entrepreneurial identity is constructed. We discuss whether professional identity and entrepreneurial identity can be separated, and how meaningful that question is. Is the role of entrepreneurship limited in the context of health and social care professional services, or can we see the emergence of a new kind of entrepreneurial identity with special features related to the complexity within the provision of services in social and health care?

Design/methodology/approach

The materials from two previous studies by the authors are used in the article as empirical data to investigate the questions of identity and professionalism. The methodology is based on re‐reading and re‐interpretation of both empirical studies and theoretical literature.

Findings

There are differences and different logics of work‐related identity building among the entrepreneurial groups and among professional groups. Despite this and even if part of the research tradition emphasizes this difference and the separateness of these identities, we argue that identities are fluid, changing, layered and overlapping. As identities cannot be predetermined or classified according to economic earnings logic only, but that they are malleable, evolving, interconnected, and intertwined. In addition, the paper raises the contradiction of stereotypically “masculine” entrepreneurial goals and the stereotypically “female” ideology of care existing as tension within entrepreneurship in social and health care.

Research limitations/implications

The research limitations relate to the research design of not using ethnographical data.

Practical implications

The article has no direct practical implications. The results might have relevance to education.

Social implications

The article has social implications in the ways the identities are discussed through various discourses in the societies.

Originality/value

The article has both originality in the settings and value in bringing different discussions together, as well as in its ability to widen the theoretical discussions and empirical studies on identities, paid employment and entrepreneurship.
Wind beneath my wings: policies promoting high‐growth oriented women entrepreneurs
Authors: Clark Muntean Susan
Published: March 2013

Purpose

While numerous comparative studies have measured women's participation in starting or owning a business, the factors stimulating their engagement in highly productive entrepreneurial activity have been understudied. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

This study compares country‐level data on the institutional and cultural factors that affect a woman's decision to start and grow a business with country‐level measures of the entrepreneurial environment, innovative activity and access to opportunity.

Findings

It was found that three institutional and cultural factors influence the decision calculus of women to found and expand enterprises: legal and social status; institutional presence; and economic empowerment. Women who have the requisite support exploit market opportunities and translate their ideas, creativity and skills into high potential, high growth ventures. This in turn generates entrepreneurial activity, job creation and prosperity at the country level.

Research limitations/implications

Comparable data on variables of interest, including the number of female‐founded high‐growth businesses and child care support, for example, are not available across countries. This study uses proxies and indices where data are missing and makes recommendations on improving data collection for future scholarship.

Practical implications

Improving access to collateral by strengthening the property rights of women, increasing the representation of women in banking, business, government and academia, and providing greater economic empowerment of all women produces more productive entrepreneurial activity and prosperity for the entire population.

Originality/value

Women entrepreneurs are a missing link that explains variation among countries in the quality and quantity of entrepreneurial activity.
Addressing methodological frailties in IT outsourcing surveys
Authors: Terzioğlu Bülend , Chan Elsie , Schmidt Peter
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to review 73 survey articles relating to information technology outsourcing (ITO) published by 17 information technology journals over the 20‐year period 1991‐2010. The review focuses on seven attributes of survey methodology (i.e. information on research questions, pilot testing of the survey instrument, sampling method employed, sample size, response rate, nonresponse bias and internal validity) and ascertains the extent to which those attributes have been addressed. The main purpose of this study is to provide insights for researchers to help improve the data quality, and reliability of survey results.

Design/methodology/approach

Review of literature over the past 20 years (1991‐2010).

Findings

There is strong evidence that deficiencies in the administration of survey methods in ITO persist and that such shortcomings compromise rigour, and therefore need to be redressed.

Practical implications

Although this review is performed in an ITO context, findings are of interest and benefit to all survey researchers. The key contribution of this paper is that it provides up‐to‐date evidence regarding quality of survey research as it applies to ITO by identifying areas needing attention so that the integrity of survey research methodology can be maintained and it can continue to provide reliable findings for the advancement of knowledge.

Originality/value

This study provides an examination of literature dealing exclusively with an IT outsourcing survey. It can, however, serve as a guide for all survey researchers regarding the pitfalls in survey methodology.
Explicating strategic shared leadership process
Authors: Sekhar Bhattacharyya Som , Jha Sumi
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The concept of Shared Leaders (one or more leaders) leading an organization is gaining grounds both in the world of theory and practice. The aim of this article is to attempt to comprehend the process of the shared leadership at a strategic level of a firm, it can be called “Strategic Shared Leadership Process (SSLP)”.

Design/methodology/approach

Responses from 257 middle level managers were collected by a closed ended structured survey questionnaire. A total of ten variables were identified from literature to study SSLP. The data were analyzed using AMOS 16 for Structured Equation Modeling.

Findings

Three models emerged from the study. In the first model, significant positive relationship between Leaders' Organizational Legitimacy (LOL), Leaders' Informal Authority Base (LIAB) and Leaders' Domain Knowledge (LDK) with Leaders' Joint Accountability (LJA) and Leaders' Non‐Financial Decision making (LOFD) was found. In the second model significant negative relationship between followers' years of work experience and Leaders' Organizational Change Decision (OCD) and positive relationship between OCD and Leaders' Organizational Visioning (LOV) was found. For the third model, significant positive relationship between length of Co‐work Association (LCWA) and Leaders' Voice Equity (LVE) with Leaders' Organizational Financial Decision Making (LOFD) was present.

Research limitations/implications

The three models developed in the study to understand SSLP made theoretical contribution.

Practical implications

Organizational Development practitioners can use the study output as the intervention inputs during establishing SSLP in their firm.

Originality/value

This is one of the first empirical studies on SSLP.
Islamic marketing – a challenger to the classical marketing canon?
Authors: Wilson Jonathan A.J. , Grant John
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to debate what (if anything) is Islamic marketing? And link developments in this field to the wider marketing paradigm.

Design/methodology/approach

A phenomenological antipositivist review of key case examples, drawing from 40 years of the authors' collective professional experiences; and field notes investigating approximately 1,000 brand marketing media reports, and 32 in‐depth interviews – as industry active academic practitioners. Supporting this, literature searches covered the fields of marketing, cultural studies, anthropology, contemporary religion, post‐structuralism and natural philosophy.

Findings

Marketing is both a concept and lived experience, manifest in the competitive exchange of commoditised thoughts, feelings, actions and objects – between engaged individuals and collectives. For many reasons, Islamic and Brand agendas/imperatives have risen in the consciousness and practises of Muslims and non‐Muslims globally, through social interactions. These have placed Islamic, brand and marketing practises in the spotlight, singularly and collectively. On the surface, many have considered whether Islamic marketing is a truism, a phenomenon, a noumenon, an ideology, or even a paradigm? The paper suggests that it represents a new focal phase “torchbearer”, as a conspicuous and necessary challenger strain towards convention, supporting fit for purpose marketing – just as “green” and “digital” marketing have previously, and continue to do so.

Research limitations/implications

This is a viewpoint piece, which whilst based upon the experiences of two authors, draws from their varied practitioner‐engaged action research, as collaborators and participants. To this end they adopt a standpoint, which argues for marketing being an applied science, rejecting approaches that encourage academic/practitioner divides.

Practical implications

Scholars and practitioners should resist the temptation to study and practice the field with a silo mentality. Marketing is not monolithic, nor is Islamic marketing necessarily a new phenomenon, or discrete sub‐set. Muslims have always engaged in marketing practices – offering symbolic and functional value globally.

Originality/value

The paper presents the following key argument: that Islamic Marketing is (while connected to the Islamic faith, heritage and cultural milieu) most usefully described and analysed as a differentiated wave within marketing activities and consumption, spearheaded currently by Muslims and non‐Muslims alike. And hence that it can be related to other developments in the marketing field, where marketing moves through evolutionary and revolutionary phases of meaning and practice, while grappling with new challenges and channels, in order to maintain its relevance and efficacy.
Measuring and building lean thinking for value creation in supply chains
Authors: Shamah Rania A.M.
Published: March 2013

Purpose

This study aims to develop a standardised instrument to measure the impact of lean thinking on supply chain value. This tool can be used to examine supply chain readiness and thus enhance overall value. It can also observe the potential role of customers, competitors and suppliers in increasing supply chain performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of previous studies is undertaken in the Egyptian industrial sector. The study also uses a questionnaire provided across all managerial levels of Egyptian firms. This questionnaire is divided into two main sections: the first section is considered to be about lean thinking stages for waste elimination, namely muri, mura and muda, while the second section relates to the value creation dimensions.

Findings

The developed instrument accesses and analyses different types of lean thinking for identifying lean degree in supply chains. Consequently, it could lead to enhancing value creation in supply chains. This explorative study also indicates that the Egyptian industrial sector is willing to go lean.

Research limitations/implications

Some limitations exist in this study. First, the survey was conducted on the Egyptian industrial sector. The applicability of the proposed scale should thus be further tested in different countries and service mixtures.

Practical implications

Internal resistance is more of a barrier than external (customers, suppliers or competitors) resistance to lean thinking. Thus, organisations should focus first on internal (functional) integration and then move on to interorganisational integration. Further, people are more critical than technology in implementing lean thinking.

Originality/value

There is little empirical research on the implementation of lean thinking. Practitioners and researchers should find value in this unique instrument.
Critical success factors of Lean Six Sigma for the Malaysian automotive industry
Authors: Fadly Habidin Nurul , Mohd Yusof Sha'ri
Published: March 2013

Purpose

The objective of this paper is to explore the critical success factors (CSFs) for Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in the Malaysian automotive industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the model drawing on a sample of 252 Malaysian automotive organisations. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and reliability analysis empirically verified and validated the underlying items of CSFs of LSS.

Findings

The results of EFA, CFA, and reliability analysis show that two items for supplier relationship are recommended to be excluded from the analysis. The result indicates that LSS has identified 40 items as compared to the original questionnaire which had 42 items. Based on the survey of empirical data, the two factors of leadership and customer focus have been shown to be the extremely important factors for LSS implementation in the Malaysian automotive industry.

Research limitations/implications

Firstly, this survey is based only on the automotive industry in Malaysia, and therefore it is not generalisable to other industries. Secondly, there may be other CSFs for LSS such as culture change, project management skill, and employee involvement, which were not included in this study. Finally, for future research agenda, the authors are looking at the structural relationship between LSS practices and organizational performance in the Malaysian automotive industry.

Originality/value

The developed and tested content of this study fills the research gap by providing reliable and useful reference material on the CSFs of LSS. On top of that, the contribution for academic researchers and practitioners is to provide important guidelines for automotive and related companies to implement LSS strategic practices to improve organizational performance.