bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Critical incidents and social construction of corporate social responsibility
Authors: Andreas Engen Ole , Mikkelsen Aslaug , Grønhaug Kjell
Published: August 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to address how major companies adjust their behaviour and definitions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) when exposed to “critical incidents”.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a qualitative explorative study including two cases from the Norwegian oil and gas industry, both reflecting critical incidents that are included in the present study: the Utkal case of Norsk Hydro and the Iran corruption case of Statoil.

Findings

The critical incidents reported here resulted in changes in decision making and the reformulation of corporate strategies. The findings reported also reveal how the construction of CSR policy and the construction of the reality of the different stakeholders were transferred between companies, NGOs and civil society.

Research limitations/implications

Only a small sample of events and companies is investigated in the study. Accordingly, future research is needed on how legislation and government regulations affect a broader scale of different companies and how complex organisations manage individual and organisational challenges concerning all aspects of CSR.

Practical implications

Assuming that critical incidents influence organisational attention, interpretation and actions, the study indicates that the incidents can be seen as catalysts for the emergence of new CSR policy. New CSR policy is expressed in the patterns of social behaviour. This implies participating in diverse social networks, partnerships and learning forums and that CSR behaviour is constructed in the interaction between company, NGOs, media and business networks.

Originality/value

Similar studies have not previously been undertaken in Norwegian oil companies.
Determinants of environmental accounting practices in local entities: evidence from Portugal
Authors: Lima Ribeiro Veronica P. , Aibar‐Guzman Cristina
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which Portuguese local entities have implemented a set of environmental accounting practices, and to analyse some potential determining factors of their use.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected by sending a postal questionnaire to a sample of medium‐sized and large city councils and the municipal companies belonging to those municipalities. Three variables were considered as possible factors that drive the development of environmental accounting practices in the local public sector.

Findings

The degree of development of environmental accounting practices in Portuguese local entities is low. Organisational size and the degree of development of environmental management practices are positively and statistically related to the level of development of environmental accounting practices. However, the findings suggest that the existence of compulsory environmental accounting standards is not positively associated with the development of environmental accounting practices by Portuguese local entities.

Research limitations/implications

The study limits itself to Portugal and, therefore, its results could not be applicable in other settings.

Practical implications

Portugal is experiencing a phase of development of regulatory environmental disclosure requirements. Understanding the environmental accounting and reporting practices currently developed by Portuguese local entities, as well as their drivers, may help regulators to develop more suitable standards for the sector.

Originality/value

The majority of empirical studies on environmental accounting practices in public organisations are focused largely on an Anglo‐Saxon context. This paper attempts to address this gap in the literature by providing a snapshot of the environmental accounting practices developed by Portuguese local entities.
Characteristics of shared service centers
Authors: Schulz Veit , Brenner Walter
Published: August 2010

Purpose

Even though a lot of publications focusing on shared service center (SSC) exist, there is no unique understanding of the term “SSC”. The aim of this paper is to obtain an overview of definitions of the term “SSC” and an overview of relevant literature. It also aims to derive a common understanding with the help of SSC characteristics frequently mentioned. Furthermore, it seeks to identify important differences in the definitions and show their implications for the SSC concept.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive literature review was the basis for this research. An online database containing the most important journals had been scanned for SSC definitions. Furthermore, the most cited books had been analyzed.

Findings

There is no unique understanding of SSCs in science and practice. A standardized definition of SSCs is not established. The different definitions vary in many ways. Nevertheless, some characteristics that define the term SSC are mentioned in most publications, including consolidation of processes within the group, delivery of support processes, cost cutting as a major driver, focus on internal customers, alignment with external customers, separated organizational unit and operation like a business. Although there is a common understanding about SSC in parts, fundamental differences were identified, especially between SSC definitions for public and private sectors. These differences have several impacts on the understanding and application of the SSC concept.

Research limitations/implications

The most relevant publications have been considered, but probably not all publications with definitions of the term “SSC”. Future research must include more publications as well as the perceptions of practitioners. Furthermore, the perception of SSC management and staff has not been analyzed.

Practical implications

Owing to the fact that many different definitions for SSC exist, people dealing with a SSC are confused about the meaning of the term – confusion which is likely to result in ambiguity concerning research interpretations. The differences in definitions should be known to understand practical implications like different requirements in governance or regulation.

Originality/value

Some research in the area of SSCs has already been conducted. Nevertheless, neither extensive literature overviews of existing definitions nor comparisons of these definitions for the term SSC exist. The discrepancies in definitions and their implications have not yet been considered.
Shared service strategies in local government – a multiple case study exploration
Authors: Niehaves Bjoern , Krause Andreas
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The paper seeks to investigate into the shared services phenomenon in the context of government reforms. It especially aims to address the emergence and shaping of shared services. The paper seeks to develop the notion of shared service centres (SSCs) and shared service networks (SSNs).

Design/methodology/approach

An interview‐ and document analysis‐based multiple case study was conducted in Germany. The qualitative analysis covered two shared service projects on the local government level.

Findings

Important preconditions for shared service emergence are identified, including cost pressure as motive, the existence of key actors as well as the existence of prior cooperation. Moreover, the paper provides evidence that the structure of previous cooperation exerts influence on if shared services are organized in a centralised (SSC) or decentralised format (SSN).

Research limitations/implications

The case selection is a possible limitation of the presented study. The selected cases give an insight into the topic of shared service configuration. The findings derived constitute indicators of possible patterns, which have to be approved by further research in order to identify reliable causal relationships and improve generalisablity of the results presented here.

Originality/value

An insight into conditions of adaptation and shaping of shared services is given, suggesting causal relationships for further theory testing and development.
Marketing secondhand goods in late medieval England
Authors: Davis James
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main practitioners, goods, customers and locations of secondhand marketing activities in late medieval England. It questions how important was the economic role played by such markets and what was the interaction with more formal market structures?

Design/methodology/approach

A broad range of evidence was examined, covering the period from 1200 to 1500: regulations, court rolls, wills, manorial accounts, literature, and even archaeology. Such material often provided mere scraps of information about marginal marketing activity and it was important to recognise the severe limitations of the evidence. Nevertheless, a wide survey of the available sources can give us an insight into medieval attitudes towards such trade, as well as reminding us that much marketing activity occurred beyond the reach of the surviving documentation.

Findings

Late medieval England had numerous outlets for secondhand items, from sellers of used clothes and furs who wandered the marketplaces to craftsmen who recycled and mended old materials. Secondhand marketing was an important part of the medieval makeshift economy, serving not only the needs of the lower sectors of society but also those aspiring to a higher status. However, it is unlikely that such trade generated much profit and the traders were often viewed as marginal, suspicious and even fraudulent.

Originality/value

There is a distinct lack of research into the extent of and significance of medieval secondhand marketing, which existed in the shadowy margins of formal markets and is thus poorly represented in the primary sources. A broad‐based approach to the evidence can highlight a variety of important issues, which impact upon the understanding of the medieval English economy.
Rubbish or riches? Buying from church jumble sales in late‐Victorian England
Authors: Richmond Vivienne
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the merchandise offered and bought at late‐nineteenth‐century English jumble sales, to understand the place of jumble sales and used goods in the domestic budgets of the poors, and to investigate the reasons for purchasing from jumble sales rather than other second‐hand goods outlets.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analysesAnglican Parish Magazinesand social surveys, in late‐Victorian England, focusing on two commodities: clothing and carpets.

Findings

Jumble sales were organised by the middle and upper classes for the poor, into whose multiple provisioning strategies they were rapidly integrated, although admission fees excluded the poorest. The sales supplied both necessary and non‐essential items and were eagerly attended, but there is no evidence that they were preferred to other second‐hand outlets or that the goods on offer were cheaper or better quality. Although a site of class interaction, jumble sales also served to maintain class separation.

Research limitations/implications

The geographical spread of this paper omits the most southern, northern and western counties. Further work is also needed to determine more precisely the quality and cost of jumble‐sale merchandise, the age and gender of the customers, and differences between urban and rural sales.

Originality/value

Through interrogation of an underused source, parish magazines, the paper redresses the scholarly neglect of a significant and enduring sector of the used goods market. The paper is of value to historians of marketing, philanthropy, consumption, dress, and the English working classes.
Retail history in the management context: prototype, prologue or prequel?
Authors: Alexander Nicholas
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the value of history within a contemporary retail management and marketing context.

Design/methodology/approach

The progress that has been made in incorporating historical methods and history into the retail management and marketing literature was considered.

Findings

The paper explains how history is able to develop understanding in research areas that are by their nature oriented toward contemporary concerns.

Research limitations/implications

The importance of maintaining an historical perspective and not allowing the present to determine an understanding of the past are emphasised. That is, for research to understand the past on its own terms and for the past to help determine an understanding of the present.

Practical implications

The paper explores practical implications for the study of history in the retail management and marketing context.

Originality/value

The paper addresses the dilemma researchers facing in subject areas where it is much easier to see history as a precursor to current activities, rather than as an opportunity to explore questions in different contexts and within longer time frames.
Past, present and future directions in the study of the history of retailing
Authors: Alexander Andrew
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate some of the recent progress in the study of the history of retailing, with particular reference to analyses of the British retail market during the twentieth century.

Design/methodology/approach

Three themes were addressed, each of which has significant potential to enhance our understanding of the historical development of the retail sector. The paper considered both conceptual and empirical contributions to the discussion on the history of retailing, with particular reference to the business management literature. The approach involved a review of recently published literature.

Findings

Whilst there have been a number of important additions of late to the retail history literature, considerable scope remains for engagement with, and contribution to, the theory building taking place within business management.

Practical implications

The author identifies some of the lacunae within research on the history of retailing.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates some of the ways in which the study of retailing history can be productively linked with debates within contemporary studies of business management.
Science‐policy linkages in climate change adaptation in Europe
Authors: Westerhoff Lisa , Juhola Sirkku
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to emphasise the importance of resolving the disconnect between issues of quality, timing and uncertainty in climate projections and the need for swift, informed and appropriate climate change adaptation decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper utilises results from a multi‐level study of adaptation policy conducted in early 2009 to assess the different approaches to climate change, the production of climate information, and its application at national and select sub‐national levels in Italy and Finland. Data were collected via a preliminary review of relevant documents as well as 23 interviews in Italy and 21 interviews in Finland conducted with climate change and environmental policy actors at each scale of administration.

Findings

The paper shows while the different extent and processes of climate research and their linkages to policy can be seen as determinants of the development of adaptation measures, the multi‐scalar adaptation decision‐making processes and the ways in which climate change and climate information are framed and used render climate research and its application a complex process.

Originality/value

The paper contributes further understanding of the linkages between science and policy with regards to adaptation, and the nature of science‐policy linkages in local decision‐making processes in particular. The findings are of importance to climate scientists and policy‐makers alike.
A conceptual framework of relationship commitment: e‐travel agencies
Authors: “Khal” Nusair Khaldoon , Hua Nan , Li Xu
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The paper aims to develop a theory‐based model of relationship commitment in an online travel domain. The model seeks to explain in detail the antecedents and outcomes of commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive review of relationship marketing and commitment literature helps to develop a model of commitment.

Findings

A model is developed based on existing literature. Quality of alternatives, investment size, satisfaction and trust are antecedents of both calculative and affective commitment. Two dimensions of commitment have different impact on word‐of‐mouth communications.

Practical implications

Given the intense competition among online travel agents, the proposed model can be used by e‐vendors to develop and maintain long‐term relationships with customers.

Originality/value

Commitment has been studied as a unidimensional construct in existing marketing relationship literature. Few research studies relating to this topic have been conducted in online travel context. This paper incorporates two dimensions of commitment in a business‐to‐customer travel setting.
Investigating homeowners' interest in property‐level flood protection
Authors: Kazmierczak Aleksandra , Bichard Erik
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The inevitability of climate change and its consequences brings on the need to find new ways of adapting to extreme events, such as floods. One immediate measure would be to make physical improvements to houses to either prevent their inundation or minimise the damage when flood waters enter premises. Currently, the level of implementation of these measures is low. This paper aims to assess the willingness of house owners living in flood risk zones to carry out works that make their homes better protected against flooding.

Design/methodology/approach

Householders (101) in low‐ and medium‐income areas of Salford, north west of England were interviewed on their perceptions of climate change consequences, willingness to make physical improvements to their properties and preparedness to pay for them.

Findings

The homeowners are concerned about the climate change effects on their homes, feel responsible for protection of their properties against flooding and express interest in several flood protection measures. The median value respondents are willing to pay is under £100.

Research limitations/implications

This study is carried out on a small sample of respondents and national‐scale survey is recommended.

Practical implications

There is a need for action to increase the motivation to invest in property‐level flood measures among house owners, which should include awareness raising actions, subsidies and incentives promoting sustainable behaviour.

Originality/value

The paper investigates the new subject of property‐level flood protection and provides a comprehensive analysis of homeowners' perceptions of climate change risks and willingness to act.
Assessment of potential tsunamigenic seismic hazard to Sri Lanka
Authors: Wijetunge Janaka
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an assessment of the potential tsunamigenic seismic hazard to Sri Lanka from all active subduction zones in the Indian Ocean Basin.

Design/methodology/approach

The assessment was based on previous studies as well as past seismicity of the subducion zones concerned.

Findings

Accordingly, four seismic zones capable of generating teletsunamis that could reach Sri Lanka have been identified, namely, Northern Andaman‐Myanmar, Northern Sumatra‐Andaman and Southern Sumatra in the Sunda trench and Makran in the Northern Arabian Sea. Moreover, plausible worst‐case earthquake scenarios and respective fault parameters for each of these seismic zones have been recommended.

Research limitations/implications

However, other potential tsunami sources such as seismic activity in the near‐field, submarine landslides and volcanic eruptions have not been considered.

Practical implications

Numerical simulations of tsunami propagation have been carried out for each of the four scenarios in order to assess the potential impact along the coastline of Sri Lanka. Such information relating to the spatial distribution of the likely tsunami amplitudes and arrival times for Sri Lanka would help authorities responsible for evacuation to make a better judgment as to the level of threat in different areas along the coastline, and act accordingly, if a large earthquake were to occur in any of the subduction zones in the Indian Ocean.

Originality/value

In the absence of comprehensive probabilistic assessments of the tsunami hazard to Sri Lanka, this paper's recommendations would provide the necessary framework for the development of deterministic tsunami hazard maps for the shoreline of Sri Lanka.
Market reactions to the first‐time issuance of corporate sustainability reports
Authors: Guidry Ronald P. , Patten Dennis M.
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The paper attempts to determine whether market participants see value in the corporate choice to begin publishing a standalone sustainability report. It also seeks to investigate whether differences in market reactions are associated with the quality of the sustainability report.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses standard market model methods to isolate the unexpected change in market returns in the period surrounding the announcement of the release of a first‐time sustainability report.

Findings

The paper finds, on average, no significant market reaction to the announcement of the release of the sustainability reports. However, in cross‐sectional analyses, it is found that companies with the highest quality reports exhibited significantly more positive market reactions than companies issuing lower quality reports. These results hold when we control for firm size and membership in socially exposed industries.

Research limitations/implications

The paper examines only the US firms and the measure of quality is based on an assessment of the extent to which reports provide disclosures recommended by the Global Reporting Initiative. The sample is also relatively small. Finally, the analysis examines perceived value for only one potential stakeholder group – shareholders. Future research could address any of these shortcomings.

Practical implications

The evidence suggests that companies seeking value from their sustainability reporting need to carefully consider the quality of their presentations.

Originality/value

The finding that quality of sustainability reporting is important to investors provides valuable evidence to support improvements in the implementation of sustainability accounting and reporting.
Constructing strategies for sustainable development the communitarian way
Authors: Arunachalam Murugesh , Lawrence Stewart
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The paper aims to draw on recommendations of Agenda 21 and communitarian theory to examine collaboration between local district community and local authorities to formulate strategies for the sustainable development of the Taupo district.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts an interpretative methodology based on philosophical hermeneutic to understand collaboration between local community and local authorities in the Taupo district. Empirical data for this interpretive study comprise public documents, interview transcripts and minutes of meetings attended by the researchers. The paper begins interpretation of empirical data with pre‐understanding of communitarian theory and Agenda 21.

Findings

The findings indicate that historical and political factors and diversity of interests in the community affect processes and outcomes of collaboration. Local authorities play a crucial role in bringing together various groups in the Taupo community which are segregated by diversity of interests, especially between Maori and non‐Maori community groups. Without local authority facilitation, the Taupo community may remain segregated; inhibited by lack of information; and not having the opportunity to participate in sustainable development. Community participation in the Taupo district is at an infancy stage and collaboration intended to empower communities may result in local authorities recentralising their positions.

Originality/value

The paper integrates theory and practice and provides valuable insights for statutory agencies seeking to implement the recommendations of Agenda 21 regarding community participation in sustainable development.
Economic catch‐up and emission reductions
Authors: Lane Jan‐Erik
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that spending on environmental protection will aid, rather than hamper, economic development which is itself sustainable. The paper attempts to show that a more activist role of the governments of Asia‐Pacific countries in the making and implementation of a global emissions regime is much in line with the real situation in this economically vibrant region of the world.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper combines information from the Living Planet Report of 2008 with data from the Energy Information Administration to display the energy‐environment conundrum in the Asia‐Pacific region.

Findings

Emissions of greenhouse gases can only decrease significantly in this region, if there is a concerted policy change towards the establishment of a green economy. Climate change can only be halted if the predicted increases in energy production induced emissions are halted, especially in the most vibrant region of the world economically.

Practical implications

The responsibility of Asia‐Pacific Governments to take part in a global energy policy cannot be avoided by the confusion of per capita and total emissions. Huge populous countries with high rates of economic growth have such large total emissions that it is in the interest of these country governments to support schemes like a global carbon tax or a global carbon‐trading scheme.

Originality/value

The paper addresses the energy‐environment conundrum by focussing on total emissions.
Exploring the flicker effect: the influence of in‐flight pulsations on saccadic control
Authors: Baccino Thierry
Published: August 2010

The pulsating illumination of visual display units is known to induce systematic changes in saccade extent. In two experiments reported in this paper, we further examined this effect, by looking at the location of pulsations relative to saccade onset. Both saccade extent and velocity were shown to increase as a function of the number of ‘in‐flight’ pulsations. This result indicates that part of the so‐called ‘flicker effect’ originates during the saccade itself. From a more general point of view, the present data suggest that saccadic control can be modulated by intra‐saccadic visual stimuli.
Fire regimes, fire‐sensitive vegetation and fire management of the sandstone Arnhem Plateau, monsoonal northern Australia
Authors: RUSSELL‐SMITH JEREMY , RYAN PAUL G. , KLESSA DAVID , WAIGHT GORDON , HARWOOD ROBERT
Published: August 2010

1. A fire history (1980 to the present) developed for Kakadu National Park, derived mostly from manual interpretation of LANDSAT MultiSpectral Scanner (MSS) imagery, was used as the temporal basis for undertaking rapid assessment of the effects of fire regimes on floristically diverse vegetation containing many regionally endemic species, occupying sandstone formations of the Arnhem Plateau, monsoonal northern Australia.

Three broad vegetation types were identified through TWINSPAN classification of floristic composition at 108 sample plots: Allosyrzcarpia‐dominated closed forest; open forest/woodland savanna with an annual grass understorey; and open shrubby heath interspersed with perennial hummock grasses. All sampled vegetation occurred on freely draining, oligotrophic substrates derived from sandstone parent materials; grazing and browsing of sampled vegetation were not significant factors.

The three fire frequency parameters derived from the assembled fire history (‘years unburnt’, ‘fire frequency’, ‘shortest interfire interval’) were autocorrelated. Correlative analyses between vegetation structure and soil nutrient variables, and ‘years unburnt’, demonstrated generally increasing shrub densities, fuel loads and soil fertilities with increasing time since last burnt. Identified limitations in assembled data included: substantial between‐plot structural variation for respective vegetation types, reflecting diverse ecological and fire histories of individual plots; and inability to describe accurately the important fire regime variable ‘fire intensity’ from the imagery used.

Assessment of the reproductive maturity of obligate seeder shrub species indicated that, whereas vegetation at some sites could tolerate burning after 3‐year intervals without loss of floristic diversity, many species required fire‐free intervals of more than 5 years, particularly those occupying harsher, rocky sites. In contrast, fine grass and litter fuels were sufficient to support intense fires in all representative situations under late dry season climatic conditions within 1–3 years of having been burnt previously.

Published fire history data for the period 1980‐94 show that 40% of vegetation occupying sandstone‐derived landforms in Kakadu National Park have been burnt at frequencies of at least 1 in 3 years; such fire frequencies evidently cannot be sustained without substantial loss of obligate seeder species, comprising 54% of the sampled shrubby heath flora. The data support other observations concerning the catastrophic impact of contemporary fire regimes on fire‐sensitive vegetation types in other sandstone regions of northern and north‐western Australia.

Based on these insights, an established programme for strategic fire management of the Arnhem Plateau is outlined.
Radiocaesium elimination in fish: variation among and within species
Authors: FORSETH T. , UGEDAL O. , NÆSJE T. F. , JONSSON B.
Published: August 2010

1. Ecotoxicological models used to assess the effects of radionuclides on freshwater ecosystems and the potential transfer to humans depend on accurate laboratory estimates of the elimination rate of radionuclides in fish.

We determined experimentally the elimination rate (excretion) of caesium (134Cs) of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar (two populations), Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (two populations), whitefish Coregonus lavaretus and bream Abramis brama by single‐dose caesium labelling and measures of subsequent samples of groups of fish maintained at different temperatures. Elimination rates between populations of the same species and among species were compared.

3. Populations of the same species from similar thermal environments had similar elimination rates (Atlantic salmon) whereas those from different thermal environments differed significantly (Arctic charr).

Caesium elimination rates varied among fish species. Bream had slower elimination rates than the other species at all temperatures, whereas Atlantic salmon had quicker elimination rates than the others at 16 °C. The remaining differences among species were not consistent across temperatures, indicating differences in thermal performance.

Approximately 45% of the estimated elimination rates differed significantly from those predicted by a general caesium elimination model. We conclude that a single model for caesium elimination, valid for a wide range of species and populations, may be difficult to attain.
Control of bracken and restoration of heathland. VIII. The regeneration of the heathland community after 18 years of continued bracken control or 6 years of control followed by recovery
Authors: MARRS R.H. , JOHNSON S.W. , DUC M.G. LE
Published: August 2010

This paper describes the effectiveness of a range of bracken* control and heathland restoration treatments, in factorial combination, on heath development over an 18‐year period. Control treatments included cutting once and twice yearly between 1978 and 1996; spraying the herbicide asulam at the recommended rate (4.4kg a.i. ha‐1) in two treatments, 1978 and 1978 plus 1979, each followed by repeat doses in 1984 and 1990; and spraying asulam followed by cutting once yearly. Calluna* seeds were added to half the plots to aid heathland establishment. After 6 years the experiment was split and bracken control was continued/re‐applied on half the plots and stopped on the remainder. The effects of all treatments on the cover of colonizing species between 1986 and 1996 is described.

Twenty‐five species were recorded in the 10 years, but some were present only for a very short time. Initially Calluna establishment was good in some treatments, especially where Calluna seed was added and bracken was controlled; cutting bracken twice yearly was most effective. Other plots developed either a grass heath flora dominated by Agrostis capillaris, Deschampsia flexuosa, Dicranum scoparium, Festuca ovina and Rumex acetosella, or were dominated by either Culamagrostis epigejos or Curex arenaria. Some plots were invaded by Betuln spp.; mortality was high but some survived to overtop the bracken by 1996.

In 1990 and 1991 there was considerable mortality of Rumex acetosella and Calluna, respectively, almost certainly as a direct effect of the weather; these 2 years were the hottest and driest during the experimental period. The grass heath species showed distinct spatial effects during colonization, and tended to have a greater cover where bracken control was continued. Bracken litter was maintained at a low cover where treatment was continued, but increased to near untreated levels within 10 years, except where bracken was cut twice yearly. The cut twice yearly plots started from a lower level, but litter cover was still increasing at the end of the experimental period.

A major influence on the vegetation development was the increasing numbers of rabbits which occurred during the course of the experiment. Rabbits had invaded all treatments by 1996 and increased the amount of bare ground in many treatments. Rabbit activity was greatest where the bracken control was increased.

The original objectives of the restoration scheme ‘to restore a Calluna heathland’ have not been met, as the Calluna died. However, a reasonable Breck grass heath flora developed in many plots, which is a better community from a conservation viewpoint than dense bracken.

The implications for the restoration of heathland on dense bracken communities is discussed and an integrated management approach is suggested.
Effects of environmental parameters on the distribution of bullhead Cottus gobio with particular consideration of the effects of obstructions
Authors: UTZINGER JÜRG , ROTH CHRISTOPH , PETER ARMIN
Published: August 2010

1. The bullhead Cottus gobio is a small‐sized fish that occurs in stony streams and lakes in Switzerland. Its numbers have declined and its distribution has become narrower over the last 30 years, most probably due to chemical pollution and/or structural habitat deterioration, and at present it is classified as a potentially endangered species.

This study evaluated whether chemical parameters and/or structural habitat heterogeneity have an effect on the occurrence and density of bullhead in a river system, in order to assess the potential usefulness of this species as an indicator for these parameters. Ten sites were chosen, where chemical parameters were measured monthly over a period of 2 years. Habitat heterogeneity was assessed with respect to river width and maximum depth. Correlations were drawn between the density of bullhead, the chemical water constituents and the structural habitat diversity. The longitudinal distribution of bullhead in the whole river system was determined and all obstructions with a height of at least 10 cm were investigated. In two sites, the total population density of bullhead older than O+ was assessed using both multiple removal collecting and a mark‐recapture method.

Structural habitat diversity appeared not to be important for bullhead, and the only chemical parameter that correlated with the density of this species was dissolved organic carbon.

Obstructions with a height of 18–20 cm were impassable for upstream movement of bullhead and thus acted as migration barriers. The longitudinal connectivity of the main river was interrupted by 48 such obstructions, which were all human‐made.

Multiple removal collecting of bullhead resulted in small catching probabilities of 0.17 and 0.34. The total estimated population densities of bullhead were high, with 118 and 327 in 100 m2. The mark‐recapture method revealed even higher estimated densities, of 121 and 444 in 100 m2.

It is concluded that the bullhead is a useful indicator species for determining to what extent the longitudinal connectivity of a river is interrupted by obstructions. For restoration of rivers, it is recommended that any human‐made obstructions with a height of 20 cm or above are removed, starting at confluences with joining rivers and moving upstream.
Agri‐environment schemes and their contribution to the conservation of biodiversity in England
Authors: OVENDEN GY N. , SWASH ANDY R.H. , SMALLSHIRE DAVE
Published: August 2010

Agri‐environment schemes were first launched in England in 1987. A number of schemes are now operated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food that invite farmers and landowners to enter formal agreements to change their management practices in order to achieve a range of nature, landscape and archaeological conservation objectives. Agreements are based on payments to compensate for loss of income incurred by adopting less intensive, low‐input practices that offer potential benefits for biodiversity conservation within agricultural landscapes. The UK Government's response to the Convention on Biological Diversity has included producing a list of priority species and habitats for conservation action. Each of these has its own detailed action plan, including time‐limited targets. A significant proportion of these targets can at least in part be met through the agri‐environment schemes; the way this is being done is illustrated through examples of lowland heathland and a bird, the cirl bunting Emberiza cirlus. Linking of biodiversity and agri‐environment objectives is an important step towards achieving a more sustainable agriculture.
The need for management of nature conservation sites designated under Natura 2000
Authors: OSTERMANN OLE P.
Published: August 2010

The Natura 2000 Network will consist of sites designated by the Member States of the European Union, under the Habitats and Birds Directives. Many of these sites need an appropriate management to maintain a favourable conservation status; this will often be based on low‐intensity agricultural practices. Out of the 198 listed habitat types of the Habitats Directive, 28 (14%) could be threatened by the abandonment of low‐intensity agricultural practices. The paper gives a comparative outlook over some situations in Europe, after an introduction to the framework set by the European Commission and the Council of Europe.
Ecological and socio‐economic implications of livestock= keeping systems on extensive grasslands in south‐western Germany
Authors: LUICK RAINER
Published: August 2010

When considering low‐intensity farming systems in Europe, one would not normally think of Germany because the farmland in most of its regions is characterized by intensive agriculture. However, there is currently great concern about the situation of extensively used meadows and pastures in mountainous areas. Among the most attractive regions are the common grazings in the southern part of the Black Forest and limestone grassland grazed by sheep on the Swabian Jura. Both regions are located in the Federal State of Baden‐Wuerttemberg. Details of the current agricultural situation, developments to be expected in the years to come, policy measures needed to preserve the cultural and ecological richness of the regions, and options for land‐use‐systems are discussed in relation to one another, for Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) in the Federal State of Baden‐Wuerttemberg.
Bird population density estimated from acoustic signals
Authors: Dawson Deanna K. , Efford Murray G.
Published: August 2010

1.Many animal species are detected primarily by sound. Although songs, calls and other sounds are often used for population assessment, as in bird point counts and hydrophone surveys of cetaceans, there are few rigorous methods for estimating population density from acoustic data.

2.The problem has several parts – distinguishing individuals, adjusting for individuals that are missed, and adjusting for the area sampled. Spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) is a statistical methodology that addresses jointly the second and third parts of the problem. We have extended SECR to use uncalibrated information from acoustic signals on the distance to each source.

3.We applied this extension of SECR to data from an acoustic survey of ovenbirdSeiurus aurocapilladensity in an eastern US deciduous forest with multiple four‐microphone arrays. We modelled average power from spectrograms of ovenbird songs measured within a window of 0·7 s duration and frequencies between 4200 and 5200 Hz.

4.The resulting estimates of the density of singing males (0·19 ha−1SE 0·03 ha−1) were consistent with estimates of the adult male population density from mist‐netting (0·36 ha−1SE 0·12 ha−1). The fitted model predicts sound attenuation of 0·11 dB m−1(SE 0·01 dB m−1) in excess of losses from spherical spreading.

5.Synthesis and applications.Our method for estimating animal population density from acoustic signals fills a gap in the census methods available for visually cryptic but vocal taxa, including many species of bird and cetacean. The necessary equipment is simple and readily available; as few as two microphones may provide adequate estimates, given spatial replication. The method requires that individuals detected at the same place are acoustically distinguishable and all individuals vocalize during the recording interval, or that theper capitarate of vocalization is known. We believe these requirements can be met, with suitable field methods, for a significant number of songbird species.
Competition in an invaded rodent community reveals black rats as a threat to native bush rats in littoral rainforest of south‐eastern Australia
Authors: Stokes Vicki L. , Banks Peter B. , Pech Roger P. , Spratt David M.
Published: August 2010

1. Interspecific competition is a recognized but under‐studied mechanism by which invasive species affect native fauna.

2. We experimentally reduced populations of the introduced black rat Rattus rattus in relatively undisturbed littoral rainforest in south‐eastern Australia to test its competitive impact on populations of the native bush rat Rattus fuscipes.

3. Removal of R. rattus resulted in significant and sustained increases in populations of the native rodent due to immigration, juvenile recruitment and increases in residency of females. Native juveniles were particularly vulnerable to R. rattus, being largely absent from untreated populations despite indications of breeding in females, but responding rapidly to their removal.

4. The absence of changes in body condition and reproduction of adult R. fuscipes with long‐term removal of R. rattus suggests that direct interference by R. rattus rather than competition for resources best explains the low densities and poor juvenile recruitment of R. fuscipes.

5. The behavioural dominance of R. rattus was not due to an inherent competitive ability because they did not re‐establish post‐removal as expected if competition was asymmetrical. Instead, competitive dominance seemingly shifted to R. fuscipes with changes in residency status of populations. Improved survivorship among native females reveals that they were particularly important in establishing resident populations following removal of R. rattus.

6.
Synthesis and applications. These findings identify R. rattus as a significant competitive threat to native R. fuscipes. Removal of invasive rodents and active conservation of common native species is recommended to forest managers based on the potential for R. fuscipes to prevent re‐invasion subsequent to pest control efforts and maintain invasion resistance.
A new subspecies of Acyrthosiphon Mordvilko, 1914 (Homoptera: Aphidoidea) from Rubus ellipticus in North India
Authors: Stroyan H. L. G. , Nagaich B. B.
Published: August 2010

Synopsis

A new subspecies of Acyrthosiphon rubi is described from a series collected in northern India, and its taxonomic position is discussed.
A review of Laemophloeinae (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) from Réunion and Mauritius
Authors: Lefkovitch L. P.
Published: August 2010

Synopsis

A key is given to the genera of Laemophloeinae found in Madagascar, Réunion and Mauritius, and nine species from four of the genera are reviewed, lectotypes being selected for three of these. Keys are given to those species of Microlaemus and Cryptolestes, and of the subgenus Paracucujinus, at present known to occur in the region.
A new Sphodromantis (Dictyoptera: Mantidae) from Tanganyika, with notes on habits
Authors: Beier M. , Hocking B.
Published: August 2010

Synopsis

A new species of Sphodromantis is described from two females taken in Tanganyika, and notes are given on its habits as observed in the laboratory. The resemblance of these females to ant galls on the trees on which it lives is discussed.
New Mango Leafhoppers from the Oriental and Austro‐oriental regions (Homoptera: Cicadelloidea)
Authors: Ghauri M. S. K.
Published: August 2010

Synopsis

A new genus is erected for four species of typhlocybine Cicadellidae, and a key is given for their separation. One of the species is described as new from males and females taken on mango leaves in India, and the remaining three species are transferred from the genus Empoasca. A second new genus is erected for one new species of typhlocybine Cicadellidae described from males taken on mango in Malaysia.
Redescriptions of two South American sand‐flies (Diptera: Psychodidae)
Authors: Lewis D. J.
Published: August 2010

Synopsis

Redescriptions of Lutzomyia walkeri and L. rostrans are given as contributions to the study of their species groups.
A new diagnostic character in Aphidius (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of special significance in species on pea aphid
Authors: Eady R. D.
Published: August 2010

SYNOPSIS

The sculpture of the first segment of the gaster in Aphidius is described. Keys to the species of Aphidius from the pea aphid and to the subgenera and species groups of Aphidius, based on material in the B.M. (N.H.), are given.
Lipoprotein (a) and the kidney
Authors: MURPHY Brendan G
Published: August 2010

Summary: Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in chronic renal failure patients. Lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is an independent risk factor for development of vascular disease in non‐renal and renal populations. the atherogenicity of Lp(a) is thought to relate to the structural homology between its apolipoprotein moiety [apo(a)] and plasminogen. Raised low‐density‐lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol concentrations increase the atherogenic potential of Lp(a). Normally Lp(a) level is genetically determined but in renal disease positive correlations with urinary protein loss and peritoneal dialysate protein loss have been found. Levels are highest in nephrotic patients and chronic renal failure patients treated with peritoneal dialysis but are also increased in pre‐dialysis and haemodialysis patients. Lipoprotein (a) falls following renal transplantation but cyclosporine therapy may adversely affect post transplant cardiovascular risk profile. Treatment with antiproteinuric drugs (converting enzyme inhibitors or non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory agents) has been shown to reduce Lp(a) (and total cholesterol) concentrations. Most lipid‐lowering drugs do not affect Lp(a) concentration but lowering LDL‐cholesterol alone may significantly reduce the atherogenic effect of Lp(a). Routine measurement of Lp(a) concentration is not recommended but antiproteinuric therapy should have favourable effects on cardiovascular risk profile.