bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Book reviews
Authors: THATCHER Sanford G.
Published: June 2013

An Introduction to Book History, 2nd edn David Finkelstein, Alistair McCleery London and New York, Routledge, 2013, 168pp. ISBN 978‐0‐415‐68805‐5 (hbk), $120.00/£24.99 ISBN 978‐0‐415‐68806‐2 (pbk), $39.95/£75 ISBN 978‐0‐415‐203‐15025‐2 (ebk), (no price given)
Sclerotium rolfsii Causes White Rot on Taro in Korea
Authors: Kwon J.-H. , Kang D.-W. , Kim J.
Published: June 2013

Taro (Colocasia esculenta L.) is grown throughout the world primarily for its tubers, which become edible after cooking. Taro stems are often used in a traditional soup in South Korea. In September 2012, a suspected white rot of taro occurred in a farmer's fields in Jinju, South Korea. Infected plants gradually withered, a white mycelial mat appeared, and numerous sclerotia developed on the surface of petioles near the soil line. The heavily infected petioles rotted and the entire plant eventually died. The freshly isolated pathogenic fungus was grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and examined microscopically. Aerial mycelia usually formed many narrow hyphal strands 4 to 8 μm wide. The white mycelia formed a typical clamp connection structure after 6 days growth at 25°C. The sclerotia were white at first, gradually turned dark brown, and were 1 to 3 mm in diameter. Small globoid sclerotia formed abundantly on PDA after 18 days of growth. Ten 2-month-old potted taro plants were inoculated with S. rolfsii-colonized agar discs directly at the base of each plant and kept at 25°C in a greenhouse to test pathogenicity. Three taro plants were inoculated similarly with uncolonized agar discs as controls. Eight days after inoculation, blight symptoms were observed, and S. rolfsii was reisolated from the artificially inoculated plants. The control taro plants remained healthy. We amplified and sequenced an internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region of the isolate using the ITS1 (5′-TCCGTAGGTGAACCTGCGG-3′) and ITS4 (5′-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3′) primers to confirm the identity of the fungus (2). The resulting 684-bp sequence was deposited in GenBank (Accession No. KC491876). A comparison with other sequences available in the GenBank database revealed that the ITS sequence shared 100% similarity with Sclerotium rolfsii sequences (HQ420816 and JN017199). Based on the symptoms, mycological characteristics, ITS sequence analysis, and host plant pathogenicity, this fungus was identified as S. rolfsii Saccardo (1). To our knowledge, this is the first report of white rot in taro caused by S. rolfsii in Korea.

References: (1) J. E. Mordue. CMI Descriptions of Pathogenic Fungi and Bacteria. No. 410, 1974. (2) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, New York, 1990.
Vitamin D Status and Bone Mineral Density in African American Children With Crohn Disease
Authors: Middleton Jeremy P. , Bhagavathula Anita P. , Gaye Bilkisu , Alvarez Jessica A. , Huang Clifton S. , Sauer Cary G. , Tenjarla Gayathri , Schoen Bess T. , Kumar Archana , Prasad Mahadev , Okou David T. , Ifeadike Walter C. , Dhere Tanvi A. , Conneely Karen N. , Ziegler Thomas R. , Tangpricha Vin , Kugathasan Subra
Published: June 2013

Background:

Vitamin D deficiency and low bone mineral density (BMD) are complications of inflammatory bowel disease. Vitamin D deficiency is more prevalent among African Americans compared with whites. There are little data comparing differences in serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations and BMD between African American and white children with Crohn disease (CD).

Methods:

We compared serum 25OHD concentrations of African American children with CD (n = 52) to white children with CD (n = 64) and healthy African American controls (n = 40). We also analyzed BMD using dual‐energy x‐ray absorptiometry results from our pediatric CD population.

Results:

African American children with CD had lower serum 25OHD concentrations (16.1 [95% confidence interval, CI 14.5–17.9] ng/mL) than whites with CD (22.3 [95% CI 20.2–24.6] ng/mL; P < 0.001). African Americans with CD and controls exhibited similar serum 25OHD concentration (16.1 [95% CI 14.5–17.9] vs 16.3 [95% CI 14.4–18.4] ng/mL; NS). African Americans with CD exhibited no difference in serum 25OHD concentration when controlling for seasonality, disease severity, and surgical history, although serum 25OHD concentration was significantly decreased in overweight children (body mass index ≥85%, P = 0.003). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that obese African American girls with CD had the lowest serum 25OHD concentrations (9.6 [95% CI 6.8–13.5] ng/mL). BMD was comparable between African American and white children with CD (z score −0.4 ± 0.9 vs −0.7 ± 1.2; NS).

Conclusions:

African American children with CD are more likely to have vitamin D deficiency compared with white children with CD, but have similar BMD. CD disease severity and history of surgery do not affect serum 25OHD concentrations among African American children with CD. African American children have low serum 25OHD concentrations, independent of CD, compared with white children. Future research should focus on how race affects vitamin D status and BMD in children with CD.
Discovering the electronic circuit diagram of life: structural relationships among transition metal binding sites in oxidoreductases
Authors: Kim J. Dongun , Senn Stefan , Harel Arye , Jelen Benjamin I. , Falkowski Paul G.
Published: June 2013

Oxidoreductases play a central role in catalysing enzymatic electron-transfer reactions across the tree of life. To first order, the equilibrium thermodynamic properties of these proteins are governed by protein folds associated with specific transition metals and ligands at the active site. A global analysis of holoenzyme structures and functions suggests that there are fewer than approximately 500 fundamental oxidoreductases, which can be further clustered into 35 unique groups. These catalysts evolved in prokaryotes early in the Earth's history and are largely responsible for the emergence of non-equilibrium biogeochemical cycles on the planet's surface. Although the evolutionary history of the amino acid sequences in the oxidoreductases is very difficult to reconstruct due to gene duplication and horizontal gene transfer, the evolution of the folds in the catalytic sites can potentially be used to infer the history of these enzymes. Using a novel, yet simple analysis of the secondary structures associated with the ligands in oxidoreductases, we developed a structural phylogeny of these enzymes. The results of this ‘composome’ analysis suggest an early split from a basal set of a small group of proteins dominated by loop structures into two families of oxidoreductases, one dominated by α-helices and the second by β-sheets. The structural evolutionary patterns in both clades trace redox gradients and increased hydrogen bond energy in the active sites. The overall pattern suggests that the evolution of the oxidoreductases led to decreased entropy in the transition metal folds over approximately 2.5 billion years, allowing the enzymes to use increasingly oxidized substrates with high specificity.
Energy, ageing, fidelity and sex: oocyte mitochondrial DNA as a protected genetic template
Authors: de Paula Wilson B. M. , Lucas Cathy H. , Agip Ahmed-Noor A. , Vizcay-Barrena Gema , Allen John F.
Published: June 2013

Oxidative phosphorylation couples ATP synthesis to respiratory electron transport. In eukaryotes, this coupling occurs in mitochondria, which carry DNA. Respiratory electron transport in the presence of molecular oxygen generates free radicals, reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are mutagenic. In animals, mutational damage to mitochondrial DNA therefore accumulates within the lifespan of the individual. Fertilization generally requires motility of one gamete, and motility requires ATP. It has been proposed that oxidative phosphorylation is nevertheless absent in the special case of quiescent, template mitochondria, that these remain sequestered in oocytes and female germ lines and that oocyte mitochondrial DNA is thus protected from damage, but evidence to support that view has hitherto been lacking. Here we show that female gametes of
Aurelia aurita
, the common jellyfish, do not transcribe mitochondrial DNA, lack electron transport, and produce no free radicals. In contrast, male gametes actively transcribe mitochondrial genes for respiratory chain components and produce ROS. Electron microscopy shows that this functional division of labour between sperm and egg is accompanied by contrasting mitochondrial morphology. We suggest that mitochondrial anisogamy underlies division of any animal species into two sexes with complementary roles in sexual reproduction. We predict that quiescent oocyte mitochondria contain DNA as an unexpressed template that avoids mutational accumulation by being transmitted through the female germ line. The active descendants of oocyte mitochondria perform oxidative phosphorylation in somatic cells and in male gametes of each new generation, and the mutations that they accumulated are not inherited. We propose that the avoidance of ROS-dependent mutation is the evolutionary pressure underlying maternal mitochondrial inheritance and the developmental origin of the female germ line.
Why did eukaryotes evolve only once? Genetic and energetic aspects of conflict and conflict mediation
Authors: Blackstone Neil W.
Published: June 2013

According to multi-level theory, evolutionary transitions require mediating conflicts between lower-level units in favour of the higher-level unit. By this view, the origin of eukaryotes and the origin of multicellularity would seem largely equivalent. Yet, eukaryotes evolved only once in the history of life, whereas multicellular eukaryotes have evolved many times. Examining conflicts between evolutionary units and mechanisms that mediate these conflicts can illuminate these differences. Energy-converting endosymbionts that allow eukaryotes to transcend surface-to-volume constraints also can allocate energy into their own selfish replication. This principal conflict in the origin of eukaryotes can be mediated by genetic or energetic mechanisms. Genome transfer diminishes the heritable variation of the symbiont, but requires the de novo evolution of the protein-import apparatus and was opposed by selection for selfish symbionts. By contrast, metabolic signalling is a shared primitive feature of all cells. Redox state of the cytosol is an emergent feature that cannot be subverted by an individual symbiont. Hypothetical scenarios illustrate how metabolic regulation may have mediated the conflicts inherent at different stages in the origin of eukaryotes. Aspects of metabolic regulation may have subsequently been coopted from within-cell to between-cell pathways, allowing multicellularity to emerge repeatedly.
Tribological behavior of LaF3 nanoparticles as additives in poly‐alpha‐olefin
Authors: Zhang Ming , Wang Xiaobo , Liu Weimin
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the influences of test conditions to the tribological behavior of LaF3 nanoparticles as an additive to a polyalphaolefin (PAO).

Design/methodology/approach

An Optimol‐SRV4 oscillating friction and wear tester (SRV) were used to investigate the tribological properties of LaF3 nanoparticles as an additive in a polyalphaolefin (PAO). The 3‐D morphologies and wear loss volume of the worn scar were measured using a surface profilometer. The chemical state and the intensity of La and F elements on worn surface after friction test was investigated with X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy to interpret the possible mechanisms of friction‐reduction and anti‐wear with LaF3 nanoparticles.

Findings

The experimental results show that LaF3 nanoparticles added to PAO exhibit excellent load‐carrying capacity, anti‐wear and friction‐reduction properties. LaF3 nanoparticles deposited on the worn surface under lower test temperature during the friction test, and higher applied load, higher test frequency and longer test duration are propitious to the deposition of LaF3 nanoparticles accumulated on the rubbing surface. Under higher temperature, a complicated tribo‐chemical reaction occurred during the friction process, the tribo‐chemical reaction product of La2O3 deposit on worn surface, which also exhibits good lubricating performance.

Originality/value

This paper investigates the tribological properties of LaF3 nanoparticles as green oil additive in poly‐alpha‐olefin (PAO) under variable temperature, applied load, sliding speed and sliding duration. The results could be very helpful for the further applications of LaF3 nanoparticles additives in industry.
Behavior analysis of machines and system air hemispherical spindles using finite element modeling
Authors: Charki Abdérafi , Bigaud David , Guérin Fabrice
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The spindle behavior of machines and systems depends largely on the choice and design quality of the mechanical components used for the displacement between different parts. As far as very high technology is concerned, air bearings are suitable, for instance, for machining a telescope mirror or for systems used in medical applications that require a micro and nanometric resolution in displacement. Therefore, air bearings play a crucial role in ensuring spindle stability in machines and systems. The static and dynamic behavior of air spindles is dependent on several parameters, such as external load, dimensions, supply pressure, manufacturing capability and fluid properties.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a methodology for the calculation and analysis of the stability and reliability of machine and system spindles supported by air hemispherical bearings. The static and dynamic characteristics of air spindles are calculated using the finite element method (FEM). The stochastic Response Surface Method (SRSM) is used for the approximation of the performance function, and the reliability is assessed by Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) and the First Order Reliability Method (FORM).

Findings

The static and dynamic characteristics of air spindles are calculated using the finite element method (FEM). Stochastic Response Surface Method (SRSM) is used for the approximation of the performance function, and the reliability is assessed by Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) and First Order Reliability Method (FORM).

Originality/value

The article presents an original approach for the behavior analysis of machines and systems spindles supported by hemispherical fluid bearings. The methodology based on the finite element method and the principle of structural reliability, allows studying the influence of physical and geometrical parameters on the static and dynamic characteristics and the failure probability of a spindle. Thus, the optimum behavior of a spindle can be predicted for different configurations of a bearing design taking into account the reliability evaluation.
On normalizing the relationship matrix in quality function deployment
Authors: Raharjo Hendry
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the need of normalizing the relationship matrix in quality function deployment (QFD), especially when it leads to rank reversal, and eventually provide a guideline to know when it should be done.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was carried out based on some empirical observations and previous research data.

Findings

A rule of thumb is proposed to know when the rank reversal, as a result of normalizing QFD relationship matrix, can be desirable or undesirable.

Research limitations/implications

Since the rule of thumb is based on empirical basis, it might not work perfectly for every single case, especially for large‐sized QFD matrices. Hence, this opens up a new challenge for future research to complement the current findings.

Practical implications

This paper shows that any QFD practitioner should be aware of the fact that normalization in the QFD relationship matrix is not a trivial issue, especially when it causes rank reversal. Ignoring normalization might cause potentially misleading results. However, using normalization does not always guarantee that one may obtain reliable results.

Originality/value

There are two novel findings in this paper. First, it is the exposition of the pros and cons of normalization in QFD relationship matrix. Second, it is the proposed rule of thumb which may serve as an important guideline for any QFD practitioner when dealing with the relationship matrix.
Informal interactions between audit committees and internal audit functions
Authors: Zaman Mahbub , Sarens Gerrit
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to recognise the importance of informal processes within corporate governance and complement existing research in this area by investigating factors associated with the existence of informal interactions between audit committees and internal audit functions and in providing directions for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

To examine the existence and drivers of informal interactions between audit committees and internal audit functions, this paper relies on a questionnaire survey of chief audit executives (CAEs) in the UK from listed and non‐listed, as well as financial and non‐financial, companies. While prior qualitative research suggests that informal interactions do take place, most of the evidence is based on particular organisational setting or on a very small range of interviews. The use of a questionnaire enabled the examination of the existence of internal interactions across a relatively larger number of entities.

Findings

The paper finds evidence of audit committees and internal audit functions engaging in informal interactions in addition to formal pre‐scheduled regular meetings. Informal interactions complement formal meetings with the audit committee and as such represent additional opportunities for the audit committees to monitor internal audit functions. Audit committees' informal interactions are significantly and positively associated with audit committee independence, audit chair's knowledge and experience, and internal audit quality.

Originality/value

The results demonstrate the importance of the background of the audit committee chair for the effectiveness of the governance process. This is possibly the first paper to examine the relationship between audit committee quality and internal audit, on the existence and driver of informal interactions. Policy makers should recognize that in addition to formal mechanisms, informal processes, such as communication outside of formal pre‐scheduled meetings, play a significant role in corporate governance.
Negotiating the benefits of knowledge
Authors: Forsyth Hannah
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the origins of tensions between the benefits (such as technologies and skills) and the substance of knowledge (often described as “pure inquiry”) in Australian universities. There are advantages to considering this debate in Australia, since its universities were tightly connected to scholarly networks in the British Empire. After the Second World War, those ties were loosened, enabling influences from American research and technological universities, augmented by a growing connection between universities, government economic strategy and the procedures of industry. This paper thus traces some of routes by which arguments travelled and the ways they were articulated in post‐war Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

Ideas do not travel on their own. In this paper, the author takes a biographical approach to the question of contrasting attitudes to university knowledge in the post‐war period, comparing the international scholarly and professional networks of two British scientists who travelled to Australia – contemporaries in age and education – both influencing Australian higher education policy in diametrically opposing ways.

Findings

This research demonstrates that the growing connection with economic goals in Australian universities after the Second World War was in part a result of the new international and cross‐sectoral networks in which some scholars now operated.

Originality/value

Australian historiography suggests that shifts in the emphases of post‐war universities were primarily the consequence of government policy. This paper demonstrates that the debates that shaped Australia's modern university system were also conducted among an international network of scholars.
Identifying highly effective urban schools: comparing two measures of school success
Authors: Wang Aubrey H. , Walters Alyssa M. , Thum Y.M.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an empirical comparison of two measures of school success – a value‐added assessment system and the federally‐mandated system of adequate yearly progress (AYP) – to identify highly effective urban schools in the USA and to explore the predictive relationship between evidence‐based decision‐making and school improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 204 urban schools with 6,684 teachers and 149,665 students in grades 1 through 10 participated in the study. Data included teacher survey and students’ standardized reading and math scores from 2002 through 2005. Analyses included factor analysis, growth modeling, and multiple logistic regression analyses.

Findings

AYP status was strongly predicted by student and school demographics rather than by organizational climate and instructional practices. In contrast, school growth as measured by the district's value‐added assessment system was unrelated to the demographics of the student population and related strongly to specific school practices. Specifically, high growth schools exhibited strong evidence‐based decision‐making practice where teachers used the district's benchmark assessment to reflect on instructional practice, used the core curriculum to guide instruction, and received frequent and high quality professional development on reading and math instruction.

Practical implications

As states gravitate away from relying on AYP status as a measure of school success, districts will benefit from integrating measures of growth and using school data management systems that integrate benchmark assessment capabilities and provide teachers with the training and tools needed to use the information in their daily practice.

Originality/value

This study provides a direct comparison of evaluation models using a variety of current methods within a single district that has played a central and highly‐visible role in the education reform movement in the USA.
Fair trade and European public procurement: legal principles and governance dynamics
Authors: Fisher Eleanor , Corbalán Sergi
Published: June 2013

Purpose– The article aims to examine principles of fair trade in public procurement in Europe, focusing on legal dimensions related to the European Public Procurement Directives.Design/methodology/approach– The article situates public procurement of fair trade products in relation to the rise of non‐state regulatory initiatives, highlighting how they have entered into new governance dynamics in the public sector and play a part in changing practices in sustainable procurement. A review of the legal position on fair trade in procurement law is informed by academic research and campaigning experience from the Fair Trade Advocacy Office.Findings– Key findings are that the introduction of fair trade products into European public procurement has been marked by legal ambiguity, having developed outside comprehensive policy or legal guidelines. Following a 2012 ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is suggested that the legal position for fair trade in procurement has become clearer, and that forthcoming change to the Public Procurement Directives may facilitate the uptake of fair trade products by public authorities. However potential for future expansion of the public sector “market” for fair trade is approached with caution: purchasing fair trade products as a marker of sustainability, which started to be embedded within procurement practice in the 2000 s, is challenged by current European public austerity measures.Research limitations/implications– Suggestions for future research include the need for systematic cross‐institutional and multi‐country comparison of the legal and governance dimensions of procurement practice with regard to fair trade.Practical implications– The paper provides a clarification of current state‐of‐play with regard to legal aspects of fair trade in public procurement of utility for policy and advocacy discussion.Originality/value– The article provides needed elaboration on an under‐researched topic area of value to academia and policy makers.
What does it mean to do fair trade?
Authors: Smith Alastair Michael
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of the article is to move beyond positivistic political economy analysis of fair trade, and to examine competitive dynamics between competing interpretations in terms of the very fair trade concept itself.

Design/methodology/approach

Grounded in an ideational ontology, the paper provides a theoretical framework concerned with the contestation of meaning. Analysis applies this framework through a heuristic reading of fair trade's history, drawing on secondary literature, documents and primary qualitative research; and the discursive construction of Fair for Life – a new programme seeking to negotiate the “constitutive rules” of fair trade.

Findings

The article identifies that the history of fair trade and its current competitive dynamics are constituted by a negotiation and contestation of the constitutive rules that set the parameters of the fair trade concept.

Research limitations/implications

The paper complements political economy analysis of socially constructed governance such as fair trade, and adds value to academic analysis by exposing important, yet previously unconsidered, micro‐politics of language and practice. The description and initial analysis of “Fair for Life” opens a new area of empirical interest for scholars of fair trade and sustainability governance.

Practical implications

Analysis highlighting the important implication of discourse and practice for the very definition of fair trade offers practitioners important insights into little considered implication of their practices and their representations in language.

Originality/value

The article complements political economy analysis by demonstrating the value of an ideationally grounded analysis of fair trade and similar socially constructed governance systems.
From trust to compliance: accountability in the fair trade movement
Authors: Davenport Eileen , Low William
Published: June 2013

Purpose

There is a growing academic literature exploring the fair trade movement but, to date, there has been little explicit discussion of accountability within the movement. This paper aims to cast the development of the fair trade movement within a shift from trust‐based relationships to standards‐based systems. The authors particularly aim to focus on the dominance of an external accountability approach being used for Fair Trade Labelling Organization International (FLO) certified products versus an internal accountability approach being adopted through organizational self‐assessment of World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) members.

Design/methodology/approach

While this is predominantly a conceptual paper, the authors draw on primary research with northern and southern fair trade organizations (FTOs). Five southern FTOs were interviewed along with three northern FTOs.

Findings

The paper illustrates the conflict that Power expressed about trust increasingly being placed in formalized “rituals” of auditing rather than in organizations. Standards‐based certification has played a crucial role in mainstreaming fair trade food which reduces the trust relationship to a label and relies on market‐based mechanisms of “ethical consumerism” to signal (dis)content with the operations of the certification system. By contrast, organizational self‐assessment under development by WFTO, which has proven popular amongst southern FTOs, fitting their organisational culture(s) and contributing to organisational learning and democracy, creates greater accountability to internal stakeholders such as producers.

Originality/value

This paper draws direct comparisons between the FLO system of certification of products and the WFTO process of self‐assessment of organizations. It demonstrates that the WFTO system builds on the movement's tradition of democracy and trust. Producers, southern FTOs, and northern FTOs must demonstrate their democratic principles throughout the supply chain up to consumers. Conversely the FLO system governs the products themselves and largely leaves the participants, other than producer groups, free of demands for corporate social responsibility and organizational learning.
The Mexican user satisfaction index: a case study applied to a social program
Authors: Lobato‐Calleros Odette , Rivera Humberto , Serrato Hugo , Gómez Elena , Cervantes Paola
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on the methodology developed for establishing a Mexican User Satisfaction Index for a particular kind of Social Program (MUSI‐SP), taking into consideration the example of a Concrete Floor Social Program.

Design/methodology/approach

The MUSI‐SP methodology has the aim to evaluate the satisfaction of the beneficiaries of social programs, as well as its causes (program practices and perceived quality) and results (measured as trust). The MUSI‐SP methodology for this case study covers the design of a specific structural equation model based on the model for government services and nonprofit organizations of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) and a qualitative study, with the help of the design and pilot testing of the questionnaire for measuring satisfaction in a population with a high grade of marginalization, followed by data collected through a national face‐to‐face survey, then the analysis of validity and dependability of the specific structural equation model and the identification of opportunity areas.

Findings

The evaluation shows that the variable “Results” derived by having a concrete floor has a larger impact on “Perceived Quality” and it has the best users’ assessment (86 in a scale from 0 to 100). Furthermore, a high and positive relationship from “Perceived Quality” with “Satisfaction,” and “Satisfaction” with “Trust” were confirmed.

Practical implications

The MUSI‐SP methodology would be an appropriate indicator as a complement to current evaluations of government social programs, because it shows a path to citizen satisfaction and citizen trust.

Originality/value

The Mexican Concrete Floor Program, illustrated in this paper, aims to increase the quality of life conditions of the citizens through concrete floor installation for housing improvement.
Investigation on quality management maturity of Shanghai enterprises
Authors: Xiaofen Tang
Published: June 2013

Purpose

Shanghai is a Chinese city with a history of more than 700 years, which has played a very important role over 30 years of rapid economic growth in China. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the quality management maturity system and schemes of Shanghai enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

The investigation on quality management maturity of Shanghai enterprises was conducted by Shanghai Association for Quality (SAQ), to study the environmental impact of increasing globalization of industries.

Findings

SAQ made a systematic investigation and evaluation on the maturity of enterprise product, services and overall management quality, to comprehensively understand and assess the current status and levels of Shanghai enterprise quality management and to obtain important information for preparing a strategy for the Shanghai enterprise quality development plan and countermeasures to stay competitive in the new era.

Originality/value

The paper shows that, in order to further improve market competitiveness and capability of sustainable operation and growth, Shanghai enterprises must enhance their overall quality management level guided by the performance excellence criterion, implementing and putting forward mega efforts on enterprises taking primary responsibility for striving to promote CSR based on “operation with integrity and responsibility”, investing in “soft skills strength development” and utilizing quality improvement tools and techniques to promote the overall quality management level to a new high in the next decade.
Journey to excellence
Authors: Dalgleish Diane , Mauricio Rory , Williams Tessia
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide details on how the Capital Projects Division within Alberta Infrastructure, in the provincial government of Alberta, started its journey to excellence by following Excellence Canada's framework. The framework focusses on systematic approach to excellence and widespread implementation in the organization. This paper provides comprehensive information on the division's processes, trends and impending changes for leadership that demonstrates quality and commitment of business excellence through quality improvements based on experience.

Design/methodology/approach

In partnership with Excellence Canada, Capital Projects Division of Alberta government embarked on a journey to excellence using the Progressive Excellence Program® framework for quality. Equally important, the division explored ways it can invest wisely in innovative ideas that will reshape the current organization and prepare staff for a very exciting future. That meant using the most comprehensive approach to review existing processes and strive for efficient and innovative ideas for continuous improvement over the longer term.

Findings

First, incorporating quality in the workplace is about the journey, not the destination, so leadership plays a vital role in its success. Second, the strategies on how to achieve quality primarily originate from the people within the organization. A key to achieving quality is to provide a framework for these ideas and strategies to emerge.

Originality/value

This paper focuses on the perseverance and leadership required in the development of a framework to support and encourage quality in the organization.
Challenging the female underperformance hypothesis
Authors: Zolin Roxanne , Stuetzer Michael , Watson John
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The question of whether female‐owned firms underperform male‐owned firms has triggered much research and discussion. Klapper and Parker's review concluded that the majority of prior research suggests that female‐owned firms underperform relative to male‐owned firms. However, using performance measures that control for size and risk (and after controlling for demographic differences such as industry, experience and hours worked) Robb and Watson found no gender performance difference in their sample of newly established US firms. The aim of this study, therefore, is to replicate Robb and Watson's study to determine whether their findings can be generalized to another geographical location, Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors test the female underperformance hypothesis using data from the CAUSEE project, a panel study which follows young firms over four years. They use three outcome variables: survival rates, return on assets and the Sharpe ratio.

Findings

Consistent with Robb and Watson the results indicate that female‐owned firms do not underperform male‐owned firms.

Originality/value

While replication studies are rare in entrepreneurship, they are an important tool for accumulating generalizable knowledge. The results suggest that while female‐owned firms differ from male‐owned firms in terms of many control variables (such as industry, owners' previous experience and hours worked) they are no less successful. This outcome should help dispel the female underperformance myth; which if left unchallenged could result in inappropriate policy decisions and, more importantly, could discourage women from establishing new ventures.
Why do employees jump ship? Examining intent to quit employment in a non‐western cultural context
Authors: Aladwan Khaled , Bhanugopan Ramudu , Fish Alan
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This study proposed to investigate the phenomenon of intention to quit among frontline employees. The main objectives of the current study were to examine the level of intention to leave and what factors influence the employees to consider leaving their organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 493 frontline employees from Jordanian organisations. The study reported in this paper tested the factor structure of intention to quit using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.

Findings

The findings which emerged from this study established a three‐factor solution model which is appropriate to test employees’ intention to quit based on three factors, namely work opportunities, personal needs, and personal responsibilities. The results provided new perspectives and support the overall validity of the nomological network of intention to quit factors, but also suggest that caution should be exercised in different contexts and cultural settings.

Originality/value

The present study emphasises the need to expand the focus on intention to quit research beyond attitudinal and relational factors. Theoretical implications, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Establishing linkages between religiosity and spirituality on employee performance
Authors: Osman‐Gani AAhad M. , Hashim Junaidah , Ismail Yusof
Published: June 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact of religiosity and spirituality on employee performance in multi‐cultural and multi‐religious organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted Religiosity Personality Index (MRPI) by Azimi et al., Spirituality Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS) by Hatch et al., and Performance Measures by Sarmiento et al. The performance data was collected from employees, peers, and supervisors. The study administered and received all the 435 completed sets of questionnaires (435 employees, 870 peers, and 435 supervisors).

Findings

SEM analysis showed that religiosity and spirituality have a significant positive relationship with employees’ performance. Better spiritual condition improves performance. Religion functions as a moderating variable in employees’ job performance.

Research limitations/implications

This study has extended the knowledge of spirituality in the workplace by confirming that spirituality is more significant than religiosity in influencing employees’ performance. Religion, however, moderates spirituality‐performance relationship.

Practical implications

Based on the empirical findings of this study, organizations may formulate new policies and strategies for improving employee performance by allowing and encouraging spiritual activities in the workplace irrespective of religious and spiritual beliefs, thereby facilitating understanding and mutual respect. A culture of respect for diversity of beliefs and faiths should be cultivated in the workplace by enforcing appropriate codes of conduct as well as instilling values of tolerance, respect and compassion, which would result in more productive teamwork and improved performance.

Originality/value

This is the only study that measured the impact of religiosity and spirituality on employees’ performance using three different sources of data: employees, peers, and supervisors.
Empirical exploration of the relationship between emotional intelligence, perceived organizational justice and turnover intentions
Authors: Meisler Galit
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The current study aims to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and perceived organizational justice, and how the interplay between them influences turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 368 employees from a financial organization was used to test the research model and hypotheses. Archival information regarding participants’ actual turnover was also acquired.

Findings

Emotional intelligence was positively related to perceived organizational justice and negatively related to turnover intentions. Furthermore, perceived organizational justice fully mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intentions. The archival data concerning employees’ actual turnover was significantly related to the self‐report turnover intentions.

Practical implications

Emotional intelligence training may be a powerful tool that organizations and human resource managers can employ to enhance perceived organizational justice and reduce employees’ turnover.

Originality/value

This research broadens the scope through which the contribution of emotional intelligence in the workplace can be viewed. Findings from the current study advance our understanding of the process by which emotional intelligence affects employees’ perceptions and attitudes.
An examination of assistant professors’ project management practices
Authors: Atkinson Alpert Shannon , Hartshorne Richard
Published: June 2013

Purpose– The purpose of this research was to identify factors that influence the use of project management in higher education research projects by investigating the project management practices of assistant professors. Design/methodology/approach – Using a grounded theory approach that included in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with 22 assistant professors across 13 US states, this study uncovered how participants used project management processes and tools and factors that enabled, motivated, and/or inhibited the use of project management in research projects. Findings – From the nearly 200 codes that were documented, 11 major categories emerged that led to the development of a grounded theory appropriate for participants of this study. Research limitations/implications – The primary limitation of this study was the sampling strategy (purposive and convenience sampling), which may limit broad generalizability. To ensure that the sampling strategy enabled a grounded theory to emerge from the data, theoretical sampling was used. Additional research is needed to describe the experiences of professors in other disciplines as well as others who are directly involved in research projects. Originality/value – While a single study of this topic cannot provide a universal basis for explaining how project management is used in higher education, this study suggests that there are several ways that professors and universities can increase the likelihood of research project success. Training in project management, broader and deeper research support services, and systematic processes to engage assistant professors in research support services are three recommendations for improving how professors manage their research projects.
Determinants and effects of option listings: evidence from ADRs
Authors: Case Spencer , Payne Janet D.
Published: June 2013

Purpose

In this paper, the authors aim to test the assertion that options act as a substitute for short sales by allowing investors an alternative way to act on bearish sentiment. An empirical test of this assertion requires a researcher to observe both types of firm – those that weren’t short sale constrained, as well as those that were. The authors examine the ability of options to alleviate the short sales constraint directly – in an environment where the constraint is likely to differ across firms in a systematic fashion, namely the market for American Depository Receipts (ADRs).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examine 190 option introductions on ADRs over the period of 1982 to 2006. The question of how ADRs are chosen for options listing, and whether those criteria differ from those found using purely domestic options, is addressed using logistic regressions. The authors use the event study methods of Brown and Warner to examine the price effect of the listing. They use OLS regression to identify determinants of the cumulative abnormal return upon option listing. Independent variables are those indicated by existing literature that examines option listing on domestic securities.

Findings

In an environment where the effective short sale constraint varies across firms, the authors find support for the contention that US option listings reduce the effect of the short sales constraint, providing relief for investors who have negative sentiment about the stock and are subject to a short sale constraint. However, it does not appear that option listing entities seek out companies for which short sale constraints are stronger.

Originality/value

The authors’ hypotheses are similar to those of Mayhew and Mihov and of Danielson and Sorescu, but the authors assert that the ADR market is a more robust environment in which to test the hypotheses. This is due to the potentially large variation in the effective short sale constraints that results from the differences in their underlying home market legal and regulatory environments. In addition to relative short interest and the change in relative short interest, this environment allows the authors to use indicator variables to directly test the ability of options to substitute for short sales.
Canadian corporate payout policy
Authors: Kent Baker H. , Chang Bin , Dutta Shantanu , Saadi Samir
Published: June 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine cash dividends and stock repurchases in Canada from 1988 to 2006 and their relationship with earnings.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses logistic regressions to examine the likelihood of paying dividends and the timing of repurchases and OLS regressions to examine the level of payout.

Findings

The fraction of dividend‐paying firms declines from 1988 to 2001 and then slightly rebounds until the end of the sample period in 2006. Firm size, profitability, investment opportunities, and catering incentives explain the likelihood of paying dividends. Unlike US firms, Canadian repurchase‐only firms do not become important payers in terms of either the percentage of firms or the level of payout. Dividend‐only firms pay out significant amounts of cash. Firms with both regular dividends and regular repurchases pay out the largest amount. The payout of different groups of payers is determined by their earnings. Testing firms with both regular dividends and regular repurchases reveals that earnings, undervaluation, and availability of cash explains the timing of repurchases but earnings mainly explains the level of repurchases.

Research limitations/implications

Canadian data are unavailable after 2006, which precludes investigating the potential implications of the financial crisis beginning in 2007.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to analyze the evolution of the relationship between payout and earnings in Canada.