bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of revenue guarantee programs in build-operation-transfer projects
Authors: Asao Kohei , Miyamoto Takashi , Kato Hironori , Emmanuel D. Diaz Crispin
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to compare revenue guarantee programs in a build-operation-transfer project (BOT). Two types of revenue guarantee programs are formulated: a payment-based annual revenue guarantee program and a period-extension-based cumulative revenue guarantee program.

Design/methodology/approach

– Monte Carlo simulation is used to model the real option approach. This method is applied to a toll road project in the Philippines wherein the expected payoffs of the government and the concessionaire are simulated over an evaluation period that includes the concession period. The condition under which the expected government return in one program is equal to that in the other program is shown. These programs are then evaluated by incorporating a project risk factor into the project return.

Findings

– The results show that the cumulative revenue guarantee program is preferred to the annual revenue guarantee program. However, the optimal solution depends on the government's return-risk preference.

Research limitations/implications

– The simulation was implemented with limited cases of discrete input with respect to the cost-sharing parameter, the annual guarantee rate, and the guaranteed cumulative revenue. A simulation with more input values should be performed to achieve results that are more general and sophisticated.

Practical implications

– It is indicated that the simple reduction of risk does not necessarily mean that government expected payoff will increase.

Originality/value

– It is expected that this method contributes to the proper decisions made by the governments with respect to the choice of a revenue guarantee mechanism in BOT projects.
Fiscal effects and public risk in public-private partnerships
Authors: Sfakianakis Emmanouil , van de Laar Mindel
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– PPPs can impose important future public costs, while PPP government guarantees create explicit contingent liabilities similar to public debt obligations. The risk that arises from such partnerships must be transparently valued to assess a country's fiscal profile. The purpose of this study is to show that the notion of a PPP as a (set of) contingent claim(s) can also be used to value the PPP public risk.

Design/methodology/approach

– Taking a finance perspective, the paper refers to more traditional cases of asset valuation, applies them to a PPP and compares more carefully different set-ups of a PPP. The paper introduces and analyzes the different scenarios that were at the government's disposal for executing a transport infrastructure project.

Findings

– The findings reveal that, for the first years, the burden on the surplus or deficit will be less in the case of the PPP compares to typical public investment. Secondly, the net contingent PPP flows constitute the real effect on the deficit and correspondingly on the public debt and weaken the government's fiscal position. Finally, the paper attributes a specific price to the PPP public risk introducing CDS valuation with and without counterparty (government) default.

Originality/value

– This study, by proposing a method to evaluate PPP risk, complements previous literature on PPPs, which touches upon issues mainly related to the description of PPP types, the effect of contingent commitments and the accounting classification of PPP assets.
The increasing significance of alcohol's harm to others research
Authors: Laslett Anne-Marie , Callinan Sarah , Pennay Amy
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– In history, alcohol has most commonly been constructed as a problem that affects individuals, not others. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of historical and contemporary research on alcohol's harms to others and aims to give a rationale for the current increasing interest in this field of research.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper reviews the recent literature published on alcohol's harm to others and contextualises this through a discussion of historical and present-day cultural positions on alcohol.

Findings

– Alcohol was rarely linked to harms to others until the early Temperance movement, but this waned in the early twentieth century. Increasing prosperity post the Second World War led to the relaxation of licensing laws, which coincided with an increasing focus on individualism and consumer capitalism. New public health research identified lifestyle factors, including drinking, as problems that were controllable through health promotion and individual behaviour change. Constructing drinkers as deviant or unwell led to individualised policies. Powerful groups such as the alcohol industry and the government encourage the construction of alcohol as an individual problem, not one that affects others.

Originality/value

– While only a limited amount of international research has been undertaken on alcohol's harm to others in history, very recently this issue has begun to elicit some government attention. Recent research shows that there are many harms and costs, broadly distributed, constituting well-accepted reasons why regulation and effective public health measures should be implemented to respond to alcohol's harm to others. The epidemiology of both nuisance and serious harms illustrates a spectrum of problems. The prevalence of externalities that exist and the range of people who experience them underscore the reasons that alcohol's harm to others should become a focus of government concern and action into the future.
The needs of people with alcohol-related brain injury (ARBI): a review of the international literature
Authors: Brighton Renee , Traynor Victoria , Moxham Lorna , Curtis Janette
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Alcohol-related brain injury (ARBI) is part of a group of conditions that do not fit easily into existing systems of care. People living with ARBI require flexible health and social services to ensure they receive person-centred, therapeutic care and treatment. Effective service provision promotes recovery for people who continue to experience significant levels of morbidity and mortality due to symptoms that are potentially reversible or at least amendable to appropriate care and treatment options. There exist significant gaps in the provision of this care for these vulnerable populations.

Design/methodology/approach

– A literature review was undertaken of various scholarly databases (e.g. CINAHL, MEDLINE and Web of Science), as well as government and non-government publications and reference materials. Publications were included for analysis if they reported participant cohorts who had a diagnosis of ARBI or were carers or service staff involved with individuals who lived with ARBI.

Findings

– In total, 31 publications on the needs of people living with ARBI were reviewed. Of the 67 sources identified a total of 31 were accessed and retrieved. Four main themes were identified: under-recognition and lack of a timely diagnosis, inadequate service provision and limited care pathways, stigma, and homelessness. Sources came from Australian, British, North American and Canadian literature.

Research limitations/implications

– Significant gaps were found in both the literature and in current clinical practices when it comes to the identification, care and treatment of people with ARBI. Globally, ARBI policy, treatments and service provision is often not available and when it does exist, it lacks consistency. Variations in models of care are significant given the fact that the predicted increase in per capita alcohol consumption will see a disproportionate increase in ARBI in future generations. This review was generated by the lack of contemporaneous evidence and may be considered a starting point for future research looking into the needs of individuals living with ARBI.

Originality/value

– This international literature review contributes to a broader understanding of the issues and problems faced by people with ARBI. Of the 67 resources identified through a rigorous search method only 31 were relevant to people who live with ARBI in relation to care and support services. This indicates a lack of research in this area but that which needs to be undertaken. The review also highlighted service disconnection and the need for specific, tailored treatment approaches for people with ARBI. It was also found that the identification of ARBI in clinical practice has been protracted by the lack of systemised and standardised screening tools to use in the assessment of those who display signs and symptoms of these conditions.
Leaf of paradise?: the intricate effects of khat in Madagascar
Authors: L. Gezon Lisa
Published: September 2013

Purpose

–Khat is a bushy plant whose leaves are chewed for a mild amphetamine effect. The purpose of this paper is to investigate khat's multiple effects, broadly defined to include impacts on producers, traders, and consumers, as well as on the biophysical environment, in northern Madagascar.

Design/methodology/approach

– This primarily ethnographic study (conducted from 2004 to 2010), includes observation, semi-structured interviews, and orally administered questionnaires.

Findings

– Khat's effects include strain on the household budgets of consumers, but increased earnings to producers and traders. In addition, there is some evidence of consumers’ strained primary social relationships, yet khat chewing is also positively linked with new forms of urban multiethnic identity.

Research limitations/implications

– To evaluate a drug's overall effects, it is critical to understand it within wide-ranging political, economic, biological, and cultural contexts. Many studies of drugs focus on only one component. While this makes for more manageable research designs, it obscures the complex interplay of numerous factors. This impedes general understanding and furthermore makes it difficult to design broadly effective, multisector intervention strategies.

Originality/value

– This analysis reveals the intricacy of khat's effects in Madagascar while programmatically proposing a model for doing research with policy implications on other psychotropic substances.
Exploring relationship marketing in membership associations
Authors: A. Vincent Nathan , M. Webster Cynthia
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Relationship marketing (RM) studies have produced a range of conclusions that are attributed to the different exchange contexts, strategies and constructs used for analysis. This study aims to explore RM within the context of a membership association to gain insights into membership maintenance, customer advocacy and association performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– The exploratory, qualitative research conducted draws on existing relationship marketing constructs. Six focus groups with current and former members of an Australian wine club provide insights regarding factors that influence their membership experience.

Findings

– The results show that satisfaction of membership benefits and confidence in the association's expertise are essential in strong relationships. Moreover, member commitment to the relationship appears to be multidimensional, with affective commitment in particular leading to member retention and advocacy. The results also indicate that trust, satisfaction and commitment can be combined as an overall assessment of relationship quality. Desire for recognition, the social nature of wine and product involvement all emerge as important to the membership context.

Research limitations/implications

– This research provides valuable insights into relationships in membership associations and is a strong foundation for future confirmatory research regarding relationships between associations and their members.

Practical implications

– Membership maintenance is vital to the survival and profitability of membership-based associations. By determining the benefits and factors that foster strong relationships, management can create marketing strategies and programs aimed specifically at influencing the key drivers of strong relationships.

Originality/value

– Although relationship marketing has gained prevalence in recent times across a number of industries, research into membership contexts is limited.
Determinants of franchise conversion: a franchisee perspective
Authors: Hodge Cori , Oppewal Harmen , Terawatanavong Civilai
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Conversion franchising is a strategy where franchisors recruit existing franchisees from rival systems or by converting independent businesses to franchisees. The present research aims to investigate the attractiveness of conversion offers and the likelihood of such offers being accepted under different conditions of the franchising agreement.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on commitment theory and agency theory, it is hypothesised that conversion likelihood will be larger if the conversion offer is more attractive in terms of relational benefits, relational costs, the management of control in the franchise relationship, or perception of brand strength. The study comprises a qualitative phase followed by a scenario experiment held among 415 Australian business format franchisees across six industries.

Findings

– The qualitative findings reveal a predominantly calculative attitude towards the franchise relationship. The experimental findings support that relational costs and perception of brand strength are unconditional drivers of conversion likelihood; however, the effects of relational benefits and power and control depend on the details of the conversion offer. Effects of relational benefits depend on the level of power and control. More experienced franchisees and service-based franchisees are more likely to convert.

Research limitations/implications

– The use of experimental case scenarios limits the external validity but enhances the internal validity by allowing control for factors that are difficult to account for in survey-based approaches. The study includes only franchisees from Australia although from a range of industries. The proposed methodology can be easily modified for other contexts.

Practical implications

– The results can help franchisors tailor conversion proposals to suit specific conversion targets based on experience and industry type. Franchisors should generally focus on developing conversion proposals that are attractive in terms of perceived brand strength and relational costs. Relational benefits and management of power and control appear to play a role only in particular circumstances. For example, when no other factors differentiate the competitor, the management of power and control can make a difference in indicating franchise support quality and level of control among franchisees.

Originality/value

– The study extends franchising research to the franchisee perspective and to a non-American context. It utilises an experimental approach that hitherto had not been applied in franchising research, allowing rigorous testing of hypotheses about franchise behaviour. Hypotheses are tested for different industry groups.
An investigation into online reviewers' behavior
Authors: Chen Hua-Ning , Huang Chun-Yao
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The current research aims to explore variables that explain the differences in online reviewers' behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors' panel dataset is compiled from Amazon.com's book section and uses publicly available information about reviewers in combination with the reviews they wrote. The authors utilize the Pareto/NBD model with time-invariant covariates. The model's parameters are estimated using maximum likelihood estimates (MLE) with MATLAB software.

Findings

– This study contributes to the literature by exploring how the characteristics of reviews and the reviewers might shape consumer review frequency and continuity. Specifically, the authors' results show that review ratings, comments on a review, and helpful votes have a positive association with review frequency and continuity. Furthermore, the length of the textual review has a positive relationship with review frequency, but a negative relationship with review continuity. Relative to anonymous reviewers, people who write reviews and use their real names post reviews less often, but their review continuity is longer.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first to identify empirically variables that explain review frequency and continuity, thus enabling companies to gain a better understanding of their reviewer base and hence to manage online word-of-mouth more efficiently. It is the first study to apply a well-known behavioral model to address online review behavior.
Ad agency professionals' mental models of advertising creativity
Authors: Nyilasy Gergely , Canniford Robin , J. Kreshel Peggy
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to map advertising agency practitioners' mental models of creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

– A total of 30 in-depth interviews among top-level advertising agency executives (creative, account and planning directors) were conducted. Design and data analysis followed the grounded theory paradigm of qualitative research.

Findings

– Complementing earlier studies in advertising creativity, a multi-dimensional system of practitioner mental models was discovered. Substantive models depict agency professionals' core understanding of advertising creativity and its dialectical structure. Developmental models conceptualise the intrapersonal acquisition of creative skill as well as the social context in which advertising creativity is generated. Effectiveness models introduce native explanations for the market effectiveness of creativity. Interrelationships between the identified models are presented in detail.

Research limitations/implications

– Understanding the mental models of advertising executives enriches the literature on the production side of marketing culture.

Practical implications

– Shared understandings of mental models between advertising agencies and client brand management teams have the promise of reducing agency-client conflict.

Originality/value

– The study's contribution is threefold: it provides an integrated view on advertising practitioners' multifaceted mental models about creativity (an area that has received little prior research attention); it models these mental models in their dynamic interaction, going beyond previous accounts that looked at topical areas in creativity in relative isolation; it redresses an imbalance in marketing theory between the production and consumption contexts of marketplace culture formation.
Technical assessment of Greenstone toward development of digital libraries in Iran
Authors: Paknejad Azad
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper tries to identify the extent of adoption and utility of Greenstone Digital Library Software (GDLS) in Persian language in Iran. What are the powerful capabilities and features of Greenstone and what about its programming bugs and errors toward information retrieval and storage in Persian language?

Design/methodology/approach

– The study adopted evaluative survey and direct observation through nine spectrums checklist based on Greenstone capabilities and features. Then viewpoints of computer and library and information science (LIS) specialists obtained and analyzed. After that, a digital Persian collection has been designed with Greenstone and analyzed. A statistical analysis scheme was employed to evaluate the software.

Findings

– The study obtained the following conclusions: there is similar consensus about GSLS effectiveness and capabilities between researcher and specialists. There is a lack of experts in Perl and Java programming language for upgrading of software in Iran. Further, software infrastructure especially in the interaction, support of standards and metadata features is powerful. Relatively poor user interface, incomplete sorting of Persian alphabet for “” characters, immature Unicode support like KWIC (or phind) index are some outstanding bugs.

Research limitations/implications

– The absence of complete and huge Persian digital library based on Greenstone was one of the major constraints of survey.

Practical implications

– If national entity supports localization of Greenstone, it will be a suitable solution for Persian digital library. Using Greenstone in the absence of financial resource for commercial software is a good choice.

Originality/value

– Using Greenstone to support digital libraries is a new trend as open source digital library solution in Iran for Persian language. This study can not only be a starting point for further discussions on the localization of open source digital library software, but also be applied to other researches.
The influence of open access on journal cancellations in university libraries in South Africa
Authors: Geraldine Hoskins Ruth
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to present the influence open access initiatives (OAIs) have on journal cancellations in university libraries in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on part of a doctoral research project which examined the crisis in scholarly communication and its effect on university libraries in South Africa that was carried out at the University of KwaZulu-Natal from 2005 to 2009. Part of the investigation focused on open access (OA) and how it influenced journal cancellations. The survey methodology was adopted and the study used a quantitative approach to collect data on the influence of OA.

Findings

– The findings revealed that OAIs had a very limited influence on journal cancellations in South African university libraries.

Practical implications

– The study presents data that can be used by university libraries to develop, support and facilitate access to local research.

Originality/value

– The study provides data on which future developments in OA as a solution to university library journal cancellations could be based.
The role of HR actors in designing and implementing HRM in tourist resorts in the Maldives
Authors: Najeeb Ali
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of human resource (HR) actors in the design and implementation of HR practices. More specifically, the paper explores how interactions between various HR actors influence the design and implementation of HR practices in tourist resorts in the Maldives.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative, multiple case study approach was used. Data for this study were collected in seven tourist resorts in the Maldives through 49 semi-structured interviews conducted with managers with different functional roles, at various levels in the organisational hierarchy and with non-managerial employees. Field observations and a range of secondary sources supplemented the interview data.

Findings

– The findings show that all HR actors influence the design and implementation of human resource management (HRM) practices in these resorts to some degree, although the extent of their involvement varies from actor to actor. Execution of HR practices necessitates interaction among HR actors as they contest and reconcile their interests and roles. High levels of social capital enhance the roles of HR actors as they overcome constraints to the implementation of HRM practices.

Research limitations/implications

– This study is a qualitative and exploratory study. Data are clustered at the sub-unit level and limited to a single industry. This presents limitations in generalising the findings. A more extensive study covering other industries is necessary to explore different configurations of the negotiated relationships among HR actors.

Practical implications

– This study identifies various management strategies that could be used to enhance HR actors’ social capital. These strategies could be useful for managers in other organisational settings

Originality/value

– There is a dearth of literature on the interactions between managers at different levels in organisational hierarchies and with different functional roles, and how these interactions affect the design and implementation of HRM practices in organisations. Using social capital theory, this research explores the interaction between HR actors in the design and implementation of HRM in the context of self-contained resorts in the Maldives, thereby shedding light on a context that has attracted little research to date.
Open source leadership
Authors: John Gadman Leslie
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The study had three main aims. To better understand and explain commitment dynamics using a commitment based analytical model. To show that commitment is an essential foundation of synergistic interactions which drive the speed of response to environmental change. To explain why and under what circumstances people in social networks become committed to a common cause. How this leads to authentic identity creation and how both lead successful outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

– The fieldwork for the study was qualitative and interpretive in nature and used semi-structured interviews to collect the data. As a consequence, the approach was mindful of issues of reflexivity wherein it is acknowledged that the researcher-respondent are conjoined in a sense-making process which is unavoidable and inevitable. It proceeded in three phases: sampling of the case, data gathering, and data analysis. One case was selected in order to increase the depth of the analysis, acquire and report experience with the gathering of new and unfamiliar data.

Findings

– The findings suggest that commitment based community networks are primarily driven by concerns. The study shows that in order to shift the concerns of a culture, community network leaders must clearly articulate and gain “buy in” to the concerns to be addressed. They must create and maintain a clear focus and develop a shared sense of commitment among participants. The research reveals a complex interaction between the commitment drivers and the successful outcomes of the project especially the unfolding and alteration of commitments in time and through time at the strategic, transforming and operating levels as circumstances change.

Research limitations/implications

– Being qualitative and interpretive in nature, the approach is limited by issues of reflexivity wherein it is acknowledged that the researcher-respondent are conjoined in a sense-making process. While this is unavoidable and inevitable, the findings from this study have implications for research into the impact of community based networking strategies on strategic management because so much strategic planning in business is preoccupied by public reputation.

Practical implications

– In taking the position that personal and corporate identity is neither wholly the result of total commitment nor wholly the result of recognition-based identity, the practical implications require a deeper consideration of the challenges surrounding collaborative community models. Because language is used loosely, requests can be made ambiguously and commitments frivolously. The inevitable result is a total breakdown in trust.

Originality/value

– This work is highly original because it points to the obvious which few leaders and managers appear to take into account. In those cases where the power of language and commitment are considered, the results are highly positive.
The applicability of commitment models in a unionized professional workplace
Authors: M.R. Campbell Shelagh
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The changing dynamics of current workplaces and the increasing employment of professionals in large bureaucratic organizations calls for a renewed examination of commitment at work. This study assesses a three-component model of professional commitment in a unionized environment to determine the applicability of a three-component model of professional commitment and its effect on participation in union and professional activities. This paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– A cross-sectional survey of licensed practical nurses tests the validity of a three-component model of professional commitment concurrent with union commitment; the impact of commitment on varying levels of participation in union and professional activities is examined.

Findings

– Support is found for a three component of professional commitment based on Meyer and Allen's model of organizational commitment. Normative professional commitment has an inverse relationship to outcomes compared to professional affective commitment and union affective commitment, eflecting the professional socialization process.

Research limitations/implications

– Sample size limits the generalizability of the findings. A larger study, with longitudinal design, would contribute to understanding the operation of union and professional commitment in the same workplace.

Practical implications

– Support for a variety of union and professional activities is linked to both union and professional commitment, indicating there may be shared values motivating participation in these activities. It may be possible to overcome the negative association between normative commitment and engagement in activities through emphasis on affective commitment to both the union and the profession.

Originality/value

– The findings are important for the increasing number of professionals employed in unionized settings, particularly in the public sector, whose collective bargaining rights are being threatened.
Should we try out for the major leagues? A call for research in sport operations management
Authors: Kauppi Katri , Moxham Claire , Bamford David
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Research related to operations management (OM) in the sport industry is underdeveloped, despite sport being a continued context of study in other management disciplines. Most studies on the topic are conducted largely in isolation and not linked to the wider OM theory base. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the few studies conducted and develop a detailed research agenda to encourage future research in this interesting, important and topical context.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper uses a comprehensive systematic literature review methodology to synthesize the research on sport OM to date. Gaps within the literature are identified and avenues for future research to drive improved performance in multiple aspects of sport OM are suggested.

Findings

– Examination of the literature shows sports OM to be underdeveloped, with little cumulative learning between existing studies and weak linkages between sport and OM research. To develop the topic further there is a clear requirement for more theory-based research as well as more rigorous empirical testing. The sport industry has special characteristics that differentiate it from the overall service industry and call for targeted research.

Practical implications

– Sport today is a major business. The industry also contributes to individual health and well-being. This paper suggests several research directions designed to improve off-field performance in sport operations.

Originality/value

– This paper is the first to identify and synthesize the separate studies that have been conducted on OM in sport to date in order to provide a multifaceted research agenda aimed at developing both theoretical and managerial contributions within this important yet under researched area.
Building from Beslan: examining an NGO community sport initiative in Russia and its capacity to promote peace amongst victims of terrorism
Authors: Rookwood Joel
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Peace promotion can include culturally relevant community programming. Some agencies have used sports such as football, for example, as a vehicle for fostering social development in fractured societies. This paper explores a football project implemented in Beslan, Russia following a 2004 terrorist attack. The purpose of this paper is to examine the approach adopted and the appropriateness of using football as a tool to promote peace amongst survivors of terrorism. It also focuses on the wider impact and significance of projects in comparable contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

– This qualitative work examines interview data obtained from eight UK-based staff and two Russian project translators. Each British interviewee also participated in a focus group with their colleagues, which is explored here also.

Findings

– Football-based interventions can have beneficial outcomes in certain conditions. It is important to consider contextual nuances, the degree of cultural significance and the various necessary conditions. The use of sport for peace promotion and other forms of social involvement are reliant on a variety of components, including the design and implementation of projects and the quality of staff, together with several environmental, logistical, relational and socio-political factors.

Originality/value

– Despite the increase in sport-for-development initiatives, meaningful research in this context is lacking. This is particularly the case in relation to peace promotion. This paper addresses a variety of challenges, approaches and outcomes associated with such projects. This work is uniquely positioned, analysing a neglected political context; it deliberately examines an atypical, exploratory, problematic initiative executed in a dangerous environment and addresses many of the questions posed through such work.
Moving toward trust and partnership: an example of sport-related community-based participatory action research with Aboriginal people and mainstream academics
Authors: J. Schinke Robert , R. McGannon Kerry , Watson Jack , Busanich Rebecca
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the authors own assumptions made as academics using two examples from a research project with an Aboriginal community. The first attempt features a project that silenced the community. Later work engaged the community through tenets of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and a sport development project (SDP).

Design/methodology/approach

– This project explores a shift from a mainstream qualitative approach steeped in post-positivism to a de-colonizing methodology which opened up a space for a SDP.

Findings

– Mainstream research methodologies tend to silence marginalized communities and overlook local cultural practices. Effective community programming requires extensive consultation, and an approach that centralizes local voices.

Research limitations/implications

– Current understandings are limited to one Aboriginal Reserve.

Practical implications

– Recommendations are proposed concerning how researchers might embark on practices that support the reversal of colonization and improve relations among people from two cultures previously in conflict. SDP initiatives and applied sport research grounded in CBPR are proposed as conduits to bettering relations among cultures in conflict.

Originality/value

– The reader is provided with an example of how to attain goals of SDP at the local level through cultural praxis and a CBPR methodology.
Do tax rate cuts encourage entrepreneurial entry?
Authors: Gurley-Calvez Tami , Bruce Donald
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Policy makers have long been interested in whether tax policies can be used to encourage entrepreneurial activity, but prior studies have produced ambiguous results. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether tax rates affect the decision to begin a new entrepreneurial venture.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper uses a 12-year panel of tax return data to examine the effects of tax rates on entrepreneurial entry. The paper calculates household-level tax rates and employ multiple measures of entrepreneurship.

Findings

– The results offer evidence that cuts in relative tax rates faced by entrepreneurs, either in the form of higher rates for wage workers or lower rates for entrepreneurs, increase entry. The magnitudes of these effects suggest that an across the board tax cut would increase entry.

Practical implications

– These results suggest that policy makers interested in entrepreneurial activity should account for the affects of tax policies on entrepreneurial activity in their decision making.

Originality/value

– The data represent the most accurate publicly available tax information. We expand on previous work by recognizing that many entrepreneurial households also receive wage-and-salary income and addressing whether the effects differ by degree of entrepreneurship (e.g. full-time vs part-time). The analysis of households also includes a broader set of entrepreneurs than prior work, which has typically limited the sample to working-age male household heads. Ultimately, the paper finds robust results suggesting an effect opposite from much of the previous literature, but consistent with recent evidence on entrepreneurial exit decisions.
Knowledge-sharing through social interaction in a policy-driven industrial cluster
Authors: Richardson Christopher
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether knowledge-flows through social interaction occur within the context of a policy-driven industrial cluster.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper follows a single-case approach, adopting Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor cluster as the unit of analysis. Semi-structured interviews with firm- and non-firm-respondents in the cluster constitute the prime source of data.

Findings

– Spontaneous social interaction leading to knowledge diffusion within the cluster may be lacking. However, policymakers may be able to remedy this somewhat by organising workshops, conferences and other events to help firms gain additional knowledge, although these measures should ideally complement, rather than replace, spontaneous face-to-face meetings.

Practical implications

– Although policymakers may implement certain measures to try to compensate for the shortage of knowledge flows through social interaction (e.g. organising more “formal” events such as workshops and exhibitions), it is argued that these may not be sufficient in ensuring the long-term, self-sustaining success of the cluster.

Originality/value

– The paper integrates extant literature on “organic” industrial clusters into a pre-planned, purpose-built, policy-driven cluster context. Research on policy-driven clusters is somewhat limited, with attention from scholars primarily focused on organic clusters. This paper attempts to bridge the gap for future research in the area.
Policy at the local level
Authors: F. Gohmann Stephan
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the appropriate level of data to use for the analysis of public policies.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper discusses national, regional and local levels of analysis and the benefits of using local data when available.

Findings

– A benefit of local analysis is that policy implications may be clearer.

Originality/value

– The paper gives a better understanding of the costs and benefits of different levels of data analysis.
From service for free to service for fee: business model innovation in manufacturing firms
Authors: Witell Lars , Löfgren Martin
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of the present research is to identify how business model innovation can be used to make the transition from service for free to service for fee. In particular, the focus is on identifying, describing and analysing alternative transition strategies, degree and type of innovation, and how building blocks in the business model change.

Design/methodology/approach

– A multiple case study of six manufacturing firms was performed. Data were collected through interviews with CEOs, service managers and sales managers. In addition, two workshops were performed with the participating firms.

Findings

– The present research identified eight strategies for transitioning from service for free to service for fee. These strategies represent change in the business model, incremental business model innovation and radical business model innovation. It is suggested to change the content and structure to perform incremental business model innovation and change the governance to perform radical business model innovation.

Originality/value

– In most models for service infusion, the change of business model is seen as a necessary step and focus is placed on that a change of business model is needed. The present study elaborates on what approaches manufacturing firms use to make the change from one business model to another.
Croatian school libraries on Facebook: meeting the needs of young library users
Authors: Hebrang Grgic Ivana
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the presence of Croatian school libraries on Facebook by analysing quality and quantity of interactions.

Design/methodology/approach

– In the paper, literature about libraries on Facebook is reviewed and the need for new research on the topic is explained. Quantitative and content analysis of all Croatian school libraries on Facebook is presented. Quantitative analysis includes: metrics, features, number of items in features, number of libraries' and users' activities (posts, likes, comments and shares). Content analysis includes analysis of information section and posts published in two-month period.

Findings

– Croatian school librarians know how to use Facebook on a basic level, but some are not educated sufficiently to administer Facebook presences – they use the wrong kind of presence, administer it without planning and sometimes publish inappropriate content. Users of Croatian school libraries rarely interact, mostly by liking library's status and they wait for their libraries to encourage the interaction.

Practical implications

– This research can help school librarians to see what they have to do to improve or to implement their Facebook activities. The improvement should advance library service, both on Facebook and in real life.

Originality/value

– The paper confirms that Croatian school librarians are aware of the importance of social networking sites for communication with patrons. This is the first complete study of Croatian school libraries on Facebook and intends to be a basis for a longitudinal study of school libraries' presence on social networking sites. The study could also be a starting point for similar analysis worldwide.
Library systems documentation: pulling it together with SharePoint
Authors: Diffin Jennifer , Coogan John , Fu Li
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to discuss how the Library Systems Team at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) implemented Microsoft SharePoint as a portal to organize and share their collective knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper reports on why SharePoint was chosen, how it was implemented, and the results of the implementation.

Findings

– The general conclusion of this paper is that implementation was a success and the team is now in the habit of creating and maintaining documentation in SharePoint.

Originality/value

– This paper fills a gap in the literature on how systems librarians can document and share knowledge with colleagues and provides an example of how it was accomplished at UMUC.
Bridging indistinct relationships and online loyalty: evidence from online interest-based communities
Authors: Chen Chun-Der , C.S. Ku Edward
Published: September 2013

Purpose

– Bridging indistinct relationships and online loyalty has become an important strategy for online interest-based communities' operators and firms. The objective of this study is to draw on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to advance our understanding of the influences on the development of relationship quality and the consequent impact on members' loyalty to online communities.

Design/methodology/approach

– To test the hypotheses the authors identified and selected four interest-based online communities in Taiwan. The online survey yielded 331 completed questionnaires from members of interest-based online communities and the authors analysed the results using the structural equation modelling approach.

Findings

– The findings show that argument quality and source credibility positively affect members' perceived relationship quality, which has a positive and significant effect on behavioural loyalty, and personal relevance and user expertise positively moderate the relationship between argument quality and relationship quality and negatively moderate the relationship between source credibility and relationship quality.

Research limitations/implications

– While this study has produced meaningful insights for investigating the informational processing influences on relationship quality and subsequent behavioural loyalty through the ELM perspective, the samples may not allow researchers to draw more general conclusions across different types of community contexts. The data were collected only from interest-based communities. Examining this model across different types of online communities, such as transaction-, relationship-, or fantasy-based ones, would help establish the generalisability of these results beyond the current context.

Practical implications

– The present study can help managers of online communities recognise the differential effects of these information processes across a user population and customise optimal strategies that best fit the unique characteristics of their community members. For making argument quality more convincing, Toulmin's (1958) model of argumentation could serve as an appropriate mechanism. Moreover it is crucial to provide various indicators of source credibility for information content.

Originality/value

– The paper addresses a gap in the research by using ELM to better understand the influences on the development of relationship quality and the impact on members' loyalty. Understanding these dynamics is critical since it: enriches the relationship marketing and information management literature by addressing the role of information content in the management and success of online communities; helps online community managers customise optimal strategies for their members, thereby fostering members' loyalty and their platform's competitive advantage; and illuminates two influential processes that can achieve the desired attitude change in the context of online communities.