bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploring the MICE industry career path
Authors: Wang Mingsheng , Luo Qiuju
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to explain and resolve the paradoxical situation in China regarding how it is difficult to get an offer of employment in China while people are unwilling to pursue or embark on a career in the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) industry. Therefore, the MICE industry career path should be carefully explored.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper used semi-structured interviews with more than 30 representative managers from key MICE companies, a social community perspective and conceptions of the social world combined with the traditional career-ladder model.

Findings

The study’s key findings are: a general career path exists in the MICE industry in China; there are three main types of career paths and two different kinds of promotion mechanisms, which vary according to the type of ownership, scale or other characteristics of companies; and a feedback mechanism, linking social-world events and social community characteristics, affects individual employees and their career paths in the MICE industry, leading to promotion in or retreat from the industry. Typically, the mechanism fits high-level employees better than the freshmen, which leads to high turnover in the MICE labor market.

Practical implications

This paper provides a better understanding of MICE industry and facilitates people’s employment choices.

Originality/value

This paper provide a new social community perspective for exploring the MICE career path; there are also significant practical implications for MICE elites, which present a new framework for future research and industry applications.
Big data and predictive analytics in humanitarian supply chains
Authors: Dubey Rameshwar , Luo Zongwei , Gunasekaran Angappa , Akter Shahriar , Hazen Benjamin T. , Douglas Matthew A.
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand how big data and predictive analytics (BDPA), as an organizational capability, can improve both visibility and coordination in humanitarian supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conceptualize a research model grounded in contingent resource-based view where the authors propose that BDPA capabilities affect visibility and coordination under the moderating effect of swift trust. Using ordinary least squares regression, the authors test the hypotheses using survey data collected from informants at 205 international non-government organizations.

Findings

The results indicate that BDPA has a significant influence on visibility and coordination. Further, the results suggest that swift trust does not have an amplifying effect on the relationships between BDPA and visibility and coordination. However, the mediation test suggests that swift trust acts as a mediating construct. Hence, the authors argue that swift trust is not the condition for improving coordination among the actors in humanitarian supply chains.

Research limitations/implications

The major limitation of the study is that the authors have used cross-sectional survey data to test the research hypotheses. Following Guide and Ketokivi (2015), the authors present arguments on how to address the limitations of cross-sectional data or use of longitudinal data that can address common method bias or endogeneity-related problems.

Practical implications

Managers can use this framework to understand: first, how organizational resources can be used to create BDPA, and second, how BDPA can help build swift trust and be used to improve visibility and coordination in the humanitarian supply chain.

Originality/value

This is the first research that has empirically tested the anecdotal and conceptual evidence. The findings make notable contributions to existing humanitarian supply chain literature and may be useful to managers who are contemplating the use of BDPA to improve disaster-relief-related activities.
Big data analytics and demand forecasting in supply chains: a conceptual analysis
Authors: Hofmann Erik , Rutschmann Emanuel
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Demand forecasting is a challenging task that could benefit from additional relevant data and processes. The purpose of this paper is to examine how big data analytics (BDA) enhances forecasts’ accuracy.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual structure based on the design-science paradigm is applied to create categories for BDA. Existing approaches from the scientific literature are synthesized with industry knowledge through experience and intuition. Accordingly, a reference frame is developed using three steps: description of conceptual elements utilizing justificatory knowledge, specification of principles to explain the interplay between elements, and creation of a matching by conducting investigations within the retail industry.

Findings

The developed framework could serve as a guide for meaningful BDA initiatives in the supply chain. The paper illustrates that integration of different data sources in demand forecasting is feasible but requires data scientists to perform the job, an appropriate technological foundation, and technology investments.

Originality/value

So far, no scientific work has analyzed the relation of forecasting methods to BDA; previous works have described technologies, types of analytics, and forecasting methods separately. This paper, in contrast, combines insights and provides advice on how enterprises can employ BDA in their operational, tactical, or strategic demand plans.
Practitioners understanding of big data and its applications in supply chain management
Authors: Brinch Morten , Stentoft Jan , Jensen Jesper Kronborg , Rajkumar Christopher
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Big data poses as a valuable opportunity to further improve decision making in supply chain management (SCM). However, the understanding and application of big data seem rather elusive and only partially explored. The purpose of this paper is to create further guidance in understanding big data and to explore applications from a business process perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on a sequential mixed-method. First, a Delphi study was designed to gain insights regarding the terminology of big data and to identify and rank applications of big data in SCM using an adjusted supply chain operations reference (SCOR) process framework. This was followed by a questionnaire-survey among supply chain executives to elucidate the Delphi study findings and to assess the practical use of big data.

Findings

First, big data terminology seems to be more about data collection than of data management and data utilization. Second, the application of big data is most applicable for logistics, service and planning processes than of sourcing, manufacturing and return. Third, supply chain executives seem to have a slow adoption of big data.

Research limitations/implications

The Delphi study is explorative by nature and the questionnaire-survey rather small in scale; therefore, findings have limited generalizability.

Practical implications

The findings can help supply chain managers gain a clearer understanding of the domain of big data and guide them in where to deploy big data initiatives.

Originality/value

This study is the first to assess big data in the SCOR process framework and to rank applications of big data as a mean to guide the SCM community to where big data is most beneficial.
Big data analytics in supply chain and logistics: an empirical approach
Authors: Queiroz Maciel Manoel , Telles Renato
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to recognise the current state of big data analytics (BDA) on different organisational and supply chain management (SCM) levels in Brazilian firms. Specifically, the paper focuses on understanding BDA awareness in Brazilian firms and proposes a framework to analyse firms’ maturity in implementing BDA projects in logistics/SCM.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey on SCM levels of 1,000 firms was conducted via questionnaires. Of the 272 questionnaires received, 155 were considered valid, representing a 15.5 per cent response rate.

Findings

The knowledge of Brazilian firms regarding BDA, the difficulties and barriers to BDA project adoption, and the relationship between supply chain levels and BDA knowledge were identified. A framework was proposed for the adoption of BDA projects in SCM.

Research limitations/implications

This study does not offer external validity due to restrictions for the generalisation of the results even in the Brazilian context, which stems from the conducted sampling. Future studies should improve the comprehension in this research field and focus on the impact of big data on supply chains or networks in emerging world regions, such as Latin America.

Practical implications

This paper provides insights for practitioners to develop activities involving big data and SCM, and proposes functional and consistent guidance through the BDA-SCM triangle framework as an additional tool in the implementation of BDA projects in the SCM context.

Originality/value

This study is the first to analyse BDA on different organisational and SCM levels in emerging countries, offering instrumentalisation for BDA-SCM projects.
Modeling big data enablers for operations and supply chain management
Authors: Lamba Kuldeep , Singh Surya Prakash
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the interactions among various enablers which are critical to the success of big data initiatives in operations and supply chain management (OSCM).

Design/methodology/approach

Fourteen enablers of big data in OSCM have been selected from literature and consequent deliberations with experts from industry. Three different multi criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques, namely, interpretive structural modeling (ISM), fuzzy total interpretive structural modeling (fuzzy-TISM) and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) have been used to identify driving enablers. Further, common enablers from each technique, their hierarchies and inter-relationships have been established.

Findings

The enabler modelings using ISM, Fuzzy-TISM and DEMATEL shows that the top management commitment, financial support for big data initiatives, big data/data science skills, organizational structure and change management program are the most influential/driving enablers. Across all three different techniques, these five different enablers has been identified as the most promising ones to implement big data in OSCM. On the other hand, interpretability of analysis, big data quality management, data capture and storage and data security and privacy have been commonly identified across all three different modeling techniques as the most dependent big data enablers for OSCM.

Research limitations/implications

The MCDM models of big data enablers have been formulated based on the inputs from few domain experts and may not reflect the opinion of whole practitioners community.

Practical implications

The findings enable the decision makers to appropriately choose the desired and drop undesired enablers in implementing the big data initiatives to improve the performance of OSCM. The most common driving big data enablers can be given high priority over others and can significantly enhance the performance of OSCM.

Originality/value

MCDM-based hierarchical models and causal diagram for big data enablers depicting contextual inter-relationships has been proposed which is a new effort for implementation of big data in OSCM.
Role of cloud ERP on the performance of an organization
Authors: Gupta Shivam , Kumar Sameer , Singh Sanjay Kumar , Foropon Cyril , Chandra Charu
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) enables an organization to pay for the services they need and removes the need to maintain information technology infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the role of cloud-based ERP services on the performance of an organization. Here, the performance is categorized as supply chain performance and organizational performance that comprises of financial performance and marketing performance. Contingent resource-based view (RBV) theory was used to develop a theoretical framework in which supply base complexity (SBC) acts as a moderating variable on the relationship between cloud ERP and the performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Contingent RBV theory is used to explain the relationship between all identified variables in this paper. Partial least squares (PLS) based on structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to empirically test our theoretical framework.

Findings

The PLS-SEM analysis of 154 respondents supports the contingent RBV theory. Six hypotheses – out of the eight hypotheses formulated in this paper – are supported by data.

Research limitations/implications

Given this study was conducted in India where the potential of cloud ERP has not been fully implemented yet, the results may reflect more of perceived usefulness of this technology. The authors have attempted to understand the effect of SBC as a moderator in the relationship between cloud ERP and organizational performance which may not be the only moderator affecting this relationship among other potential moderators.

Originality/value

This paper empirically validates the theoretical framework based on the contingent RBV theory as it mitigates the static nature of the resource-based view approach suggested in the seminal article of Barney (1991).
Customers’ tolerance for validation in omnichannel retail stores
Authors: Hoehle Hartmut , Aloysius John A. , Chan Frank , Venkatesh Viswanath
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Mobile technologies are increasingly used as a data source to enable big data analytics that enable inventory control and logistics planning for omnichannel businesses. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the use of mobile technologies to facilitate customers’ shopping in physical retail stores and associated implementation challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors introduce three emerging mobile shopping checkout processes in the retail store. Second, the authors suggest that new validation procedures (i.e. exit inspections) necessary for implementation of mobile-technology-enabled checkout processes may disrupt traditional retail service processes. The authors propose a construct labeled “tolerance for validation” defined as customer reactions to checkout procedures. The authors define and discuss five dimensions – tolerance for: unfair process; changes in validation process; inconvenience; mistrust; and privacy intrusion. The authors develop a measurement scale for the proposed construct and conduct a study among 239 customers.

Findings

The results show that customers have higher tolerance for validation under scenarios in which mobile technologies are used in the checkout processes, as compared to the traditional self-service scenario in which no mobile technology is used. In particular, the customers do not show a clear preference for specific mobile shopping scenarios.

Originality/value

These findings contribute to our understanding of a challenge that omnichannel businesses may face as they leverage data from digital technologies to enhance collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment processes. The proposed construct and measurement scales can be used in future work on omnichannel retailing.
CEO inside debt and the value of excess cash
Authors: Belkhir Mohamed , Boubaker Sabri , Chebbi Kaouther
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between corporate debt-like compensation and the value of excess cash holdings.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample comprises 876 US firms covered by ExecuComp over the period 2006-2013. The authors apply the valuation regression of Fama and French (1998) to examine the marginal value of excess cash as a function of CEO inside debt holdings.

Findings

This paper proposes one hypothesis. The results constitute evidence that the value of excess cash to shareholders declines as CEO inside debt increases. More interestingly, excess cash holdings contribute less to firm value when shareholders expect their value to be destroyed due to managers’ conservative behavior.

Research limitations/implications

The sample comprises only US firms, owing to a lack of firms data from other countries. It would be interesting to conduct future research on an international sample.

Practical implications

This paper contributes to a deeper understanding of investor valuation of excess cash in the presence of CEO inside debt. The findings complement previous studies on US firms by confirming the existence of a relationship between the agency costs of debt and firm policy decisions.

Originality/value

This work is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the first to examine the relationship between debt-like compensation and excess cash valuation, and it supports the view that the conflict between shareholders and debtholders largely affects firm cash policy, and hence, cash valuation.
Does shareholder-oriented corporate governance reduce firm risk? Evidence from listed European companies
Authors: Djoutsa Wamba Leopold , Braune Eric , Hikkerova Lubica
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of the mechanisms of corporate governance on the volatility of companies’ financial profitability.

Design/methodology/approach

For the period 2002-2014, the authors evaluate the relations linking various indices involved in corporate governance with the systematic risk supported by these companies for a sample of 355 firms domiciled in Europe. To empirically test these relationships, the authors calculated a synthetic index of corporate governance quality (QGI) based on the 53 items of assessment of the companies’ governance proposed by the database ASSET4. Following the method used by Boncoriet al.(2016), the authors first reduced the number of dimensions of corporate governance by performing a principal component analysis of the sample, which resulted in the following five components: management’s shareholder commitment, shareholder rights, characteristics of the board of directors, transparency of the financial information and independence of the audit.

Findings

The results of the tests indicate that the synthetic index of governance that the authors have built is only significant at the 10 percent threshold. The impact of this variable on the systematic risk of the company is of the order of one-tenth of a point. The decomposition of this index into five variables shows that management’s commitment to shareholders and the effectiveness of the board of directors in carrying out its supervisory tasks are likely to reduce, but again to a limited extent, the risk borne by the company.

Research limitations/implications

This observation guides the future work in introducing variables that reflect the social responsibilities of the companies in the sample in order to distinguish the effects of social responsibility from those of purely shareholder-oriented governance on systematic risk.

Practical implications

This paper demonstrates the interest of good governance on the risk of firms and identifies certain characteristics upon which to act.

Originality/value

Although the relations between corporate governance mechanisms and profitability expectations have been the subject of numerous studies, few authors have examined the influence of governorship on the volatility of this profitability, particularly in Europe. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the rare work on this topic relates to only a limited number of countries.
Bridging the gap between domain of research and locus of impact
Authors: Rao-Nicholson Rekha , Rodgers Peter , Khan Zaheer
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relevance of academic research in the business and management studies stream to various stakeholders. The stakeholder theory is used to examine the influence of research on various key beneficiaries and investigate the link between the domain of research and locus of impact.

Design/methodology/approach

Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF 2014) conducted in the UK provides a useful context and data for our research as REF 2014 encouraged universities to submit the information on research activities and their beneficiaries. This information is in the form of impact case studies which details the research, location of research and beneficiaries.

Findings

The findings suggest that research with an international focus has a positive impact on industry stakeholders, especially multinational corporations as well as non-governmental organizations. Second, it shows how research has made a commercial impact in innovation and small and medium enterprises’ growth while having limited impact on other domains such as social, legal, political and healthcare. More broadly, the findings indicate the degree of regional diversity. Also, the wider results-driven agenda in the UK can overestimate the research contribution to some stakeholders in the society.

Research limitations/implications

Self-selection bias as universities might submit only few case studies.

Practical implications

For research to generate long-term benefits for the wider society, it needs to engage more deeply with the whole range of stakeholders.

Originality/value

This study contributes to understanding how research is consumed by stakeholders. The results indicate that while locally relevant research encourages local consumption; it is not assimilated across various stakeholders.
Corporate portfolio management in the public sector
Authors: Baškarada Saša , Hanlon Brian
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Although corporate portfolio management (CPM) has been a popular tool for strategic management of multi-business portfolios in the private sector since the late 1960s, it has received limited attention in the public sector. Accordingly, empirical research on the use of CMP in government organizations is virtually non-existent. The purpose of this paper is to partially fill that gap in the literature by highlighting and discussing some of the key points that public sector organizations may need to consider when adopting CPM.

Design/methodology/approach

Rather than deductively proposing and testing narrowly specified hypotheses, this study aims to answer a broad research question, namely: What are the key points that public sector organizations may need to consider when adopting CMP? Hence, the study adopts the qualitative interpretive research paradigm. The findings are based on empirical research conducted in a large Australian publicly funded research organization. Potential application of CPM was iteratively and incrementally explored with a reference group comprising 15 middle management representatives and several members of the senior leadership group over the course of one year.

Findings

Assessment criteria traditionally used in CPM (e.g. growth potential and market share) are generally not applicable in public sector organizations. This paper suggests that government organizations should instead consider past performance and future potential of individual business units, which may be operationalized via capability (a function of human capital and associated resources/infrastructure) and delivery (a function of the demand for, and the impact of, relevant business units). The paper also highlights the importance of organization-wide consultation, evidence-based decision making, and contestability.

Originality/value

From a practical perspective, the paper may assist public sector organizations with adapting and applying CPM. From a theoretical perspective, the paper highlights an important and relatively neglected research problem, and suggests several avenues for future research.
Firm capabilities and performance: a necessary condition analysis
Authors: Tho Nguyen Dinh
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to employ a necessary condition analysis (NCA) approach to investigate the level of necessity of two conditions, marketing capability, including responsiveness to customers, responsiveness to competitors, responsiveness to the macro environment, and business relationship quality, and innovativeness capability for firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a survey data set collected from a sample of 311 Vietnamese firms, this study explored the levels of necessity of the components of marketing capability and innovativeness capability by NCA. The study also tested the net effects of these components on firm performance by multiple regression analysis (MRA).

Findings

The MRA results reveal that except for responsiveness to the macro environment, other components of marketing capability and innovativeness capability have positive effects on firm performance. Further, firm size affects performance but industry types do not. The NCA results indicate that these conditions exhibit different levels of necessity for the occurrence of firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

A major limitation of this study is the exploration of necessary levels of only two key firm capabilities, i.e., marketing and innovativeness. Several other capabilities, such as, research and development, operations capabilities, and other market-based assets should be investigated in future research.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that firms should pay attention not only to the net effects (βweights) but also to the levels of necessity of firm capabilities for their target outcome.

Originality/value

This study is among first studies investigating the levels of necessity of marketing capability and innovativeness capability for firm performance.
Forecasting stock returns in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia
Authors: Oueslati Abdelmonem , Hammami Yacine
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the performance of various return forecasting variables and methods in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. The authors document that market excess returns in Saudi Arabia are predicted by changes in oil prices, the dividend yield and inflation, whereas the equity premium in Malaysia is predicted only by the US market excess returns. In both countries, the authors find that the diffusion index is the best forecasting method and stock return predictability is stronger in expansions than in recessions. To interpret the findings, the authors perform two tests. The empirical results suggest irrational pricing in Malaysia and rationally time-varying expected returns in Saudi Arabia.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors apply the state-of-the-art in-sample and out-of-sample forecasting techniques to predict stock returns in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.

Findings

The Saudi equity premium is predicted by oil prices, dividend yield and inflation. The Malaysian equity premium is predicted by the US market excess returns. In both countries, the authors find that the diffusion index is the best forecasting method. In both countries, predictability is stronger in expansions than in recessions. The tests suggest irrational pricing in Malaysia and rationality in Saudi Arabia.

Practical implications

The empirical results have some practical implications. The fact that stock returns are predictable in Saudi Arabia makes it possible for policymakers to better evaluate future business conditions, and thus to take appropriate decisions regarding economic and monetary policy. In Malaysia, the results of this study have interesting implications for portfolio management. The fact that the Malaysian market seems to be inefficient suggests the presence of strong opportunities for sophisticated investors, such as hedge and mutual funds.

Originality/value

First, there are no papers that have studied the return predictability in Saudi Arabia in spite of its importance as an emerging market. Second, the methods that combine all predictive variables such as the diffusion index or the kitchen sink methods have not been implemented in emerging markets. Third, this paper is the first study to deal with time-varying short-horizon predictability in emerging countries.
Corporate diversification and accrual and real earnings management
Authors: Alhadab Mohammad , Nguyen Thang
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This study aims to examine the non-linear relationship between corporate diversification and real and accrual earnings management, using a sample of 5,659 US firm-year observations for 1,221 firms covering the period from 2001 to 2012.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use various techniques and regressions to test the hypotheses. Following prior research, several proxies have been used to measure diversification, accrual earnings management and real earnings management.

Findings

The study produces several important findings. First, the study provides evidence that diversified firms engage in real and accrual earnings management to manage their reported earnings upward. These results are consistent with recent research (Farooqi et al., 2014; Jirapon et al., 2008) that finds that diversified firms engage in earnings manipulation. Second, and most importantly, the study contributes to the literature by providing the first evidence on a non-linear relationship between corporate diversification and earnings management. Specifically, the study provides evidence that diversified firms engage in accrual (real) earnings management, but this engagement is associated with level of diversification in a non-linear U-shaped (inverted U-shaped) relationship.

Research limitations/implications

Like all other studies, the current study has some limitations. The study was conducted only on the largest firms in the USA that have market capitalization of more than US$10m; hence, the findings may not be generalizable to small publicly traded firms. Further, the findings may not be generalizable to other markets, given the unique characteristics of US markets such as the presence of very sophisticated investors.

Practical implications

This study provides some important implications for US regulators to revise their regulations to prevent diversified firms from using earnings management to manipulate reported earnings.

Originality/value

This study is the first in the USA to examine the non-linear relationship between corporate diversification and earnings management. The study focuses on one of the most active, most attractive and largest capital markets throughout the world, that of the USA. Also, this study is one of the few studies that examine whether diversified firms use real activities manipulation to manage their reported earnings.
The effect of nonrecurring items on goodwill and CEO market-based compensation
Authors: Saito Yoshie
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the association between goodwill defined as difference between market and book value of equity and reports of nonrecurring items, namely, special items, discontinued operations and extraordinary items to suggest information related to restructuring activities measured by these items can link the valuation and incentive roles of accounting. Economic intuition suggests that successful managerial efforts should increase firm value. Yet, the link between the valuation and stewardship roles of earnings has been difficult to verify.

Design/methodology/approach

The author first estimates whether nonrecurring items have an incremental ability to explain goodwill, measured as the difference between market and book value of equity, at the industry level and then estimates whether firm-specific accounting bias is associated with the industry-level signals sent by nonrecurring items. The author then analyzes whether these items are associated with the use of chief executive officer (CEO) market-based compensation.

Findings

The author’ results show that information contained in special items increases firm-specific goodwill, indicating that it sends signals to investors about future growth opportunities, while that of discontinued operations reduces goodwill, suggesting that it provides signals about the adjustments of book value. She does not find any significant informational role for extraordinary items. She also finds that the signals sent by special items are negatively associated with the use of CEO market-based compensation, while those relayed by discontinued operations are positively associated with the use of market-based pay.

Research limitations/implications

Contrary to prior studies, the results show special items and discontinued operations are both value and incentive relevant. There are two caveats to this analysis. First, owing to the frequent changes in the definition of discontinued operations, the analysis is conducted using data between 1992 and 2003. Second, some might argue that industry-level incremental R2 might not be appropriate for a compensation analysis. However, entities often use industry norms as a benchmark to set CEO compensation. Thus, it is reasonable to think that industry-level signals matter for executive pay.

Originality/value

The author’s findings suggest that compensation committees in firms across industries consider the information contained in special items and discontinued operations, and selectively alter the level of incentives to encourage managerial efforts.
Engineering the Financialization of Urban Entrepreneurialism: The JESSICA Urban Development Initiative in the European Union
Authors: Anguelov Dimitar , Leitner Helga , Sheppard Eric
Published: March 2018

Urban entrepreneurialism and neoliberal urban governance are assuming new forms under finance‐dominated accumulation. We examine and contribute to theorizing the mechanisms through which urban governance is financialized, taking as a case study JESSICA, one of the European Union's initiatives to implement an ‘urban sensitive’ policy for sustainable and integrated development. Like other initiatives promoting financialization, JESSICA deploys the logic of finance to select and fund urban social initiatives and development projects on the basis of their potential return on investment (ROI). Understanding this process requires placing questions of political economy—how urban governance is shaped by the broader political‐economic context—with questions of governmentality—how stakeholders are enrolled in and come to take for granted new governance initiatives. Following the multi‐scalar institutional infrastructure is crucial to understanding how this works. Taking a relational multi‐scalar approach, we trace how changes at the supranational scale filter down to shape urban policy selection and performance in Sofia, Bulgaria, where we document how ROI calculations conflict with social welfare priorities. Contrasts between the trajectory of financialization of urban governance in the European Union and the United States demonstrate how this is geographically variegated, shaped by the broader context/conjuncture within which such financialization is embedded.
The Role of Senior University Students’ Career Adaptability in Predicting Their Subjective Well-Being
Authors: Kırdök Oğuzhan , Bölükbaşı Ayten
Published: March 2018

The aim of this study is to examine whether career adaptability and career adaptability subscales of senior undergraduates could predict subjective well-being.  The research was a descriptive correlational study which was conducted on 310 senior students (173 women, 137 men) in a state-funded university on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey and participants participated in this study voluntarily. Participants ranged in age between 20 and 28 years. Career Adaptability Scale, Life Satisfaction Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule were used as data collection tools in this study. Pearson's Product-Moment Correlation Analysis, Simple Regression Analysis, and finally Multiple Regression Analysis were performed to examine the effect of the total score of career adaptability and subscale scores of careers adaptability of senior undergraduate students on subjective well-being. All analyses were conducted using the SPSS version 20.0. The findings of the research showed that career adaptability predicts the subjective well-being of university senior students. Control as a subscale of career adaptability was found to be the strongest predictive variable for subjective well-being among senior university students. Concern and confidence as subscales of career adaptability were found to be other predictive variables of subjective well-being in this study. However, curiosity as a subscale was not found to be a predictor of subjective well-being. These findings are discussed through career construction theory.
Futsal World Cup: Differences Created by Winning, Losing and Drawing Variables in Scored Goals and Offensive Variations
Authors: Balyan Melih , Vural Faik
Published: March 2018

Futsal, which can be defined as a new sports branch compared to football, has some shortcomings in comparison with football as well according to the studies carried out.  Studies have rather focused on the movement characteristics of futsal players during the game and the physiological effects of games. On the other hand, there are only a limited number of studies conducted on game analysis. Therefore, as the primary goal of the present study, offensive variations that ended up as goals in all matches played in Futsal World Cup were analyzed. As the secondary goal, these parameters were studied in terms of the teams’ winning-drawing-losing states during games. In the present study, a total of 52 matches of the teams playing in 2016 FIFA Futsal World Championship were analyzed. The analyses of the games were performed using the hand notation method. Differences between offensive variations (Diagonal, parallel, central and transition game forms, set games etc.) and the goals scored (shots taken, shots at goal, the area where the goals were scored, the way the goals were scored, the area where the foot hit the ball, block shoots etc.) were determined with One-way Anova and Kruskal-Wallis tests on SPSS version 20 in terms of 3 variables (win-loss-draw). The findings show that the winning teams had significantly more shots than the losing teams (10.80, 95%CI (from 3, 73 to 17, 87) and that the number of shots at goal was also higher (5.82, 95%CI (from 2, 43 to 9, 91) in terms of the teams’ winning-losing-drawing states. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the areas where the shots were taken and the points they ended up at the goal. As for position specific games, on the other hand, statistically significant differences were found in terms of winning, losing and drawing states during the game (central= χ2(2) = 10.500, p = .005, diagonal= χ2(2) = 17.142, p = .000, parallel= χ2(2) = 10.931, p = .004, transition= χ2(2) = 28,587 p = .000). No statistically significant difference was found between set games ending up with goals and the teams’ game score variables. The results obtained concerning offensive variations in a superior futsal championship reveal that positional games of dynamic style could be much more effective compared to set games of static starting positions in winning the game. Moreover, producing shooting positions and their accuracy levels seem to be an important factor affecting success. According to these results, it can be recommended that the trainings to be held should be designed to improve positional games that these should be planned as practices that result in shots.
Optical characterization of pore filling in mesoporous multilayers by ultrathin atomic layer deposited hafnium dioxide
Authors: Kovacs Andras , Mescheder Ulrich
Published: March 2018

An optical technique for the characterization of pore filling in mesoporous silicon (Si) layers is presented. The technique is applied to analyze pore filling by ultrathin hafnium dioxide (HfO2) fabricated by thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD). This technique uses mesoporous multilayers generated by electrochemical etching of crystalline Si to form rugate filters with small bandwidth of the corresponding reflectance spectra. The pore filling and penetration depth into the porous material of the ultrathin hafnium dioxide ALD layers are derived from the measured spectral peak shift of the filter characteristic by using an effective medium approximation. Optical modeling of the multilayer filters was used to simulate the influence of the penetration depth of the ultrathin hafnium dioxide layer into the mesoporous Si on the spectral peak shift. Simulation results show that oxidation of porous Si causes blue shift, whereas pore filling with HfO2 causes red shift of the used rugate filters spectra. These spectral shifts are a result of the corresponding refractive index change of the individual mesoporous layers. Experimental results comparing freshly prepared rugate filters with those coated by thermal ALD show that the blue shift of the peak and thus the transformation of the pores' surfaces by oxidation is dominant for the first few ALD process cycles and that surface oxidation is completed after approximately eight ALD cycles. A red shift of spectral peak position, an indicator of an effective HfO2 coating of the mesopores, started to occur after eight cycles. Further ALD cycles increase the red shift continuously up to saturation, where further ALD will not change the optical spectra of the rugate filters any more. This saturation is related to complete pore sealing of the smallest pores. Pore size distribution and saturation of pore coating thicknesses are compared to evaluate the pore filling. The results obtained with ALD HfO2 in mesoporous Si with pore diameter in the range of 4–8 nm demonstrate that the proposed optical characterization method is sensitive enough to study ALD steps in mesoporous materials.
Application of linear least squares to the analysis of Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiles of plutonium oxides
Authors: Donald Scott B. , Stanford Jeff A. , McLean William , Nelson Art J.
Published: March 2018

Application of the linear least squares (LLS) methodology allows for quantitative determination of variation in material composition with depth. LLS fits were applied to decompose and enhance the interpretation of spectra obtained by Auger electron spectroscopy during depth profiles of oxidized plutonium surfaces. By means of the LLS algorithm, chemical state assignments of the Pu P1VV/O45VV, O KLL, and C KLL Auger transitions were determined and the existence of a subsurface oxycarbide layer was identified, with confirmation of the oxide and metal components provided from comparison to previous measurements of standard samples.
Technology Feature | Live-cell imaging: Deeper, faster, wider
Authors: Dance Amber
Published: March 2018

The latest in live-cell microscopy—multiphoton imaging, light-sheet techniques, and technology borrowed from Raman spectroscopy—allow researchers to study living cells in more detail with less effort.

Read the Feature (Full-Text HTML)

Read the Feature (PDF)

Read New Products (PDF)
Imaging of nonlocal hot-electron energy dissipation via shot noise
Authors: Weng Qianchun , Komiyama Susumu , Yang Le , An Zhenghua , Chen Pingping , Biehs Svend-Age , Kajihara Yusuke , Lu Wei
Published: March 2018

Taking the temperature of hot electrons

As electronic chips become smaller, efficient heat dissipation becomes a greater challenge. Electrons in such devices quickly accelerate over small distances, becoming “hot”—that is, out of equilibrium with the rest of the system. Weng
et al.
designed a thermometry probe that measures the effective temperature of hot electrons with a spatial resolution of about 50 nanometers. The method is based on the optical measurement of current noise and provides a glimpse into where heat is naturally dissipated in a working device.

Science
, this issue p.
775
Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells amplify allergic asthma responses
Authors: Sui Pengfei , Wiesner Darin L. , Xu Jinhao , Zhang Yan , Lee Jinwoo , Van Dyken Steven , Lashua Amber , Yu Chuyue , Klein Bruce S. , Locksley Richard M. , Deutsch Gail , Sun Xin
Published: March 2018

Finding a role for PNECs in asthma

Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells (PNECs) are a rare cell type located in airway and alveolar epithelia and are often in contact with sensory nerve fibers. They have a wide phylogenic distribution and are found even in the relatively primitive lungs of amphibia and reptiles, suggesting a critical function. Sui
et al.
found that mice lacking PNECs have suppressed type 2 (allergic) immune responses. PNECs were observed in close proximity to group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) around airway branch points. The PNECs enhanced ILC2 activity by secreting CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide). They also induced goblet-cell hyperplasia via the neurotransmitter GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid). Interestingly, human asthma patients were found to have increased PNEC numbers, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of asthma.

Science
, this issue p.
eaan8546
Comment on “Enhanced water permeability and tunable ion selectivity in subnanometer carbon nanotube porins”
Authors: Horner Andreas , Pohl Peter
Published: March 2018

Tunuguntla
et al
. (Reports, 25 August 2017, p. 792) report that permeation of single-file water occurs faster through carbon nanotubes than through aquaporins. We show that this conclusion violates fundamental thermodynamic laws: Because of its much lower activation energy, aquaporin-mediated water transport must be orders of magnitude faster. Leakage at the nanotube-membrane interface may explain the discrepancy.
Neuronal–immune system cross-talk in homeostasis
Authors: Veiga-Fernandes Henrique , Artis David
Published: March 2018

Interactions between immune and neuronal cells are pillars in tissue homeostasis
Response to Comment on “Enhanced water permeability and tunable ion selectivity in subnanometer carbon nanotube porins”
Authors: Tunuguntla Ramya H. , Zhang Yuliang , Henley Robert Y. , Yao Yun-Chiao , Pham T. Anh , Wanunu Meni , Noy Aleksandr
Published: March 2018

Horner and Pohl argue that high water transport rates reported for carbon nanotube porins (CNTPs) originate from leakage at the nanotube-bilayer interface. Our results and new experimental evidence are consistent with transport through the nanotube pores and rule out a defect-mediated transport mechanism. Mechanistic origins of the high Arrhenius factor that we reported for narrow CNTPs at pH 8 require further investigation.
Binding of ISRIB reveals a regulatory site in the nucleotide exchange factor eIF2B
Authors: Zyryanova Alisa F. , Weis Félix , Faille Alexandre , Alard Akeel Abo , Crespillo-Casado Ana , Sekine Yusuke , Harding Heather P. , Allen Felicity , Parts Leopold , Fromont Christophe , Fischer Peter M. , Warren Alan J. , Ron David
Published: March 2018

ISRIB mechanism of action

In rodents, a druglike small molecule named ISRIB enhances cognition and reverses cognitive deficits after traumatic brain injury. ISRIB activates a protein complex called eIF2B that is required for the synthesis of new proteins. Tsai
et al.
report the visualization of eIF2B bound to ISRIB at near-atomic resolution by cryo–electron microscopy. Biochemical studies revealed that ISRIB is a “molecular staple” that promotes assembly of the fully active form of eIF2B. Zyryanova
et al.
report similar structures together with information on the binding of ISRIB analogs and their effects on protein translation.

Science
, this issue p.
eaaq0939
, p.
1533
Adaptive infrared-reflecting systems inspired by cephalopods
Authors: Xu Chengyi , Stiubianu George T. , Gorodetsky Alon A.
Published: March 2018

Now you see it, now you don't

Thermal vision cameras detect differences in temperature by sensing infrared wavelengths. If a coating could be developed that showed dynamic tuning of the effective temperature, it might be possible to hide objects from infrared sensing. Xu
et al.
started with a basic Bragg reflector made up of multiple layers of alternating materials with varying refractive index. The authors designed structures that were wavy to begin with so that they could be flattened out by electrical activation. This changed the infrared reflectivity and, thus, the effective temperature of the object observed in its infrared profile.

Science
, this issue p.
1495