bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Initial Impairment and Recovery of Vision-Related Functioning in Participants With Acute Optic Neuritis From the RENEW Trial of Opicinumab
Authors: Petrillo Jennifer , Balcer Laura , Galetta Steven , Chai Yi , Xu Lei , Cadavid Diego
Published: August 2018

Background:

Leucine-rich repeat and immunoglobulin domain-containing Nogo receptor-interacting protein 1 (LINGO-1) is a key suppressor of oligodendrocyte differentiation and axonal remyelination and regeneration. This analysis evaluated the potential benefit of opicinumab, a human monoclonal antibody against LINGO-1, vs placebo on exploratory clinical endpoints of patient-reported vision-related functioning and high-contrast visual acuity (HCVA) in RENEW participants with acute optic neuritis (AON).

Methods:

Participants were randomized to 100 mg/kg opicinumab intravenous or placebo every 4 weeks (6 infusions). Assessments were conducted in the per-protocol (PP) population and included: 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25), 10-item Neuro-Ophthalmic Supplement (NOS-10), and HCVA.

Results:

The opicinumab group (n = 33) had worse mean (SD) baseline patient-reported vision-related functioning scores vs placebo (n = 36): NEI-VFQ-25 composite, 75.5 (17.6) vs 79.0 (16.6); NOS-10 composite, 63.6 (19.8) vs 69.8 (21.2), respectively. By Week 24, the placebo and opicinumab groups experienced substantial mean improvements from baseline (NEI-VFQ-25 composite, 15.17 vs 13.51 [difference (95% CI): −1.66 (−5.11 to 1.78)]; NOS-10 composite, 17.40 vs 16.04 [difference (95% CI): −1.35 (−7.38 to 4.67)]). Between-treatment differences in mean change from baseline were not significantly different at any time point. Analysis of covariance–adjusted mean recovery from baseline in HCVA at Week 24 for the affected eyes was 11.8 and 8.7 letters for placebo and opicinumab, respectively (P= 0.202).

Conclusions:

Most participants in the RENEW PP population demonstrated substantial recovery from baseline in patient-reported vision-related functioning and HCVA, regardless of treatment and structural damage. Average scores after recovery remained lower than those of published disease-free control groups. These results provide important information on visual function recovery in patients with AON, as measured by NEI-VFQ-25 and NOS-10.
tDCS in Addiction and Impulse Control Disorders
Authors: Lapenta Olivia M. , Marques Lucas M. , Rego Gabriel G. , Comfort William E. , Boggio Paulo S.
Published: August 2018

The study of addiction and impulsion control disorders has shown that behaviors of seeking and consumption of addictive substances are subserved by neurobiological alterations specifically related to brain networks for reward, stress, and executive control, representing the brain's adaptation to the continued use of an addictive substance. In parallel, studies using neuromodulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have demonstrated promising effects in modulating cognitive and motor functions. This review aims to describe the neurobiology of addiction and some of the most relevant cognitive models of addictive behavior and to clarify how tDCS application modulates the intake and craving for several addictive substances, such as food, alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, and cannabis. We also discuss the positive and null outcomes of the use of this neuromodulatory technique in the treatment of addiction disorders resulting from the use of these substances. The reviewed findings lead us to conclude that tDCS interventions hold several promising clinical avenues in addiction and impulsive control. However, methodological investigations are necessary for undercover optimal parameters before implementing its clinical application.
Towards an integrated approach to understand Mexican cavefish evolution
Authors: Torres-Paz Jorge , Hyacinthe Carole , Pierre Constance , Rétaux Sylvie
Published: August 2018

The Mexican tetra,
Astyanax mexicanus
, comes in two forms: a classical river-dwelling fish and a blind and depigmented cave-dwelling fish. The two morphotypes are used as models for evolutionary biology, to decipher mechanisms of morphological and behavioural evolution in response to environmental change. Over the past 40 years, insights have been obtained from genetics, developmental biology, physiology and metabolism, neuroscience, genomics, population biology and ecology. Here, we promote the idea that
A. mexicanus
, as a model, has reached a stage where an integrated approach or a multi-disciplinary method of analysis, whereby a phenomenon is examined from several angles, is a powerful tool that can be applied to understand general evolutionary processes. Mexican cavefish have undergone considerable selective pressure and extreme morphological evolution, an obvious advantage to contribute to our understanding of evolution through comparative analyses and to pinpoint the specific traits that may have helped their ancestors to colonize caves.
Within-shoal phenotypic homogeneity affects shoaling preference in a killifish
Authors: Cattelan Silvia , Griggio Matteo
Published: August 2018

Anti-predator benefits associated with living in groups are multiple and taxonomically widespread. In fish shoals, individuals can exploit the confusion effect, whereby predators struggle to target a single individual among several individuals. Theory predicts that the confusion effect could be aided by homogeneity in appearance; thus, individuals should group by phenotypic characteristics, contributing to generating high within-shoal phenotypic homogeneity. While assortments by body size have been extensively documented, almost nothing is known about whether within-shoal homogeneity in body pigmentation affects shoaling preference. To investigate this issue, we used the Mediterranean killifish,Aphanius fasciatus, a shoaling species characterized by conspicuous vertical bars on body sides. Individual females were given a choice between two novel shoals characterized by either a high or low degree of homogeneity in the number of bars. As predicted, individual females preferentially associated with the shoal showing the higher phenotypic homogeneity. Our data demonstrated that fish might associate with the shoal that maximizes phenotypic homogeneity in body pigmentation, irrespective of their own phenotype.
Numerical simulation of the pattern formation of the springtail cuticle nanostructures
Authors: Filippov A. E. , Kovalev A. , Gorb S. N.
Published: August 2018

Springtails (Collembola) are known to exhibit complex hierarchical nanostructures of their exoskeleton surface that repels water and other fluids with remarkable efficiency. These nanostructures were previously widely studied due to their structure, chemistry and fluid-repelling properties. These ultrastructural and chemical studies revealed the involvement of different components in different parts of the nanopattern, but the overall process of self-assembly into the complex rather regular structures observed remains unclear. Here, we model this process from a theoretical point of view partially using solutions related to the so-called Tammes problem. By using densities of three different reacting substances, we obtained a typical morphology that is highly similar to the ones observed on the cuticle of some springtail species. These results are important not only for our understanding of the formation of hierarchical nanoscale structures in nature, but also for the fabrication of novel surface coatings.
Cuticle network and orientation preference of photonic crystals in the scales of the weevil
Lamprocyphus augustus
Authors: Ebihara R. , Hashimoto H. , Kano J. , Fujii T. , Yoshioka S.
Published: August 2018

This paper reports the structural and optical investigations of the structural colour of the weevil
Lamprocyphus
augustus
. The photonic crystal structure within the weevil's scales was investigated using sequential focused ion-beam milling and scanning electron microscopy imaging. We carefully analysed the reconstructed three-dimensional structure to determine the unit cell of the photonic crystal. It was found that the cuticle network of the cubic unit cell perfectly matches the previously reported diamond-based network. However, different results were obtained for the crystal orientations of the small crystal domains that comprise the entire photonic crystal structure in the scales:
<111>
directions are highly preferred along the surface normal of the scale. This finding explains the fact that the scale is almost uniformly coloured despite the multi-domain structure. It is confirmed experimentally and theoretically that the wavelength range of the reflection band corresponds to the gap of the photonic band.
An algorithm-centric Monte Carlo method to empirically quantify motion type estimation uncertainty in single-particle tracking
Authors: Rigano Alessandro , Galli Vanni , Gonciarz Krzysztof , Sbalzarini Ivo F. , Caterina Strambio-De-Castillia
Published: August 2018

Quantitative analysis of microscopy images is ideally suited for understanding the functional biological correlates of individual molecular species identified by one of the several available “omics” techniques. Due to advances in fluorescent labeling, microscopy engineering and image processing, it is now possible to routinely observe and quantitatively analyze at high temporal and spatial resolution the real-time behavior of thousands of individual cellular structures as they perform their functional task inside living systems. Despite the central role of microscopic imaging in modern biology, unbiased inference, valid interpretation, scientific reproducibility and results dissemination are hampered by the still prevalent need for subjective interpretation of image data and by the limited attention given to the quantitative assessment and reporting of the error associated with each measurement or calculation, and on its effect on downstream analysis steps (i.e., error propagation). One of the mainstays of bioimage analysis is represented by single-particle tracking (SPT)1–5, which coupled with the mathematical analysis of trajectories and with the interpretative modelling of motion modalities, is of key importance for the quantitative understanding of the heterogeneous intracellular dynamic behavior of fluorescently-labeled individual cellular structures, vesicles, virions and single-molecules. Despite substantial advances, the evaluation of analytical error propagation through SPT and motion analysis pipelines is absent from most available tools 6. This severely hinders the critical evaluation, comparison, reproducibility and integration of results emerging from different laboratories, at different times, under different experimental conditions and using different model systems. Here we describe a novel, algorithmic-centric, Monte Carlo method to assess the effect of experimental parameters such as signal to noise ratio (SNR), particle detection error, trajectory length, and the diffusivity characteristics of the moving particle on the uncertainty associated with motion type classification The method is easily extensible to a wide variety of SPT algorithms, is made widely available via its implementation in our Open Microscopy Environment inteGrated Analysis (OMEGA) software tool for the management and analysis of tracking data 7, and forms an integral part of our Minimum Information About Particle Tracking Experiments (MIAPTE) data model 8.
Modular assembly of polysaccharide-degrading microbial communities in the ocean
Authors: Enke Tim N. , Datta Manoshi S. , Schwartzman Julia , Cermak Nathan , Schmitz Désirée , Barrere Julien , Cordero Otto X.
Published: August 2018

Many complex biological systems such as metabolic networks can be divided into functional and organizational subunits, called modules, which provide the flexibility to assemble novel multi-functional hierarchies by a mix and match of simpler components. Here we show that polysaccharide-degrading microbial communities in the ocean can also assemble in a modular fashion. Using synthetic particles made of a variety of polysaccharides commonly found in the ocean, we showed that the particle colonization dynamics of natural bacterioplankton assemblages can be understood as the aggregation of species modules of two main types: a first module type made of narrow niche-range primary degraders, whose dynamics are controlled by particle polysaccharide composition, and a second module type containing broad niche-range, substrate-independent taxa whose dynamics are controlled by interspecific interactions, in particular cross-feeding via organic acids, amino acids and other metabolic byproducts. As a consequence of this modular logic, communities can be predicted to assemble by a sum of substrate-specific primary degrader modules, one for each complex polysaccharide in the particle, connected to a single broad-niche range consumer module. We validate this model by showing that a linear combination of the communities on single-polysaccharide particles accurately predicts community composition on mixed-polysaccharide particles. Our results suggest thus that the assembly of heterotrophic communities that degrade complex organic materials follow simple design principles that can be exploited to engineer heterotrophic microbiomes.
Quality circles for quality improvement in primary health care: their effectiveness, gaps of knowledge, origins and significance – a scoping review
Authors: Rohrbasser Adrian , Harris Janet , Mickan Sharon , Wong Geoff
Published: August 2018

Background

Quality circles, or similarly structured small groups in primary health care, such as peer review groups, consist of 6 to 12 professionals from the same background who meet regularly to improve their standard practice. This paper reports the results from a scoping search performed to clarify possible effectiveness, knowledge gaps, underlying concepts and significance.

Objectives

To gain insight into knowledge gaps and understanding of the effectiveness, origins and significance of quality circles.

Methods

A search strategy was developed starting with ‘quality circle’ in PubMed and the index terms from those articles revealed were then used as search terms to identify further papers. Repeating this process in collaboration with a librarian, search strings relating to quality circles were built, and databases searched up to December 2017. Any paper on structured quality circles or related small group work in primary health care was included when relevant to the objectives.

Results

From 11973 citations, 82 background papers and 58 key papers were identified, in addition to 12 books and 10 websites. 19 studies, one paper summarizing three studies and one systematic review suggest that quality circles can be effective in behaviour change, though with varying effect sizes. Quality circles and their techniques are complex, as they are not standardized, and changes seem to depend on the topic and context, which requires further research into how and why they work in order to improve them. From their origins in industry, they are now used in primary health care in many countries for continuous medical education, continuous professional development and quality improvement.

Conclusion

The evidence on quality circles indicates that they can successfully change general practitioner behaviour. As they are a complex intervention, theory-driven research approaches are needed to understand and improve their effectiveness. This is of major importance because they play an important role in quality improvement in primary health care in many countries.
Resource diversity structures aquatic bacterial communities
Authors: Muscarella Mario E. , Boot Claudia M. , Broeckling Corey D. , Lennon Jay T.
Published: August 2018

Microbial diversity is strongly affected by the bottom-up effects of resource availability. However, because resource pools often exist as heterogeneous mixtures of distinct molecules, resource heterogeneity may also affect community diversity. To test this hypothesis, we surveyed bacterial communities in lakes that varied in resource concentration. In addition, we characterized resource heterogeneity in these lakes using an ecosystem metabolomics approach. Overall, resource concentration and resource heterogeneity affected bacterial resource-diversity relationships. We found strong relationships between bacterial alpha-diversity (richness and evenness) and resource concentration and richness, but richness and evenness responded in different ways. Likewise, we found associations between the composition of the bacterial community and both resource concentration and composition, but the relationship with resource composition was stronger. Last, in the surveyed communities the presence of resource generalists may have reduced the effect of resource heterogeneity on community composition. These results have implications for understanding the interactions between bacteria and organic matter and suggest that changes in organic matter composition may alter the structure and function of bacterial communities.
Estimating the structure factors in X-ray diffraction
Authors: Fewster Paul F.
Published: August 2018

This article takes the concepts of the `new diffraction theory' [Fewster (2014). Acta Cryst. A70, 257–282] and examines the implications for the interpretation of experimental results and the estimation of structure factors. Further experimental evidence is included to justify the conclusions in the theory, showing that the residual intensity at twice the Bragg angle is a diffraction effect and not associated with the crystal shape. This `enhancement' effect is independent of whether kinematical or dynamical theories are applied and can lead to a clearer understanding of how the dynamical effects are suppressed in imperfect crystals. By applying the idea that the higher-order peaks are due to path lengths of nλ, it is shown that `systematically absent' reflections in the conventional theory may not be absent. Because this new theory considers the intensity to be more distributed, it suggests that the entire structure factor can be difficult to capture by experiment. This article suggests some routes to achieve a good approximation of the structure factors for typical methods of data collection. Any measurement of intensity with background removal will exclude some of the distributed intensity, again leading to an underestimate of the structure factors, and therefore the missing intensity needs to be estimated.
Effect of extrinsic cues on willingness to pay of wine
Authors: Lee Won Fy , Gartner William C. , Song Haiyan , Marlowe Byron , Choi Jong Woo , Jamiyansuren Bolormaa
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of extrinsic cues on wine consumer’s willingness to pay (WTP) based on a blind tasting experiment conducted in Hong Kong.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from a three-stage blind wine tasting experiment, the authors examine how an average consumer’s WTP for a bottle of wine changes as a result of knowing prior to tasting extrinsic information such as the country of origin or grape variety of an otherwise identical product.

Findings

The findings of this study align with previous research that finds subjective utility experienced by tasters can be significantly influenced by the belief or information given prior to the tasting. Sub-group analysis using a stratified sample based on the frequency of wine consumption and the wine taster’s prior experience with wine (grouped into expert and novice categories) suggests that it is the novice consumers that have a stronger response to the pre-tasting knowledge when evaluating wine. Experienced wine consumers, on the other hand, do not seem to respond strongly to the pre-tasting knowledge of the extrinsic attributes in their evaluation of wine.

Originality/value

The studies of taste preference and role of extrinsic characteristics in wine evaluation and consumption in the rapidly growing Asian market is increasingly important for the wine industry. The evidence from this study suggests the importance for producers and marketers to consider consumer heterogeneity and product differentiation when pricing and distributing their wine.
Personal values underlying halal food consumption: evidence from Indonesia and Malaysia
Authors: Arsil Poppy , Tey Yeong Sheng , Brindal Mark , Phua Cun Uei , Liana Denisa
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to uncover the personal values driving Indonesian and Malaysian Muslims’ consumption decisions with respect to halal food.

Design/methodology/approach

The personal values of 130 Indonesian and 80 Malaysian Muslims have been analyzed, using a means-end chain (MEC) approach, in relation to halal food.

Findings

Primary personal values are identified as a better sense of personal security. This is ascribed as seeking “better future” and “go to heaven.” Other personal values are related to tradition, benevolence and achievement.

Research limitations/implications

Since this study was conducted in both the capital cities of Indonesia and Malaysia, this study might not take account of cultural diversity within the two countries’ Muslim communities.

Practical implications

An understanding of the personal values governing Muslim consumption is a useful tool toward improving the promotion of halal certification and food products.

Originality/value

This study reveals the personal values of Indonesian and Malaysian Muslims with underpinning their consumption of halal food.
Soft drinks for lunch? Self-control, intentions and social influences
Authors: Melbye Elisabeth Lind , Helland Merete Hagen
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore associations between food-related self-control, intentions, descriptive peer norms, parents’ healthy eating guidance and adolescents’ consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) in a school lunch setting. An additional aim was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the measure used to assess food-related self-control in order to reveal potential multi-dimensionality.

Design/methodology/approach

A web-based survey was conducted among 694 Norwegian high school students. Multiple logistic regression was used to explore associations between the independent variables and SSB consumption. Psychometric evaluation of the self-control measure included factor analysis and internal consistency reliability.

Findings

Factor analysis resulted in two food-related self-control dimensions: resistance and avoidance. Multiple logistic regression showed that intentions was the strongest predictor of SSB consumption in the sample. Avoidance and descriptive peer norms appeared as weaker predictors.

Research limitations/implications

Based on the findings, the authors suggest that future studies may consider developing guiding principles on how to create health-promoting eating intentions in adolescents, how to deal with peer norms related to foods and beverages and how to avoid tempting stimuli in the environment. Such strategies may be helpful when structural changes in the environment are not feasible in the near future.

Originality/value

An original aspect of the present study is that it includes a psychometric analysis of a supposedly one-dimensional self-control measure. Further, it adds to the knowledge about variables associated with adolescent SSB consumption in a school lunch context.
Estimating factors for the demand of organic milk in Turkey
Authors: Gulseven Osman
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the sociodemographic factors that affect Turkish consumers’ decision to purchase organic milk. It is also of interest to derive the demand curve for organic milk based on the consumers’ stated preferences.

Design/methodology/approach

The data used in this search are based on a face-to-face consumer survey that asked the respondents about how much they are willing to pay for organic milk and what factors affect their purchasing decision. A variant approach is applied where the determinants selected include both product/market characteristics and household-specific demographic factors. The data are analyzed by means of tabular analysis, summary tables, contingent valuation, stepwise regression, χ2 tests and logistic discrete-choice modeling.

Findings

The tabular analysis suggests that price, packaging and brand image are the primary milk characteristics that affect consumers’ decision. According to the contingent valuation analysis, consumers are willing to pay substantial premiums for milk products. The stepwise regression, χ2 tests and logistic regression results unanimously suggest that educational attainment is the only significant indicator. Households with university education are twice more likely to purchase organic milk.

Research limitations/implications

The data used in this research are based on stated preferences which might be different than actual shopping behavior.

Originality/value

This paper presents a pioneer study on the characteristics of Turkish organic milk consumers and represents a credible, empirical case study to complement existing literature. It also lays the framework for follow-up research work that can be conducted in future.
Socialization tactics and youth worker adjustment: the mediating roles of fit perceptions
Authors: Oh Seok-young
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify how three types of socialization tactics – content, context and social tactics – influence fit perceptions, and then how three types of fit perceptions – person–organization (P–O) fit, person–job (P–J) fit and person–group (P–G) fit – mediate the relationship between socialization tactics and positive socialization outcomes: organizational commitment, job satisfaction and intent to quit.

Design/methodology/approach

Responses from participants – 207 Korean youth workers – were subjected to ordinary least squares path analyses with bootstrapping to test the hypotheses.

Findings

First, this study found that socialization tactics promote youth workers’ perceived fit with organization, job, and people. Then, the mediation model showed that content socialization tactics do not influence dependent variables (socialization outcomes) through mediators (fits), while context tactics influence through perceived P–O fit and P–G fit for organizational commitment only, and social tactics through perceived P–O, P–J and P–G fit for organizational commitment, job satisfaction and intent to quit.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study suggest that institutionalized social tactics can serve as a key socialization method for new employees. In addition, youth organizations need to implement jointly formal and collective training programs with follow-up social workplace learning (e.g. mentoring and study circle) to help newcomers share the values of the organization and integrate well into it.

Originality/value

This study contributes for understanding the socialization process of new employees working in educational and social work fields and role of fit perception between socialization tactics and their career successes.
Facilitating interns’ performance
Authors: van Wingerden Jessica , Derks Daantje , Bakker Arnold B.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report a study in which central propositions from the job demands-resources (JD-R) theory and self-determination theory (SDT) are used to examine the antecedents of performance during practical internships. The central hypothesis of this study was that job resources foster performance through basic need satisfaction and work engagement (sequential mediation).

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical multi-source study among Dutch interns and their supervisors in various occupational sectors. The interns reported their level of resources, basic needs satisfaction and work engagement, whereas supervisors rated interns’ task performance (n=1,188 unique supervisor–intern dyads).

Findings

This study integrates insights of the JD-R theory – by examining the relations between job resources, work engagement and performance – with a central premise of the SDT – which maintains that basic need satisfaction is the fundamental process through which employees’ optimal functioning can be understood. The outcomes of the path analyses revealed that satisfaction of needs indeed accounted for the relationship between job resources and work engagement as supposed in the SDT (Deci and Ryan, 2000). Further, the sequential mediated relation between job resources and performance through basic need satisfaction and work engagement corroborates the JD-R theory (Bakker and Demerouti, 2014).

Originality/value

As far as the authors know, this is the first study that examined the sequential mediation from job resources to performance via basic need satisfaction and work engagement, among a large sample of intern–supervisor dyads, including the objective performance rating of their (internship) supervisors.
The duality of the Brazilian jeitinho
Authors: Lee Park Camila , Fracarolli Nunes Mauro , Muratbekova-Touron Maral , Moatti Valérie
Published: August 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to deepen the understanding of the impact of cultural and national idiosyncrasies on businesses. The authors concentrate on the cultural particularity of the Brazilian jeitinho to assess the ethicality of the concept in buyer–supplier relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 Brazilian professionals working for both national and international companies, allowing for the analysis of the context in which the Brazilian jeitinho is perceived either as positive or negative in terms of ethics.

Findings

The authors propose five distinct dimensions (harm to third parties, seriousness of the issue, formality of relationships, personal benefit and assessed pertinence of rules and laws) to the assessment of Brazilian jeitinho as creativity, corruption or more nuanced classifications between them and offer a reviewed definition of the practice.

Practical implications

The results of the study may offer new insights into the Brazilian business environment. Deeper comprehension of the contexts in which jeitinho is used and its different connotations may optimise the relations between foreign and Brazilian companies and between foreign and Brazilian professionals and employees.

Originality/value

Within the context of intensified international trade, global supply chains and geographically spread operations, an understanding of cultural and national idiosyncrasies may provide managers with a powerful tool to conduct their business more effectively. With the economic emergence of countries such as China, Russia and Brazil, local practices are also gaining increased importance as they seem to have a direct influence on management in these places and beyond.
Factors influencing time allocation of sport event volunteers
Authors: Hallmann Kirstin , Downward Paul , Dickson Geoff
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Given the increasing demands placed on a sport event workforce in servicing the needs of spectators, to attract and recruit volunteers to the industry, it is important for sport event managers to know what is driving how much time volunteers allocate to an event. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the individual and macro-level factors influencing the allocation of time to volunteer at sport events.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected from volunteers at 25 sport events (n=2,303). Multi-level modelling was used to identify common effects controlling for event differences.

Findings

Male gender significantly influences time allocated to an event at the individual level. At the macro-level, the number of local inhabitants has a significant negative effect whereas the status of an international event and duration contribute positively to time allocation.

Research limitations/implications

The results provide clear evidence that macro-level variables can stimulate interest in event volunteering opportunities.

Originality/value

This paper uses a multi-level approach to assess the influence of micro- and macro-level variables on time allocation by sport event volunteers. Using this approach, event heterogeneity can be controlled.
Examining the cross-cultural attitudes of Qataris and expatriates in Qatar, the host country of 2022 World Cup
Authors: Diop Abdoulaye , Al-Emadi Ahmed , Kaplanidou Kiki , Sagas Michael , Elmaghraby Engi , Qutteina Yara
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how residents in Qatar, the host country of the 2022 World Cup, interact, socialize and acculturate in order to create a more harmonic society, a critical factor for the event delivery and preparations.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from Qatari nationals and expatriates residing in the country of Qatar using a survey. A stratified random sampling approach was applied using as sampling framework all households having a mailing address with the country’s electric company. In total, 2,398 Qataris were contacted and 1,020 completed the survey. From the expatriate population, 1,852 were contacted and 1,134 completed the survey.

Findings

The results showed Qatari nationals were favorable toward Arab and Asian expatriates but not as favorable as Arab and Asian expatriates were toward them. Both groups of residents showed high quality of life (QOL) perceptions, with the locals having slightly higher QOL. Finally, Asian expatriates were more open to socializing with the locals and Arab expatriates.

Research limitations/implications

The results of the study shed light into the acculturation process in host societies of mega sport events such as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Originality/value

This is the first study that examined a mega event’s host country resident’s cultural interactions to identify potential issues that can arise and interfere with the event experience of the 2022 World Cup in a very diverse society.
Understanding the inspiration among active participants in sport events
Authors: Zhou Ran , Kaplanidou Kyriaki , Papadimitriou Dimitra , Theodorakis Nicholas D. , Alexandris Kostantinos
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the sources of inspiration for active participants in sport events, and the link between inspiration sources and event-related outcomes (i.e. life satisfaction and behavioral intentions).

Design/methodology/approach

Research questions were examined using a Greek (n=264) and a US (n=103) sample of participants of two small-scale running events. Content analysis was used to identify and code the themes of inspiration, while a multivariate analyses of variance was performed to test the inspiration group differences on life satisfaction and behavioral intentions.

Findings

The qualitative findings revealed three categories of inspiration source identified in each sample. The quantitative results showed that the interaction between inspiration source and event type had an overall effect on participants’ life satisfaction and future participation intention. Specifically, findings highlighted the different roles of inspiration on influencing life satisfaction and participation intention of short-distance (i.e. 5 and 10k) event participants than those of long-distance (i.e. marathon) runners.

Research limitations/implications

This study identifies the sources of inspiration in small-scale sport events and provides preliminary empirical evidence where inspiration source and event type jointly influence participants’ life satisfaction and behavioral intentions.

Practical implications

Understanding the sources of inspiration provides event leveraging opportunities to inspire citizens to become more active in sports. Given that the sources of inspiration vary among different segments of event participants, event managers need to adopt differential communication and promotional activities geared to the needs of these targets.

Originality/value

The study provides the first empirical work exploring the sources of inspiration among active participants in small-scale sport events.
The idea of transport independence in the Russian Arctic
Authors: Tsvetkova Antonina , Gammelgaard Britta
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how supply chain strategies emerge and evolve in response to contextual influence.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative single-case study presents the journey of a supply chain strategy, conceptualised as the idea of transport independence in the Russian Arctic context. Data from 18 semi-structured interviews, personal observations and archival materials are interpreted through the institutional concepts of translation and editing effects.

Findings

The study reveals how supply chain strategies evolve over time and can affect institutional factors. The case study further reveals how contextual conditions make a company reconsider its core competencies as well as the role of supply chain management practices. The findings show that strategy implementation through purposeful actions can represent a powerful resistance to contextual pressures and constraints, as well as being a facilitator of change in actual supply chains and their context. During the translation of the idea of transport independence into actions, the supply chain strategy transformed itself into a form of strategic collaboration and thereby made supply chains in the Russian Arctic more integrated than before.

Research limitations/implications

More empirical studies on strategy implementation in interaction with contextual and institutional factors are suggested. An institutional process perspective is applied in this study but the authors suggest that future research should include a human dimension by an exploration of day-to-day routines and challenges that employees face when strategising and the actions they take.

Originality/value

The study provides an understanding of how a new supply chain strategy emerges and how it changes during implementation. In this process-oriented study – merging context, process and strategy content – it is further shown that a supply chain strategy may affect the context by responding to contextual and institutional challenges.
Student-led action for sustainability in higher education: a literature review
Authors: Murray Jaylene
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Over the past few decades, universities have been recognized as ideal leaders for the development of policies and innovative solutions required to support the transition to sustainable societies. As a major stakeholder group, students play a significant role in moving this agenda forward; however, their actions remain understudied in the sustainability in higher education (SHE) literature.

Design/methodology/approach

In response, this systematic literature review was conducted to determine what research has been done on student-led action for SHE.

Findings

Findings demonstrate that while students are an understudied stakeholder group, there is a growing focus in the SHE literature on their contributions. The results suggest that students are working to increase the uptake of SHE through multi-stakeholder collaborations, collective action and interdisciplinarity. This review identifies a lack of engagement with intersectionality (interrelated environmental and social issues) and highlights the need to redirect future SHE research, calling for increased comparative research studies and research syntheses to provide greater depth to our understanding of student-led initiatives.

Research limitations/implications

This literature review is limited by the smaller sample size of articles; however, conclusions can nonetheless be drawn from these results to guide future scholarship. Implications exist for theoretical contributions to social movement theories and theories of organizational change for SHE.

Originality/value

This research provides insight into student-led action for SHE and how their efforts might better be supported to encourage the increased integration of SHE.
Retirement timing in a future welfare state: a Finnish Delphi study
Authors: Niemi Tuukka , Komp Kathrin
Published: August 2018

Purpose

European welfare states, including Finland, have recently introduced reforms that aim to delay the average timing of retirement. The degree of success of these reforms will depend on future institutional and societal developments that influence retirement timing. The purpose of this paper is to identify such scenarios in the Finnish context.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs the Delphi method by interviewing anonymous experts from a variety of relevant organisations and fields in Finland, then sending them a scaled on-line questionnaire from the initial findings to elicit views on the likelihood of different scenarios influencing retirement timing over the next 20 years.

Findings

While the experts perceived that a raised state pension age and a removal of early retirement options will inevitably delay retirement on average, multiple scenarios were believe to hinder this trend. These included domestic elderly care becoming more common, technology-induced restructuring of labour markets and shortening working weeks, all of which were associated with widening socioeconomic inequalities in retirement timing. The predicted inequalities were attributed to a polarisation concerning older workers’ abilities to extend their careers and to plan their retirement. The planned mass privatisation of health and social services in Finland was perceived to accelerate this outcome.

Practical implications

The study suggests that a significant policy challenge in face of upcoming societal trends is to make delayed retirement a more equally viable option.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates the usefulness of scenario building for anticipating possible developments that may influence the success of policies aimed at delaying retirement.
Revealing the effect of acculturation process on e-commerce acceptance
Authors: Lacka Ewelina , Yip Nick K.T.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The popularity of e-commerce has increased significantly over recent years. However, this growth is not shared by all European Union states. One reason for this discrepancy is culture which impacts on e-commerce acceptance. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the effect of acculturation process on e-commerce acceptance.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modelling is employed to test three research models: technology acceptance model, theory of planned behaviour model and motivational model.

Findings

The findings show that attitudes towards e-commerce change in relation to the perception of control and the influence of subjective norms, which impact intentions to use e-commerce before movement to a host country’s culture. However, its effect diminishes after the exposure to the influence of a host culture.

Originality/value

This is the first study to demonstrate the existence of the effect of acculturation process on mingling and migrating consumers and their changing attitudes towards e-commerce acceptance.
Framework for continuous agile technology roadmap updating
Authors: Carlos Rafael , Amaral Daniel C. , Caetano Mauro
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Roadmapping has been used as an approach to support market, product and technology-integrated planning, resulting in a document commonly known as a roadmap. Despite the gains made in relation to the technique, recent studies indicate that most users leave or have difficulties in sustaining the process (i.e. maintaining the updated roadmaps). This paper aims to present a framework for continuous roadmap updating that incorporates principles from agile management fields.

Design/methodology/approach

The framework was developed through action research in a manufacturing firm in the construction industry.

Findings

The results demonstrate a positive impact on the degree of continuous information monitoring, roadmap credibility and use of the roadmap during innovation strategy decisions.

Originality/value

The key contribution of this framework is the demonstration of a new strategy for carrying out the maps in which information is internalized by the organization itself, using agile teams, without commissioned specialists and as part of the work standards.
Contextual and individual characteristics effects on students’ corruption perception and behaviours in higher education
Authors: Tomo Andrea , Todisco Lucio , Mangia Gianluigi
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the effects that the perceived corruption has on students’ behaviours. In more detail, the analysis will explain how the individual and contextual variables influence students’ behaviours and corruption perception.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employed a structured questionnaire administered to 200 Italian students attending Bachelor and Master Degrees courses, based on a theoretical background that considers corruption in higher education as the result of the interplay between the various actors and institutions in the field.

Findings

Findings have both interesting academic and practical implications, since the study advances the literature on corruption in higher education and also advances a framework explaining how contextual and individual characteristics influence students’ behaviours and corruption perception.

Originality/value

The study presents manifold interesting implications both for academics, practitioners and policy-makers on the impact that students’ corruption perception has on the whole higher education system.
The surprising lack of connection between social networks and the enterprise success of ultra-religious female micro-entrepreneurs
Authors: Monnickendam-Givon Yisca , Schwartz Dafna , Gidron Benjamin
Published: August 2018

Purpose

The utilization of social networks is known to have an impact on micro-enterprise success. This study aims to examine the contribution of social networks in acquiring resources and their role in the enterprise’s success.

Design/methodology/approach

A business’s success is influenced by its network structure and the network’s resources. The authors examine whether unique religious-cultural characteristics affect the social networks contribution to a business’s success. This model examines the network utilization of women entrepreneurs who own micro-enterprises in ultra-religious groups. The sample consists of 123 surveys completed by Jewish ultra-Orthodox women entrepreneurs in Israel. Data collection was conducted between February and June 2013. The authors used a snowball sampling approach where interviewees were asked to refer us to other entrepreneurs. In the hour-long interview, a questionnaire was used with open and closed questions.

Findings

Findings indicate that strong personal ties provide a micro-enterprise with social legitimacy, emotional support and assistance in the management and operation of daily activities. However, contrary to the existing literature, network utilization did not contribute to enterprise success. That is, in religious communities in particular, social networks enable the existence of businesses, but do not contribute to their success.

Practical implications

The practical implications of this paper are the mapping of the social network resources used by the business owner, such as financial consultations or professional assistance, as well as distinguishing between strong and weak ties, which reflect the intensity of the contact for better use of the social network by the entrepreneurs.

Originality/value

This study examined social networks’ contribution to the acquisition of resources, as well as the part they play in the success of ultra-orthodox women micro-entrepreneurs and perhaps other religious and minorities groups.