bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self-Assembly of an Octanuclear High-Spin FeII Molecular Cage
Authors: Li Feng , Sciortino Natasha F. , Clegg Jack K. , Neville Suzanne M. , Kepert Cameron J.
Published: September 2014

A discrete octanuclear high-spin FeII cage [Fe8L12](BF4)16·n(solvent) was synthesised via metal ion-directed self-assembly. The cage formation is facilitated by incorporating a relatively flexible ditopic ligand with chelating pyrazolyl–pyridine functional units. The synthesis, structure, and magnetic properties of this metallo-cage are presented.
Blobs and curves: object-based colocalisation for plant cells
Authors: Nelson Carl J. , Duckney Patrick , Hawkins Timothy J. , Deeks Michael J. , Laissue P. Philippe , Hussey Patrick J. , Obara Boguslaw
Published: September 2014

Blobs and curves occur everywhere in plant bioimaging: from signals of fluorescence-labelled proteins, through cytoskeletal structures, nuclei staining and cell extensions such as root hairs. Here we look at the problem of colocalisation of blobs with blobs (protein-protein colocalisation) and blobs with curves (organelle-cytoskeleton colocalisation). This article demonstrates a clear quantitative alternative to pixel-based colocalisation methods and, using object-based methods, can quantify not only the level of colocalisation but also the distance between objects. Included in this report are computational algorithms, biological experiments and guidance for those looking to increase their use of computationally-based and quantified analysis of bioimages.
Surface reconstruction of wheat leaf morphology from three-dimensional scanned data
Authors: Kempthorne Daryl M. , Turner Ian W. , Belward John A. , McCue Scott W. , Barry Mark , Young Joseph , Dorr Gary J. , Hanan Jim , Zabkiewicz Jerzy A.
Published: September 2014

Realistic virtual models of leaf surfaces are important for several applications in the plant sciences, such as modelling agrichemical spray droplet movement and spreading on the surface. In this context, the virtual surfaces are required to be smooth enough to facilitate the use of the mathematical equations that govern the motion of the droplet. Although an effective approach is to apply discrete smoothing D2-spline algorithms to reconstruct the leaf surfaces from three-dimensional scanned data, difficulties arise when dealing with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves, which tend to twist and bend. To overcome this topological difficulty, we develop a parameterisation technique that rotates and translates the original data, allowing the surface to be fitted using the discrete smoothing D2-spline methods in the new parameter space. Our algorithm uses finite element methods to represent the surface as a linear combination of compactly supported shape functions. Numerical results confirm that the parameterisation, along with the use of discrete smoothing D2-spline techniques, produces realistic virtual representations of wheat leaves.
Sign language interpreters and burnout
Authors: Schwenke Tomina J , Ashby Jeffrey S. , Gnilka Philip B
Published: September 2014

The multidimensional construct of perfectionism is well studied as it relates to coping with stress and burnout (Childs &
Stoeber 2012; Flett & Hewitt 2002). Bontempo and Napier (2011) identify the personality trait of conscientiousness, which
includes perfectionistic traits, as beneficial to an interpreter’s job performance. In contrast, several studies suggest that
constructs related to maladaptive perfectionistic traits play a role in the development of burnout among interpreters, although
perfectionism has not been explicitly identified or used as a research variable (Qin et al. 2008). These studies identify key
components of both adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism in the assessment of stress-related outcomes, thereby laying the
groundwork for a more focused study on the particular role of perfectionism among interpreters who experience burnout. The current
study evaluated the relationship between perfectionism, perceived stress, coping resources and burnout in a sample of sign
language interpreters. The results provided support for the mediating role of perceived stress in the association of maladaptive
perfectionism and burnout within the sample. Coping resources did not serve as a moderator between perfectionism variables and
burnout, or as a moderated mediator between perfectionism variables and perceived stress. The implications of these findings for
sign language interpreters are discussed.
“Our reading would lead to…”
Authors: Mazzi Davide
Published: September 2014

Of the various subtypes of causal argumentation, one that has been sparking the interest of a large number of scholars across various contexts is pragmatic argumentation. This paper aims at undertaking an exploratory study of discursive indicators of pragmatic argumentation in a synchronic corpus of judgments by the Supreme Court of the United States of America. The study began with a qualitative overview to be followed by a more quantitative investigation, in which discursive indicators of pragmatic argumentation were lemmatized and searched for at a corpus level. Data show both the tendency of lemmas to occur within larger patterns, and the way these are correlated with an outline of both desirable and undesirable consequences the judge may draw the attention to. Findings thus appear to offer food for thought in the three largely interrelated areas of argumentation, discourse studies and legal theory.
Negotiating scientific ethos in academic controversy
Authors: Livnat Zohar
Published: September 2014

The aim of this paper is to provide a rhetorical-linguistic analysis of academic ‘conflict articles’ that are part of an actual academic controversy in the field of archaeology, focusing on the concept of scientificethos. In contexts of conflict, the act of establishing one’s ethos and attacking the rival’s ethos can become a central issue. Scientific ethos is a discursive construction reciprocally established and negotiated through various linguistic practices. First-person pronouns, citations, rhetorical questions, irony, positive and negative evaluations are all resources available to the authors, as well as labeling, quotation marks and punctuation. Scientific norms ofdisinterestednessandskepticism, as well as the values ofconsistency,simplicityandfruitfulnessare realized in this argumentative context. Due to the ideological, political and religious implications of the subject,emotional neutralityas a scientific value was found to be especially significant.
A study in cinematic subjectivity
Authors: Coëgnarts Maarten , Kravanja Peter
Published: September 2014

This article offers a metaphorical and embodied examination of the representation of perception in narrative cinema. Using insights from Conceptual Metaphor Theory we argue that the perceptual states of characters can be represented cinematically via audio-visual expressions of metaphors related to the physical functioning of human bodies. More specifically, we show how a predominant pair of conceptual mappings, namely the metonymy perceptual organ stands for perception and the metaphor perception is contact between perceiver and perceived, plays a crucial role in the non-verbal representation of the characters’ perceptual experience.
Traditional and not so traditional metaphors of love in Spanish
Authors: Rojas-Sosa Deyanira
Published: September 2014

Metaphors about love in online dating advertisements might seem to be an easy and inconsequential way to express people’s romantic expectations. Using Critical Metaphor Analysis methodology, this paper takes a closer look at a sample of love metaphors used by Spanish-speaking heterosexual ad posters, to show how they use the metaphors to create a discourse of traditional romance in a modern medium, the online dating world. These metaphors are powerful tools for conveying traditional ideologies about romance and relationships. Additionally, they provide ad posters with a useful rhetorical tool for portraying themselves as ideal romantic partners, ‘regular’ and/or ‘normal’ heterosexuals, who play according to the regulatory norms of their gender, allowing them to ‘sell’ themselves as better candidates for romance.
Ageing creatively
Authors: Thomas Helen , Adams Viccy
Published: September 2014

The beneficial effect of creative activities on individuals’ subjective wellbeing has become a popular and academic given in recent years. Yet the creative processes occurring in a complex, non-drug intervention and their relationship with perceived beneficial effects on wellbeing are difficult to define. Health professionals, arts practitioners and commentators alike identify the need for the development of a multi-disciplinary vocabulary that reflects the interests and values inherent in this rapidly developing discipline. Newcastle University’s “Ageing Creatively” project was an 18-month pilot study to explore the relationship of creative arts interventions to wellbeing in later life (Adams, Thomas & Thomson, 2014). This paper presents the results of metaphor analysis in a series of exit interviews with 31 participants. One-to-one interviews were administered by telephone or in person by specialist, creative arts researchers and each interview was semi-structured using the CASP-12 questionnaire, which aims to measure quality of life in the third age (Sim et al., 2011). The Metaphor Identification Procedure was applied (double-blind) by hand to the transcribed corpus of c.93,000 words, inputted into MS Excel and then discursively coded with vehicles by the researchers. Two dominant vehicle groupings emerged that suggest subjective wellbeing amongst the participant group is conceptualized using the container image schema and the source-path-goal image schema. We therefore propose two systematic, novel metaphors — wellbeing is a container and wellbeing is a journey — as meaningful alternatives to Lakoff and Johnson’s conceptual metaphor wellbeing is wealth, especially in the search to better understand the relationship between creative activities and subjective wellbeing. Our findings suggest that systematic metaphor analysis may be usefully incorporated into the range of social science methodologies available for the measurement of subjective wellbeing.
Migration as a metaphor for time
Authors: Lambkin Brian
Published: September 2014

Two previous articles proposed the reframing of metaphors for metaphor and time in terms of migration as a device or tool for promoting public understanding. They addressed the difficulty in the social world of explaining the world of metaphor and the world of time (Lambkin, 2012, 2014). The latter was concerned with a particular difficulty of time: explaining how we access the world of the past and the world of the future from the world of the present. The concern here is with a further difficulty of time: explaining how, once ‘accessed’, we ‘deal with’ the past and ‘deal with’ the future. It is argued that a better understanding of the simultaneity of these two inextricably linked actions is important in the social world, especially in the discourse of conflict resolution when the tension between ‘dealing with’ the past and ‘dealing with’ the future is an intractable problem, as currently in the Northern Ireland ‘peace process’. The metaphorical representation of that tension is examined in a recent document of the Northern Ireland peace process (Haas & O’Sullivan, 2013) and in three other illustrative texts (Hughes & Hamlin, 1977; Giddens, 1999; Cameron, 2011). A proposal is made for reframing the phenomenon of ‘simultaneous pluralism’ or ‘plural singularity’ in terms of migration, as a way of promoting the public understanding of time in particular, and as an aid to resolving or ‘dealing with’ the tension between ‘dealing with’ the past and ‘dealing with’ the future when in the social world it becomes problematic.
Reading in times of loss
Authors: Koopman Emy
Published: September 2014

This study examined the use of literature as a coping strategy among people who had experienced loss, comparing it to the use of music. Theory suggested that these artistic media can facilitate insight, recognition, support, relaxation, new emotions, and/or distraction. Among 198 respondents, 64 (32%) reported using neither medium during their grief period, 65 (33%) used only music, 19 (10%) used only literature, and 50 (25%) used both. Using artistic media was related to an emotional experience of the loss in two ways: 1) preference for emotion-focused coping was greater among those who used artistic media, 2) those who had used artistic media also reported greater impact of the loss. Reading was most strongly associated with distraction and listening to music with recognition. For those using both media, this suggests a coping process that alternates between distraction and recognition, in line with the Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement.
A habitus-oriented perspective on resistance to language planning through translation
Authors: Durmus Hilal Erkazanci
Published: September 2014

This paper explores some aspects of the socio-biography of the Turkish writer Elif Şafak, who made substantial changes toBaba ve Piç, the Turkish translation of her novelThe Bastard of Istanbul. Arguing that Şafak’s habitus has a considerable influence on her style inBaba ve Piç, the paper focuses on Şafak’s incorporation of Ottoman Turkish words into the Turkish translation in order to show that the addition of these words frames the Turkish translation within the broader narrative of language planning in Turkey. Ultimately, the study argues that the concept of habitus and the concept of narrative can be fruitfully brought together to explain how certain socio-stylistic aspects of the habitus-governed translation respond to the larger narratives of the target society.
Recontextualising assessment resources for use in local settings: opening up the black box of teachers’ knowledge work
Authors: Hermansen Hege
Published: September 2014

Research has shown that how principles and tools related to Assessment for Learning (AfL) are taken up by teachers can significantly impact how assessment initiatives are realised. However, questions remain about how teachers develop new resources for use in local contexts, and what these processes entail. This article examines such processes in the context of teacher teams, using the notion of ‘knowledge work’ to denote the creative and constructive work that teachers carry out when they work together upon AfL‐related principles and tools. The analyses contribute to existing research by illuminating the micro‐dynamics of teachers’ work with assessment resources, and examining different forms of epistemic actions that constitute this process. In conclusion, the paper discusses how teacher collaboration may inform AfL initiatives in significant ways, and argues that teachers’ constructive and collaborative knowledge work needs to be more fully recognised in the context of AfL initiatives.
Leadership views on corporate chaplains: business, sociocultural, and spiritual justifications
Authors: Miller David W. , Ngunjiri Faith Wambura
Published: September 2014

Spirituality in the workplace continues to garner growing scholarly and popular attention as evidenced by increased interdisciplinary scholarship, media reports, corporate interest, and employee activity. Workplace chaplaincy, an expression of the faith at work movement has received
attention from media and practitioners; however, there remains a dearth of scholarly research. This paper, part of a wider study on workplace chaplaincy, fills that scholarly void by explicating the business reasoning, sociocultural explanations, and spiritual imperatives behind organizational
leaders’ decisions to incorporate workplace chaplains into their employee benefit programs. Through interviews with CEOs and C-Suite leaders, this study found that workplace chaplains offer a unique kind of care for employees’ otherwise unmet in other benefit programs, and appears
to contribute positively to organizational commitment, employee well-being, reduced operational costs, reduced turnover/increased retention, and an overall positive, welcoming organizational culture. The paper ends with implications for future studies in areas such as; potential challenges
associated with corporate chaplaincy, perceptions of employees and other constituents, and metrics for evaluating chaplaincy programs.
Persistent Environmental Contamination with USA300 Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureusand Other Pathogenic Strain Types in Households withS. aureusSkin Infections
Authors: Eells Samantha J. , David Michael Z. , Taylor Alexis , Ortiz Nancy , Kumar Neha , Sieth Julia , Boyle-Vavra Susan , Daum Robert S. , Miller Loren G.
Published: September 2014

Objective.

To understand the genotypic spectrum of environmental contamination ofStaphylococcus aureusin households and its persistence

Design.

Prospective longitudinal cohort investigation.

Setting.

Index participants identified at 2 academic medical centers.

Participants.

Adults and children withS. aureusskin infections and their household contacts in Los Angeles and Chicago.

Methods.

Household fomites were surveyed for contamination at baseline and 3 months. All isolates underwent genetic typing.

Results.

We enrolled 346 households, 88% of which completed the 3-month follow-up visit.S. aureusenvironmental contamination was 49% at baseline and 51% at 3 months. Among households with a USA300 methicillin-resistantS. aureus(MRSA) body infection isolate, environmental contamination with an indistinguishable MRSA strain was 58% at baseline and 63% at 3 months. Baseline factors associated with environmental contamination by the index subject’s infection isolate were body colonization by any household member with the index subject’s infection isolate at baseline (odds ratio [OR], 10.93 [95% confidence interval (CI), 5.75–20.79]), higher housing density (OR, 1.47 [95% CI, 1.10–1.96]), and more frequent household fomite cleaning (OR, 1.62 [95% CI, 1.16–2.27]). Household environmental contamination with the index subject’s infection strain at 3 months was associated with USA300 MRSA and a synergistic interaction between baseline environmental contamination and body colonization by any household member with the index subject’s infection strain.

Conclusions.

We found that infectingS. aureusisolates frequently persisted environmentally in households 3 months after skin infection. Presence of pathogenicS. aureusstrain type in the environment in a household may represent a persistent reservoir that places household members at risk of future infection.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2014;35(11):1373–1382
Xanthomonas arboricolaDiseases of Stone Fruit, Almond, and Walnut Trees: Progress Toward Understanding and Management
Authors: Lamichhane Jay Ram
Published: September 2014

Stone fruit (Prunus spp.: apricot, cherry, peach, nectarine, plum, and sloe), almond (Prunus spp.), and walnut (Juglans spp.) crops are among the most economically important tree crops worldwide and are cultivated to a different extent on all continents. The number of countries growing these crops has increased in the last decade with a subsequent increase in acreage globally. Throughout the range of cultivation, Prunus spp. and Juglans spp. are often subjected to pathogen attack. Among them, Xanthomonas arboricola has become markedly important over the last decade. The putative pathovars of X. arboricola, pv. pruni and pv. juglandis, cause bacterial canker and spot and bacterial blight on stone fruits and almond, and on walnut, respectively. In recent years, disease outbreaks caused by X. arboricola on Prunus and on Juglans have increased, as has international concern. The rate at which these outbreaks are occurring suggests the possibility of future epidemics. To address the consequences of such disease emergences, it is important to understand the epidemiology of these diseases, about which little is known to date. The objectives of this review are to provide an overview of X. arboricola diseases of stone fruit, almond, and walnut trees, and to discuss current and future management strategies.
Accounting for experimental noise reveals that mRNA levels, amplified by post-transcriptional processes, largely determine steady-state protein levels in yeast
Authors: Csárdi Gábor , Franks Alexander , Choi David S. , Airoldi Edoardo M. , Drummond D. Allan
Published: September 2014

Cells respond to their environment by modulating protein levels through mRNA transcription and post-transcriptional control. Modest observed correlations between global steady-state mRNA and protein measurements have been interpreted as evidence that mRNA levels determine roughly 40% of the variation in protein levels, indicating dominant post-transcriptional effects. However, the techniques underlying these conclusions, such as correlation and regression, yield biased results when data are noisy, missing systematically, and collinear—properties of mRNA and protein measurements—which motivated us to revisit this subject. Noise-robust analyses of 24 studies of budding yeast reveal that mRNA levels explain more than 85% of the variation in steady-state protein levels. Protein levels are not proportional to mRNA levels, but rise much more rapidly. Regulation of translation suffices to explain this nonlinear effect, revealing post-transcriptional amplification of, rather than competition with, transcriptional signals. These results substantially revise widely credited models of protein-level regulation, and introduce multiple noise-aware approaches essential for proper analysis of many biological phenomena.
Millennial cultural consumers: co-creating value through brand communities
Authors: Vaux Halliday Sue , Astafyeva Alexandra
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise millennial cultural consumers (MCCs) to bring together strands of consumer theory with branding theory to consider how to attract and retain younger audiences in arts organisations. Within that the authors single out for attention how “brand community” theory might apply to MCCs.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper is a conceptual paper that reviews and comments on concepts relevant to helping arts organisations develop strategies to attract and retain younger consumers in their audiences.

Findings

– Thoughtful conceptual insights and four research propositions for further work by academics and/or practitioners on Millennials and the art and culture world are derived from this review and commentary. Managerial implications are also drawn out.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the knowledge development of such concepts as value and brand communities. It also provides an explanation of these concepts conncecting academic thought on value with pressing management challenges for arts organisations, suggesting ways to apply brand community thinking to innovatiely conceptualised MCCs.
Enhancing museum brands with experiential design to attract low-involvement visitors
Authors: Ober-Heilig Nadine , Bekmeier-Feuerhahn Sigrid , Sikkenga Joerg
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– This purpose of this paper is to discuss how experiential design can provide a basis for museums’ branding strategies in order to attract visitors, particularly those visitors with a low involvement with museums.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors first analyze the experiential motives that museums should consider as relevant in attracting potential visitors. Consequently, the authors examine effects of experiential design on the participants’ behavior and attitudes, which are relevant for achieving branding objectives and institutional objectives of museums. In an experiment, using computer simulations, the authors tested the effects of an experiential vsus a non-experiential museum design on potential, especially low-involved participants.

Findings

– The results of the experiment show a positive impact of the multidimensional experiential design on low-involved participants concerning branding relevant behavior, such as loyalty and perceived differentiation. There is also a positive influence on institutional goals such as perceiving the museum as role model and a positive change of attitude toward museums in general.

Research limitations/implications

– Because of the virtual character of the examined museum the results show only a tendency for potential behavior of real museum visitors. Future studies should test the effects of experience design for a real museum with a distinct brand profile.

Practical implications

– The study reveals that once in a museum, potential visitors with a low involvement can be addressed by a museum design that appeals to their experiential motives and which, at the same time, communicates a differentiated brand profile of the museum. Following the visit, this impression can help to overcome barriers in terms of further museum visits and stimulate positive word-of-mouth advertising to other potential visitors.

Social implications

– The results suggest that from a global perspective, experience inducing museums can become role models for other museums, thus altering the image, expectations, and attitude of potential visitors with low-involvement toward museums as social institutions.

Originality/value

– For the first time the explicit effects of a strategic experiential museum design on potential visitors are analyzed in terms of relevant branding and institutional objectives of museums.
Brands in the arts and culture sector
Authors: Baumgarth Carsten , O’Reilly Daragh
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purposes of this editorial are first, to review the background to, and development of, the Special Issue call for papers issued in March 2013 on the topic of “Brands in the Arts and Culture Sector”, second, to introduce the eight papers in the double issue (seven in the Special Issue plus one paper (by Caldwell)) which was submitted to the journal in the normal course and whose topic fits well with the arts and cultural branding topic, and third, to set out a framework designed to facilitate the analysis of individual arts and cultural brands, as well as the directions for future research in the area.

Design/methodology/approach

– The papers in this Special Issue use a variety of approaches-some qualitative (e.g. ethnography, expert interviews), others quantitative (e.g. laboratory experiment, surveys); others deal with conceptual issues for individual artists and for the arts market.

Findings

– Findings and insights relate to topics such as: how the “in-between spaces” (e.g. art studios) can be key building blocks of a strong artist’s brand; the importance of western ideas for the Chinese art market; how pro-activeness, innovation, and risk-taking are the three key drivers for the decision to integrate blockbusters as a sub-brand in museum brand architecture; the importance of experiential design for low-involvement museum visitors; the utility of the notion of brand attachment in explaining volunteering; the potential of visual arts branding for general branding theory; the concept of millennial cultural consumers and how to reach them; and celebrity casting in London’s West End theatres.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors believe that all of the papers have implications for future thinking, research, scholarship, paedagogy, and practice in the area of arts and cultural branding.

Originality/value

– As far as the editors are aware, this is the first ever journal Special Issue on arts and cultural branding. More specifically, the authors have taken the opportunity to present in this editorial essay the “C-Framework” of arts and cultural brands, which offers a new way of thinking about arts and cultural brands − one which can accommodate classical or so-called “mainstream” branding ideas as well as insights from cultural, media, and consumer studies, and other disciplines. This framework can be applied to individual arts and cultural brands as well as to the entire field.
Artist brand building: towards a spatial perspective
Authors: Sjöholm Jenny , Pasquinelli Cecilia
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse how contemporary artists construct and position their “person brands” and reflects on the extent to which artist brand building results from strategic brand management.

Design/methodology/approach

– A conceptual framework proposes a spatial perspective on artist brand building to reach an analytical insight into the case of visual artists in London. The empirical analysis is qualitative, based on serial and in-depth interviews, complemented by participant observations.

Findings

– Artist brand building relies on the creation and continuous redefinition of “in-between spaces” that exist at the blurred boundaries separating an individual and isolated art studio, and the social and visible art scene. Artist brand building is a bundle of mechanisms that, mainly occurring without strategic thinking, are “nested” within the art production process throughout which learning, producing and performing are heavily intertwined.

Research limitations/implications

– This study was undertaken with a focus on visual artists and specific operations and spatialities of their individual art projects. Further empirical research is required in order to fully explore the manifold of practices and spatialities that constitute contemporary artistic practice.

Practical implications

– This study fosters artists’ awareness of branding effects that spillover from artistic production, and thus potentially opens the way to a more strategic capitalization on these.

Originality/value

– The adopted spatial perspective on the process of artist brand building helps to uncover “relatively visible” and “relatively invisible” spatialities that, usually overlooked in branding debate, play a significant role in artist brand building.
Management control systems and organisational learning: the effects of design and use
Authors: Hui Wee Shu , Yau Foong Soon , S.C. Tse Michael
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a study on relationships between the design of management control systems (MCS), the use of MCS and organisational learning (OL).

Design/methodology/approach

– This study adopted a survey method. A written questionnaire was prepared and mailed out to collect quantitative data. After analysis of the empirical results, follow-up interviews were conducted to develop a deeper understanding of the empirical results.

Findings

– Findings of the study show that both the design and use of MCS are significantly associated with levels of OL activities in organisations, and the use of MCS is found to be a more influential factor in OL.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the accounting literature by providing empirical evidence on the relative impacts of the design and use of MCS on OL activities in organisations and the interaction between the design and use of MCS in influencing OL.
The joint effects of management incentive and information precision on perceived reliability in fair value estimates
Authors: Du Ning , E. McEnroe John , Stevens Kevin
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper was to examine whether a less precise (or imprecise) estimate may increase investors’ confidence and improve investors’ perceptions of fair value reliability. The main criticism of fair value accounting has been its lack of reliability perceived by investors.

Design/methodology/approach

– A 2 × 3 randomized experiment was used where management incentive and information precision are manipulated.

Findings

– The results from this study indicate that perceived reliability is jointly affected by management’s incentives and information precision. Reliability rating is the highest for fair value stated as a point estimate with a specified confidence level attached to it. Further analysis indicates that higher perceived reliability is related to its representational faithfulness because participants perceive that a point estimate with a specified confidence level better matches uncertainty in measuring future cash flows.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to examine whether a less precise (or imprecise) estimate may increase investors’ confidence and improve investors’ perceptions of fair value reliability. Because of the subjectivity and uncertainty in fair value estimates, less precise fair value estimates may not be viewed as less reliable. In fact, using a precise format to represent fair value estimates may not be appropriate (neither reliable nor credible), because a precise point estimate fails to capture its underlying uncertainty in future cash flows. A less precise format could represent a credible choice for fair value because it reflects uncertainty and subjectivity and effectively communicates management’s assessments of variability in future cash flows.
Implementation of ISO-22000 in Spain: obstacles and key benefits
Authors: Escanciano Carmen , Leticia Santos-Vijande María
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the status of the implementation of ISO 22000 in the food industry in Spain. The study identifies the main difficulties faced by firms during the adoption process, the benefits obtained, and the most influential benefits on firms overall satisfaction with ISO 22000.

Design/methodology/approach

– A questionnaire was developed to identify the difficulties and benefits for ISO 22000 implementation. Data were collected among 189 Spanish certified firms. Factor analysis and multiple linear regression were used.

Findings

– ISO 22000 is used by firms operating in all links of the food chain (FC). Size of the firm is not a factor that determines its implementation. Exporter firms are more attracted to ISO 22000 certification. All sample firms experienced difficulties throughout the implementation process, being those related with time and money the most relevant. The benefits which most contributed to the firms’ satisfaction were internal in nature, in particular, those related to improved efficiency and food safety.

Practical implications

– Despite the many difficulties, both material and organizational, that sample firms experienced in implementing ISO 22000, and the complexity of the standard, the overall satisfaction is high.

Originality/value

– The sample analyzed comprised certified firms, including representatives of all links in the FC from farm to table. Prior research specifically aimed at analyzing ISO 22000 implementation and its benefits is very scarce.
Sustainable food procurement in British and Irish zoos
Authors: Hanson Jonathan , Holt Diane
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to assess the sustainable food procurement (SFP) of members of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA). It also considered the inconsistencies between their animal and human food supply chains, as well as between their procurement priorities and practices.

Design/methodology/approach

– A quantitative, cross-sectional approach was employed, involving the use of a web-based questionnaire to gather data from 41 BIAZA members across 21 indicators of food sustainability. The results were considered within a sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) framework.

Findings

– There was considerable variation amongst the issues considered by zoos during the SFP process for their animal and human food operations. For both, local expenditure, nutritional content and packaging reduction were some of the highest scoring indicators in practice and as priorities. The overall levels of SFP were found to be equal between the human and animal food supply chains. Significantly low levels of inconsistency were found between the two, practically and in terms of procurement aspirations. Within both supply chains, there was also very few significant gaps between procurement priorities and actions.

Originality/value

– The originality of this study lies in its comparison of procurement practices and priorities for two contemporaneous but distinct food supply chains. It demonstrates that it is possible to have a high overall degree of consistency between two parallel, but contrasting, supply chains, as well as between procurement priorities and priorities. It will be of use in SSCM, particularly within values-led organisations.
The role of subjective norms in theory of planned behavior in the context of organic food consumption
Authors: Al-Swidi Abdullah , Mohammed Rafiul Huque Sheikh , Haroon Hafeez Muhammad , Noor Mohd Shariff Mohd
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the applicability of theory of planned behavior (TPB) with special emphasis on measuring the direct and moderating effects of subjective norms on attitude, perceived behavioral control and buying intention in context of buying organic food.

Design/methodology/approach

– Structured questionnaires were randomly distributed among academic staffs and students of two universities in southern Punjab, Pakistan. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed model fit.

Findings

– Results of the study showed that subjective norms significantly moderate the relationship between attitudes and buying intention as well as between perceived behavior control and buying intention. Furthermore, subjective norms significantly influence attitude toward buying intention.

Practical implications

– The paper provides useful insights for the academics and marketers. Academics may further explore the role of subjective norms in order to have a better understanding of their effects on TPB components. Whereas, marketers can target the opinion leaders and reference groups to increase the demand of organic food.

Originality/value

– Majority of previous studies overlooked the role of subjective norms in determining the buying intentions with respect to organic food. The striking feature of this study is an in-depth emphasis on exploring the direct and moderating effects of subjective norms on the elements of TPB. Moreover, to the best of authors’ knowledge, this is a pioneer study that comprehensively examines the linkage of components of TPB with organic food purchasing in Pakistan.
E-commerce retail of extra virgin olive oil: an hedonic analysis of Italian SMEs supply
Authors: Carlucci Domenico , De Gennaro Bernardo , Roselli Luigi , Seccia Antonio
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between the price of extra virgin olive (EVO) oil and its main quality attributes, in the specific case of business-to-consumers electronic commerce (B2C EC) channel. The final objective is to provide useful insights for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) interested in online selling of EVO.

Design/methodology/approach

– A hedonic price model was estimated considering the following attributes: packaging, cultivar composition, organic certification, oil extraction method, origin certification and localization of selling firms. A survey was performed in 2012 considering 169 virtual stores of SMEs (farms, mills and bottlers) located in all the main Italian olive-growing areas. A data set of 667 references was used to estimate the implicit prices of considered attributes.

Findings

– The EVOs sold through virtual stores are highly differentiated on the basis of several quality attributes among which the most important is the certification of origin (protected denominations of origin/protected geographical indication). Therefore the firm location could generate considerable advantages or disadvantages in adopting a B2C EC strategy.

Research limitations/implications

– Future researches should develop a comparison between the premium prices and costs associated to each attribute in order to find the best product differentiation strategy. An accurate analysis about the implementation and management costs of EC systems as well as an examination of interactions between online and offline sale channels is needed. It would be useful to compare the manufacturer direct sell business model with other business model.

Originality/value

– Few studies applied the hedonic price model to analyse the retail olive oil market. Nevertheless, no studies have analysed the market of EVO sold in virtual shops.
Are diets healthier when they contain branded foods?
Authors: E. Waterlander Wilma , van Kouwen Marita , H.M. Steenhuis Ingrid
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– Market trend data show a growing popularity of discount food stores and of cheaper food products as opposed to more expensive leading brands (LB). Unexpectedly little is known about how these economic food choices affect diet quality and/or health. The purpose of this paper is to examine differences in nutrient content and cost of daily food intake data modeled to contain food exclusively from either LB, generic brands (GB) or discount brands (DB).

Design/methodology/approach

– This study analyzed nutrition information of 430 food products that were selected based on dietary intake data from a sub-sample of the Amsterdam Growth and Health Longitudinal Study. Data were collected in Dutch supermarkets, where information was copied from back-of-pack nutrition tables.

Findings

– Results showed that there were no statistically significant differences between the LB, GB or DB daily intake models in energy (kJ), protein, carbohydrates, total fat, saturated fatty acids, fiber or added sugar contents. However, there were significant differences in sodium content where LB had significant less sodium compared to GB and DB. Also, there were significant price differences: LB vs GB+2.75/day; LB vs DB+7.17/day; GB vs DB+4.42/day.

Originality/value

– To the knowledge, this is the first study analyzing differences in nutrient content and price of leading, generic and discount food brand formats on a diet level. The analysis revealed that there is little reason to suggest that dietary nutrient quality is negatively affected by an increased consumption of DB products. Indeed, the substantial price difference between leading and DB suggests that discount products provide a reasonable alternative to LB.
The effects of food product types and affective states on consumers’ decision making
Authors: Lin Hung-Chou
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of food product types and affective states and on consumers’ variety seeking (VS) tendency.

Design/methodology/approach

– Two experiments are conducted in this paper to examine the influence of different food product types and the VS-mood state relationship.

Findings

– The results are consistent with the author's hypotheses and indicate that happy people incorporate more VS when healthful and unfamiliar food products are offered, while sad people incorporate more VS when hedonic and familiar food products are offered.

Practical implications

– Marketers of leading brands selling hedonic food products could cultivate positive emotions in their target consumers in order to prevent them from switching brands. Conversely, marketers of follower brands may find it appropriate to induce negative moods in their consumers to encourage brand switching. For those marketers who sell less hedonic, healthier food products, marketing strategies should be contrary to those for hedonic food products. In addition, marketers may conduct strategies to prevent consumers from feeling sad in the case of products with a low market profile and which are unfamiliar to their consumers. They could cultivate happy moods in consumers to encourage them to make more varied food product choices.

Originality/value

– Prior research has focussed mainly on hedonic and familiar products when explaining VS behavior, but the present research has demonstrated the need to discuss different product types, such as healthful and unfamiliar products, in order to obtain a broader understanding of affective states on VS.
Explaining the decline in fertility among citizens of the GCC countries: the case of the UAE
Authors: Al Awad Mouawiya , Chartouni Carole
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine certain factors that have contributed to the decline in fertility in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in recent years, taking the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a case study.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using data from the 2008 UAE Household Expenditure Survey, this paper analyzes the determinants of fertility using a Poisson fertility count model.

Findings

– The results show that economic factors, in terms of the costs and benefits that families derive from children in the UAE, are not important determinants of fertility due to the large size of social insurance provided by the UAE Government. Moreover, labor market participation by either males or females does not play a critical role in determining fertility in the UAE. The two primary causes of decline in fertility are: late marriages or late first births; and higher levels of female education. Other contributors to drops in fertility are marriages between UAE national males and foreign females and increases in childbirth intervals. Conversely, the size of household residences and the number of domestic workers working in a households contribute positively to fertility.

Originality/value

– Little attention has been paid in the literature to explain the fast drop in fertility in the GCC countries. This may be due to the limited availability of data for this region. This paper, to the authors’ knowledge, is the first to shed some light on the effects of many socioeconomic factors on fertility in the GCC.
The Ministry of Higher Education’s role in private Jordanian universities and the hidden tool of the budget
Authors: Abdellateef Mah’d Osama
Published: September 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this research is to shed light on the role the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MoHE) plays in private Jordanian universities (PJUs). Private universities in developing countries struggle with their financial resources. There is an argument that a decision to adopt a new approach for the financing and management of Jordanian higher education (HE) has been taken because both funding and ownership belong to private sources. However, the MoHE plays a role in the Jordanian context.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study explains the relations between the MoHE and PJUs and describes the PJUs’ managerial context. It is based on the prior research related to HE and budgeting. A total of 16 budget preparers at 11 universities and a further three in the MoHE were interviewed. The research also uses observation to obtain direct knowledge of the research phenomena. It uses archival documents, guidelines and reports to accomplish the study’s objective.

Findings

– This research presents an overview for private HE across the world with particular concentration being paid to the role of the MoHE in PJUs by presenting the regulations and laws related to HE in Jordan. It proves that the MoHE uses a budgeting formula to significantly increase its control over the private HE sector. Simultaneously, no government subsidies or tax exemptions (such as those given to public universities) have been made available to private universities. The results indicate that the MoHE controls the private universities by using accreditation tools, such as their budgets.

Originality/value

– Jordan has a unique situation in terms of the relationship between its MoHE and Jordanian universities.