bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Absolute configuration of naturally occurring glabridin
Authors: Simmler Charlotte , Fronczek Frank R. , Pauli Guido F. , Santarsiero Bernard D.
Published: October 2013

The title compound {systematic name: 4-[(3R)-8,8-dimethyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-pyrano[2,3-f]chromen-3-yl]benzene-1,3-diol, commonly named glabridin}, C20H20O4, is a species-specific biomarker from the rootsGlycyrrhiza glabraL. (European licorice, Fabaceae). In the present study, this prenylated isoflavan has been purified from an enriched CHCl3fraction of the extract of the root, using three steps of medium-pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) by employing HW-40F, Sephadex LH-20 and LiChroCN as adsorbents. Pure glabridin was crystallized from an MeOH–H2O mixture (95:5 v/v) to yield colorless crystals containing one molecule per asymmetric unit (Z′ = 1) in the space groupP212121. Although the crystal structure has been reported before, the determination of the absolute configuration remained uncertain. Stereochemical analysis, including circular dichroism, NMR data and an X-ray diffraction data set with Bijvoet differences, confirms that glabridin, purified from its natural source, is found only in a C3Rconfiguration. These results can therefore be used as a reference for the assignment of the configuration and enantiopurity of any isolated or synthetic glabridin sample.
3,4-Dihydroxy-1,6-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)hexa-2,4-diene-1,6-dione, its 4-methylphenyl analogue, and a potassium salt of 2-hydroxy-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxobut-2-enoic acid
Authors: Nye Luke , Turnbull Mark M. , Wikaira Jan L.
Published: October 2013

Reaction of 4-methoxyacetophenone with diethyl oxalate under basic conditions produced 3,4-dihydroxy-1,6-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)hexa-2,4-diene-1,6-dione, C20H18O6, (1). The molecules lie across a crystallographic inversion centre and intramolecular hydrogen bonding, similar to acetylacetone, is observed, confirming that the molecule is in the di-enol-dione tautomeric form. Additional O—H...O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into chains parallel to thebaxis. The structure is compared with that of redetermined 4-methylphenyl compound 3,4-dihydroxy-1,6-bis(4-methylphenyl)hexa-2,4-diene-1,6-dione, C20H18O4, (2), which crystallizes in a similar fashion. The salt,catena-poly[[μ2-2-hydroxy-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxobut-2-enoato-κ3O1,O2:O4][μ2-2-hydroxy-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-oxobut-2-enoic acid-κ2O1:O4]potassium], [K(C11H9O5)(C11H10O5)]n, (3), was isolated as a by-product of the synthesis of (1). The two organic species are linked by a strong hydrogen bond between the carboxylic acid and carboxylate groups. They are further stabilized and linked into a double-chain structureviathe seven-coordinate potassium ion.
tert-Butyl 2-(6-{2-[2-(4-fluorophenyl)-5-isopropyl-3-phenyl-4-(phenylcarbamoyl)pyrrol-1-yl]ethyl}-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-4-yl)acetate
Authors: Wu Ya-Ming
Published: October 2013

The title compound, C40H47FN2O5, crystallizes with two independent but similar molecules in the asymmetric unit. In the crystal, molecules are linked into chains along [100] by intermolecular N—H...O hydrogen bonds.
Dichlorido{2-[(E)-phenyl(pyridin-2-yl-κN)methylidene]-N-phenylhydrazinecarboxamide-κ2N2,O}copper(II)
Authors: Aiswarya N. , Sithambaresan M. , Kurup M. R. Prathapachandra , Ng Seik Weng
Published: October 2013

The title compound, [CuCl2(C19H16N4O)], contains a CuIIatomN,N′,O-chelated by a neutralN-phenylhydrazinecarboxamide ligand and additionally coordinated by two Cl atoms, resulting in a distorted square-pyramidal geometry. The ligating atoms in the basal square plane of the complex comprise the azomethine N, the pyridine N, the amide O and one of the Cl atoms, whereas the other Cl atom occupies an apical position. The apical Cl atoms in adjacent layers function as hydrogen-bond acceptors to both NH groups. Intermolecular C—H...Cl and C—H...O interactions are also observed.
N-(1,3-Benzothiazol-2-yl)acetamide
Authors: Nayak Prakash S , Narayana B. , Jasinski Jerry P. , Yathirajan H. S. , Kaur Manpreet
Published: October 2013

The title compound, C9H8N2OS, crystallizes with two molecules (AandB) in the asymmetric unit. The dihedral angles between the mean planes of the 1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl ring system and the acetamide group are 2.7 (4) (moleculeA) and 7.2 (2) Å (moleculeB). In the crystal, pairs of N—H...N hydrogen bonds link theAandBmolecules into dimers, generatingR22(8) loops. The dimers stack along [100].
Exploring the reasons and factors influencing the formation and development of alliances in the hospitality industry
Authors: Franco Mário , Pereira Carla
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This study aims to identify the reasons for entering into alliances, as well as the main factors that influence these relationships in the hospitality industry.

Design/methodology/approach

– A multiple case study approach, with four hotels in Portugal as its subject, has been used for evaluation of hospitality alliances. As data-collecting instruments, interviews and documentary analysis were used.

Findings

– The paper found that two main factorsz emerged (structural and process factors) as influencing the formation and development of alliances in the field of hospitality. The empirical evidence also provides insight into the sources of advantage that alliances can address in hospitality firms' challenges.

Practical implications

– Based on the principal results, this investigation also suggests some guidelines to bear in mind when creating and maintaining an alliance in the hospitality sector. This study shows that regional tourism development is normally expressed in economic terms, as the value of that region. This development depends on social, political and cultural aspects to be a tool of successful regional development, but for this to take place, it is necessary to form alliances in this specific sector.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to advancing theory in the field of strategic alliances. More precisely, this study is associated with the creation of a theoretical framework that shows the reasons and influencing factors (of structure and process) in alliance formation in the hospitality industry. This framework can help the different managers and other actors involved in alliances in the hotel segment, in their strategic decision-making processes.
The importance of value and context for mobile CRM services in banking
Authors: Awasthi Preety , S. Sangle Purnima
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The aim of the paper is to identify interactions existing among the identified factors and understanding how they impact adoption intention so that better CRM strategies for mobile channel can be orchestrated.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper empirically explores the underlying factors by the application of confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The study sample consists of 523 respondents with a response rate of 63.9 percent (usable response rate).

Findings

– The empirical findings reveal that from the perspective of benefits, perceptions value, perceived usefulness and context were the three critical components significantly influencing adoption intention. On the apprehension side, the effects of perceived security assurance, perceived trust, perceived cost and perceived risk on perceived value as well as perceived usefulness were significant.

Research limitations/implications

– The study had a few limitations such as selection of the sample from a limited number of places, and the model was cross-sectional measuring perceptions and intentions at a single point of time.

Practical implications

– Based on the findings, banks should focus on increasing the value perceptions of the customers by considering the perceptions of usefulness in various service contexts. The structural assurances and risk mitigation strategies also need attention.

Originality/value

– The findings provided insight into the factors that contribute to the acceptance of mobile CRM services in India from new consumers' perspective. This study demonstrated that in the case of mobile CRM, the factors related to service aspect dominate over the technical aspect.
The impact of bureaucracies and occupational segregation on participation of Iranian women in the workforce
Authors: Javadian Golshan , Y. Addae Isaac
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges facing Iranian women in the workforce. While Iranian women's participation in higher education is exceptionally high, their participation in the workforce, especially the public sector, is low.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper compares the bureaucratic structures in public organizations with the “ideal” type of bureaucracy as defined by Weber (1922). Moreover, occupational segregation, which limits women's choices, is examined as another barrier for Iranian women's participation in the workforce.

Findings

– The paper argues that the main reason for the low participation of women in public organizations is the ill-structured bureaucracies in these organizations. Also, occupational segregation limits the career choices of Iranian women. Some of the challenges caused by these two factors are the result of discriminative rules and regulations.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to the limited knowledge concerning the issues faced by Iranian women attempting to enter and progress in public organizations. While literature suggests that western women also face the same challenges in organizations, the unique characteristics of Iranian public organizations calls for separate analysis of these barriers in the Iranian context. By introducing readers to this unique subgroup of employees, the paper represents a starting point to an important area of research.
Reasons for variation in SCR for private label brands
Authors: Dawes John
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– There is increasing managerial and academic interest in understanding behavioural loyalty to private label (PL) brands. A widely used behavioural loyalty measure is share of category requirements, or “SCR”. This study aims to examine why some PLs enjoy higher levels of SCR compared to others.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study models consumer purchase data using the well-accepted NBD-Dirichlet model to identify the circumstances in which PL brands exhibit higher (“excess”) or lower SCR than expected.

Findings

– The study finds four factors linked to excess SCR for PLs. They are: higher share of overall category sales accounted for by the PL within the retailer's stores, higher penetration of the category by the retailer, low relative price of the PL, and lastly, lower average purchase frequency for the category overall.

Research limitations/implications

– While the study uses 13 product categories, its geographic scope is limited to the UK. Further research could examine how the findings generalize to other markets.

Originality/value

– The study is original in that it identifies factors that are linked to behavioural loyalty toward specific PL brands. The findings will help marketers in brand management and retailing to understand and contextualize brand performance metrics for PL brands.
How is HRD doing in research and publications? An assessment of journals by AHRD (2005-2011)
Authors: Sun Judy Y , Wang Greg G
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This study aims to examine human resource development (HRD) research as represented by the citations to the publications in the four journals sponsored by the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) from 2005 to 2011.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors collected citation data from Google Scholar (GS) using Publish or Perish 3 (PoP3) and compared the four journals on the metrics of h, hc, g, e and other Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) commonly reported indexes.

Findings

– Citation data during the seven-year period provided an overall picture on the status of HRD research and publications. It showed that while HRD journals have made impressive research impact by generating worldwide scholarly citations in multiple languages, additional effort in improving the quality and the impact of research and publications is needed.

Research limitations/implications

– This study offers new insights on a number of important issues related to HRD research assessment, research quality, journal impact and editorial performance.

Originality/value

– This is an initial effort in the HRD literature that comprehensively analyzes and compares the four AHRD journals. It offers new insights on the assessment of HRD research and journal impact.
Mobility of Eastern European citizens: training and development
Authors: Kougias Ioannis , Seremeti Lambrini , Kalogeras Dimitris
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore and present a higher education initiative towards the training and development of Eastern European citizens, who migrate to Greece, in pursuit of bettering their economic conditions and, simultaneously, become evolving social entities, adaptable to heterogeneous environments.

Design/methodology/approach

– Motivated by the motto “education for all”, the initiative is based on data drawn from local and public authorities and interviews that were carried out with immigrants, mainly from Albania and Ukraine.

Findings

– This paper proposes a learning policy and training mechanism for foreigners and the establishment of a Mediator Office providing educational services.

Research limitations/implications

– Further efforts are necessary to improve the teaching content in order to be in full conformity with the characteristics and requirements of non-native learners.

Practical implications

– Some of the constraints hampering the implementation of this initiative are the lack of the necessary financial resources, the absence of legal framework, as well as the shortage of bilingual adult training and education instructors.

Originality/value

– There have been limited autonomous educational programmes concerning immigrants
'
lifelong learning provided by the Greek Ministry of Education, focused mainly on the Greek language and history learning. This work introduces a novel educational structure, which may be established in any higher education institution and which will involve anyone in any kind of subject, anytime and anywhere.
Australasian Health Facility Guidelines: results of a user survey
Authors: Carthey Jane Frances
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The Australasian Health Facility Guidelines (AusHFG) project was initiated in 2005 by the Australian State and Territory Health Departments, and the New Zealand Ministry of Health to guide hospital development in the Australasian region. This paper shares the results of a 2010 survey of guidelines users in three of the health jurisdictions, conducted to understand whether the anticipated project benefits were being achieved and to seek suggestions for future improvements.

Design/methodology/approach

– AusHFG users were surveyed using an electronic survey instrument. Data gathered included demographic information regarding the users and their projects, user views on the achievement of the anticipated benefits and their suggestions for future improvements to the AusHFG.

Findings

– In total, 152 people commenced the survey, with fewer fully completing it. Responses were generally positive and supportive of the project. Useful commentary was received regarding possible improvements; some of this illustrated user confusion regarding the purpose and inherent limitations of guidelines of this type.

Research limitations/implications

– The survey was conducted in only three out of a possible nine health jurisdictions – it could be further extended to these other jurisdictions in the future.

Practical implications

– The research illustrated the need to identify, and to communicate clearly, regularly and effectively with key project stakeholders to ensure user feedback and support for using health design guidelines.

Originality/value

– This is the first survey to be conducted of Australian and New Zealand users of health design guidelines. It provides useful feedback to those developing and implementing health guidelines, especially regarding the format, content and delivery of guideline information.
Evaluation of building performance for strategic facilities management in healthcare
Authors: Talib Yuhainis , Yang Rebecca Jing , Rajagopalan Priyadarsini
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the main elements of building performance, namely, building function, building impact and building quality in order to promote strategic facilities management in healthcare organisation to improve core (health) business activities.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on current available toolkits, a questionnaire is issued to healthcare users (staff) in a public hospital about their level of agreement in relation to these elements. Statistical analysis is conducted to regroup the elements. These regrouped elements and their inter-relationships are used to develop a framework for measuring building performance in healthcare buildings.

Findings

– The analysis helped to clarify the understanding and agreement of users in Australian healthcare organisation with regards to building performance. Based on the survey results, 11 new elements were regrouped into three groups. These new regrouped elements will be used to develop a reliable framework for measuring performance of Australian healthcare buildings.

Originality/value

– Currently there is no building performance toolkit available for Australian healthcare organisation. The framework developed in this paper will help healthcare organisations with a reliable performance tool for their buildings and this will promote strategic facilities management
Decentralization, perceived environmental uncertainty, managerial performance and management accounting system information in Egyptian hospitals
Authors: A. Hammad Salah , Jusoh Ruzita , Ghozali Imam
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence concerning: the relationships between decentralization, perceived environmental uncertainty, and management accounting systems (MAS) information and the relationships between MAS information and managerial performance within Egyptian hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected using questionnaires that were sent personally to the managers or heads of departments of Egyptian hospitals. Departmental level was used as the unit of analysis. Data obtained from 200 hospital managers were analyzed using partial least squares.

Findings

– The study reveals that decentralization and environmental uncertainty, to some extent, are essential factors in designing efficient and effective MAS. Hospitals with decentralized structure make better use of timely, aggregated and integrated MAS information. Environment in which the hospitals operate does have significant influence on the type of information provided by the MAS.

Research limitations/implications

– Using personally administered questionnaires causes the sample to be rather limited and not comprehensive enough.

Practical implications

– The current study offers the hospital managers some useful aspects related to the function of MAS information that can be used to enhance their managerial performance. The provision of broad-scope and timeliness of MAS information can facilitate more effective managerial decisions. MAS designers and Egyptian policy makers should emphasize on decentralized decision-making by delegating sufficient authority to lower level managers as much as possible.

Originality/value

– This study is one of the few studies done in Africa in the field of MAS, particularly in the context of Egyptian hospitals.
The value relevance of earnings levels in the return-earnings relation
Authors: Agnes Cheng C.S. , Lee Bong-Soo , Yang Simon
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– Prior studies provide mixed propositions on whether earnings levels or earnings changes provide the better explanatory power for variations of stock returns and whether the time-series behavior of earnings affects the value relevance of both earnings variables. This paper aims to compare the value relevance of earnings levels with that of earnings changes in the return-earnings relations.

Design/methodology/approach

– The unobservable components model is used to estimate permanent and transitory components of earnings.

Findings

– The finding shows that the proxy ability of earnings changes for unexpected earnings is sensitive to a firm's time-series earnings permanence property and is unstable and noisy when earnings contain predominantly transitory components, but that of earnings levels is not. The results support earnings levels are a stable and better value relevant proxy in the return-earnings relations.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings imply that the valuation role of earnings levels is important in the research relating to earnings components, earnings innovations, and equity valuation, especially when earnings permanence is of interest.

Practical implications

– The results provide a new understanding on the role of earnings levels in many business decisions such as executive compensations, institutional investment and conservative accounting where they often involve the choice of using levels and/or changes of earnings variables in making decisions.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to the accounting literature by providing a new insight into the valuation role of earnings levels in the return-earnings relations. The stable value relevance of earnings levels also has important implications, especially for studies that use only earnings levels to assess earnings quality and earnings attributes.
From tourist motivations to tourist satisfaction
Authors: Correia Antónia , Kozak Metin , Ferradeira João
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore the concept of push and pull satisfaction and relates it with a uni-dimensional measure of satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

– A factor structure is derived, comprising push and pull satisfaction factors which are related to the level of overall satisfaction. The empirical study was performed in Lisbon, one of the main cultural cities in Europe.

Findings

– Results suggest that overall satisfaction reflects the tourist assessment of push and pull dimensions of satisfaction. Furthermore, results also demonstrate that satisfaction arose within the opportunity to experience the cultural and social specificities of a destination considering the appropriate facilities. Based on the study findings, implications for management and marketing are presented.

Research limitations/implications

– This study comprises various methodological limitations mainly concerning the sample size that was restricted to 323 cases as well as it only considers the cultural city of Lisbon. Thus, to improve and enhance the model, future works should consider a comparison between multiple cultural destinations. Future research may comprise a broader time window to undertake the possible variation of data.

Practical implications

– This study represents a step forward to understand and predict tourist behaviour. Tourism scholars and practitioners should be aware that there is a need to consider further studies to develop more effective measurement scales to assess the considered constructs. For instance, the suggested assessment of overall satisfaction can be better to measure overall satisfaction by considering the idea of equity theory.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to the literature in two major directions. First, the present study is one of few works that attempt to develop a scale to measure satisfaction issues through the use of an adaptation of push and pull motivations. Second, results demonstrate that all the factors present high loading values competing to explain overall satisfaction. Such empirical evidence has the value to propose that the functional attributes contribute to satisfy the most intrinsic desires of learning about a culture, art or even the famous traditional music Fado in a balance novelty. Thus, several attributes contributing to distinct factors are willing to be grouped under the same theoretical umbrella when tourists draw the evaluation of overall satisfaction, e.g. tangibles (entertainment) and intangibles (learn about music, art or museums).
Jungian foundations for managing and performing secular pilgrimages
Authors: Lloyd Stephen
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to enrich discussion on pilgrimage tourism by analyzing motivations for visiting Sissinghurst, and of essential components of the pilgrimage experience.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper utilizes data triangulation and the application of two powerful Jungian archetypes to decode motivations to manage and to participate in a journey to an iconic pilgrimage site (Sigginghurst Castle Garden, in Kent, England and administered by the National Trust) using the analysis of interview-based, published, broadcast media and internet blog storytelling.

Findings

– Pilgrim tourists seek and achieve individuation by being part of the essential experience of a site; with its founders, its owners and management and with its continuing re-birth story.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper illustrates the application of Jungian archetypes to identify motivations to engage in a tourism experience and as a means for managers to identify a destination's essential characteristics.

Practical implications

– This work provides a means for managers to identify a destination's essential characteristics.

Originality/value

– The paper documents an original research approach to a previously under-researched research topic.
Gender inequalities in golf: a consented exclusion?
Authors: Reis Helena , Correia Antónia
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– In the late eighteenth century, golf emerged as a men's game. Since then, women have striven to play, yet without success. A ratio of around 80 percent of male players against 20 percent female proves that women are far from being accepted in golf. This study, supported by qualitative analyses of women golfers' life stories, attempts to evaluate to what extent this prejudice exists.

Design/methodology/approach

– The ecological system theory, the causal historical wave model, the intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural factors, and the constraints/facilitators paradigm were first used to support the theoretical model that was defined based on the literature. Second, the model was revisited according to textual data collected from 25 narratives of women in the nineteenth century. The present research applies this model throughout a set of six life stories of contemporary Portuguese women who excelled in golf, attempting to test the persistence of this discrimination.

Findings

– The results highlight that structural and interpersonal factors persist across time. Some aspects of women's lifestyle did not change much since some cultural values are difficult to overcome. The research highlights that the exclusion of women, more than explicit discrimination, is a cultural factor engrained in their daily lives, meaning that women exclude themselves, tacitly accepting this discrimination.

Research limitations/implications

– The research focuses only on Portuguese women. Further studies should evaluate the pertinence of these factors amongst other nationalities and cultures.

Originality/value

– The low participation of women in golf is acknowledged by golf stakeholders in Portugal, but this has not been the object of research; thus, to the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper about this subject in Portugal.
Interlending and document supply: a review of the recent literature: 83
Authors: McGrath Mike
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to review the current LIS literature for document supply and related topics.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on the scanning and reading of about 150 journals, reports, and web sites.

Findings

– There is continued growth in freely available articles. There are dramatic development in open access initiatives especially in the US and some confusion in the UK. A study shows the dramatic impact on journal cancellations in a six month embargo environment with a likely increase in ILL. Publisher constraints on copying are a constant obstacle and those on e-books are now receiving more attention by librarians.

Originality/value

– This is the only regular literature review that focuses on document supply and related issues.
Having it all: using RapidILL for book chapter interlending
Authors: MacWaters Cristi
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe how RapidILL expanded its service offerings from expedited requesting and delivery of journal articles to include delivery of book chapters as well.

Design/methodology/approach

– The author uses a case study approach to provide an overview of the RapidILL service, the service advantages inherent in its system design, and how the system was modified to accommodate requesting and delivery of book chapters.

Findings

– The challenges that RapidILL member libraries anticipated did not materialize; the system set up required for requesting and supplying book chapters is largely the same as for supplying journal articles. The resulting fill rate and turnaround time for book chapters compares favorably with that of journal articles.

Originality/value

– The RapidILL book chapter service has been in place for approximately a year at the time of writing. This paper introduces a fairly new service, provides data from a key participating library, and will be of interest to interlending practitioners who use or are interesting in joining RapidILL. Interlending system designers will also find the discussion of the underlying architecture useful.
The development of accounting calculations as chronological network effects
Authors: Ushio Sumitaka , Kazusa Yasuyuki
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine the processes through which accounting calculations are formed and developed in a Japanese manufacturing company.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is based on an in-depth longitudinal case study. Actor network theory is used to analyze the empirics and to trace the historical translation process where the calculations were formed and developed as inscriptions.

Findings

– The empirics show that an accounting calculation (called PPH) was formed and developed as a flag to rally around to involve different interests at different times. It translated changing external social and economic contexts as well as internal managerial and shop-floor interests into its calculations at different stages of the company's development. The processes were inscribed in the form of an accounting calculation and these inscriptions were accumulated, rather than replaced or abandoned, to create growth rings of accounting calculations as chronological network effects.

Originality/value

– The case in this paper demonstrates thatkeiei-rinen(management philosophy) control can be more bottom-up than implied in the extant literature. Shop-floor workers and non-accounting experts participate in (re)shaping processes of accounting calculations. In these processes, “stability” is the key for the calculations to remain at the centre of translation attracting various interests and linking different demands over time.
Information availability at the competitive bidding stage for service contracts
Authors: E. Kreye Melanie , B. Newnes Linda , Mey Goh Yee
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the information that manufacturing companies have available when competitively bidding for service contracts.

Design/methodology/approach

– A semi-structured interview study was undertaken with industrialists in various sectors, which are currently facing the issue of servitisation.

Findings

– One of the main findings was that, despite the novelty of the process, the decision makers at the competitive bidding stage have an understanding of the involved uncertainties. In particular, the uncertainty arising from the customer as the user of the product and evaluator of the competitive bids in addition to the uncertainty connected to the competitors were identified as the main influences on the pricing decision.

Research limitations/implications

– The research implications show the influences and considerations during the decision-making process at the competitive bidding stage for service contracts. These include the customer and the competitors.

Practical implications

– Shortcomings in the current industrial practice were identified such as the approaches used to communicate the cost estimate for the service contract. The approaches currently used contradict research findings in the area of communicating uncertainty information, which means that further research is to be done to identify optimal approaches to displaying the uncertainty connected to the communicated information.

Originality/value

– This paper offers a basis for research to understand the challenges industry faces when competitively bidding for service contracts. This can be used to develop novel approaches in supporting the decision maker such as a model that presents the probability of winning in comparison to the probability of making a profit.
The role of CPTED in post-earthquake Christchurch
Authors: Ramsay Sue
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to describe the contribution that Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) is making to the post-earthquake rebuild of Christchurch, New Zealand. The paper traces the uptake of CPTED in Christchurch pre-earthquake and describes the steps taken to ensure the increasing use of CPTED in the rebuild.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is a case study and discusses the author's experience of working within Christchurch before the earthquake and describes their involvement in the rebuild of Christchurch post-earthquake.

Findings

– There has been significant process made in incorporating CPTED into the rebuild of Christchurch. A formal mandate to consider CPTED is included in the Central Christchurch Recovery Plan and a range of other initiatives have been established. These are broadening the uptake of CPTED throughout public and commercial rebuild projects and improving local advisory and practitioner capacity. CPTED is being included earlier in planning and design.

Originality/value

– The Christchurch rebuild may be the most extensive application of CPTED yet. It is hoped that Christchurch's experience can be used as a model for other cities to increase their use of CPTED.
Designing out crime in the delivery of the London 2012 Olympic Games and the future Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
Authors: Goldby Nick , Heward Ian
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on the design and development of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic Games and its legacy.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is an invited opinion piece and comment based upon documentation the specialist experience of the authors who were both involved in the planning, design and development of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and who continue to be involved with the development through legacy.

Findings

– The paper describes the process through which designing out crime was considered throughout the planning, design and development of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Originality/value

– The paper provides comment on the planning, design and development of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from individuals who were involved in the planning, design and development of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Renovation status and technical condition of Norwegian dwellings
Authors: Risholt Birgit , Waernes Elisabeth , Time Berit , Grete Hestnes Anne
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to gain knowledge on the renovation status for Norwegian dwellings that can be used to design attractive energy efficiency measures. Norwegian dwellings are exposed to a windy, cold and moist climate and the technical condition of existing dwellings depend on the owners priorities regarding maintenance and renovation. The paper focuses on the renovation status and technical condition of privately owned detached houses built in Norway in the 1980s constituting 10 per cent of the total Norwegian dwelling stock. These houses are high-energy spenders and are at a stage in their lifetime where major renovation such as new windows and ventilation system is expected.

Design/methodology/approach

– The status for redecoration, maintenance and renovation as well as the technical condition of 91 dwellings are mapped and analysed.

Findings

– An analysis of the empirical data identified four categories of houses when considering home upgrades and technical condition: the as built, the aesthetic, the well kept and the do it yourselves houses. There is no correlation between the observed technical condition and the home upgrade level for the houses in the study. Significant resources may have been used for redecoration and unskilled renovation while not dealing with the need for maintenance and repair.

Research limitations/implications

– The knowledge on homeowner categories can be used to tailor policy instruments to accelerate energy efficiency rates for privately owned dwellings.

Originality/value

– There are no previous studies on Norwegian private homeowners and the technical condition of their homes.
Team mental models, relationship conflict and effectiveness over time
Authors: Marques Santos Catarina , Margarida Passos Ana
Published: October 2013

Purpose

– This study aims to evaluate the extent to which similar team mental models (TMMs) at the beginning of a team's lifecycle influence the level of relationship conflict within the team, TMM-similarity at the middle of the team lifecycle, and in turn team effectiveness. Thus far, no research has analysed the mediating role of a dysfunctional team process between TMM-similarity and effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study was conducted in a strategy and management competition involving 414 individuals who comprised 92 teams (3-5 members). Data were collected at four moments in time. The questionnaires were developed based on validated scales and adapted for the specific context.

Findings

– The results provide support for the mediating role of conflict between the similarity of team-TMMs at the beginning of team lifecycle and effectiveness. The results also provide support for the mediating role of task-TMMs in the middle of team lifecycle between task-TMMs at the beginning of team lifecycle and effectiveness. Findings suggest that teams with more similar TMMs, experience less relationship conflict which in turn improves effectiveness.

Research limitations/implications

– In this study TMM-accuracy was not analysed. Future research should analyse the role of TMM similarity and accuracy. Further, future research should explore the optimal level of TMM-similarity and when the similarity of TMM is disruptive to teams.

Originality/value

– This paper sheds light on the role of conflict as a dysfunctional team process between TMM-similarity and effectiveness. Moreover, this paper shows that more research on TMM evolution is needed.
Intra‐ and inter‐sexual competition of Populus cathayana under different watering regimes
Authors: Chen Juan , Duan Baoli , Wang Maolin , Korpelainen Helena , Li Chunyang
Published: October 2013

Previous studies have demonstrated that poplar is sexually dimorphic in its responses to environmental stresses and provided evidence of sex‐related differences in protein composition, gene transcription and morphological and physiological processes. However, sexual competition of poplar has not yet been studied.

We employed Populus cathayana males and females as a model to investigate intra‐ and intersexual competition under well‐watered condition and drought stress.

Our results indicated that competition significantly affected sexual dimorphism of P. cathayana under different watering regimes. Sexual competition was environment‐dependent and modified by drought. In females, drought intensified the negative effect of intrasexual competition. Similar resource utilization patterns of females may aggravate pressure for resources under drought stress. Under intersexual competition, females showed a greater competitive ability than males under well‐watered condition, while males showed a slight competitive advantage under drought stress. Intersexual competition seems to alleviate the sexual dimorphism of P. cathayana in response to drought stress, as females increase fitness and males decrease fitness compared with intrasexual competition.

Sexual dimorphism in resource utilization patterns and niche segregation may contribute to sexual competition in a given environment. Sexual competition was found to affect competitive ability and fitness of both sexes, which may cause spatial segregation of sexes in P. cathyana populations.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and aphids interact by changing host plant quality and volatile emission
Authors: Babikova Zdenka , Gilbert Lucy , Bruce Toby , Dewhirst Sarah Y. , Pickett John A. , Johnson David
Published: October 2013

Most plants interact with both arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which increase nutrient acquisition, and herbivores such as aphids, which drain nutrients from plants. Both AM fungi and aphids can affect plant metabolic pathways and may influence each other by altering the condition of the shared host plant.

This study tests simultaneously the effects of AM fungi on interactions with aphids (bottom‐up effects) and the effects of aphids on interactions with AM fungi (top‐down effects). We hypothesized that: (i) attractiveness of plants to aphids is regulated by induced changes in production of plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) triggered by AM fungi or aphids; (ii) aphids reduce AM fungal colonization; and (iii) AM fungal colonization affects aphid development.

Broad beans were exposed to AM fungi, aphids and a combination of both. To test for the strength of bottom‐up and top‐down effects, separate treatments enabled establishment of mycorrhizas either before or after aphids were added to plants. VOCs produced by plants were used to (i) test their attractiveness to aphids and (ii) identify the semiochemicals causing attraction. We also measured plant growth and nutrition, AM fungal colonization and aphid reproduction.

AM fungi increased the attractiveness of plants to aphids, and this effect tended to prevail even for aphid‐infested plants. However, both attractiveness and aphid population growth depended on the timing of AM fungal inoculation. AM fungi suppressed emission of the sesquiterpenes (E)‐caryophyllene and (E)‐β‐farnesene, and aphid attractiveness to VOCs was negatively associated with the proportion of sesquiterpenes in the sample. Emission of (Z)‐3‐hexenyl acetate, naphthalene and (R)‐germacrene D was regulated by an interaction between aphids and AM fungi. Aphids had a negative effect on mycorrhizal colonization, plant biomass and nutrition.

Our data show that below‐ and above‐ground organisms can interact by altering the quality of their shared host plant even though there is no direct contact between them. Plant interactions with herbivores and AM fungi operate in both directions: AM fungi have a key bottom‐up role in insect host location by increasing the attractiveness of plant VOCs to aphids, whereas aphids inhibit formation of AM symbioses.
The Lévy flight foraging hypothesis in a pelagic seabird
Authors: Focardi Stefano , Cecere Jacopo G.
Published: October 2013

Lévy flight foraging represents an innovative paradigm for the analysis of animal random search by including models of heavy‐tailed distribution of move length, which complements the correlated random walk paradigm that is founded on Brownian walks. Theory shows that the efficiency of the different foraging tactics is a function of prey abundance and dynamics with Lévy flight being especially efficient in poor prey fields.

Lévy flights have been controversial in some quarters, because they previously have been wrongly ascribed to many species through the employment of inappropriate statistical techniques and by misunderstanding movement pattern data. More recent studies using state‐of‐the‐art statistical tools have, however, provided seemingly compelling evidence for Lévy flights. In this study, we employ these maximum‐likelihood methods and their Bayesian equivalents by analysing both turning angles and move length distributions.

We tested, for compliance with Lévy flight foraging, a set of 77 independent foraging trajectories of Cory's shearwaters Calonectris diomedea diomedea. Birds were tagged with high‐resolution GPS loggers in two Mediterranean colonies (Linosa and Tremiti) during both incubation and chick rearing.

We found that the behaviour of six birds was fitted by a correlated random walk; the movement of 32 birds was better represented by adaptive correlated random walks by switching from intensive to extensive searches; and the trajectories of 36 birds were fitted by a Lévy flight pattern of movement. The probability of performing Lévy flights was higher for trips during chick provisioning when shearwaters were forced to forage in suboptimal areas. This study supports Lévy flight foraging as an appropriate framework to analyse search tactics in this pelagic bird species and highlights that the adoption of a given search strategy is a function of biological and ecological constraints.
Slow‐growing species cope best with drought: evidence from long‐term measurements in a tropical semi‐deciduous moist forest ofCentralAfrica
Authors: Ouédraogo Dakis‐Yaoba , Mortier Frédéric , Gourlet‐Fleury Sylvie , Freycon Vincent , Picard Nicolas
Published: October 2013

Understanding how drought affects annual tree growth in tropical forests is of crucial importance to predict their response to climate change. Previous studies, mainly led in theNeotropics and inSoutheastAsia, have yielded contradictory results which might be explained by differences in species studied, in the tree development stages considered, or by differences in other environmental factors than water availability.

Here, we described the growth responses of functional groups of tree species to drought in aCentralAfrican semi‐deciduous moist forest. Species groups were automatically defined using a finite mixture model, which grouped species according to their growth model parameters. The growth model considered the variation in species response to drought, and the effect of competition for resources and of tree development stage on growth. Groups were further characterized by species functional traits. Nine species groups were identified. They differed in their ability to acquire, use and conserve resources, as suggested by their differences in maximum growth rate, regeneration guild, maximum dbh, wood density and leaf habit. The species were organized along a light requirement gradient that here closely matched a broader continuum of plant strategies for resource use, from slow‐growing shade‐tolerant conservative species to fast‐growing pioneer acquisitive species.

Tree growth decreased with drought intensity, and species drought tolerance was found to be related to resource use strategy: slow‐growing species using a conservative strategy were the least sensitive to variations in water availability, while fast‐growing species using an acquisitive strategy were the most sensitive.

Synthesis. Shade‐tolerant species, characterized by a low potential growth rate and thus a conservative strategy of resource use, were found to be the least sensitive to drought. This supports the hypothesis of a single axis summarizing multiple traits that represents a general trade‐off between the conservation and rapid acquisition of resources.