bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antecedents of relationship conflict in top management teams
Authors: Camelo-Ordaz Carmen , García-Cruz Joaquin , Sousa-Ginel Elena
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to analyze the influence of two categories of conflict antecedents – input and behavior antecedents – on the level of relationship conflict (RC) in top management teams (TMTs). The authors apply a process view to conflict, and consider that the effect of the input antecedents on RC may be mediated by a behavioral antecedent: behavioral integration.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a survey instrument, multi-informant data were collected from 64 TMTs. An aggregation and measurement analysis was performed. To test the hypotheses of mediation, bootstrapping procedures were used.

Findings

– The results show that the effects of team tenure, intragroup trust and value consensus on relationship conflict are mediated by behavioral integration. However, TMT size does not affect relationship conflict – either directly or indirectly – through behavioral integration.

Research limitations/implications

– It is concluded that encouraging intragroup trust and value consensus among TMT members facilitates the integrated behavior of the team. This behavioral integration may allow conflict to be constructive. Therefore, firms should make an effort to encourage this psychological context.

Originality/value

– Previous research about the antecedents of RC in the field of TMTs is inconclusive. Additionally, a new approach to conflict antecedents is considered, to establish a direct and independent relationship between different categories of antecedents and TMT conflict. A relationship of interdependence is considered between different types of antecedents and their effects on RC.
Factors associated with physicians' prescribing behavior for treatment of influenza in the USA
Authors: Patel-Dovlatabadi Payal
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to identify factors (i.e. age, gender, ethnicity, type of medical facility, geographical location, etc.) associated with physicians' prescribing behavior when treating influenza in the USA. The study aims to examine why the number of antiviral prescriptions remains substandard.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were obtained from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for each influenza season between the years of 2005-2008. Bivariate analyses and two models of multivariate logistic regression analyses (one with no fixed effect and the other including year as a fixed effect) were used to analyze the data.

Findings

– The results from this study revealed that among family practice physicians, 40.5 percent prescribed antiviral medications to patients presenting with influenza while 59.5 percent prescribed another form of medication. Antibiotics comprised 41.3 percent of the prescriptions for treatment of influenza. Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that race (White; p=0.023), type of health setting (private solo/group practice; p=0.041), employment status (owner; p=0.046), and metropolitan location (metropolitan statistical area; p=0.032) were all significantly associated with prescribing antivirals. Patients' expected source of payment (private insurance) and geographical location (Midwest) of health facility were marginally associated with prescribing antivirals.

Originality/value

– By identifying factors associated with physicians' prescribing practices of antiviral medications, a more timely diagnosis and treatment of influenza can occur. Efforts should be targeted to improve physician education and awareness of the illness. Interventions may be implemented to improve the prescribing of antiviral medications and potentially inappropriate prescribing.
CSR-based model of clinical governance
Authors: Trong Tuan Luu , Thi Bich Ngoc Luu
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– Clinical governance effectiveness is built on the responsibility of clinical members towards other stakeholders inside and outside the hospital. Through the testing of the hypotheses on the relationships between clinical governance and its antecedents, this paper aims to corroborate that emotional intelligence is the first layer of bricks, ethics and trust the second layer, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) the third layer of the entire architecture of clinical governance.

Design/methodology/approach

– A total of 409 responses in completed form returned from self-administered structured questionnaires dispatched to 705 clinical staff members underwent the structural equation modeling (SEM)-based analysis.

Findings

– Emotional intelligence among clinicians, as the data reveals, is the lever for ethics of care and knowledge-based or identity-based trust to thrive in hospitals, which in turn activate ethical CSR in clinical activities. Ethical CSR in clinical deeds will heighten clinical governance effectiveness in hospitals.

Originality/value

– The journey to test research hypotheses has built layer-by-layer of CSR-based model of clinical governance in which high concentration of emotional intelligence among clinical members in the hospital catalyzes ethics of care and knowledge-based or identity-based trust, without which, CSR initiatives to cultivate ethical values cannot be successfully implemented to optimize clinical governance effectiveness in Vietnam-based hospitals.
Communication needs of medical tourists: an exploratory study in Thailand
Authors: Ngamvichaikit Anothai , Beise-Zee Rian
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to contribute a conceptualization of the information and communication needs of medical tourists from Western countries in an Asian health care context.

Design/methodology/approach

– Multi-phase, semi-structured, in-depth interviews and observations were conducted with 27 multi-source informants who have communication experience in the international healthcare setting.

Findings

– Multi-level information provision should be used to address communicative incongruence in Asian healthcare provider – Western patient encounters as was self-reported by the participants and observed by authors. The use of an informative communication model is proposed in order to facilitate interaction and the effective transfer of information with Western patients to overcome negative, underlying emotions and enable autonomous decision making by the patients.

Research limitations/implications

– This exploratory study is focused on Western patients and Asian practitioners in Thailand. Future research in other countries and with patients from other geographical areas could expand to generalize findings.

Practical implications

– Fostering information sharing with Western patients by using an integrative communication model can improve patient satisfaction and health outcomes. The need for developing and implementing these improved practices for communicating with Western patients is reflected by the healthcare industry's current developmental trends helping to lead to a future of health service internationalization.

Originality/value

– This is the first empirical study to provide insights concerning the communication needs and coping strategies of Western patients with Asian doctors in developing countries.
The relationship between transformational leadership, task performance and job characteristics
Authors: Bacha Eliane
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between transformational leadership, task performance and perceived measures of job characteristics in French firms.

Design/methodology/approach

– A questionnaire survey was sent to employees working in the industry and service sectors. A sample of 100 respondents was collected.

Findings

– The results of the study show that there is a partial relationship between transformational leadership and follower task performance on one hand and, between transformational leadership and follower perceptions of core job characteristics on another hand.

Research limitations/implications

– The majority of the firms are big ones. Hence, we recommend that our findings be replicated across a sample of firms where small, medium and big ones are presented proportionally. Also, transformational leadership, job characteristics and task performance measures exhibited restrictions in that they depend on the perception of employees and leaders.

Practical implications

– This research showed that French leaders based in Northern France and in Paris and its suburbs cannot be considered as transformational leaders. Second, French firms need to take into account in the recruitment process the gender of the person especially for positions in the middle or top management level since the study revealed that the gender plays a role in the leadership style.

Originality/value

– In this study, we took also into account the gender of the leader when studying the relationship between transformational leadership, task performance and job characteristics.
The role of corporate culture, market orientation and organisational commitment in organisational performance
Authors: Carlos Pinho José , Paula Rodrigues Ana , Dibb Sally
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework that explores the relationships among the following constructs: corporate/organisational culture, market orientation, organisational commitment and organisational performance in non-profit organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

– In line with previous studies in the field, a quantitative research design was adopted. The data collection was performed through a mail survey of a sample of Portuguese non-profit organisations operating in the area of health. Structural equation modelling was used as a means to analyse the hypothesised relationships.

Findings

– Results have shown that organisational culture impacts on organisational performance. Concerning the market orientation consequences, the study results suggest that higher levels of market orientation result in both high levels of organisational commitment and organisational performance. Results also suggest that organisational commitment does not affect performance in a very significant way.

Research limitations/implications

– The study was restricted to non-profit organisations, particularly those operating in the area of health and used cross-sectional data to test the research model and hypotheses. Whilst these findings remain valid, they cannot be used for universal generalisations. This study has significant theoretical and practical implications.

Practical implications

– Practitioners and researchers agree that organisational culture may lead to different performance results, although little attention has been given to this issue. The study is useful for understanding organisational culture, market orientation, organisational commitment and organisational performance in non-profit organisations.

Originality/value

– This paper offers original findings through simultaneously examining the relationships between organisational culture, market orientation, organisational commitment and organisational performance in the context of non-profit organisations. The findings add weight to the recent emphasis on business-oriented approaches as a lever for improving performance in non-profit organisations.
From the ethnographic turn to new forms of organizational ethnography
Authors: Rouleau Linda , de Rond Mark , Musca Geneviève
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to outline the context and the content of the six papers that follow in this special issue on “New Forms of Organizational Ethnography”.

Design/methodology/approach

– This editorial explains the burgeoning interest in organizational ethnography over the last decade in terms of several favourable conditions that have supported this resurgence. It also offers a general view of the nature and diversity of new forms of organizational ethnography in studies of management and organization.

Findings

– New forms of organizational ethnography have emerged in response to rapidly changing organizational environments and technological advances as well as the paradigmatic transformation of ethnography and ascendency of discursive and practice-based studies.

Originality/value

– The editorial highlights an “ethnographic turn” in management and organization studies that is characterized by a renewal of the discipline through the proliferation of new forms of organizational ethnography. A focus on new organizational phenomena, methodological innovation and novel ways of organizing fieldwork constitute the three main pillars of new forms of organizational ethnography. It encourages researchers to develop forums and platforms designed to exploit these novel forms of organizational ethnography.
Charting new territory for organizational ethnography
Authors: Smets Michael , Burke Gary , Jarzabkowski Paula , Spee Paul
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– Increasing complexity, fragmentation, mobility, pace, and technological intermediation of organizational life make “being there” increasingly difficult. Where do ethnographers have to be, when, for how long, and with whom to “be there” and grasp the practices, norms, and values that make the situation meaningful to natives? These novel complexities call for new forms of organizational ethnography. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the above issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this paper, the authors respond to these calls for innovative ethnographic methods in two ways. First, the paper reports on the practices and ethnographic experiences of conducting a year-long team-based video ethnography of reinsurance trading in London.

Findings

– Second, drawing on these experiences, the paper proposes a framework for systematizing new approaches to organizational ethnography and visualizing the ways in which they are “expanding” ethnography as it was traditionally practiced.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to the ethnographic literature in three ways: first, the paper develops a framework for charting new approaches to ethnography and highlight its different dimensions – site, instrument, and fieldworker. Second, the paper outlines the opportunities and challenges associated with these expansions, specifically with regard to research design, analytical rigour, and communication of results. Third, drawing on the previous two contributions, the paper highlights configurations of methodological expansions on the aforementioned dimensions that are more promising than others in leveraging new technologies and approaches to claim new territory for organizational ethnography and enhance its relevance for understanding today's multifarious organizational realities.
Mobile technology-enhanced asset maintenance in an SME
Authors: Stefan Bankosz Grzegorz , Kerins John
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a prototype system to demonstrate the potential benefits of deploying mobile technology to enhance asset maintenance processes in a small food manufacturing plant.

Design/methodology/approach

– Design, development and deployment of a solution using open-source resources aimed at demonstrating improved asset maintenance functionality to principal stakeholders in a food manufacturing plant.

Findings

– The development of a prototype system supporting user interaction via a mobile phone demonstrates the potential benefits of more flexible data capture and improved information management which offer clear advantages over the limitations imposed by a stand-alone terminal.

Research limitations/implications

– The solution was developed as a prototype. In this respect it serves to illustrate system benefits but more work is needed to extend system functionality.

Practical implications

– Issues concerning data security and questions surrounding a suitable deployment platform would need to be addressed in deploying this technology.

Originality/value

– The research demonstrates that mobile technology can successfully be utilised to enhance asset maintenance in a small manufacturing plant by improving data capture and information management. These initiatives are likely to be of interest to other SMEs seeking to enhance asset maintenance processes.
Proper use of rice straw black liquor: lignin/silica derivatives as efficient green antioxidants for SBR rubber
Authors: S. Abdel Zaher Khlood , Swellem R.H. , A.M. Nawwar Galal , M. Abdelrazek Fathy , H. El-Sabbagh Salwa
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study the efficiency of lignin/silica and calcium lignate/calcium silicate as natural antioxidants in styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) vulcanizates.

Design/methodology/approach

– It has been found that thermal aging data of the aged sample revealed that SBR vulcanizate undergoes crosslink reactions that lead to embrittlement and ultimately failure. Incorporation of lignin/silica or calcium lignate/calcium silicate, however, resulted in significant improvement of the degradation profile of the vulcanizates at 90±1°C. Loss of tensile strength and flexibility during aging of the SBR compounds with 8 phr lignin/silica or calcium lignate/calcium silicate was mild relative to unfilled polymer, indicating a restricted degradation due to the presence of the investigated compounds. The results obtained revealed that the investigated compounds are good antioxidant, and the evaluation was confirmed by physico-mechanical properties of the vulcanizates, FT-IR spectroscopy, transmission (TEM) and scanning (SEM) electron microscope.

Findings

– It was noticed that SBR vulcanizates having 8 phr of lignin/silica or calcium lignate/calcium silicate exhibited the best mechanical properties in comparison with other concentrations (1, 2, 4, 6 and 10 phr). Also, results revealed that the lignin/silica derivatives are efficient antioxidants in SBR vulcanizates compared to vulcanizates containing conventional antioxidants used in rubber industry, namely polymerized 2,2,4-trimethyl-1, 2-dihydroquinoline (TMQ), and N-isopropyl-N'-phenyl-P-phenylenediamine (IPPD).

Research limitations/implications

– All these results indicated that lignin/silica and calcium lignate/calcium silicate in SBR had good heat resistance and aging resistance, calcium lignate/calcium silicate has an application limitation as not all vulcanizates need to use CaCO3/calcium salts.

Practical implications

– Lignin is usually seen as a waste product of pulp and paper industry and is often used as fuel for the energy balance of the pulping process. It is simple isolation along with silica from rice straw and using it as an antioxidant added further practical utility for this waste.

Originality/value

– The importance of lignin/silica derivatives is arisen from their biodegradability and their ease availability from rice straw black liquor.
A new single step synthesis of copper phthalocyanine green using microwave irradiation effects in functionalisation of C−H bonds in aromatic rings
Authors: Seyyedi Behnam , Edrisi Mohammad , Seyyedi Maryam , Mahdavinia Gholamreza
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The paper introduces a new method for single step synthesis of copper phthalocyanine green pigment using microwave irradiation to activate C−H bonds on the aromatic rings that are possible by creation of chlorine radicals. The aims of this study are to investigate the possibility of high-efficiency product reaction, removing acidic wastewater, time optimization, and maximizing number of chlorine on aromatic rings.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper presents a new synthesis technique, which does not have the problems of the conventional methods. Microwave irradiation is used as a chemical reaction initiator by creation of chlorine radicals in saturated aqueous solution of sodium chloride and C−H bond activation on aromatic rings. The approach yields to a high quality of product, uniform particle size distribution, high efficiency and an environmental friendly procedure.

Findings

– The paper introduces the use of suitable materials and water solvents in chemical reactions under microwave radiation at low temperatures. This shows that the microwave irradiation activates C−H bonds on aromatic rings and creates chlorine radicals at the same time, which results in relatively fast reaction of synthesis copper phthalocyanine green.

Research limitations/implications

– The ammonium molybdate catalyst, which is used in this method, should be weighed carefully. The effects of transition metals on chemical reactions in the presence of microwave irradiation can also be chlorinated other unsaturated bonds.

Practical implications

– The method develops a simple and practical solution to improve the synthesis of phthalocyanine green pigment.

Originality/value

– The synthesis method of copper phthalocyanine green pigment is novel. CuPhcCl16 has numerous applications in industrial.
Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose as a polymeric corrosion inhibitor for aluminium
Authors: Okechi Arukalam Innocent , Chimezie Madufor Innocent , Ogbobe Okoro , E. Oguzie Emeka
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) as corrosion inhibitor for aluminium in 0.5 M H2SO4solution.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study was carried out using weight loss and electrochemical techniques. Inhibition efficiency was determined by comparing the corrosion rates in the absence and presence of inhibitor system. Quantum chemical computations were performed using density functional theory to assess the parameters responsible for the inhibition process and also to analyse the local reactivity of the molecule.

Findings

– HPMC inhibited aluminium corrosion in the acidic environment. The inhibition efficiency was found to depend on concentration of the inhibitor. Impedance results reveal that HPMC is adsorbed on the corroding metal surface. Polarization results show that the dissolution reaction is due to destabilization of the passive oxide film on the Al surface. Adsorption of the inhibitor is approximated by Freundlich adsorption isotherm and the calculated standard free energy of adsorption indicates weak physical interaction between the inhibitor molecules and aluminium surface. This can be attributed to preferential interaction of the active sites with the passive oxide layer. The calculated quantum chemical parameters show good correlation with the inhibition efficiency.

Practical implications

– HPMC could find possible application as a polymeric thickener and additive to improve corrosion resistance and barrier properties of anticorrosion paints.

Originality/value

– This paper provides novel information on the inhibitive characteristics of HPMC under the stated conditions. The inhibitor systems provide an effective means for suppressing aluminium corrosion even in highly aggressive acidic environments.
Tourism and technology in the global economy: challenges for small island states
Authors: Spencer Andrew
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– This paper sets the stage for research on the willingness and readiness of a developing country to fully embrace the changes in tourism that are being facilitated by rapidly changing technological advancements. The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the technological advancements and the debates surrounding technology adoption within the context of Jamaica.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using Jamaica, a developing country low on internet penetration as the site of investigation, this work suggests that there are lessons to be learned from broadly assessing its context economically, socially and technologically. This specific case is juxtaposed against the theoretical works on diffusion of technology and the digital divide to indicate the way forward for the local tourist industry.

Findings

– The work shows that technology diffusion and adoption has become an important area of research globally. For countries that are heavily dependent on inbound travel from regions of the world with high technology penetration and a clientele which is increasingly expecting cutting edge technology to be part and parcel of their travel plans, this type of research and application of new technologies to the travel package are critical to survival and growth.

Research limitations/implications

– The practical application of this paper is that it suggests that Jamaica and other developing countries can learn valuable lessons from the debates and discussions in the literature relating to technology adoption in the tourism context.

Originality/value

– This paper is original in that it introduces a research concept that is new for the context of Jamaican tourist industry and places the research context within the theoretical framework on the digital divide.
The globalization of the cruise industry: a tale of ships
Authors: Coggins Jr Andrew Oscar
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– The paper aimed to explore the development of the North American and the European cruise industry. The paper is discursive and it covers philosophical discussions and comparative studies of others
'
work and thinking. The paper attempts to provide answers to the following questions. Is it a zero-sum game? And does the rise of new tourism destinations imply the decline of some of the existing destinations?

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper employs literature and archival documents utilizing data from Berlitz Guides to Cruising 1992-2013, Cruise Industry News Annuals 1995-2013, and other sources were evaluated to draw conclusions.

Findings

– Cruising has evolved from a source of supplemental income into the fastest growing segment of the hospitality and tourism industry. The confluence of innovative ships, improved distribution channels, market awareness, and harbor facilities, has often resulted in rapid sustained expansion. Looking at the quantity and quality of major ships, their impact on the growth and globalization of the industry is illustrated.

Practical implications

– Ship numbers and deployment patterns can serve as precursors of growth. Analysis shows that quantitative and qualitative changes in permanently assigned ships signal transformative growth in a region
'
s cruise market.

Originality/value

– The paper serves to identify regions and times for further investigation of impact. The paper is a concise chronicle of the development of the cruise industry and it serves as a basis for further in-depth research.
Shifting tourism flows in a changing climate: policy implications for the Caribbean
Authors: Emmanuel Kwame
Published: April 2014

Purpose

– Population growth, climate change, shortages of oil and other resources will have dramatic implication on where, when and how tourists travel in the future. This will also reshape the tourism industry for the future. Knowing what will happen in the future has always fascinated mankind from time immemorial. However, forecasting and predictions require not only a systematic approach to development but also an imagination and the ability to think and see beyond the ordinary. As a result, the purpose of this paper is to underscore the projected northward shift in tourism demand due to the global impacts of climate change and the lack of policy attention.

Design/methodology/approach

– A rapid assessment of the literature was conducted to explore tourism flows to the Caribbean in a changing climate and recommendations for adaptation.

Findings

– Tourism demand from major markets such as Europe and North America may be reduced significantly as tourists travel to other destinations, which are closer to home and have a more favourable climate. Regulation of carbon emissions from long haul flights will also influence demand substitution. Despite this projection, current policies in the Caribbean promote further development of the climate sensitive 3S model without anticipating a possible decrease in demand in the future.

Research limitations/implications

– Research implications include a recalibration of tourism policy and diversification of Caribbean tourism and economies.

Originality/value

– Recommendations are outlined for a critical issue that is not on the policy agenda.
Year‐round effects of climate on demographic parameters of an arctic‐nesting goose species
Authors: van Oudenhove Louise , Gauthier Gilles , Lebreton Jean‐Dominique
Published: April 2014

Understanding how climate change will affect animal population dynamics remains a major challenge, especially in long‐distant migrants exposed to different climatic regimes throughout their annual cycle.

We evaluated the effect of temperature throughout the annual cycle on demographic parameters (age‐specific survival and recruitment, breeding propensity and fecundity) of the greater snow goose (Chen caerulescens atlanticaL.), an arctic‐nesting species. As this is a hunted species, we used the theory of exploited populations to estimate hunting mortality separately from natural mortality in order to evaluate climatic effects only on the latter form of mortality.

Our analysis was based on a 22‐year marking study (n = 27 150 females) and included live recaptures at the breeding colony and dead recoveries from hunters. We tested the effect of climatic covariates by applying a procedure that accounts for unexplained environmental variation in the demographic parameter to a multistate capture–mark–recapture recruitment model.

Breeding propensity, clutch size and hatching probability all increased with high temperatures on the breeding grounds. First‐year survival to natural causes of mortality increased when temperature was high at the end of the summer, whereas adult survival was not affected by temperature. On the contrary, accession to reproduction decreased with warmer climatic conditions during the non‐breeding season.

Survival was strongly negatively related to hunting mortality in adults, as expected, but not in first‐year birds, which suggests the possibility of compensation between natural and hunting mortality in the latter group.

We show that events occurring both at and away from the breeding ground can affect the demography of migratory birds, either directly or through carryover effects, and sometimes in opposite ways. This highlights the need to account for the whole life cycle of an animal when attempting to project the response of populations to future climatic changes.
Cheetahs and wild dogs show contrasting patterns of suppression by lions
Authors: Swanson Alexandra , Caro Tim , Davies‐Mostert Harriet , Mills Michael G. L. , Macdonald David W. , Borner Markus , Masenga Emmanuel , Packer Craig
Published: April 2014

Top predators can dramatically suppress populations of smaller predators, with cascading effects throughout communities, and this pressure is often unquestioningly accepted as a constraint on mesopredator populations.

In this study, we reassess whether African lions suppress populations of cheetahs and African wild dogs and examine possible mechanisms for coexistence between these species.

Using long‐term records from Serengeti National Park, we tested 30 years of population data for evidence of mesopredator suppression, and we examined six years of concurrent radio‐telemetry data for evidence of large‐scale spatial displacement.

The Serengeti lion population nearly tripled between 1966 and 1998; during this time, wild dogs declined but cheetah numbers remained largely unchanged. Prior to their local extinction, wild dogs primarily occupied low lion density areas and apparently abandoned the long‐term study area as the lion population ‘saturated’ the region. In contrast, cheetahs mostly utilized areas of high lion density, and the stability of the cheetah population indicates that neither high levels of lion‐inflicted mortality nor behavioural avoidance inflict sufficient demographic consequences to translate into population‐level effects.

Population data from fenced reserves in southern Africa revealed a similar contrast between wild dogs and cheetahs in their ability to coexist with lions.

These findings demonstrate differential responses of subordinate species within the same guild and challenge a widespread perception that lions undermine cheetah conservation efforts. Paired with several recent studies that document fine‐scale lion‐avoidance by cheetahs, this study further highlights fine‐scale spatial avoidance as a possible mechanism for mitigating mesopredator suppression.
Prices and real wages in seventeenth‐century Madrid
Authors: Andrés Ucendo J. I. , Lanza García R.
Published: April 2014

This article focuses on the evolution of real wages earned by building labourers and craftsmen in Madrid during the seventeenth century. After a substantial rise brought about by the arrival of the Court in 1561, real wages experienced a remarkable fall from 1621–30 onwards. Our thesis is that the fiscal and monetary policies pursued by the Crown to fund its ambitious imperial policy exerted a clear influence on this decline. The currency manipulations of the low‐value petty coin (maravedí) drove serious losses in the real wages of building labourers and craftsmen between 1621 and 1680. In the years around 1665 the real wages of both groups had fallen below the levels of 1561–1600, and the indirect taxes levied by the Crown and the town council contributed to keeping real wages stagnant at around the low levels of 1665–80 between 1681 and 1700. Although this issue merits further research, it seems unlikely that building labourers and craftsmen could have offset the decline in their real wages through an increase in the number of hours worked or a rise in the number of work days.
Introduction to a Virtual Issue on Comparative Urbanism
Authors: Robinson Jennifer
Published: April 2014

Comparative urbanism has been a core feature ofIJURR's editorial agenda since its founding. This virtual issue comprises 30 articles reflectingIJURR's contribution to comparative urbanism, reinforced by the growing postcolonial insistence on a more global scope for urban studies widely aired in this journal. This introductory article discusses the contemporary potential of comparative urbanism to contribute to a more global urban studies and considers some of the key insights for this project which can be gleaned from early contributions to the journal, including comparing across cities jointly shaped by the uneven development of the world‐economy, thinking across socialist and capitalist cities, and the important role of world cities approaches in shaping the scope of urban comparisons. The articles in the section on the ‘tactics and terms’ of comparison reflect on the methodological, analytical and political challenges involved in building a more global urban studies. In the ‘composing comparisons’ section there are examples of classic and more recent variation‐finding comparisons, and innovative analyses which consider variations amongst cities within and across regions, including comparisons which challenge or bypassNorthern orWestern reference points. More experimental comparative methods associated with tracing connections across cities are reflected in the third section, beginning with the seminal world cities analyses and building on more recent interest in policy mobilities. The final section draws together a series of articles which demonstrate the scope for building analyses from specific contexts for wider theoretical interrogation: ‘launching and engaging concepts’. These articles reflect the best traditions ofIJURR's editorial practices which have encouraged contributions from authors around the globe whose work disrupts and extends prominent analyses but who are also eager to initiate new theorizations through attending to the specificity of their case studies and situations. Here we see, for example, the concept of ‘informality’ emerging in studies of cities inAfrica, to be put to work in the final contribution to the issue, in theUSA.
Benefits and Costs of Auditor's Assurance: Evidence from the Review of Quarterly Financial Statements
Authors: Bédard Jean , Courteau Lucie
Published: April 2014

Even though there is a worldwide consensus as to the necessity of an audit of annual financial statements for public companies, there is divergence of views as to the review of interim financial statements. While some jurisdictions make it mandatory (e.g., Australia, France, United States), others allow the review without requiring it (e.g., Canada, United Kingdom). Using a sample of companies listed in Canada, we examine the costs associated with these reviews and the benefits they generate in terms of improvement in the quality of interim financial statements for the years 2004 and 2005. Controlling for the decision to purchase the reviews, we find that audit fees are 18 percent higher for firms with interim reviews and, contrary to many regulators' assumption, we find no evidence that this cost increase is proportionally higher for smaller firms. Regarding the benefits of interim reviews, we find no significant association between either accruals‐ or nonaccruals‐based measures of earnings management and the fact that the interim statements are reviewed by the auditor, neither in the interim reports nor in those of the fourth quarter. The results suggest that auditors' involvement with interim reports may not be as effective as previously thought at controlling the quality of interim financial statements.
Using topical benzocaine before lingual frenotomy did not reduce crying and should be discouraged
Authors: Ovental A , Marom R , Botzer E , Batscha N , Dollberg S
Published: April 2014

Aim

The US Food and Drug Administration has said that oral preparations containing benzocaine should only be used in infants under strict medical supervision, due to the rare, but potentially fatal, risk of methemoglobinemia. This study aimed to determine the analgesic effect of topical application of benzocaine prior to lingual frenotomy in infants with symptomatic tongue‐tie. We hypothesised that the duration of crying immediately following frenotomy with topical benzocaine would be shorter than with no benzocaine.

Methods

This randomised controlled study compared the length of crying after lingual frenotomy in term infants who did, or did not, receive topical application of benzocaine to the lingual frenulum prior to the procedure.

Results

We recruited 21 infants to this study. Crying time was less than one minute in all of the subjects. The average length of crying in the benzocaine group (21.6 ± 13.6 sec) was longer than the length of crying in the control group (13.1 ± 4.0 sec), p = 0.103.

Conclusion

Contrary to our hypothesis, infants who were treated with topical benzocaine did not benefit from topical analgesia in terms of crying time. The use of benzocaine for analgesia prior to lingual frenotomy in term infants should therefore be discouraged.
Stocking the Genetic Supermarket: Reproductive Genetic Technologies and Collective Action Problems
Authors: Gyngell Chris , Douglas Thomas
Published: April 2014

Reproductive genetic technologies (RGTs) allow parents to decide whether their future children will have or lack certain genetic predispositions. A popular model that has been proposed for regulating access to RGTs is the ‘genetic supermarket’. In the genetic supermarket, parents are free to make decisions about which genes to select for their children with little state interference. One possible consequence of the genetic supermarket is that collective action problems will arise: if rational individuals use the genetic supermarket in isolation from one another, this may have a negative effect on society as a whole, including future generations. In this article we argue that RGTs targeting height, innate immunity, and certain cognitive traits could lead to collective action problems. We then discuss whether this risk could in principle justify state intervention in the genetic supermarket. We argue that there is a plausible prima facie case for the view that such state intervention would be justified and respond to a number of arguments that might be adduced against that view.
Late Quaternary (Marine Isotope Stage 3 to Recent) sedimentary evolution of the Basque shelf (southern Bay of Biscay)
Authors: Martínez‐García Blanca , Bodego Arantxa , Mendicoa Jone , Pascual Ana , Rodríguez‐Lázaro Julio
Published: April 2014

Late Quaternary (MIS 3 to Recent) oceanographic evolution of the Basque shelf has been analysed for the first time based on the sedimentological analysis of three cores obtained from the middle and outer shelves. The cores are located in two interfluves separated by the San Sebastian canyon. The variability of the percentage of the planktonic foraminifera species Neogloboquadrina pachyderma sin. and of δ18Obull allowed us to identify the influence of colder and warmer waters in the Basque shelf during the late Quaternary. From ∼56 cal. ka BP to the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (19 cal. ka BP) the sedimentary record shows a decreasing trend in the mean grain size that correlates with the eustatic sea‐level fall. The last Deglaciation (19–11.5 cal. ka BP) is characterized by a sea‐level rise that produced an important hiatus in the western outer shelf. During the Holocene, the middle and outer shelves present different behaviours. From 11.5 to 6.7 cal. ka BP, in the outer shelf the sea‐level rise that started during the Deglaciation produced a hiatus, whereas in the middle shelf the sedimentary succession records the presence of warm to temperate waters. Between 6.7–4.9 cal. ka BP, the entrance of cold surface water‐masses that only affected the middle shelf has been identified, and temperate to warm waters occurred in the outer shelf. The cold surface water‐masses retreated during 4.9–4.3 cal. ka BP in the middle shelf. Finally, from 4.3 cal. ka BP to Recent, the middle shelf registers a hiatus due to sea‐level stabilization after a generalized transgression, synchronous to a decrease in the energy of the water‐masses in the outer shelf. In conclusion, the environmental changes detected in the Basque shelf are attributed to both regional and eustatic sea‐level changes.
Cold truths: how winter drives responses of terrestrial organisms to climate change
Authors: Williams Caroline M. , Henry Hugh A. L. , Sinclair Brent J.
Published: April 2014

Winter is a key driver of individual performance, community composition, and ecological interactions in terrestrial habitats. Although climate change research tends to focus on performance in the growing season, climate change is also modifying winter conditions rapidly. Changes to winter temperatures, the variability of winter conditions, and winter snow cover can interact to induce cold injury, alter energy and water balance, advance or retard phenology, and modify community interactions. Species vary in their susceptibility to these winter drivers, hampering efforts to predict biological responses to climate change. Existing frameworks for predicting the impacts of climate change do not incorporate the complexity of organismal responses to winter. Here, we synthesise organismal responses to winter climate change, and use this synthesis to build a framework to predict exposure and sensitivity to negative impacts. This framework can be used to estimate the vulnerability of species to winter climate change. We describe the importance of relationships between winter conditions and performance during the growing season in determining fitness, and demonstrate how summer and winter processes are linked. Incorporating winter into current models will require concerted effort from theoreticians and empiricists, and the expansion of current growing‐season studies to incorporate winter.
The impact of multiplex genetic testing on disease risk perceptions
Authors: Shiloh S. , deHeer H.D. , Peleg S. , Hensley Alford S. , Skapinsky K. , Roberts J.S. , Hadley D.W.
Published: April 2014

This study assessed the effects of multiplex genetic testing on disease risk perceptions among 216 healthy adults. Participants, aged 25–40, were recruited through the Multiplex Initiative, which offered a genetic susceptibility test for eight common diseases. Participants completed baseline telephone and web‐based surveys prior to making the testing decision. Three months after the receipt of mailed test results, participants completed a follow‐up telephone survey. Risk perceptions for the eight diseases were measured at baseline and follow‐up, along with beliefs about genetic causation of those diseases. The main results were: (i) mean risk perceptions were considerably stable from baseline to follow‐up; (ii) the best predictors of follow‐up risk perceptions were the corresponding baseline perceptions and family history; and (iii) within‐individuals, most participants increased or decreased their risk perceptions for specific diseases in concordance with the number of risk markers they carry, their family history and their beliefs about genetic causality of diseases. In conclusion, participants presented a vigilant approach to the interpretation of genetic test results, which provides reassurance with regard to a potential inflation of risk perceptions in the population because of multiplex genetic testing.
Downgrading, Downsizing, Degazettement, and Reclassification of Protected Areas in Brazil
Authors: BERNARD E. , PENNA L. A. O. , ARAÚJO E.
Published: April 2014

Protected areas (PAs) are key elements for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services. Brazil has the largest PA system in the world, covering approximately 220 million ha. This system expanded rapidly in the mid‐1990s to the mid‐2000s. Recent events in Brazil, however, have led to an increase in PA downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement (PADDD). Does this reflect a shift in the country's PA policy? We analyzed the occurrence, frequency, magnitude, type, spatial distribution, and causes of changes in PA boundaries and categories in Brazil. We identified 93 PADDD events from 1981 to 2012. Such events increased in frequency since 2008 and were ascribed primarily to generation and transmission of electricity in Amazonia. In Brazilian parks and reserves, 7.3 million ha were affected by PADDD events, and of these, 5.2 million ha were affected by downsizing or degazetting. Moreover, projects being considered by the Federal Congress may degazette 2.1 million ha of PA in Amazonia alone. Relaxing the protection status of existing PAs is proving to be politically easy in Brazil, and the recent increase in frequency and extension of PADDD reflects a change in governmental policy. By taking advantage of chronic deficiencies in financial and personnel resources and surveillance, disputes over land tenure, and the slowness of the Brazilian justice, government agencies have been implementing PADDD without consultation of civil society. If parks and reserves are to maintain their integrity, there will need to be investments in Brazilian PAs and a better understanding of the benefits PAs provide.

Degradación, Reajuste, Eliminacióm de las Listas y Reclasificación de Áreas Protegidas en Brasil
A song for politics: a discussion with John Berger
Authors: MacCabe Colin
Published: April 2014

The Derek Jarman Lab is currently making, in collaboration with Tilda Swinton, a series of short films about John Berger and his thought. The third film A Song for Politics has at its centre a political discussion. The loose model for the discussion was The Brains Trust, a chat show about ideas, which started life on the radio in 1941 and then transferred successfully to television in the 1950s. The use of this form was partly a bow to the age of television that had enabled John Berger to make so many programmes, of which Ways of Seeing is the best known. The transcript has been edited as lightly as possible to preserve the conversational tone of the discussion.