bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of monitoring mechanisms towards company’s performance
Authors: Jaffar Romlah , Abdul-Shukor Zaleha 
Published: October 2016

PurposePast studies show that companies’ connection with the government (or politically connected companies (PCCs)) contributed negatively to their financial performance. The grabbing hand theory suggests that political connection demand companies to serve political and social obligation that exhaust companies’ financial resources. The purpose of this paper is to extend the previous studies by examining the role of monitoring mechanisms, specifically corporate governance mechanism and institutional ownership (IO), whether they weaken or strengthen the financial performance of PCCs in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consists of all companies listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia (previously known as Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange) for the year of 2004-2007. The time periods were chosen because there were no significant economic and political events that could possibly distorted the financial and non-financial data.FindingsThe findings show that companies’ political connection (the presence of political figure or government representative as members of board of director) has consistently showing negative relationship with performance. The result is consistent with the grabbing hand theory that argues that companies’ connection with government would actually destroy companies’ value. The monitoring role of corporate governance as measured by the percentage of independent board members does not have any significant effect on firm’s performance. The monitoring role of corporate governance as measured by the composition of independent board members have shown a positive significant effect on the company’s performance. However the second monitoring mechanism, the percentage of institutional investors, have a tendency to weaken the company’s performance.Originality/valueThe findings of this study provide an additional understanding of the consequence of government intervention on companies’ performance. This study also highlights the role of monitoring mechanism (independence board members and IO) in strengthening or weakening the performance. The findings suggest that the proper appointment criteria for board members should be seriously considered to ensure better corporate governance structure. Therefore, the formation of the nomination committee as suggested by the current Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance play an important contribution to ensure candidates nominated as board members have proper credentials and qualifications to carry out responsibilities as board members.
Suicide ideation amongst people referred for mental health assessment in police custody
Authors: Forrester Andrew , Samele Chiara , Slade Karen , Craig Tom , Valmaggia Lucia 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of suicide ideation amongst a group of people who had been arrested and taken into police custody, and were then referred to a mental health service operating in the police stations.

Design/methodology/approach
A referred sample of 888 cases were collected over an 18-month period during 2012/2013. Clinical assessments were conducted using a template in which background information was collected (including information about their previous clinical history, substance misuse, alleged offence, any pre-identified diagnoses, and the response of the service) as part of the standard operating procedure of the service. Data were analysed using a statistical software package.

Findings
In total, 16.2 per cent (n=144) reported suicide ideation, with women being more likely to report than men. In total, 82.6 per cent of the suicide ideation sample reported a history of self-harm or a suicide attempt. Suicide ideation was also associated with certain diagnostic categories (depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and personality disorder), a history of contact with mental health services, and recent (within 24 hours) consumption of alcohol or drugs.

Originality/value
This evaluation adds to the limited literature in this area by describing a large sample from a real clinical service. It provides information that can assist with future service designs and it offers support for calls for a standardised health screening process, better safety arrangements for those who have recently used alcohol or drugs (within 24 hours) and integrated service delivery across healthcare domains (i.e. physical healthcare, substance use, and mental health).
Non-suicidal self-harm amongst incarcerated men: a qualitative study
Authors: Marzano Lisa , Ciclitira Karen , Adler Joanna R. 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand the needs and motivations of incarcerated men who self-harm with no apparent suicidal intent. These have received little attention in research and policy, despite men accounting for a high and increasing proportion of self-harm in prisons.

Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 adult male prisoners with a recent history or thoughts of non-suicidal self-harm. The interviews were analysed drawing on principles of thematic analysis and discourse analysis.

Findings
Against a backdrop of early traumatic experiences and more recent adverse events (including prison-related ones), self-harm was described by many as a desperate – but meaningful – coping strategy; both a means of releasing tension, sadness and frustration, and of being heard in an unresponsive system.

Originality/value
These findings echo those of research conducted with women (including women prisoners) who self-harm, but challenge some of the more negative ways in which non-suicidal male prisoner self-harm has been portrayed in the (scant) previous literature. As well as pointing to the need for greater awareness of the complex needs of men in prisons, they underscore the importance of (also) exploring – and perhaps addressing – the issue of self-harm separately from suicide, and of striving to make prisons, as well as prisoners, “healthier” and better able to cope with pressure.
Corporate social responsibility and reputation: some empirical perspectives
Authors: Famiyeh Samuel , Kwarteng Amoako , Dadzie Samuel Ato 
Published: October 2016

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and firm’s reputation in terms of product and service quality, management performance and attractiveness as well as reputation on overall performance from a developing country’s environment.Design/methodology/approachThe partial lest squares structural equation modeling was used to study the relationship between CSR and firm’s reputation as well as the overall organizational performance using a survey of informants from Ghana.FindingsUsing data from firms in Ghana, the study demonstrates that CSR initiative by firms will have a positive relationship with firm’s reputation in terms of product and service quality, management performance and attractiveness as well as overall performance. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that enhanced reputation by firms through social responsibility initiatives will lead to firms’ overall performance from the Ghanaian business environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this work is the source of the data originating from only executives from Ghana where managers are sometimes skeptical giving out such information; this might have some influence on the results. In addition, there could be potential endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity issues. It is therefore recommended that future studies should consider these issues to check as to whether the same results could be achieved. Specifically, results indicate that when organizations invest in CSR initiatives, they are likely to achieve product quality, improved management performance and an attractiveness as well as overall performance.Practical implicationsThe research shows how CSR initiatives can enhance firm’s reputation and overall performance of a firm.Originality/valueThe work illustrates and provides some insights and builds on the literature in the area CSR and reputation from a developing country’s environment.
From surface to deep corporate social responsibility
Authors: Richards Cameron , Zen Irina Safitri 
Published: October 2016

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and explore the policy concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a focus for sustainable development. To this end, it develops and explores the implications of a distinction between CSR as a marketing strategy and a more sustainable long-term commitment to changes in organizational culture and also society.

Design/methodology/approach
This a conceptual paper which develops a policy research framework for examining the CSR rationale as well as general concept as applied to the “plastic bags” public awareness campaign in the Malaysian case study. On this basis, its central inquiry approach is to develop and explore the distinction between surface and deep modes of CSR policy implementation as also related modes of social learning.

Findings
The findings from the conceptual inquiry recognize that corporations which fail to apply a deep rather than a surface commitment to their own CSR polices will sooner or later be judged on that basis by their customers as well as external stakeholders. Although CSR policies will always involve a corporate marketing focus, this is sustainable only if framed by a long-term organizational commitment to accountable change.

Originality/value
The paper makes, develops and further explores a basic accountability distinction between surface and deep modes of CSR as a management commitment, corporate policy implementation and related processes of corporate cultural change. This links to the paper’s associated innovation of linking CSR as both internal organizational learning and a larger sustainable development process of social learning.
Do green policies build green reputations?
Authors: Abdelzaher Dina , Newburry William 
Published: October 2016

PurposeToday, we are witnessing a wave of multinational corporations who seek to be recognized for being environmentally conscious, which can become a source of competitive advantage. But how many of them actually have the policies in place to achieve this? Drawing from the strategy literature, this paper aims to argue that firms who seek to achieve green reputation must align their policies in a way to achieve this goal.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a framework that discusses the key elements of the corporate environmental management process, and then empirically examines the impact of green policy on green reputation among Fortune 500 US firms.FindingsThe findings support a positive significant relationship between green policy and green reputation, with environmental performance to partially mediate this relationship. Insights from this study highlight the importance of focusing on company-level green policy for building green reputation as well as for discriminating across the flux of corporations that all claim to be environmentally conscious or green.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the study is limited by the unavailability of environmental performance data at the subsidiary level, which, if incorporated, would yield a better specified model. Second, to strengthen the causal relationships examined in the models, time-series analyses would likely be useful. Third, other informal measures that could be incorporated can include other forms of corporate verbal communications, which include 10K reports as well as shareholder letters.Practical implicationsGiven the increased flux of firms that are racing to be known as environmentally conscious firms, one can benefit from the use of an internal mechanism that can discriminate between rhetoric and action. Therefore, when differentiating between firms’ environmental consciousness, investors and key stakeholders should investigate more internal environmental firm policies, because they are likely to be more indicative of their actions.Originality/valueThis study uses a quantified assessment of companies’ actual environmental footprints, drawing from a cross-sector sample within the manufacturing industry. The secondary data used in this study are combined from a number of prominent data sources in corporate social responsibility/environmental management literature.
Blood cultures and bacteraemia in an Australian emergency department: Evaluating a predictive rule to guide collection and their clinical impact
Authors: Brown Jeremy D , Chapman Scott , Ferguson Patricia E 
Published: October 2016

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of the present study is to determine whether a predictive rule could safely reduce the number of negative blood cultures collected in an Australian ED and to assess the clinical impact of positive results from blood cultures taken in the ED.MethodsAll positive blood cultures taken in the ED at a single facility were retrospectively identified for the calendar year 2012. Clinically significant bacteraemia episodes were assessed against a predictive rule using major and minor clinical and laboratory criteria gathered from medical records and pathology databases, and compared with a randomly generated sample of ED patient episode with negative blood cultures. The ED and final diagnoses and blood culture impact on clinical management were also collected.ResultsThe predictive rule has a high sensitivity (98.8%) and modest specificity (48.7%), and if applied stringently would have prevented almost half of all blood cultures in our ED but missed two positives. Blood cultures altered the clinical management of 94.3% bacteraemic patients, representing 3.4% of all ED patients with blood cultures performed. High discordance (54%) between ED diagnosis and discharge diagnosis of bacteraemic patients was noted.ConclusionsBacteraemia detected in the ED alters subsequent patient management. The predictive rule can be safely applied in the ED to determine need for blood culture collection. Blood cultures should not be omitted in the ED based entirely on preliminary diagnosis given the high discordance seen between ED and discharge diagnosis.
A unified measure of linear and nonlinear selection on quantitative traits
Authors: Henshaw Jonathan M. , Zemel Yoav 
Published: October 2016

Summary

Lande and Arnold's approach to quantifying natural selection has become a standard tool in evolutionary biology due to its simplicity and generality. It treats linear and nonlinear selection in two separate frameworks, generating coefficients of selection (e.g. linear and quadratic selection gradients) that are not directly comparable. Due to this somewhat artificial division, the Lande–Arnold approach lacks an integrated measure of the strength of selection that applies across qualitatively different selection regimes (e.g. directional, stabilizing or disruptive selection).

We define a unified measure of selection, the distributional selection differential (DSD), which includes both linear and nonlinear selection. The DSD quantifies total selection on a trait, regardless of the underlying selection regime.

The DSD can be partitioned into a directional component, representing selection on the trait mean, and a non‐directional component, representing selection on the shape of the trait distribution (e.g. variance, skew or the number of modes). When multiple traits are measured, the DSD can also be separated into direct and correlated effects, analogously to linear selection gradients. As with linear selection differentials, the DSD on a standardized trait is limited in magnitude by the opportunity for selection.

The DSD is a general‐purpose measure of the total strength of selection. It is particularly valuable where traditional analyses provide limited insight, such as in comparative studies where the shape of selection is variable. Partitioning the DSD into directional and non‐directional selection allows biologists to assess whether selection acts consistently in one direction, or in opposing directions over different parts of the trait range.
MatlabHTK: a simple interface for bioacoustic analyses using hidden Markov models
Authors: Ranjard Louis , Reed Benjamin S. , Landers Todd J. , Rayner Matt J. , Friesen Megan R. , Sagar Rachel L. , Dunphy Brendon J. 
Published: October 2016

Summary

Passive bioacoustic recording devices are now widely available and able to continuously record remotely located sites for extended periods, offering great potential for wildlife monitoring and management. Analysis of the huge data sets generated, in particular for specific biotic sound recognition, remains a critical bottleneck for widespread adoption of these technologies as current methods are labour intensive.

Several methods borrowed from speech processing frameworks, such as hidden Markov models, have been successful in analysing bioacoustic data, but the software implementations can be expensive and difficult to use for non‐specialists involved in wildlife conservation. To remedy this, we present a software interface to a popular speech recognition system making it possible for non‐experts to implement hidden Markov models for bioacoustic signal processing. Octave/Matlab functions are used to simplify the set‐up and the definition of a bioacoustic signal recogniser as well as the analysis of the results.

We present the different functions as a workflow. To demonstrate how the package can be used, we give the results of an analysis of a bioacoustic monitoring data set to detect the nocturnal presence and behaviour of a cryptic seabird species, the common diving petrel Pelecanoides urinatrix urinatrix, from Northern New Zealand.

We show that the package MatlabHTK can be used efficiently to reconstruct the daily patterns of colony activity in the common diving petrel.
Predicting Adverse Health Outcomes in Older Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department: The Acutely Presenting Older Patient Study
Authors: de Gelder Jelle , Lucke Jacinta A. , de Groot Bas , Fogteloo Anne J. , Anten Sander , Mesri Kanar , Steyerberg Ewout W. , Heringhaus Christian , Blauw Gerard J. , Mooijaart Simon P. 
Published: October 2016

BackgroundOlder patients experience high rates of adverse outcomes after an emergency department (ED) visit. Early identification of those at high risk could guide preventive interventions and tailored treatment decisions, but available models perform poorly in discriminating those at highest risk. This study aims to develop and validate a prediction model for functional decline and mortality in older patients presenting to our ED.MethodsA multicenter prospective follow‐up study in EDs of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC; derivation) and Alrijne Hospital (validation) was conducted. All presenting patients aged 70 and over were included during 12 weeks for 7 days per week. A baseline assessment shortly (<1 hour) after presentation included demographics, severity of disease indicators, and measurements of functional and cognitive impairment. The main outcomes were a composite of functional decline or mortality after 90 days and mortality separately.ResultsIn total 751 patients were included in the LUMC of whom 230 patients (30.6%) experienced the composite adverse outcome and 71 patients (9.5%) died. The final model for the composite adverse outcome resulted in an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.73 (95% CI = 0.67–0.77) and was experienced in 69% of the patients at highest risk. For mortality the AUC was 0.79 (95% CI = 0.73–0.85) and 36% of the patients at highest risk died. External validation in 881 patients of the Alrijne Hospital showed an AUC of 0.71 (95% CI = 0.67–0.75) for the composite adverse outcome and 0.69 (95% CI = 0.63–0.75) for mortality.ConclusionWe successfully developed and validated prediction models for 90‐day adverse outcomes and 90‐day mortality in older emergency patients. The benefits for patients by implementing these models with preventive interventions must be investigated.
Review: Prevalence and co‐occurrence of addictions in US ethnic/racial groups: Implications for genetic research
Authors: Luczak Susan E. , Khoddam Rubin , Yu Sheila , Wall Tamara L. , Schwartz Anna , Sussman Steve 
Published: October 2016

Background and ObjectivesWe conducted a review of the prevalence and co‐occurrence of 12 types of addictions in US ethnic/racial groups and discuss the implications of the results for genetic research on addictions.MethodsWe utilized MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases to review the literature on alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, illicit drugs, gambling, eating/food, internet, sex, love, exercise, work, and shopping. We present results for each addiction based on total US prevalence, prevalence within ethnic groups, and co‐occurrence of addictions among ethnic groups when available.ResultsThis review indicates very little research has examined the interrelationships of addictive behaviors among US ethnic groups. The studies that exist have focused nearly exclusively on comorbidity of substances and gambling behaviors. Overall findings suggest differences among US ethnic groups in prevalence of addictions and in prevalence of addiction among those who use substances or engage in gambling. Almost no ethnic group comparisons of other addictive behaviors including eating/food, internet, love, sex, exercise, work, and shopping were identified in the literature.ConclusionsDespite large‐scale research efforts to examine alcohol and substance use disorders in the United States, few studies have been published that examine these addictive behaviors among ethnic groups, and even fewer examine co‐occurrence and comorbidity with other addictions.Scientific SignificanceEven with the limited studies, these findings have implications for genetic research on addictive behaviors. We include a discussion of these implications, including issues of population stratification, disaggregation, admixture, and the interplay between genetic and environmental factors in understanding the etiology and treatment of addictions. (Am J Addict 2017;26:424–436)
Too Depleted to Try? Testing the Process Model of Ego Depletion in the Context of Unhealthy Snack Consumption
Authors: Haynes Ashleigh , Kemps Eva , Moffitt Robyn 
Published: October 2016

BackgroundThe process model proposes that the ego depletion effect is due to (a) an increase in motivation toward indulgence, and (b) a decrease in motivation to control behaviour following an initial act of self‐control. In contrast, the reflective‐impulsive model predicts that ego depletion results in behaviour that is more consistent with desires, and less consistent with motivations, rather than influencing the strength of desires and motivations. The current study sought to test these alternative accounts of the relationships between ego depletion, motivation, desire, and self‐control.MethodsOne hundred and fifty‐six undergraduate women were randomised to complete a depleting e‐crossing task or a non‐depleting task, followed by a lab‐based measure of snack intake, and self‐report measures of motivation and desire strength.Results and ConclusionsIn partial support of the process model, ego depletion was related to higher intake, but only indirectly via the influence of lowered motivation. Motivation was more strongly predictive of intake for those in the non‐depletion condition, providing partial support for the reflective‐impulsive model. Ego depletion did not affect desire, nor did depletion moderate the effect of desire on intake, indicating that desire may be an appropriate target for reducing unhealthy behaviour across situations where self‐control resources vary.