bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Linking positive psychological capital with customer value co-creation
Authors: Lee Yi-Hsuan , Hsiao Chan , Chen Yee-Chen 
Published: April 2017

Purpose
This study aims to identify the driving forces of customer value co-creation (VCC) that occur through employee positive psychological capital (PPC), employee service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (SOOCB) and customer brand experience (BE).

Design/methodology/approach
In total, 493 valid samples were retrieved from 30 hotels in Taiwan. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to extensively and accurately examine customer VCC from a cross-level perspective.

Findings
The results showed that employee PPC was not positively related to customer VCC, that employee PPC affected customer VCC indirectly through the mediating effect of employee SOOCB and that the relationship between employee SOOCB and customer VCC was positively moderated by customer BE.

Originality/value
First, this study investigated the customer VCC driving forces through the role of the employee, and thus advances the customer VCC field. Second, it identified employee SOOCB as a key mediating mechanism that links the indirect relationship between employee PPC and customer VCC. Third, it identified customer BE as a key moderating mechanism in the relationship between employee SOOCB and customer VCC. Fourth, regarding methodology, few studies investigate VCC through a cross-level approach. The present study used hierarchical linear modeling to extensively and accurately examine customer VCC and its cross-level relationships, thus providing greater research value compared with single-level analysis. Finally, the result findings suggest that organizational leaders should enhance the PPC of employees in furtherance of encouraging the employees to perform extra-role SOOCB, which makes customer co-creation behavior, and ultimately, contributes to managerial practice.
Preparing business students for workplace reality – using global virtual teams in logistics and SCM education
Authors: Trautrims Alexander , Defee Cliff , Farris Ted 
Published: April 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present and examine the use and effects of global virtual teams as a tool in the logistics and supply chain management classroom to prepare students in a simulation environment for the demands of their future careers in the profession.

Design/methodology/approach
Literature of logistics and supply chain management education is combined with streams from management learning literature. The way the tool of global virtual teams was applied is explained, followed by an analysis of quantitative and qualitative participant response data. From the data analysis the effects of individual factors in the design and application of the global virtual team are isolated and recommendations are extracted for future use of the tool.

Findings
The paper finds that the application of global virtual teams helped participating students to develop the management skills required for a career in logistics and supply chain management. Although students perceived the international nature and the lose frame provided by the tool as challenges, most learning effects were caused by these challenges. The paper also shows that the set up by the involved educators is crucial for the learning effect in particular toward similar weights of the assessments and the number of group members from each geographical area.

Research limitations/implications
The paper does not examine all potentially amendable factors but focuses on those that were seen as relevant and practically achievable under the available resources to ensure the tool can be easily scaled up by adding further institutions and participants.

Originality/value
The paper is the first application of global virtual teams in logistics and supply chain management education. It provides the theoretical foundations and rationale for its application and is relevant to educators by giving them access to this tool for improvement of their students’ career preparedness.
Reinforcing supply chain security through organizational and cultural tools within the intermodal rail and road industry
Authors: Cigolini Roberto , Pero Margherita , Sianesi Andrea 
Published: April 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline the role of organizational and cultural tools to increase supply chain security within the intermodal rail and road industry. Three main research questions are set, regarding: what organizational and cultural tools are used by companies within the intermodal rail and road industry; how these tools impact on security performance; and what environmental factors trigger the use of each tool.

Design/methodology/approach
In total, 13 companies within the intermodal rail and road industry have been studied in detail through in-depth case studies.

Findings
Results suggest that organizational and cultural tools impact positively on supply chain security, by reducing collusion and both operative and planning mistakes. In particular, such tools mitigate the effect of lack of cooperation and communication between partners and of inadequate partners.

Practical implications
Results point out that the ability of organizational and cultural tools to increase supply chain security has not been fully exploited yet. Tools to mitigate the negative effects on security of inadequacy of partners are not popular or they are not considered as powerful enough, despite it has been highlighted as the most relevant causal factor of lack of security.

Originality/value
This paper introduces a thorough overview of the effects of cultural and organizational tools on supply chain security and a detailed study of these tools in the area of intermodal rail-and-road transport.
Productivity, quality and business performance: an empirical study
Authors: Prakash Anand , Jha Sanjay Kumar , Prasad Kapil Deo , Singh Abhishek Kumar 
Published: April 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate linkage among productivity, quality, and business performance in home-based brassware units in India.

Design/methodology/approach
This study involved action research of home-based brassware units applying procedures for three-stage least-squares (3SLS) regression analysis, with data obtained through questionnaire survey based on convenience sampling.

Findings
This study has supported the established belief that quality leads to productivity, and subsequently productivity leads to better business performance for home-based brassware units in India. The consistent and logical result of this study using 3SLS regression analysis has provided empirical understanding of the appropriate linkage among productivity, quality, and business performance.

Research limitations/implications
This study has limitations of findings, as it studied the home-based brassware units in the Indian context only.

Practical implications
This study implies that marketable home-based brassware products are to be produced by taking into account boundaries of production within the framework of goals and value created by motivation and dependability for monitoring the business performance. Identifying an appropriate linkage among productivity, quality, and business performance may project a holistic evaluation of the policy development related to home-based brassware units.

Originality/value
This is an original study to test empirical linkages among productivity, quality, and business performance using 3SLS regression analysis particularly for home-based brassware units in India.
The role of collaboration and technology diffusion on business performance
Authors: Al-Hakim Latif , Lu Wu 
Published: April 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically test the joint impact of trust, technology diffusion and organisational capacity on collaboration and investigate the effect of the interaction among them on business performance.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model is formulated to achieve the study’s purpose. The research employs quantitative methodology to test the validity of the model. Pilot interviews were used to select applicable attribute for each of the model’s constructs and to revise the survey questionnaire. The survey is addressed to CEOs and senior managers of 500 electrical product manufacturers in Wenzhou province, China. The questionnaire covers 20 attributes of the model’s constructs, which are measured on a seven-point scale. A structured equation modelling software known as AMOS is used to analyse data.FindingsResults indicate that trust is an antecedent factor for successful collaboration, but not as a factor directly affecting business performance. However, the research shows that collaboration plays a full mediator between trust and business performance. The empirical evidence from this research implied that technology diffusion do not translate properly into collaboration and the organisations do not give adequate attention to the process performance in making collaboration with partners. In addition, the electrical Chinese organisations do not consider that the commitments of their partners exceed the expectations.Research limitations/implicationsThis research limits investigation in China only and considers one type of industry, that is, the manufacturers of small products.Practical implicationsThe conceptual model can be used as an audit tool for evaluating the effect of collaboration on business performance. Thus, managers could recognise weak attributes and plan for improvement.Originality/valueThis study provides new measurement instrument for evaluating the joint impact of collaboration, technology diffusion, trust and organisational capacity on business performance.
Independent and cumulative effect of diet and exercise on reduction of adiposity measures among obese people
Authors: Kamalasundari Somasundaram , Hemalatha Ganapathysamy , Raghavan Premalatha Mundankandath 
Published: April 2017

Purpose
The epidemic of obesity is escalating worldwide. This paper aims to focus on feasible and affordable measures to reduce obesity among sedentary persons aged 30 to 50 years, to provide suitable intervention to overcome excess body weight and to prevent further weight gain. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine such effects in India.

Design/methodology/approach
In total, 288 sedentary office going people were motivated to reduce weight and on the basis of their being obese and willingness to participate in the study, 144 of them were selected for the intervention study. They were randomly divided into four groups. Subjects of Group I formed the control, Group II were given a high fiber and low glycemic diet mix, Group III participated in an exercise program and Group IV followed both. Anthropometric measurements were measured initially and at 30 days of interval up to 120 days, and biochemical tests were done before and after the intervention.

Findings
The subjects in Groups II, III and IV had 5 per cent reduction in anthropometric measurements. The biochemical tests revealed that the rate of decrease of mean total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol were greatest in Group II. In Group IV, there was maximum decrease of mean total cholesterol and high density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio, mean LDL and HDL ratio, mean fasting blood glucose and also a favorable increase of HDL cholesterol. In Group III, there was maximum increase of hemoglobin. All the central obesity measures, except body mass index, are highly and positively correlated with the biochemical parameters.

Research limitations/implications
It was observed that, in some individuals, the weight loss was 8 to 10 kg, and for a few, the weight loss was less in the range of 1 to 2 kg. This indicated that the same kind of diet and exercise brought about weight reduction to different extents due to individual response. Because of the individual differences, there is a need to highlight the response of the intervention by examining the individual variability referring to age and gender rather than pooling the mean data.

Originality/value
It was observed that the inclusion of high fiber and low glycemic diet in the intervention had a profound influence in the reduction of weight. Exercise alone may not be very effective when opted as a single measure for reducing obesity, and it can only act as a complementary program along with diet for any weight reduction program.
Changes in glucose levels and fecal excretion of lipids due to consumption of yacon flour
Authors: Pereira Juciane de Abreu Ribeiro , Barcelos Maria de Fátima Piccolo , Ferreira Eric Batista , Pereira Rafaela Corrêa , de Angelis-Pereira Michel Cardoso 
Published: April 2017

PurposeAs studies investigating the effects of fructan sources, such as yacon, on glucose and lipid metabolism showed different results, additional research is required to establish a clear relationship between them. Thus, this paper aims to evaluate possible effects of the consumption of the yacon pulp flour (YPF) on biological and metabolic parameters such as food consumption, weight gain, serum glucose levels and fecal lipid excretion of rats, as well as determine the role of glycemic index (GI) of the diets added of this ingredient on those parameters.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, 24 male albino Wistar rats were divided into four groups, which received the following treatments for 17 days: Group 1 (G1) (Control) – American Institute of Nutrition (AIN)-M; Group 2 (G2) – AIN-M added 5 per cent YPF; Group 3 (G3) – AIN-M added 10 per cent YPF and Group 4 (G4) – AIN-M added 15 per cent YPF. Analysis of fasting and postprandial glycemia was conducted for elaboration of the glycemic curve and calculation of the GI of the diets. Lipids loss was measured by quantification of crude fat in feces after consumption of the diet.FindingsYPF, regarding the concentration in the diets, did not elevate the fasting glucose among the groups. The postprandial glucose of the animals declined in different postprandial glucose peaks of the groups ingesting YPF in relation to the control one, especially in group treated with 15 per cent YPF, between 30 and 60 min (p<0,05), confirming the influence of the dietary fiber on the absorption of the glucose. The ingestion of YPF increased dragging of lipids to the animal feces, proportional to the amounts of YPF added to the diets. According to the regression analysis, followed by regression testing to 5 per cent, there was a significant difference between the experimental groups, being that the elevation of the percentage of YPF added to the diet caused a proportional increase in the lipid levels in the animal feces.Originality/valueYPF could be an alimentary source of interest, mainly when the focus is on disease risk prevention such as diabetes, obesity and dyslipidemias.
Information requirements to create public value: sharing and opening data to address urban blight
Authors: De Tuya Manuel , Cook Meghan , Sutherland Megan K. , Luna-Reyes Luis Felipe 
Published: April 2017

Purpose
Blighted and vacant properties represent a persistent and costly problem for cities and local governments throughout the USA. The purpose of this paper is to identify data needs and requirements for value creation in the context of urban blight. The main assumption is that sharing and opening data through a robust and effective code enforcement program will facilitate more informed management, mitigation and remediation of blighted and vacant properties. Code enforcement programs must be grounded on organizational and technical infrastructures that enable data sharing and value creation for the city and the communities that share its space.

Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the information needs and realities of a city’s code enforcement environment are described, based on data gathered through a series of workshops and focus groups with a range of stakeholders, which included city government departments, police, fire, bank representatives, realtors and community groups.

Findings
The analysis reveals key data elements that could potentially help to build a code enforcement program to better manage the cycles and costs of urban blight. Although some of these data elements already exist, and are public, they are not easily accessible to key stakeholders. The paper ends with sets of short-term and long-term recommendations for establishing an information-sharing infrastructure, which would serve as the main conduit for exchanging code enforcement data among a number of city government departments and the public that may play a role in managing urban blight and its consequences.

Originality/value
In this paper, the authors are connecting extant literature on sharing and opening data with literature on the creation of public value. They argue that sharing and opening government data constitute effective ways of managing the costs and cycles of urban blight while creating value. As a result of an initial assessment of data and information requirements, the authors also point to specific data and its potential value from stakeholder perspective.
Stable isotopes in tropical tree rings: theory, methods and applications
Authors: van der Sleen Peter , Zuidema Pieter A. , Pons Thijs L. 
Published: April 2017

Summary

The notion that many tropical tree species form annual growth rings has triggered research on their growth and its environmental drivers over long periods of time. Even more recently, a large number of studies have also analysed the natural abundance of stable isotopes in tropical tree rings. The rapid developments in this young field call for a review. Here, we focus on stable isotopes of carbon (13C), oxygen (18O) and nitrogen (15N).

We start by explaining how environmental and physiological effects define the isotopic composition of wood in tropical trees. Abundance of 13C is mainly driven by water, light and nutrient availability. Here 18O values are chiefly determined by those of rainwater and additionally by rooting depth and factors determining leaf water evaporation. The 15N levels are determined by the 15N signature of nitrogen uptake, which in turn depends in complex ways on various processes in the nitrogen cycle.

We then discuss methodological aspects of isotopes studies in tropical tree rings. An important requirement is that rings are reliably dated. Furthermore, a key methodological concern is that temporal changes in isotopic values can be confounded by tree‐size driven changes, which can be avoided by sampling from a fixed diameter range or accounted for statistically.

Next, 50 studies are reviewed that measured stable isotopes of C, O, and/or N in tree rings of a total of 85 tropical tree species. Temporal variation in both δ13C and δ18O was correlated with precipitation and El Niño Southern Oscillation variability. Seasonality in δ13C and δ18O was successfully used for delimiting visually non‐distinct annual rings. Tropical tree responses to increasing atmospheric [CO2] were effectively quantified, using δ13C as a measure of intrinsic water use efficiency. And finally, anthropogenic changes in the nitrogen cycle in tropical forests have been inferred from δ15N.

We conclude with methodological and ecophysiological recommendations for isotope studies in tropical tree rings. Future perspectives include the analysis of intramolecular isotopic distributions of isotopes in glucose that can advance our understanding of environmental effects on tropical tree physiology. Finally, we recommend that tropical tree ring isotope data are deposited in open access databases.

A lay summary is available for this article.
Outsourcing transitions and the employment relationship implications
Authors: Mitchell Ivan , James Phil 
Published: April 2017

AbstractDrawing on three longitudinal case studies involving the outsourcing of public leisure services, we explore the work transitions of staff as they transfer from one organisation to another using a three‐phase analytical framework. The findings confirm the idea that outsourcing can be a difficult transition to go through, with losses occurring in relation to terms and conditions of employment. However, they also show how such changes can occur alongside the development of seemingly positive employment relationships with the new employer that challenge the view that the employment effects of public service outsourcing are invariably perceived in a negative light by employees. In doing so, the study's findings are seen to point towards the value of exploring outsourcing‐related work transitions longitudinally and through the lens of the adopted analytical framework. They are also seen to have implications for how such transitions are theorised and managed, including how we might understand the nature of the employment relationship and the role of line managers.
The use of an occlusion perfusion catheter to deliver paclitaxel to the arterial wall
Authors: Atigh Marzieh K. , Turner Emily , Christians Uwe , Yazdani Saami K. 
Published: April 2017

SummaryAimNonstent drug delivery platforms have recently emerged as an alternative treatment of peripheral arterial disease. Perfusion catheters have the potential to directly deliver antiproliferative agents to the medial arterial layer to prevent restenosis. The purpose of this study was to therefore determine the effectiveness of a perfusion catheter to deliver paclitaxel, a proven antiproliferative agent, to combat restenosis.MethodsA benchtop model was utilized to determine the varying parameters of a novel occlusion perfusion catheter to maximize paclitaxel delivery using pharmacokinetic evaluation and fluorescent microscopy. Parameters tested included concentration of paclitaxel, delivery pressure, duration of delivery, and the use of an excipient. In addition, bilateral rabbit iliac arteries were treated with the perfusion catheter and pharmacokinetic evaluation performed at 1 hour, 1 day and 3 days.ResultsBenchtop testing demonstrated uniform and circumferential penetration of paclitaxel within the treated arteries. The results of the ex vivo test identified two groups with and without an excipient with similar loading conditions (with excipient: 15.4±8.6 ng/mg vs without excipient: 8.9±6.9 ng/mg, P=.77). The in vivo pharmacokinetic analysis of these two groups demonstrated the use of contrast agent increased arterial paclitaxel levels and maintained initial paclitaxel dosing up to 3 days (With excipient: 1 hour: 107±62 ng vs 3 days: 40±23 ng, P=.824; No excipient: 1 hour: 247±120 ng vs 3 days: 2.92±2.9 ng, P=.009).ConclusionsThese results demonstrate the feasibility to deliver paclitaxel directly to the medial layer of an artery via a perfusion catheter.