bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Implementation of best-value procurement for highway design and construction in the USA
Authors: Tran Dai Q. , Molenaar Keith R. , Kolli Bharath 
Published: August 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate procedures and practices to promote transparency in best-value procurement for the design and construction of highway projects with the goal of improving this evolving procurement method.

Design/methodology/approach
The review of published empirical studies, a national survey of transportation agencies, and case studies of highway agencies form the basis of the conclusions in this research. In addition to the national survey, with 46 of 52 agencies participating, the research presents case studies from seven highway agencies in the USA including: California, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Utah. These seven case studies were selected from agencies that employ mature best-value procurement methods. The case studies involved a thorough procedural review and structured interviews of agency personnel. The agencies then validated the results and conclusions.

Findings
The results showed that evaluation committees should include technical members who do not have a personal interest in the outcome of the selection to maintain transparency in best-value projects. The committees should receive best-value procurement training, which necessitates the development of consistent and transparent best-value selection procedures. Debriefing meetings should be conducted to provide comments about strengths and weaknesses of each proposal to enhance fairness and transparency of the best-value selection process.

Research limitations/implications
Knowledge of the best-value procurement procedure will allow researchers to better understand the impact of procedures and practices on transparency in selecting best-value projects. The chief limitation of this research is that the primary data were collected from highway agencies in the USA. Any future research should include more data to enhance the validity of this study outside of the public transportation sector.

Practical implications
The result of this research will help transportation agencies and other public owners to improve their best-value procurement procedures. The findings of this research also address the construction and consulting industry’s concern about transparency and fairness of a best-value selection process.

Originality/value
This research is the first attempt to examine the impact of the evaluation committee, best-value training, and debriefings on transparency of best-value selection.
Multi-dimensional coping and adaptation strategies of small-scale fishing communities of Bangladesh to climate change induced stressors
Authors: Deb Apurba Krishna , Haque C. Emdad 
Published: August 2017

Purpose
Coastal and floodplain areas are on the frontline of climate change in Bangladesh. Small-scale coastal and floodplain fishing communities of the country face a host of cross-scale stressors continually, some induced by climate change, and they have developed coping and adaption strategies based on customary social and experiential learnings. This paper aims to examine the coping and adaptation strategies that small-scale fishing communities undertake in the face of stresses including climate change and variability.

Design/methodology/approach
This research takes a nuanced ethnographic-oriented approach based on around two-year-long field study in two coastal and floodplain fishing villages, represented by two distinct ethnic groups. The study adopts direct observational methods to denote the ways small-scale fishing communities address the arrays of stressors to construct and reconstruct their survival and livelihood needs.

Findings
It was observed that fishers’ coping and adaptation strategies comprise a fluid combination of complex overlapping sets of actions that the households undertake based on their capitals and capabilities, perceptions, socio-cultural embeddedness and experiential learnings from earlier adverse situations. Broadly, these are survival, economic, physiological, social, institutional and religiosity-psychological in nature. Adaptation mechanisms involve some implicit principles or self-provisioning actions that households are compelled to do or choose under given sets of abnormal stresses to reach certain levels of livelihood functions.

Originality/value
Based on empirical field research, this paper recognizes small-scale fishers’ capability and adaptability in addressing climate change-induced stresses. Policymakers, international development planners, climate scientists and social workers can learn from these grassroots-level coping and adaptation strategies of fishing communities to minimize the adverse effects of climate change and variations.
Cross-border B2C e-commerce to Greater China and the role of logistics: a literature review
Authors: Giuffrida Maria , Mangiaracina Riccardo , Perego Alessandro , Tumino Angela 
Published: August 2017

PurposeThis paper reviews scientific publications in the field of logistics underlying cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) to China. A focus on the role played in this complex process by other countries of the Greater China is carried out. The purpose of this paper is to outline directions for future research to encourage CBEC development.Design/methodology/approachThe review is based on 32 papers published from 2002 to 2016 in international peer-reviewed journals or proceedings of international conferences, retrieved from bibliographic databases and science search engines.FindingsCBEC to China is gaining increasing interest, as shown by the rising amount of publications from 2013 onwards. Within these contributions, however, studies specifically investigating the relation between logistics and e-commerce, commonly acknowledged as critical, seem to lack. Many contributions are descriptive and do not provide specific insights on how to manage the complexities of CBEC logistics in this region. Stemming from the review, a set of possible development areas are identified, including distribution network design, i.e. deciding how to shape the CBEC distribution structure, and logistics outsourcing, i.e. determining whether to manage logistics activities in-house or through third parties.Originality/valueTo the extent of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first one to classify the existing body of knowledge on logistics supporting CBEC. Its main contribution is the critical identification of current research gaps and the proposal of key themes for future research. From a managerial perspective, it helps export and logistics managers identify the key challenges of managing CBEC logistics to Greater China.
The impact of partner similarity on alliance management capability, stability and performance
Authors: Gao Huijie , Yang Jianhua , Yin Huanwu , Ma ZhiChao 
Published: August 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate significant impact of partner similarity on the success of horizontal alliances in logistics service providers (LSPs) from China.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were collected via questionnaire distribution to 380 Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors in 262 small and medium logistics enterprises in China. There are 316 valid questionnaires for further analysis with 83 percent accuracy in response rate. Structural equation modeling was used to test the impact of partner similarity on alliance management capability, stability and performance.FindingsPartner similarity and logistics alliance management capability (LAMC) are positively correlated to alliance stability and performance in horizontal alliances among Chinese LSPs, especially competence similarity and cultural similarity. Moreover, alliance stability mediates the impact of partner similarity and LAMC on alliance performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe basic limitation of this research is to collect data just from small and medium logistics enterprises that operate in China with sample size (n=316). This research could further be extended to other regions in China or other countries.Practical implicationsThis research verifies the positive relationship between partner fit and management capability. Besides, based on research findings, the research proposes guidelines for LSPs pursuing horizontal alliancesOriginality/valueThis research proposes an experimental model for Chinese LSPs to cooperate successfully and build horizontal alliances in order to increase their effective customer response capability.
Relational resources and performance of Chinese third-party logistics providers
Authors: Shou Yongyi , Shao Jinan , Chen Anlan 
Published: August 2017

PurposeDrawing upon the theory of the resource-based view, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among relational resources, innovation capability and firm performance in the third-party logistics (3PL) industry.Design/methodology/approachBased on data collected from 203 3PL providers in China, this study adopts the approach of structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized relationships among relational resources, innovation capability and firm performance.FindingsThe results of this research confirm that relational resources have a positive effect on firm performance. However, the effect is not direct, but realized through the mediation of innovation capability. This study indicates that relational resources are important for 3PL providers to achieve superior performance, and innovation capability plays a mediating role between relational resources and firm performance.Originality/valueThe main contributions of this paper to the literature are twofold. First, it extends the extant research by highlighting the mediating mechanism of innovation capability in relational resources’ influence on firm performance. Second, it advances the existing perspectives on 3PL firms in the Chinese context and this sheds light on logistics research on emerging markets.
Socio-economic determinants of employment in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Jammu and Kashmir
Authors: Hussain Malik Altaf 
Published: August 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to look at the socio-economic determinants of employment in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) at both household and individual level. My results show that there is no discrimination in provision of employment to backward classes. Out of all the Indian States, J&K has lowest female participation in the scheme. My results show that women are discriminated against in provision of employment. Worksite facilities, like creche, can positively affect female participation in the scheme.Design/methodology/approachThe author uses multi-variate OLS regression model to analyse the data collected through primary survey of three heterogenous villages of district Ganderbal of J&K.FindingsThe author finds clear evidence of discrimination against females in provision of employment along with slight evidence of elite capture of the scheme. The author also finds negative relationship between the number of children in a household and the number of workdays which highlights the importance of worksite facilities to increase female and overall participation for the scheme to be successful.Research limitations/implicationsThe possible limitation could be small sample size but given that this is the first study of its kind in the J&K State, researchers can build up on it.Originality/valueThis is one of the first research papers which looks at the performance of MGNREGS in J&K in such detail. No comprehensive study of this magnitude and rigour has been undertaken in J&K till now.
Ethnic communities: a factor of industrial clustering
Authors: Kamran Shah Muhammad , Fan Hongzhong , Matiullah Butt , Ali Gulzar , Hali Shafei Moiz 
Published: August 2017

Purpose
This paper not only draws conclusions from the available literature but also offers some new factors as well, which are not included in the existing literature. To be more precise, the purpose of this paper is to ascertain factors behind the clustering of the motorcycle industry, a low-tech and low investment industry. This paper weighs the government’s policies, role of factors of production, infrastructure, geography and other drivers for the subject industry and associated industries in the geographic location of Hyderabad.

Design/methodology/approach
For collection of data, a questionnaire was designed to survey the cluster (n=250) after reviewing the literature and conducting interviews of experts of the motorcycle manufacturing industry, i.e. owners, managers, auditors, suppliers, etc.; a component matrix was developed to reduce the dimension of factors and measure the correlation, which helped to weigh the influence of factors. A confirmatory factor analysis proposed four factors as the best fit.

Findings
The study conjectured a new viable factor for industrial clustering: “ethnic community,” as it acts as a catalyst to diffuse knowledge, experience and skills within the industrial cluster.

Research limitations/implications
This research does not find the weightage of the factors for industrial clustering, i.e. it does not calculate the influence of factors behind the industrial clustering.

Practical implications
The above findings aim to stimulate policy makers and researchers alike to further pursue the line of inquiry developed in this paper.

Originality/value
A first-time confirmatory factor analysis is used to find the reasons of industrial clustering. Root mean square error of approximation is used to test the model fit. Most importantly, it is the research about an emerging industrial cluster.
Work, family and other life domains centrality among managers and workers according to gender
Authors: Sharabi Moshe 
Published: August 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine life domains centrality (work, family, leisure, community and religion) among workers, junior managers and middle managers, both men and women and the impact of demographic factors on those life domains.

Design/methodology/approach
The “Meaning of Work” questionnaire was conducted on 1,201 participants of whom 928, 453 men and 475 women, were employed in organizations in middle managerial, junior managerial and worker positions.

Findings
The findings indicate that work centrality increases while religion centrality decreases with higher organizational status among men and women. The centrality of family is higher among women than among men in the three organizational levels. However, in the new millennium, for the first time in Israel, no traditional gender differences were found in work centrality among employees in the three organizational levels.

Practical implications
Human resource professionals have to take into consideration the increasing work centrality among working women at all organizational levels and focus on decreasing work-family/life conflict, especially among women managers. This can be achieved by implementing flexible hours, working from home, work-life balance programs, and management by objectives systems.

Originality/value
This study, which compares middle managers, junior managers, and workers according to gender, reveals how they balance the five life domains as well as the strategies women managers use to cope with work/non-work conflict.
The search for new drugs: a theory of R&D in the pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Khazabi Massoud , Quyen Nguyen Van 
Published: August 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to use a dynamic model of optimal patent design and, in the presence of information externalities, to study the evolution of technological progress in the context of a pharmaceutical industry.

Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical analysis approach is adopted to drive the paper’s findings.

Findings
Pharmaceutical firms with an active drug discovery program behave strategically in their R&D and in the product markets. It is shown that a firm holding an earlier-expiring patent only chooses to proceed with R&D activates when the patent it holds expires if the expected discounted payoff net of R&D costs yielded by this action is positive. The expected discounted payoff net of R&D costs obtained by this firm is then decreasing in R&D costs, increasing in the cumulative quality discovered in the past R&D activates, and decreasing in the number of past R&D activities, etc.

Originality/value
The preceding literature on the topic works with only one brand, the brand with the highest quality. As well, the demand is assumed to be completely inelastic. In the conventional models of patent design, the role of competitive fringe firms is discussed implicitly. The model presented in this research is a rigorous continuous in-time dynamic model. It considers several differentiated products. Furthermore, the demand for a brand is taken to be a function of income, its price, and the prices of other brands. The interaction of the fringe firm with other patent-holding firms is also explicitly considered under this framework.
Impact of trade facilitation reforms on tax revenue
Authors: Gnangnon Sena Kimm 
Published: August 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the empirical literature of the macroeconomic effect of trade facilitation reforms by examining the impact of the latter on tax revenue in both developed and developing countries. The relevance of the topic lies on the fact that at the Bali Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2013, Trade Ministers agreed for the first time since the creation of the WTO (in 1995) on an Agreement to facilitate trade around the world, dubbed Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). The study considers both at-the-border and behind-the border measures of Trade Facilitation.

Design/methodology/approach
To conduct this study, the authors rely on the literature related to the structural factors that explain tax revenue mobilization. The authors mainly use within fixed effects estimator. The analysis relies on 102 countries (of which 23 industrial countries) over the period 2004-2007 (based on data availability). A focus has also been made on African countries, within the sample of developing countries.

Findings
The empirical analysis suggests evidence of a positive and significant effect of trade facilitation reforms on non-resources tax revenue, irrespective of the sample of countries considered in the analysis.

Research limitations/implications
This finding should contribute to dampening the fear of policymakers in developing countries, including Africa that the implementation of the TFA would entail higher costs, without necessarily being associated with higher benefits. An avenue for future research would be to extend the period of the study when data would be available.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors knowledge, this study had not been performed in the literature of the determinants of tax revenue mobilization, although fact-based analysis was performed.
Internet plus policy
Authors: Hristov Kalin 
Published: August 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze and determine the best course of action for policymakers in China when dealing with the implementation of best practices for the internet of things (IoT). The recently introduced Internet Plus strategy is an attempt by Chinese policymakers to boost the Chinese economy by diminishing its reliance on manufacturing and export in favor of a knowledge-based economy driven by services and the tech sector. The IoT is arguably one of the key drivers behind this transformation.Design/methodology/approachThis paper conducts an analysis of existing literature on the IoT and uses two complimentary theories, resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory, to determine a set of policy recommendations.FindingsA cooperative relationship between policymakers, start-up firms and academia is essential to the success of the IoT. The artificial intelligence industry also plays a key role in the development of the IoT and requires strategic funding and favorable policy. Finally, established and cost-effective standards and practices are much more likely to be effective than new and costly alternatives.Originality/valueThis paper examines the newly established field of the IoT and sets out a number of policy recommendations needed for its success. To achieve this, the author uses two complimentary theories unique to the business management field but increasingly compatible with the Chinese public policy sector.
The upgrade to hybrid incubators in China: a case study of Tuspark incubator
Authors: Gao Yuchen , Hu Yimei 
Published: August 2017

PurposeThis study aims to explore key factors and specific ways for the upgrade to hybrid incubators in the context of China. A hybrid incubator means that a technology-based business incubators (TBIs) can implement various distinct value creation processes with the integration of the advantages of non-for-profit and for-profit TBIs at same time as Chinese government now requires government-sponsored non-for-profit TBIs to be profitable self-sustainability with less dependent on direct public subsidies, aiming to motivate these TBIs to provide higher quality services for their tenant new technology-based firms (NTBFs).Design/methodology/approachThis study conducts a single in-depth case-study of Tuspark Incubator (located in Tsinghua Science Park [TSP]) with categorical analysis.FindingsThree factors, i.e. incubation subdivision, intermediary platform and proactive approach, are found to be essential for a formerly government-sponsored TBI’s upgrading. Incubation subdivision enables Tuspark Incubator to create multiple incubation processes with incubator characteristic variables of both non-for-profit and for-profit incubators; with the establishment of intermediary platform, Tuspark Incubator provides specialized business support and high-quality networking from relevant specialized service organizations external to the incubator; more proactive approach with equity investment on incubating firms from Tuspark Incubator help to generate social welfare and financial profit at the same time.Practical implicationsFor the incubators’ managers, incubation subdivision enables TBIs to operate for-profit and non-for-profit processes at the same time and provides different specific needs; more open intermediary service platforms can leverage the full potential of the actors in innovation system and help TBIs to save resource when upgrading to hybrid incubators; proactive approaches nurture learning climate and entrepreneurship environment to enhance the successful rate on NTBFs inside incubators and provide main profit source for incubators. For policy makers, using proactive approaches including creating a good milieu for incubation on technology-based start-ups and the design of public guidance funds is increasingly crucial.Originality/valueThis research is a pioneering study on the key factors and specific ways for the upgrade of government-sponsored non-for-profit TBIs in China to hybrid for-profit and non-for-profit incubators.