bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Application of fuzzy logic for leanness assessment in SMEs: a case study
Authors: Vidyadhar R. , Sudeep Kumar R. , Vinodh S. , Antony Jiju 
Published: March 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual model and application of fuzzy logic for leanness assessment in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Design/methodology/approach
– Lean manufacturing enables the manufacturing organizations to achieve streamlined processes. Leanness is the performance measure of lean practices. A conceptual model for leanness assessment in the context of SMEs is developed, and fuzzy logic approach has been used for leanness assessment.

Findings
– The approach computes Fuzzy Leanness Index (FLI), Euclidean distance and Fuzzy Performance Importance Index for various leanness attributes. FLI is found to be (4.42, 6, 7.64), and the organization is found to be “Very Lean”.

Research limitations/implications
– The case study has been conducted in a single manufacturing organization. In future, more studies could be conducted to enhance the practical validity.

Practical implications
– The case study has been conducted in an SME located in Coimbatore, India. Hence, the inferences derived from the study have practical validity.

Originality/value
– The development of conceptual model for leanness assessment for SMEs is the original contribution of the authors.
Combining a survey approach and energy and indoor environment auditing in historic buildings
Authors: Rohdin Patrik , Dalewski Mariusz , Moshfegh Bahram 
Published: March 2016

Purpose
– This paper presents an approach where a survey study is combined with energy and indoor environment auditing in the built environment. The combination of methods presented in this paper is one way to obtain a wider perspective on the indoor environment and energy use and also let the people in the building voice their comments on the indoor environment. This is arguably even more important in historic buildings where many of the physical properties are to a higher degree unknown when compared with conventional buildings. The purpose of the paper is to report the experiences from this research project.

Design/methodology/approach
– A combination of energy and indoor environment auditing and standardized occupant surveys.

Findings
– The main findings in the paper are related to the good agreement between results from standardized occupant surveys and physical measurements. The possibility to triangulate problems related to poor indoor conditions was shown to be one main advantage of the combined methodology presented in the paper. A standardized survey approach also allows benchmarking, in this case with two groups representing “average” buildings as well as a group representing well-functioning buildings. The use of records from building key cards was also shown to be an effective way of keeping track of activity in the building and thereby distribute internal gains. In addition, the paper reports a linear correlation between activity level and electricity use.

Originality/value
– The paper shows an effective way to investigate the performance, in terms of energy use as well as indoor environment, of historic buildings in use. This type of approach could benefit property owners, as it both allows benchmarking as well as investigating individual properties before, e.g., a refurbishment.
Effect of outrigger-belt truss location on the dynamic response of high-rise building subjected to blast loading
Authors: Sharifi Yasser , Aviz Hamed 
Published: March 2016

Purpose– Nowadays, with the expansion of terrorist operations around the world and also the dangers of accidental explosions, the need to design structures resistant to this phenomenon for the protection and safety of its citizens is inevitable. Tall buildings are one of the most important issues because of which those behavior should be investigated against the blast loading.Design/methodology/approach– In this paper, the authors used a simple method for investigating the dynamic response of tall buildings with the combined system of framed tube, shear core and outrigger-belt truss located at different heights of the building’s that were subjected to blast loading. This proposed model is based on the development of a continuum model and the ruling equations that have been obtained using the energy principle predict the whole structure idealized as a shear and flexural cantilever beam with rotational springs at the belt truss location.Findings– The mathematical procedure shows a good understanding of the structural behavior and is suitable for a quick evaluation during the preliminary design stage, which requires less time. Moreover, it was concluded that the present blast load idealization can be used to reasonably assess the response of tall buildings subjected to blast load.Originality/value– The comparative analysis in this paper could give other engineers a simple analysis method for the preliminary analysis and design of tall building analysis. Numerical example is given to illustrate the ease of application and the accuracy of the suggested model.
The Early Childhood Socio-Emotional and Behavior Regulation Intervention Specialist (EC-SEBRIS) training model: a crossroad of mental health and early childhood education
Authors: Ritblatt Shulamit Natan 
Published: March 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to present the Early Childhood-Socio-Emotional and Behavior Regulation Intervention Specialist (EC-SEBRIS) Certificate Program model integrating knowledge and practice. Coursework, videotaping, on-site coaching, and the reflective process facilitate the application of knowledge through the integration of theory and practice supporting young children and families. It is designed to help teachers and early childhood professionals to internalize the skills and competencies needed to address challenging behaviors in their classrooms or at homes so that they can meet the critical social-emotional and behavioral needs of children.Design/methodology/approach– The paper will provide: research-based information to establish the need for such training programs; the rational to the conceptual framework of the EC-SEBRIS Certificate Program; the depiction of the wraparound training model, which uses triple coaching and mentoring methods: reflective supervision, videotaping, and on-site coaching for teachers; and a preliminary evaluation of the program, and future plans.Findings– The EC-SEBRIS Certificate Program is at its early implementation stage. The author have graduated four cohorts, for a total of 113, early childhood professionals who have been hired to enhance the behavioral health services provided to young children and families. Overall, results suggest that the students’ knowledge base and confidence improved from time 1 to time 2 for each of the knowledge-based courses.Research limitations/implications– This is a conceptual paper.Practical implications– The program bridges the early childhood education (ECE) and early childhood mental health fields, and recognizes the important role that early care and education professionals play in the socio-emotional development of young children. Coursework, videotaping, on-site coaching, and the reflective process facilitate the application of knowledge through the integration of theory and practice in the field supporting young children and families.Social implications– Challenging behaviors are one of the issues all early childhood educators have to deal within their classrooms. The model, as presented in the manuscript, can be implemented in other higher education institutions to enhance the skill sets of professionals who need to respond to this critical need and support healthy development of young children.Originality/value– This is an original model emphasizing the importance of training early childhood educators to support emotion and behavior regulation in young children. The paper presents a cutting edge teaching model which integrates knowledge, practice, and reflective practice. This training model focuses on the ECE workforce as the front line to the provision of early childhood mental health support.
THC-DAT: a document analysis tool based on topic hierarchy and context information
Authors: Chen Jing , Wang Tian Tian , Lu Quan 
Published: March 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel within-document analysis tool (DAT) topic hierarchy and context-based document analysis tool (THC-DAT) which enables users to interactively analyze any multi-topic document based on fine-grained and hierarchical topics automatically extracted from it. THC-DAT used hierarchical latent Dirichlet allocation method and took the context information into account so that it can reveal the relationships between latent topics and related texts in a document.

Design/methodology/approach
– The methodology is a case study. The authors reviewed the related literature first, then utilized a general “build and test” research model. After explaining the model, interface and functions of THC-DAT, a case study was presented using a scholarly paper that was analyzed with the tool.

Findings
– THC-DAT can organize and serve document topics and texts hierarchically and context based, which overcomes the drawbacks of traditional DATs. The navigation, browse, search and comparison functions of THC-DAT enable users to read, search and analyze multi-topic document efficiently and effectively.

Practical implications
– It can improve the document organization and services in digital libraries or e-readers, by helping users to interactively read, search and analyze documents efficiently and effectively, exploringly learn about unfamiliar topics with little cognitive burden, or deepen their understanding of a document.

Originality/value
– This paper designs a tool THC-DAT to analyze document in a THC way. It contributes to overcoming the coarse-analysis drawbacks of existing within-DATs.
How Moroccan managers view dividend policy
Authors: Baker H. Kent , Jabbouri Imad 
Published: March 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to survey managers of firms listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) to learn their views about the factors influencing dividend policy, dividend issues, and explanations for paying dividends. It compares the results to similar dividend surveys in the USA, Canada, Indonesia, and India.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study uses a mail survey of CSE listed firms that paid one or more cash dividends to common stock holders between June 1, 2010 and September 30, 2014 as the primary means of collecting data.

Findings
– The evidence shows that the most important determinants of a firm’s dividend policy are the level of current earnings, stability of earnings, and needs of current shareholders. A significant correlation exists between the overall rankings of the 25 factors influencing dividend policy between managers of Moroccan firms and those of USA, Canadian, Indonesian, and Indian firms. Managers of Moroccan firms perceive that dividend policy affects firm value. Managers view multiple theories including signaling, agency, catering, and life cycle explanations as credible and contribute in explaining why their firms pay dividends.

Research limitations/implications
– Despite a high response rate of almost 55 percent, the number of responses limits the ability to divide the sample firms by size, industry, and other characteristics and to test for statistically significant differences between various groups.

Originality/value
– This is the first survey-based research designed to document how Moroccan managers view dividends. Although evidence suggests that some factors are consistently more important than others, no universal set of factors is likely to be applicable to all firms.
Modeling firm resources –enterprise risk management relationships
Authors: Abd Razak Noraznira , Ab Rahman Zuriah , Borhan Halimahton 
Published: March 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to focus, explore, and provide an in-depth analysis of the relationship between company resources and the process of enterprise risk management (ERM) in order to strengthen corporate structures against emerging uncertainties.

Design/methodology/approach
– This paper proposes a strategic risk management framework for the development and sustainability of corporate performance by focussing on the dimension of firm resources extracted from the resources-based theory. This paper focussed on using Malaysia listed firms under Malaysian Bourse as sample frame using the random sampling technique whereby questionnaire were distributed among head of risk management department. Of the 600 questionnaires distributed, 223 were returned completed.

Findings
– The survey results indicate that intangible resources play a significant roles in resources – performance relationship while the other two main dimension that are tangible resources and capabilities have shown contradictory results.

Research limitations/implications
– This paper only focussed on using Malaysia listed firms under Malaysian Bourse as sample frame.

Practical implications
– The management of risk is a dynamic phenomenon and the change of management that parallel with its evolution demand a revisiting and revamping over and over again promptly. In order to adapt and survive the volatile environment time and again, the effort to ensure long-term sustainability has to be made by the firm as success and failure can quickly replace one another in a relatively short period. The results highlight the various insight that might be helpful to managers in terms of managing the performance of the firm by concentrating entirely on its risk management and resources managements process.

Originality/value
– Overall it was shown that only certain dimension of resources within the firm has strong relationship with the performance variation. As such, the company has to ensure that deployment of resources has to be optimized accordingly by focussing on the types of resources that matters so that possibility of improving the outcome of the firm in the volatile global environment can be realized.
The relationship between marketing culture and organizational commitment
Authors: Yildirim Seda , Acaray Ali , Candan Burcu 
Published: March 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to find out whether there was a significant relationship between marketing culture and organizational commitment. In addition, relations between dimensions or marketing culture and dimensions of organizational commitment were investigated. Prior studies have shown that there were significant relationships between organizational culture and organizational commitment. Accordingly it is that there is a significant relationship between marketing culture and organizational commitment.Design/methodology/approach– This research collected data via survey method in Istanbul, Turkey. The survey forms were implemented to employees who were selected by convenience sampling method from one private bank’s agencies and 318 employees participated to the survey implementation.Findings– With the help of canonical correlation analyze, it was found out that there was a significant relationship between marketing culture and organizational commitment. Accordingly the main hypothesis was supported. Also relations between dimensions of marketing culture and dimensions of organizational commitment were concluded through their canonical loadings.Research limitations/implications– This study used two main scales from the literature to determine marketing culture and organizational commitment. For marketing culture, Webster’s (1990) marketing culture scale was preferred to determine marketing culture of employees. Organizational commitment was evaluated in three basic dimensions as affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment according to Meyer and Allen’s (1997) scale. For future studies, different types of scales can be used differently in another service sector or business. The results can give some useful information essentially for managers from banking sector.Originality/value– This study has an important originality as being the first one that investigates the relationship between marketing culture and organizational culture in a related literature. So it is thought to show significant relations between marketing culture’s factors and organizational commitment’s factors.
Assigning cause of maternal death: a comparison of findings by a facility‐based review team, an expert panel using the new ICD‐MM cause classification and a computer‐based program (InterVA‐4)
Authors: Mgawadere F , Unkels R , van den Broek N 
Published: March 2016

ObjectiveTo compare methodology used to assign cause of and factors contributing to maternal death.DesignReproductive Age Mortality Study.SettingMalawi.PopulationMaternal deaths among women of reproductive age.MethodsWe compared cause of death as assigned by a facility‐based maternal death review team, an expert panel using the International Classification of Disease, 10th revision (ICD‐10) cause classification for deaths during pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (ICD‐MM) and a computer‐based probabilistic program (InterVA‐4).Main outcome measuresNumber and cause of maternal deaths.ResultsThe majority of maternal deaths occurred at a health facility (94/151; 62.3%). The estimated maternal mortality ratio was 363 per 100 000 live births (95% CI 307–425). There was poor agreement between cause of death assigned by a facility‐based maternal death review team and an expert panel (κ = 0.37, 86 maternal deaths). The review team considered 36% of maternal deaths to be indirect and caused by non‐obstetric complications (ICD‐MM Group 7) whereas the expert panel considered only 17.4% to be indirect maternal deaths with 33.7% due to obstetric haemorrhage (ICD‐MM Group 3). The review team incorrectly assigned a contributing condition rather than cause of death in up to 15.1% of cases. Agreement between the expert panel and InterVA‐4 regarding cause of death was good (κ = 0.66, 151 maternal deaths). However, contributing conditions are not identified by InterVA‐4.ConclusionsTraining in the use of ICD‐MM is needed for healthcare providers conducting maternal death reviews to be able to correctly assign underlying cause of death and contributing factors. Such information can help to identify what improvements in quality of care are needed.Tweetable abstractFor maternal deaths assigning cause of death is best done by an expert panel and helps to identify where quality of care needs to be improved.
Partial moment volatility indices
Authors: Liu Zhangxin (Frank) , O'Neill Michael J. 
Published: March 2016

AbstractForward‐looking partial moment volatility indices are developed using state‐pricing, called the bear index (BEX) and bull index (BUX). Using S&P 500 index (SPX) option prices, we find that BEX and BUX provide superior forecasts for the lower and upper partial moments of future market realised volatility, respectively. We examine the relation between SPX returns and changes in BEX and BUX at the daily level. Results are consistent with the volatility feedback hypothesis. Further, we show that BEX may be more suitable as the ‘investor fear gauge’ than VIX.
Prey preferences of free‐ranging cheetahs on farmland: scat analysis versus farmers' perceptions
Authors: Boast Lorraine , Houser AnnMarie , Horgan Jane , Reeves Harriet , Phale Phale , Klein Rebecca 
Published: March 2016

AbstractHuman–predator conflict is one of the biggest threats to large carnivore species worldwide. Its intensity is closely linked to farmer's attitudes and perceptions of predators. As a result, farmers' estimates of the number of livestock or game‐stock animals killed by predators are often formed based on the perceived number of predators present and their perceivably favoured prey species. This study aims to examine the prey preferences of cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus in relation to farmers' perceptions and the relative contribution of livestock and game‐stock to the cheetahs' diet. Cheetahs' prey preferences were determined through the cross‐sectional analysis of prey hair, found in cheetah scat. Cheetahs were found to predominantly prey on free‐ranging abundant game species, primarily kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros. Game ranchers overestimated the prominence of game‐stock to the cheetahs' diet, especially springbok Antidorcas marsupialis. Potential reasons for these discrepancies and the importance of abundant natural prey as a potential human–predator coexistence strategy are discussed.
High risk of drug‐induced microscopic colitis with concomitant use of NSAIDs and proton pump inhibitors
Authors: Verhaegh B. P. M. , de Vries F. , Masclee A. A. M. , Keshavarzian A. , de Boer A. , Souverein P. C. , Pierik M. J. , Jonkers D. M. A. E. 
Published: March 2016

SummaryBackgroundMicroscopic colitis (MC) is a chronic bowel disorder characterised by watery diarrhoea. Nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and statins have been associated with MC. However, underlying mechanisms remain unclear.AimTo study the association between exposure to these drugs and MC, with attention to time of exposure, duration, dosage and combined exposure, and to test hypotheses on underlying pharmacological mechanisms.MethodsA case–control study was conducted using the British Clinical Practice Research Datalink. MC cases (1992–2013) were matched to MC‐naive controls on age, sex and GP practice. Drug exposure was stratified according to time of exposure, duration of exposure or dosage. Conditional logistic regression analysis was applied to calculate adjusted odds ratios (AORs).ResultsIn total, 1211 cases with MC were matched to 6041 controls. Mean age was 63.4 years, with 73.2% being female. Current use of NSAIDs (AOR 1.86, 95% CI 1.39–2.49), PPIs (AOR 3.37, 95% CI 2.77–4.09) or SSRIs (AOR 2.03, 95% CI 1.58–2.61) was associated with MC compared to never or past use. Continuous use for 4–12 months further increased the risk of MC. Strongest associations (fivefold increased risk) were observed for concomitant use of PPIs and NSAIDs. Statins were not associated with MC.ConclusionsCurrent exposure to NSAIDs, PPIs or SSRIs and prolonged use for 4–12 months increased the risk of MC. Concomitant use of NSAIDs and PPIs showed the highest risk of MC. Acid suppression related dysbiosis may contribute to the PPI effect, which may be exacerbated by NSAID‐related side‐effects.