bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Investigating pro-environmental behaviors of well-educated people in Thailand
Authors: Janmaimool Piyapong 
Published: November 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the environmental behaviors of well-educated people in Thailand. Determinants of individuals’ involvement in pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) are evaluated.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory model was created to investigate the relationship between PEBs and potential predictors that were selected based on the purposes of environmental risk communication and environmental education improvements. Those factors included dispositional, attitudinal, motivational, environmental knowledge, and psychosocial characteristics. Questionnaire surveys with well-educated people (n=810), that is those holding an educational qualification that ranged from a senior high school degree to a doctoral degree, were conducted. Multiple regression analysis was performed to justify the proposed relationship.FindingsThe result revealed that PEBs of well-educated people could be greatly predicted by an individual’s sense of obligation, perceived probability of receiving impacts from environmental problems, outcome expectancy from environmental behaviors, and environmental knowledge related to environmental phenomena and appropriate environmental actions; whereas, an individual’s environmental worldview and life satisfaction were less significant. Moreover, most of psychosocial variables were not significant predictors.Originality/valueFactors determining well-educated people’s engagement in PEBs were evaluated. The results of the investigation provided the implications for environmental risk communication and environmental education improvements.
Informal economies and scholastic epistemocentrism: a reflexive rethinking
Authors: Danielsson Anna 
Published: November 2017

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine three explanatory perspectives in the academic literature on informal economies that seek to account for agents’ engagement in informal economic practices.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on Pierre Bourdieu’s reflexive sociology to interrogate the existing perspectives and to provide a conceptual rethinking of informal economies and informal economic practices.

Findings
The paper reveals an inherent scholastic epistemocentrism in the established perspectives. By privileging either an objectivist or a subjectivist viewpoint, these accounts do not examine the practical knowledge and logic that constitute agents’ knowledgeable engagement in informal economic practices. By making use of Bourdieu’s thinking tools of “field”, “capital” and “the habitus”, the paper offers a conceptual rethinking of informal economic practices as the product of a dialectic relationship between socially objectivated structures and subjective representations and experiences.

Originality/value
The paper introduces a reflexive rethinking of informality that draws on but also develops an emergent literature on informal economic practices as relational and context bound.
Safeguarding practice in England where access to an adult at risk is obstructed by a third party: findings from a survey
Authors: Manthorpe Jill , Stevens Martin , Martineau Stephen , Norrie Caroline 
Published: November 2017

Purpose
Being able to speak in private to an adult about whom there is a safeguarding concern is central to English local authorities’ duty under the Care Act 2014 to make enquiries in such cases. While there has been an on-going debate about whether social workers or others should have new powers to effect these enquiries, it has been unclear how common obstructive behaviour by third parties is and how often this causes serious problems or is unresolved. The purpose of this paper is to address this knowledge gap.

Design/methodology/approach
A survey of local authority adult safeguarding managers was conducted in 2016 and interviews were undertaken with managers and social workers in three local authorities. Data were analysed descriptively.

Findings
Estimates of numbers and frequency of cases of obstruction varied widely. Most survey respondents and interview participants described situations where there had been some problems in accessing an adult at risk. Those that were serious and long-standing problems of access were few in number, but were time consuming and often distressing for the professionals involved.

Research limitations/implications
Further survey research on the prevalence of obstructive behaviour of third parties may not command greater response rates unless there is a specific policy proposal or a case that has “hit the headlines”. Other forms of data collection and reporting may be worth considering. Interview data likewise potentially suffer from problems of recall and definition.

Practical implications
At times professionals will hear of, or encounter, difficulties in accessing an adult at risk about whom there is concern. Support from supervisors and managers is needed by practitioners as such cases can be distressing. Localities may wish to collect and reflect upon such cases so that there is learning from practice about possible resolution and outcomes.

Social implications
There is no evidence of large numbers of cases where access is denied or very difficult. Those cases where there are problems are memorable to practitioners. Small numbers of cases, however, do not necessarily mean that the problem of gaining access is insignificant.

Originality/value
This study addressed a question which is topical in England and provides evidence about the frequency of the problem of gaining access to adults at risk. There has been no comparable study in England.
Elder abuse screening tools: a systematic review
Authors: McCarthy Louise , Campbell Susan , Penhale Bridget 
Published: November 2017

Purpose
Elder abuse results in high rates of morbidity and mortality. It has longstanding physical and psychological effects and is difficult to detect. Due to fear or embarrassment, victims may make attempts to hide it rather than to disclose and professionals are often reluctant to report it as they may worry about worsening a situation. If detected early enough, serious harm can be prevented and lives saved. Screening and screening tools can assist health and social care practitioners to detect abuse. This review of screening tools was undertaken as part of an MSc in clinical research, funded by the National Institute for Health Research; the purpose of this paper is to report on the review and its findings.

Design/methodology/approach
This was a systematic review with eligibility inclusion and exclusion criteria decided in advance. Keywords and their synonyms were combined and then used to search health and social care databases. Data items were collected from the included studies. The preferred reporting item for systematic reviews and meta-analysis was followed for the reporting of the results. A narrative synthesis approach was applied to the analysis.

Findings
A total of 34 full text studies were downloaded, read and analysed. In all, 11 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Of these, three studies reported sensitivity and specificity, with the remainder reporting validity and reliability testing. In total, 12 tools of varying length and quality were found. The length and characteristics of tools affects the efficacy of their use. The clinical environment will determine choice of screening tool to be used. Screening tools should be used within an overall system of detection and management of abuse.

Research limitations/implications
The synthesis of results was challenging due to the lack of homogeneity between the included studies. The variations in tool characteristics and qualities added to this challenge. A further limitation was the lack of a gold standard tool in elder abuse.

Originality/value
This systematic review highlights a lack of robust evidence in the development and validation of screening tools to detect elder abuse. Though there is an increasing awareness and knowledge about elder abuse, its detection remains problematic and the lack of research in this area is worth emphasising. Specific tools, centred on the clinical setting in which they are used, are recommended.
Small business performance in Thailand: key success factors
Authors: Mandhachitara Rujirutana , Allapach Siriporn (NaPombhejara) 
Published: November 2017

PurposeThis paper investigates how affirmative leadership management styles, market orientation and marketing intelligence drive the performance of small business enterprises in Bangkok, Thailand.Design/methodology/approachSmall business performance is a formative measurement consisting of financial and marketing metrics. Other constructs are reflective. Some 200 manager-owners of small businesses were interviewed. The authors use structural modeling, partial least squares (PLS).Research limitations/implicationsThe data were collected from two of 50 districts in Bangkok. The study is cross-sectional. Performance measures were self-reported.Practical implicationsBuilding and exercising affirmative leadership skills and behaviors in small business operations is crucial. Small businesses should focus their recruitment on this quality. Affirmative leaders must create and promote a systematic approach to gathering and analyzing market intelligence on customers and competitors and utilize this strategically.Originality/valueThis empirical paper establishes two important mediating roles of market orientation. First, affirmative leadership is necessary to motivate a market-oriented enterprise in its successful performance. Second, marketing intelligence contributes to business performance when it is driven by market orientation.
Experiencing microfinance
Authors: Ukanwa Irene , Xiong Lin , Anderson Alistair 
Published: November 2017

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the problem of why the poorest, most disadvantaged groups such as rural African women, benefit less from microfinance. The authors focus on the perception and experiences of ordinary rural entrepreneurial women on microfinance in a context of extreme poverty and where family responsibility and economic activities are closely intertwined.Design/methodology/approachThe authors purposefully sampled 15 poor females with small businesses in two Nigerian villages. The key characteristic guiding the sampling was that the respondents had to be poor. The authors held two focus groups and ten interviews to capture their experience and understanding of microfinance. The authors used thematic analysis to establish patterns in the data.FindingsFor poor entrepreneurial women, a livelihood for survival, putting food on the table and paying school fees are priorities, not business growth. They see microcredit as debt and a great risk that could lead to irreversible losses. Family responsibilities for basic consumption needs of the household can affect their ability to repay loans; perceived dangers of microcredit may outweigh potential benefits.Research limitations/implicationsThe theories, especially functionalist economic theory, do not take account of microfinance users’ experiences.Practical implicationsMicrofinance should be aware that the poorest perceive microcredit differently and should eliminate the intimidating barriers raised to them. Instead of providing a means for the poor to alleviate poverty or coping strategies for them to manage cash flows and risks, microfinance causes fear and anxiety by demanding high rate of return in a very short period of time.Social implicationsThe very poorest, who should be the beneficiaries of microfinance, are less likely to be able to benefit. The condition of poverty creates different realities for those at the base of the pyramid.Originality/valueThis research questions the neoliberal rationality assumptions that microfinance rest on; the paper fills a gap in the literature, i.e. how the potential borrowers themselves living in deep-rooted poverty perceive and experience microfinance.
Increasing e-government adoption in Malaysia: MyEG case study
Authors: Husin Mohd Heikal , Loghmani Niloufar , Zainal Abidin Siti Salbiah 
Published: November 2017

Purpose
This paper aims to study user acceptance of one of the Malaysian e-government services known as MyEG via a theoretical framework. The results are compared to a similar research conducted in Singapore. The motivation and benefits derived from this research can be used to improve the overall quality of services provided by MyEG and to enhance the efficiency as well as accountability of this e-government service.

Design/methodology/approach
This research was conducted by applying a theoretical framework known as technology acceptance model involving several factors such as intention to use, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, image, compatibility and trust. The research data were then validated by examining similar factors that had significance results, followed by the development of a simple prototype.

Findings
The results obtained from this research would be beneficial to enhance the level of adoption among the citizens in Malaysia. The identification of the different factors influencing the acceptance levels of users can also provide a better vision on the end-user perspective for MyEG developers and lead them to achieve better results in future platform developments. In addition, this study also fills the current existing gap in e-government research of Malaysia and contributes to the literature on the public users’ perspective of e-government services.

Practical implications
The results from this research would provide effective guidance to developers of e-government platforms to include specific criteria that would attract the general public in using the platforms.

Social implications
Besides that, it provides a new perspective from the general public on their interest to use any e-government platform specifically MyEG.

Originality/value
The findings of this research would assist in the improvement of the implementation and adoption of the current MyEG system. Besides that, this research will allow researchers to gain new insights about e-government services and apply the knowledge to further improve the current and other platform development.
Ammonia‐oxidising archaea living at low pH: Insights from comparative genomics
Authors: Herbold Craig W. , Lehtovirta‐Morley Laura E. , Jung Man‐Young , Jehmlich Nico , Hausmann Bela , Han Ping , Loy Alexander , Pester Michael , Sayavedra‐Soto Luis A. , Rhee Sung‐Keun , Prosser James I. , Nicol Graeme W. , Wagner Michael , Gubry‐Rangin Cécile 
Published: November 2017

SummaryObligate acidophilic members of the thaumarchaeotal genus Candidatus Nitrosotalea play an important role in nitrification in acidic soils, but their evolutionary and physiological adaptations to acidic environments are still poorly understood, with only a single member of this genus (Ca. N. devanaterra) having its genome sequenced. In this study, we sequenced the genomes of two additional cultured Ca. Nitrosotalea strains, extracted an almost complete Ca. Nitrosotalea metagenome‐assembled genome from an acidic fen, and performed comparative genomics of the four Ca. Nitrosotalea genomes with 19 other archaeal ammonia oxidiser genomes. Average nucleotide and amino acid identities revealed that the four Ca. Nitrosotalea strains represent separate species within the genus. The four Ca. Nitrosotalea genomes contained a core set of 103 orthologous gene families absent from all other ammonia‐oxidizing archaea and, for most of these gene families, expression could be demonstrated in laboratory culture or the environment via proteomic or metatranscriptomic analyses respectively. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that four of these core gene families were acquired by the Ca. Nitrosotalea common ancestor via horizontal gene transfer from acidophilic representatives of Euryarchaeota. We hypothesize that gene exchange with these acidophiles contributed to the competitive success of the Ca. Nitrosotalea lineage in acidic environments.
Mimicking microbial interactions under nitrate‐reducing conditions in an anoxic bioreactor: enrichment of novel Nitrospirae bacteria distantly related to Thermodesulfovibrio
Authors: Arshad Arslan , Dalcin Martins Paula , Frank Jeroen , Jetten Mike S. M. , Op den Camp Huub J. M. , Welte Cornelia U. 
Published: November 2017

SummaryMicroorganisms are main drivers of the sulfur, nitrogen and carbon biogeochemical cycles. These elemental cycles are interconnected by the activity of different guilds in sediments or wastewater treatment systems. Here, we investigated a nitrate‐reducing microbial community in a laboratory‐scale bioreactor model that closely mimicked estuary or brackish sediment conditions. The bioreactor simultaneously consumed sulfide, methane and ammonium at the expense of nitrate. Ammonium oxidation occurred solely by the activity of anammox bacteria identified as Candidatus Scalindua brodae and Ca. Kuenenia stuttgartiensis. Fifty‐three percent of methane oxidation was catalyzed by archaea affiliated to Ca. Methanoperedens and 47% by Ca. Methylomirabilis bacteria. Sulfide oxidation was mainly shared between two proteobacterial groups. Interestingly, competition for nitrate did not lead to exclusion of one particular group. Metagenomic analysis showed that the most abundant taxonomic group was distantly related to Thermodesulfovibrio sp. (87–89% 16S rRNA gene identity, 52–54% average amino acid identity), representing a new family within the Nitrospirae phylum. A high quality draft genome of the new species was recovered, and analysis showed high metabolic versatility. Related microbial groups are found in diverse environments with sulfur, nitrogen and methane cycling, indicating that these novel Nitrospirae bacteria might contribute to biogeochemical cycling in natural habitats.
Many Hands Lighter Work? Deciphering the Relationship between Adverse Working Conditions and Organization Citizenship Behaviours in Small and Medium‐sized Enterprises during a Severe Economic Crisis
Authors: Psychogios Alexandros , Nyfoudi Margarita , Theodorakopoulos Nicholas , Szamosi Leslie T. , Prouska Rea 
Published: November 2017

AbstractWhat is the relationship between adverse working conditions and employees’ organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) operating under a severe economic crisis? To address this question, a survey of 312 front‐line workers was undertaken in 62 Greek SMEs − an instrumental setting where the current deterioration of working conditions is acute. Our contribution is twofold. First, we develop and test a scale for measuring adverse working conditions. Second, we decipher the extent to which such conditions relate to organizational and individual aspects of OCB, considering job satisfaction's mediating role. Through this research we extend the OCB literature within the context of SMEs operating under severe economic crisis and highlight the implications for managing human resources in SMEs, a sector conspicuous for its socio‐economic significance and its vulnerability during economic downturns.
The German Federal Election of 2017: How the Wedge Issue of Refugees and Migration Took the Shine off Chancellor Merkel and Transformed the Party System
Authors: Dostal Jörg Michael 
Published: November 2017

AbstractThe 2017 German federal election delivered dramatic electoral decline of the two traditional main parties, the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), who had governed Germany in a ‘grand coalition’ government since 2013. The main reason for this outcome was the decision by Chancellor Angela Merkel to open Germany's borders for refugees and migrants, an unprecedented policy that abandoned border controls and remained in place between September 2015 and March 2016. This article focuses on how the refugee and migration problem subsequently turned into a wedge issue, splitting most German political parties and handing a major election victory to the main critics of Merkel's decision, namely the rightist Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the right‐wing liberals of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). Rather than explaining these developments in isolation, the article highlights how past welfare state retrenchment and fear over future economic prosperity make significant groups of the electorate, including former supporters of left‐of‐centre parties, lose confidence in the ability of the political system to deliver stability and social integration.
Clarity of responsibility and foreign policy performance voting
Authors: OKTAY SIBEL 
Published: November 2017

AbstractDo voters’ assessments of the government's foreign policy performance influence their vote intentions? Does the ‘clarity of responsibility’ in government moderate this relationship? Existing research on the United States demonstrates that the electorate's foreign policy evaluations influence voting behaviour. Whether a similar relationship exists across the advanced democracies in Europe remains understudied, as does the role of domestic political institutions that might generate responsibility diffusion and dampen the effect of foreign policy evaluations on vote choice. Using the attitudinal measures of performance from the 2011 Transatlantic Trends survey collected across 13 European countries, these questions are answered in this study through testing on incumbent vote the diffusion‐inducing effects of five key domestic factors frequently used in the foreign policy analysis literature. Multilevel regression analyses conclude that the electorate's ability to assign punishment decreases at higher levels of responsibility diffusion, allowing policy makers to circumvent the electoral costs of unpopular foreign policy. Specifically, coalition governments, semi‐presidential systems, ideological dispersion among the governing parties and the diverse allocation of the prime ministerial and foreign policy portfolios generate diffusion, dampening the negative effects of foreign policy disapproval on vote choice. This article contributes not only to the debate on the role of foreign policy in electoral politics, but also illustrates the consequential effects of domestic institutions on this relationship.