bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measuring employee perception of performance management system effectiveness
Authors: Sharma Neha Paliwal , Sharma Tanuja , Agarwal Madhushree Nanda 
Published: January 2016

Purpose– Concerns about the effectiveness of performance management systems (PMS) have long-driven researchers and practitioners to explore ways of measuring it. It is imperative for organizations to understand, how employees perceive the effectiveness of their PMS, for positive employee outcomes. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to explore the operationalization of the construct “employee perception of PMS effectiveness” (PMSE). An evidence of construct validity for the “two-factor PMS effectiveness” measure with perceived “PMS accuracy” and “PMS fairness” as its two factors is provided. In addition, a scale to measure “employee perception of PMS accuracy” is developed.Design/methodology/approach– Mixed-methods research methodology.Findings– Findings confirmed the possible existence of the two-factor PMSE construct, with PMS accuracy and fairness as its factors. Construct validity is established through its correlations with important outcome variables. The development of a valid and reliable 12-item scale for perceived PMS accuracy (Cronbachαvalue=0.83) is an additional key contribution.Research limitations/implications– The research presents opportunities for future empirical studies to examine the influence of PMS accuracy and effectiveness on employee outcomes (engagement, retention, etc.). Researchers may also cross-validate the PMSE measure in different socio-cultural contexts.Practical implications– The perceived PMS accuracy and effectiveness measures can serve as powerful investigative tools to measure employee perceptions regarding PMS. It can help organizations identify and correct the shortcomings in their existing PMS.Originality/value– This is the first paper to offer a cogent conceptualization and operationalization of employee perceptions of PMS accuracy and effectiveness. Hence, it has key implications for academics and practitioners.
Temporary agency workers shake a work community: a social capital perspective
Authors: Viitala Riitta , Kantola Jenni 
Published: January 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the kinds of effects that using a temporary agency workforce may cause on an organisational level, especially on relations between employees. In this study the authors explore the organisation as a community, leaning on the theory of social capital.Design/methodology/approach– The data were gathered via semi-structured interviews with 18 temporary agency workers and five employees in permanent positions. Discourse analysis with some degree of pragmatism was employed in comprehending the speech of the interviewees.Findings– The position of agency workers may be problematic from the perspective of social capital formulation in a work organisation. The short duration of contracts and different conditions of employment shake relations in a work group. Agency workers may also be outside the information flows. Additionally the norms and rules may be different for temporary and permanent employees and thus cause confusion.Research limitations/implications– The findings will hopefully provoke researchers to investigate the effects of using a temporary agency workforce in different organisational contexts. In addition, the study indicates that the theory of social capital is fruitful for investigating the topic on the organisational level.Practical implications– The use of agency workforce should be considered comprehensively in organisations. Its effects on work organisations may be conflicting. If temporary agency workers are needed as interim help, HRM practices should be developed in order to minimise the potential problems in terms of social capital.Originality/value– The study adopted an organisational perspective on the agency workforce, which is still rare in studies on the topic.
Technology induced competitive advantage: a case of US lodging industry
Authors: Bilgihan Anil , Wang Youcheng 
Published: January 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this research is to assist hospitality organizations to better deploy and manage their information technology (IT) resources and enhance overall effectiveness by demonstrating how technologies can be used as a competitive weapon at various levels from a managerial perspective. Both academia and practitioners attempt to understand the driving factors of IT-induced competitive advantage. While some firms enjoy competitive advantage through IT, others struggle to gain such competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approach– AHLA E-Commerce and Technology Committee members were interviewed for their knowledge and insight toward the perceived problem. The committee comprises technology executives who meet twice per year to discuss the changing face of technology and e-business in the hospitality industry. Participants of this study consisted of vice presidents, CTO/CIOs of hotels, CEOs of hospitality technology vendors and academics who focus on hospitality technology research.Findings– Findings indicate that IT-induced competitive advantage is possible when hotels choose to integrate all the possible technologies in the organization with a harmony that creates synergy. To create IT-induced competitive advantage, firms also need to allocate resources (human, knowledge and capital) effectively and invest in innovative and sophisticated technologies.Research limitations/implications– IT can be used to create competitive advantage by means of differentiation, innovation, channel domination, cost reductions and efficiency improvements.Practical implications– Four distinct stages of IT usage were identified. The first is the operation stage which includes technologies that are solely used to manage daily business operations. The second is the enhancement stage where IT applications are used to increase productivity and efficiency. IT applications at the strategic stage improves intra-organization and inter-organizational business processes. Finally, IT applications at the transformation stage enable companies to achieve the maximum competitive advantage.Originality/value– The current research serves to fill the gap between academia and industry.
Online impulse buying of tourism products
Authors: Rezaei Sajad , Ali Faizan , Amin Muslim , Jayashree Sreenivasan 
Published: January 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the structural relationship between web site personality, utilitarian web browsing, hedonic web browsing and online impulse buying of tourism products.Design/methodology/approach– A total of 405 valid online questionnaires were collected to empirically test the measurement and structural model using partial least square path modelling approach, a variance-based structural equation modelling technique. The study sample includes experienced online shoppers who performed shopping tourism products and services via internet medium.Findings– The results imply that web site personality is a second-order reflective construct comprising solidity, enthusiasm, genuineness, sophistication and unpleasantness. web site personality positively influences utilitarian web browsing, hedonic web browsing and online impulse buying; and both hedonic web browsing and utilitarian web browsing positively influence online impulse buying.Originality/value– Online impulse buying of tourism products has not been profoundly explored in current literature, despite its important implication for managers, academicians and consumers alike. This study contributes to the field of e-commerce marketing, retailing and e-tourism research.
Time-related factors influencing on an itinerary planning system
Authors: Angskun Jitimon , Korbua Sasiwimon , Angskun Thara 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– This paper aims to focus on time-related factors influencing on an itinerary planning system. The research objective is to produce an itinerary planning system which balances between the limited time of traveler and the number of tourist attractions they can visit. This system should facilitate travelers by presenting candidate itineraries that visit attractions as much as possible under several time-related factors.

Design/methodology/approach
– To achieve the goal, an itinerary planning system has been designed and developed. The system considers several time-related factors including acceptable total travel time specified by travelers, time-related factors at an attraction (e.g. time zones, opening hours and visiting time) and time-related factors of traveling (e.g. road obstructions, weather, date and time and rest time). A routing algorithm which is aware of these time-related factors has been introduced to find candidate itineraries.

Findings
– The performance of developed itinerary planning system has been evaluated by measuring speed and accuracy of seven traveling situations under different time-related factors. The experimental results indicate that the proposed routing algorithm spends less planning time than the traditional exhaustive routing algorithm. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm over the exhaustive algorithm is approximately 46 per cent while the accuracy is equal. Additionally, this designed system is evaluated by usability testing from nine experts. The evaluation is performed by measuring the user satisfaction level with the ability of user–system interaction. The results show that the overall system usability is in very satisfied level.

Research limitations/implications
– The designed itinerary planning system has three limitations. First, Google maps technology could not find information of some tourist attractions because these places were marked with several coordinates on the map. Second, holiday periods are manually kept into the database of system; therefore, it is necessary to annually and manually update the information. Third, the developed system is an online planner; thus, the speed of system depends on the bandwidth of users.

Practical implications
– The designed itinerary planning system considers time-related factors as much as possible and more than the existing planning systems. This implies that the designed system is one of the most accurate planning systems in practice. Thus, the tourism business could rely on the developed itinerary planning system to help travel agents plan a travel itinerary properly and receive an accurate and up-to-date travel explanation to their customers.

Originality/value
– This research proposes the novel design and implementation of an itinerary planning system which can suggest candidate itineraries, which visit maximum attractions under several time-related factors.
Work attitudes of Generation Y in Macau’s hotel industry: management’s perspective
Authors: Fok Raymond H.M. , Yeung Ruth M. W. 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– This study aims to explore the factors that affect the work attitudes of Generation Y towards the hotel industry in Macau from the perspective of senior management.

Design/methodology/approach
– Using a purposeful sampling method, an in-depth interview with five executives in the hotel industry who are having a supervisory or managerial role from different departments and types of hotels was undertaken; the executives have a supervisory or managerial role from different departments and types of hotel.

Findings
– The results reveal that attitudes of Generation Y lack the key aspects that potential staff should carry, but organizational culture and human resource management strategies, as well as external environment, can influence Generation Y’s work attitudes and loyalty. The findings also indicate that building Generation Y’s positive work attitudes and moderating the negatives are vital roles of human resource management strategy to maintain service performance.

Originality/value
– A comprehensive Generation Y work-attitude framework is developed, and this study incorporates practitioner engagement in real-world practice, which impacts upon service performance in the hotel industry.
US and Chinese perceptions of simulated US courtesy
Authors: Li Jing , Canziani Bonnie , Hsieh Yuchin 
Published: January 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this study was to identify similarities and differences in US and Chinese subjects’ emotional responses to and perceptions of courtesy of simulated English-language communication prompts.Design/methodology/approach– Data were collected through a web-based stimulus administered on US and Chinese students. Subject responses to eye contact and smile images and a set of verbal expressions were measured on ratings of emotion and courtesy.Findings– Smiling with direct eye contact and warmed-up verbal expressions were found to elicit a higher level of emotional response and were perceived as viable server politeness cues. US and Chinese participants had similar responses to facial and verbal prompts.Originality/value– This paper contributes to understanding about service employee cues, such as courtesy, that can influence service quality in a cross-cultural tourism setting.
Induction of melasma by 1064‐nm Q‐switched neodymium:yttrium–aluminum–garnet laser therapy for acquired bilateral nevus of Ota‐like macules (Hori nevus): A study on related factors in the Chinese population
Authors: Wang Ben , Xie Hong‐fu , Tan Jun , Xie Hong‐ju , Xu Lin‐yong , Ding Rong , Liu Fang‐fen , Chen Xiang , Jian Dan , Li Ji 
Published: January 2016

AbstractLaser treatment has emerged as a common treatment modality for acquired bilateral nevus of Ota‐like macules (ABNOM). To identify the ratio of melasma induction and exacerbation before and after laser therapy for ABNOM and to observe the risk factors related to the induction and exacerbation of melasma by laser therapy, we analyzed related factors of 1268 adult Chinese patients who underwent 1064‐nm Q‐switched neodymium:yttrium–aluminum–garnet (Nd:YAG) laser (QNYL) treatment using case series and case–control studies. Overall, 24.0% of the ABNOM patients had mixed melasma. Among the ABNOM patients without melasma, after laser therapy the development of melasma was more frequently noted in patients older than 35 years (P < 0.0001), as well in patients whose ABNOM was less than 10 cm2 (P = 0.027), ABNOM were light (similar to yellow‐brown) in color (P = 0.021) and skin types were closer to type IV (P < 0.0001). New melasma lesions also appeared most frequently in the zygomatic region (P < 0.0001). Among the ABNOM patients with melasma, 89.5% experienced worsening of their melasma, irrespective of their related factors above. We concluded that the risk of inducing melasma is great after 1064‐nm QNYL treatment in ABNOM patients, and particularly in the patients with both ABNOM and melasma. ABNOM patients should be treated as early as possible and before the age of 35 years.
Using dynamic occupancy models to inform climate change adaptation strategies for California spotted owls
Authors: Jones Gavin M. , Gutiérrez Ralph J. , Tempel Douglas J. , Zuckerberg Benjamin , Peery M. Zachariah 
Published: January 2016

Summary

Management strategies intended to reduce the impacts of future climate change on montane species ought to consider fine‐scale variation in microclimate (e.g. because of topography) and vegetation conditions that create climate refugia. Identifying potential refugia and quantifying their importance is facilitated by analytical approaches that explicitly model associations between dynamic population processes and environmental conditions.

We developed a population model to project future site occupancy dynamics in spotted owls Strix occidentalis under climate change and forest‐management scenarios. The model was parameterized with statistical relationships derived from dynamic occupancy analyses applied to 20 years of spotted owl presence/nondetection data in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA. This approach allowed us to link colonization and extinction processes with spatial and temporal variation in vegetation characteristics, microclimate and weather while accounting for imperfect detection.

Occupancy analyses indicated that greater prevalence of closed‐canopy forest in owl sites was associated with lower extinction and higher colonization rates. Both rates increased following consecutive warm summers, but warm summer temperatures had a greater effect on extinction than colonization. Following the warmest summers, extinction was most likely to occur in owl sites with cool microclimates and relatively little closed‐canopy forest, but extinction became considerably less likely in cool microclimates when greater amounts of closed‐canopy forest were present. By comparison, extinction probability was lower at owl sites with warmer microclimates and relatively invariant to the amount of closed‐canopy forest present.

Simulations of our population model suggested that managing for greater amounts of closed‐canopy forest may ameliorate the potential negative effects of warm summer temperatures by the mid‐century, especially at high elevations. The model also allowed us to identify sites where potential management efforts would be most effective.

Synthesis and applications. By modelling environmental processes influencing site colonization and extinction dynamics, we were able to identify features of potential climate change refugia for a montane species of management interest that could be promoted by land managers to increase species persistence. We also provided a general, process‐based population modelling approach for projecting changes in animal populations and developing habitat‐based climate change adaptation strategies using presence/nondetection data.
Referendums on Membership and European Integration 1972–2015
Authors: Qvortrup Matt 
Published: January 2016

AbstractThere are many myths about referendums. The most common one is that voters are inherently sceptical and tend to vote no when given the opportunity. This article analyses some of the commonly held ‘truths’ about referendums on EU matters. Based on a statistical analysis of all forty‐three EU‐related referendums since 1972, it shows that governments tend to lose referendums if they have been in office for a long time, that emotive words on the ballot paper are correlated with a high yes vote and that a high turnout is correlated with a vote against European integration, but campaign spending is inconsequential. Based solely on statistical evidence from the previous forty‐three referendums, the opponents of EU membership will win the Brexit referendum.
Healthy Food Stores, Greenlining and Food Gentrification: Contesting New Forms of Privilege, Displacement and Locally Unwanted Land Uses in Racially Mixed Neighborhoods
Authors: Anguelovski Isabelle 
Published: January 2016

AbstractLocal activists engaged in contemporary environmental justice struggles not only fight against traditional forms of hazardous locally unwanted land uses (LULUs), they also organize to make their neighborhoods livable and green. However, urban environmental justice activism is at a crossroads: as marginalized neighborhoods become revitalized, outside investors start to value them again and they themselves invest in green amenities. Yet vulnerable residents are now raising concerns about the risk of displacement from their neighborhoods in consequence of environmental gentrification processes. Their fear is linked to environmental amenities such as new parks or remodeled waterfronts, as well as (most recently) healthy food stores. Using the case of a conflict around a new Whole Foods supermarket in Boston, MA, I examine how food venues and stores labeled as healthy and natural can create socio‐spatial inequality together with privilege, exclusion and displacement in racially diverse neighborhoods. I analyze how high‐end supermarket chains target inner‐city neighborhoods for their growth and profit potential, and demonstrate that their arrival contributes to what I call ‘supermarket greenlining'. This greenlining illustrates the process of food gentrification, and the manipulation of health and sustainability discourses about food by healthy and natural food investors and their supporters. The opening of high‐end supermarkets thus converts such stores into new LULUs for historically marginalized groups.
Educational effectiveness of gynaecological teaching associates: a multi‐centre randomised controlled trial
Authors: Duffy JMN , Chequer S , Braddy A , Mylan S , Royuela A , Zamora J , Ip J , Hayden S , Showell M , Kinnersley P , Chenoy R , Westwood OM , Khan KS , Cushing A 
Published: January 2016

ObjectiveTo evaluate, among medical students learning the female pelvic examination, the added benefits of training by gynaecological teaching associates compared with training involving a manikin only.DesignRandomised controlled trial.SettingNine university teaching hospitals.PopulationNinety‐four medical students recruited prior to commencing a 4‐week obstetrics and gynaecology rotation.MethodsThe control training consisted of lectures, demonstration of the pelvic examination on a manikin, and opportunities to practise on this low‐fidelity simulation (n = 40). The experimental group received additional gynaecological teaching associate training, delivered by pairs of experienced associates to groups of four medical students (n = 54).Main outcome measuresOutcomes measured at the end of the rotation included knowledge of the correct order of examination components (Yes/No), and student comfort [Likert scales anchored between 1 (very uncomfortable) and 4 (very comfortable) on four items] and confidence [Likert scales anchored between 1 (No) and 3 (Yes) on six items]. The primary outcome, measured at the end of the academic year, was the objective structured clinical examination of a female pelvis (score range 0–54).ResultsAt baseline, the groups were similar in age, gender, and ethnicity. At the end of the clinical rotation, when compared with the control intervention, the experimental intervention had a moderate effect on student knowledge [difference 29.9% (95% CI 11.2–48.6%); P = 0.002] and confidence [difference 1 (95% CI 0‐2); P < 0.001], and a large effect on student comfort [difference 1.8 (95% CI 0.6–3.0); P = 0.004]. At the end of the academic year, the experimental intervention had no impact on skills compared with the control [difference 2 (95% CI–1 to 4); P = 0.26].ConclusionsAmong medical students taught the female pelvic examination by low‐fidelity simulation, additional training by gynaecology teaching associates improved knowledge, comfort, and confidence at the end of the clinical rotation but did not improve examination skills at end of the academic year.
Dynamic changes in microbiota and mycobiota during spontaneous ‘VinoSantoTrentino’ fermentation
Authors: Stefanini Irene , Albanese Davide , Cavazza Agostino , Franciosi Elena , De Filippo Carlotta , Donati Claudio , Cavalieri Duccio 
Published: January 2016

SummaryVinoSanto is a sweet wine produced from late harvesting and pressing of Nosiola grapes in a small, well‐defined geographical area in theItalian Alps. We used metagenomics to characterize the dynamics of microbial communities in the products of three wineries, resulting from spontaneous fermentation with almost the same timing and procedure. Comparing fermentation dynamics and grape microbial composition, we show a rapid increase in a small number of wine yeast species, with a parallel decrease in complexity. Despite the application of similar protocols, slight changes in the procedures led to significant differences in the microbiota in the three cases of fermentation: (i) fungal content of the must varied significantly in the different wineries, (ii)Pichia membranifacienspersisted in only one of the wineries, (iii) one fermentation was characterized by the balanced presence ofSaccharomyces cerevisiaeandHanseniaspora osmophiladuring the later phases. We suggest the existence of a highly winery‐specific ‘microbial‐terroir’ contributing significantly to the final product rather than a regional ‘terroir’. Analysis of changes in abundance during fermentation showed evident correlations between different species, suggesting that fermentation is the result of a continuum of interaction between different species and physical–chemical parameters.