bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Who are the self‐publishers?
Authors: BAVERSTOCK Alison , STEINITZ Jackie 
Published: June 2013

ABSTRACTThis paper describes new research into the motivations, demographics, processes, and outcomes of self‐publishing authors of books. The findings challenge traditionally held notions about self‐publishing being a process undertaken by the untalented, as a last resort. The cohort studied emerges as highly educated, often well informed about the publishing process, and generally very positive about the self‐publishing experience. As the number of people self‐publishing continues to grow and associated technology progresses, a number of fundamental implications for stakeholders in both the non‐fiction and fiction publishing business pipelines are noted. With disintermediation now widespread, there will be increased pressure on the traditional industry to adapt its business models and focus on adding value. At the same time, opportunities in publishing services can be identified and the role of the author is significantly enhanced. Parallels between the cultures and processes of academic and self‐publishing authors are discussed; these will set the scene for future research.
Modeling of multi‐cycle deformation of polymers with various deformation programs
Authors: Drozdov A.D. , Dusunceli N. 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare mechanical response of polypropylene in multi‐cycle tensile tests with strain‐controlled and mixed deformation programs and to develop constitutive equations that describe quantitatively the experimental data.Design/methodology/approachMulti‐cycle tensile tests are performed on isotactic polypropylene with strain‐controlled (oscillations between fixed maximum and minimum strains) and mixed (oscillations between a fixed maximum strain and the zero minimum stress) programs. A constitutive model is derived in cyclic viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity of semicrystalline polymers, and its parameters are found by fitting observations. The effect of damage accumulation of material parameters is analyzed numerically.FindingsThe model predicts accurately mechanical behavior of polypropylene in tests with numbers of cycles strongly exceeding those used to determine its parameters. In the regime of developed damage, material constants in the stress‐strain relations are independent of deformation program.Originality/valueA novel constitutive model is derived in cyclic viscoelastoplasticity of semicrystalline polymers and comparison of its adjustable parameters is performed for different deformation programs.
Wave propagation in electro‐magneto‐elastic solid plate of polygonal cross‐sections
Authors: Ponnusamy P. 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to describe the method for solving vibration problem of electro‐magneto‐elastic plate of polygonal (triangle, square, pentagon and hexagon) cross‐sections using Fourier expansion collocation method (FECM).Design/methodology/approachA mathematical model is developed to study the wave propagation in an electro‐magneto‐elastic plate of polygonal cross‐sections using the theory of elasticity. The frequency equations are obtained from the arbitrary cross‐sectional boundary conditions, since the boundary is irregular in shape; it is difficult to satisfy the boundary conditions along the surface of the plate directly. Hence, the FECM is applied along the boundary to satisfy the boundary conditions. The roots of the frequency equations are obtained by using the secant method, applicable for complex roots.FindingsFrom the literature survey, it is clear that the free vibration of electro‐magneto‐elastic plate of polygonal cross‐sections have not been analyzed by any of the researchers, also the previous investigations in the vibration problems of electro‐magneto‐elastic plates are based on the traditional circular cross‐sections only. So, in this paper, the wave propagation in electro‐magneto‐elastic plate of polygonal cross‐sections is studied using the FECM. The computed non‐dimensional frequencies are plotted in the form of dispersion curves and their characteristics are discussed.Originality/valueThe researchers have discussed the circular, rectangular, triangular and square cross‐sectional plates by the boundary conditions. In this problem, the author studied the vibrations of polygonal (triangle, square, pentagon and hexagon) cross‐sectional plates using the geometrical relation which is applicable to all the cross‐sections. The problem may be extended to any kinds of cross‐sections by using the proper geometrical relations.
Documenting Essex‐Boy as a local gendered regime
Authors: Smith Robert 
Published: June 2013

PurposeAs a social construct, entrepreneurship is portrayed as an unashamedly masculine endeavour. This forms the basis for much feminist research in entrepreneurship. Despite a sustained research effort in the field of gendered entrepreneurship research this polarised viewpoint remains under researched from the perspective of masculinity. Rather than perpetuate the polarity this short article aims to consider the concept of gendered entrepreneurial regimes as an explanatory variable.Design/methodology/approachUsing documentary analysis techniques this article seeks to document the existence of a particular gendered local regime in the form of “Essex‐Boy culture”.FindingsThe findings although tentative indicate that as a recognised gendered local regime Essex‐Boy identity manifests itself physically at a conceptual, gendered, geographic, community and cultural level. Semiotically it can be expressed as a legitimate business identity, a criminal identity, a celebrity status, a political identity, as parody, caricature and as metaphor. It can be expressed as an ideology, a doxa, class position, a culture or as an initiating dream. It also exists at a narrative level via memoires, biographies, jokes or scripted insult.Research limitations/implicationsGiven that this is a preliminary study based on secondary documents there is clearly scope for other studies to be conducted into this interesting phenomenon.Social implicationsThe study has implications for what can be legitimately studied under the rubric of gendered entrepreneurial research.Originality/valueThis study is original in its exclusive use of documentary research/analysis to uncover gendered aspects of an under studied entrepreneurial regime.
A model for effective board governance in Uganda's services sector firms
Authors: Nkundabanyanga Stephen K. , Ahiauzu Augustine , Sejjaaka Samuel K. , Ntayi Joseph M. 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe present study was carried out with the purpose of establishing a model of effective board governance in Uganda's service sector firms.Design/methodology/approachThis study is cross‐sectional. The analysis was conducted using Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) software on a sample of 128 service firms in Uganda. The perceived effective board governance in Uganda was measured by the perceptions of 128 respondents who are managers or directors in each of those service firms. Three confirmatory factor analysis models were tested and fitted.FindingsThe three‐dimensional model of effective board governance in Uganda – consisting of control and meetings’ organization, board activity and effective communication – was determined to be the best fitting model. Evidence in support of relevant theories of board governance was adduced.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough plenty of literature on corporate governance exists, there is scarce literature on effective board governance conceptualization and this together with imprecise terminology regarding this area may have affected the authors’ conceptualization of the study. The authors’ study was limited to the service sector firms registered and operating in Kampala, Uganda and it is possible that their results are only applicable to this sector in Uganda. Nevertheless, policy makers of Uganda dealing with financial markets, academicians, company directors, company owners and even general readers interested in the area of effective board governance might find this paper handy.Practical implicationsThe authors believe that application of their model should improve the quality of board governance in Uganda and can also apply to other sectors of Uganda's firms to help avert the problem of ineffective boards as evidenced by consistent firm failures in Uganda. By improving the quality of board governance, Ugandan boards will demonstrate their relevance in company direction and improvement of company value to the benefit of all stakeholders.Originality/valueThe present study provides one of the few studies that have analysed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using AMOS to test effective board governance measurement model and provides a benchmark for Uganda's service firms yearning to leverage the use of their boards.
Professional learning of teachers through a lesson study process in England
Authors: Ylonen Annamari , Norwich Brahm 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss findings from a development and research project using the lesson study (LS) method in England, which had the overall aim of improving learning opportunities for pupils identified as having moderate learning difficulties (MLD). MLD is one of the most prevalent areas of special educational needs in the UK and the project is the first UK attempt to use LS with pupils with identified learning difficulties. The contexts, mechanisms (processes) and outcomes of the lesson studies carried out at the project schools are discussed and analysed.Design/methodology/approachThe paper outlines and discusses how teachers carried out lesson studies in 14 secondary schools and evaluates the lesson study processes in their school contexts by using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The methodology uses a realist evaluation approach which links contexts, mechanisms and outcomes in order to develop and test a programme theory.FindingsThe teachers reported positive processes and outcomes of the lesson study experience for themselves and for the pupils with MLD, but outcomes for the schools were more ambiguous. The findings raise issues about the importance of wider support for the LS process in schools for its successful implementation as well as potential difficulties that teachers may face when engaged in the process.Originality/valueThe paper shows how LS methods can be applied to the professional learning of teachers focused on teaching pupils with learning difficulties in ordinary and some special schools. In so doing, it contributes to the developing literature about Lesson Study in the West. The analysis goes beyond the description of LS practice to examine empirically how LS outcomes arise from specific processes in particular contexts. The findings are relevant to teachers, professional developers and researchers with LS interests as well as educators interested in developing inclusive practices for pupils with special educational needs.
Corrosion resistance of water‐cooled rebar quenched in a novel agent
Authors: Wei Fengyu , Hu Fang 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe purpose of the investigation was to research the corrosion resistance of water‐cooled rebar quenched in a novel agent (CQ) named CQ‐cooled rebar.Design/methodology/approachWater‐cooled rebar was quenched in CQ about 1 s, then cooled in air. The corrosion resistance of water‐cooled rebar and CQ‐cooled rebar was evaluated by atmospheric exposure (AE) and wet/dry cyclic accelerated corrosion tests (CCT). The electrochemical properties of the two rebar scales were researched using electrochemical tests, and their compositions and structure were examined using XRD, SEM and FT‐IR.FindingsThe corrosion tests showed that the corrosion resistance of CQ‐cooled rebar was better than that of water‐cooled rebar. The electrochemical tests indicated that the CQ‐cooled rebar scale had a higher corrosion potential, a lower corrosion current density and a higher polarization resistance. The thickness of the scale was 56 μm for CQ‐cooled rebar, and 29 μm for water‐cooled rebar. The phase constitution of the two scales comprised Fe2O3, Fe3O4, 2FeO · SiO2 and FeO, but the mass ratio of Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 to 2FeO · SiO2 and FeO, called protective ability index of the scale (PAIS), changed from 0.45 for water‐cooled rebar to 24 for CQ‐cooled rebar.Originality/valueThe results clarified the role of CQ‐quenching in improving the corrosion resistance of water‐cooled rebar, which was to generate thick and compact Fe3O4 and Fe2O3 layers over the rebar substrate, and retard the anodic dissolution and cathodic hydrogen evolution reaction.
Property and power in the English countryside: the case of housing
Authors: Somerville Peter 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse and reflect on the changing relations of class and power in rural England, with a particular focus on housing.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the evidence concerning the changing ownership of housing and land in English rural areas, and the problems relating to this.FindingsThe paper finds that, in spite of huge social changes over the course of the 20th century, relations of class and power in rural England have retained the same basic form, based on landownership. The countryside continues to be dominated by landowners, who now include large numbers of nouveaux riches, while the landless (and carless) find it increasingly difficult to access housing, employment and basic services and amenities in rural areas. Landowner dominance is maintained not only by the rule of private property and property markets, but also by a state planning system that is heavily biased towards landowning classes and against the poor.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper recognises that the situation varies from one rural area to another, so that solutions to the rural housing problem need, so far as possible, to be locally negotiated. However, for reasons of space, the paper does not go into detail on this issue, apart from a few references to the situation in Lincolnshire.Originality/valueThe paper is original in the way it shows how “old” and “new” gentry, in spite of their differences in terms of “productivism” and “post‐productivism”, have shared class interests and values based on landownership rights. It is also the first to argue that rural gentrification is a form of revanchism – a thesis that has previously been applied only to urban areas. Data that have been previously argued to show the superiority of rural areas, e.g. fewer homeless, higher incomes, etc. can now be explained as effects of revanchism.
Sites suitable for mixed use development in Britain and America
Authors: Laitos Jan G. , Abel Teresa M. 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to evaluate the suitability and feasibility of the four most likely urban spaces for mixed use development – brownfields (contaminated lands); greenfields (open, undeveloped areas); greyfields (closed or dying shopping centers and empty parking lots); and redfields (underperforming, foreclosed commercial real estate).Design/methodology/approachLiterature about and studies of mixed use development projects in America and Britain were reviewed, and so too were specific examples of the four candidate urban spaces. The authors then analyzed which spaces succeeded as mixite and which failed.FindingsBrownfields are often not successfully transformed into usable mixite; nor are greenfields. The cost and regulatory complication of removing pollution from brownfields is too often prohibitive, and greenfields are too far away from urban core areas. By contrast, greyfields and redfields appear to be far more suitable spaces for mixed use development projects.Originality/valueMost government policies urging redevelopment projects in America and Great Britain prefer brownfields as the space deemed most suitable for mixite. Contrary to this view, it appears that unpolluted spaces, such as redfields and greyfields, that do not need extensive environmental remediation, are typically better candidates for mixite.
The meaning of home: from theory to practice
Authors: Fox O'Mahony Lorna 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to analyse the development and application of the conceptual framework within which housing scholars can think, talk about and advocate for “home”.Design/methodology/approachIt reflects on the theoretical progress that has been made in embedding a legal concept of home in the last decade, and identifies opportunities for this scholarship to support critical engagement with laws and policies that give content to home meanings.FindingsA key goal for the concept of home is to help us to think about problems differently, by highlighting important issues flowing from the human relationship with home; with the ways in which the idea of home is present or absent in legal responses to home issues. A focus on home meanings enables us to examine questions which are not always deemed “relevant” to legal proceedings, for example, the human, social and personal costs of displacement and dispossession. The concept of home provides the vocabulary, and the theoretical framework, for articulating these human claims more coherently. It enables us to identify those problems in need of policy attention; to develop a narrative to express them; and to generate support for solving them.Originality/valueTen years after the publication of “The meaning of home”, this article reflects on the development of the legal concept of home, and the range of contemporary housing issues to which its applications are both relevant and significant.
Profitability of momentum returns under alternative approaches
Authors: Gupta Kartick , Locke Stuart , Scrimgeour Frank 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe analysis aims to explore how momentum return changes with alternative computational methods and the extent to which the portfolio structure is important in the momentum context.Design/methodology/approachThe focus reflected in the prior research emphasises the method used by Jegadeesh and Titman and various extensions to test whether momentum returns exist. This study uses alternative methods of buying previous Winners and short‐selling previous Losers to determine if this significantly changes the returns.FindingsThe current study clarifies the impact of several contributory factors that impact upon estimated momentum returns. The large sample of cleaned data upon which this study is based provides a higher degree of confidence that the findings are sound and not just a statistical anomaly.Practical implicationsThe research is important from a practitioner perspective as details of momentum return are presented for each country using different methods, providing information regarding the most profitable country in which to invest and whether the momentum return is sustainable under different formative approaches.Originality/valueOne of the important contributions of this study is a detailed empirical analysis, presenting results in a global context rather than on a single country basis.
Dividend investing performance and explanations: a practitioner perspective
Authors: Clemens Michael 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate the risk and return characteristics of dividend investing compared to a passive “market” approach and provide probable explanations for any differences in return and risk.Design/methodology/approachThe research design is a standard time series analysis of two different data sets containing information about return for “dividend portfolios” and the “market portfolio”.FindingsInvesting in high dividend‐paying firms earns abnormal returns in a long short‐strategy in the USA and in world indices, confirming earlier studies. Different overlapping strategies and agency theory are used to provide explanations for the dividend strategy's persistence.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the US findings were significant at conventional levels, the results using the world indices had significance levels that were slightly below the usual academic cut off but may be acceptable to practitioners.Practical implicationsSeemingly anomalous findings should disappear once reported, yet the high dividend‐paying strategy continues to persist and this article provides some explanations relating to the value strategy, beta puzzle and agency theory.Social implicationsPaying dividends may be socially responsible since it is explained as a way of deploying free cash flow in an efficient manner rather than wasting money through overpriced acquisitions or buybacks of overpriced shares.Originality/valueBy using different databases, earlier research is confirmed and also found to be robust across different time periods. The contribution of this paper is to link the value premium, the beta puzzle and agency issues of free cash flows together to explain the outperformance and persistence of dividend investing from a practitioner viewpoint.
Performance assessment of an e‐learning software system for sustainability
Authors: Mahmood Tariq , Hafeez Khalid 
Published: June 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the performance of an e‐learning software system to ensure its teaching and learning quality, contextual relevance and longer operational life to achieve economies of scale.Design/methodology/approachA Goal‐Question‐Metric (GQM) paradigm along with the ISO 9126 quality characteristics is proposed to assess performance of an in‐house e‐learning software system in terms of its functionality, usability, efficiency and effectiveness. The e‐learning software system was designed and implemented for teaching staff of developing countries attending the T&L “train the trainer” course at the Colombo Plan Staff College (CPSC), Manila, Philippines. The data were collected from the participants from 20 countries who attended the program over a period of three years.FindingsThe approach was very effective for assessing and evaluating various functions of the web‐based teaching and learning software system and assessing its suitability in teaching and learning, and interaction among the users. The findings were utilized to further improve the management and quality of the training program.Research limitations/implicationsCommitment and participation of stakeholders/users is required to appropriately define the assessment goals, generate underlying questions that define those goals, and identify the metrics that provide answers to those questions. The research has limitations similar to any other questionnaire based subjective data collection method, much relying upon the respondent judgments. Therefore, a sound mechanism for data collection, validation and analysis needs to be employed to ensure internal consistency and accuracy.Social implicationsMany e‐learning software systems are accessed across the globe and are utilized by a number of institutions simultaneously while crossing over national and geographical boundaries. Therefore, performance assessment based on different ethical and social values and language barriers, to meet the clientele requirements belonging to different social backgrounds, is essential. Also this research provides many guidelines to reduce the customization requirements for different nationalities, and therefore, makes overall implementation of the learning management system more efficient and cost effective.Originality/valueDue to the generic nature of GQM approach, this framework can be applied to undertake performance assessment of an in‐house built, web‐based teaching and learning system using the selected ISO 9126 quality characteristics to ensure the appropriateness, longevity and sustainability of the learning system.