bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Measuring strategic performance in construction companies: a proposed integrated model
Authors: Oyewobi Luqman Oyekunle , Windapo Abimbola Olukemi , Rotimi James Olabode B. 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to examine and compare a performance measurement system and performance frameworks commonly used within the construction industry. The paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of balanced scorecard (BSC) and business excellence model (BEM) to propose an integrated model for measuring strategic performance of construction organisations as a single model. The purpose is to help organisations achieve performance excellence, financial integrity and continuous improvement in business results to sustain competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approach– This paper examines and compares performance measurement system and performance frameworks commonly used within the construction industry. The paper explores the strengths and weaknesses of BSC and BEM to propose an integrated model for measuring strategic performance of construction organisations as a single model. The purpose is to help organisations achieve performance excellence, financial integrity and continuous improvement in business results to sustain competitive advantage.Findings– The study reveals that the most popular performance measurement framework in construction includes: BSC; Key Performance Indicators and European Foundation for Quality Management. However, literature also reveals that Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is being used to measure performance in the construction. The study findings indicated that BSC and BEM could be combined to provide an integrated model that will encompass every facet of construction performance measures.Research limitations/implications– The paper integrates the BSC and BEM performance measurement models, to provide construction organisations the opportunities of benefitting from the two models as a single tool without having to use more than one model or miss out any important aspect of performance measures. The model will assist organisations perform regular health checks of all business process and at the same time help align organisational activities with strategic primacy.Practical implications– The paper offers an integrated construction excellence model as a useful tool for measuring both financial and non-financial performance aspects of construction organisations. This will provide managers, owners and other stakeholders the chance of measuring processes and pre-eminent strategic initiatives using a single model.Originality/value– The conceptual paper presents an integration of processes and perspectives for measuring performance as a new and useful tool in the context of the South African construction industry. The paper suggests that research efforts should be directed on how to implement the strategic performance model efficiently within a specific construction environment.
Improving learning outcome using Six Sigma methodology
Authors: Tetteh Godson A. 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this research paper is to apply the Six Sigma methodology to identify the attributes of a lecturer that will help improve a student’s prior knowledge of a discipline from an initial “x” per cent knowledge to a higher “y” per cent of knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach
– The data collection method involved a one-on-one, in-depth interview based on the Kano questionnaire with a sample of 170 undergraduate and graduate students aged between 25 and 40 years in two Ghanaian universities. The Kano questionnaire contained the critical to quality (CTQ) and the 25 functional requirements (FRs). The analytical Kano (A-Kano) questionnaire was adopted for the purpose of improving learning outcome with a student–lecturer interaction. The CTQs in this study, from the customer (student) perspective, will correspond to Bloom’s (1956) categories in the cognitive domain made up of remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate and create. The configuration index, which provides a decision factor for selecting the 25 FRs that contribute to improving learning outcome made up of the American Society of Quality’s six leadership competencies (navigator, communicator, mentor, learner, builder and motivator) and 19 attributes from previous research studies on service quality in higher education. This study used the varimax and quartimax factor analysis rotation methods to generate the principal components (PCs).

Findings
– Out of the 25 FRs, four (communicator, mentor, builder and motivator) of the American Society of Quality (ASQ) leadership competencies were found to be exciters or attractive and when applied by the lecturer would exceed customer (student) expectation.

Research limitations/implications
– The study involved only a judgment sample of 170 undergraduate and graduate students from two universities drawn in Accra, Ghana; hence, the outcome cannot be generalized to the entire student population in Ghana as a whole.

Practical implications
– The Kano results from this study corroborates with previous findings that students perceive “Fostering of Team Work”, “Expertise in Other Subject Areas”, “Variety of Teaching Methods”, “Friendliness” and “Humor” as either exciters or attractive attributes.

Social implications
– Some of the benefits from this study include the fact that lecturers may improve classroom experience knowing what their students regard as satisfactory and dissatisfactory attributes or they may have a better understanding of the student’s perspective. The concept of student satisfaction addressed in this study should therefore always be seen as a “means to an end”, with the end being the transformation of students.

Originality/value
– This study contributes to the literature by examining how the student’s approach to learning or acquiring new knowledge has a significant effect on the learning outcome using factor analysis rotation methods to generate the PCs.
Transforming library communication: from Gutenberg to Zuckerberg
Authors: Einasto Olga 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to analyse institutional and functional development of a library with the help of communication theories. The library as a social institution should have a quite strong position in today’s information society, but new ways of information search have made its position unstable. Thus, a library needs theoretical and cultural-political comprehension and reassessment. The paper tries to answer the questions as to how a library can satisfy the needs of modern society and which strategy of library communication will be in demand tomorrow.

Design/methodology/approach
– The theoretical background is represented by communication theories of Marshal McLuhan, Denis McQuail and Yuri Lotman, as well as Michel Foucault’s concepts of disciplinary power and governmentality.

Findings
– The analysis revealed that library–user communication is based primarily on power relations, where “access” is the main keyword. The article brought out differences in library communicative processes in the “Gutenberg Galaxy” and today’s global network society, “Zuckerberg Era”. The analysis showed that library–user relationship is shifting from disciplinary power and monologue to the governmentality and new communicative forms, dialogue and participation.

Research limitations/implications
– The study demonstrates the possibility of implication of communication theories for library functional analysis. The new studies investigating which methods and forms of communication do libraries use today, how are the elements of power relations transforming would be very useful for the understanding of the topic.

Practical implications
– The study proposes to libraries some ideas that may be useful for developing the library communication strategy.

Originality/value
– This study, based on the communicative approach, corresponds well to library phenomenon and nature, as well as allows for reflection on the role of libraries in the society of today and future.
Engaging international students in academic and information literacy
Authors: Lahlafi Alison , Rushton Diane 
Published: April 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to discuss a collaborative initiative between a module leader, librarian and academic skills tutor to support information and academic literacy skills development of a group of international students from a partner college in Malaysia during their three-month study visit to Sheffield Hallam University.Design/methodology/approach– The paper explores the transferability of active learning and teaching techniques used with second-year home students to a cohort of final-year international students. It discusses the development, implementation and assessment of learning workshop activities and the use of mobile phones in the classroom to enhance student engagement.Findings– The embedded active learning and teaching techniques used with second-year home students transferred well to the international student cohort. At the end of the module, international student feedback and reference list analysis suggests that the embedding of both information and academic literacy skills within modules does support student development of these skills. Mobile technology proved both enjoyable and engaging for the students.Originality/value– The paper’s findings are transferable to other international student cohorts in UK higher education libraries and suggest ways of engaging students in information and academic skills workshops and supporting their skills development to achieve academic success.
Creating policies for library publishing in an institutional repository
Authors: Riddle Kelly 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to explore questions and concepts encountered when developing policies for an institutional repository with a library publishing component.

Design/methodology/approach
– The author describes how publishing needs and library vision shape institutional repository policies, and demonstrates that the repository’s guiding policies are determined by the repository’s purpose and scope.

Findings
– Policies for institutional repositories with publishing components will vary across institutions depending on the intended purpose of the repository, scope of publishing activities and institutional context.

Originality/value
– The article is useful for those just exploring library publishing with repositories and those looking to revamp their policies to accommodate this new use, the paper explores theoretical and practical questions about this new use of repositories.
Information asymmetry around S&P 500 index changes
Authors: Ravi Rahul , Hong Youna 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– This study aims to explore information asymmetry (IA) (as measured by the adverse selection component of the bid-ask spread) around S&P 500 revisions.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors use adverse selection cost of trading measures to examine the effects of S&P 500 index composition changes on the trading environment from 2001 to 2010.

Findings
– The authors find that the adverse selection cost of trading significantly decreases post-addition and increases post-deletion. However, the intraday price dynamics of additions to the index seem to be distinct from those of deletions from the index. The event period cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) for additions are significantly associated with the change in the adverse selection cost of trading. However, this association is non-significant for deletions. The CARs for deletion events are found to be significantly associated with the change in realized spreads. Realized spreads are a measure of revenue earned by liquidity providers in the market.

Originality/value
– This study helps better understand the dynamics of two types of IA – one from a firm to investor and the other between investors – and presents evidence of the role of adverse selection in index changes. By doing so, it helps better understand the mechanism driving price formation post-addition to and deletion from an index.
Understanding coach dismissals in European professional football
Authors: Nissen Rasmus 
Published: April 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to outline a theoretical framework that can be used to understand coach dismissals in professional football.

Design/methodology/approach
– In order to embed the suggested framework empirically and thereby strengthen the argumentation, a total of 90 management accounts from 18 Danish professional football clubs have been analyzed using a qualitative content analysis approach. The accounts cover a period of five consecutive seasons.

Findings
– The analysis shows that dismissing the coach is a frequent occurrence in Danish clubs. This finding is included in the discussion, in which it is suggested that a coach dismissal may be the outcome of mimetic, coercive or normative isomorphism.

Research limitations/implications
– The applied methodology makes it difficult to assess whether coach dismissals actually stem from institutional forces. A more extensive research design and methodological setup is required in order to elaborate the proposed framework.

Practical implications
– By focussing on the dynamics of club-stakeholder relationships, the proposed framework can be seen as an attempt to clarify key features of the decision-making process surrounding coach dismissals in European professional football. Furthermore, the framework suggests that in order for a club to stay attractive to its stakeholders, and thereby increase its chances of securing future financial support, club directors should pay attention to their external environment.

Originality/value
– In contrast to existing research, this study does not aim at assessing whether a coach dismissal pays off in terms of wins on the pitch. Instead, a qualitative approach has been selected in order to offer a framework that aims at providing an in-depth understanding of coach dismissals in professional football.
Predictable communities of soil bacteria in relation to nutrient concentration and successional stage in a laboratory culture experiment
Authors: Song Woojin , Kim Mincheol , Tripathi Binu M. , Kim Hyoki , Adams Jonathan M. 
Published: April 2015

SummaryIt is difficult to understand the processes that structure immensely complex bacterial communities in the soil environment, necessitating a simplifying experimental approach. Here, we set up a microcosm culturing experiment with soil bacteria, at a range of nutrient concentrations, and compared these over time to understand the relationship between soil bacterial community structure and time/nutrient concentration. DNA from each replicate was analysed using HiSeq2000 Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. We found that each nutrient treatment, and each time point during the experiment, produces characteristic bacterial communities that occur predictably between replicates. It is clear that within the context of this experiment, many soil bacteria have distinct niches from one another, in terms of both nutrient concentration, and successional time point since a resource first became available. This fine niche differentiation may in part help to explain the coexistence of a diversity of bacteria in soils. In this experiment, we show that the unimodal relationship between nutrient concentration/time and species diversity often reported in communities of larger organisms is also evident in microbial communities.
Short‐selling pressure and last‐resort debt finance: evidence from 144A high‐yield risk‐adjusted debt
Authors: Tan Kelvin Jui Keng , Lee Jia Min , Faff Robert W. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractThis study examines why non‐financial publicly traded firms knowingly issue wealth destroying Rule 144A debt, which is associated with a negative announcement return and a higher yield. We provide a plausible ‘demand‐side’ explanation (i.e. last‐resort debt financing) for the motivation for issuing such debt. We also provide evidence as to what drives this negative reaction. Our findings suggest that the negative market impact is mainly driven by short‐selling pressure from convertible bond arbitrageurs.
The association between speed of transition from initiation to subsequent use of cannabis and later problematic cannabis use, abuse and dependence
Authors: Hines Lindsey A. , Morley Katherine I. , Strang John , Agrawal Arpana , Nelson Elliot C. , Statham Dixie , Martin Nicholas G. , Lynskey Michael T. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractAimsTo test whether speed of transition from initiation use to subsequent use of cannabis is associated with likelihood of later cannabis dependence and other outcomes, and whether transition speed is attributable to genetic or environmental factors.DesignCross‐sectional interview study.SettingAustralia.ParticipantsA total of 2239 twins and siblings who reported using cannabis at least twice [mean age at time of survey = 32.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 31.9 – 32.1, range = 22–45].MeasurementsTime between initiation and subsequent cannabis use (within 1 week; within 3 months; between 3 and 12 months; more than 1 year later), later use of cannabis and symptoms of DSM‐IV cannabis abuse/dependence. Multinomial regression analyses (comparison group: more than 1 year later) adjusted the association between speed of transition and the outcomes of cannabis daily use, abuse/dependence and treatment‐seeking after controlling for socio‐demographic, childhood, mental health, peer and licit drug factors. Twin modelling estimated the proportion of variance in transition speed attributable to genetic (A), common environment (C) and unique environmental (E) factors.FindingsSubsequent use of cannabis within 1 week of initiation was associated with daily use [odds ratio (OR) = 2.64, 95% CI = 1.75–3.99], abuse and/or dependence (OR = 3.25, 95% CI = 2.31–4.56) and treatment‐seeking for cannabis problems (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.03–3.46). Subsequent use within 3 months was associated with abuse and/or dependence (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.18–2.19). The majority of the variation of the speed of transition was accounted for by unique environment factors (0.75).ConclusionsRapid transition from initiation to subsequent use of cannabis is associated with increased likelihood of subsequent daily cannabis use and abuse/dependence.
Nocturnal blood pressure in primary open‐angle glaucoma
Authors: Pillunat Karin R. , Spoerl Eberhard , Jasper Carolin , Furashova Olga , Hermann Cosima , Borrmann Anne , Passauer Jens , Middeke Martin , Pillunat Lutz E. 
Published: April 2015

AbstractPurposeTo evaluate the nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping‐pattern in patients with manifest primary open‐angle glaucoma (POAG) and to find possible associations with the severity of visual field damage.MethodsA number of 314 patients suffering from POAG were consecutively enrolled in this cross‐sectional hospital‐based study. Each patient had diurnal intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements, 24‐hr BP monitoring and computerized perimetry with the Humphrey 30‐2 sita Standard program. Inclusion criteria were a mean IOP of less than 15 mmHg with fluctuations of less than 5 mmHg and a visual acuity of at least 20/40. One eye was randomly selected. Based on the night–day BP ratio, a mean arterial nocturnal BP drop of less than 10% was considered as non‐dipping, between 10% and 20% as physiological dipping and of more than 20% as over‐dipping.ResultsGlaucoma patients with daytime systemic normotension on the average had more visual field loss in the over‐dipper group (MD = − 16.6 dB, IQR = −18.9 to −2.7 dB) than glaucoma patients with daytime systemic hypertension, who had less visual field defects in the over‐dipper group (MD = −3.9 dB, IQR = −6.2 to −1.9 dB) (p = 0.004). This result was also found taking age, glaucoma duration, visual acuity, gender, systemic and topical medication as covariates into account.ConclusionsTo judge the nocturnal BP situation of an individual patient, it is important to do this in relation to the daytime BP level. Twenty‐four‐hour BP evaluation might be important for all patients with POAG, as nocturnal BP could be a modifiable risk factor for glaucoma severity and progression.
Drug disposition and modelling before and after gastric bypass: immediate and controlled‐release metoprolol formulations
Authors: Gesquiere Ina , Darwich Adam S. , Van der Schueren Bart , de Hoon Jan , Lannoo Matthias , Matthys Christophe , Rostami Amin , Foulon Veerle , Augustijns Patrick 
Published: April 2015

AimsThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the disposition of metoprolol after oral administration of an immediate and controlled‐release formulation before and after Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery in the same individuals and to validate a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for predicting oral bioavailability following RYGB.MethodsA single‐dose pharmacokinetic study of metoprolol tartrate 200 mg immediate release and controlled release was performed in 14 volunteers before and 6–8 months after RYGB. The observed data were compared with predicted results from the PBPK modelling and simulation of metoprolol tartrate immediate and controlled‐release formulation before and after RYGB.ResultsAfter administration of metoprolol immediate and controlled release, no statistically significant difference in the observed area under the curve (AUC0–24 h) was shown, although a tendency towards an increased oral exposure could be observed as the AUC0–24 h was 32.4% [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.36, 63.5] and 55.9% (95% CI 5.73, 106) higher following RYGB for the immediate and controlled‐release formulation, respectively. This could be explained by surgery‐related weight loss and a reduced presystemic biotransformation in the proximal gastrointestinal tract. The PBPK values predicted by modelling and simulation were similar to the observed data, confirming its validity.ConclusionsThe disposition of metoprolol from an immediate‐release and a controlled‐release formulation was not significantly altered after RYGB; there was a tendency to an increase, which was also predicted by PBPK modelling and simulation.
Measuring ICT use and contributing conditions in primary schools
Authors: Vanderlinde Ruben , Aesaert Koen , van Braak Johan 
Published: April 2015

AbstractInformation and communication technology (ICT) use became of major importance for primary schools across the world as ICT has the potential to foster teaching and learning processes. ICT use is therefore a central measurement concept (dependent variable) in many ICT integration studies. This data paper presents two datasets (2008 and 2011) that contain measurements on ICT use in primary schools on the one hand and contributing conditions on the other hand. In both datasets, ICT use refers to different types of use: basic ICT use, ICT as a learning tool and ICT as an information tool. The influencing conditions refer to variables situated on the individual teacher level (eg, ICT competences, ICT professional development, etc) and the school organization level (eg, ICT school vision, ICT leadership, etc) that support or hinder the use of ICT for teaching and learning.