bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Services and organisational innovation: the right mix for value creation
Authors: Gallego Jorge , Rubalcaba Luis , Hipp Christiane 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThe paper aims to discuss how services and service innovation are inter‐linked and support organisational innovation. In particular, the reorganisation of operations and the introduction of new organisational arrangements are examined and conceptualised for further empirical analysis.Design/methodology/approachBased on the analysis of the different, most recent developments in the literature and practical experiences, a conceptual framework is developed that incorporates service and organisational innovation.FindingsThe developed conceptualisation focuses on the role of services and service innovation, and the emerging interactions between organisations and services providers, where facilitators play a role. Accordingly, services are no longer a secondary instrument of the value chain. Instead, they have become essential and may add value from their involvement, for example, in product design, business management, procurement in global markets, and support to customers' participation in value creation.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper provides a concept derived from an in‐depth literature analysis. In a next step an empirical analysis based on the proposed concept would complete the theoretical findings.Practical implicationsThe proposed conceptual framework supports the overall recognition of service and organisational innovation as a powerful mechanism to gain competitive advantage for companies.Originality/valueThis paper proposes for the first time a conceptual framework that shows that organisational innovation turns into a prevailing tool that facilitates the integration of service innovations into the value chains of companies, and thus the increasing level of inter‐connectedness required for firms' competitiveness.
Adoption of e‐government services: an empirical study of the online tax filing system in Taiwan
Authors: Liang Shih‐wu , Lu Hsi‐peng 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that influence the willingness of the public to adopt online tax filing services.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was conducted from which 400 valid questionnaires were recovered. The questionnaire data were used to research the degree of acceptance among Taiwanese taxpayers with regard to the online tax filing system. Respondents were classified into existing users (who were sub‐categorised into early adopters and late adopters) and potential adopters.FindingsThe results demonstrate that the perceived attributes of trialability and observability significantly influence the adoption intention of late adopters. However, these attributes did not have a significant influence on early adopters. Social norms and the perceived attributes of relative advantage, compatibility, and complexity significantly influence the adoption intention of current users. For potential adopters, only social norms had a significant effect on their intention to use the online tax filing system.Practical implicationsThis study recommends that a more convenient and user‐friendly design for online tax‐filing processes would enhance the perception of the system and encourage taxpayers to continue or consider using this e‐government service.Originality/valueWhile online tax‐filing systems are getting more attention in e‐government development, little is known about why people are willing to use them. This paper investigates the reasons by applying innovation diffusion theory, social cognitive theory and contingency theory. The results could be applicable to other e‐government services.
The Police and Crime Commissioner elections, November 2012
Authors: Joyce Peter , Wain Neil 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the elections for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). It seeks to analyse the policies put forward by the candidates and evaluate the significance of the elections for the future landscape of policing.Design/methodology/approachThe research for this paper is library based, making particular use of primary source material. The objectives for this research are organised around key themes – preparations for the elections, the election contest, the election campaign and key issues that were raised, the election results and the significance of the introduction of the office of PCC for the future landscape of policing.FindingsThe research established that most candidates put forward policies that would seek to skew policing towards combating low level crime and disorder. It highlighted issues relevant to the future landscape of policing, including the relationships forged between chief constables and PCCs, the politicisation of policing and the extent to which PCCs are held adequately accountable for their actions.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focuses on the 2012 PCC elections and identifies a number of key issues that may need to be addressed in the future, either by academic or political investigation.Practical implicationsThe research suggests that future PCC election contests should receive improved publicity and attention should also be paid to the candidates’ deposit. It suggests that the future operation of the office should be subject to thorough investigation by the Home Affairs Committee.Social implicationsThe creation of the office of PCC was designed to empower communities and those who resided within them. However, this goal cannot be realised without effort on the part of government to urge their involvement in future PCC election contests.Originality/valueThe subject matter is original and its interpretation is informed by both academic and practitioner perspectives.
Developing competencies of supply chain professionals in Australia: collaboration between businesses, universities and industry associations
Authors: Sohal Amrik S. 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe collaboration between businesses, universities and industry associations in Australia with the aim of developing an appropriate set of competencies for supply chain professionals.Design/methodology/approachThree related initiatives are described involving questionnaire surveys (Initiatives 1 and 3) and a series of meetings involving representatives from businesses, universities and industry associations (Initiative 2).FindingsInitiative 1 identifies that although supply chain professionals in Australia are highly educated, they had limited training in relation to supply chain management. Initiative 2 developed a set of 20 competencies for supply chain professionals and their importance was then assessed in Initiative 3. Generally, high importance is highlighted for the set of competencies. Maintaining momentum of the collaboration is identified as a challenge.Research limitations/implicationsOne specific limitation is the somewhat low response rates achieved for the two questionnaire surveys conducted: 15 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively. Australia is unique in many respects; hence generalisation of the findings is limited.Practical implicationsThe paper identifies Australian industry needs reflected in the set of competencies developed. The paper highlights the value of collaboration between business, universities/colleges and industry associations.Originality/valueThis paper identifies a set of supply chain competencies considered highly important by supply chain professionals in Australia. These can be used by academic institutions in developing future programs, by businesses for assessing performance of supply chain professionals that they employ and by industry associations in developing appropriate services for their members.
Perceived work climate and employee performance in public security organizations in the UAE
Authors: Suliman Abubakr , Al Harethi Bader 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the potential relationships between perceived work climate and work performance in security organizations. Furthermore, the relationship of various factors related to work climate and work performance are studied and investigated.Design/methodology/approachThe data was collected from a public security organization in the UAE. Using a self‐managed questionnaire, a sample of 500 full‐time employees was surveyed – randomly selected from top, middle and lower level of management.FindingsThe results show that organizational climate and its components significantly predict work performance and its factors.Practical implicationsThe theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed in the paper, together with some recommendations for managing work climate and performance in security organizations.Originality/valueThe paper examines the links between climate and performance for the first time in public security organizations in the UAE and the Arabic context.
Effect of organizational factors on interoperability adoption for Indian portals
Authors: Tripathi Rakhi , Gupta M.P. , Bhattacharya Jaijit 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine the impact of organizational factors on the adoption of interoperability technology for Indian portals.Design/methodology/approachThis exploratory study was conducted through a survey questionnaire from 300 portals of government departments and public sector undertakings (PSUs) in India. Data were also collected from portals of Indian companies.FindingsThe study finds that adoption of interoperability for Indian portals is highly associated with certain organizational factors. In addition, multiple regression analysis reveals that the functionalities of government portals in India are significantly related to four organizational factors.Practical implicationsThe research provides insights for government officials and practitioners to understand and improve the level of interoperability in government portals. The study also provides a 2 by 2 matrix framework that helps the government officials to focus on the relevant organizational factors.Originality/valueThis study is the first to examine the effect of organizational factors on interoperability adoption in Indian portals. The results lead to a number of recommendations for achieving interoperability for government portals in India.
Website quality in government
Authors: Sørum Hanne , Normann Andersen Kim , Clemmensen Torkil 
Published: July 2013

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to investigate how webmasters within government bodies explain quality of websites. Despite the central position for advancing the communication, bridging usability tests and design, there are surprisingly few studies on how webmasters perceive, experience and explain website quality or design issues.Design/methodology/approachThe authors' unit of analysis is webmasters from Norwegian web‐award‐winning organizations. Eight webmasters from four types of websites were interviewed. The websites were purposefully sampled, using the strategy of maximal variation sampling to maximize difference between the four types of websites.FindingsThe findings reveal that issues concerning usability are found to be an important dimension of website quality. The authors' analysis of how webmasters explain website quality reveals substantial variance in explanation of website quality. Repeated keywords of website quality are mainly related to user‐friendliness, effective website usage, content‐related issues and accessibility (WAI‐principles).Research limitations/implicationsThis study includes webmasters from award‐winning websites. In upcoming research contributions, it would add to the richness of the study if webmasters from non‐award‐winning websites were included. Measurement of website quality and success is widely addressed within the research literature. This paper offers the opportunity to understand how practitioners (i.e. webmasters) facilitate for website quality, grounded in their perception and explanations of which quality aspects they found to be of importance.Practical implicationsThe website quality aspects identified in this paper can be used as insights for how to develop and improve the quality of websites with the public sector.Social implicationsThe overall digital enabled transformation of government appears to be guided by a rather heterogeneous set of quality standards. While a variance of quality standards might stimulate innovation in websites, it can also lead to a substantial difference in digital services provided to citizens. Thus, the authors' research stimulates the awareness of diversity of quality parameters and could have as an implication that national and international standards beyond accessibility standards are more explicitly shared and debated.Originality/valueThe aim of this paper is to provide insights into website practitioners' (i.e. webmasters') perception and explanation of quality aspects in websites. Webmasters are important contributors to the quality of available websites, and it is of particular benefit to learn about their suggestions. Most studies tackle perception of website quality from a user's point of view, while the added knowledge in this paper is the webmaster's explanation.
The localization of key Bacillus subtilis penicillin binding proteins during cell growth is determined by substrate availability
Authors: Lages Marta Carolina Afonso , Beilharz Katrin , Morales Angeles Danae , Veening Jan‐Willem , Scheffers Dirk‐Jan 
Published: July 2013

SummaryThe shape of bacteria is maintained by the cell wall. The main component of the cell wall is peptidoglycan (PG) that is synthesized by penicillin binding proteins (PBPs). The correct positioning of PBPs is essential for the maintenance of cell shape. In the literature, two different models for localization of PBPs have been proposed – localization through interaction with a cytoskeletal structure or localization through the presence of substrate. Here, we show that the localization of PBPs critical for the rod shape of Bacillus subtilis is altered when the substrate LipidII is delocalized by treatment of the cells with nisin. Alteration of this localization is only seen in a LipidII‐dependent manner and is not influenced by dissipation of the membrane potential, a secondary effect of nisin treatment. Our results strongly suggest that the localization of PG synthesis at the periphery of the cell is substrate‐driven, even in bacteria that contain actin‐like MreB cytoskeletal structures.
Sevelamer Hydrochloride Dose‐Dependent Increase in Prevalence of Severe Acidosis in Hemodialysis Patients: Analysis of Nationwide Statistical Survey in Japan
Authors: Oka Yoshinari , Miyazaki Masashi , Matsuda Hiroaki , Takatsu Shigeko , Katsube Ryouichi , Mori Toshiko , Takehara Kiyoto , Umeda Yuzo , Uno Futoshi 
Published: July 2013

AbstractMetabolic acidosis has a negative impact on prognosis of dialysis patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of severe metabolic acidosis in dialysis patients treated with sevelamer hydrochloride. In 2004, a nationwide survey (101 516 dialysis patients) was conducted by the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy. We analyzed 32 686 dialysis patients whose bicarbonate levels were measured in the survey. Sevelamer hydrochloride was prescribed to 9231 dialysis patients while 23 455 dialysis patients were not prescribed sevelamer hydrochloride. In the present study, we defined severe acidosis as bicarbonate <15.8 mmol/L. The mean serum bicarbonate level correlated significantly and negatively with the daily dose of sevelamer hydrochloride (R2 = 0.806, P < 0.0001). Logistic regression analysis indicated that the percentage of patients with severe acidosis increased significantly with increased dose of sevelamer hydrochloride (R2 = 0.885, P < 0.00001). The estimated doses of sevelamer hydrochloride associated with severe acidosis in 10% and 15% of patients were 3.5 g/day (95% confidence interval [95%CI], 2.8‐4.4) and 7.7 g/day (95%CI = 5.9–10.9), respectively. Severe acidosis was noted in 4.5% of patients who were not treated with sevelamer hydrochloride and in 16.1% of patients treated with sevelamer hydrochloride at ≥5.25 g/day (P < 0.0001). The results call for careful monitoring of serum bicarbonate level in hemodialysis patients treated with sevelamer hydrochloride.
Clinician‐performed ultrasound in assessing potentially malignant thyroid nodules
Authors: Hamer Peter W. , Aspinall Sebastian R. , Malycha Peter L. 
Published: July 2013

AbstractBackgroundUltrasound (US) is used in the workup of thyroid nodules. Ultrasonographic characteristics, such as an ill‐defined margin, hypoechoicity or fine calcifications, are known to be associated with malignant thyroid lesions. The association between these characteristics and the risk of malignancy has been reported predominantly from series published where US is performed in radiology departments. Clinician‐performed ultrasound (CPU) is increasingly being used as a modality, although there is little published literature validating this practice.MethodA prospectively collected database of known ultrasonographic characteristics of malignancy as determined by CPU on thyroid nodules is reported and correlated against adequate cytology or operative histopathology.ResultsIn total, 157 thyroid nodules (28 malignant, 129 benign) were included and characteristics of poorly defined capsule (sensitivity 46%, specificity 91%), absence of halo (sensitivity 54%, specificity 80%), hypoechoicity (sensitivity 79%, specificity 54%), heterogeneity (sensitivity 64%, specificity 68%), fine calcifications (sensitivity 36%, specificity 95%) and central blood supply (sensitivity 71%, specificity 69%) were found to be associated with malignant thyroid nodules. Negative‐predictive values (NPVs) for these characteristics were consistently high (89%, 89%, 92%, 90%, 87% and 94%, respectively).DiscussionThese results are consistent with the previously published datasets of ultrasonographic characteristics of malignancy and validate the use of CPU. The consistently high NPV suggests that the absence of ultrasonographic characteristics of malignancy correlates well with benign lesions. CPU is a reliable and useful tool in the hands of surgeons assessing and following potentially malignancy thyroid nodules.
Fundus Fluorescein Angiographic Findings in Patients Who Underwent Ventricular Assist Device Implantation
Authors: Ozturk Taylan , Nalcaci Serhad , Ozturk Pelin , Engin Cagatay , Yagdi Tahir , Akkin Cezmi , Ozbaran Mustafa 
Published: July 2013

AbstractDisruption of microcirculation in various tissues as a result of deformed blood rheology due to ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation causes novel arteriovenous malformations. Capillary disturbances and related vascular leakage in the retina and choroidea may also be seen in patients supported by VADs. We aimed to evaluate retinal vasculature deteriorations after VAD implantation. The charts of 17 patients who underwent VAD implantation surgery for the treatment of end‐stage heart failure were retrospectively reviewed. Eight cases (47.1%) underwent pulsatile pump implantation (Berlin Heart EXCOR, Berlin Heart Mediprodukt GmbH, Berlin, Germany); however, nine cases (52.9%) had continuous‐flow pump using centrifugal design (HeartWare, HeartWare Inc., Miramar, FL, USA). Study participants were selected among the patients who had survived with a VAD for at least 6 months, and results of detailed ophthalmologic examinations including optic coherence tomography (OCT) and fundus fluorescein angiography (FA) were documented. All of the 17 patients were male, with a mean age of 48.5 ± 14.8 years (15–67 years). Detailed ophthalmologic examinations including the evaluation of retinal vascular deteriorations via FA were performed at a mean of 11.8 ± 3.7 months of follow‐up (6–18 months). Mean best‐corrected visual acuity and intraocular pressure were found as logMAR 0.02 ± 0.08 and 14.6 ± 1.9 mm Hg, respectively in the study population. Dilated fundoscopy revealed severe focal arteriolar narrowing in two patients (11.8%), and arteriovenous crossing changes in four patients (23.5%); however, no pathological alteration was present in macular OCT scans. In patients with continuous‐flow blood pumps, mean arm‐retina circulation time (ARCT) and arteriovenous transit time (AVTT) were found to be 16.8 ± 3.0 and 12.4 ± 6.2 s, respectively; whereas those with pulsatile‐flow blood pumps were found to be 17.4 ± 3.6 and 14.0 ± 2.1 s in patients (P = 0.526 and P = 0.356, respectively). FA also revealed a tendency for increased frequency of dye leakage from the optic disc in our study population. Except for remarkable delays in both ARCT and AVTT as well as a tendency for increased frequency of dye leakage from the optic disc, ophthalmologic evaluations revealed no other significant pathology or vascular deterioration in the retina that could be attributed to artificial heart systems.
Designing a trust evaluation model for open‐knowledge communities
Authors: Yang Xianmin , Qiu Qin , Yu Shengquan , Tahir Hasan 
Published: July 2013

AbstractThe openness of open‐knowledge communities (OKCs) leads to concerns about the knowledge quality and reliability of such communities. This confidence crisis has become a major factor limiting the healthy development of OKCs. Earlier studies on trust evaluation for Wikipedia considered disadvantages such as inadequate influencing factors and separated the treatment of trustworthiness for users and resources. A new trust evaluation model for OKCs—the two‐way interactive feedback model—is developed in this study. The model has two core components: resource trustworthiness (RT) and user trustworthiness (UT). The model is based on more interaction data, considers the interrelation between RT and UT, and better represents the features of interpersonal trust in reality. Experimental simulation and trial operation for the Learning Cell System, a novel open‐knowledge community developed for ubiquitous learning, show that the model accurately evaluates RT and UT in this example OKC environment.