bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Unleashing a decisive approach to manage quality costs through behavioural investigation
Authors: Chopra Arvind , Singh Bikram  Jit 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– Nowadays companies in the world are selling products by keeping quality as a central value for the customer. Quality-related costs arise from a series of activities performed in order to maintain the quality of product or service. Like other activities of business, quality costs can be programmed, budgeted, measured and analysed to attain the objective of better quality at lower cost. The purpose of this paper is to formulate a decisive methodology to optimize total quality cost (TQC), comprehensively.

Design/methodology/approach
– The TQC borne by any small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) is the authentic base, which decides budget and other financial policies for running its ongoing quality programmes. To minimize TQC, one has to make sufficient cut backs in the total failure cost (TFC). Through regression analysis, TFC has been statistically modelled with primary quality costs (like preventive costs (PC) and appraisal costs (AC)). Subsequent graphical analysis has been delineated to elaborate relevant behaviour of different quality costs. At last, potency of suggested methodology has been strategically verified by executing a successful case study in an Indian Auto SME. The requisite optimization has been achieved by using Minitab Statistical Software and its practical validation is checked by conducting a two-sample t-test, exclusively.

Findings
– It has been found that TFC has a direct positive correlation with TQC and it increases with time. Further, TFC is inversely proportional with PC and AC. PC and AC act as independent costs, while TFC is a dependent or secondary quality cost. If the authors strategically allocate PC and AC in advance by using statistical advanced tools, then internal failure costs and external failure costs will diminish amply.

Research limitations/implications
– It inspires practitioner to harvest profits by inculcating quality cost optimization through lodged statistical behavioural investigation. Proposed approach is verified after performing an empirical study only on an automobile manufacturing SME. Further research is indeed required to testify the given methodology for more complex process configurations.

Practical implications
– Data related to quality costs is well available with practitioners but generally lying ignored. The case findings will motivate quality practitioners to use the proposed step by step approach for sustainable reduction in overall quality cost.

Originality/value
– SMEs find it difficult to lower their TQC due to severe scarcity of resources and funds. Moreover literature provides mainly the theoretical or qualitative cases which remain ineffective to propel SMEs towards the real world savings. But this manuscript will act as a unique road-map to de-code the behaviour of different quality costs quantitatively without ignoring the existing constraints of SMEs, especially in the developing nations.
Enterprise resource planning: identifying relationships among critical success factors
Authors: Bansal Veena , Agarwal Ankit 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to establish that there are causal relationships among critical success factors (CSFs) associated with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) project. The authors prove that: H1 – Vendor (VN) is positively related to Enterprise System Selection Process (ES). H1a – Enterprise System Selection process (ES) mediates the relationship between vendor (VN) and Success (SS). H2 – Project Management (PM) is positively related to Implementation Strategy (IS). H2a – Implementation Strategy (IS) mediates the relationship between Project Management (PM) and Success (SS). H3 – Support of Top Management (TM) is positively related to Project Team Competence (PT). H3a – Project Team Competence (PT) mediates the relationship between Support of Top Management (TM) and Success (SS).

Design/methodology/approach
– To test the proposed hypotheses, the authors conducted a survey using a questionnaire. The research questionnaire was floated to 450 respondents; the authors received 168 responses. The authors had to discard 62 responses as their organization had greater than 250 employee and did not qualify to be an Indian SME. The authors were left with 106 responses. The respondents were managers (5.6 percent), consultants (39.6 percent), engineers (50 percent) and the remaining (4.8 percent) did not specify their job. The authors then do regression analysis and path analysis including all other required analysis.

Findings
– The authors found that all hypotheses are supported. The management may use these findings to understand relationships among CSFs and use this knowledge to mitigate and manage CSFs.

Originality/value
– There are no systematic studies to study relationships among CSFs. The work establishes relationships among CSFs through data collected from organizations that have implemented ERP.
Against all odds: determinants of doctoral candidates’ intention to enter academia in Germany
Authors: Hauss Kalle , Kaulisch Marc , Tesch Jakob 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to focus on doctoral students in Germany and the drivers behind their intention to enter an academic career. The aspirations of young researchers after graduating from doctoral training have become an important issue to policymakers in light of the changing nature of doctoral training.Design/methodology/approach– Borrowing from Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior, we investigate how attitudes towards a career in academia, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control determine graduates’ intentions to pursue an academic career. We extend the model of Ajzen by measurements of research and training conditions in order to estimate the impact of organizational settings. We analyze a sample of 5,770 doctoral candidates from eight universities and three funding organizations.Findings– We find that apart from attitudes towards careers, academic career intentions are related to research and training conditions at the organizational level. Further, we find that large differences within the field of study and affiliation to a university or funding organization provide substantial explanations.Originality/value– This paper explores doctoral candidates’ academic career intentions which are an important precondition for the propagation of academic staff. For developers and practitioners in the field of doctoral training, our results yield a good understanding of the relationship between organizational settings at the level of doctoral training and career intentions.
The investigation of consumer motivations to patronize boutique hotels using push-pull theory: a case study in Xiamen, China
Authors: Wang Tao , Luo Yi , Tang Liang Rebecca 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer motivations to boutique hotels in Xiamen, China with the push-pull theory.

Design/methodology/approach
– The survey for this study was conducted in boutique hotels in Xiamen, China.

Findings
– The results indicated identified “uniqueness-seeking,” “interpersonal experience,” and “social networking” as the primary push motivations and “decoration
&
theme” and “site value” as the primary pull motivations.

Originality/value
– The study is anticipated to provide the industry practitioners in boutique hotels marketing strategies such as positioning, packaging, and advertising.
Commodity exports to China and economic growth
Authors: Taivan Ariuna , Nene Gibson , Boubacar Inoussa 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the effect of commodity exports from Africa to China on the growth rate of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) after controlling for variables that have been found to be important determinants of economic growth. This study uses a panel of 23 African countries for the period of 2001-2011.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors make use of a Barro-type empirical economic growth model which uses per capita GDP as the dependent variable. With regard to independent variables, the authors examine the China effect after controlling for variables that have been found to affect economic growth. To account for the China effect, we use the following three measures of trade with China: commodity export to China, commodity export to China relative to total export and commodity export to China relative to the world. The authors use panel data from 2001 to 2011.

Findings
– Results indicate that the magnitudes of the effect, while statistically significant, are not large enough to induce positive growth rates. The results also indicate that the magnitudes of the effects depend on the colonial origin of the African countries.

Research limitations/implications
– The data are limited to the 2001-2011 time frame because of data availability issues. This time frame does capture the era when China increased its trade with Africa. The choices of variables were also affected by data availability. However, the authors managed to find data on the main drivers of economic growth. Further research is needed to gain a more comprehensive analysis of the effects of commodity trade with China on Africa’s economy, given the partial character of the data set used in this study. Similarly, there is also a need for more detailed information on China’s trade activities.

Practical implications
– While the results of this study show an improvement in the per capita growth rate, the changes are not large enough to put African countries on a path to a sustained prosperity. African governments which trade with China should consider investing more in manufacturing, so that they create more jobs locally and benefit more from their exports.

Social implications
– The China–Africa relationship shows a small positive impact on societal well-being.

Originality/value
– To the best of the authors’ knowledge, none of the existing studies on China–Africa relations attempted to understand the impact of China’s economic activity on the standards of living of African residents, where standard of living is measured by economic growth. The current study aims to bridge this gap. This study complements existing studies and uses a data set and methodology that has not been used before on this issue.
Lean talent acquisition: one team’s journey of improvement
Authors: Van Duren Eric , D'Amico Jim , Knoth Kurt 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to describe how lean performance improvement principles helped transform an integrated healthcare system’s talent acquisition team to best in class.

Design/methodology/approach
– Spectrum Health’s talent acquisition team is needed to change its functional processes to better achieve its recruitment goals. In 2013, the system’s talent acquisition and process improvement teams partnered to conduct a value stream analysis, followed by five rapid improvement events and project work. Structural and institutional changes were defined and implemented. Significant cultural change toward a philosophy of continuous improvement was accomplished through the use of managing for daily improvement huddles and other efforts. The focus throughout was on lean thinking, change management and achieving meaningful results.

Findings
– After the lean process implementation, time to fill for open positions was reduced by 10 per cent. The offer acceptance rate increased from 96 to 99.6 per cent, with fewer than 25 turndowns annually. Customer and candidate satisfaction has been maintained at above 90 per cent and operating in a culture of continuous improvement has spawned several additional benefits.

Originality/value
– Lean principles applied within human resources functions can drive significant business results.
Keys to optimising workforce resources across the enterprise
Authors: Sambartolo Marcello 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– Optimising workforce resources has become increasingly complex, particularly for large enterprises and those operating in multiple locations or countries. To be successful, human resource (HR) and the organisation’s line managers need to be strategic and nimble – able to quickly and decisively respond to any number of complex factors at a moment’s notice. These factors include internal considerations, such as employee qualifications and availability, as well as external dynamics, such as supply chain changes and expanding labour compliance regulations. Failure to respond quickly can prevent organisations from being able to reach optimal productivity and performance goals.

Design/methodology/approach
– Organisations seeking to achieve complete visibility should look first to the three pillars of an effective workforce management strategy – demand, utilisation and measurement – to better understand how they can be optimised to increase agility, improve customer service and reduce labour costs.

Findings
– Organisations that incorporate all three of these pillars – demand, utilisation and measurement – into their ongoing workforce management strategy will see the greatest impact in terms of increasing productivity and efficiency, as well as identifying new best practices that can be applied across the enterprise. Investing in solutions and practices that support workforce optimisation can also deliver greater agility, improved customer service and lower total costs.

Originality/value
– The ability to manage change effectively, whether it stems from external or internal factors, is critical to creating a sustainable, resilient organisation. Particularly because your workforce is likely the greatest asset and contributor to your overall success, equipping HR and managers with the right tools and data to increase effectiveness is essential to helping your organisation meet customer expectations, respond to change quickly and effectively and drive measurable gains in business performance.
The improvement of exercise performance by physical training is related to increased hypothalamic neuronal activation
Authors: Santiago Henrique P , Leite Laura HR , Lima Paulo Marcelo A , Rodovalho Gisele V , Szawka Raphael E , Coimbra Cândido C 
Published: October 2015

SummaryThe effects of physical training on hypothalamic activation after exercise and their relationship with heat dissipation were investigated. Following 8 weeks of physical training, trained (TR, n = 9) and untrained (UN, n = 8) Wistar rats were submitted to a regimen of incremental running until fatigue while body and tail temperatures were recorded. After exercise, hypothalamic c‐Fos immunohistochemistry analysis was performed. The workload, body‐heating rate, heat storage and body temperature threshold for cutaneous vasodilation were calculated. Physical training increased the number of c‐Fos immunoreactive neurons in the paraventricular, medial preoptic and median preoptic nucleus by 112%, 90% and 65% (P < 0.01) after exercise, respectively. In these hypothalamic regions, increased neuronal activation was directly associated with the increased workload performed by TR animals (P < 0.01). Moreover, a reduction of 0.6°C in the body temperature threshold for cutaneous vasodilation was shown by TR animals (P < 0.01). This reduction was possibly responsible for the lower body‐heating rate (0.019 ± 0.002°C/min, TR vs 0.030 ± 0.005°C/min, UN, P < 0.05) and the decreased ratio between heat storage and the workload performed by TR animals (18.18 ± 1.65 cal/kg, TR vs 31.38 ± 5.35 cal/kg, UN, P < 0.05). The data indicate that physical training enhances hypothalamic neuronal activation during exercise. This enhancement is the central adaptation relating to better physical performance, characterized by a lower ratio of heat stored to workload performed, due to improved heat dissipation.
Government survival in semi‐presidential regimes
Authors: FERNANDES JORGE M. , MAGALHÃES PEDRO C. 
Published: October 2015

AbstractAs semi‐presidentialism has become increasingly common in European democracies, so have the debates about the consequences of several of its political and institutional features. In particular, in those regimes, cohabitation between presidents and cabinets of different parties and cabinet dismissal powers on the part of presidents are thought to be a source of inter‐branch conflict and government instability. However, so far, most empirical work on government survival has failed to confirm any of these expectations. This article addresses this disjuncture between theory and empirical results by making a twofold contribution. First, it takes into account the internal diversity within semi‐presidentialism, modeling the implications for government survival of different configurations between presidential powers’ of cabinet dismissal, parliament dissolution and cohabitation in European semi‐presidential systems. Second, it reconsiders traditional government survival using the competing risks framework by adding a distinction between two different types of non‐electoral replacement: those where replacements imply a change in the party of the prime minister and those where they do not. Once such an approach is adopted, that presidential powers of parliamentary dissolution and cabinet dismissal indeed emerge as highly relevant for explaining government survival in these regimes.
Factors associated with suicide completion: A comparison between suicide attempters and completers
Authors: Joo Soo‐Hyun , Wang Sheng‐Min , Kim Tae‐Won , Seo Ho‐Jun , Jeong Jong‐Hyun , Han Jin‐Hee , Hong Seung‐Chul 
Published: October 2015

AbstractIntroductionThe objective of this study was to compare the sociodemographic and clinical variables of suicide attempters and completers and to identify risk and protective factors for suicide completion.MethodsSubjects (n = 320) visiting to the emergency room were classified into two groups: suicide attempters (n = 222) and suicide completers (n = 98). Univariate analyses and logistic regression models were used to explore the differences between suicide attempters and completers and to identify risk factors for suicide completion.ResultsThe results showed that compared with suicide attempters, suicide completers were older, male, having alcohol use disorders, having comorbid health problems, having severe suicide ideation, and using severe suicide methods such as hanging and jumping from a height. Using multiple logistic regression model, risk factors predicting suicide completion were comorbid medical illness, and intense suicide ideation. Factor that served as protective factors against suicide completion was female.DiscussionThis study demonstrated that suicide completers have more severe clinical profile than suicide attempters. Decreasing intensity of suicide ideation and treating comorbid medical illness of suicide attempters might be important in preventing them from suicide completion. It is important that the implementation of suicide preventive programs focused on alcoholism is useful in decreasing suicide rates further. Moreover, suicide completers used highly lethal methods, our results indicate that our country should make greater efforts to decrease hanging and jumping from a height.
Automatic T2* determination for quantification of iron load in heart and liver: a comparison between automatic inline Maximum Likelihood Estimate and the truncation and offset methods
Authors: Hedström Erik , Voigt Tobias , Greil Gerald , Schaeffter Tobias , Nagel Eike 
Published: October 2015

SummaryPurposeTo validate ironload T2* by automatic inline Maximum Likelihood Estimate (MLE) with k‐space Rician noise correction, against the manual and automated truncation, as well as offset methods, in phantoms and in heart and liver in patients.MethodsTwenty‐five patients and an iron‐oxide phantom were scanned at 1.5T using 2 multi‐echo gradient‐echo sequences. All parameters were identical (voxel 2–3 × 2–3 × 10 mm3, 10 echoes, TR = 26 ms, FA = 20°, BW = 833 Hz, SENSE = 2) except for TE (cardiac: TE1 = 2·5 ms, ΔTE = 2·5 ms; liver: TE1 = 1·2 ms, ΔTE = 1·5 ms). Phantoms were scanned at 1 and 32 signal averages (NSA), with NSA32 representing low‐noise reference.ResultsPhantoms: MLE showed low variability between NSA1 and NSA32 (0·02 ± 0·29 ms, CI ±0·21 ms). Between methods, no difference was shown (MLE versus all: <0·31 ms, CI < ±0·35 ms). Patients: No differences were found between methods in heart (MLE versus all: <−0·22 ms, CI < ±0·75 ms) or liver (MLE versus all: <0·12 ms, CI < ±0·26 ms).ConclusionsThe automatic inline MLE method is comparable to the general reference standards for determining cardiac and liver T2* for ironload in man. An automatic inline method may simplify ironload assessment, particularly in centres seeing fewer cases.
Sam68 regulates cell proliferation and cell adhesion‐mediated drug resistance (CAM‐DR) via the AKT pathway in non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma
Authors: Wu Yaxun , Xu Xiaohong , Miao Xiaobing , Zhu Xinghua , Yin Haibing , He Yunhua , Li Chunsun , Liu Yushan , Chen Yali , Lu Xiaoyun , Wang Yuchan , He Song 
Published: October 2015

AbstractObjectivesSam68 (Src‐associated in mitosis 68 kDa), a substrate for tyrosine kinase c‐Src during mitosis, is up‐regulated in a variety of human cancers and acts oncogenically promoting tumour progression. This study has explored biological function and clinical significance of Sam68 in non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).Materials and methodsTo examine Sam68 expression in NHL, clinically, eight diffuse large B‐cell lymphomas and four reactive lymphoid hyperplasia fresh‐frozen tissues were obtained for western blot and quantitative real‐time PCR analyses. Using immunohistochemical staining, paraffin wax embedded sections from 164 cases of NHL patients were used to evaluate prognostic value of Sam68. Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK‐8) and soft agar colony assays were conducted to investigate the role of Sam68 in cell viability and cell proliferation respectively. Furthermore, effects of Sam68 on cell adhesion‐mediated drug resistance (CAM‐DR) was determined by CCK‐8 assay and flow cytometric analysis.ResultsExpression status of Sam68 inversely correlated with clinical outcomes of patients with NHL, and it was also an independent prognostic factor for the outcomes. In addition, Sam68 was associated with proliferation of NHL cells. Knock‐down of its gene inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation by delaying cell cycle progression. Furthermore, OCI‐Ly8 and Jeko‐1 cells adhering to FN and HS‐5 expressed higher Sam68 protein, compared to their suspension counterparts. Sam68 promoted cell adhesion‐mediated drug resistance (CAM‐DR) via the AKT pathway.ConclusionsIncreased Sam68 expression in NHL resulted in poor prognosis, and it promoted CAM‐DR in NHL via AKT.