bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A new design tool for DFA/DFD based on rating factors
Authors: Shetty Devdas , Ali Ahad 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to develop a tool design for assembly and disassembly using rating factors. Design engineers need an automated tool to effectively analyze the ease of assembly and disassembly of the products or subassemblies. A good assembly design helps in easier disassembly and thus makes it easier to service, repair and maintain. Reuse and recycling aspects are given importance in the present days due to environmental regulations. Designers now use the life cycle design of the products. This creates an environment for the successful application of design for manufacturing, assembly and disassembly tools. This paper addresses some of those issues.Design/methodology/approach– The analysis of a product design for ease of assembly/disassembly depends largely on whether the product is to be assembled/disassembled manually, with automation or a combination of these. For example, the criteria for ease of automatic feeding and orienting are much more stringent than those for manual handling of parts. The new design for assembly/disassembly (DFA/DFD) evaluation tool explained here enables the designer to review the existing design. This paper examines the existing techniques in the area of DFA/DFD and suggests a new methodology based on rating factors. Excel is used to create the interface for the user. Other popular methods were examined such as Boothroyd-Dewhurst, Lucas. Access, reuse, removal, tool, task and time method and assembly score method (Poli) were used as a base for this study.Findings– The end result of this research is a new approach linked to assembly/disassembly rating score.Originality/value– The new DFA/DFD evaluation tool enables the designer to review the existing DFA and DFD difficulties.
Animosity within borders
Authors: Huang Yu-An , Lin Chad , Yen Dorothy A 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to identify and examine the antecedents and consequence of regional animosity and their impacts on regional media preference.

Design/methodology/approach
– Computer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted with randomly selected adult residents in Northern (206) and Southern (201) Taiwan. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling in LISERAL and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis.

Findings
– The findings reveal that perceived economic threat, economic hardship and dissatisfaction with government economic policy increase home region identification and perceived discrimination, which in turn lead to heightened animosity toward the opposite foreign region. This increasing animosity then affects consumer choice over home region media compared to media originated from the other region.

Research limitations/implications
– The findings suggest that military and political tensions alone cannot explain why consumers would harbor animosity between one region and another within the same country due to social and economic reasons. The constructs chosen in this research should be seen only as a snapshot but other variables such as a region’s natural environment and its human factors are not taken into account. Future studies would benefit from inclusion of these variables and a wider geographical scope.

Practical implications
– Several implications are extracted to help marketing and branding personnel better shape their marketing, communication and media strategies, as well as to help government policy makers and political parties revise existing policy to reduce the animosity.

Originality/value
– By investigating animosity within borders, this study provides fresh insights to help explain how economic factors contribute to increased regional animosity through the mediating effect of regional identification and perceived discrimination. The findings broaden existing understanding about the concept of animosity and its impact on consumer behavior.
Service quality and customers’ behavioural intentions
Authors: Choudhury Koushiki 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore how the different dimensions of service quality influence customers’ behavioural intentions in the private and public sector banks, that is, in class and mass banking, respectively, and the implications for the service provider, consumer, society and consumer policy.Design/methodology/approach– A contextually modified SERVQUAL instrument was used to capture customers’ perceptions of service quality followed by exploratory factor analysis to study the dimensionality of service quality in retail banking. Multiple regression was used to probe the influence of the dimensions of service quality on customers’ behavioural intentions.Findings– The study revealed four dimensions of service quality in retail banking, namely, customer-orientedness, reliability, tangibles and convenience and showed that the service quality factor customer-orientedness comprising of the responsiveness and attitude of employees is most important in influencing customers’ behavioural intentions in the case of private sector banks and reliability of the service is most influential in the case of public sector banks.Research limitations/implications– Future research can focus on “service excellence” being extended beyond assessment of the quality of services, towards evaluation of the quality of life outcomes, to which public organizations contribute, appraisal of the quality of public governance processes and quality of performance in meeting social objectives.Practical implications– Retail bank managers must realize the importance of employees providing competent, reliable service in the case of public sector banks and their responsiveness and behaviour towards customers in the case of private sector banks, as the keys to foster a culture of service excellence.Social implications– High-quality financial consumer policy must not only be able to increase customer satisfaction with financial services but also build security and trust in public administration through transparent processes and accountability. In this context, with public agencies being regarded as service providers and citizens as customers, the concept of quality must also visualize public agencies as catalysts of a responsible and active civic society.Originality/value– This study explores the relationship between service quality and customers’ behavioural intentions in the private and public sector banks by linking both constructs at their dimensional level. It highlights major implications for the service provider, society, consumer and public policy based on the different needs, characteristics and requirements of customers of class and mass banking, that is, private and public sector banks.
Determinants of speed to market in the context of the emerging Indian market
Authors: Bhattacharyya Som Sekhar , Jha Sumi , Fernandes Christo 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to determine the antecedents of speed to market (SM). Further, a model was established on SM with the organizational variables of enacting organizational environment (EOE), organizational infrastructure (OI), project complexity (PC) and creation of collective mind (CCM).Design/methodology/approach– This research was based on structured survey questionnaire data of 415 managers from private and public sector firms in India. The data analysis was carried out with SPSS 20 and AMOS 18 for structural equation modeling.Findings– Research results indicated that the exogenous factors were EOE and OI. PC and CCM were the intervening variables and SM was the endogenous variables. The result indicated that there was significant positive relationship between EOE and PC, EOE and CCM. There was also a significant positive relationship between the variables EOE with PC, OI with PC and CCM with PC. Finally there existed a significant positive relationship between PC and SM and CCM and SM.Research limitations/implications– This research study was one of the first research studies developing a model on SM with the exogenous variables of EOE and OI and the intervening variables of PC and CCM.Practical implications– The managers in both public and private sector organizations looking to create and sustain competitive advantage by providing a fast and apt response to market demand by product development can use the inputs from the study. Organizations should be developed in such a manner to enrich the EOE and have a agile and flexible OI. This would help organizations in having CCM and undertake PC. A well-coordinated effort encompassing all these would help the organization to have a fast and steady SM.Originality/value– This research was one of the very first studies relating SM with EOE, OI, PC and CCM in an emerging market context.
Patients versus healthcare providers’ perceptions of quality of care
Authors: Abuosi Aaron Asibi 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to find out whether there are any significant gaps in perceptions of quality of care between patients and healthcare providers in Ghana’s hospitals.Design/methodology/approach– A cross-sectional survey of patients seeking outpatient consultations in 17 general hospitals in Ghana was conducted. A total of 818 patients and 152 hospital managers were interviewed. A 22-item quality of care scale was used in data collection. Data were analysed with the aid SPSS version 20. Summary statistics andt-test were used to analyse the data.Findings– There was a significant difference in the overall perception of quality of care between patients and healthcare providers (Patients:M=89.11, SD=11.457; Providers:M=94.60, SD=10.922;t(845) −4.956,p< 001, two-tailed). Also, 18 items out of the 22-item quality of care scale showed significant difference between patients and providers. However, levels of quality of care is generally rated fairly favourably by both category of respondents.Research limitations/implications– Further study is required to explore the reasons for the perceived quality gaps between patients and healthcare providers.Practical implications– Management of hospitals need to evaluate patients’ perceptions of quality of care to inform measures aimed at improving quality of care, since what they may consider as good quality service may be rated less favourably by patients.Originality/value– Comparing perceptions of quality between patients and healthcare providers is important in order adopt measures to address any differences in perceptions of quality between the two stakeholders. To the best of the author’s knowledge no study has been conducted in Ghana to that effect.
Understanding multiple aspects of present space with the help of future scenarios: the case of Izmir, Turkey
Authors: Khakee Abdul , Grassini Laura 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to make use of participatory scenarios to assess the multiple aspects of space with the help of future scenarios.Design/methodology/approach– This paper makes an attempt to appreciate multiple representations of space where past and present experiences merge with future desires and concerns. With the help of one case study, Izmir (Turkey), where a vision of democratic city is developed, the paper shows how future scenarios can provide deeper and richer appreciation of present space, thereby challenging existing spatial practices.Findings– The participatory approach used in the development of scenarios suggests interesting implications to operationalise a more relational concept of space in real planning strategies.Research limitations/implications– The use of scenarios in strategic planning to identify future possibilities and to make stakeholders aware of uncertainties has been increasingly recognised in planning research and practice.Practical implications– The appreciation of the multiple aspects of space with the help of future scenarios would enrich the spatial planning practice.Social implications– The use of participatory approach to preparing scenarios enables participants to make use of interactive method in social and political discourses.Originality/value– The use of scenarios to examine various aspects of space that may be relevant in spatial planning has not received similar attention. The latter poses methodological as well as practical challenges for researchers. This paper is an attempt to do just that.
Improving the predictability of business failure of supply chain finance clients by using external big dataset
Authors: Zhao Xiande , Yeung KwanHo , Huang Qiuping , Song Xiao 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to help the financial institutions improve the predictability of business failure of supply chain finance (SCF) clients with the use of external big data set.Design/methodology/approach– A prediction model for the business failure of SCF clients was built upon different theoretical perspectives. Logistic regression method was deployed to test the model.Findings– The authors develop a model that illustrates several key determinants to predict the probability of business failure of SCF clients based on several theoretical perspectives. The results show that taxable sales revenue, frequency of making value added tax (VAT) payment, number of counterparty for VAT invoice issuance, frequency of VAT invoice issuance and firm age are negatively correlated with business failure of SCF clients while the VAT paid and industry clockspeed are positively correlated with their business failure.Practical implications– This paper shows how financial institutions can effectively leverage the external information sources through “unconventional” predictor variables in order to reduce the credit risks associated with business failure of SCF clients.Originality/value– This paper is one of the first to focus on the potential use of financial big data set from external sources to improve of predictability of financial institutions on the business failure of SCF clients. In addition, this paper is a pivotal study on the financial client risk assessment based on taxpaying behaviors, tax amount, firm and industry characteristics.
Board structure and firm performance in Indian IT firms
Authors: Bhatt R. Rathish , Bhattacharya Sujoy 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between financial performance and internal governance structure of Information Technology (IT) sector in India. Various aspects of the board such as board independence, board size, board meeting, board attendance, aspects of leadership with role duality and family ownership are addressed in this study.

Design/methodology/approach
– The sample consists of 114 listed IT sector firms in India from 2006 to 2011. To account for endogeneity of the relationship between firm performance, corporate governance and capital structure of the firm, simultaneous system of equations was employed.

Findings
– The study, after controlling for firm-specific factors, shows that larger board size had a positive impact on firm performance. Independent directors on the board did not show any association with firm performance. The study failed to find any relationship between the number of board meetings and firm performance. However, attendance of the board members was found to be positively associated with firm performance. Family firms showed better performance compared to non-family firms.

Originality/value
– The study demonstrates that governance measures related to the board in Indian firms have some similarities to the firms in western countries. However, the study shows that some of the widely used board characteristic measures differ with other studies documented in the western contexts which limits the generalisability of the western studies in the emerging countries.
Past price changes, trading volume and prediction of portfolio returns
Authors: Sehgal Sanjay , Vasishth Vibhuti 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the profitability of investment strategies based on past price changes and trading volumes.

Design/methodology/approach
– Data are employed from January 1998 to December 2011 for select emerging markets. Portfolios are formed on the basis of past information on prices and/or volumes. Unrestricted and risk adjusted returns for sample portfolios are analyzed. The risk models employed in study are Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), Fama-French (F-F) Model and Fama-French augmented models.

Findings
– Price momentum patterns are observed for Brazil, India, South Africa and South Korea, while there are reversals in Indonesia and China. Low-volume stocks outperform high-volume stocks for all sample countries except China. Further, volume and price based bivariate strategies do a better job than univariate strategies in case of India, South Africa and South Korea. The past price and volume patterns in stock returns are not fully explained by CAPM as well as the F-F Model. Price and volume momentum factors do play a role in explaining some of these return patterns. Finally, the unexplained returns seem to be an outcome of investor under or overreaction to past information. The sources of price and volume momentum seem to be partly risk based and partly behavioral.

Originality/value
– The study analyzes combined role of price and volume in portfolio formation with post holding analysis. The work is useful for global portfolio managers, policy makers, market regulators and the academic community. The study contributes to asset pricing and behavioral finance literature for emerging markets.
Factors affecting speed of adjustment under different economic conditions
Authors: Naveed Muhammad , Ramakrishnan Suresh , Ahmad Anuar Melati , Mirzaei Maryam 
Published: October 2015

Purpose
– This study aims to examine the existence of capital structure dynamics and speed of adjustment during different economic periods. This study adds to the existing body of literature by investigating the factors influencing adjustment process toward target debt in developing economies.

Design/methodology/approach
– By employing two-step generalized method of moment (GMM) and sensitivity analysis, the study highlights critical factors which affect firms’ adjustment mechanism for target debt.

Findings
– Dynamic GMM estimations confirm the substance of past leverage on current debt, which recognizes the existence of dynamic capital structure. The findings corroborate that adjustment process is subject to trade-off between convergence rate and cost of being off-target. The fraction of financing of Pakistani firms confirms the pattern of pecking order hypothesis. The outcome of study clearly validates the significance of dynamic trade-off modeling for optimal capital structure.

Research limitations/implications
– As more data become available, the authors would extend this study to investigate the sectoral analysis to find how capital structure dynamics are different across sectors and how distinctive behavior of each sector differently affects the adjustment process toward target debt across each sector. In addition, sector-level and macro-economic factors could be incorporated to examine how external factors affect the firm’s speed of adjustment across sectors.

Practical implications
– The present study provides valuable insights for banking and corporate sector, mainly in Pakistan. The companies could take into consideration the firm-level factors which affect the adjustment process toward target debt. Likewise, the borrowing and lending procedures could be advanced by complying with dynamic mechanism of speed of adjustment. Furthermore, the findings of this research provide obstinate grounds for future research.

Originality/value
– Both the use of dynamic GMM adjustment model and sensitivity analysis along with Sargan test validate the health of instruments and values.
Breaking the measurement and evaluation deadlock: a new approach and model
Authors: Macnamara Jim 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– Noting findings by Michaelson and Stacks in the USA and Zerfass and colleagues in Europe that research-based measurement and evaluation (M & E) of public relations and corporate communication are still not widely applied despite more than a century of discussion and intense focus since the 1970s, the purpose of this paper is to explore the causes of this deadlock and presents an alternative approach and model to overcome identified obstacles and provide new insights to advance this important area of theory and practice.Design/methodology/approach– This paper is informed by critical analysis of the large body of literature on M & E, analysis of M & E reports, and ethnographic research among senior management.Findings– This analysis reveals that, along with long-cited barriers such as lack of budget, lack of knowledge and lack of standards, three other obstacles prevent demonstration of the value of PR and corporate communication. Based on critical analysis of literature and M & E reports and ethnography, this paper presents a new approach and model for M & E to help practitioners overcome these obstacles.Research limitations/implications– This analysis and the approach and model presented address an area of concern identified in research globally, such as a 2008 Delphi study by Watson and the European Communication Monitor in 2011 and 2012. The findings provide theoretical and practical contributions to address the deadlock between normative theories of M & E and practical implementation.Originality/value– The approach and M & E model presented make a significant original contribution to theory and practice.
Public relations culture, social media, and regulation
Authors: Vardeman-Winter Jennifer , Place Katie 
Published: October 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore how practitioner culture is maintained despite legal, technical, and educational issues resulting from the deluge of social media. The authors examined the nexus of practitioner culture, social media usage, and regulatory forces like policies, authority figures, and social norms.Design/methodology/approach– To explore practitioner culture, a cultural studies approach was used. Specifically, the circuit of culture model framed data analysis. The authors conducted qualitative interviews with 20 US public relations practitioners.Findings– Social media emerged as integral for cultural maintenance at every point in the circuit of culture. Practitioners expressed shared meanings about the regulations of social media as the reinvention of communication amidst growing pains; blurred public-private boundaries; nuanced rules of netiquette; and new systems of measurement and education.Research limitations/implications– The authors propose a regulation-formality hypothesis and regulation-identification articulations that should be considered in public relations practice, research, and education.Practical implications– Findings suggest best practices to help practitioners negotiate their personal identities and the identities of their organizations because of the unregulated nature of social media.Originality/value– This study fills the need for more qualitative, in-depth research that describes the cultural implications of social media in public relations to better address misunderstandings or gaps between its perceived effectiveness and actual use.