bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modeling strategic performance management of automobile manufacturing enterprises
Authors: Yadav Neetu , - Sushil , Sagar Mahim 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to present strategic performance management modeling of the Indian automobile manufacturing enterprises. This will help to understand the hierarchical structure and linkages of different strategic factors related to enterprise performance in a better way. Automobile manufacturing industry is one of the top industries in India. It is of paramount importance to identify the strategic factors and their linkages to understand the strategic performance management issues better.

Design/methodology/approach
– Flexible strategy game-card, an evolving performance management framework, has been taken as the basis for the development of a strategic performance management model. Thematic content analysis is used to analyze semi-structured interviews and for identifying strategic factors related to performance. Total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) is used to develop the hierarchical structure of these performance strategic factors. Case-lets and statistical analysis are used to further validate these models.

Findings
– The study proposes a strategic performance management model for Indian automobile enterprises that can be considered as a conceptual framework which helps to identify the leading and lagging factors of performance. This can be considered as an exploratory study for conceptualization and can be further validated through empirical testing.

Research limitations/implications
– The research methodology adopted here gives a guideline to researchers for conducting an exploratory study where they can identify the factors/variables of interest through semi-structured interviews and thematic content analysis. The TISM helps to develop the poorly articulated mental model in a well-structured hierarchical form, which would help to get more insights in relation to performance.

Originality/value
– The study fills the gaps by addressing the issue of performance in the Indian context by identifying strategic performance factors for automobile enterprises. There is an attempt to demonstrate the application of an evolving performance management framework, i.e. flexible strategy game-card. The methodological rigor and application of mixed methods adds value to the knowledge base by providing a mechanism to conduct an exploratory study for the area of interest.
Analytical model for performance measurement in healthcare sector of Punjab
Authors: Bhatti Simrandeep K. , Singh Raminder Pal , Singh Irrenpreet 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The aim of this paper is to develop a model for analyzing the performance of health care service providers using analytical modeling.

Design/methodology/approach
– It is a questionnaire-based work where data were collected using the survey tools. Data were moderated after taking into consideration the opinion of medical practitioners and academia professionals. They were also asked to give their suggestions so that more parameters could be added.

Findings
– The underlying factors will help to measure the performance of hospitals and service providers in this area.

Research limitations/implications
– This paper focuses only on private multi-specialty hospitals. Public sector hospitals may be incorporated in future work to ascertain their effect on the selection issues.

Practical implications
– This paper offers insight into various parameters which will lead to better patient–doctor–hospital relationships.

Originality/value
– Being on the map of the emerging “health tourism” sector in Asia, very few studies have been conducted in the state of Punjab. This paper attempts to comprehensively examine the factors which will depict the performance of hospitals.
Interpretation problems: general mechanism and fundamental limitations of classical methods
Authors: Volchenkov Evgeny 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investige the general computing mechanisms of solving the system information problems of interpretation and its fundamental limitations, due to physical basis Turing machine.

Design/methodology/approach
– For creation of theoretical base of methodology, the authors make an attempt to demonstrate the possibility of a constructive building of Turing machine as meta-ontological basis of computing. In the course of this building the role of the operator of atomic implicative transition if-then as generic operator of recognition/decision-making is shown. In order to substantiate the thesis about the determinative role of implicative transition in the interpretation mechanisms, the authors will carry out the comparative analysis methods of interpretation in systems of pattern recognition and expert systems interpretation type.

Findings
– The carried-out analysis allows to formulate a common mechanism underlying the classical methods of solving problems of interpretation and to concretize the fundamental limitations of these methods, caused computational basis of their actualization. The cybernetic interpretation of this mechanism is offered.

Originality/value
– The fundamental limitations of classical methods of solving problems of interpretation sets the boundaries of the cybernetic approach and allows to outline a way out beyond it. In this context, the authors put forward knowledge-based mechanism of perceptual modeling of dynamics of system visual environment – autonomous agent.
Quantitative analysis of viable systems model on software projects in the ICT sector in Castilla y León
Authors: Puche Regaliza Julio César 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to detect the degree of influence between applying the Viable Systems Model (VSM), developed by Stafford Beer, on a software project and its viability or success.Design/methodology/approach– The authors performed a quantitative analysis in which it was necessary to identify theoretical constructs of the VSM (Systems One to Five) and of the viability or success of the software project, measuring each of the indicators together. These indicators have been included in a questionnaire or standardised measurement tool, which was subsequently used for data collection by a number of companies in the information and communications technology sector in Castilla y León. The obtained data served as the basis for a number of results through the definition of a structural equation model.Findings– The results support the particular importance of Systems One and Four in a software project. In other words, software projects need to clearly define their operational elements (e.g. organisational units, business units, working environments, and working teams) and the relationships that appear between them. Additionally, in software projects it is necessary to determine the appropriate prevention actions to be able to observe the changes that take place in their environment and thus make decisions that allow the project to adapt to these changes.Originality/value– The originality is based on the VSM application in software projects organisation. The value is based on VSM formalisation and practical application, to overcome the criticism about its abstract nature.
How to reduce local government decision-making competition in China’s new urbanization process
Authors: Wang Dong , Xu Hengzhou , Li Xiaoyan 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of local government decision-making competition new urbanization, further to seek measures to weaken the negative effect of local government decision-making competition.

Design/methodology/approach
– This paper first puts forward the three paths which make local government decision-making competition: construction of new-style urbanization, economic development and construction of people’s livelihood and take China’s new-style urbanization as an example, the authors analyzed the internal mechanism of decision making of local government competition which caused by above three paths. Second, using the prospect theory, risk aversion theory and Cournot duopoly model, the authors analyzed how to avoid the local government decision-making competition and how to reduce the harm caused by local government decision-making competition.

Findings
– The central government can curb the appearance of local government competition strategy through regulating and controlling the effectiveness of local government protective-investment policy, improving the degree of market competition and punishment coefficient of government decision-making failure and further, the authors can reduce the detriment of decision-making competition between local governments through adjusting the revenue function of local government in the process of new-style urbanization.

Originality/value
– New-style urbanization is the main driving force of China’s future economic development, however, in the process of new-style urbanization, because of the “principle-agent” relationship between central government and local government, officials achievements appraisal mechanism and promotion game, they all cause competition between local government decision making, and this will weaken the positive effect of urbanization. Although, there are many researches on horizontal and intergovernmental competition, most researches devoted to how to avoid it from the angle of institutional economics, and the suggestions put forward by these researches are hardly applied. Anyone interested in how to avoid local government decision-making competition and reduce the negative influences of it from the angle of unitary government state’s reality will find this paper valuable.
A comparison of the different versions of popular technology acceptance models
Authors: Rondan-Cataluña Francisco Javier , Arenas-Gaitán Jorge , Ramírez-Correa Patricio Esteban 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a complete and chronological view of the evolution of the main acceptance and use of technology models, from the 1970s to the present day.

Design/methodology/approach
– A comparison of partial least squares (linear model) and WarpPLS (non-linear model) has been run for each acceptation of technology model: TRA, TAM0, TAM1, TAM2, TAM3, UTAUT, UTAUT2. The data set collects the information of mobile internet users.

Findings
– The authors have concluded that UTAUT2 model obtains a better explanation power than the rest of technology acceptance models (TAMs) in the sample of mobile internet users. Furthermore, all models have a better explanation power using non-linear relationships than the traditional linear approach.

Originality/value
– The vast majority of research published to date with regard to the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) are based on structural equation models assuming linear relationships between variables. The originality of this study is that it incorporates non-linear relationships and compares the same models using both approaches.
Transaction tax, heterogeneous traders and market volatility
Authors: LI Hongquan , Cheng Gang , Wang Shouyang 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– The securities transaction tax (STT) has been theoretically considered as an important regulation device for decades. However, its role and effectiveness in financial markets is still not well understood both theoretically and empirically. By use of agent-based modeling method, the purpose of this paper is to present a new artificial stock market model with self-adaptive agents, which allows the assessment of the impacts from various levels of STTs in distinctive market environments and thus a comprehensive understanding of the effects of STTs is achieved.Design/methodology/approach– In the model, agents are allowed to employ the strategies used by the following five types of investors: contrarians, random traders, momentum traders, fundamentalists and exit strategy holders. Specifically, the authors start with the investigation of the dynamics of a tax free benchmark market; then the patterns of market behaviors and the behaviors of various types of investors are discussed with different levels of STTs in markets with mild and high fluctuations.Findings– The simulation results consistently show that a moderate transaction tax does contribute to market stabilization in terms of reducing market volatility while with a price of mild decrease of market efficiency and liquidity. The findings suggest that a balance between market stability and efficiency could be reached if regulatory authorities introduce STTs to markets discreetly.Originality/value– This paper enriches the comprehensive understanding of the effects of STT, and gives good explanation about the controversy between Tobin’s proponents and anti-Tobin group.
A double decoupling postponement approach for integrated mixed flow production systems
Authors: Ni Yanting , Wang Yi 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– In a mixed flow production environment, interactions between production planning and scheduling are critical for mixed flow distributed manufacturing management. The purpose of this paper is to assist manufacturers in achieving real-time ordering and obtaining integrated optimization of shop floor production planning and scheduling for mixed flow production systems.

Design/methodology/approach
– A double decoupling postponement (DDP) approach is presented for production dispatch control, and an integrated model is designed under an assemble to order (ATO) environment. To generate “optimal” lots to fulfil real-time customer requests, constant work in progress (CONWIP) and days of inventory dispatching algorithms are embedded into the proposed DDP model, which can deal with real-time ordering and dynamic scheduling simultaneously. Subsequently, a case study is conducted, and experiments are carried out to verify the presented method.

Findings
– The proposed DDP model is designed to upgrade a previous CONWIP method in the case study company, and the proposed model demonstrates better performance for the integration of production planning and scheduling in mixed flow manufacturing. As a result, the presented operation mechanism can reflect real-time ordering information to shop floor scheduling and obtain performance metrics in terms of reliability, availability and maintainability.

Research limitations/implications
– The presented model can be further proliferated to generic factory manufacturing with the proposed logic and architecture.

Originality/value
– The DDP model can integrate real-time customer orders and work in process information, upon which manufacturers can make correct decisions for dispatch strategies and order selection within an integrated system.
Effects of technological innovation on eco-efficiency of industrial enterprises in China
Authors: Wan Liang , Luo Biao , Li Tieshan , Wang Shanyong , Liang Liang 
Published: July 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to investigate the relation between technological innovation modes and their impact on eco-efficiency of industrial enterprises in China.

Design/methodology/approach
– This paper first constructs a model to evaluate and measure the eco-efficiency of industrial enterprises in China from 2006 to 2010. Second, this paper compares the role of technological innovation modes – specifically, domestic independent innovation, foreign technology import and domestic technology transfer – in improving eco-efficiency of industrial enterprises in the Eastern, Central and Western regions of China by logarithmic regression.

Findings
– The study finds that domestic independent innovation has a positive significant influence in improving eco-efficiency of industrial enterprises in the Eastern region; domestic technology transfer has a positive significant role in the Central region; and foreign technology import and domestic technology transfer positively affect the Western region.

Originality/value
– This paper is the first to identify the role of technological innovation modes in improving eco-efficiency. The findings can help enterprises in the three regions adopt the most effective technological innovation mode. In addition, the results provide valuable insights into policy development to improve China’s overall eco-efficiency and to balance economic and industrial development among the three regions.
Effect of HR practice on NPD performance
Authors: Zhang Huiying , Lv Shuang 
Published: July 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to investigate the moderating effects of contextual factors which are environmental uncertainty on the relationship between human resource (HR) exploitation and HR exploration with new product development (NPD) performance and the mediating role of cross-functional integration between them. The main question this study wants to answer is how a firm implements HR practices to gain better performance under different environment factors. This study is the first empirical research which testifies the influence of HR exploitation and HR exploration on NPD performance.Design/methodology/approach– This study uses regression analysis to examine the moderating effect of environment uncertainty and structural equation modeling to test mediating effect of cross-functional integration.Findings– The result shows that HR exploitation influences NPD performance to a higher degree when environmental uncertainty is low than high. And HR exploration plays a more important role when environmental uncertainty is high; HR exploitation influences internal integration significantly, and the effect of HR exploration on external integration is significant; and internal integration and external integration mediate the relationship between HR exploitation/exploration and NPD performance, respectively.Originality/value– These findings not only contribute to the literature but also provide a view for organizations in making the right decision of exploitative or explorative practices under the giving environment factor which organization facing and achieving better performance.
Nutrient foraging behaviour of four co‐occurring perennial grassland plant species alone does not predict behaviour with neighbours
Authors: McNickle Gordon G. , Deyholos Michael K. , Cahill James F. 
Published: July 2015

Summary

The spatial arrangement of nutrients and neighbours in soil influences plant growth and reproduction. Plants often respond to such stimuli through plasticity in root proliferation (root mass per soil volume), or the breadth of their root system.

Here, we asked how plants adjust nutrient foraging strategies when grown alone or with neighbours. We asked (i) Does root proliferation into nutrient‐rich patches when plants are grown alone predict root proliferation when plants are grown with neighbours? (ii) What factors (nutrients or neighbours) best predict the probability of root placement at different soil locations? (iii) How does the spatial distribution of nutrients alter the degree to which neighbours suppress plant growth?

To answer these questions, we grew four grassland species either as individual plants or in competition, in patchy or patch‐free soil, in a factorial design. We used genomic DNA to identify the spatial distribution of roots of each species when plants were grown in mixtures.

The root foraging behaviour of individuals grown alone did not consistently predict behaviour in mixture. Specifically, (i) the behaviour of individually grown plants predicted behaviour of competing plants inside patches, but not in background soil. We observed over‐proliferation of roots in background soil relative to what was expected from plants grown alone. (ii) Neighbours were consistently the most important variable for predicting the placement of roots in soil and caused either an increase in root system breadth, or no change relative to alone. (iii) If a species experienced growth suppression when grown in competition, individuals experienced this more severely in patchy soil compared to patch‐free soil.

Synthesis. Game theoretic models have predicted that under interspecific competition, over‐proliferation of roots in the presence of neighbours might occur for some species but not others. Our data are consistent with these predictions but more work is needed. Nutrient foraging studies have primarily focused on plants grown alone or assumed that plants do not respond separately to neighbours and nutrients. Our data call these practices into question and contribute to a growing understanding that plants integrate information about both nutrients and neighbours when placing roots in soil.
Word production inconsistency of Singaporean‐English‐speaking adolescents with Down Syndrome
Authors: Wong Betty , Brebner Chris , McCormack Paul , Butcher Andy 
Published: July 2015

AbstractBackgroundThe nature of speech disorders in individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) remains controversial despite various explanations put forth in the literature to account for the observed speech profiles. A high level of word production inconsistency in children with DS has led researchers to query whether the inconsistency continues into adolescence, and if the inconsistency stems from inconsistent phonological disorder (IPD) or childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Of the studies that have been published, most suggest that the speech profile of individuals with DS is delayed, while a few recent studies suggest a combination of delayed and disordered patterns. However, no studies have explored the nature of word production inconsistency in this population, and the relationship between word production inconsistency, receptive vocabulary and severity of speech disorder.AimsTo investigate in a pilot study the extent of word production inconsistency in adolescents with DS and to examine the correlations between word production inconsistency, measures of receptive vocabulary, severity of speech disorder and oromotor skills in adolescents with DS.Methods & ProceduresThe participants were 32 native speakers of Singaporean‐English adolescents, comprising 16 participants with DS and 16 typically developing (TD) participants. The participants completed a battery of standardized speech and language assessments, including The Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP) assessment. Results from each test were correlated to determine relationships. Qualitative analyses were also carried out on all the data collected.Outcomes & ResultsIn this study, seven out of 16 participants with DS scored above 40% on word production inconsistency, a diagnostic criterion for IPD. In addition, all participants with DS performed poorly on the oromotor assessment of DEAP. The overall speech profile observed did not exactly correspond with the cluster symptoms observed in children with IPD or CAS.Conclusions & ImplicationsWord production inconsistency is a noticeable feature in the speech of individuals with DS. In addition, the speech profiles of individuals with DS consist of atypical and unusual errors alongside developmental errors. Significant correlations were found between the measures investigated, suggesting that speech disorder in DS is multifactorial. The results from this study will help to improve differential diagnosis of speech disorders and individualized treatment plans in the population with DS.