bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Re-examining the inverse relationship between farm size and efficiency
Authors: Li Gucheng , Feng Zhongchao , You Liangzhi , Fan Lixia 
Published: November 2013

Purpose– Whether there exists an inverse relationship (IR) between farm size and its efficiency remains a hotly debated question among agricultural economists. In most studies to date, farm efficiency is measured by land productivity. Thus, the IR actually measures the relationship between farm size and land productivity. The purpose of this paper is to examine and understand the IR from a novel angle by using multiple definitions of farm efficiency indicators like labor productivity, profit ratio, total factor productivity (TFP) and technical efficiency (TE).Design/methodology/approach– By using the farm-level panel data from Hubei province in China from 1999 to 2003, this paper employs the two-way fixed effect model of panel data and the stochastic frontier analysis of Battese and Coelli model to investigate the relationship between farm size and its production efficiency derived from the multiple definitions of production efficiency indicators including land productivity, labor productivity, profit ratio, TFP and TE.Findings– The study confirmed the IR between land productivity and farm size, as in many formal studies. However, the relationship between farm size and other agricultural efficiency indicators may be positive, negative or uncorrelated at, depending on how the farm efficiency is defined. Therefore, the paper concluded that the relationship between farm size and its production efficiency is mixed. This paper provides economic explanations for the IR through the comprehensive study using the expansion of agricultural efficiency indicators.Practical implications– Because different agricultural efficiency indicators have different policy implications for China's future agricultural and land policy, the findings have tremendous policy implications, particularly in terms of the current debate on large or small farm development strategy, the also so-called “go big or small” agricultural strategy. In this sense, the Chinese household responsibility system has played a critical role in its agriculture and will continue to play a critical role in terms of social security and social equality. Any reform to this system should proceed with caution.Originality/value– While most existing studies only try to explain the IR from the perspective of land productivity, this paper attempts to propose a novel angle to examine the IR by using multiple definitions of agricultural efficiency and hopes to find some new conclusions.
Professional development, target-specific satisfaction, and older nurse retention
Authors: Armstrong-Stassen Marjorie , Stassen Karen 
Published: November 2013

Purpose– Drawing from attitude-behavioral intentions correspondence and target similarity, the aim of this paper is to examine the role of target-specific satisfaction facets in the relationship between factors related to professional development and older nurses' intention to remain with their organization.Design/methodology/approach– In this longitudinal panel study, 422 hospital-employed registered nurses aged 45 to 64 completed a questionnaire (T1) and a second questionnaire (T2) a year later. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized model.Findings– Availability of training and development practices targeted to older nurses at T1 was linked to intention to remain with the organization at T2 through T1 satisfaction with professional development opportunities and T2 satisfaction with the organization as a whole. Job challenge at T1 was related to intention to remain through T1 satisfaction with the job itself and T2 satisfaction with the organization.Research limitations/implications– The occupation-specific sample may limit the generalizability of the findings.Practical implications– Organizations need to ensure that older nurses have the opportunity to upgrade their current job skills, to acquire new skills, to be adequately trained on the use of new technology, and to support professional development through release time, tuition reimbursement, and education leaves. Attention also needs to be directed towards job design and ensuring older nurses' jobs fully utilize their skills and expertise.Originality/value– The findings demonstrate that target-specific facets of satisfaction are an important underlying mechanism linking professional development factors and older nurses' intention to remain. Organizational satisfaction, an under-researched construct, played an especially prominent role in this process.
Does financial disclosure influence the value relevance of accounting information?
Authors: Shamki Dhiaa , Abdul Rahman Azhar 
Published: November 2013

Purpose
– The paper aims to examine the influence of financial disclosure (FD) level and time on the value relevance of earnings, book value, and cash flows relative to three share price proxies, namely average annual share price, annual closing share price, and share price after a three-month period following the financial year-end for Jordanian companies.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper employs price model to examine the influence of FD level and time on the value relevance of three accounting variables relative to three share price proxies for 91 Jordanian companies (consisting of 5,460 observations) within 2004-2009.

Findings
– Relative to three share price proxies, the findings proved that FD level and time have a significant influence on the value relevance of book value, but not for cash flows. Also, FD level and time have a significant influence on the value relevance of earnings relative to annual closing share price, while they are not relative to share price after a three-month period following the financial year-end. FD time has a significant influence on the value relevance of earnings relative to the average annual share price. Annual closing share price is the most reliable in indicating value relevance of accounting information.

Originality/value
– The paper confirms that there is a shift away from earnings towards book value as the basis for firm valuation. Market participants might be able to conclude the firm value through the value relevance of accounting information influenced by company's FD.
Inequalities in utilization of maternal health care services in Nepal
Authors: Nawal Dipty , Goli Srinivas 
Published: November 2013

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to quantify inequalities in utilization of maternal health care services and measure the relative contribution of different factors affecting it in the context of Nepal.Design/methodology/approach– The paper uses data from the latest round of the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey. Two stages of stratified cluster samplings were used. A total of 13,200 women aged 15-49 were interviewed.Findings– Results of concentration index estimates in three selected indicators suggest considerable inequalities in maternal health care utilization. The decomposition analyses indicate that the critical factors contributing to inequalities in <3 antenatal care visits are poor economic status of households (32 percent) and women (23 percent) and their partners’ illiteracy (23 percent). However, in case of no institutional delivery, apart from the poor economic status of household (51 percent) and women's illiteracy (16 percent), the rural place of residence (21 percent) has emerged as critical factors contributing to inequalities. In case of no postnatal care within a day, birth order (21 percent) becomes a significant factor, next to the poor economic status of the household (41 percent) in terms of the relative contribution to total inequalities.Practical implications– Policies and program targeting maternal health interventions need to consider equity with efficiency in utilization of maternal health care services, and further to achieve the targets of millennium development goal 5 in Nepal.Originality/value– This study is an innovative effort to estimate inequalities in maternal health care services in the context of Nepal by using inequality decomposition model. For the first time, this study estimates the relative contribution of different socioeconomic factors contributing to inequalities in maternal health care services in Nepal.
Handyperson schemes and the Equality Act 2010
Authors: Moriarty Jo , Manthorpe Jill 
Published: November 2013

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore whether handyperson services are able to meet the needs of diverse groups of older people, specifically in the UK policy context, to meet the requirements of the Equality Act (2010).Design/methodology/approach– The scoping review of the literature was conducted in 2012 using a wide range of literature from the UK.Findings– In an under-researched field it is difficult for policy makers to determine whether handyperson schemes and their associated services are accessible to and being used by all sections of the older population. Schemes do not generally collect and report data about their users.Research limitations/implications– The scoping review concentrates on UK literature. There are a variety of handyperson schemes and they operate in different ways with different criteria and priorities. Some of the accounts of handyperson schemes provide little data about user characteristics.Practical implications– The paper suggests how handyperson schemes may be able to meet the requirements of the Equality Act (2010) by outlining what data are needed and approaches to gathering it sensitively and proportionally.Originality/value– The paper is the first to consider the implications of the Equality Act for handyperson schemes, which may be relevant to other housing and care services.
From Canada to Kircubbin: learning from America on housing an ageing population – part 2
Authors: Thompson Eileen 
Published: November 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to learn lessons from North America on housing an ageing population, both in terms of supporting people to “age in place”, and available options for those who need/wish to move. The project, funded by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, comprised a six-week travel fellowship to USA and Canada to meet with housing professionals from the public and private sectors and find out about best practice initiatives and efficient models for housing older people.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper is in two parts, of which this is the second. Part 2 focuses on the links between housing and health and, recognising significant differences between the countries, draws out lessons which may be applied as similar challenges of austerity, an ageing population and the increasing interest in personal budgets are faced.

Findings
– There is no one size fits all approach to addressing the housing needs of the older population; a continuum of options across tenures is required. There are opportunities for growth in the private and non-profit sectors in terms of the provision of services for the ageing population. Large scale social change comes from better cross-departmental coordination and cannot be achieved by the isolated intervention of a single organisation.

Originality/value
– This was a unique opportunity to learn lessons from North America on how to effectively meet the needs of the older population, now and in the future. The findings are based on the personal observations and conclusions of a housing practitioner.
Housing support and personalisation: observations from the Scottish Self-Directed Support Test Sites
Authors: Laura Rosengard Ann , Ridley Julie , Manthorpe Jill 
Published: November 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to consider the role of housing and housing support services in working with systems of self-directed support (SDS). The paper draws upon findings from an evaluation and follow up study of three SDS Test Sites in Scotland and wider research.

Design/methodology/approach
– The evaluation of the SDS Test Sites took place in 2009-2011 with a follow up study in 2011-2012. Methods included a literature review; an analysis of secondary data on the use of SDS in Scotland; interviews with key stakeholders; learning sets in the three areas; 30 depth individual case studies and a large-scale stakeholder event prior to finalising the report. These data are drawn upon to reflect on the implications for housing providers and practitioners.

Findings
– The interviews revealed that some SDS users had housing and related support needs, such as to prevent or resolve homelessness, to facilitate resettlement, to prevent hospital admissions, to access supported accommodation or to move from shared to independent housing. For some people flexible housing support seemed to enhance community living, also well-informed independent advocacy could make a difference to outcomes. While there was policy support for the Test Sites, it was notable that linkages between agencies at strategic level were limited, with neither housing nor health services greatly involved in strategic planning. Training, alongside liaison and partnerships, may help to broaden SDS.

Research limitations/implications
– While housing and related support needs and services were not specifically investigated in this evaluation, data suggest that the contribution of housing services may be both under-developed and under-researched in the context of SDS. There are indications that SDS may act as a catalyst for improving housing opportunities provided that collaboration between housing and care services is maximised.

Practical implications
– This paper suggests approaches that may improve and consolidate the role of housing in achieving SDS objectives of maximising user control and choice, improving outcomes and sustaining ordinary living.

Originality/value
– This paper considers the less charted territory of the implications of SDS for the role of housing services. While drawing primarily on recent research in Scotland the themes raised will have wider relevance to housing and care services generally.
Managing the challenge to social housing of an ageing English population
Authors: Jones Colin 
Published: November 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to review the management of the (accessible) social housing stock as a means to achieve a cost effective solution to meeting the needs of an ageing population. The paper examines the costs and effectiveness of an accessible housing register (AHR) as the primary means social landlords have to utilise accessible housing stock efficiently.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper examines the cost effectiveness of the most advanced AHR in the UK. The data for the study was collected in 2009 (costs/expenditure quoted relate to that year) and is derived from a combination of interrogating computerised allocation records and the collection of information on costs through interviews with local authority staff.

Findings
– The concept of an AHR can involve substantial set up costs. The financial analysis to assess their cost effectiveness proves complex but suggests that an efficient full register could be more than justified in these terms if it led to a reduction in costs, through the removal of the need for a relatively small number of adaptations in the first years of a tenancy.

Originality/value
– This is the first study that assesses the financial case for AHRs.
Mixed convective boundary layer flow over a vertical cylinder embedded in a porous medium saturated with a nanofluid
Authors: Gorla R.S.R. , Hossain Anwar 
Published: November 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this work is to study the mixed convection boundary layer flow past a vertical cylinder in a porous medium saturated with a nanofluid. Numerical results for friction factor, surface heat transfer rate and mass transfer rate have been presented for parametric variations of the buoyancy ratio parameter Nr, Brownian motion parameter Nb, thermophoresis parameter Nt and Lewis number Le. The dependency of the surface heat transfer rate (Nusselt number) and mass transfer rate on these parameters has been discussed.

Design/methodology/approach
– Solutions of the set of non-similarity equations are obtained by employing the implicit finite difference method together with Keller box elimination method.

Findings
– It was found that the heat transfer rate decreases and mass transfer rates increase as Lewis number increases. The heat and mass transfer rates increase as the buoyancy ration parameter increases. As the thermophoresis parameter Nt increases, the heat transfer rate decreases where as the mass transfer rate increases. As the Brownian parameter Nb increases, the heat transfer rate decreases. Brownian motion decelerates the flow in the nanofluid boundary layer. Brownian diffusion promotes heat conduction. The heat and mass transfer rates increase as the buoyancy ratio number Nr increases. The Brownian motion and thermophoresis of nanoparticles increases the effective thermal conductivity of the nanofluid. Both Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis give rise to cross diffusion terms that are similar to the familiar Soret and Dufour cross-diffusion terms that arise with a binary fluid.

Research limitations/implications
– The analysis is valid for steady, mixed convection two-dimensional boundary layer flow in a nanofluid-saturated Darcy porous medium. An extension to non-Darcy porous medium is left as a part of future study.

Practical implications
– The research is applicable for enhancing heat exchanger effectiveness by employing nanofluids.

Originality/value
– The study is useful to engineers interested in designing heat exchangers, water and atmospheric pollution.
An extended finite element model for CO2 sequestration
Authors: Talebian Mojtaba , Al-Khoury Rafid , J. Sluys Lambertus 
Published: November 2013

Purpose
– This paper aims to present a computationally efficient finite element model for the simulation of isothermal immiscible two-phase flow in a rigid porous media with a particular application to CO2 sequestration in underground formations. Focus is placed on developing a numerical procedure, which is effectively mesh-independent and suitable to problems at regional scales.

Design/methodology/approach
– The averaging theory is utilized to describe the governing equations of the involved unsaturated multiphase flow. The level-set (LS) method and the extended finite element method (XFEM) are utilized to simulate flow of the CO2 plume. The LS is employed to trace the plume front. A streamline upwind Petrov-Galerkin method is adopted to stabilize possible occurrence of spurious oscillations due to advection. The XFEM is utilized to model the high gradient in the saturation field front, where the LS function is used for enhancing the weighting and the shape functions.

Findings
– The capability of the proposed model and its features are evaluated by numerical examples, demonstrating its accuracy, stability and convergence, as well as its advantages over standard and upwind techniques. The study showed that a good combination between a mathematical model and a numerical model enables the simulation of complicated processes occurring in complicated and large geometry using minimal computational efforts.

Originality/value
– A new computational model for two-phase flow in porous media is introduced with basic requirements for accuracy, stability, and convergence, which are met using relatively coarse meshes.
It's time to rise to the challenge of an aging workforce
Authors: Young Kevin 
Published: November 2013

Purpose
– Observes that companies must adjust to meet the needs of an aging workforce.

Design/methodology/approach
– Explains why the workforce is getting older, and considers the challenges and benefits that this can bring.

Findings
– Emphasizes the need for training for older workers to keep them up-to-date with changes in the workplace.

Practical implications
– Reports that, treated properly, older workers can be valuable, experienced and loyal members of the workforce.

Originality/value
– Explores how companies can make the most of older workers, who are bound to make up a greater proportion of the workforce in the future.
An exploratory study on the mental health of immigrants, refugees and non-status people living with HIV in Toronto
Authors: Pui-Hing Wong Josephine , Tai-Wai Li Alan , Kwong-Lai Poon Maurice , Po-Lun Fung Kenneth 
Published: November 2013

Purpose– Canadian HIV/AIDS researchers, service providers and policy-makers are faced with new challenges of providing effective and inclusive care that meets the needs of the changing populations infected with and affected by HIV. Since 2005 immigrants and refugees from ethno-racial minority communities have comprised close to 20 percent of all new HIV infections in Canada. Anecdotes shared by PLWHAs and service providers indicated that mental health challenges faced by newcomer PLWHAs was a priority concern for HIV prevention, treatment and care. This paper reports on the results of an exploratory study, which examined the complex factors that influence the mental health of immigrants and refugees living with HIV/AIDS (IR-PLWHAs).Design/methodology/approach– This exploratory study is informed by a critical social science paradigm, which acknowledges that the everyday reality is shaped by interlocking systems of social processes and unequal power relations. The paper used a qualitative interpretative design and focus groups to explore the intersecting effects of living with HIV/AIDS, migration and settlement, and HIV stigma and discrimination on the mental health of IR-PLWHAs.Findings– The paper found that in addition to social and economic marginalization, IR-PLWHAs experienced multiple stressors associated with their HIV status: neurocognitive and physical impairments, HIV stigma and discrimination, and fear of deportation. The paper also found that the experiences of stigma and discrimination among IR-PLWHAs were complex and contextual, closely linked to their social positions defined by the intersecting dimensions of race, class, gender, citizenship, sexualities, body norms, and HIV status. The paper concludes that effective HIV prevention, treatment and care, and mental health promotion in newcomer and ethno-racial minority communities must consider the bio-psycho-social connections of different stressors and the interlocking systems of oppression faced by IR-PLWHAs.Research limitations/implications– This study was exploratory in nature with a small number of participants who were recruited through AIDS organizations in Toronto. Consequently, the recruitment strategy may reach only those who were connected to the AIDS organizations. The paper believes that IR-PLWHAs who were not connected to the AIDS organizations might experience even more social exclusion and marginalization. These factors may limit the transferability of this study.Originality/value– This is the first study that explores the bio-psycho-social connections and intersecting determinants of mental health among immigrants and refugees living with HIV and AIDS in Canada. The results of this study contribute to cross-sector dialogue among practitioners and researchers in the HIV/AIDS, mental health, and immigration and settlement services sectors.