bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Knowledge development and transfer in a mindful project‐organization
Authors: Andersen Svein S. , Vidar Hanstad Dag 
Published: April 2013

PurposeIn elite sport competitions there are small margins, and small advantages may be the key to big success. Details that in many other setting would be considered insignificant can have a major impact on results. Awareness about risks therefore becomes a key concern in such projects, and this is often viewed as the essence of project management. Compensations for negative outcomes do not make sense. Delays, cost‐overruns or compensations are not viable options. In such situations, success depends on the ability to manage risks with a high degree of reliability, reflects the ability to mobilize, use and develop new knowledge. This paper aims to offer an opportunity to investigate mechanisms for knowledge development and transfer in relation to risk management in a mindful organization.Design/methodology/approachThe starting point was formal documents and plans, but the main data source is semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with all major actors involved. The data are representative in the sense that they provide a comprehensive mapping of critical elements in Olympic projects, strategies for dealing with them and how knowledge from earlier projects were exploited. As data were collected they were systematized through open coding, identifying recurrent themes relating to major concerns, influence of earlier experience, knowledge sharing, relationships between experiences and new project team members, etc. The next step was to recode descriptive categories in ways that captured underlying analytical or theoretical dimensions relating to different types of risk, knowledge and knowledge carriers.FindingsThe article links risk management to knowledge development and transfer in a mindful organization. Three mechanisms are crucial for successful project‐based learning: relating different competences; reflecting on experiences; and routinizing lessons learned. Such processes are at the core of a mindful organization. Knowledge transfer and risk management are an integrated part of best practice. In Olympiatoppen there is little codification of knowledge in formal systems and detailed operating procedures. Knowledge is mainly carried by individuals – and activated, evaluated and used in a setting where relationships play a key role. The ability to exploit such mechanisms for knowledge transfer is generally attracting attention as an essential success factor in project‐based learning.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the literature on knowledge development in projects in the following ways: first, knowledge development and transfer is linked to risk management and the concept of mindful organization. In a mindful organization knowledge transfer and risk management are an integrated part of best practice. Second, it pays special attention to the social aspects of knowledge transfer; particularly the role of personal knowledge and problem solving capacities and the importance of social relationships.
ISO 9000 impact on product quality in a defense procurement environment
Authors: Blessner Paul , Mazzuchi Thomas A. , Sarkani Shahram 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the relationship between ISO 9001 conformance of suppliers and the quality of products they provide, within a procurement system of a manufacturer operating under contracts with the US Department of Defense.Design/methodology/approachChi‐square tests of independence were performed to compare the receipt acceptance rate of material provided by ISO 9001‐conforming suppliers to that of non‐ISO 9001‐conforming suppliers, for more than 46,000 receipts representing 21 material commodity groups provided by almost 800 suppliers. Acceptance of receipts required conformance to both hardware and paperwork requirements. Tests were also performed on data subsets, to determine the impact of ISO 9001 conformance on product quality for each of the 21 material commodity groups, for manufacturers versus distributors, and for two material control levels.FindingsFor the overall data set, and for the majority of data subsets analyzed, the product quality of non‐ISO 9001‐conforming suppliers was significantly better than that of ISO 9001‐conforming suppliers. When only hardware non‐conformances were considered to cause rejections, the results were similar, but effect sizes were generally smaller.Research limitations/implicationsThe quantities of receipts and suppliers included in this investigation were very large; however, care should be exercised in generalizing the results, because of the potential influence of the defense industry‐related requirements imposed upon the material and the suppliers.Originality/valueThis is believed to be the first paper to investigate the impact of ISO 9001 conformance on product quality using a large quantity of actual product data, for both ISO 9001‐conforming and non‐ISO 9001‐conforming suppliers, in contrast to numerous assessments of quality impact performed using interview and survey data.
Regulating sustainable construction in Europe
Authors: van der Heijden Jeroen , van Bueren Ellen 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is first, to gain insight into how the European member states have addressed the concept of sustainability in their building regulatory frameworks; and second, to gain insight in the effects of harmonization attempts of these frameworks by the European Commission (EC).Design/methodology/approachData on the member states' building regulatory regimes were gathered using a survey questionnaire. The survey questionnaire addressed over 60 different aspects of sustainable construction that may, in various ways, be regulated by the member states.FindingsThe data obtained show mixed results. Some aspects of sustainable construction show far‐reaching homogeneity, whilst others do not. It appears that current EC directives have a positive effect on homogeneity of sustainable construction regulation throughout Europe. However, this does not provide a firm base to advise more directives, as these often appear a too resource‐intensive tool to achieve sustainable construction in a timely fashion. Additional and complementary approaches to such directives are proposed.Originality/valueThe paper presents an overview of how European member states have addressed various aspects of sustainable construction in their construction regulatory frameworks. This provides valuable insights for further studies on regulatory change, regulatory convergence and divergence, and policy outcomes related to sustainable construction in the European Union. Also, the study presents a number of approaches to achieve homogeneity that may complement earlier approaches taken by the EC.
Characteristics of the information content in business sentiment surveys
Authors: Friesner Daniel , Khayum Mohammed , Schibik Timothy 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this manuscript is to quantify exactly how much information and/or predictive content is contained in business sentiment surveys.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses techniques drawn from information theory econometrics, and more specifically the theory of information entropy, to characterize the predictive content of business sentiment surveys. The authors apply these techniques to publicly available information obtained from various editions of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Empire State Manufacturing Survey, one of the most popular business sentiment surveys conducted in the USA. Parametric and non‐parametric statistical analyses are used to examine differences in the quantity of predictive content across various questions in the survey.FindingsThe results suggest that business sentiment surveys contain a reasonably high degree of informative content. However, the amount of informative content varies considerably from question to question in the survey. Questions that are more general in nature and ask about current perceptions (as opposed to future expectations) contain more informative content.Originality/valueBusiness sentiment surveys are a practical, low‐cost method to assess the current and expected future state of local and regional economies. However, the value of these surveys is questionable if they do not contain much information. This research finds that such surveys do contain a large amount of information, and are worth administering. However, specific types of survey items convey more information that others, which also suggests that business sentiments surveys can be further revised to maximize the amount of content gained from respondents.
Revisiting the role of communication quality in ERP project success
Authors: Aubert Benoit , Hooper Val , Schnepel Alexander 
Published: April 2013

PurposeCommunication quality is repeatedly listed among the top success factors to consider when implementing an ERP system. Analysis shows its role is more complex. It helps some aspect of success but has no influence on others. The aim of this paper is to conduct a case study to determine the role of communication quality in the success of an ERP project implementation.Design/methodology/approachA case study was conducted to determine the role of communication quality in the success of an ERP project implementation.FindingsResults suggest that different aspects of communication quality impact different dimensions of project success. Some dimensions of project success did not seem influenced by communication quality. Results also show that, for the dimensions of project success that are influenced by communication quality, the form might be as important as the content of communication.Research limitations/implicationsThe literature may be repeating an “accepted truth” without actually testing it. The evaluation of the regularity of the patterns observed will require additional observations. Also, the reasons behind the association between the communication quality attributes and the different components of success will need to be further investigated.Practical implicationsFor managers, the findings highlight that communication is not a silver bullet when conducting ERP projects. Managers should also be aware that the form of the communication efforts will likely have as much impact as the content of the communication process. The results specially emphasized the importance of openness in communication.Originality/valueThe study considers nine dimensions of communication quality. By examining the separate effects of the communication content and form on the components of ERP project success, the paper provides a deeper understanding of the role of communication in the implementation of ERP systems.
Organizational commitment and market orientation of Nigerian non‐oil exporting companies
Authors: Oyeniyi Omotayo 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThis paper aims to test the relationships between organizational commitment and market orientation within the context of the non‐oil sector of a developing country.Design/methodology/approachCross‐sectional data was collected from 190 managers of non‐oil exporting companies. Multiple regression analysis was adopted to test the impact of organizational commitment on market orientation.FindingsThe analysis of the data shows that organizational commitment affects market orientation positively and that top management belief and the organizational reward systems are important in the implementation of market orientation. However, the use of cross‐sectional data limits the measurement of the impact of organization commitment on market orientation over a long period.Practical implicationsMarket orientation can be improved upon through concerted efforts in building organizational commitment. This can be achieved either individually or by combining organizational commitment with reward system and top management belief.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the understanding of market orientation antecedents within the non‐oil sector of the Nigerian economy.
A new dimension to neo‐institutional sociology
Authors: Kasumba Stephen 
Published: April 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which institutional pressures can be deployed to reinforce each other in creating and sustaining new budgetary practices.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopted a qualitative case study to investigate the macro dynamics for the adoption of new budgetary practices in local governments in Uganda, based on Kampala District. Data were collected from archival records and official documents as well as in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with various officials, including those in local governments, central government and aid agencies, such as the World Bank and Danida, which had significant influence in changing the institutional practices of local governments in Uganda.FindingsThe study revealed interconnections and various layers of institutional pressures that influenced the adoption of new budgetary practices in local governments in Uganda. In addition, mimetic actions of the national government of Uganda were not only for the acquisition “best” organisational practices, but were also used as strategic mechanisms for influencing the decisions of donors of resourceful institutions within the organisational field of international development.Practical implicationsThis paper demonstrates how institutional pressures for the adoption of new organisational practices can be intertwined with the view of reinforcing each other in creating and sustaining new practices, such as budgetary practices.Originality/valueThe paper provides a new perspective to neo‐institutional sociology for the understanding of the macro dynamics for accounting changes in the context of a developing country.
Species diversity and community similarity in fluctuating environments: parametric approaches using species abundance distributions
Authors: Sæther Bernt‐Erik , Engen Steinar , Grøtan Vidar 
Published: April 2013

Summary

Here we review recent advances in characterizing pattern of variation in community structure in space and time based on parametric approaches utilizing the full distribution of abundances of species rather than some summary indices.

Assessment of biodiversity based on the structure of rank‐abundance plots or simple species diversity indices, which describe properties of the sample of individuals, may reveal limited information about the underlying species abundance distribution of the community because the number of individuals counted are dependent on the sampling intensity. For instance, assuming Poisson sampling and an underlying lognormal species abundance distribution implies that observed abundances (counts) are a sample from a Poisson lognormal distribution. A convenient property of this distribution is that the estimate of σ2 can be used as an inverse measure of species diversity in a community as well as the number of unobserved species can be estimated approximately without bias for unknown sampling intensities.

If two communities can be described by a bivariate lognormal species abundance model, then the correlation between the log abundances of species in the two communities is an index of similarity that can be estimated without knowledge of sampling intensities using the bivariate Poisson lognormal distribution. This method is even applicable as an approximation when the abundance distribution deviates from the lognormal.

An analysis of the interrelationship between the parameters of the lognormal species abundance distribution in communities of species from a wide variety of taxa shows that the canonical hypothesis of Preston in general, for a given number of species, gives far too large variances in the distribution of log abundances.

A general feature in community dynamics is that a large component of the variance in the species abundance distribution is caused by heterogeneity among species in the population dynamics as well as environmental noise. This pattern is in contrast to the assumptions of the neutral theory of community dynamics.

The choice of species abundance distribution should be a consequence of specific assumptions about the dynamics of the species. We suggest that such specific assumptions for the choice of species abundance model will facilitate more robust comparisons of changes in community structure in time and space.
Verb inflection in monolingual Dutch and sequential bilingual Turkish–Dutch children with and without SLI
Authors: Blom Elma , de Jong Jan , Orgassa Antje , Baker Anne , Weerman Fred 
Published: April 2013

AbstractBoth children with specific language impairment (SLI) and children who acquire a second language (L2) make errors with verb inflection. This overlap between SLI and L2 raises the question if verb inflection can discriminate between L2 children with and without SLI. In this study we addressed this question for Dutch. The secondary goal of the study was to investigate variation in error types and error profiles across groups. Data were collected from 6–8‐year‐old children with SLI who acquire Dutch as their first language (L1), Dutch L1 children with a typical development (TD), Dutch L2 children with SLI, and Dutch L1 TD children who were on average 2 years younger. An experimental elicitation task was employed that tested use of verb inflection; context (3SG, 3PL) was manipulated and word order and verb type were controlled. Accuracy analyses revealed effects of impairment in both L1 and L2 children with SLI. However, individual variation indicated that there is no specific error profile for SLI. Verb inflection use as measured in our study discriminated fairly well in the L1 group but classification was less accurate in the L2 group. Between‐group differences emerged furthermore for certain types of errors, but all groups also showed considerable variation in errors and there was not a specific error profile that distinguished SLI from TD.
Political competition and policy choices: the evidence from agricultural protection
Authors: Fałkowski Jan , Olper Alessandro 
Published: April 2013

AbstractThis article investigates whether political competition plays an important role in determining the level of agricultural protection. In order to do so, we exploit variation in political and economic data from 74 developing and developed countries for the post‐war period. We use two measures of political competition: one that captures the extent to which political power can be freely contested regardless of election results and one based on vote share at last parliamentary elections. Our results, based on static and dynamic panel estimators, show unambiguously that the higher the level of political competitions is, the higher the agricultural protection.
Calculating Bivariate Orthonormal Polynomials By Recurrence
Authors: Rayner John C. W. , Thas Olivier , Pipelers Peter , Beh Eric J. 
Published: April 2013

SummaryEmerson gave recurrence formulae for the calculation of orthonormal polynomials for univariate discrete random variables. He claimed that as these were based on the Christoffel–Darboux recurrence relation they were more efficient than those based on the Gram–Schmidt method. This approach was generalised by Rayner and colleagues to arbitrary univariate random variables. The only constraint was that the expectations needed are well‐defined. Here the approach is extended to arbitrary bivariate random variables for which the expectations needed are well‐defined. The extension to multivariate random variables is clear.
Human endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductin 1‐α is a novel predictor for poor prognosis of breast cancer
Authors: Kutomi Goro , Tamura Yasuaki , Tanaka Tsutomu , Kajiwara Toshimitsu , Kukita Kazuharu , Ohmura Tousei , Shima Hiroaki , Takamaru Tomoko , Satomi Fukino , Suzuki Yasuyo , Torigoe Toshihiko , Sato Noriyuki , Hirata Koichi 
Published: April 2013

Human endoplasmic reticulum oxidoreductin 1‐α (hERO1‐α) is an oxidizing enzyme that exists in the endoplasmic reticulum and its expression is augmented under hypoxia. It regulates a redox state of various kinds of protein through reoxidation of “client” protein disulfide isomerase. Interestingly, although the expression of hERO1‐α in normal tissues was comparatively limited, various types of cancer cells expressed it in large amounts. Therefore, we examined the role of ERO1‐α in tumor growth using murine breast cancer line 4T1 and found that knockdown of murine ERO1‐α inhibited in vivo tumor growth and decreased lung metastasis compared with wild‐type 4T1. Moreover, we investigated the relationship between expression of hERO1‐α and prognosis in breast cancer patients. Seventy‐one patients with breast cancer who underwent surgery between 2005 and 2006 in Sapporo Medical University Hospital (Sapporo, Japan) were analyzed in this study. Significant differences were found between the hERO1‐α‐positive group (n = 33) and hERO1‐α‐negative group (n = 38) in nuclear grade (P < 0.001) and intrinsic subtype (P = 0.021) in univariate analysis. More importantly, in multivariate analysis of disease‐free survival by Cox regression, expression of hERO1‐α was the only independent prognosis factor (P = 0.035). Finally, in univariate survival analysis, patients positive for hERO1‐α had significantly shorter disease‐free survival and overall survival than those patients negative for hERO1‐α. These findings indicate that the expression of hERO1‐α in cancer cells is associated with poorer prognosis and thus can be a prognostic factor for patients with breast cancer.
Sensory Symptoms in Autism: A Blooming, Buzzing Confusion?
Authors: Pellicano Elizabeth 
Published: April 2013

AbstractAutism is well known for the way it affects how a person interacts and communicates with others. But autism can affect behavior in other important and debilitating ways, such as in an intense desire for sameness and in sensory systems that work too well or not well enough. Researchers have largely overlooked the latter “sensory symptoms,” but their prominence in forthcoming diagnostic criteria calls for systematic investigation. In this article, I review existing theoretical accounts of autism and provide an overview of a new theoretical account that proposes using Bayesian methods to identify the nature of the (altered) computations involved in autistic sensation and perception. Specifically, the account suggests that sensory symptoms may be due to fewer prior constraints or attenuated “priors.” The possibility that autistic people perceive the world as it really is rather than as imbued by prior experiences may explain the range and idiosyncrasy of their sensory sensitivities and their difficulties dealing with new experiences.