bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of credit constraints on rural household technical efficiency
Authors: Zhao Jianmei , J. Barry Peter 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of access to formal credit on rural household technical efficiency in China.Design/methodology/approach– Based on the rural household survey data in Weifang city, Shandong province in northern China, the authors apply recent developed bootstrapped DEA approach to investigate rural technical efficiency at the household level under the consideration of off-farm activities. Rural households are then identified as credit constrained and classified as supply-side and demand-side credit constraints by applying direct elicitation method. Finally, the authors apply a tobit regression to examine the effects of credit constraints on household technical efficiency.Findings– Rural households in China not only suffer supply-side credit constraints, but also demand-side credit constraints resulted from the transaction costs and risk rationing. The tobit regression discloses that demand-side credit constraints impose significant negative impacts on household technical efficiency.Originality/value– The authors clarify the definition of credit constraints and classify the credit constraints into supply-side and demand-side credit constraints. The results of this paper have significant policy implications for rural finance policies in China.
Electroformed conductor patterns in electronics manufacturing
Authors: Laine-Ma Teija , Ruuskanen Pekka , Pasanen Satu , Karttunen Mikko 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The aim of this study was to test and survey a circuitry transfer technique where conductor patterns are electroformed on carrier substrates and thereafter the electroformed patterns are transferred from carrier substrates to their final devices.

Design/methodology/approach
– An electrically conductive pattern is built up by an electrodepositing metal or metal alloy on a carrier substrate, called a mandrel, using a resist image to define the outlines of the pattern. Thereafter, the electroformed structures are bonded on plastic substrates, for instance, by hot pressing or by embedding into a resin. In our experiments, the imaging of stainless steel carriers was done by the photolithographic process and the electroformed copper patterns were transferred by hot pressing onto thermoplastic substrates.

Findings
– The literature review revealed that the transfer of electroformed conductor patterns to plastic parts is not a very commonly used technology, although it could provide possibilities for even quite specific structures in electronics manufacturing at an affordable price. Our tests indicated that the acidic peroxide-sulfuric pre-treatment of electroformed copper patterns before hot press bonding clearly improved the adhesion of copper on both acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polyphenylene oxide substrates and that a steel template around the substrate during hot pressing process can restrict dimensional changes in thermoplastic substrates significantly.

Originality/value
– This paper contains a survey and preliminary testing of the electroformed circuitry transfer technique. The analysis of the test boards focused on the adhesion between copper strips and thermoplastic substrates and on the factors affecting adhesion. Finally, the paper introduces the advantages and drawbacks of the technique.
Green technology automotive shape design based on neural networks and support vector regression
Authors: Fan Kuo-Kuang , Chiu Chun-Hui , Yang Chih-Chieh 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The green technology cars have received much attention due to the air pollution and energy crisis. The purpose of this paper is to increase automotive designers’ understanding of the affective response of consumers about automotive shape design. Consumers’ preference is mainly based on a vehicle's shape features that are traditionally manipulated by designers’ intuitive experience rather than by an effective and systematic analysis. Therefore, when encountering increasing competition in today's automotive market, enhancing car designers’ understanding of consumers’ preferences on the shape features of green technology vehicles to fulfil customers’ demands, has become a common objective for automotive makers.

Design/methodology/approach
– In this paper, questionnaires were first used to gather consumer evaluations of certain adjectives describing automobile shape. Then, automotive styling features were systematically examined by numerical definition-based shape representations. Finally, models were individually constructed using support vector regression (SAR), which predicted consumer's affective responses, based on the adjectives selected, and which also incorporated the relationship between consumer's affective responses and automotive styling features.

Findings
– In order to predict and suggest the best automotive shape design, the results of this experiment of SVR can provide a basis for the future development of automobiles, particularly for green vehicle design, and support automotive makers in ensuring that automotive shape design to satisfy consumer needs.

Originality/value
– SVR is a valuable choice as an evaluation method to be applied in the design field of green vehicles.
Six Sigma methodology: a structured review
Authors: S. Reosekar Ravi , D. Pohekar Sanjay 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The main aim of the present study is to explore field of Six Sigma and discover the limitation of the present research work. The study also tries to find emerging aspects, trends and future directions and explore unfocused areas of Six Sigma. The present study involves an analysis of 179 research articles published from 1995 to 2011 in 52 selected reputable journals.

Design/methodology/approach
– The methodology of critical assessment involves selection and classification of 179 research articles on Six Sigma. The selected articles are classified by: time distribution of articles, research methodology, research stream, authorship patterns, sector-wise focus of articles, integration with other manufacturing philosophies, implementation status and performance measurement of the models or framework. Then, the suggestions for the future scope of research possibilities and development are identified.

Findings
– The study provides a taxonomical and integrated review of articles. Further, this study provides perspectives on conceptualization and various critical parameters for research. Through this literature review, many issues are addressed which have not previously been adequately covered. The findings include: increase in empirical nature of research articles, need for spreading research in the field of Six Sigma implementation, need for more interregional research collaborations, need for integration of Six Sigma philosophy with other philosophies and lack of implementation, i.e. testing and validation of the proposed models or frameworks by researchers.

Practical implications
– The present study has explored an unfocused area of Six Sigma which will help future researchers to concentrate on the grey areas of Six Sigma. The study will help professionals to get a comprehensive database of Six Sigma articles and their use in practical situation. The results obtained from the study are expected to help researchers, academics and professionals to focus on the growth, pertinence and research developments to implement Six Sigma principles.

Originality/value
– This paper will be of great help for those carrying out research in Six Sigma field including academics and practitioners in terms of Six Sigma growth describing the trends, sources and findings. The unique feature of this research is the large sample size and a time span of 16 years (1995-2011). The unique feature of this research is the large sample size and a time span of 16 years (1995-2011).
Bullying at school and labour market outcomes
Authors: Drydakis Nick 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the long-term correlates of bullying in school with aspects of functioning in adult employment outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach
– Bullying is considered and evaluated as a proxy for unmeasured productivity, and a framework is provided that outlines why bullying might affect employment outcomes through differences in skills and traits. Using Bivariate and Heckit models the paper employs a variety of specifications and finds several interesting patterns.

Findings
– By utilising the 2008 Greek Behavioural Study data set the regression outcomes suggest that labour force participation, employment rate and hourly wages are negatively affected by bullying. In addition, men, homosexuals, immigrants, unmarried people, those having higher negative mental health symptoms, and those having lower human capital are more negatively affected by bullying in terms of labour force participation, employment probability and hourly wages. Moreover, Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions suggest that labour force participation gaps, employment gaps and hourly wage gaps between minority and majority groups, especially for gay men and the disabled, can be explained by bullying incidents.

Practical implications
– It seems likely that having been a victim of bullying also has economic implications later in life due to withdrawal from the labour market and lower wages.

Originality/value
– The retrospective bullying index used in the current study measured the combined and ordered effect of the duration and intensity of bullying, which generates 17 outcomes that ultimately capture a large range of alternative options. In addition, the author suggested that bullying might be understood as a productivity trait that provides a direct input into the production process, which might drive abilities or traits and influence adult employment outcomes. Contemporary economic analysis suggests that cognitive and non-cognitive skills are important factors that affect labour productivity through reasoning ability and productivity.
ESMA opinion on structured retail products – good practices for product governance arrangements
Authors: T. Renz Hartmut , Kalisch Ingrid , Pfister Sandra , Axford Stuart , M. Williams, Jr. George 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– To explain the practices that ESMA (European Securities and Markets Authority) recommends for investment firms and national competent authorities to implement when it comes to structured retail products (SRPs), in order to ensure sound product governance arrangements and the consistency of supervisory practices needed for adequate investor protection across the European Union.

Design/methodology/approach
– Lists the ESMA guidelines for the general organization of product governance arrangements, breaks down the aspects manufacturers should consider in the making of their SRPs, highlights the need to understand the target market, explains the appropriate structure of the distributor’s and manufacturer’s distribution strategy, details how manufacturers establish a SRP’s value, recommends how investment firms deal with SRPs on the secondary market, and explains how manufacturers review the performance of their SRPs.

Findings
– The competent authorities are still focusing on improving and enforcing investor protection. This ESMA opinion is just one example of how product governance structures and arrangements should be developed and implemented by everyone involved. It will be important to attend carefully to what MiFID 2 (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive 2) product governance requirements bring regarding investor protection in addition to the described ESMA opinion, which is based on MiFID 1.

Originality/value
– Practical guidance from experienced finance lawyers.
Culture, conduct and innovation: a deconstruction of market orientation
Authors: C. Roach David , Ryman Joel , White Joshua 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– This purpose of this study is to deconstruct market orientation to explore how culture interrelates with conduct and value-creating innovation and its effect on performance. The authors suggest that market orientation is an organizational identity that can be built and managed for sustained competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors use a split sample of 553 Canadian small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in both the manufacturing and technical service sectors. Hierarchical moderated regression analysis is used to test the main hypothesis that culture moderates the relationship between conduct and innovation. Support for the respective hypotheses is determined by the statistical significance of each focal variable.

Findings
– The study finds that culture does in fact moderate the relationship between conduct and innovation but only in service firms, not in manufacturing firms.

Research limitations/implications
– Theoretical implications include establishing support for the main premise of the paper, namely, that market-oriented culture interacts with the behavioral component of market orientation influencing the firm’s ability to create value through innovation.

Practical implications
– Managerial implications include the refinement of the many conceptualizations of the innovation construct by establishing innovation as value-creating. It also provides insight on how firm culture relates to the systems and processes used to operationalize both a market and innovation conduct within the firm.

Originality/value
– This paper provides a unique insight into the marketing/innovation interface, specifically in the context of SMEs.
Overreaction evidence from large-cap stocks
Authors: Abebe Assefa Tibebe , A. Esqueda Omar , C. Galariotis Emilios 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to assess the performance of a contrarian investment strategy focusing on frequently traded large-cap US stocks. Previous criticisms that losers’ gains are not due to overreaction but due to their tendency to be thinly traded and smaller-sized firms than winners are addressed.

Design/methodology/approach
– Portfolios based on past performance are constructed and it is examined whether contrarian returns exist. The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), Fama and French three-factor model and the Carhart’s (1997) momentum portfolio are used to test whether excess returns are feasible in a contrarian strategy.

Findings
– The results show an asymmetric performance following portfolio formation. Although both, winners and losers portfolios, have gains during holding periods, losers outperform winners at all times, and with a differential of up to 29.2 per cent 36 months after portfolio formation. Furthermore, the loser and the winner portfolios’ alphas are significant, suggesting that the CAPM and the multifactor models are unable to explain return differentials between winners and losers. Our evidence supports two main conclusions. First, stock market overreaction still holds for a sample of large firms. Second, this is robust to the Fama and French’s (1993, 1996) three-factor model and Carhart’s (1997) momentum portfolio. Findings emphasize the relevance of a contrarian strategy when rebalancing investment portfolios.

Practical implications
– Portfolio managers can improve stock returns by selling past winners and buying previous loser large-cap US stocks.

Originality/value
– This paper is the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to examine frequently traded large-cap US stocks to avoid infrequent trading and size concerns.
Demand driven selection of adaptable building technologies for flexibility-in-use
Authors: Gijsbers Roel , Lichtenberg Jos 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– Most buildings are hardly ever technically equipped to adapt to ever changing user demands. Adaptability of building components is known as an essential technical aid to facilitate flexible use. However, for designers and developers it is very difficult to foresee how design decisions related to flexible use effect the efficiency of the technical system, especially when adaptations have to be realized in the future. Due to the large number of variables and interrelations, a structured approach is indispensable to translate (future) user demands into technical solutions for flexible use. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present a novel method that can assist designers to systematically find suitable measures for flexible use. This method, named comparative selection method for adaptability measures (CSA method), is developed specifically to impartially select and compare adaptability measures.

Design/methodology/approach
– The CSA method is principally based on a performance approach, where technical solutions are compared and matched to performance requirements. To accomplish that, specific tools and theories were transferred from industrial product development. The CSA method displays the benefits of lifespan-oriented design, since a distinction is made between initial, once occurring effects and the effects that come with each expected adaptation.

Findings
– In contemporary building practice the initial phase is critical for decision making. By a number of case studies, the application of the CSA method reveals that tailor-made solutions with a high degree of adaptability are in fact the most efficient for the long term. Hereby the view is confirmed that a lifespan-oriented approach in design decisions is essential for a sustainable and future-proof building stock.

Originality/value
– The CSA method is a newly developed and unique support tool that assists in optimizing flexible building design through the search for best fit adaptability solutions.
Occupant satisfaction in LEED-certified higher education buildings
Authors: N. Driza Pamela-Jean , Park Nam-Kyu 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to quantify occupant satisfaction levels within Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified higher education buildings and determine the extent to which this certification helps designers to deliver successful interior environments.Design/methodology/approach– A web-based adaptation of the Center for the Built Environment's (CBE) Occupant indoor environmental quality Survey was distributed within two LEED-certified higher education buildings at a public university. Occupants were then asked to participate in interviews designed to contextualize survey results and further understand issues identified by building users. Descriptive statistics and a content analysis were utilized to determine satisfaction levels in each building.Findings– In general, LEED certification may be used as an aid for delivering successful interior environments, however, opportunities for enhancing the reliability of this tool were identified. For example, while Building A and Building B exceeded the CBE standards, neither met the 80 percent thermal comfort satisfaction rating recommended in the LEED system. Interviewees identified thermal set points, lack of thermal controls, and cold material finishes as the culprits. Based on study findings and supporting literature, suggestions are made for improving the LEED certification process and integrating post-occupancy evaluations (POEs) into the development of higher education buildings.Originality/value– This study's findings may shed some light on how LEED certification and POEs aid in the production of exemplary higher education facilities. This study helps to inform sustainable practices in higher education settings and serve as a foundation for continued research in the field of sustainable design.
Economic impediments to successful seismic retrofitting decisions
Authors: Egbelakin Temitope , Wilkinson Suzanne , Ingham Jason 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine why building owners are often reluctant to adopt adequate mitigation measures despite the vulnerability of their buildings to earthquake disasters, by exploring the economic-related barriers to earthquake mitigation decisions.Design/methodology/approach– A case study research method was adopted and interviews chosen as the method of data collection.Findings– Critical economic-related impediments that inhibited seismic retrofitting of earthquake-prone buildings were revealed in this study. Economic-related barriers identified include perception about financial involvement in retrofitting, property market conditions, high insurance premiums and deductibles, and the high cost of retrofitting. The availability of financial incentives such as low interest loans, tax deductibles, the implementation of a risk-based insurance premium scale and promoting increased knowledge and awareness of seismic risks and mitigation measures in the property market place are likely to address the economic-related challenges faced by property owners when undertaking seismic retrofitting projects. The provision of financial incentives specifically for seismic retrofitting should be introduced in policy-implementation programme tailored to local governments’ level of risks exposure and available resources.Practical implications– The recommendations provided in this study suggest strategies and answers to questions aimed at understanding the types of incentives that city councils and environmental hazard managers should focus on in their attempt to ensure that property owners actively participate in earthquake risk mitigation.Originality/value– This paper adopts a holistic perspective for investigating earthquake risk mitigation by examining the opinions of the different stakeholders involved in seismic retrofit decisions.
Architect's perception on the challenges of building energy efficiency in Ghana
Authors: Nii Addy Michael , Adinyira Emmanuel , Koranteng Christian 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– Building energy efficiency is an inescapable part of the solution to Africa's sustainable development; its implementation can result in cost effective ways that can contribute to economic and social development as well as environmental sustainability. Despite this, a number of factors including financial barriers and market barriers are perceived by policy makers and building designers to influence the efficient use of energy in buildings. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of architects in relation to the challenges of building energy efficiency in Ghana.Design/methodology/approach– From a review of pertinent literature 18 factors were identified as challenging. Empirical investigation was carried out using survey questionnaire. The consideration of overlapping aspects of the study largely motivated the use of factor analysis to analyse the data which made it possible to make scientific deductions and built explanations from the results.Findings– The study derives five brands of uncorrelated variables that better explains challenges faced in implementing building energy efficiency in Ghana. These variables include financial barriers, information barrier, private sector participation, behavioural barriers and production barrier. The study provides insight on the contextual provision of realities faced in implementing building energy efficiency in Ghana.Originality/value– Key contribution of the paper to the body of knowledge is manifested in the use of the principal component analysis. This has rigorously provided understanding into the complex structure and the relationship between the various knowledge areas of building energy efficiency barriers in Ghana.