bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effectiveness of a mediation program in symmetrical versus asymmetrical neighbor‐to‐neighbor conflicts
Authors: Ufkes Elze G. , Giebels Ellen , Otten Sabine , van der Zee Karen I. 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe last decades, neighborhood mediation programs have become an increasingly popular method to deal with conflicts between neighbors. In the current paper the aim is to propose and show that conflict asymmetry, the degree to which parties differ in perceptions of the level of conflict, may be important for the course and outcomes of neighborhood mediation.Design/methodology/approachData for testing the hypotheses were based on coding all (261) files of neighbor conflicts reported to a Dutch neighborhood mediation program in the period from 2006 through 2008.FindingsAs expected, cases were more often about asymmetrical than symmetrical conflicts. Moreover, compared to symmetrical conflicts, asymmetrical conflicts less often led to a mediation session; the degree of escalation was lower; and, particularly in asymmetrical conflicts, a mere intake session already contributed to positive conflict outcomes.Originality/valuePast research on the effectiveness of mediation programs mainly focused on cases in which a mediation session effectively took place. However, persuading parties to participate in a mediation session forms a major challenge for mediators. In fact, many cases that are signed‐up for mediation programs do not result in an actual mediation. The current study examines the entire mediation process – from intake to follow‐up.
How to facilitate the learning of creativity: thinking “outside the box” and beyond textbook solutions
Authors: Boge Knut 
Published: October 2012

PurposeOne of the challenges in higher education is how to teach creativity; i.e. the ability to think outside the box and beyond standard textbook solutions. This paper seeks to explore what is creativity, whether it is possible to learn creativity, and if so, how to facilitate learning of creativity. One such method is innovation camps. The paper asks, is it possible to transfer the experiences from innovation camps to other kinds of organizations and settings?Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on one qualitative and two quantitative surveys.FindingsInterdisciplinary teams of students from different educations who did not know each other before the innovation camps were able to work together and produce creative and innovative concepts. The students' learning outcomes differed, depending on their education.Research limitations/implicationsThis study indicates that interdisciplinary teams where the participants do not know each other in advance may produce creative and innovative concepts if the process is properly organized.Social implicationsMany of the experiences from innovation camps about how to facilitate learning of creativity are most likely transferable to other organizations and settings. Creativity is an important determinant of future wealth and prosperity.Originality/valueThe paper provides new insight for those interested in how to develop creativity, particularly in teams where the team members do not know each other in advance.
You are crazy! A classroom experiment to enhance creativity among management students
Authors: Oltra Victor , Escribá‐Esteve Alejandro 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe paper aims to focus on fostering a strategic attitude and creativity‐related competences among management students, through alternative teaching‐learning methods, whereby students propose “crazy” ideas that can be applicable to (business) organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe approach taken was an active learning classroom experiment. In total, 22 participants volunteered among the authors' own students, enrolled at different management‐related degrees at the University of Valencia (Spain).FindingsFive student teams proposed very interesting and original ideas (some “crazier” than others, many highly relevant and feasible), aimed at tackling relevant challenges at the workplace or at the university.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research may be inspired by this experiment, expanding the scope of the inquiry to other student profiles and/or to actual initiatives involving organizational development and learning dynamics.Practical implicationsAll proposals implied that employees/students who have fun will be more committed to their job/studies, involving “win‐win” outcomes. Moreover, the university‐related proposals can be easily adapted to a workplace context. On the other hand, the experiment itself can be also adapted as part of organizational development and learning policies – with employees taking the role here assigned to students.Social implicationsThese “crazy” ideas are invaluable in societies needing radical social‐economic change (e.g. Spain) towards new, knowledge‐based models.Originality/valueBeyond the most immediate benefits for them, private and public organizations can crucially contribute to knowledge‐driven social‐economic change by embracing these “crazy” ideas in their development and learning policies.
How to concretize dynamic capabilities? Theory and examples
Authors: Kuuluvainen Arto 
Published: October 2012

PurposeDynamic capabilities approach, having roots in evolutionary economics, has recently become popular also among strategic management researchers. However, the dynamic capabilities construct has been criticised for being too confusing and abstract. The purpose of this paper is to tackle this criticism by first introducing a theoretical framework for concretising dynamic capabilities and then by testing the framework empirically.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilises qualitative case study methods. The empirical part of the research introduces a single case study of Finnish manufacturing small to medium‐sized enterprise (SME). The longitudinal research data include two structured telephone interviews and two personal interviews with the case firm's managers. Also significant amount of secondary data were analysed during the study. Pre‐planned systematic coding methods were utilised during the data‐analysis phase of the study.FindingsConcrete examples were provided of the dynamic capabilities identified from the international growth of the studied firm.Research limitations/implicationsThe research design led to a sample of only one case. Therefore, the findings have a strong intuitive and conceptual appeal and statistical generalizability is not appropriate.Practical implicationsThe paper introduces an example of how SME can grow in international markets. Some good practices can be identified from the case study.Originality/valueBy introducing a new and operationalized classification for studying dynamic capabilities qualitatively, the paper makes methodological contributions. The paper also answers criticism addressed towards the dynamic capabilities construct by making dynamic capabilities more concrete.
Promoting discourse analysis as a linguistic perspective to further explore strategic management issues
Authors: Koeberlé Pascal 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to promote discourse analysis as a valuable theoretical perspective to further examine how communication and other discursive practices may impact strategy‐related outcomes.Design/methodology/approachThe author uses a single case study of a French village in an illustrative way, to show how stakeholders (can) communicate to influence the strategic development of an organization.FindingsA set a propositions is identified as an understanding of why new discourses emerge and institutionalize in a given setting.Research limitations/implicationsAs the production of texts was used to observe practitioners’ participation in the strategy process, silent forms of participation may have passed unnoticed.Practical implicationsPractitioners who aim at influencing the strategy process may be interested in identifying the discursive context (producers of consumers of texts) and in improving their conversational skills.Originality/valueThe paper suggests a three‐step process to study the strategy process from a linguistic perspective: identify the producers of texts, examine how the texts are written/told, explain how a set of texts come to dominate a conversation.
The economic impact of the Comrades Marathon
Authors: Saayman Melville , Saayman Andrea 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe Comrades Marathon is a world‐renowned ultra marathon that takes place yearly between the cities of Pietermaritzburg and Durban in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa. It attracts athletes from around the world, and boasts a participation of more than 14,000. The purpose of this article is to determine the impact that this marathon has on the provincial economy – a manufacturing‐based economy.Design/methodology/approachSpending data of participants and their accompanying spectators were compiled by means of surveys and participants were split into categories based on their origin. The provincial Social Accounting Matrix is used to quantify the impact of this spending stimulus on production, income and job creation within the province.FindingsThe results show that Comrades Marathon contributes significantly to the provincial economy and that more than 600 jobs are dependent on the event.Research limitations/implicationsIt has a larger impact on the local economy than many similar sport events and this is attributed to the specialised nature of the event as well as its status as an ultra‐marathon.Originality/valueThis research is one of few on ultra‐marathons and the focus is on participants’ spending behaviour during the event.
Host population perceptions of the social impacts of sport tourism events in transition countries
Authors: Pranić Ljudevit , Petrić Lidija , Cetinić Liljana 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate residents’ perceptions of social impacts from co‐hosting the 2009 World Men's Handball Championship (WMHC09) in a small Croatian city – Split – in response to the need for social impacts research at a variety of sport tourism events and locations. Additional analysis was performed on a number of socio‐demographic factors that may affect the magnitude of residents’ perceptions.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative methodology was employed using a convenience sampling method. A drop and mail‐back technique with self‐completed surveys was used. A total of 92 completed surveys were returned. Mann‐Whitney U and Kruskal‐Wallis tests were used to test for patterns of social impacts across demographic variables.FindingsOverall, respondents’ perceived the social impacts from co‐hosting WMHC09 as mostly positive. However, the majority of respondents believed that the public monies spent on a new arena construction should have been allocated to construct facilities for which there is a greater public need (healthcare centers, schools, etc.). Variations in respondents’ perceptions generally could not be explained by their socio‐demographic characteristics.Practical implicationsAny future decisions to use public monies for one‐time financially intensive events should perhaps be subjected to a decision by a popular vote.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies to examine the residents’ perceptions of the social impacts of sport tourism events in transition countries. It also extends social exchange theory and reports validity and reliability of the social impacts scale.
Contrasting continuous quality improvement, Six Sigma, and lean management for enhanced outcomes in US hospitals
Authors: Gowen Charles R. , McFadden Kathleen L. , Settaluri Sriranjita 
Published: October 2012

PurposeRapidly rising healthcare costs, partially due to preventable medical errors, have led hospitals to redouble their process improvement (PI) efforts. The purpose of this paper is to examine how PI initiatives mediate the effect of medical error sources to enhance three hospital outcomes (patient safety, operational effectiveness, and competitiveness).Design/methodology/approachDrawing from Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the authors develop a framework to explore three PI initiatives: Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Six Sigma Initiatives (SSI), and Lean Management Initiatives (LMI). Hierarchical regression analysis is employed to test the proposed model, using data from a nationwide survey of 210 US hospitals.FindingsFor enhancing patient safety outcomes, it was found that CQI and LMI were significant in mediating hospital error sources; however, SSI was not significant after accounting for the other two PI types. For improving organizational effectiveness, CQI and SSI were significant; whereas LMI was not significant over and above the other two PI types. Finally, only SSI was significant for superior sustainable competitive advantage.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper provides insight into which PI initiatives were most effective for various hospital outcomes. The findings can benefit healthcare practitioners as they select among different PI programs for enhancing healthcare results. Limitations of the study include the use of perceptual measures, relatively small sample size, and potential alternate relationships relevant to the outcome variables.Originality/valueThis is the first study to explore the mediating effects of three PI programs for the impact of medical errors on each of three hospital outcomes.
“Young faces in old places”: perceptions of young cultural visitors for the archaeological site of Delphi
Authors: Boukas Nikolaos 
Published: October 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify young cultural visitors’ perceptions towards culture and cultural heritage destinations.Design/methodology/approachThis study, based on a survey conducted in the archaeological site of Delphi in Greece, examines young cultural visitors’ perceptions by identifying their perceived importance for a series of destination attributes.FindingsFindings reveal the important characteristics of cultural heritage sites for young travelers. Emphasis needs to be given on the following four influential factors of a cultural heritage site: organization and facilities, learning and experience, operation and accessibility, and place and promotion.Research limitations/implicationsTourism authorities ought to focus upon young people and understand their needs in order to attract them to cultural destinations providing positive experience/s. This study is a unique attempt to analyze the perceptions of young people in cultural destinations and is limited to only one cultural heritage site, Delphi. Further, research in other sites examining younger ages and their differences would provide significant information about this unexplored market in cultural sites.Originality/valueThis paper examines that misconception about culture concerning only older age‐groups needs a new way of thinking that takes into consideration young visitors as important cultural visitors. By ignoring their importance, opportunities to maximize value from the sites as well as to operate them in a more sustainable manner are lost. Knowing exactly the perceptions of young people for culture gives insights into their present and future behavior in cultural heritage destinations.
Prospects for using combined engineered bacterial enzymes and plant systems to rhizoremediate polychlorinated biphenyls
Authors: Sylvestre Michel 
Published: October 2012

SummaryThe fate of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil is driven by a combination of interacting biological processes. Several investigations have brought evidence that the rhizosphere provides a remarkable ecological niche to enhance the PCB degradation process by rhizobacteria. The bacterial oxidative enzymes involved in PCB degradation have been investigated extensively and novel engineered enzymes exhibiting enhanced catalytic activities toward more persistent PCBs have been described. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that approaches involving processes based on plant‐microbe associations are very promising to remediate PCB‐contaminated sites. In this review emphasis will be placed on the current state of knowledge regarding the strategies that are proposed to engineer the enzymes of the PCB‐degrading bacterial oxidative pathway and to design PCB‐degrading plant‐microbe systems to remediate PCB‐contaminated soil.
Why Do Some Primary Care Practices Engage in Practice Improvement Efforts Whereas Others Do Not?
Authors: Goldberg Debora Goetz , Mick Stephen S. , Kuzel Anton J. , Feng Lisa Bo , Love Linda E. 
Published: October 2012

ObjectiveTo understand what motivates primary care practices to engage in practice improvement, identify external and internal facilitators and barriers, and refine a conceptual framework.Data SourcesIn‐depth interviews and structured telephone surveys with clinicians and practice staff (n = 51), observations, and document reviews.Study DesignComparative case study of primary care practices (n = 8) to examine aspects of the practice and environment that influence engagement in improvement activities.Data Collection MethodsThree on‐site visits, telephone interviews, and two surveys.Principal FindingsPressures from multiple sources create conflicting forces on primary care practices' improvement efforts. Pressures include incentives and requirements, organizational relationships, and access to resources. Culture, leadership priorities, values set by the physician(s), and other factors influence whether primary care practices engage in improvement efforts.ConclusionsMost primary care practices are caught in a cross fire between two groups of pressures: a set of forces that push practices to remain with the status quo, the “15‐minute per patient” approach, and another set of forces that press for major transformations. Our study illuminates the elements involved in the decision to stay with the status quo or to engage in practice improvement efforts needed for transformation.
The Impact of Hospital‐Based Skilled Nursing Facility Closures on Rehospitalizations
Authors: Rahman Momotazur , Zinn Jacqueline S. , Mor Vincent 
Published: October 2012

ObjectiveTo examine the effect of reductions in hospital‐based (HB) skilled nursing facility (SNF) bed supply on the rate of rehospitalization of patients discharged to any SNF from zip codes that lost HB beds.Data SourceWe used Medicare enrollment records, Medicare hospital and SNF claims, and nursing home Minimum Dataset assessments and characteristics (OSCAR) to examine nearly 10 million Medicare fee‐for‐service hospital discharges to SNFs between 1999 and 2006.Study DesignWe calculated the number of HB and freestanding (FS) SNF beds within a 22 km radius from the centroid of all zip codes in which Medicare beneficiaries reside in all years. We examined the relationship between HB and FS bed supply and the rehospitalization rates of the patients residing in corresponding zip codes in different years using zip code fixed effects and instrumental variable methods including extensive sensitivity analyses.Principal FindingsOur estimated coefficients suggest that closure of 882 HB homes during our study period resulted in 12,000–18,000 extra rehospitalizations within 30 days of discharge. The effect was largely concentrated among the most acutely ill, high‐need patients.ConclusionsSNF patient‐based prospective payment resulted in closure of higher cost HB facilities that had served most postacute patients. As other, less experienced SNFs replaced HB facilities, they were less able to manage high acuity patients without rehospitalizing them.
Effect of different blood glucose target levels on the incidence of hypoglycemia during insulin therapy in the intensive care unit (在重症监护病房中使用胰岛素治疗后不同的血糖目标水平对低血糖发生率的影响)
Authors: Okawa Makio , Kunimoto Fumio , Kanamoto Masafumi , Narahara Hajime , Hinohara Hiroshi , Tobe Masaru , Yanagisawa Akihiro , Saito Shigeru 
Published: October 2012

AbstractBackgroundPrior to 2003, the target blood glucose level at our institute was <200 mg/dL. This target was reassessed in 2004 and again in 2006 based on reports showing decreased mortality in patients with target glucose levels between 80 and 110 mg/dL and results from subsequent randomized controlled trials. The aim of the present study was to determine the incidence of hypoglycemia due to IIT. The primary endpoint of the study was the incidence of hypoglycemia, with secondary outcomes of morbidity and mortality in three different periods.MethodsA total of 2038 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were divided into three groups with different target blood glucose levels: Group H, <200 mg/dL; Group M, <150 mg/dL; and Group L, <120 mg/dL. The incidence of hypoglycemia and patient outcomes in the three groups were compared.ResultsThe incidence of serious hypoglycemia (<40 mg/dL) in Groups H, M and L was 3.5%, 4.0%, and 5.4%, respectively; the incidence of moderate hypoglycemia (<60 mg/dL) was 9.4%, 11.7%, and 21.0% (P < 0.01), respectively. There were no significant differences among the groups in terms of days connected to the ventilator, length of ICU stay and ICU mortalities.ConclusionsThe incidence of moderate hypoglycemia (<60 mg/dL) was significantly increased during the period when the target blood glucose level was <120 mg/dL. Changes in target blood glucose levels did not affect patient mortality.
Evidence of species recruitment and development of hot desert hypolithic communities
Authors: Makhalanyane Thulani P. , Valverde Angel , Lacap Donnabella C. , Pointing Stephen B. , Tuffin Marla I. , Cowan Don A. 
Published: October 2012

SummaryHypoliths, photosynthetic microbial assemblages found underneath translucent rocks, are widely distributed within the western region of the Namib Desert and other similar environments. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T‐RFLP) analysis was used to assess the bacterial community structure of hypoliths and surrounding soil (below and adjacent to the hypolithic rock) at a fine scale (10 m radius). Multivariate analysis of T‐RFs showed that hypolithic and soil communities were structurally distinct. T‐RFLP‐derived operational taxonomic units were linked to 16S rRNA gene clone libraries. Applying the ecological concept of ‘indicator species’, six and nine indicator lineages were identified for hypoliths and soil, respectively. Hypolithic communities were dominated by cyanobacteria affiliated to Pleurocapsales, whereas actinobacteria were prevalent in the soil. These results are consistent with the concept of species sorting and suggest that the bottom of the quartz rocks provides conditions suitable for the development of discrete and demonstrably different microbial assemblages. However, we found strong evidence for neutral assembly processes, as almost 90% of the taxa present in the hypoliths were also detected in the soil. These results suggest that hypolithons do not develop independently from microbial communities found in the surrounding soil, but selectively recruit from local populations.
Anti‐Bacterial Factors Secreted From Cumulus Cells of Ovulated COCs Enhance Sperm Capacitation During In Vitro Fertilization
Authors: Shimada Masayuki , Mihara Toshihiro , Kawashima Ikko , Okazaki Tetsuji 
Published: October 2012

ProblemThe aim of this study was to find immune‐related genes expressed in cumulus cells of ovulated cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) and to clear the functional roles during fertilization process.Method of studyOvulated COCs were collected from oviduct 16 hr after the hCG injections followed by eCG priming. The cumulus cells were used for RT‐PCR or western blotting study. COCs were also used for in vitro fertilization study.ResultsCramp, Trf, Lyz2, S100a8, and S100a9 were expressed in cumulus cells during ovulation process. The protein levels of CRAMP or transferrin were detected in ovulated COCs and then secreted into hyaluronan‐rich matrix. The high dose of these factors reduced the proliferative activity of E. coli; however, the lower levels of them significantly increased the rate of fertilization in in vitro via the induction of sperm capacitation.ConclusionCumulus‐secreted anti‐bacterial factors act on sperm to induce sperm capacitation.