bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Marketing of postgraduate education in Taiwan: issues for foreign universities
Authors: Muthaly Siva , C. Lobo Antonio , Song Jen-Yuan Jimmy 
Published: January 2013

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors which influence Taiwanese students' destination choice for their overseas postgraduate studies. Constructs elicited from the literature were overall perception of education quality, available information, country characteristics and accrual of potential benefits.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper takes the form of a literature review, from which the authors identified four constructs: quality of available information; overseas country characteristics; potential benefits; and perceptions of overall education quality. The data required for this research were collected by means of a consumer-type survey. A questionnaire was developed with 40 items adapted from previously validated scales. A non-probabilistic sampling procedure, i.e. convenience sampling, was adopted owing to the unavailability of a satisfactory sampling frame. Final-year undergraduate students from four universities in Taiwan were targeted. There was upfront a screening question which eliminated students who were not knowledgeable about overseas postgraduate education from continuing the survey. A total of 312 survey questionnaires were administered by trained interviewers, during a two-week period, and 301 completed questionnaires were collected.

Findings
– The research findings revealed that the overall perception of education quality in host country influences the choice of the destination country. Path analysis has shown the catalytic need for intermediation by potential benefits accrued. Postgraduate Taiwanese students, having a better appreciation of western acculturation and potential migration and job prospects, together with the constructs of quality of information and country characteristics, have a better overall perception of education quality of destination country.

Research limitations/implications
– Universities targeting Taiwanese postgraduate students need to highlight aspects of potential benefits in their marketing literature and promotional materials. The results of this study will certainly benefit overseas educational institutions and their marketing departments.

Originality/value
– This is one of the very few studies which uses partial least squares to address a complex situation associated with the hierarchy of determinants in the selection of a foreign university.
The effect of multi-level factors on MNEs' market entry success in a small emerging market
Authors: J. Perks Keith , P. Hogan Stephen , Shukla Paurav 
Published: January 2013

Purpose
– Whilst earlier studies of market entry success factors have mostly focused on large emerging markets such as China or India, limited attention has been given to smaller emerging markets. The purpose of this paper is to identify the effects of firm-level (i.e. entry mode and firm size), country-level (i.e. market potential, country risk and openness) and cultural distance on successful market entry strategies of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in a smaller emerging country (Thailand).

Design/methodology/approach
– Using archival data from 1996-2008 and a survey of 139 firms, the results reveal significant influence of both market potential and cultural distance on successful market entry.

Findings
– Overall, the findings demonstrate a cautionary approach when generalizing the results of studies focusing on large emerging markets to smaller emerging markets. Smaller emerging markets such as Thailand offer very different market-space than large emerging markets and therefore the overall determinants of success may differ substantially.

Practical implications
– Market potential appears to be the most significant variable in entering the Thai market. The findings also suggest a negative and significant relationship between cultural distance and market success in Thailand. This reveals that foreign firms that enter small emerging markets which are culturally close to their home countries can enjoy a greater possibility of success.

Originality/value
– This study is a first step towards sensitizing corporations and policy makers in understanding the differences in market entry success factors between larger and smaller emerging markets and strategizing accordingly.
What makes teacher teams in a vocational education context effective?
Authors: Truijen K.J.P. , Sleegers P.J.C. , Meelissen M.R.M. , Nieuwenhuis A.F.M. 
Published: January 2013

PurposeAt a time when secondary vocational education is implementing competence‐based education (CBE) on a large scale, to adapt to the needs of students and of the labour market in a modern society, many vocational schools have recognised that interdisciplinary teacher teams are an important condition for this implementation. In order to provide students with the right competences for the labour market, different subject teachers should work and learn together and, by doing so, should be able to develop changes and improvements to ensure the effective implementation of CBE. In spite of the appeal of forming teacher teams in vocational education, studies on this subject show that teams in educational settings are not easily implemented. This paper aims to address this issue.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, 28 managers from a Vocational Education and Training (VET) college in The Netherlands were interviewed in order to find factors that are related to effective team functioning. The authors choose to rely on a qualitative approach, because there has hardly been any empirical validation of factors that are related to effective team functioning in a vocational education context. In order to determine what factors influence team effectiveness, the results from the interviews have been related to what is known about team effectiveness from the literature.FindingsBy relating the results from the interviews to what is known about team effectiveness from the literature, a framework for future research on team effectiveness in schools is provided. In line with the organisational and psychological literature on team effectiveness, the managers distinguished several aspects in their definition of team effectiveness. Moreover, the findings of the study highlight the importance of the development of task interdependence, transformational leadership, and group efficacy for producing effective teams in education.Originality/valueAlthough teams and team functioning have been the focus of researchers from different disciplines and have been studied from different perspectives, studies on the conditions that support or limit the successful implementation of teacher teams in vocational education are still scarce. The results of this study are expected to provide a deeper understanding of the mechanism that underlies the ability of teacher teams in vocational education to function effectively.
Sustainability accounting courses, Talloires Declaration and academic research
Authors: Khan Tehmina 
Published: January 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to identify the offering and nature (scope) of sustainability accounting courses at universities that have signed the Talloires Declaration and also at universities with prominent sustainability accounting researchers' affiliations. For this purpose a university web sites content analysis for sustainability accounting courses was conducted. This study can be replicated in order to evaluate web sites disclosures by universities across disciplines in relation to sustainability education. It can also be replicated to assess the theoretical versus implemented scope of sustainability education, and to determine the impact of prominent researchers in the area of sustainability education.Design/methodology/approachTalloires Declaration signatories' universities' web sites were searched for information regarding sustainability accounting subjects. A search was also conducted for the Curriculum Vitae and profile of prominent sustainability accounting researchers to collect data on involvement in sustainability accounting education by these researchers. The findings regarding the offering of a sustainability accounting course and its nature and scope (if found on the web sites) are presented in this article.FindingsIt is found that less than 30 per cent of the Talloires Declaration universities' web sites in Canada, USA, United Kingdom and Australia have information on sustainability accounting education in various forms including stand alone subjects (all electives) and sustainability accounting embedded in other accounting and non accounting courses, with limited scope. This percentage was found to be substantially lower or non‐existent at universities from other countries. The probability of sustainability accounting education being offered at the post‐graduate level (specifically as a PhD programme) is much higher at universities that have a prominent research profile in the area. It is also found that sustainability accounting education is not offered in majority of the cases, at the undergraduate level at universities where prominent sustainability accounting researchers are based. The focus is on post‐graduate and research education rather than on undergraduate and course work education.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of this study was the limited information available in English on universities' web sites from countries where English is not the primary language. Other technical limitations such as the absence of a search function on the university's web site were also found as a hindrance to data collection.Originality/valueThis paper addresses the existence and scope of sustainability accounting education, the gap between universities' expected comprehensive (including all disciplines) commitment to sustainability and the actual implementation of this commitment. It also addresses the absence of sustainability education involvement by prominent sustainability researchers and academics at the under graduate level.
Allocation of construction resources through a pull‐driven approach
Authors: Ng S. Thomas , Zheng Daisy X.M. , Xie Jessie Z. 
Published: January 2013

PurposeConstruction resources are often limited, and there is a need to ensure resources are carefully allocated to avoid resource wastage and/or project delay. While mathematical and heuristic models were developed to resolve the conflicts between activities, none of them has been proven to be totally satisfactory. The aim of this paper is to explore this.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, a novel heuristic method known as a pull‐driven approach (PDA) is proposed; and this approach encourages a lean consideration of resource supply and partnering between activities. Two case studies are presented to illustrate how PDA can be applied. A comparison with another heuristic approach, namely the ranked positional weight method is conducted to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.FindingsUsing the PDA approach, all the activities strive to find matching partners to pull resources to their sides. The resources are, therefore, no longer passively pushed to a single activity with high ranking but a combination of activities that can demonstrate their superiority in resource utilisation will actively win the necessary resources.Originality/valueThis approach has an ability to deal with intermittent activities and locate the lean (no‐waste) supply level of each resource.
Assessing the impact of outsourcing in the electricity network industry
Authors: Vilko Jyri 
Published: January 2013

PurposeElectricity networks in Europe have been experiencing drastic changes driven by deregulation. The old monopoly businesses do not always find it easy to make the required improvements, and some are outsourcing the functions to private service providers. Outsourcing is a fairly new phenomenon in electricity distribution, however, and there are few studies on the subject. The purpose of this paper is to narrow the gap in assessing the affecting factors and the impact in a case involving outsourcing the underground cabling functions of a publicly‐owned network company to a private service provider.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based mainly on qualitative interviews and an expert group session set up to analyse the acquired data. The affecting factors and the outsourcing impact levels were determined in the group discussion, and analysed in accordance with the risk/benefit framework developed, taking account of both the short‐ and long‐term aspects.FindingsOutsourcing in the electricity network industry should be assessed holistically from the perspectives of the outsourcing company and the service provider. The results of outsourcing depend on the function in question, and there are wide differences in how it affects different elements of the organisations involved. A risk/benefit framework provides significant insights into the impacts and increase understanding about the causalities of the phenomenon and the goals of the partners.Originality/valueThe paper provides new knowledge with regard to electricity distribution by illustrating the affecting factors and the impacts of outsourcing. The presented framework gives a holistic picture of the impacts in an analysis of both parties' viewpoints and the short and long time scales in the relationship.
Thomas‐Kilmann's Conflict Management Modes and their relationship to Fiedler's Leadership Styles (basing on Estonian organizations)
Authors: Altmäe Sigrit , Türk Kulno , Toomet Ott‐Siim 
Published: January 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between Thomas‐Kilmann's Conflict Management Modes (CMM) and Fiedler's Leadership Style (LS) measures, both in the data, and from the theoretical perspective. Based on the conceptual similarities, the authors first propose the existence of a relationship between Thomas‐Kilmann's CMM and Fiedler's LS measures, then establish the presence of the relationship, based on a dataset of Estonian managers.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a unique dataset of 343 leaders and specialists from different Estonian organizations, on both Thomas‐Kilmann's CMM and Fiedler's Least Preferred Co‐worker test. The data were analyzed by multivariate methods.FindingsThe results indicate that leaders who are task‐oriented, according to Fiedler's model, tend to use more competing as the dominant CMM, while relationship‐oriented leaders are more accommodating. The authors also analyze the effect of individual characteristics, finding that younger managers are more task‐oriented while older ones are typically relationship‐oriented and conflict avoiding; women are more collaborative and less conflict avoiding, and men tend to use the accommodating mode more than women. Surprisingly, women tend to be more competitive.Originality/valueThis is the first study to establish a relationship between Fiedler's Leadership Style and Thomas‐Kilmann's Conflict Mode Instrument. This relationship can potentially be used for assessing the reliability and validity of measurements. The particular shape of it may be used to analyze the links between conflicts, relationships and assertiveness. Additionally, the paper provides an empirical analysis of conflict management habits and leadership styles of Estonian managers.
Organizational practices and employee engagement: a case of Malaysia electronics manufacturing firms
Authors: Suan Choo Ling , Mat Norslah , Al‐Omari Mohammed 
Published: January 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of organizational practices on employee engagement based on 97 sample respondents from a multinational electronics firm that is based in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a survey; SPSS and multiple regression analysis.FindingsThe three dimensions of organizational practices, namely organizational communication, reward and recognition and employee development, explained 43.2 percent of the variance in employee engagement. This study also evidenced the significant relationship between organizational practices and employee engagement.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the body of knowledge regarding the important influence of organizational practices on employee engagement. The management may use the findings to further enhance organizational practices that lead to more engaged employees.
Offenders, welfare reforms and housing
Authors: Linney Jo 
Published: January 2013

PurposeThe aim of the article is to encourage debate, monitoring and further research into the effects of welfare reform, and related policies, in particular on offenders, housing and recidivism and the savings made through reforms versus the potential cost of increased recidivism.Design/methodology/approachThe article is a review of legislative, consultation and available statistical documentation and available research on housing benefit shared accommodation rate.FindingsThe implementation of welfare reforms is ongoing; suitable stable accommodation has been identified as a key element in effective resettlement.Research limitations/implicationsThere is little research on the combined impact of government budgetary constraints in relation to housing and recidivism and there is a need for further research, monitoring and discussion to monitor the future situation.Practical implicationsMonitoring by agencies and further research is required.Social implicationsThere is potential for increased recidivism due to the availability of secure suitable accommodation.Originality/valueThere has been little discussion of the impact of welfare reforms on access to suitable secure housing and recidivism this article poses the questions.
At a crossroads? Comparative and international education research in Asia and the Pacific
Authors: Denman Brian D. , Higuchi Satoshi 
Published: January 2013

PurposeHistorical studies of comparative education have been available and utilised in Europe and North America to justify and legitimise comparative and international education research in present day contexts (Cowen; Masemann et al.; Psacharopoulos; Schriewer). However, a review of the literature of comparative education research in Asia and the Pacific discloses that very little is known about its own history, purpose, or direction. The aim of this paper is to explore the idea that part of this circumstance stems from the fact that these fields of study are often perceived as undefined.Design/methodology/approachThis analysis suggests that in the Asia and Pacific region, research in comparative and international education is generally perceived as narrowly defined.FindingsThis article points out that the “fields” differ in terms of paradigmatic representation but are both change‐dependent, and that while comparative education research does not necessarily require an international dimension to it, international education must contain comparative elements for critical analysis and reflection.Originality/valueThe first study of its kind to review the history of comparative education research in the region.
Genome‐assisted development of nuclear intergenic sequence markers for entomopathogenic fungi of the Metarhizium anisopliae species complex
Authors: Kepler R. M. , Rehner S. A. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractEntomopathogenic fungi in the genus Metarhizium are useful for biological control programmes against economically important arthropod pests worldwide. However, understanding the true diversity and ecology of these organisms is hampered by convergent morphologies between species. The application of molecular techniques has enabled greater resolution of species than allowed by morphology alone. In particular, the commonly used biocontrol agent M. anisopliae was found to be a species complex composed of nine species. This prior work was conducted with commonly used markers in fungal phylogenetics (BTUB, RPB1, RPB2 and TEF), which likely under‐represent diversity in the M. anisopliae complex. Using sequence data from nuclear genomes of M. acridum and M. robertsii we identified regions of conserved gene synteny and developed primers to amplify intergenic regions of seven loci. Using ex‐type and authenticated tissue specimens for species in the M. anisopliae complex, we demonstrate that sequence data derived from intergenic loci is more variable and phylogenetically informative than previously available markers. These new markers will facilitate investigations at or below the species level for the M. anisopliae complex. The method of marker development employed here should be extendable to any group with sufficiently divergent genome data available.
Conservation of an Ant–plant Mutualism in Native Forests and Ecologically‐managed Tree Monocultures
Authors: Kersch‐Becker Mônica F. , Buss Sandra R. , Fonseca Carlos R. 
Published: January 2013

AbstractThe Brazilian Atlantic Forest has been replaced by homogeneous tree monocultures with potentially drastic effect on ecological interactions. We expect that ecologically‐managed tree monocultures, however, can help to mitigate this impact. Here, we carried out an experiment with Inga vera (Fabaceae), an extrafloral nectary bearing plant, to test if the efficiency of ants as anti‐herbivory defense is affected by the replacement of its natural habitat (Araucaria Forest) by ecologically‐managed tree monocultures (plantations of Araucaria, Pinus, and Eucalyptus). Seedlings of Inga vera were transplanted to three patches of each habitat and ants were excluded from half of the plants. The abundance of ants and herbivores was low, similar among habitats, and exhibited temporal asynchrony. Number of herbivores and accumulated herbivory levels were lower in plant with ants. Rates of herbivory were extremely low and lower for young leaves than for mature leaves. The presence of ants did not affect plant performance traits measured by their growth in height, and their final numbers of leaves and leaflets. Contrary to what might be expected, ant‐protected plants produced fewer leaves and leaflets than unprotected ones. In conclusion, Inga vera‐ant interaction was similar between its natural habitat and the tree monocultures, indicating that potentially both species diversity and ecological processes can be conserved in ecologically‐managed tree monocultures.