bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Urbanization, tourism revenue growth and regional non-equilibrium
Authors: Guo Yang , Chai Yi , Wang Shengyang 
Published: August 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to analyze regional correlation contributions of urbanization rate and tourism revenue, based on the dynamic panel data from 2000 to 2010 of 31 provinces in China.

Design/methodology/approach
– Based on the Modified Cobb-Douglas and fixed effect regression models, the study analyzes the dynamic panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2000 to 2010. The paper conducts tests on the correlation and the economic influence between urbanization rate and tourism revenue in different regions.

Findings
– The empirical results show that on the national scale, the urbanization rate has a positive contribution to the increase rate of tourism revenue with 3.1 percent. The influence of urbanization on tourism revenue in different regions has considerable non-equilibrium characteristics. In the central region, the correlation contributing potential is even stronger than in the eastern and western regions. Different regions have significant regional disparities in the tourism growth pattern.

Originality/value
– On the national scale, the urbanization rate has a positive correlation contribution to the development of tourism economics. Urbanization has made remarkable achievements, and has played an important role in propelling the development of tourism industry. In the process of deepening the urbanization trend, the urbanization rate has a positive contribution to the increase rate of tourism revenue with 3.1 percent.
Gatekeepers of sustainability information: exploring the roles of accountants
Authors: Schaltegger Stefan , Zvezdov Dimitar 
Published: August 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to, with the continuous take-up of sustainability issues by companies and with the growing experience companies gain in dealing with this topic, raise the question of whether accountants are involved in the corporate practice of managing sustainability information, and if yes, what their role is. The actual involvement of accountants in corporate environmental and sustainability management has merely been investigated to date.Design/methodology/approach– Based on 58 in-depth interviews with corporate practitioners, this paper, first, explores the roles in the sustainability accounting practice in companies which are considered to be leading in sustainability reporting in the UK and Germany. Second, the role of accountants is analysed from a power theory perspective.Findings– The main findings suggest that accountants are partially involved in sustainability accounting practice but mainly exert a gate-keeping role between sustainability managers and higher management. The findings raise questions of how to better involve accountants in earlier steps of the sustainability management accounting process.Research limitations/implications– The explorative research is based on interviews in European companies considered to be among the leaders in sustainability reporting.Practical implications– Empirically investigating the role of accountants can help improve sustainability accounting practice and education. Should it turn out that the accountants have no other option but to act as gatekeepers, accounting education will play a major role in overcoming this deficiency in the pursuit of improved sustainability knowledge and performance. If, on the other hand, it is the defensive stance of accountants and the fear of losing power in corporate structures which motivates them to act as gatekeepers, mechanisms to motivate them to cooperate should be researched.Social implications– The paper empirically investigates and discusses the accountant’s contribution to sustainability information management. This can help overcome organisational challenges impeding companies to successfully implement sustainability measures.Originality/value– The paper investigates and discusses the accountant’s contribution to sustainability information management. The empirical analysis is based on a framework to identify different roles in sustainability accounting. Two possible development paths for a stronger constructive involvement of accountants are identified – to improve sustainability education for accountants if lack of sustainability knowledge is a major obstacle, and/or to improve incentives and structures motivating accountants to contribute with their information management expertise on all steps of the sustainability accounting process.
The Strengthening Families Programme in Spain: a long-term evaluation
Authors: Orte Carmen , Ballester Lluís , March Martí X. , Amer Joan , Vives Marga , Pozo Rosario 
Published: August 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to first assess the long-term effects of the adaptation of the American Strengthening Families Programme in Spain (known as the Programa de Competencia Familiar, translated into English as the Family Competence Programme (FCP)). The second aim is to identify family typologies and family changes regarding family competence over time. The paper’s initial hypothesis is that families have different behaviours and take advantage of the FCP in different ways.

Design/methodology/approach
– Monitored applications of the FCP were conducted using a quasi-experimental design consisting of a control group and pre-test, post-test and two-year follow-up assessments. The sample was made up of 136 families who took part in the programme and another 18 who participated in the control groups. Validated instruments were applied to assess the methodological processes and the family assessments. A cluster analysis was undertaken to identify different family typologies and their evolution in relation to the FCP goals.

Findings
– The FCP shows effective and consistent results over time for families in a variety of difficult situations, with important result maintenance. The longitudinal analysis (i.e. the two-year follow-up) demonstrates that the majority of changes identified (using the factors under consideration) maintained their relevance for most of the families, producing positive change.

Originality/value
– There is little long-term evaluation or longitudinal analysis of family prevention programmes that are evidence-based and include cognitive-emotional content. This paper analyses the long-term evaluation of family prevention programmes and identifies the ways in which families change over time.
Collaborative consumption: business model opportunities and barriers for fashion libraries
Authors: Pedersen Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum , Netter Sarah 
Published: August 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers and opportunities for business models based on the ideas of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry.Design/methodology/approach– The analysis is based on a multiple-case study of Scandinavian fashion libraries – a new, clothes-sharing concept that has emerged as a fashion niche within the last decade.Findings– It is concluded that fashion libraries offers interesting perspectives, e.g. by allowing people to experiment with styles without having to pay the full cost and becoming a meeting place for young designers and end consumers. However, at present fashion libraries remain a small-scale phenomenon with difficulties reaching the mainstream market, not least due to limited financial and human resources as well as conventional fashion consumption patterns.Research limitations/implications– The study is limited to the new phenomenon of fashion libraries and does not cover other types of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry (Swap-parties, etc.).Originality/value– The paper is one of the first attempts to examine new business models of collaborative consumption in general and the fashion library concept in particular. The study contributes to the discussions of whether and how fashion sharing and collaboration holds promise as a viable business model and as a means to promote sustainability.
Human body as fashion space: fashion accessories, design and woven fabrics
Authors: Ribeiro Liliana Simões , Miguel Rui Alberto Lopes , Pereira Maria Madalena Rocha , Lucas José Mendes , Trindade Isabel Maria Gonçalves 
Published: August 2015

Purpose
– Considering that the human body is undeniable a fashion space, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of design and material choice in the relationship between clothing and accessories, namely, bags, for the fashion consumer.

Design/methodology/approach
– Initially the paper provides a historical framing of the use of materials in bags and its relation with clothing. Then, are described the characteristics of materials and how the human body relates to them, specifically how the sense of touch plays a decisive role in materials choice. Thus a natural fiber-based fabric as wool fabric is presented as a choice for some brands in the development of fashion accessories.

Findings
– It was found that there are an immense variety of materials that can be used in bags creation, and the use of them has changed over the years, influenced by social and economic conditions, fashion trends, and by technology evolutions in the production of fibers and composites. Taking in consideration that there is a long history of use of woven fabrics with natural fibers and a growing demand for sustainable and organic products, the use of wool natural fabrics in the production of bags were presented as a following road to the fashion industry.

Originality/value
– Since the relationship between materials used in apparel and fashion accessories is an area barely documented, this paper contributes to underline the possibility to exceed conventional design barriers and develop innovative and creative wool products pleasant for the human body as a fashion space.
The development of an apparel industry business model for Canada
Authors: Campaniaris Constantine , Murray Richard , Hayes Steven , Jeffrey Michael 
Published: August 2015

Purpose– Earlier attempts to develop a strategy for the apparel industry in Canada to counter the adverse effects of trade liberalisation on Canadian apparel suppliers have been based on the concept of clustering. However, despite the support from government-supported industry bodies, clustering has not been forthcoming and this situation has created a pressing need for the development of an alternative to the clustering strategy. A study by the Canadian Apparel Human Resources Council offered up several different strategies including clustering, that the Canadian apparel industry might pursue, but these have not been taken up. Evidence gained from government reports on the industry and its performance, industry case studies, an experience survey and questionnaire reported earlier, leads to a radically different alternative with a more direct relationship between Canadian apparel suppliers and retailer. The purpose of this paper is to report and construct an evidence-based collaborative strategy together with its accompanying apparel industry business model.Design/methodology/approach– The evidence gained from case studies of Canadian apparel businesses, a secondary data search, an experience survey and an online questionnaire has been followed and combined with retailer requirements from apparel suppliers.Findings– The information gained from apparel industry representatives, government sources and industry reports has enabled step-by-step construction of an evidence-based business model centred on the formation of collaborative partnerships between apparel suppliers and retailers.Originality/value– The model reflects the fact that Canadian apparel retailers have taken the leading role in the supplier/retailer relationship and shows how Canadian apparel suppliers might better position themselves to combat competition from offshore suppliers through the formation of closer links with retail partners. It points not only to a requirement for Canadian apparel suppliers to become integrated into their retail partner’s retail management systems and technology, but also demonstrates the need for the formation of strong alliances through collaborative partnerships between supplier and retailer to address the needs of the apparel market.
Clients’ means of influence on mortgage valuation in Nigeria
Authors: Nwuba Chukwuma C. , Egwuatu Uche S. , Salawu Babatunde M. 
Published: August 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate client influence on mortgage valuation in Nigeria to establish and rank the means of influence clients employ, and the impact of firm characteristics on client influence.Design/methodology/approach– A combination of cross-sectional survey and focus groups research designs was adopted. Questionnaire structured on five-point Likert format was used to collect data from a sample of valuation firms in five Nigerian cities. Descriptive statistics,χ2, and moderated hierarchical linear model were used for data analysis.Findings– Clients’ means of influence on valuation are more of subtle approach than threat or coercion. The most prevalent means are respectively, plea for assistance, promise of continued retainership on banks’ valuer panels, and disclosing the loan amount. Client influence differs across cities; firm characteristics have no influence on client pressure.Practical implications– The research provides basis for valuation bodies to review practice rules and standards and seek for legislation for valuer independence. It can serve as material for teaching and training in professional ethics.Social implications– Biased valuations jeopardises credit risk mitigation process with potential for destabilising banks, finance sector, and consequences for the economy.Originality/value– The study provides empirical evidence of the nature of client influence across several major Nigerian cities. In contrast to existing Nigerian studies that focus on single cities, the study covers several cities. It therefore provides a broad basis for problem-solving and decision-making.
Examining the perception of tenants in sustainable office buildings
Authors: Jailani Junaidah , Reed Richard , James Kimberley 
Published: August 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to address two major challenges faced by sustainable building owners: first, address the gap between an occupant’s expectations of sustainable building outcomes and what the building actually provides and second, overcome the lack of user knowledge about sustainability design and operation for a particular with regards to performance.

Design/methodology/approach
– This study used a focus group approach to investigate the gap between: user expectations and sustainable building performance. The study surveyed occupants of sustainable office buildings in Melbourne, Australia.

Findings
– There is no significant relationship between users’ expectations and users’ experience of sustainable building performance and users’ knowledge about sustainability and the building they were worked in.

Research limitations/implications
– The research was limited to sustainable office buildings. New office buildings seeking to incorporate sustainability which need to focus on the needs of tenants in order to maximise value.

Practical implications
– There is an urgent need to ensure sustainable office buildings meet the needs of present and future occupiers without compromising short and long-term occupier satisfaction levels with regards to sustainability and operation of the building.

Social implications
– Increasing the level of sustainability in office buildings has been a major trend over the past decade however the tenants need to be consulted in the post-occupancy phase.

Originality/value
– Little attention has been given in the property management literature to sustainable office buildings and value drivers. This is an original and innovative study, partly due to the recent developments in sustainable buildings.
Spatial scale and movement behaviour traits control the impacts of habitat fragmentation on individual fitness
Authors: Cattarino Lorenzo , McAlpine Clive A. , Rhodes Jonathan R. 
Published: August 2015

Summary

Habitat fragmentation, that is the breaking apart of habitat, can occur at multiple spatial scales at the same time, as a result of different land uses. Individuals of most species spend different amounts of times moving in different modes, during which they cover different distances and experience different fitness impacts. The scale at which fragmentation occurs interacts with the distance that individuals move in a particular mode to affect an individual's ability to find habitat. However, there is little knowledge of the fitness consequences of different scales of fragmentation for individuals with different traits of movement behaviour. This is critical to understand the mechanisms of persistence of different species in fragmented landscapes.

The aim of this study was to quantify the impacts of habitat fragmentation at different scales on the fitness components (reproduction and survival) of individuals with different traits of movement behaviour.

We developed a demographic model of individuals that adopt short and tortuous movements within foraging areas (foraging mode) and long and straight movements between foraging areas (searching mode). We considered individuals that adopt different movement modes with varying frequencies, inherently move different searching distances and experience different risks of mortality during searching. We then applied the model within a spatially explicit simulation framework where we varied simultaneously the degree of fragmentation within (fine scale) and between foraging areas (coarse scale).

Fine‐scale fragmentation had a greater impact on reproduction and survival than coarse‐scale fragmentation, for those individuals with a low searching propensity. The impact of fine‐scale fragmentation on reproduction and survival interacted with the impact of coarse‐scale fragmentation on reproduction and survival, to affect the fitness of individuals with a high searching propensity, large inherent searching distances and high searching mortality rates. Habitat selection strongly mitigated the impact of the scale at which fragmentation occurred on individual fitness.

Our findings suggest that the land use to target with conservation actions to reduce fragmentation, such as financial schemes that promote re‐vegetation or retention of standing vegetation, depends on the scale at which fragmentation occurs and the movement behaviour traits of the species of conservation concern.
Lotic cyprinid communities can be structured as nest webs and predicted by the stress‐gradient hypothesis
Authors: Peoples Brandon K. , Blanc Lori A. , Frimpong Emmanuel A. 
Published: August 2015

Summary

Little is known about how positive biotic interactions structure animal communities. Nest association is a common reproductive facilitation in which associate species spawn in nests constructed by host species. Nest‐associative behaviour is nearly obligate for some species, but facultative for others; this can complicate interaction network topology.

Nest web diagrams can be used to depict interactions in nesting‐structured communities and generate predictions about those interactions, but have thus far only been applied to cavity‐nesting vertebrate communities. Likewise, the stress‐gradient hypothesis (SGH) predicts that prevalent biotic interactions shift from competition to facilitation as abiotic and biotic stress increase; this model has been hardly applied to animal communities. Here, both of these models were applied to nest‐associative fish communities and extended in novel ways to broaden their applicability.

A nest web was constructed using spawning observations over 3 years in several streams in south‐western Virginia, USA. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was then implemented through an information‐theoretic framework to identify the most plausible nest web topology in stream fish communities at 45 sites in the New River basin of the central Appalachian Mountains, USA. To test the SGH, the per‐nest reproductive success of ‘strong’ (nearly obligate) nest associates was used to represent interaction importance. Eigenvectors were extracted from a principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) of proportional species abundances to represent community structure. Both of these metrics were regressed on physical stress, a combination of catchment‐scale agricultural land use and stream size (representing spatiotemporal habitat variability).

Seventy‐one per cent of SEM model evidence supported a parsimonious interaction topology in which strong associates rely on a single host (Nocomis), but not other species. PCoA identified a gradient of community structure dominated by Nocomis and associates, to communities dominated by other reproductive groups. Both metrics of interaction importance responded positively to physical stress.

This study demonstrates that nest webs can be useful in a variety of systems and that SEM can be a quantitative extension of this framework. Likewise, the SGH can be used to understand positive interactions in animal communities and can be extended to predict proportional representation of facilitating and beneficiary species in communities.
Edge effects and geometric constraints: a landscape‐level empirical test
Authors: Ribeiro Suzy E. , Prevedello Jayme A. , Delciellos Ana Cláudia , Vieira Marcus Vinícius 
Published: August 2015

SummaryEdge effects are pervasive in landscapes yet their causal mechanisms are still poorly understood. Traditionally, edge effects have been attributed to differences in habitat quality along the edge–interior gradient of habitat patches, under the assumption that no edge effects would occur if habitat quality was uniform. This assumption was questioned recently after the recognition that geometric constraints tend to reduce population abundances near the edges of habitat patches, the so‐called geometric edge effect (GEE).Here, we present the first empirical, landscape‐level evaluation of the importance of theGEEin shaping abundance patterns in fragmented landscapes.Using a data set on the distribution of small mammals across 18 forest fragments, we assessed whether the incorporation of theGEEinto the analysis changes the interpretation of edge effects and the degree to which predictions based on theGEEmatch observed responses. Quantitative predictions were generated for each fragment using simulations that took into account home range, density and matrix use for each species.The incorporation of theGEEinto the analysis changed substantially the interpretation of overall observed edge responses at the landscape scale. Observed abundances alone would lead to the conclusion that the small mammals as a group have no consistent preference for forest edges or interiors and that the black‐eared opossumDidelphis aurita(a numerically dominant species in the community) has on average a preference for forest interiors. In contrast, incorporation of theGEEsuggested that the small mammal community as a whole has a preference for forest edges, whereasD. auritahas no preference for forest edges or interiors. Unexplained variance in edge responses was reduced by the incorporation ofGEE, but remained large, varying greatly on a fragment‐by‐fragment basis.This study demonstrates how to model and incorporate theGEEin analyses of edge effects and that this incorporation is necessary to properly interpret edge effects in landscapes. It also suggests that geometric constraints alone are unlikely to explain the variability in edge responses of a same species among different areas, highlighting the need to incorporate other ecological factors into explanatory models of edge effects.