bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of dynamics on the habitability of an Earth-like planet
Authors: Pilat-Lohinger Elke 
Published: November 2014

AbstractFrom the numerous detected planets outside the Solar System, no terrestrial planet comparable with our Earth has been discovered so far. The search for an Exo-Earth is certainly a big challenge which may require the detections of planetary systems resembling our Solar System in order to find life like on Earth. However, even if we find Solar System analogues, it is not certain that a planet in Earth position will have similar circumstances as those of the Earth. Small changes in the architecture of the giant planets can lead to orbital perturbations which may change the conditions of habitability for a terrestrial planet in the habitable zone (HZ). We present a numerical investigation where we first study the motion of test-planets in a particular Jupiter–Saturn configuration for which we can expect strong gravitational perturbations on the motion at the Earth's position according to a previous work. In this study, we show that these strong perturbations can be reduced significantly by the neighbouring planets of Earth. In the second part of our study, we investigate the motion of test-planets in inclined Jupiter–Saturn systems where we analyse changes in the dynamical behaviour of the inner planetary system. Moderate values of inclination seem to counteract the perturbations in the HZ, while high inclinations induce more chaos in this region. Finally, we carry out a stability study of the actual orbits of Venus, Earth and Mars moving in the inclined Jupiter–Saturn systems for which we used the Solar System parameters. This study shows that the three terrestrial planets will only move in low-eccentric orbits if Saturn's inclination is ≤10°. Therefore, it seems that it is advantageous for the habitability of Earth when all planets move nearly in the same plane.
Snake‐like robots “reach” into many types of applications
Authors: Bloss Richard 
Published: November 2014

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review development of the non‐rigid robot alternative to the fixed axis robot designs.Design/methodology/approachIn‐depth interviews with the developer of the snake arm style robot and study of various applications employing this robot configuration.FindingsRigid robot configuration no longer limits the applications to which robotics can be applied. The flexible snake‐like approach opens doors to applications previously not possible with fixed axis type robots.Practical implicationsUsers and integrators will learn how to rapidly apply the snake arm approach in an ever‐growing array of successful applications.Originality/valueUsers and integrators will gain insight into how to solve application needs that previously could not be successfully addressed with rigid axis style robots, opening the door to applications where very flexible reaching is essential.
A problem‐oriented categorisation of FTA‐methods for transport planning
Authors: Schippl Jens , Fleischer Torsten 
Published: November 2014

PurposeAs in other socio‐technical fields, future‐oriented technology analysis (FTA) methods are used in transport planning to provide knowledge for decision‐making. Potential effects of policy interventions should be assessed; risk and uncertainties should be reduced; unintended effects should be avoided. A variety of tools and methods of rather different character are applied, none of these methods are able to systematically reproduce a complete system; they all have their specific limits. It is not always clear, however, which method could be used for which purpose. In this paper, a transparent and problem‐oriented categorisation of FTA‐methods is suggested. It aims at supporting an appropriate usage of FTA‐methods in planning processes.Design/methodology/approachA literature review carried out in context of the EU funded transport project OPTIC (see www.optic.toi.no) reveals that differentiating between different types of uncertainty is possible. This sets the basis for the problem‐oriented categorisation of FTA methods. Key criteria for the categorisation of methods are their abilities in dealing with different types of missing knowledge.FindingsTwo categories are introduced which are called “structurally open methods” and “structurally closed methods”. It is shown that the openness‐closedness dichotomy is highly important for the type of unintended effects that can be detected with a method.Originality/valueThe paper has a novel approach for structuring FTA techniques that goes beyond the traditional quantitative/qualitative approach. It juxtaposes a problem typology and a typology of methods
Backcasting scenarios for Finland 2050 of low emissions
Authors: Heinonen Sirkka , Lauttamäki Ville 
Published: November 2014

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to present an example on how futures studies methodologies, especially backcasting, can be used to assist public policy formulation. Backcasting is particularly interesting method in this context, since it allows the key characteristics concerning the state of the future to be fixed according to the goals policymakers have set to achieve.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a case study presenting the goals, progression and the results of the backcasting exercise of the Finnish Prime Minister's Office.FindingsThe backcasting methodology, as applied in the exercise presented in this paper, is a useful tool in public policy formulation. It is important to note, however, that in the way the exercise was carried out in this case, it is only possible to view future development through qualitative arguments. The key element for successful application of the method is the choice of expert group that produces the information.Originality/valueEven though backcasting seems to be very well suited for discussing and designing alternative ways of achieving predetermined policy goals, experiences of using this methodology in the policy context are quite rare in the scientific literature. This paper addresses this deficiency and presents experiences of one such case. These experiences should be of interest to those involved in long‐range strategy planning.
Management of technological innovation
Authors: Chu Daniel , Andreassi Tales 
Published: November 2014

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to contribute to understanding of the process of innovation in the biotechnology companies operating in Brazil. The paper identifies the most critical factors in the innovation process of the enterprises in this sector; the paper then analyses the dynamics of the sector and the contribution of the universities and incubators to the innovation process and also evaluates how these elements affect the management process of the technological innovation within and outside the organization.Design/methodology/approachThe research was of the qualitative exploratory type and involved seven case studies of biotechnology companies of different sizes, acting in various sectors, having undergone or not an incubation process. For interpretation of the results, content analysis was utilized.FindingsThe study indicated that, among the many obstacles to innovation, access to finance is the most critical. Partnerships have been adversely affected due to institutional and regulatory factors, namely a lack of clear laws and rules regarding intellectual property. The companies have sought to compensate by making their internal processes agile, creating flexible organizational structures and an organizational environment favourable to innovation, which is internalized, as a practice, in a tacit manner.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations are associated with the case study methodology: the results presented pertain to the companies studied, and, therefore, cannot be generalized or extended to other companies or areas.Practical implicationsThe management process of innovation occurs in an informal and less than systematic manner. The innovation process in Brazilian biotechnology companies benefits from a pro‐active posture adopted by them to manage and learn from adversity.Originality/valueThe paper increases understanding of the innovation process in Brazilian biotechnology companies.
Chile helps Chile: exploring the effects of earthquake Chile 2010
Authors: Emanuel Korstanje Maximiliano 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– The purpose of the present paper is to explore the political discourse present in the show Chile Ayuda a Chile [Chile helps Chile] to support the survivors and victims of the last earthquake hit Chile in 2010. Based on the belief that nationalism plays a vital role in cementing the process of recovery by making survivors believe that they, after all, have a new opportunity to be on feet again.Design/methodology/approach– The visual methodology (enrooted in the analysis of content) is the chosen technique to develop five indicators which replicates the nationalist sentiment of Chileans post-disaster context. The archetype of nationalism is activated whenever the community is in danger.Findings– As Baudrillard put it, the post-modernity is witness of a much wider nation-state’s declination. Nonetheless, current information presented in this report very well contrasts a thesis of this caliber. Far-away of being experiencing a decrease of Nationalism, we argue that in contexts of emergency and chaos, nationality plays an important role to maintain a firm bondage and prevent social fragmentation. Five indicators are found in the discourse of Chile helps Chile, beautiness, sport, coercion, stratification and materiality.Research limitations/implications– The outcome of this research, because of its qualitative nature, does not allows statistical or broader inferences. For this, further investigation is needed.Originality/value– Much of disaster-related texts have been influenced by Jean Baudrillard and his thesis of nation state decline. The originality of this research shows the opposite. As a process of resiliency, the national being still plays a crucial role in revitalizing the social tenets of community in context of uncertainness.
Disaster resilience in transportation: Japan earthquake and tsunami 2011
Authors: Nakanishi Hitomi , Black John , Matsuo Kojiro 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the transportation organizational service provision and travel behavioral responses after the March 2011 disaster in North East Japan. This research aims to identify the areas for capacity building in transportation to support resilient built environments.

Design/methodology/approach
– A case study approach was taken to examine the transportation organizational service provision in one of the most devastated communities after the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Data on post-disaster transportation arrangements were collected from local newspapers, desk reviews of reports by transportation operators and the local council, semi-structured interviews with local council and community groups, and a residents’ questionnaire surveying travel behavior. Organizational responses were analyzed by: the pre-disaster phase, the emergency phase, the rebuilding (temporary settlement) phase and the recovery (permanent settlement) phase.

Findings
– Transportation demand changes dramatically in the emergency phase. In the re-building phase, an efficient and effective provision of a transportation service is required. The recovery and pre-disaster phases are critical as these are the time to build capacity for resilience. Practical application of the land use and transportation planning process is recommended in forming a transportation master plan.

Originality/value
– This research is the first attempt to analyze the transportation organizational responses after a disaster in four discrete temporal dimensions. The knowledge provided in the paper is derived from the examination of the transportation responses in a city after a major disaster. The findings are more generally applicable to any built environments that are aiming for resilience.
Intangible assets, international experience and the internationalisation speed of retailers
Authors: Mohr Alexander , Batsakis Georgios 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to study draws on the resource- and knowledge based views (RBV/KBV) of the firm to explain the internationalisation speed of retail firms.Design/methodology/approach– The authors use a panel data set of 144 international retailers over a ten-year period and employ feasible generalised least squares analysis in order to assess the effect of intangible assets and international experience on internationalisation speed.Findings– The results support direct effects of intangible assets and international experience, while the latter effect is also moderated by firms’ home-region concentration.Research limitations/implications– The study investigates the determinants of retailers’ internationalisation speed. While research stresses the positive performance effects of rapid internationalisation, future research should investigate the role of internationalisation speed for the performance of retailers empirically. The findings support the usefulness of adopting a RBV/KBV for explaining internationalisation speed.Practical implications– The findings imply that firms need to have particular intangible resources before being able to internationalise rapidly. They also show that decision-makers need to be mindful of the effects of international experience in allowing them to expand overseas both within and outside their home region.Originality/value– There has been very little research into the speed with which firms in general and service sector firms in particular expand their operations internationally. Through a theory-based analysis of a newly created panel data set this study provides novel insights into the factors that lead retail firms to internationalise rapidly.
Value creation logics and internationalization of service firms
Authors: Jensen Peter D. Ørberg , Petersen Bent 
Published: November 2014

Purpose– While mainstream theories in international business and management are foundedeither explicitly or implicitly on studies of manufacturing firms, prior attempts to develop theoryon the internationalization of service firms are sparse and have yet to establish solid andcomprehensive frameworks. The thrust of this study is that value creation logics, a constructoriginally developed by Stabell and Fjeldstad (1998) can assist us in better understanding why and how service firms internationalize. The authors extend this construct and propose that the internationalization of service firms must be based on a thorough understanding of the fundamental nature of these firms.Design/methodology/approach– Theoretical study.Findings– The authors put forward propositions concerning the pace of internationalization and the default foreign operation modes in service firms.Research limitations/implications– The use of value creation logics can be a useful complement to the conventional approaches to the study of service firms’ internationalization. However, the fact that most firms encompass more than one value creation logic complicates the use of firm databases and industry statistics.Practical implications– The authors suggest that managers in service firms should consider primarily the nature of the value creation logic(s) in their firms when deciding and designing an internationalization strategy.Originality/value– The study presents a novel theoretical approach and a set of propositions on service firm internationalization founded on the specific characteristics of the service activities.
Augmenting versus exploiting entry modes in soft services
Authors: Pla-Barber Jose , Villar Cristina , León-Darder Fidel 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to address foreign market entry mode as a way to enhance firm’s knowledge base, providing new insights into traditional explanations of entry mode choice for soft services. The authors offer an alternative knowledge-based approach to assess foreign investment decisions by considering the role of resource-augmenting (direct investment) and resource-exploiting strategies (licenses). In addition, the authors untie the type of experiential knowledge, i.e., host country and mode experience, to analyze its interactions with environmental uncertainties such as cultural distance.

Design/methodology/approach
– Based on a customized database of the Spanish Global Hotel industry covering practically all foreign entries until 2012, the authors use regression analysis to test the proposal.

Findings
– The authors demonstrate how in hotel chains (a) cultural distance influences the use of high resource-augmenting modes, due to both the difficulties in transferring the knowledge to third parties but also the imperative need of learning from local markets and (b) how strong brands tend to use resource-augmenting modes in their first steps abroad as a strategy to achieve a minimum level of resource basis to exploit it in a later stage.

Originality/value
– The findings question the appropriateness of prior assumptions from traditional internationalization process theories for soft services MNE and provide an alternative approach to assess entry mode choice in this context.
Improving international students’ understanding of local culture and financial institutions
Authors: Buchanan Bonnie 
Published: November 2014

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of a service learning project focusing on financial literacy. In response to the global financial crisis there has been increasing emphasis on improving financial literacy skills and education. In this paper, the author argues for service learning as a means of integrating the finance curricula with real-world applications.

Design/methodology/approach
– Initially, the author surveys the growing importance of a financial literacy education as well as integrating service learning with a business education. The author then describes the implementation of a service-learning program at a private university that provides financial literacy workshops to community partners.

Findings
– The paper concludes with a discussion of the effectiveness of the financial literacy workshops and reflections of the service-learning experience.

Research limitations/implications
– It is an opportunity for learning among culturally diverse groups and has also helped international students become more culturally involved on campus.

Practical implications
– The undergraduate service-learning program is placed in an intermediate finance class. It is also an opportunity for cultural and financial institutional learning among international students.

Social implications
– Given the diversity of community service partners in this project, the service-learning experience has become an opportunity to teach all students on international cultural differences and social justice themes.

Originality/value
– This is one of the few pedagogical examples in financial literacy with an international dimension.
L'informalité: un nouveau paradigme de développement et d'intégration « par le bas » en Afrique
Authors: Njifen Issofou 
Published: November 2014

RésuméAprès plusieurs décennies d'expériences d'intégration régionale en Afrique, le bilan du modèle linéaire d'intégration adopté par les Communautés Economiques Régionales est mitigé. Ce processus d'intégration orchestré par le haut c'est‐à‐dire par les règles et les institutions ne permet pas d'optimiser les résultats de l'intégration en matière de développement économique. Face à cette faible performance, un autre modèle d'intégration parallèle allait s'imposer: l'intégration par le bas c'est‐à‐dire par les peuples; laquelle se réalise en marge des institutions grâce à la volonté manifeste des groupes sociaux qui sortent des cadres réglementaires pour développer des réseaux marchands transfrontaliers. L'informalité devient une alternative capable d'engendrer un développement inclusif et dont sa formalisation peut contribuer à la transformation structurelle de l'Afrique. L'objectif de cet article est de susciter la réflexion sur le rôle que peut jouer l'informalité dans le processus de l'intégration en Afrique. Partant du principe d'individualisme méthodologique, nous montrons que l'informalité constitue un vecteur de développement local et d'intégration par le bas en Afrique. Les Etats doivent procéder à une refondation de l'intégration en Afrique et faire du secteur informel un véritable partenaire de la politique de développement et d'intégration en Afrique.
Trade in Intermediate Inputs and Trade Facilitation in Africa's Regional Integration
Authors: ‘Ofa Siope Vakataki , Karingi Stephen 
Published: November 2014

AbstractDespite concerted efforts, Africa's regional integration process has encountered delays. Since the third stage of the Abuja Treaty in 2008, piecemeal progress has been observed. It therefore begs a difficult but relevant question: why is the regional integration process stalling? The conventional answer lies in challenges such as inadequate financial resources and infrastructure for trade among others. However, an approach is proposed to refocus regional integration on resource‐based industrialization. The level of industrialization is examined in Africa using Balassa's Revealed Comparative Advantage Indexes based on the BACI dataset. Further, an input‐output table analysis on production of Kenya's trade in intermediate inputs is done based on the GTAP 8 dataset. The analysis finds that while the level of industrialization is heterogeneous among African economies, the overall level is low. Also, in the case of Kenya and five regions in Africa, imported intermediate was found to be a critical input to production, lending support to the importance of trade facilitation measures in ensuring timely and cost‐effective sourcing of inputs.
Adipokines in Peritoneal Dialysis: Relevant Clinical Impact According to Body Composition
Authors: Bernardo Ana Paula , Fonseca Isabel , Oliveira José Carlos , Santos Olivia , Carvalho Maria João , Cabrita António , Rodrigues Anabela 
Published: November 2014

AbstractAdipokines impact on clinical outcomes is not adequately addressed in peritoneal dialysis (PD). We investigated the impact of leptin/adiponectin ratio (L/A) as a predictor of cardiovascular events (CVE) inPD, taking into consideration patient's body composition and the potential role of glucose load. We prospectively followed 66 prevalentPDpatients for 47.0 ± 28.2 months. NewCVEwere evaluated. Lean tissue index (LTI), relative fat mass (relFM) and relative overhydration (relOH) using multifrequency bioimpedance (BCM) were assessed; serum lipids, interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), leptin and adiponectin were measured. We established the determinants ofL/Ausing multiple linear regression and the impact ofL/AonCVE. Obesity was present in 47 (73.4%) patients according to relFM, and in seven (10.6%) according to body mass index (BMI). Leptin andL/Aexhibited a stronger correlation with relFM(both r = 0.62,P < 0.0001) than withBMI(r = 0.46 and r = 0.51, respectively, bothP < 0.0001).L/Ashowed a significant correlation with triglycerides (r = 0.41,P = 0.001) andHDL‐cholesterol (r = −0.358,P = 0.003), better than isolated leptin or adiponectin. RelFM(RR = 0.130, 95%confidence interval [CI]:0.086–0.174,P < 0.0001) andLTI(RR = 0.194, 95%CI:0.037–0.351,P = 0.016) were independent predictors ofL/A(R2 = 0.67). Patients who suffered newCVEwere older (59.12 ± 12.41 vs. 47.52 ± 13.84years,P = 0.003) and had a higherrelOH(11.28 ± 7.29 vs. 6.60 ± 8.16%,P = 0.028).L/Awas significantly higher in patients withCVE[2.29 (1.79) vs. 0.65 (1.73),P = 0.028] but this association was only put on evidence after excluding patients with wasting.BMIis an inaccurate method to classify obesity inPDsince it underestimates its prevalence compared with body composition assessment usingBCM. High adiponectin and low leptin are associated with a more favorable metabolic risk profile in peritoneal dialysis. TheL/Ais determined by relFMand byLTI. A higherL/Ais associated withCVEinPDpatients without wasting.